Chapter 15
As Cassian had been going over the whole situation in his mind since he had walked in on Balthasar and Thedrick, he was finding that something seemed off. Things weren’t exactly adding up for him. Though he knew they were close, Cassian had never seen any signs of romantic feelings between the pair of them. Plus, it just didn’t make much sense. Thedrick might have flirted with anyone, but he had Beowulf now, and gods knew those two could be found canoodling somewhere on the castle grounds every time Beowulf was off duty. Though Beowulf was away with the king at the moment, Cassian doubted Thedrick would be so quick to fall into the arms of someone else.
Unless it was just a quick physical fling to satiate sexual desires, but that still didn’t really feel right. Once again, Cassian had not seen the chemistry between Balthasar and Thedrick that he himself had experience with the chirurgeon, or like that between the jester and Beowulf. There was something else going on here, there had to be. Balthasar was lying to Cassian, trying to cover something up. Cassian decided he was going to investigate and try to get to the bottom of the matter, find out what was really going on with Balthasar and Thedrick. What were they hiding, what were they planning?
Firstly, Cassian confronted Thedrick about it the next time he ran into the jester in the hallways. He noticed that when the jester spotted Cassian approaching he looked rather spooked, like he might run away for a second. Upon interrogation, Thedrick claimed that it was true that he was romantically involved with Balthasar, but he didn’t sound very convincing. Cassian asked what about Beowulf, which made the jester go quiet. Then Thedrick awkwardly excused himself from the conversation, claiming he was late for an event. He scurried away, looking worried.
It looked like Cassian would need to try a different tact to get any information. So he waited until Balthasar was out, and then slipped into the infirmary to search for any clues as to what was going on. He made his way straight for Balthasar’s desk and started looking over the items that sat on top, being careful if he picked one up to put it back exactly where it had been.
There wasn’t much of interest among the mess of books, bottles, herbs, bandages and hastily scribbled notes that covered the wooden surface. So Cassian decided to open the drawers and have a look through them instead. He opened the top drawer of the desk, and was surprised at what he found sitting inside on top of everything else.
It was a wooden stake, carved into a sharp point at one end. Cassian picked up the item and turned it over in his hands, looking at it in confusion, wondering on its purpose for being in Balthasar’s desk drawer. Then he noticed a small notebook that had been sitting next to the stake, and picked that up too. It had a black leather cover, and it appeared to be well used. Cassian flipped it over to a random page, and his eyes widened.
There was a hand drawn illustration of a mouth with fangs on one page, and though the other page was written in Balthasar’s native tongue, Cassian still noticed liberal use of a familiar looking word. ‘Vampir’.
The wooden stake Cassian was still holding now made more sense. Was Balthasar hunting vampires? Cassian kept quickly flicking through the notebook, glancing at the images more than the words considering he couldn’t read the language. Balthasar seemed to have collected a fair amount of information on these monsters, and the drawings were slightly unsettlingly detailed.
One drawing Balthasar had added some paint, to depict large, red, familiar looking eyes. It was only then that it finally hit Cassian, and his mind was ripped back to Thedrick sitting on Balthasar’s lap, apparently biting his shoulder. Cassian felt his breath catch in his throat as his mind slowly processed the information and put the pieces together.
He was dragged from thought however when he heard the infirmary doors open behind him. He quickly stashed the wooden stake away on his person, and placed the notebook back in the drawer and closed it quietly. He hunched over the desk, pretending to be looking through Balthasar’s things. Cassian could hear footsteps approaching him from behind, and then a shadow fell over him.
“What do you think you are doing, Cass?” Balthasar growled from behind him, and Cassian pretended to be startled, twisting around with a look of wide eyed surprise.
“Oh, Balthasar! I was just… um… waiting for you to get back,” he stammered awkwardly in excuse.
“Why are you messing with my things?” Balthasar asked in a threatening tone, scowling down at the soldier.
“Well… I was bored alright? I was just having a look at what you have on your desk to pass the time,” Cassian lied, hoping Balthasar wouldn’t think he had snooped any further than the items on top of the desk.
Balthasar shook his head in disappointment, crossing his arms over his chest. “And why is it that you wanted to see me?” he prompted, less threatening now and more weary.
“Because I miss you?” Cassian offered, technically not a lie. He gave Balthasar a sad look.
Balthasar raised one hand and pressed his fingers against his temple, as if he was nursing a headache. “This is really quite pathetic, you know? Plus, I am busy at the moment,” he said dismissively.
Cassian let his shoulders sag, and let out a sigh. “Yes, of course. I’ll see myself out,” he muttered, stepping around the chirurgeon and headed out the door.
Walking down the castle hallways, Cassian’s head was spinning with questions at the secret he had just uncovered. The court jester was a vampire? The castle chirurgeon knew he was a vampire, and was feeding him? Did Beowulf know Thedrick was a vampire? Was he dangerous? Why would Balthasar be aiding a monster? Then again, Balthasar had always been a strange one, who seemed so well acquainted with shadows.
