#young anton herzen

[pazurumare]

Long past memory, but never forgotten ones 💭

[angermango]

"I'm not cooking or anything, this is just a silly idea- (looks down at canvas) ffffuuuu--"

...

so, first I only wanted to draw Professor Layton with a Reiterpallasch from Bloodborne because haha funny hat man with gun-sword, but then i ended up drafting concept art for "Laytonborne", apparently.

"Puzzles all over the shop... You'll be stuck on one of them, sooner or later."

extra artist commentary:

Layton

yes, this really did just start with me wanting to give Layton a Reiterpallasch because he's a canonical fencer and Bloodborne trick weapons absolutely slap. The Reiterpallasch is literally a rapier with a pistol attached that can mechanically switch to prime either the blade first or the gun first so you can stab and shoot someone at the same time.

Giving Hershel the Bloodborne makeover was kind of funny because he wears such a simple look in canon it was hard striking the right balance between his recognisable look and BB aestheic since Bloodborne loves embellishment especially via lots of belts/buckles and those weird shoulder-cape things. I tried to keep it simple enough though because as much as i think he could pull off a hunter ensemble i don't want to have to keep track of all the funky bits. the Top Hat Stays, of course.

Aurora

Aurora is eerily good a fit in a Soulsborne-esque setting considering she fits the criteria for a "Soulsborne maiden" classic archetype sort of character: After all she's a mysterious pale-haired young woman with mystical origins/powers and a foreign-sounding accent and may or may not have some connection to the wider lore and powers that be of the setting. hell even her whole thing being a golem works in a way as even Bloodborne has artificial humans existing as a concept.

i got a little lazy with changing up her dress for both time and lack of inspiration. I thought maybe i'd really do her up but then I chickened out that her costume wouldn't be recognisable any more so just slapped a belt and some patterns on the shawl bit and called it a night :P (if i'd been braver/more motivated she'd probably look good in an approximation of the White Church set, something like that)

and yeah so as the sketches off to the side are like, no real clue how/why it might be triggered but imagine her having the potential to be an optional boss or something (and she'd whoop your ass)

Flora

idk tho Flora also seems like she could be a good contender for the "Soulsborne maiden" position too in a way, or even if not her whole character and story fits into the world quite well. especially with Bloodborne having the Plain Doll who is a sentient doll made in the image of someone her creator loved/was obsessed with and Flora living in a village of human-like robots which started after her father tried to build a replacement for her dead mother.

Her dress is a combination of all her canon costumes across the games. The fur-trim shoulder cape is from one official art of her, the short shawl and white sleeves and bit around her waist is based on her first dress, and the rest of the dress design is based on her second and third game appearance.

The 'Doll Flora' concept there at the end is just some idea of a false/clone Flora running around as well. She's got some little differences including elements of other parts of Flora's designs over the years that aren't on OG Flora, such as the sash and shoes.

Anton

Anton fits in scarily well to the Bloodborne-y setting, perhaps not too surprisingly given the whole 'vampire' thingy. I sort of envision Folsense and Herzen Castle being a bit like the Castle Cainhurst area of Bloodborne which leans more into the classic gothic horror of a remote and looming haunted castle occupied by a sinister enigmatic character.

And yes, that is a reference to the infamous "LAYTOOON" scream from his canon 'boss fight' in the second game - imagine the whole steaming up and screaming thing being like his boss phase transition animation.

The whole 'withers to an old man/husk' concept seems so very Soulsborne-y it really just fits yknow. like if you defeat him he shrivels up/ages to dust or whatever. RIP gassed-up grandpa.

I partly rizzed up his suit using inspiration of the Cainhurst Knight set because like. come on. it's too good to pass up the chance to pretty up with and looks a lot like his canon suit in parts.

Did I trace the foyer background art for Herzen Castle for the mockup just for laffs, only to realise partway that 1) Layton and Anton actually fought in the ballroom, and 2) the ballroom would actually make a much better boss arena setting because it's wide open and the arch from the front room leading into the ballroom could totally be the 'boss fog door' part better than the front room?

...so yeah I then drew the ballroom background without tracing this time like a true madman and had a hell of a time with perspective but the plus side is we also get the sword collection from the game there as a cameo because in Laytonborne the good professor brought his own already.

The Masked Gentleman / Randall

Had a bit of a time deciding how to Bloodborne-ify this guy because his suit in canon is actually really. really boring. it's just a white suit like cmon. so to give it that Bloodborne makeover I fell back on the classic shoulder-cape thing that almost all Bloodborne characters have, added some patterns and accessories based on the Mask of Chaos' patterns and the Decorative Old Hunter's set from the Old Hunters DLC (in the leg brace, forearm guard and the hints of gold chains around the upper arms).

He also gets a Threaded Cane, another trick weapon of Bloodborne fame which is as it suggests: A cane weapon that works a bit like a baton/sword combo but in its alternate form it's a whip covered in serrated metal blades which form the cane itself when locked together.

