#Cetatea Poenari

[madarasgirl]

A Night for Hunting Ch 12 -The Feeling of Safety

T/W: Alucard (Ultimate) x F!Reader, Vladcard (that’s right, daddy makes his appearance), predator/prey, hunting, ruthless vampire king, romance, Romanian translations Words: 4855 On AO3

I am so excited to finally present this chapter! The premise was planned from the beginning and living rent-free in my head (happy to evict it at last) since I decided to extend this series months ago. I hope you like it! I am no history buff, but I did some light reading on Vlad and the contents of this chapter are also based on how Alucard behaves in Ultimate. A bit nervous, but I hope I got the feels right.

Happy belated Mid-Autumn Festival, fellow Chinese and (other nationalities) who celebrate this occasion! The full moon was beautiful.

Many thanks to @michi-tala for helping me with fine-tuning the Romanian phrases!  @alastorhazbin

“You really are a king?" You asked, incredulous. 

How could this be? A king should be the inspirational leader who guides his nation through strife and peace to glory, the shining star who navigates the tumultuous waters of diplomacy and the horrors of battlefields. A ruler with the intellect to create and uphold the laws, social institutions, and infrastructure to bring about prosperity. He should be someone well-versed in the art of war, yet mannered and cultured to mingle with others in his high society of privilege. 

In other words, someone not quite like Alucard The Boor, who was inflexible about negotiations, poorly socialized, and a stalker to boot. What kind of king had the time to stalk some peasant woman for two years just for fun?

You however had to reconsider your conclusions. The longer you stared at that cocky profile, the more obvious it became that if you squinted, there perhaps was something a little regal about him. He was certainly not lacking in intelligence. And sometimes he demonstrated highly sophisticated mannerisms when he felt like playing the gentleman. He even spoke like a snobby British aristocrat.

Alucard chuckled to himself quietly at your racing thoughts. His eyes closed at the distant recollection of his past. At nearly six centuries of age, he found himself often ruminating about the past, whether as a human or vampire, but when pondering his first life, it was like reliving someone else’s. He remembered the anger, pain, and humiliation vividly. There was regret about his upbringing and later decisions as voivode, even if there were those actions during his reign that were necessary for the survival of his country and Christianity, and parts of Europe continued to view him as a hero to this day. But it all happened so long ago, he barely felt anything anymore, except a faraway, numb regret. 

He was silent when recalling the fresh woodsy scent of the fir trees in his mountains. How he loved to ride through their forests with the wind in his face when he went hunting. His city Târgoviște possessed beauty beyond imagination, before he burnt it down and turned it into a desolate forest of corpses. Perhaps there was some melancholy when reminiscing about his homeland.

Warm fingers landed lightly on the sigils adorning the back of his gloves. Feline eyes opened to narrow slits to watch you looking at him with a questioning stare. It seemed you were finished with mocking his ways in your head.

Flattering child. Innocent little human. You know not of the monster you have involved yourself with, he thought.

“Cetatea (Citadel) Poenari sat atop the mountains. In its prime, it was an impregnable fortress with steep walls that offered a spectacular view of the forested canyon on the Argeș River. You would have appreciated its beauty.”

“Was that your home?” You asked.

“One of them. Its ruins are in what is now known as Romania.”

Wide eyes stayed on him before curving with merriment. “I think I would love to visit your old home one day.” Your wrist flicked in his direction to gesture at his dress clothes. “Did you look like this back then too? There’s no way you dressed this loudly then, right, Your Majesty?” You snickered while putting emphasis on his royal title.

He turned his hand over to grasp your fingers in his. “You wish to see me? All of me?" His brow rose as he evaluated you.

The room chilled suddenly and you hesitated. His shadow was facing toward the light, reaching for you, and the silhouette was wrong. You’ve already seen his flowing shadows, extra eyes, and bats, as well as when he assumed the face of another man. Was there more? Something forbidding was in the air.

“Umm…not the bugs. Please never the bugs again,” you whispered, trying to keep the mood easy tonight.

The orangey-yellow in his eyes spun like molten gold as he petted your fingers before lacing your hands together. Alucard leaned towards you, and as he did, he changed. This was important. Somehow you knew what Alucard was about to show you was intimate, a secret he did not carelessly share with others. You stopped breathing as you watched his transformation happen before your eyes.

Raven locks lengthened until his hair was past his thighs, phantom wind making the ends billow in the air like they were alive. Gangly arms filled out, his chest growing broad and putting on hard muscle in seconds. His red duster turned liquid and flowed over the heavy armour that materialized, settling into a black cape that was as intangible as his tresses at the frayed, surging ends.  

His angular features grew wider at the cheeks, jawline becoming chiselled and covered with coarse stubble. The fiery gaze burned with wisdom and life experience. You had no words as you got a better look at this imposing man who now stood towering over you with his arms at his side.

"This was how I appeared as a human when I perished."

You stared at him from the couch, sitting with your legs in front of you in a “W.” Your mouth was parted as your eyes slid sluggishly over this dark warrior with disbelief. Power rolled off of him. It was in his bearing, the deadly grace with which he conducted himself, and the way the air was not quite right around him.

"You really are breathtakingly beautiful," you told him. 

Alucard purred at your praise and your skin tingled. His rumblings were deeper than normal and it was so unexpected despite his now stockier build. 

“...May I… touch you?” 

Golden-orange glinted with warmth as this stranger stooped down for you to inspect his new body. You tentatively brought your hand up to his face and stroked his cheek. Cold. This Alucard’s skin was still cool to touch. The texture though, that beard was so scratchy. You ran your fingers through his hair, which was as soft as you remembered, but now so long you didn’t even reach the ends with your arm fully extended. 

His name was an anagram. Alucard was a Romanian vampire. Your idiot brain finally made the connection that was in front of you this whole time.

“...You actually are Dracula?” The Son of the Dragon, a king and warlord from the Middle Ages. Probably one of the oldest –and strongest– of vampires.

“You are speaking to Count Dracula of Wallachia.”

You shivered at his voice. Even his accent was different, so foreign and exotic. It did things to you, but your mind had always been stronger.

