Chapter Text
St Mary's Convent, Budapest
That night was going to be a night that Emilia was never going to forget. Her time at St. Mary’s Convent in Budapest had been dull and uneventful, the same things happening day in, day out. She resented the fact that she was there, an ever-growing feeling of restlessness blooming inside of her. Unlike the other nuns there, she was not committed to godliness and fulfilling the mission of God and Jesus Christ. No, she was committed in another sense and when she left the dreadful place, she would never let her family forgot how much she loathed the place.
A sinner in multiple ways according to her family, conventional society and the “good” women of St. Mary’s Convent, Emilia Florescu had not found her place in the world - not in her small hometown or the convent. She wanted more from life, she desired things that scandalised the people that knew her - to read, to learn, to travel, to have sex and enjoy it, to really have a life for herself.
What her family wanted for her was another thing entirely: to get married, settle down and have a family, be a proper lady. They indulged her interests in reading and learning when she was young believing that she would grow out of it, but Emilia did not stop expressing her desire for more. She learnt how to be a proper lady to please her parents, but in her own time she read whatever she could get her hands on and explored ancient civilisations, various parts of the world and imagined herself travelling far away from her town. Greek mythology was always her favourite, particularly the story of Persephone and Hades. A girl caught between two worlds but stronger and more powerful that people give her credit for - Emilia liked the sound of that.
When she joined the convent, her parents and Mother Superior made a deal: Emilia would join the good sisters to study the ways of God and prepare for her marriage for a total of two years - 24 months in total - before which they would return for her and she would marry her fiancé, Anton. It was originally going to be one year, but after Demetra and Martin Florescu explained the situation to Mother Superior, she suggested that another year would be better, to really set Emilia on the path towards salvation and away from sin so she will be ready for marriage. So, it was decided, and Emilia was left in the hands of Mother Superior and the rest of the nuns.
It has been eighteen months since Emilia’s arrival and despite the efforts of Mother Superior and the nuns, her mind has remained resolute, resistant to any attempt to change her. She does what she must in order to placate them and make it seem like it the methods are working, but in her mind, she remains cynical about religion and marriage. With six months until her parents return to collect her, Emilia knows that she will take the first opportunity she can get to escape and run with it.
Emilia just does not expect her escape - her salvation if you will - to come in the form of a vampire.
...
The entire convent was gathered in the courtyard following the arrival of “the forces of darkness” as Mother Superior had put it. It had started with a swarm of bats flying above the building; this only last for a few minutes before they flew away. The bats were enough to catch Emilia’s attention but then all the nuns were ushered out to the courtyard, armed with a wooden stake each and led by Mother Superior and Sister Agatha Van Helsing right by her side. The nuns stood shoulder-to-shoulder and Emilia was between Sisters Elizabeth and Mabel, neither of which she cared much for. They were like a small army, ready to defend their territory against evil, and Emilia a reluctant soldier.
A wolf with fur as black as the night approached the gates of the convent, stalking its way across the threshold before stopping. The wolf had a demonic quality to it, and this nature was made clear when it transformed in front of Emilia’s very eyes. She stared as a very tall, very naked man contorted his body, twisting in a rather violent manner, clawing his way out of the body of the wolf. When he was finished, sitting there on the ground, blood covering his naked body, he spoke to the crowd: “I don’t know about you girls, but I do love a bit of fur.”
Holy Fuck. This was the thought running through Emilia’s mind on repeat. Seeing that man, that creature sparked something in her. Having been dead inside since her arrival at the convent, confined to this place that felt like a prison, Emilia had started to think that there wouldn’t be an escape for her. This was the most exciting thing that had happened in all her time there.
She thought that he was a little too hairy and yes, he was covered in blood, but wash him clean and he would look good. Dark hair and dark eyes that bore into you, peering into your soul. Gorgeous. He’s gorgeous.
