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The Beauty and the Vampire

Summary:

The story of how Dracula Vlad Tepes and Lisa of Lupu fell in love.

Eventually.

Notes:

Part of this chapter takes from the first few scenes of the show to build from the show into my story.

(See the end of the work for more notes and other works inspired by this one.)

Chapter 1: Day 1

Chapter Text

Lisa’s heart had been pounding as she stood in front of the castle, glancing up at it even as she steeled herself. She was going to do this. Too many people had turned her away for being a woman of science, or more ridiculously for being a witch. They’d said a monster lived here, but that he knew more than any man. And she was willing to risk it on that despite the army of skeletons that had greeted her when she walked up, having to pass through them as she saw lights at the top of the castle.

A beautiful castle in a sea of death…

It was enough to take her breath away, even as she looked up at the doors.

Door that looks like they lead into another world with the way they loomed over her, the setting sun casting shadows that made her wonder if everything seemed bigger than it actually was. She let out a breath finally and banged the hilt of her knife against the door, shocked when it swung open with ease. She would have expected… More resistance. Of some sort.

Slowly, she stepped inside, eyes wide as she took in the candles. The grandeur. Even if the outside was gorgeous, the inside put it to shame in a way she hadn’t thought possible. Her knife stayed in hand as she became distracted by the beauty that contrasted so starkly with the death she had seen outside.
Nearly jumped out of her skin as the door slammed shut at the same time she caught sight of a man at the top of the stairs. At least, she assumed it was a man. They were too far for her to be certain.

“My name is Lisa. I am from the village of Lupu. I want to be a doctor,” she called simply as she sheathed her knife, not intending to be a threat to the person she wanted to teach her. A beast of a being that supposed had managed to kill all of those outside while also knowing the secrets of healing. Of helping.

To which they vanished, only to appear near her side. “You bang on my front door because you want to draw chicken blood on peasants,” a deep voice practically mocked her.

Words she had heard many times before, leaving her anger to bubble up as she turned to try to get a better look at him, some of fear slipping away as she felt old anger return to her. “Do not mistake me for a witch. Everyone out there already does that,” she snapped, turning back towards the stairs as she looked for him again. “I believe in science, but I need to know more. I have exhausted my other options, and all the stories say the man that lives here has secret knowledge.” Well, they used a different word. Not a man. A beast. A monster. Not a good foot to start on.

She froze for a moment as she felt cool breath on the back of her neck before that voice started again. “I am Vlad Dracula Tepes, and I do not get many visitors. What have you to trade for my knowledge, Lisa?” he asked, giving her enough time to pull herself together while he tried to… scare her?

Despite her pounding heart, she stepped away and turned on him. “Well, perhaps I could help you relearn some manners,” she shot back, raising her chin a bit as she realized just how tall he was. Towering over her, and incredibly pale. But definitely still a man. If he was a monster, the only thing that signified it right now were those red eyes. “You haven’t offered to take my coat or even something to drink.”

But her words seemed to surprise him as he looked down at her, cloak surrounding most of him. Still trying to intimidate her like everyone else in her path had. Like she wasn’t aware of the stories or what she was asking.

“Well, what if I took a drink from you? Or have you warded yourself with silver. Or crosses. Garlic and other superstitions,” he answered, voice still quiet, but now sounding more annoyed than anything. That someone would dare to enter his home and ask for his help. It was almost… petulant. Like a child that kept having his toys taken from him.

She couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled up a bit, remembering her lunch.

“I might have eaten some roasted garlic earlier. Is that rude? It was all I had left,” she explained with a slight smile, feeling some of her fear ebb away. Vlad might be a monster, but he also didn’t seem particularly intent on hurting her right now. His movements had made clear he was more than fast enough to take her if he wanted to. “I just want to learn. And you are the last of my options to do so. I’m really not interested in superstition. Or being some muttering witch.”