If memory served you correctly, history did not have favourable things to say about the real Dracula. The Sir Impaler staked people, including women and children, for all sorts of reasons and no reason as well –as a gruesomely effective warfare tactic, for sport, and petty offences alike. He was the king who invited the sick and homeless to his keep for a feast and burnt them alive as a way to empty the streets.

“Yes, I commanded all of those acts in my past life.”

Fright blemished your features and you jerked away until Dracula’s gauntlet shot out to catch you and bring your palm back to his face. He took in the thin line your lips formed and the furrowed brows around your spooked gaze. 

“But that will not be a fate reserved for you,” he promised with a sombre expression. Your eyes searched his face to judge his sincerity, wanting more than anything to continue trusting him after learning his identity, even when forced to confront the reality of the nature of your relationship. 

It was wrong.

The king before you stood tall, his dignified comportment unwavering after the passage of centuries of grim tales told about him. He did not lie to you, nor did he offer excuses for himself. His noble features, proud and uncompromising, were solemn as you contemplated him. 

Alucard never lifted a finger against you.

The warlord’s wicked piety preceded him, his prestige vicious and calculated. Any means to achieve his ends, which left ruination in his wake. Everywhere he went, he sowed destruction and instilled fear, even amongst his own people. 

He was not mentally well.

If Alucard did not care for you, you would be worse off than dead. 

Yes, by showing how he was a murderous vampire, an undead hellspawn who didn't die when he was supposed to.

He was violent and dangerous. What in the world were you doing with him?

You had your wellbeing and that of your family to worry about. What if entwining your fate with his ended in trouble that somehow found its way to them? Even as Alucard, he could be sadistic, harassing and nearly driving you to madness long ago. He continued to enjoy aggravating you and at times made you angry beyond belief.

You should not be with him. Tears came to your eyes.

But time and time again, Alucard came to protect you and went out of his way to take steps ensuring your safety and comfort. He looked after you when you were incapable and let you in on secrets about himself.

You fought with yourself. Alucard and this stranger before you were in fact one and the same. For all his nefarious ways, he did have honour, in his own twisted way. 

You were past the point of right or wrong.

The heart was never rational. You wanted to remain with him. So with an uncertain quivering heart, you chose him too. You got on your knees and went up to this infamous veteran to huddle against his chest, needing to see if the sense of security you felt whenever Alucard was near was present with this form of his too. You couldn’t even look at him.

Vermilion flames smouldered gently without your notice.

A hand went delicately across your back to hold you close for several moments before tracing along your shoulder blades. An arm went around you and settled at your waist. Then multiple shadow tendrils wrapped you loosely around the ankles, thighs, and biceps. You shuddered at the electric contact with his darkness. Prickly stubble dug into your chin as this king claimed your lips for his own. He was as gentle as Alucard. It was comforting and eased your unsettled thoughts.

You finally pulled apart.

“You are timid with me,” he announced, breastplate vibrating with the bass of his voice. 

“Everything we do is new,” you said as you put your arms around an icy plated torso and watched the end of his cape twirl. His lips chased yours as you looked away again. Relaxing into his embrace, you whispered, ”I can’t believe you are real,” as if speaking louder would make him disappear like a mirage.

“The legends have a basis.”

He ran the backside of an armoured finger across your cheek. His expression was soft as you met his gaze again, nothing as severe as his rugged appearance suggested. The shadows enveloping your limbs flared.

“What say you? Would you like to be one of my kind?"

Huh? He meant…he meant turning you into a vampire? And offering you eternity?

Again you tensed. He was serious. The weight of his question hung in the air between you until you gulped and averted your eyes, nervousness tainting the air thickly.

"I suppose it is too soon to ask you this." The hand came to rest on your head where he ruffled your hair. You glanced up at him in surprise.

Dracula smiled at you. "My Darling."

--------------------

The gleaming silver orb above loomed large, illuminating the navy skies with an ethereal haze. The moon was full, just like that first night, so clear you could see every crater on her surface. Your anxiety around Dracula gradually dissipated. He had a much quieter disposition than the normal him, but honestly, a break from his usual provocative ways was appreciated. He was still the same person, you reminded yourself. You began to close the distance between you incrementally and walk closer until you brushed his side with every stride.

It was not yet Halloween. Actually, it was nowhere near that month of haunting. Anyone who happened upon the pair of you would find his full body armour odd. It was mildly ironic for you to comment about Alucard’s unconventional clothing, only for his ‘true’ appearance to be just as outlandish for these modern times. What did you expect? It seemed the king captured people’s attention no matter what he did in whichever era.

The relaxing stroll was picturesque. For once, the streetlights functioned as they should and lit up the quaint storefronts without Alucard’s interference. The boulevards were clean and the summer air fresh, but clamorous with singing crickets. The engines of the occasional car rumbled in the distance and punctured the tranquility. The first vampire let you lead the walk, wordlessly following you through every turn as he sensed your worries ebb with each passing minute, enjoying the way you eventually bumped against him with each step. 

A warm breeze brought the perfume of the faint sweat trailing behind you into his sinuses. His vampiric senses were hyper-aware of your presence, such as how your little heart pumped hot blood through your veins with each thud while you continued to wander.

How he missed roaming the nights together.

Vampires were natural hunters. It couldn’t be helped. Orange gold deepened into a lustrous crimson as his pupils narrowed into predatory slits.

Alucard was no longer beside you. There was only empty space and silence when even the insects fell quiet. Spinning around to seek him, you heard heavy purring in your head as fallen leaves rustled about in a swirling circle around you. 

"What are you waiting for Dear? RUN." A pointy nose poked your ear.

Jumping at the familiar voice, you felt the solid presence of him sighing into your ear from behind as he purred and nudged you.

Oh? He wanted to play? You unfroze with a smile, not needing to be instructed again. You took off, but it was different this time. You were able to see your path well enough to not trip over yourself, rapidly finding a way from the streets where the stray vehicle still roved and into pedestrian side roads.

Unlike past chases, there was no panic or fear. Despite your earlier misgivings, you could barely even remember why you were terrified of Alucard stalking you after all this time together. As you zipped through the desolate night streets, your heart pounded with exhilaration the longer you ran. It felt good to set aside your worries for now and just enjoy your time together. 