Cassian couldn’t help but feel a little relieved and vindicated though. He had been correct, Balthasar and Thedrick were not in a relationship. Balthasar had just pretended to be to protect his pet vampire from being found out. It all made so much sense now. Cassian hadn’t been discarded for someone younger after all.
Though this still left the issue of the fact that there was a vampire in the castle. And as Cassian served the king, he couldn’t help but feel like it was his job to do something about that. That's why he had taken the stake with him. Though he was a little confused why Balthasar would keep around an item to kill vampires if he was friends with one. Unless it was insurance, to take Thedrick out if he became dangerous?
Cassian was feeling a little unsure as to what to do. Should he take care of this himself, or report it to the king? The king wouldn’t be back for a few more days though, and Cassian wasn’t sure how long he could just sit on this knowledge. He felt like he should take action. For the safety and wellbeing of the castle's occupants.
So Cassian tracked down Thedrick again to have another little talk to him. He found the vampire sitting out in the sun in the courtyard, as strange as that may seem. Seemed that their commonly known weakness to sunlight wasn’t accurate. Thedrick looked a little nervous once again as Cassian approached and sat down on the bench next to him, stake hidden up his sleeve.
“Thedrick, I need to ask you a favour,” Cassian said in a friendly but serious manner as he turned his head to look at the jester.
“Wh-What is it?” Thedrick asked anxiously, looking up at Cassian with those large red eyes.
“I want you to stop leading Balthasar along,” Cassian lied smoothly. “I know you don’t have any real feelings for him, it’s clear you’re in love with Beowulf. So stop messing around with the old man, and let me win him back.”
“Um… okay,” the jester said uncertainly, a look of confusion on his pale features.
“I would really appreciate it if you did. Though I’m not sure how I’m going to win back his affection,” Cassian said wearily with a sigh. “After all, how does one court a vampire?”
Thedrick’s eyes went wide with shock. “A… vampire? Balthasar isn’t a vampire!” he exclaimed in confusion.
“Oh?” Cassian said in return, wearing his own look of faux surprise. “Well, he certainly seems to look and act a lot like one. Hiding away all day in his infirmary, all tall, dark and brooding. How do you know he isn’t one?”
“Well, for starters, he doesn’t have red eyes-” a look of panic crossed Thedrick’s face as that slipped out of his mouth. Cassian stared at him intensely.
“Oh fuck,” the jester muttered, and quickly tried to jump to his feet, but Cassian reached out and grabbed the back of his costume, yanking hard to force the vampire to sit back down again. The soldier held up his other hand, which was now holding the stake, for Thedrick to see. Fear washed over the vampire’s face.
“Not this again!” Thedrick squeaked, trying to wriggle out of Cassian’s grasp. The soldier quickly grabbed him by the arm instead, his hand easily fitting around the thin limb and holding on tightly as the jester tried to pull away. “Please don’t kill me Cass!” Thedrick begged as he stared at Cassian in complete terror. “Baz would hate you if you did!”
“Why is he protecting such a despicable creature like you?” Cassian hissed through clenched teeth, glaring at the terrified little vampire. “Actually, let’s go ask him, shall we?” he got to his feet, roughly pulling Thedrick up with him. The jester let out a whimper as the soldier dragged him along, heading towards the infirmary.
As they passed the guards patrolling the castle grounds on their way, the soldiers gave the pair looks of shock and confusion, probably at how angry Cassian looked. It took a lot to make the officer lose his temper, after all. He ignored Thedrick’s pleas for mercy, tightly gripping the jester’s arm as he pulled him along.
They reached the infirmary door, and Cassian pushed it open, dragging the crying vampire inside before shoving him roughly ahead of him into the room. Thedrick stumbled and fell to the floor, which seemed to knock the air out of him as he let out a wheeze and didn’t immediately try to get to his feet.
Across the room Cassian could see Balthasar jump to his feet from where he had been seated at his desk, staring at Cassian in pure shock before he hurried across the room towards the prone vampire. “What in the names of the gods is the meaning of this? Explain yourself, Cass!” the chirurgeon snapped very loudly at Cassian, expression changing to rage.
“How about you explain yourself, Balthasar?” Cassian snapped back as Balthasar crouched down next to Thedrick, reaching out for him. Thedrick seemed to be sobbing and whimpering into the floor. “I figured it all out, you see, your little secret,” the soldier waved the stake around as he spoke. “You’ve been aiding a dangerous creature! This is tantamount to treason!”
“Are you out of your gods-damned mind Cass?” Balthasar practically yelled in response. “You call this snivelling mess a dangerous creature?” he gestured to the crying vampire before scooping him up into his arms and holding him against his chest. Thedrick clung onto him like a child.
