Chapter 16
Conclusion
Several days had passed. And Integra found herself staring at the note from the queen telling her of her impending engagement. She sighed flatly and went to inspect herself in her bedroom mirror. It was seven-thirty in the evening. Her suitor would be at the mansion at eight o'clock sharp. She looked in her vanity mirror inspecting herself to make sure she was presentable. She wore no make up. No lip color, no eye shadow, not even rouge. She would wear the suit she always wore at formal meetings with the knights. Her fiance' would just have to learn to deal with it. After she was satisfied with her appearence, she left her room and headed toward her office where her suitor would meet her for the first time.
Walter was waiting for Integra in her office. He waited for one of the maids to bring brandy to help the evening go more smoothly. He saw how Integra looked and gave a weary sigh.
"Sir, don't you think you could at least dress like a lady when you meet your fiance'?" He asked hoping against hope that Integra would agree with him and quickly change. Of course the aged retainer knew better.
"Walter, the man might as well get used to seeing me as I am. It's bad enough I have to wear a wedding dress and a formal gown for this bloody engagement ball next month. I abhore the very thought of wearing a dress at all, but these two times I can see no way out of it. Namely because you would have me stuffed into the dress if needs be, and Alucard would not be able to pass up a chance to watch such utter humilation at my expense. So tonight you and my fiance' can just deal with me wearing a suit and that will be all on the matter." Integra said firmly.
"As you wish Sir. Shall I fetch Alucard and Miss Victoria?" Walter asked again.
"Yes. I might as well have them ready in case this suitor the queen has chosen for me decides to come early." Integra answered.
"Honestly, I don't understand why I just can't have artificial insemination and be done with the pregnancy already." Integra muttered.
"Sir! The queen would have a heart attack if she heard you talk like that!" Walter exclaimed.
"Will you just go get Alucard and Seras and be done with it?" Integra ordered in an irritated tone.
"Yes Sir." Walter replied wiping his brow. He himself was about ready to have a heart attack at the previous statement.
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Thirty minutes later Alucard, Seras, Walter and Integra waited in her office. Integra sat impatiently tapping her pen against her desk. She took out a cigarillo and lit it. Alucard and Walter wrinkled their noses at the sight.
"Master, it's not very lady like to be smoking when you're about to meet your husband to be." Alucard said a sarcastic manner.
"Alucard, unless you'd like this cigarillo going up your backside; I would suggest you keep your opinions to yourself." Integra growled.
"I haven't even met the poor sap yet, and already I feel sorry for him." Alucard thought to Seras giving her a quick glance.
"Sir, please try to be nice to him. This is for the sake of your family and the organization." Walter begged as politely as possible.
"Will you just escort him in already? I feel bloody awkward enough doing this." Integra ordered.
"Yes Sir." Walter replied and left Integra's office.
"Do you know anything at all about him Sir?" Seras asked.
"His father is the Earl of Ascott. He's the middle of three sons. The queen thought he was an excellent choice." Integra answered flatly.
"I'm sure he'll make a good husband." Seras replied trying to lighten the mood.
"That, Captain Victoria, remains to be seen." Integra stated.
Walter escorted a gentleman in his late twenties to Integra's office. "Sir Integra, I wish to present Mr. Kenneth Grey Ascott. This is the suitor that the queen has chosen for you." Walter said in a stately manner.
He was a handsome man. Slim but not lanky, broad shoulders and regal facial features enhanced by a well manicured beard and mustache. He had short brown hair that went just to the top of his neck. He had dark brown eyes and a light tan. He wore a formal suit so he would look his best before his future bride.
She begrudgingly extinguished her cigarillo. With an exasperated sigh, she prepared to meet her future husband.
"I thought your husband to be was going to see the real you, master." Alucard chided mentally.
Integra wanted nothing more than to retort with something really nasty, preferably a few four letter words that no self respecting British woman would ever utter in mixed company, or any company for that matter. But her fiance' was standing at the door so she had no choice but to hold her tongue for once.
Alucard secretly relished in the thought that for once, she couldn't snap at him like she usually did. Of course, he had a feeling that once Hellsing's distinguished visitor was gone he'd catch hell for it later. It was worth it to see her have to cow tow before someone else for once instead of the other way around.
"Sir Integra Wingates Hellsing, such a pleasure it is to finally meet you. Her majesty has told me much about you and the Hellsing Organization. I can assure you that all that I have been told will of course be kept in the utmost confidence." Kenneth said in a cordial tone.
"Yes of course. I am honored to have you in my house Mr. Ascott." Integra said almost having to bite her tongue.