Alucard, you are here?

The shadows followed you with ease in the corners of your eyes. The rich, sanguine glow to their edges was a dead giveaway. You laughed as you took a turn leading you someplace you've never been before in the dead of night. With the knowledge that Alucard was with you, the night became a game full of mystery and adventure. 

He caught you by the waist, hauling you back to his chest while the arm that held you slowly slipped up your torso until he seized your breasts. The wandering hands were metallic and frigid against your skin. 

“If this was a real hunt, it would have concluded. It'd be sensible to surrender yourself to me now.” 

You squirmed in his hold with a breathless titter, earning a hiss in your ear and a lick to your cheek before he let you go. You giggled and used the opportunity to slither away and scamper off.

You ran and ran from his harrying; repeatedly he would catch and wrestle with you before you were released. The most brazen event was when he suddenly appeared and let you run face first into him, then stroked languidly down your rear until you found your bearings and escaped. How he taunted you.

Eventually you came to a stop when your breath escaped in soft pants, shirt clinging with your exertion. You looked around for somewhere else to go and perhaps hide so your vampire had to search before bolting again when you didn’t find a spot to your satisfaction. You didn't know where you were going at all, just making turn after turn wherever you could –through unlit alleys and parks and crossing under bridges, until you arrived at a ravine to recover. 

The vampire was nowhere to be seen. You snickered upon hearing something drop and a crackle in the dark. "Y–you don't scare me anymore. Just come out," you gasped out. 

Words that were spoken too soon. Trouble slid out of the shadows as several ruffians leered at you. Forcibly exhaling, you inched back at their appearances, ready to dash away in the direction you came from. Needles, used condoms, and other garbage littered the ground and the air was dank with the stench of old urine and vomit. So you stumbled into the derelict quarters of society’s undesirables, but you did not want their acquaintance.

"Leaving so soon, pretty bird?" One of the skinnier blokes sneered. He was covered in ugly tattoos.

“Why don’t you stay awhile and keep us company?” Another said. He was just as ratty as the first, but smiled as he approached. Their sinister intentions were clear as day, despite the false nicety.

“Yeah, we don’t often have the pleasure of such lovely companionship.” The third stood back where it was too dark to distinguish his features.

I do not appreciate others interrupting my hunt. Leave. 

The muted voice simultaneously thundered and the brutes shouted at the vacant surroundings.

“Who’s there?” 

“Piss off, wanker!” Tough words from the men, but you were already apprehensive not for yourself, but them.

The shadows at your feet bubbled up. 

“What the fuck?!” One of the hooligans hollered in shock at the mass of darkness that grew from the ground in front of you. He glanced back at his friends before squaring his shoulders.

The man crashed into an ancient conifer and was held there several feet off the ground, gasping for breath as he was slowly flattened –his face gave in first, the nose and lips crumbling inwards. It was as if he was submitted to the work of a hydraulic press. He heaved with effort to break free as his eyes bulged and his chest squeezed tight, unable to even scream under the crushing compression.

As you watched in shock, the death happened too quickly to process, yet like time slowed for you as well. His head popped like a gusher with blood jetting from both ears. You saw every detail as the ruffian's body was squashed by an invisible force until even his bones gave out and he became a splatter of viscera decorating the bark. Only a hand remained intact, but even that snapped at the wrist without a surface behind it to counteract the pressure.

You screamed at the crunching horror when it finally ended with a wet splat. 

Alucard rescued you yet again. He appeared nonchalant about his victim's barbaric demise, his stance at complete ease.

“!!!” Your would-be assailants were initially speechless as they jittered back at the supernatural display of violence.

One of the remaining men sniffled, swiping his nose as he howled,  “Arsehole!”

There was white powder dusting the ground and around their nostrils. They were high, which explained the ongoing aggression and bravado as knives came out. Your gaze flickered up to Alucard’s face.

You knew that maniacal grin, the one that reminded you of when you first saw him at work. No. All your fears about him resurfaced. You forgot how to breathe as you darted in front of him to cling to his arm. 

"You can't kill them!" You yelled.

Being with him was wrong.

He paused, the king's gaze sliding to yours with a bored expression. "Why?" He drawled callously.

He was violent and dangerous.

“Because you can't just go around killing people!"

"Why?"

Omfg did Alucard think he was the Terminator? As ridiculous as the exchange was, this was no movie. Alucard’s eyes narrowed as a savage aura flared and pulsed with danger when the remaining two men floundered backwards in jerky movements. Perhaps their sense of self-preservation was still existent.

Dracula’s baleful glare did not conceal his wrath. These worthless lowlives dared not only threaten you, but if it weren't for his presence, they would have violated you in the most disgusting of ways in this dirty scum hole. He knew it, because he could sense their base desires and the opportunistic evil that lay dormant within them. He too was a creature of the abyss who knew darkness when he encountered it. 

Unspeakable rage tainted his thoughts with promised violence. Their perverted longings were the ultimate transgression against you. It was unforgivable. You may be soft and kind, but he was not known for mercy. Rapists should be staked and displayed for others as a warning. 

There were millions of other ways he could end them and The Impaler started listing them. He could telepathically wipe their memories and order them gone, which was always the simplest solution when it came to nosy humans, but he wanted these ones dead.

He lifted his hand before you desperately caught it between both of yours and pushed it down, hoping to hold him back. Your stomach churned from his glower as you imagined what he was going to do to them. How many times was he going to shoot them? Or was he going to rip them apart with his bare hands instead? Would there even be anything left of them when he was satisfied with the mutilation?

“They didn’t do anything to me, I’m okay! Let’s just go home!” You pleaded.

“You do not get to decide who must die, draga mea."

"ALUCARD!"

"Alucard is not here right now." 

Wha-

The crimson gaze flicked back up at the interlopers and blazed with fury as the pair of imbeciles decided it was prudent to use your interference with his punishment as a means to flee. Their human movements were sluggish to his vision and reflexes anyways. He knew their intentions the moment they thought it, caught the twitching of muscles as they began to turn and run in slow motion. Cowards who could not even face their well-deserved execution.

So they should lose their legs first. 

