Pretend it's home

The gardens. Those wouldn’t be too hard to find, would they? If Allison would have told him to meet her in any other specific room, he would probably be looking for that all night and day, honestly. This castle was huge. It made him wonder why someone would need so many rooms in the first place. Some of them had to be empty, right? No one would use all the rooms that were available, unless there were a lot of guests staying over. Guests like himself, who were considered closer to the owners of this place. He had seen some of the other people that had attended the party two nights ago wander around the castle as well. Most of them were here on invitation of Allison herself, as Kaz wasn’t really the type to make a lot of friends. Or so he had been told.

It didn’t really come as a surprise. He had seen how they were together, how they interacted with each other and the people around them. She was way more accessible than he was. Yet, he was his brother, and he loved him dearly. That’s why he trusted Allison as well. And he was glad the other wanted to give him a chance too. Otherwise she wouldn’t have asked him to meet, right? He better not let her wait then. He couldn’t travel at vampire speed here, as there were servants and other people everywhere. So he eventually arrived in the garden, still in time, but she was already there. It wasn’t too hard to find her, kneeling next to a plant. He softly scraped his throat, to announce his presence, if she hadn’t noticed him yet.

Every time he spoke to Allison, he learned more facts about her. She was, as every human being, a very complex mixture of habits, interests and thoughts. Finding her next to a plant, holding one of the leaves gently, certainly surprised him. Yet another one of those little things he had no idea about. He wouldn’t have taken her for the gardening enthusiast she now appeared to be. Of course he was unaware of the thought process that was behind it, the whole alchemic frame of mind only she had access to. His perception of her slightly changed again, in a positive way. He remembered vividly how she had laughed when he had mentioned his excitement about ducks, yet here she was, showing interest in nature as well.

It also reminded him of the fact he had left her all alone with Kaz, when he had left for Vanaheim. Of course his mind had wandered to them from time to time, wondering if he had made a mistake. But she was alive and well, even married to his brother now. He was relieved and happy their relationship had taken such a turn. For a slight moment, he had feared that his return would have fucked up so much more than just the life of his brother alone. Like their life together, their relationship. Luckily all had turned out well. There was even a possibility of them getting along as well. Which wasn’t too weird, seeing Mort usually wasn’t the type to make much enemies. ”Allison”, He greeted back, a warm smile around his lips. ”I didn’t know you were into gardening”, He continued, a slight amused tone in his voice. He wasn’t judging, surely not, he was a nice guy and all. But it was kind of entertaining nonetheless.

Apparently he had been wrong. She wasn’t here for the flowers, or to enjoy the garden, as he had expected. No, she was here for other purposes. Alchemy. He had joined her in the library of Brightwater Keep once, when she was looking for old books that might hold the cure for vampirism. He wondered if that was still her goal. Of course he would keep that question to himself. The last thing he wanted, was another sermon on how bad vampires were, what kind of monsters they were and how unnatural their existence was in the first place. If she still wanted to get rid of that curse, it would explain her enthusiasm. And the reason why she had taken an interest in this castle.

Mort decided not to get into the matter, rather answering to her second question. ”I still feel bad for leaving like that”, He mentioned first. Because it was true, after all. ”But yeah, it helped, a lot. And I hope it helped you two as well”, He continued. Because that had been the point, after all. Give them the time to figure out if they still wanted to be together, which obviously had turned out positive. In the meantime, he had straightened himself out as well. And he had a feeling his relationship with Kaz was more steady now too. Not as great as he wanted it to be, but it was the start of a process that would hopefully fix their bond as well.

The time he had spent in Vanaheim, had been an interesting one for sure. Especially for his own peace of mind. Which was still not quite fixed yet. He was struggling with his identity from the day he had turned Kaz. Such a selfish action. So impulsive as well. Unforgivable, to say the least. Yet, he felt like it had been the only right thing to do. Even if it meant turning a lot of people against him. Allison was one of those people for sure. He had saved his brother, but turned him into the same monster she despised at the same time. Though it seemed like she didn’t hate him for it. The man they both loved, was still alive, or at least what could be considered alive. And in the end, it hadn’t changed the bond they had.