Emilia’s eyes darted around to catch the reactions of her sisters and she could feel the terror that passed over them like a wave crashing onto the shore. They hunched their shoulders down, changing their posture to make themselves appear smaller in the presence of the predator in front of them. They averted their eyes from his gaze, but once Emilia was done observing them, she focused her own eyes on the man in front of them.
“This is exciting! This will be the most nuns I’ve had in one sitting.” Emilia wanted to laugh at this, and wanted to laugh at his fur comment, but knew better than to do so in front of the rest of the nuns so she kept her mouth shut. It had been a long time since a man had made her laugh, and not just because she had been stuck in a convent.
The statement reminded Emilia of who he is, what he is. Agatha had used his name earlier, saying that she had read up on the legends: Count Dracula. The forces of darkness that had attacked the convent were because of him. Evil incarnate, the others saw him as. Emilia? Sure, she could understand the reasoning, but she saw something else: freedom, power. In her mind, the two went hand-in-hand - power gave you freedom. Power gives you the ability to make your own destiny, which is what she sorely wants.
Maybe, just maybe, he could be my ticket out of here. Maybe I don’t have to wait for my parents to return for me. An instinctual part of Emilia called out: she was attracted to him. Attracted to him in a way that she wasn’t attracted to her fiancé back home. She cared little for Anton at the best of times, had barely thought of him during her time in the convent. Dracula? She could see him lodging a place in her mind and camping out there for the foreseeable future.
A little bickering took place between Count Dracula and Sister Agatha before he addressed the crowd. “Well, isn’t anyone going to invite me in? I’ve come a long way to see you.”
Dracula draws his attention to the crowd behind Agatha and Mother Superior, flicking his eyes from one nun to the next, none of them returning his gaze, their eyes trained firmly on the ground. That is, until his jet-black eyes land on Emilia’s, that shone like emeralds in the light of the torches. His lips spread upwards in a feral smile, showing off his sharp teeth as the two held a steady gaze, captive to the other. She returned his grin with a small smile of her own, careful not to attract the attention of the other nuns. Emilia wanted him to notice her. A spark has been ignited within her, and Dracula had lit the match.
Agatha opened the gates and spoke plainly to the naked vampire in front of her. “Count Dracula, this is St. Mary’s Convent of Budapest, and you are not welcome here. You are most specifically not invited in.” Dracula growled in response, anger rising to the surface.
As Agatha calls him a beast, Dracula does not take kindly to her choice of words, while Emilia thinks on this wording. Having torn his way out of a wolf he could very much be considered a beast. He has a feral, primal sense to his nature which made the label of ‘beast’ pretty fitting. And yet, Emilia did not think he was a beast, at least not in the manner that Agatha was thinking of. He had sustained himself for hundreds of years and achieved the status of a legend, a God among men. No, not a God, Emilia didn’t like the divine imagery. He was a beast in the sense that he was non-human, as no human could live as long as he has, but he was not a beast in the crude sense. Already Emilia could not stop thinking about him.
Dracula beckoned Agatha closer to him, pointing with his fore finger. Agatha stepped closer, drawing herself up to the threshold of the convent so they were inches away from each other. In that moment, Emilia was envious of Agatha’s position, wanting that to be her in close proximity to him.
He spoke softly, directing his words to her but they were still audible to the rest of the nuns, carried across the courtyard by the slight breeze. “One of them. That’s all I need. If just one of your pretty little army beckons me in, I will tear your world to pieces, and I will drink my fill.” Even with the implication of death at his hands, Emilia shuddered at his words.
“Why would they let you in? What do you have to offer?” Agatha responded quickly.
“Eternal life.”
“Well, they have that already. Thanks.” Agatha retorted before turning and walking away from Dracula. Emilia rolled her eyes at her comment, the implication of eternal life being in Heaven with God once they had left this mortal plain. She didn’t believe it, no matter how hard the other nuns tried.