They froze after mistakenly meeting Death’s gaze and receiving the order to remain motionless. The shadows licked at his feet and twisted, rising to whip about in the air. 

Shit. But –this was your vampire. At the same time, this was evidently someone else, a warrior. A king. How were you supposed to address him? Your Majesty? Dracula? That was his title and name. But what was his name? You were frantic. Think! What was it again?! 

"...Vlad…Please don't do this, I beg you…" Hauling all your weight, you threw yourself at him, the tears now falling freely as his tendrils stretched and lashed towards his latest quarries. How did it go from a beautiful moonlit walk together to this bloodbath?!

Through the fog of his ire drifted another scent beyond the putrid fear of his prey. Your fear. He saw the dread in your eyes. Countless others have made the same face while grovelling at his feet for mercy. You however, were not begging for yourself, but the remaining rotten swine behind you. He growled with displeasure at what you asked of him, the mind running feral with imagery of what he wanted to do, waiting impatiently for the miscreants to give him another reason to end them.

The Nosferatu glanced back at you. Your face was the same as that time, when he vanquished the undead that hunted you. He really was a monster. You were afraid of him. 

Upon realizing you had your vampire’s attention, you tried to reach him further. “Just…just take the blood of the one who's already dead. And then…" your voice cracked and dropped to a whisper. "Let's go home. Please."

He focused on everything that was you, on the salt of your tears and sweat overlying body lotion. Your desperation. In the background were the pungent stench of gore and the unwashed bodies of men. The king growled as he stared at you again. It was your second thoughts about what you were getting yourself into by being with him that did it. He snuffed out his need to kill as he came back to himself.

You were petrified about what was next, but Dracula won’t let you regret your decision to stay. He did not wish to prove your trust in him was misplaced or that your reservations about him were well-founded. 

“Since this is one of the only requests my darling little human has ever made of me, I shall grant clemency this time,” he snarled through razor teeth. The paralyzed men cowered at the demon in front of them, at last recognizing how close to Death’s door they came. 

"Vermin such as yourselves aren't worth the effort anyways." The unholy king’s eyes glowed with a hellish light. "Leave," he commanded. 

Under hypnotism, a ring of scarlet surrounded their irises and the thugs slunk away with a dazed expression. They were at last permitted to go through with their flight and disappear back into the bowels of London as his gaze bore holes through the backs of their skulls.

The danger passed. You were hiding behind the vampire, who felt your anxiety when his attention turned back to you. He could not fault your distaste for brutality and death. Despite his blinding fury moments ago, he was unable to maintain his anger with you. His expression lightened.

Silence. 

You licked your lips, trembling with a bone-deep fear you hadn't felt in a long time. “Are you not going to drink his blood?" Staring everywhere except at your saviour, you eyed the corpse of squished organs, bones, and flesh painting the vegetation.

"Do you seek your meals from the gutter?" He snorted, eying the pile with disdain. "Besides… you are more than enough." The vampire grinned, a single fang glinting in the gloom like he just told you the best inside joke.

Your eyes widened at the unexpected change in atmosphere from the offhand comment. Alucard and his mood swings. 

Taking a deep breath to soothe yourself, the tension was slow to leave you. You looked at him again. "Thank you for stopping," you told him with honest relief.

"Little one, you are safe when you walk the night with me. Nothing will harm you," he said as he faced you fully and brushed your cheeks gently.

You held his hand to your face, opening it up and leaning your cheek into the icy steel. He took a step to his right to block the view when you tried to examine the remains of the body turned into slush. A layer of clouds blocked the meager light of the moon so you couldn’t see it anyways. All you saw was the sunset in your vampire’s eyes.

You gulped. The eldritch power surrounding the vampire wrapped around you, and instinctively you knew it was cold, but you felt warm and safe on the inside. It felt like you were home. 

"I believe you." You took the single step to close the distance between you and pressed up flush against the vampire.

Affection kindled in those stunning eyes. There it was, behind the face of another man, this ruthless king, was the Alucard you knew and fell for. Your expression broke as you buried your face in his chest, needing reassurance as the mess that came to pass tonight caught up with you.

He was caressing your head again, tousling it to the beat of your heart when you peeked up at him with dewy-eyed innocence. Resplendent little human, he will shelter you from the horrors of the world.

"Luna vieții mele."

"Pardon?"

"Tu ești luna vieții mele."

You blinked in confusion, straining to try catching the gist of his words, but it was hopeless. Fortunately many Latin languages share some similarities. You were reasonably sure he mentioned the moon.

"Și fără tine, nu există lumină."

How infuriating. If there was something Vlad wanted to say to you, he could just do so directly instead of using a foreign language you didn’t understand for dramatic effect.

"What does that mean?"

He gave you a cryptic smile and offered his arm. “It is time to return." 

Yeah right, like hell it did. He said a lot more words than if he was just talking about going home. You stared at the outstretched arm of a gallant Medieval man, brows crinkling when he did not elaborate. It seemed you would have to figure out the meaning yourself.

You curled in to stay close to him, placing your hand on his arm and weaving your fingers around the crook of Dracula’s elbow so he could lead you home through the dark of night.

~To be Continued~

Ch. 13- TBD? "Stargazers in Romania"

Notes: Alucard really doesn’t like rapists.

Even knowing Alucard shapeshifts, it’ll take getting used to his other forms. It’d be weird if someone just accepts another body/face/voice/personality as their SO upon the first time meeting them, right? At least I think so. The Count is ‘her’ Alucard, for now at least.

This chapter isn't meant to be a character analysis of the historical person's actions, but more the reservations a rational person should have when deciding whether to stay as freaking Vlad III Dracula's SO.

It is admittedly a bit cliche that Alucard is always just in time to save the Reader from her demise, but in my other Hellsing work, she names him her “guide and guardian (angel).” The title is well-deserved.

*The next chapter will be delayed because I will be going on my honeymoon for several weeks. I’ll likely be able to fit in some writing time as we travel between countries. I’ll probably also be using that time to continue planning Part 2 of this story (we aren’t there yet). Yes that’s right, Millennium will feature in this fic, although I will only loosely follow the canon Ultimate events and be taking some liberties with how vampire things work.*

Buckle up, we’re only about half-way. I estimate there to be around 23-26 or so chapters in total to complete this fic, although later chapters will likely be shorter.