“He’s a vampire Balthasar!” Cassian explained. “Vampires are cursed creatures of the night! They are evil!”
“Not this one,” Balthasar growled defensively, turning his body slightly to shield the jester. “You need to calm down, as you clearly have no idea what you are on about.”
“I don’t understand why you are on his side!” Cassian exclaimed in confusion. “Why are you protecting him? Why are you feeding him?”
“Because…” Balthasar broke off, looking down at the shivering vampire in his arms. When he started speaking again, his tone was softer. “He’s my… friend. It’s not his fault he was born like this, and he doesn’t mean anyone any harm. You know that he doesn’t hurt anyone, they hurt him! I started taking care of him because I felt sorry for him, and there was no one else to do it.”
Seeing Balthasar speak about his little friend in such a tender way quickly melted away some of Cassian’s anger, leaving him feeling rather confused and unsure of what to say or do. “Does… does anyone else know? Beowulf?” he finally managed to ask.
Balthasar sighed, walked over to his desk and set Thedrick down on his chair. “Yes, Beowulf found out and had the exact same reaction as you. You soldiers are all the same, bunch of knuckleheads,” Balthasar spat out in irritation, gently lifting Thedrick’s face by the chin and wiping away his tears with a cloth.
“Beowulf tried to kill him?” Cassian asked in disbelief. He knew how close those two were, and was struggling to imagine Beowulf trying to hurt anyone, let alone the jester. It must have been terrifying for the vampire to have a man nearly twice his size coming after him.
Balthasar rolled his eyes as he cupped Thedrick’s hands in his own, trying to comfort him and get him to stop crying. “Yes, but I protected Thedrick from him and then we all talked it out like reasonable adults who don’t have to always resort to violence to solve our problems,” he explained venomously.
Cassian had lowered the hand holding the stake, dropping his eyes and feeling a bit guilty now. “Are you… are you sure about him?” Cassian asked with a look of uncertainty.
Balthasar got to his feet, and approached Cassian with his mouth held in a firm line. “Yes, I assure you, he is harmless. Beowulf and I feed him, and he hasn’t the strength to hurt anyone anyway. Now give me the stake, Cass,” the chirurgeon demanded.
Cassian looked with confusion between Balthasar and the little vampire sitting behind him, wet eyes staring fearfully at the soldier.
“Don’t make me ask twice,” Balthasar growled slightly, motioning with his outreached hand. Cassian sighed, and then held the stake out towards him. Balthasar quickly snatched it from his hand. “Now you better keep your mouth shut about this, or I’ll cut your tongue out.”
Cassian raised his hands in surrender and nodded in silent agreement.
“I really mean it. If I find twenty soldiers all chasing Thedrick around the castle trying to kill him, I will be most displeased,” Balthasar said firmly, crossing over to his desk to put the stake away in his top drawer again. Cassian noticed a look of horror cross Thedrick’s face at that idea.
Cassian gave Thedrick an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, Thedrick,” he said quietly. The vampire’s concerned expression didn’t change, he just shuffled around on his chair, wincing slightly.
“Where are you hurt, Thedrick?” Balthasar asked, kneeling down next to the chair again.
“Aha… well… when I fell over it hit a lot of my bruises and made them hurt… and he grabbed me really tightly around the arm so that’s probably going to bruise up heaps…” the jester explained hesitantly, gesturing to his arm. Balthasar started undoing the buttons of Thedrick’s shirt, pulling it off to expose the skin underneath. Cassian stared in surprise at the vampire’s pale skin which was completely covered by dark marks all over. Where Cassian had been grabbing his arm was a large red welt. Thedrick flinched when Balthasar tried to touch it.
“So… does this mean you didn’t mean what you said before, Balthasar? You were just trying to protect him, you don’t actually hate me?” Cassian asked hesitantly as Balthasar tended to Thedrick. It was surprising to see how gently he treated the little vampire.
“Huh? It wasn’t a lie, I have always hated you,” Balthasar said nonchalantly, not even looking over at the soldier.
“Oh…” Cassian said defeatedly, posture deflating.
Balthasar sighed as he did Thedrick’s shirt back up. “I know you have been trying to make up for your behaviour when we were kids, but it’s hard to just forget everything you did to me,” he explained, getting to his feet. “Though I was perhaps over exaggerating things to upset you to try and protect Thedrick.”
“So you’re saying I still have a chance?” Cassian asked hopefully.
Balthasar let out a huff of annoyance. “Perhaps, but only if you keep what you know about Thedrick a secret. If he gets hurt because of you, I won’t just hate you. I will end you.” Cassian was taken back by how threatening Balthasar sounded, more intense than he had ever heard him before. Cassian quickly nodded in acceptance.
“Right, now get out of here so I can calm him down properly,” Balthasar snapped, turning his back to Cassian. Cassian hesitated for a moment, before turning and exiting the room, leaving the odd pair of friends alone.