"This is Walter C. Dolnaze, retainer to the Hellsing family." Integra said as politely as possible.
"Yes, he introduced himself on the way here. These must be two of your best agents." Kenneth said looking toward Alucard and Seras.
"Yes. These are my two chief vampire slayers Alucard and Captain Seras Victoria. Am I to assume that her majesty has informed you about their...nature?" Integra questioned still trying to remain polite.
"Yes of course. It's a rather ingenious plan your family conceived. Use a vampire to hunt down and kill other vampires. Of course, I was not aware until the queen informed me that you actually used two vampires. I thought the one known as Alucard was trained to kill all other undead who crossed his path." Kenneth replied in a somewhat haughty manner.
"Alucard, don't you dare!" Integra shouted mentally to her elder vampire servant. She didn't have to look at his face to know that he most certainly did not appreciate the last comment.
"Seras Victoria came to us as an MI-5 agent assigned to be Alucard's human partner. An unfortunate incident forced him to turn her into a vampire. She is a most invaluable asset and one that I did not wish to lose. If the situation had presented itself differently I would have insisted she remain human. But as a vampire she has increased this organization's effeciency in protecting her majesty's church and citizens. The queen was informed of Seras Victoria's turning soon after it happened. She has had no problem with two vampires protecting her country." Integra stated calmly but firmly.
"Of course. Please accept my apologies if I have committed any offense against you or your agents." Kenneth said seeing the rather perturbed look upon the face of the red clad vampire.
Integra looked insistently at Alucard warning him not to make any rash statements. He his displeasure under his shades and calmly accepted the apology.
"Anyone for brandy?" Walter asked trying to quickly defuse the situation before it got really uncomfortable.
"Yes Walter, please. I think some of us could use a good stiff drink." Integra replied before the mood got more tense that it already was.
"Yes, I could use a drink myself." Kenneth said taking a shot of brandy as Walter offered it to him.
"Alucard, Seras, you both are dismissed. But be on stand by in case anything unexpected should happen." Integra ordered.
"Yes master."
"Yes Sir."
With that Alucard and Seras vanished from Integra's office.
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Alucard sat with Seras in her room. She walked over to him and leaned her head on his shoulder. He reclined in her chair with his feet propped up on her table. Seras looked up to see the brooding look upon her lover's face.
"You don't like him do you?" She asked fingering a lock of his long black hair.
"Not particularly. He disrespected you, and I was forced to stand there and let him do it. The fool should be thankful I am bound to my master's family. He'd have been ripped to shreds by now." Alucard answered.
"Try not to let it bother you. I have a feeling that he'll learn his place in this house soon enough. If he thinks that Sir Integra is just going to be a polite and dutiful bride he's about to get a very rude awakening." Seras replied.
That thought brought a satisfied smirk to the elder vampire's face. "You always know how to make me feel better." He said.
"Alucard, do you think anyone will ever try to release the soul of Lilith again? Do you think the sword will truly keep it imprisoned?" Seras asked.
"Integra informed me of how the weapon was dealt with. It was placed into a steel capsule which was then welded shut. Then placed in a steel container of wet concrete. After that hardened it was placed in a specially designed metal chest made of pure silver. Then a priest blessed the whole thing. After that the queen herself had the container taken to a secret location. Not even Integra was allowed to see where it was hidden. She was blindfolded on the way there. The only time she was permitted to take it off was to see the blessing performed and to know that the sword would be well guarded. Then she was blindfolded once again before leaving the area." Alucard explained.
"The sword will be quite safe. I don't think Lilith will be a problem to the human race anytime soon." He said.
"Alucard, I know it is a silly question, but why do you think it is that most humans hate and fear us, yet others seem to not only accept but want to embrace our nature?" Seras asked.
"Would this happen to have something to do with your friend Zoey?" Alucard replied with a question of his own.
"A little perhaps. She doesn't seem to care one bit that I am a vampire now. She still sees me as the person who in her eyes is still her dearest friend. Yet I could feel a coldness coming from Kenneth Ascott toward us. To him we're just killers of our own kind...and his. How can some humans be understanding of us while others are not?"
To that Alucard answered, "We are everything they fear, and everything they desire Seras. To humans we are the walking dead. We prey upon them to exist. Yet it is because of our immortality, and our freedom from their morals, that they want to be as we are. We live forever. We remain eternally young and unchanging while they grow old and die. We are to them nothing more than twisted shadows. We are the illusion of what they hold most dear...life."
The End(for now)