[holographicceo]

I have to show you this thing I'm really proud that I put together

I got the Vlad the impaler pendant from my local ren fair years ago. The piece below that is a piece of Cetatea Poenari and on the other side is dirt from the same location. I got them from the mini museum and decided to display them in this little coffin I painted from the craft store then painstakingly lined it with red velvet.

[zoeflake]

Spyro DarkLarus - Cetatea Poienari (Dark/Gothic music)

“Cetatea Poenari (or Cetatea Poienari) is a citadel in  Argeş County in Romania. It was build around the beginning of 13th century by Matei Basarab, the first king of Walacchia or Valahia. Poienari is very high and just a few people climb there. It is the place where Vlad Dracul's wife, Elizabetta, committed suicide when she was lied that her husband was dead. she jumped from a window from Cetatea Poienari in front of the turkish army. After that, Vlad become cruel.” - Spyro DarkLarus

[bingwallpapers]

Poenari Castle on Mount Cetatea, Făgăraș Mountains, Romania (© porojnicu/Getty Images)

[sdes9320t12023]

Thoughts on the assessment

My first idea is a reconstruction of an artifact from the Classical Bronze Age Wietenberg culture. The artifact is thought to be a votive chariot (we'll call this Chariot A). I first encountered it in 2016 at the offices of the Museum of Dacian and Roman Civilization in Deva, and I've never wanted to pocket an artifact so badly. I told my dig director about it when I returned to site and asked him if he thought they'd let me scan it. I'd never scanned anything, mind, but I knew one could. He said they'd never let me, so of course after that I had to. I arranged to spend a couple weeks at the museum doing thesis work in 2019, and of course that work was to 3D scan and photogrammetrically model three objects. Naturally, the votive chariot was one I had in mind. I was allowed to model it without question, and at the same time I was shown a second one (Chariot B). They were very similar, but Chariot A was obviously better made. Unfortunately, they were both fragments. I was told that they had come from two different sites about 10 kilometers apart, and that while other Wietenberg votive chariots had been found--some were even intact--these were the only two in this shape that had ever been found. I modeled both, of course (as well as 18 other items, as the more the museum staff watched me the more artifacts they produced for modeling). I intended to digitally reconstruct Chariot A, but unfortunately that one was even more fragmented than Chariot B and I couldn't determine anything from what was left of it to postulate about what it might have looked like intact. There was much more left of Chariot B, and when I looked at the bottom of this one I was able to identify the midpoint. I had seen images of the intact chariots, and they were symmetrical and all of a similar size, so once I had identified the midpoint a reconstruction was easy. I imported the model into Blender, copied and mirrored it, and joined the copy to the original model. The result was fairly crude, but I did present my digital reconstruction of Chariot B as part of my thesis. I did nothing with the model of Chariot A, but now that I had a better idea of what I was doing I intended to go back for a second look. I finally revisited my model of Chariot A in late 2022, and after about 10 minutes I was able to identify the midpoint--as well as some smaller details I had previously missed. I did a mental reconstruction immediately, and proceeded to work on a two-dimensional one in GIMP. As there was much less of Chariot A, though, I knew I would also need some 3D modeling skills to do a full reconstruction. I would very much like to finally do a digital reconstruction of Chariot A.

My second idea is a castle purse frame, in the style of those from the Renaissance that the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the V & A have in their collections. I've been building chain mail purses onto vintage or antique frames since 2016, and when I first saw these I naturally coveted them. Given their age and rarity, however, I am unlikely ever to get my hands on one. Furthermore, if I did I would doubtlessly be unable to sell the result--a problem I have had with all the purses I have made thus far--and so it would behoove me to make my own instead. Naturally my first thought was to create a series of castle purse frames based off Romanian castles (Corvin, Fagaras, Poenari, Neamts, Cetatea de Colt, and of course Bran). I went so far as to do a rough sketch of a frame in this style based on the architecture of Corvin. I do not remotely have the skill to fabricate one, as the artisans in the Renaissance did, but it would be theoretically possible for me to create one in a 3D modeling program and have it printed in resin for casting. Unfortunately, as I currently have no 3D modeling skills this idea has been put on the back burner. It would be very nice to realize it at some point.

The second idea led me to a third, which is the one most consistent with the assessment brief. Those castle purse frames (links in a previous post) look an awful lot like they're suspended on an arch. In Garth Nix's Lirael he describes the town of High Bridge, which looks much like London Bridge must have looked during the period when those purse frames were made. However, the town of High Bridge is constructed, not on a man-made bridge, but on a massive natural rock arch between two cliffs over a river gorge. Given my interest in abandoned places and improbable architecture, an abandoned High Bridge (or a town like it) seems a natural direction for the final assessment. In thinking about this I was reminded of Meteora, the Swallow's Nest, and Tatev Monastery in Armenia (I posted previously on all of these). I was also reminded, of course, of Arches National Park in the United States--and other national parks in the American Southwest. None of this is truly fantastic, but the idea does take improbable but real architecture and extends it one step farther into something that theoretically could, but does not actually exist. (At least, as far as I am aware.)

[vladdocs]

Fortress of Vlad Draculea (Cetatea Poenari)

Here are photos of the Poenari fortress, as detailed as possible on all parts of the remaining ruins and surroundings. https://imgur.com/a/SZoRMb5

[pierdutaintimpsispatiu]

Vladbruarie day 2

ziua 2: împlinire (fulfilment) || cetatea Poenari (Poenari fortress)

Vlad rejoiced in the sound of voices speaking in the same time. Speaking romanian. It's been years since he heard it, years since he shaped his voice in it and was met with understanding and heartful answers.

Vlad rejoiced in the view of green hills, grass trembling in the wind, trees ruffling their leaves in welcoming hymns. The sight of familiar crafted wood and peasants in colorful embroidery smiling shyly at the ground around him.

The steps took him on the paths he used to walk as a child with his family. Through the town, the gardens, the calloused ways leading inside the mountains' wildness. His steps carried the young man, of only seventeen yet already head of his country, around the forstress.