At least, that was what he concluded when she replied to his comment. ”All of us struggle in the beginning. I’m glad he eventually got himself together, though I didn’t really expect him not to. He is a strong man”, He said with a faint smile around his lips. What he had inflicted on him, wasn’t the easiest to deal with, yet he had managed to pull through. When she started laughing, he couldn’t help but laugh as well. ”It sure came as a surprise, yes. I knew you had ambition, but Grand Duchess?” He chuckled. Maybe it was about time for her to explain how this all had happened, and most importantly, why.

Though Kaz had done some questionable things throughout his life, he would never be the one to speak one bad word about his brother. Ever. He wasn’t even aware of most of it, yet he was still a hero to him. The joy of his life, the person he would always love no matter what. A connection that went beyond the relation instilled in their blood. Every memory he had about the boy, were good ones. He had forgiven him for what he had done to their parents without thinking twice about it. Family was so important to the vampire. He had lost his parents, and he had almost lost Kaz as well. They were the only ones left, and even though he had caused him pain and sadness, he would always forgive him and love him regardless.

Allison would hopefully do the same. She had married him, by choice, or that was what he believed. When she told him she hadn’t planned on involving Kaz in this whole ordeal, he nodded. ”How is he holding up then?” He asked, wondering how the other was dealing with this responsibility on top of being a newborn vampire. Two nights ago he had seemed fine, although a bit.. Drunk, perhaps. Another thing that clearly marked the differences between them, as he had never even touched a bottle of alcohol in his life before.

There was one thing they had in common. They both cared about Kaz, and worried about him all the time. Which wasn’t the easiest task, for sure. The vampire had ran away because it had eventually taken too much energy from him. Though his small identity crisis could be considered the biggest factor, of course. He wouldn’t abandon his brother if he had known he still needed him. If he had know Allison wouldn’t have been there for him to compensate for his absence. But it almost seemed like the brunette herself could use a break from everything as well. ”How about you though? Are you fine as well?” He therefore asked, as he worried about her wellbeing too. She was.. Family now. And if there was one thing that was important to him, it was exactly that.

”It was great”, He replied to her question. He wouldn’t go into much detail, at least not about the part where he had been spending time with the Commander. He didn’t know how much Allison knew about who had tried to kill Kaz.. But he could imagine she wouldn’t be too happy to find out he had a relationship with that person now. Another secret he would have to keep for a while. So he decided only to tell her about the harmless part of it. ”I have met an old man who is willing to sell his farm to me. I think I might move there, eventually. It’s not that far away, so I can visit often, but I feel like it’s time to have a place for my own again”, He shared his plans with her. It was also.. Closer to Mother’s Watch, which was sure another benefit to the location.

Extremely tiring. Somehow he could relate, but on the other hand he couldn’t. He got how it could be exhausting mentally. From time to time, even vampires needed rest. As Lexa would put it, to have some closure. Not specifically on a day, at least not for him. But in some situations it was nice to shut down the brain for a while. Especially in periods of overthinking. A well deserved and most importantly needed break for his racing thoughts. It had all been better from there on. Or at least, that was what he was trying to tell himself. He was still struggling though. But he would get there. ”Take care of yourself, will you. Pushing yourself beyond your limits won’t do anyone any good”, He said to her, perhaps unwanted advice.

Maybe she should take a break as well. Though she had just moved to a new home, like he was planning to do. The difference was that his new house would be way more secluded, away from any crowds that would distract him. It was for the better, considering his condition. The further he was away from any busy place, the safer the people would be. ”Thank you, I appreciate it”, He said with a genuine smile. ”I mean, I will have to fix up the buildings first anyway. It's a bit early to say this, but when it's done, you're more than welcome to visit as well”, He continued. After that, he would have to decorate the place too. Which would be the most fun part, right?