Either her words or her laughter broke something in him as he chuckled, stepping past her before circling her, taking her in. She didn’t move, as much as she felt like circled prey in this moment. If nothing else, this man was a predator. “I don’t want to lure people with nettles and entrails. I want to heal people. Will you help me?” she finally asked as he circled back around to her side, meeting his gaze, even if she had to tilt her head slightly to do it.

“You certainly aren’t like other humans I’ve met recently,” he chuckled quietly.

She snorted quietly, though it wasn’t a no. That was more than so many had given her. “Well, I could teach you about humans and you can teach me about being a doctor. Maybe, by the end of it, you will put up with them. Or at least not put them on stakes,” she said, wrinkling her nose.

Which earned her another laugh as he motioned for her to follow. He seemed to glide as he passed her, not quite managing the same steps that most people did. Like his feet never quite touched the floor. She quickly followed though, taking in the castle. “I haven’t done that in a long time. I just see no reason to take them down,” he half explained, no details actually forthcoming.

She raised an eyebrow at him as she followed quickly, falling into step beside him. “Well, then that’s plenty of reason for you to go back out and actually meet modern people,” she retorted. “Being cooped up here is no way of living.”

“You have been five minutes and you are telling me how to live my life,” he commented, turning to lead her further into the castle and away from the front doors.
“Because you’re hiding behind that big cloak of yours and enjoying humans spread horrifying stories about you,” she grumbled, shaking her head. She couldn’t imagine staying here for years on end. That’s what it felt like with him, anyways. “If you’re going to teach me something, I’m going to teach you something. And that will be to at least tolerate humans. You share the world with them after all.”

The stairs wound underneath them as she spoke, eyes roaming over the designs that she was beginning to see now that she was adjusting to the dimmer lighting inside. Lighting that certainly wasn’t fire… It was amazing. She wasn’t sure how the light was made, but it cemented the idea that she had come to the right place, even if the man of the castle was a bit daunting.

“I don’t know how much a human could teach someone as old as me, but I suppose you will have a chance to try if you stay,” Vlad murmured next to her, turning them down a long hallway. It truly was a maze of a castle, if one got turned around.

Still, she felt a spring of joy when he said she would have a chance to try to teach him something. “Wonderful,” she said brightly, pausing when he finally found the door he was apparently looking for, pushing it open and cutting off whatever she might have said next.

“This will be your room for as long as you are here,” he said quietly, motioning for her to go ahead and go in. “Unless you have some objection.”

She took a slow step in, turning slowly to examine the whole thing. It was stunning, to say the least. Still a bit dark like what else she had seen so far, but it was well furnished with several bookshelves and a fireplace, which were truly her priority. While the window was heavily curtained, she could tell it was huge with the fabric draping from floor to ceiling next to the bed. And the bed… The bed was huge. Covered in a dark red duvet with gold thread woven throughout to create intricate swirls. And a huge, wooden armoire. Beautiful, truly.

Even if it was obvious it hadn’t been used in a while.

Lisa didn’t realize how long she had been quiet as she heard him clear his throat politely behind her. “Oh! This will do. Though it might need some cleaning,” she teased, turning around to smile. It was certainly more than she had in Lupu. She wasn’t going to complain.

That seemed to take him back in surprise a bit as he glanced around, realizing the dust. “I did say I do not get guests very often,” he retorted, shaking his head slightly. “Feel free to get settled then. I will be downstairs. Come down when you would like to eat. The kitchen is off of where you came in.”

She watched him turn away, the way his cloak swished just slightly behind him. It truly was amazing to watch him move. He seemed to glide through the castle, slightly above it all. But she had to wonder how long he had been alone to give in so quickly to one person demanding to be taught. One woman from a town in the middle of nowhere.

She stood there for a moment longer in thought before finally sighing and going to put her own cloak up, taking her time to examine the room and get the fire going so that it would be comfortable when she came back.

By the time she was ready for dinner, she had to pause in the door as a thought hit her.

Who in the world could cook in a castle meant for a man like Vlad Tepes?