To step inside – a sacrilege. To wonder outside – a blasphemy. He earned the throne, he wanted it, he was happy to sit on it. But not yet. One more minute, hour, day. To make sure it's true. To feel it's real. To breath the air and whisper in his mind "Am reușit. Am reușit!"

When Vlad walked down the hallways of Târgoviște, he felt his older brother in front of him. He heard the gleeful sound of proud feminine laughter and in the corner of his eye, Vlad II nodded his approval.

Someone was missing, but he wouldn't dwell on it now. He made it. He made it! When he sat before the boyars, in a council on his own, Vlad almost burst in tears of joy. With each passing day, he fell into his role. More than that, it engulfed him and shaped itself after him and all he was, was Wallachia.

@vladbruarie

[stiriarges]

Încep lucrările de reabilitare la Cetatea Poenari

Încep lucrările de reabilitare la Cetatea Poenari

Cetatea domnitorului Vlad Ţepeş va intra într-un amplu program de conservare şi reabilitare. Amplasamentul a fost predat oficial constructorului, anunţă Consiliul Județean Argeş. (more…)

[spiritgamer26]

[CP] La bande-son du jeu indépendant Wallachia: Reign of Dracula

Pixel Heart et Just for Games ont la joie d'annoncer la sortie prochaine de la bande-son du jeu indépendant Wallachia: Reign of Dracula au format disque vinyle.Hommage aux jeux d'action / plateforme de l'ère 16 bit, Wallachia: Reign of Dracula est développé par le studio indépendant Migami, et édité par PixelHeart. Just For Games a eu le plaisir de co-éditer et distribuer des versions physiques sur Nintendo Switch et Playstation 4 de ce jeu de chasse aux vampires. Sa bande-son entraînante et reprenant le style distinctif des jeux de cette époque est aujourd'hui mise à l'honneur avec un pressage inédit au format double vinyle couleurs rouge et blanc, aux superbes effets splatter rouge sang.Première sortie vinyle de l'éditeur PixelHeart, le vinyle 2LP Wallachia: Reign of Dracula sera disponible à l'été 2022.

À propos de Wallachia: Reign of Dracula (Original Soundtrack) :

1462. Le prince Vlad Dracula est déjà à 6 années sanglantes de son second règne. Après avoir perdu le trône une première fois en 1448, Dracula a juré de ne pas laisser cela se reproduire. Après des années d'exil, il reprend le pouvoir en 1456 et commence à purger le pays de tous ceux qui pourraient s'opposer à lui… Mais une jeune fille lui échappa. Son nom était Elcin Floarea !La bande originale du jeu composée par Jeffrey Montoya (Migami Games) est disponible dans une version double vinyle sanglante éditée par PixelHeart. Retrouvez une sélection de 23 titres qui font l’ambiance intense de ce jeu inspiré de l’univers de Castlevania. Plongez-vous dans l’obscurité, allumez quelques bougies et laissez-vous porter par le son de la Valachie…

SIDE A1. Wallachia Theme 2. Elcin's Resolve  3. Barbaros  4. Scorched Earth 5. Diavol RidersSIDE B6. Targoviste in Shadows ft. Junki Sakuraba 7. Targoviste Dungeon 8. Chindia Tower 9. Night Attack 10. War DragonSIDE C11. Unwanted Cargo 12. Marching to Death ft. Timothe Catlin 13. Dragomir 14. Mount Cetatea 15. Cetatea Cavern 16. Death UncagedSIDE D17. Poenari Cellar 18. Yvonne 19. Levitating Tower 20. Elcin's Resolve Revised  21. Dracula  22. Head of the Dragon 23. The End

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[katsujiiccfinds]

Poenari Castle

by djfjfuxue738

Dracula's Poenari Castle by Lounieus/djfjfuxue738 (CC HEAVY) I. DESCRIPTION Poenari Castle (Cetatea Poenari) was the historic home and fortress of Vlad the Impaler in the 15th century. Built from the backs of enslaved boyars (noblemen), the castle was also the site where his wife, Anastasia Holszanska, who was said to have jumped to her death either out of jealousy of Vlad's mistress or from receiving false news about her husband's death. Despite its durability, the castle eventually succumbed to the elements and abandonment for centuries and, as a result, only stands as a ruin today. I have attempted to re-create the castle from a YouTube video of a 3D model rendering of it here. Rolandia.eu explains its legendary origins excellently: The legend of the Poenari Castle It is said that one day Vlad Țepeș was hunting along the banks of the river Argiș, and had noticed the ruins of an old castle on top of a cliff on Mount Albina, a cliff surrounded by the Argiș river, and inhabited only by vultures and other birds of prey. He decided that it would be the perfect place for a defensive fortress, so he conceived the design to restore it to its former glory. The only setback was that he needed money, and the boyars refused to give him the money he needed. '"You would not give me the money I needed," he said, "well, keep it! I will not have you killed to chastise you for your revolt, but I condemn you all, just as you are, to build with your own hands a Fortress on the top of Mount Albina. I wish it to be the largest, the best, and the most impregnable of all which I possess. You will not leave the mountain until all is finished. My soldiers have the right of life and death over you, to force you to carry out my instructions.' No sooner said than done, and these unfortunate creatures, young and old, were huddled together without having a chance to say goodbye to their families and were conducted like criminals to the bank of the river. They first created the footpath up the mountain, and then they started working on the platform of the mountain, surrounded by stern guards, exposed to harsh conditions, and deprived of sleep and food. Sun, rain, and wind, blackened their faces; their clothes hung in shreds; their features haggard and careworn, some eyes burning with rage, others with the submission of despair. By the end, they were no longer human beings, but machines, stupefied by sorrow, and no longer able oven to implore the God above to send down his maledictions on the tyrant. Still, their work progressed, and soon this Citta Dolente was completed. II. NOTES To use, simply download the attached .zip file (LounieusPoenariLot.zip), which contains the lot file, all CC required (.packages and .sims3packs), and a "Read-Me" file. This lot is CC Heavy. I couldn't find a way to create a lot without CC and make it look "period-accurate". This is also my first upload and, as a beginner, it took a ton of effort, especially the whole process of putting together all the CC links and repeated testing of everything.

