Adriaan- Netherlands

Erikur- Iceland

Alin- Romania

…

The sun was beginning to set now, its still-bright light casting an orange glow about the tiny wooden hut, rays bouncing playfully off the fresh snow outside. Trees in the distance bordered the view from the window, unmoving and silent, and beyond that, rolling hills covered in a deep forest stretched out for miles.

Adriaan glanced between the two men in front of him, taking in their features. He was already acquainted with Ivan- the taller of the two, and a large intimidating man- as it was he who summoned him here. He was taller than Adriaan even, with pale hair, a large nose and a bright, fake, smile. Lilac eyes stared at him in interest; Adriaan noted that abnormal colour, and somewhat self-consciously remembered how even his own blue-green eyes are considered rare, especially here in the settlements of the far north. The shorter, young Erikur, also had pale hair, almost white, to be precise, and lilac eyes too. Now that Jan thought of it, most people in this far-northern village had purple eyes, and that made him feel uneasy. It was eerie. The people themselves were eerie too, creepy and ghostly figures who watched him with distrust from windows and doorways as he walked past. Over the years, he'd come to realise that anything abnormal was not to be trusted, as it usually signalled something sinister, something non-human.

But, as these people were paying him handsomely for his skills, Adriaan decided to ignore it. For now, at least.

"You have work for me?" he stated finally.

"Yes of course," Ivan nodded slowly, still smiling, "we heard you're the one to talk to about a little vampire problem."

"That is correct," Adriaan replied, "though I am also trained to exterminate demons, werewolves and other such monsters, if needed."

"Well, it's just the vampire we need killing," Erikur raised a hand.

"One?" Adriaan raised an eyebrow, "they rarely travel alone."

"A whole clan," corrected Ivan, throwing Erikur a glare, "they've been attacking and killing villagers for months now, picking off anyone caught alone at night, and even sneaking into homes. My own sisters were taken, Erikur's brother too. I hope you understand why we sent for you."

"Revenge." Adriaan was not one for sympathy or sob-stories; he'd heard plenty over the years. Maybe burning and stabbing and shooting his way through life in return for gold had desensitized him, but he no longer cared who had died and why, or what they were like or who they were related to. Of course, he cared when the monsters died, very much so. And not just for the reward, but because Adriaan knew they were evil. He had been told it was his duty to rid the world of vampire and demon plagues, so he did. It also meant he could kill and still expect a place in heaven; vampires weren't human, after all, so killing them wasn't a sin. In fact, they way they slaughtered and feasted on humans meant it would be sinful not to kill them, at least, to Adriaan anyway.

"Exactly." Ivan frowned, "my sisters were dear to me and now I'm alone. The people of this village have suffered enough, which is why we need you."

"How much?" Adriaan refused to agree to anything unless he heard the right figures. He wasn't some charity giving away his services for gratis.

"Fifty gold coins," Erikur told him, "take it or leave it. Don't like? Walk away and we'll find someone else. But you're getting nothing until we have that monster's head on this table." He wrapped his knuckles on the old, wooden table between them, as if to prove his point.

"Understood," Adriaan frowned, "but you said 'monster'. I thought I was after a family group."

"You are," Erikur paused for a moment, "but we are unsure of the exact number. We are, however, familiar with one, named Radacanu, who does the actual butchering. The others rarely leave whatever shithole they're holing up in. Though we will pay extra for any other monsters you slay, it's Radacanu we want. His death might serve as a lesson to the others. This is not a town to be messed with!"

"I see," Adriaan scratched his chin, "so do you have a visual? What am I dealing with here? Any information you have could be vital."

"Red eyes," began Ivan.

"Just like every other vampire," Adriaan commented dryly.

"Grins a lot. Quite manically. Stays still long enough to let you see the blood dripping from his mouth then disappears. Or kills you. All down to chance."

"But what does he look like?" Adriaan pressed.

"He's hard to describe," Erikur chose his words carefully, "no one has seen him clearly. But, you'll know who he is when you see him."

"That's not very helpful," Adriaan tried to not let his irritation get the better of him.

"I know," Ivan grinned apologetically, "that's why we brought a guide along to help you. Alin knows all the routes in the woods surrounding our village and can help you track Radacanu down, whether you want to confront him and his clan in their lair, or set up a trap."

"And where is this guide?" Adriaan raised an eyebrow.

"Running late," Ivan admitted, "but he should be here any moment now."

As if on cue, there was a faint knocking at the door and Adriaan felt torn between annoyance and curiosity. Why didn't anyone here have a shred of professionalism between them? People's lives were at risk and here was this Alin person turning up late; Adriaan hoped it wasn't a regular occurrence. He'd soon make sure it wasn't.