As she’s walking away, Dracula turns his attention back to the crowd, searching through them before landing on Emilia again. Her eyes had never left him. His voice rings out through the courtyard as he addresses the army of nuns, “the first one to invite me in stays at my side! The others I will tear apart, and LADIES! I will take my time. One should never rush a nun.” He says the last part like he’s imparting some life advice on them.
It is the “stays at my side” that grabs Emilia’s attention the most. This could be it. This could be my escape. Part of her couldn’t believe that she was thinking this way, but the rest of her knew that it shouldn’t be a surprise. Emilia would do whatever it took to escape this convent - this prison, in her mind - and doesn’t care what she has to do in order to achieve her goals. Maybe there was some truth to what people said about me. Maybe there is a wickedness in me. It just needed a way out.
Emilia isn’t scared of the Count like the other nuns who quiver in their place in his presence. No, it’s not fear she feels. Rather, she is enthralled by him as someone who is in complete control of himself and is offering them – offering her – a place at his side. An optimistic part of her hopes that this means that they would be equals. This part was small, but hopeful. Emilia knew from Agatha what he is and what he does – he had shown them all that himself as well. She knew how he sustains himself on human blood but wasn’t repulsed. Dracula held power in his grasp, and to Emilia, he was holding out his hand and bestowing her a taste of that power.
An icy shiver crept down her spine at the thought of taking control for herself. Emilia’s feet stepped forward, breaking the chain of women standing arm-in-arm, and her mouth opened to speak the words that would bring her closer to freedom: come on in. You’re invited.
However, before she could speak, Emilia felt herself being tugged backwards, stopping her in her tracks. She wrenched her eyes away from Dracula to the two women by her side, who had taken their free arms to hold her back. With Sister Elizabeth on her right and Sister Mabel on her left gripping onto her arms hard, Emilia was restrained from taking any further steps.
“Don’t do it, Sister Emilia.” Elizabeth whispered, pleading with her with fear in her eyes and in her voice. “Don’t let that darkness in.”
“You heard him. He’s giving us a choice. Besides, Agatha is the one that brought him here with that man upstairs – he’s practically a corpse yet he’s still standing.” Emilia whispered back, arguing with her.
“Exactly. The darkness in that man is linked to the dreadful creature in front of us. Don’t bring it any further.”
Emilia knew from experience that she wasn’t going to change the minds of any of her sisters. They had already made their mind up about her. Still, she struggled against the hold of Elizabeth and Mabel, but they were forceful and weren’t going to give up easily.
Dracula glanced over towards the commotion and his mind registered the struggling nun as a possible weak spot in the small army; a rogue, a stray that could be led towards his side. There’s something peculiar about that one. Maybe she’ll be the one to let me in. I’ll have to try to get to her separately, he thought. Even though he thought that she might be provide him entrance to the convent, it did not happen. As Emilia’s mouth moved to speak, one of the nuns by her side dropped her stake in order to cover her mouth.
The stake clattered against the cobblestones drawing the attention of the others. Sister Agatha and Mother Superior turned around to face the commotion and upon realising that the source was Sister Emilia, Mother Superior thought, Dear God, that wicked girl will send us into the arms of this monster. I’m glad that Sisters Elizabeth and Mabel have the sense to restrain her. She did not express these thoughts out loud.
Agatha took this as an opportunity to speak up, interrupting the scene playing out. “Your words are not welcome here. No one will invite you in Count Dracula.”
Agatha dismisses the demonic Count, and he snarls at her before turning to leave.
He takes one last look at the crowd, settling on Emilia and giving her a little wink. As he left, Dracula thought to himself, I will find a way into that convent and drink my fill of those nuns. That Agatha has no understanding of the power I have. Yet, there was that one who came close to letting me in. Was it weakness? Fear? No, she didn’t shake with terror like the others. It might be the complete opposite: strength, boldness. I will have to find her and figure her out for myself. She might be a greater bride than dear Johnny.
While Dracula had lit a spark within Emilia, she had done the same to him.