Download & More Info at ModTheSims

[catatansingkatku]

Vlad Dracul -“The Impaler”

Orientasi

“Dracul-ae” itu sebutan bahasa Rumania untuk bangsawan Ordo Naga (Rumania; Draco = Naga), dan akhiran “-ae” bermakna “putranya dari”. Adapun “Ordo Naga” ini sendiri adalah salah satu kelompok ksatria yang disiapkan oleh Sigismund sang Raja Suci Romawi sebagai ksatria khusus dalam perang salib

Nama Dracula sendiri merujuk pada Vlad III “Tepes”, anak dari Vlad II voivode (gubernur) Wallachia, Rumania. Pada masa Vlad II ayahnya, Wallachia dikuasai oleh Kesultanan Utsmani, dan sebagai jaminan kesetiaan, Vlad III (Dracula) kemudian disekolahkan di Kesultanan Utsmani

Peristiwa 1

Dracula/Vlad III lalu dididik di kesatuan Yeniseri bersama adiknya Radu cel Frumos, dan mereka belajar di kesatuan militer terbaik di masanya. Usia Dracula waktu itu masih belia, 13 tahun saja, hanya selisih satu tahun dari Muhammad Al-Fatih yang berusia 12 tahun. Namun walau masih belia, Dracula sudah disumpah dalam Ordo Naga yang dibentuk untuk memerangi kaum Muslim, dan itulah yang jadi niatnya. Karenanya dia sangat membenci Muhammad Al-Fatih dan Islam, walau adiknya Radu cel Frumos menjadi Muslim dan kepercayaan Al-Fatih pada gilirannya

Peristiwa 2

Saat ayahnya Dracula, Vlad II dibunuh dan dikudeta pada 1447 oleh John Hunyad dari Hungaria, Kesultanan Utsmani lalu membantu membebaskan Wallachia dari cengkeraman John Hunyad. Selepas itu Sultan Murad II, ayah Muhammad Al-Fatih, lalu meminta pada Dracula untuk menggantikan ayahnya memimpin di Wallachia

Diluar dugaan, inilah kesempatan yang ditunggu-tunggu Dracula, yang sedari awal pun membenci ayahnya karena mau tunduk pada Muslim. Berbekal bahasa Arab, Turki dan pengetahuan militer di Yeniseri, Dracula menyamar menjadi bagian dari kaum Muslim di setiap benteng-benteng kaum Muslim dan menghabisi benteng-benteng Islam di Rumania dari dalam

Komplikasi

Baru pasca penaklukkan Konstantinopel di 1453, Sultan Muhammad Al-Fatih baru sempat menghadapi Dracula secara khusus. Pada 1462 Muhamad Al-Fatih memerintahkan Hamzah Bey membawa 1.000 pasukan untuk menangkap Dracula, dan nasib 1.000 pasukan ini berakhir tragis.

Dracula menggunakan kemampuan infiltrasinya dengan apa yang dia pelajari di Yeniseri, dia benar-benar memahami taktik dan strategi berperang ummat Muslim, lalu dengan gerakan-gerakan yang efektif, Dracula kemudian mengalahkan dan membantai 1.000 pasukan Muslim itu. Dracula menyula (menusuk dengan kayu dari anus hingga tembus ke kerongkongan) 1.000 pasukan ini, hingga jadi hutan mayat manusia. Hamza Bey, komandan pasukan ini, ditempatkan ditengah hutan mayat dan ditaruh di kayu paling tinggi sebagai simbol

Sejak itu Vlad III Dracul mendapat gelar “Tepes” atau “The Impaler” – “Sang Penyula”, kekejamannya dikenal dan diakui dunia

Mendapati hal ini, Sultan Muhammad Al-Fatih lalu menugaskan Radu Cel Frumos, adik dari Vlad III Dracula untuk memimpin 90.000 pasukan guna menghentikan Dracula. Perlu serigala untuk hentikan serigala, Al-Fatih paham bahwa Radu orang yang tepat karena dataran Rumania hanya bisa dipahami orang aslinya

Berbeda dengan kakaknya Vlad III Dracula, adiknya Radu Cel Frumos (The Handsome) ini memeluk Islam dan menjadi Muslim serta pemimpin pasukan khusus Yeniseri. Radu memimpin 90.000 menerobos hutan dan tanah berbukit Rumania untuk menyerang kakaknya Dracula yang bertahan di benteng ‘Poenari’ miliknya

Reorientasi

Pertempuran ini sangat tidak mudah, mengingat Cetatea Poenari (Benteng Poenari), sangat terjal tanahnya dan sulit ditembus. Akhirnya serangan Radu pada 1462 puncaknya di Benteng Poenari terjadi malam hari yang dikenal “Atacul de Noapte” – “The Night Attack”

Radu cel Frumos menggantikan Dracula jadi pemimpin Wallachia setelah mengalahkannya. Dracula yang kalah dalam peperangan menyelamatkan diri dan lari meminta perlindungan pada John Hunyadi Raja Hungaria. Dracula menghabiskan sisa hidupnya dibawah pembunuh ayahnya, John Hunyad yang juga musuh Al-Fatih lainnya, sebelum akhirnya Dracula meninggal pada 1478 ditebas pedang pasukan Utsmani juga.

Namun warisan Dracula tetap kekal bagi dunia, kekejaman tiada banding yang dia contohkan, dan kebiadaban tanpa batas. Sampai saat ini Rumania mengakuinya sebagai pahlawan negara dalam perang salib, dan patung-patungnya bertebaran di Rumania. Bagi kaum Muslim, Dracula adalah simbol kekejaman musuh kemanusiaan, penusuk manusia, dan penghisap darah. Namun saat ini konsep Dracula, Vampir, dibuat dan dibungkus dengan bagus hingga memikat ummat Muslim dan melupakan wajah aslinya.

[sumber : https://felixsiauw.com/home/muhammad-al-fatih-sang-ghazi-dan-vlad-iii-dracula-sang-pemancang/]

[philslattery]

Reprint: The Real Dracula's Castle -- Stop 2 of the World's Greatest Horror Locales

Reprint: The Real Dracula’s Castle — Stop 2 of the World’s Greatest Horror Locales

Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula 1931

Bună dimineața!