As Ivan moved to open the door- strange, Adriaan was sure it was unlocked, why was he knocking?- the young man found himself wondering what his new assistant would be like, not that it really mattered. Over the years, few of his guides, assistants and companions lived very long, not when they were up against such evil. Nowadays, Adriaan never bothered to form any sort of bond with the local people of wherever he was protecting.

However, when Alin entered, Adriaan's indifference turned to annoyance.

Alin was small, slight and appeared to be a bit on the scrawny side, making Adriaan doubt he would last for long on this mission. At least, that's what Adriaan could make out through his thick brown tunic and cloak. Long, light brown hair covered his ears and forehead and he smiled brightly up at him, mouth half obscured by a thick scarf. But what caught Adriaan's attention most was the grubby blindfold wrapped tightly around his head and covering his eyes.

"So I have no information on my target and a blind guide?" Adriaan glared at Erikur and Ivan.

"Alin is the best," Erikur replied calmly.

"I second that," Alin butted in, "sorry it took so long but," he held up a wooden stick in front of him, "not the fastest person here." The thick scarf around him slipped slightly, revealing the top of his mouth and Alin hastily fumbled for it, pulling it up. Adriaan guessed he was a stranger to the village, as he clearly wasn't as used to the cold, northern regions, and because of how different he looked compared to the other villagers. He wasn't pale or light-haired and Adriaan wondered how this foreigner was supposed to be the expert on the area. Still, it was not his place to question that. The blindfold, on the other hand, led Adriaan to doubt this man's navigational skills.

"This might just be the worst job offer I've ever had," he commented, throwing a glare at Ivan and Erikur, "and that's really saying something."

"Fifty gold coins," Ivan sang, "do you want them or not?"

Adriaan's eye twitched. That was a lot of money… "How exactly is a man who cannot even see his own hands going to lead me to the vampire?" he questioned, voice reduced to a low hiss, "your pathways are hazardous in the village itself, let alone in the forest."

"Don't underestimate me," growled Alin, "I am perfectly capable of looking after myself."

"Just trust him," Ivan gave a small smile.

"I don't trust people, I tolerate them," corrected Adriaan, "but fine, what do you think is the best course of action, Alin?"

"Attack at night or you'll never find them," Alin began. "Try the old castle a few miles or so from here; that's where they're probably hiding, though no one's dared to check so far. Can you really blame them?" There was a pause. "You got weapons?" Alin tilted his head slightly.

"Of course."

"Good ones?"

"What else?"

"You seem interesting," Alin grinned through his scarf, "can I touch your face?"

"No," Adriaan replied flatly.

"But how will I know what you look like?" pressed Alin.

"That's not your business."

"Fine," Alin snorted in annoyance, but left it at that. "So make your preparations then. I'm sure you've been provided with adequate food and housing," Alin turned his head towards Erikur and Ivan's general direction, "right?"

"Don't get too big for your boots," Ivan warned, "remember you're still a stranger to us, and a poor one at that."

"I've not forgotten," Alin sighed, "but you cannot doubt my expertise."

"We don't. Still, stay out of things that do not concern you," Erikur told him.

"I will."

"We'll be leaving tomorrow," Adriaan informed him, "make sure you're ready at dawn."

"Dawn?" spluttered Alin, "why? Everyone knows vampires won't come out in the daytime, so there's no point in starting early. Sunset is fine."

"I'm the expert here," Adriaan growled.

"Really? Because I recall everyone saying I was," Alin pointed out.

"How are you an expert? You can't see!"

"Why would that stop me?' Alin shrugged, "I'm actually quite wise, if anyone let me show that. Look, I'll get you to the vampire in one piece; you just focus on killing the bastard. I say we leave at sunset, maybe late afternoon if you insist on an early start."

"I have no say in the matter, do I?" Adriaan groaned.

"Hey, you're the boss," Alin turned to leave, "I'm just here to give some advice. So, same time tomorrow then?" and with that, he disappeared through the door with an almost inhuman swiftness.

Ariaan sighed once more; something told him this mission would be his most tiresome yet.

…

Yes, I know, I really should not be starting a new story, but this would not leave my brain. This was originally a robul fic but as I'm already writing one of those (and will probably write plenty more in the future) I thought I'd use this idea for a less popular Romania pairing, ie. Netherlands/Romania, which I also adore.

Now, I am perfectly aware of how overused and cliché vampire stories are, especially where Romania is concerned, and I'm sorry if this is already annoying people, but I really want to write it, and I promise to not make any characters two-dimensional, flat etc. though if I appear to be doing that then don't hesitate to point it out.

I should also mention this universe is entirely fictitious, not based on a real place and most certainly not historically accurate. It is not meant to cause any offense (which is why it's set in a made up world).

Side pairings are Bulkraine, Norbela and Sufin.

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