I published this on my website a few years ago, but this morning I thought I would re-post just for my followers in Romania. Enjoy.  If you live in Romania or are from there originally, I would like to see your comments on this article. Tell me if I am on the spot or if I am off base.

The first thing you learn about the historical Castle Dracula is…

[turistprinro]

Probabil cel mai spectaculos lac din România

Lacul Bâlea, din Munții Făgăraș, județul Sibiu este situat la o altitudine de 2.034 metri. Lacul are 360 metri în lungime, o suprafață de 4,65 hectare și o adâncime de 11,35 metri. Este unul dintre cele mai spectaculoase lacuri din România.

  Lacul Bâlea

În 1932, lacul Bâlea și o suprafață de circa 180 hectare în jurul lacului au fost declarate rezervație științifică. Rezervația cuprinde plante rare (floarea de colț) și animale ocrotite (capra neagră, râsul, acvila de munte).

  Circul glaciar Bâlea este dominat de creste crenelate din care se ridică, de la est la vest, vârfurile Vânătoarea lui Buteanu (2.507 metri altitudine), Văiuga (2.443 metri altitudine), Iezerul Caprei și Paltinu despărțite de șaua Caprei (2.315 metri altitudine) și curmătura Bâlii (2.208 metri altitudine).

  Lacul Bâlea

Peste 200 de zile, pe lacul Bâlea se instalează un pod de gheață, începând cu sfârșitul lunii octombrie și se menține până la sfârșitul lui mai, atingând și 1,20 metri grosime. Sub podul de gheață, temperatura apei la contactul cu gheața, este de 0 grade Celsius și 2,5-2,8 grade Celsius în adâncime. În timpul verii, temperatura apei la suprafață variază între 10 și 15 grade Celsius, în funcție de temperatura aerului.

    Lacul Bâlea se află la o distanță de 77 km de orașul Sibiu, 68 km de Făgăraș și la 85 km de Curtea de Argeș, drumul pe care se poate ajunge la el fiind faimosul Transfăgărășan, una dintre cele mai spectaculoase șosele montane din Europa. Vara se poate ajunge până la Bâlea lac cu mașina, însă între 1 noiembrie și 1 iulie, Transfăgărășanul este închis oficial pe sectorul de drum cuprins între kilometrul 104 (Piscu Negru — județul Argeș) și kilometrul 131 (Bâlea Cascadă — județul Sibiu), pe celelalte porțiuni circulația fiind permisă tot timpul anului. În sezonul rece, Valea Bâlea, între Bâlea Cascadă și Bâlea Lac (3.700 metri), se poate traversa doar cu telecabina situată în imediata apropiere a cabanei Bâlea Cascadă (1.234 metri altitudine).

Șoseaua Transfăgărășan (DN7C) traversează cel mai înalt lanț muntos din România, Munții Făgăraș, pe o distanță de aproximativ 92 km prin județele Argeș și Sibiu. Transfăgărășanul ajunge la altitudinea de 2.042 metri și este situat pe locul al doilea ca altitudine în România după șoseaua Transalpina (DN67C), cu 2.145 m, din Munții Parâng. Șoseaua pornește de la kilometrul 0, din Bascov (județul Argeș), continuă pe malul stâng al lacului Vidraru și de-a lungul văii pârâului Capra, ajungând până la tunelul de la Bâlea Lac, la limita cu județul Sibiu și se încheie în zona comunei Cârțișoara, județul Sibiu, unde se unește cu DN1 (E68). Șoseaua a fost construită între 1970-1974 și leagă Transilvania de Muntenia.

Lacul Bâlea și Transfăgărășanul nu sunt singurele puncte de atracție pentru turiști. În zonă există numeroase obiective turistice:

Mănăstirea Curtea de Argeș

Lacul și Barajul Vidraru

Cetatea Poenari (construită la sfârșitul secolului XIII și începutul secolului XIV de domnitorul Negru Vodă, și refăcută de Vlad Țepeș în secolul XV)

Cascada Bâlea (numită și Urlătoarea Bâlei, situată între vârfurile Moldoveanu — 2.554 metri și Negoiu — 2.535 metri, la o altitudine de 1.234 metri; cea mai mare cascadă în trepte din țara noastră, cu o cădere de 60 de metri,

Casa memorială a lui Badea Cârțan din Cârțișoara, masivele și traseele montane din jurul Transfăgărașanului.

Lacul Bâlea

O atracție sezonieră este Hotelul de Gheață, unic în Europa de Est, care, din iarna anului 2006, este construit în fiecare an pe malul lacului.

Și, nu uita, turistule:

Dacă ești în trecere sau dorești să te relaxezi pentru mai multe zile în zonă, contactează-ne pentru cea mai bună recomandare de cazare.

http://www.balea-turism.ro

http://www.balealac.ro

Lacul Bâlea, județul Sibiu Probabil cel mai spectaculos lac din România Lacul Bâlea, din Munții Făgăraș, județul Sibiu…

[rudyroth79]

”Marea Expoziție Națională a României din 1906” de Daniela Șontică

O sărbătoare grandioasă s-a petrecut în Bucureștii anului 1906, la inaugurarea Marii Expoziții Naționale a României, care a strâns mii de români.

Expoziția amintită s-a deschis în prezența Regelui Carol I și a Reginei Elisabeta, a oamenilor politici, a celor mai importante personalități din țară, pe Câmpul Filaret. Iată istoria acesteia.

Senatul României și Casa Regală, după o idee a omului…

[thehikeguy]

Remember that time when photos weren't downloaded but developed? I remember that I would drop my film off at Target and pick up the developed photos a few days later. I'd pay a few more dollars and Kodak would include a floppy disk of digital files at a now-embarrassing resolution of 500x330 pixels. I recently found all of the negatives from a backpacking trip taken almost 20 years ago and have been slowly scanning and processing the images at home. (Now they're saved at a glorious resolution of 3400x2300). I look forward to sharing more from that first big backpacking trip now that I've got better quality images. Photo: Vlad the Impaler's castle (Cetatea Poenari) in Romania. 16 NOV 2001 #romania #cetateapoenari #photonegative https://ift.tt/2IGM3nN