It seems very appropriate for Randall to be like a boss who starts out as the Masked Gentleman and then at half-or-less health you break his mask, reveal Randall and then wings burst out of his back as he enters his second phase rage mode. This concept part felt more DSouls-y than Bloodborne-y to me i think since Bloodborne is less fantastical and leans more into the body horror/monstrous kind of boss transitions? But at the same time it was too good an opportunity to pass on at least sketching out, plus get you some sick fallen angel imagery out of it.

Also the hanging arm pose miiight be a bit inspired by Artorias of the Abyss. just a bit.

Descole

i recall seeing a post somewhere once with this very low-res rare art of Descole sitting in a throne from somewhere i have no idea what it was for. and I remember it kinda reminded me of Lady Maria's promotional art for the Old Hunters DLC so that's why the last picture of Descole exists.

mf already dresses so extra i legit could think of nothing to add to make him more Bloodborne-y unlike the others. I also used his canon sword's design from the games with a custom sheath because again couldn't really think of anything more to do to make him fit more when he's already got a cool signature weapon to show off.

[beezonia]

Okay ik I might be pushing it here but I’m pretty sure the ram symbol looks exactly like the Herzen family symbol

Which could potentially mean that Ernest is a descendant of the herzens

Looking at his mother she looks exactly the same as sophia/katia with the purple hair and the eyes

It’s just her hair is a lighter colour

It’s seems that much like Katia’s mother she died when Ernest was quite young and didn’t get to watch him grow up

The story of his grandfather is also sort of similar to Anton’s fathers

But instead of being greedy and causing damage, Ernest’s grandfather used the diamonds to help London prosper but at the cost of his daughter and her son having to struggle through life

So really if he is a descendant then they have most certainly changed their ways

But yeah possibly Ernest could potentially be a descendant of the herzen family

[multiversal-madness]

Tfw you want to dress up in Victorian era clothes but your dad says you have to dress like a normal person for an event.

[cayenne-twilight]

I don’t want to sound like an SJW tumblypoo, but does anyone else think it’s kinda ageist that level 5 keeps portraying Anton as a hot twunk when he’s like 80 during the game? Like I get it’s a spoiler for a game that’s over ten years old, but when they draw him next to other characters as they appear in the 60s, they draw him as he appeared in what? the 20s? Stop being cowards and give us Grampire Anton™️. He doesn’t need a perfect complexion and Marilyn Monroe locks to be our joint-blazing, sword-dueling, capturing-the-protags-and-keeping-them-for-dinner-at-opposite-ends-of-a-comically-long-table and wine-chugging boy.

[marquisevonobst]

Henris boyfriends du jour (Part one)

(A selection)

These sources are taken from the catalog "Ein Europäer in Rheinsberg" [2002]. I’ll try to make this post in a chronological order.

“Je passe ma vie dans mon lit, et suis très incapable de faire des vers sur ce qui passe dans le lit de monseigneur le Prince Henri.”

[I spend my life in my bed and am completely incapable of writing verses about what happens in Prince Heinrich's bed.]

Voltaire to Countess Bentinck, 26.06.1752

Lehndorff

Anton Friedrich König, Ernst Ahasverus Heinrich von Lehndorff, 1761

“Im Falle Lehndorffs sehen wir das einzige Mal eine Favoritenbeziehung mit den Augen des Favoriten und können dadurch die romantische Energie erahnen, die es auch auf der anderen Seite geben konnte.”

[In Lehndorff's case, we see a favourite relationship through the eyes of the favourite for the only time and can thus glimpse the romantic energy that could also exist on the other side.]

Christoph Martin Vogtherr, page 495.

Vogtherr also mentions the possibility of an Amour Fou on Lehndorff's part in the early stages of their acquaintance, which may have led to Heinrich’s turning away.

Lehndorff being the queer disaster he always has been.

Here are a few excerpts from the diary entries:

09.12.1752

“Ich sehe heute meinen teuern H., kann mich ihm aber nicht nähern, sondern ihn nur von fern bewundern.”

[I see my dear H. today, but I cannot approach him, only admire him from afar.]

28.01.1753

“Was ist er reizend! Ich kann nicht anders, ich muß ihn lieben, obwohl ich merke, daß diese Liebe mir Gemütsruhe, die uns allein glücklich macht, nicht verleiht, sondern im Gegenteil raubt.”

[What a charming man he is! I can't help it, I have to love him, although I notice that this love doesn't give me peace of mind, which alone makes us happy, but on the contrary robs me of it.]

01.10.1753

“Mein Entschluß ist gefaßt! Ich entsage diesem Herzen, das ich niemals habe an mich fesseln können. O Himmel, was kostet mich dieses Opfer, und welchen Schmerz wird es noch kosten!”

[My decision is made! I renounce this heart which I have never been able to bind to myself. O heaven, what is the cost of this sacrifice, and what pain it will cost!]

Later, Lehndorff mentions the sheer number of 50 lovers Heinrich is said to have had in his life.

April 1770

“Unser wackrer Prinz Heinrich, der sonst alle Eigenschaften eines großen Mannes besitzt, kann sich den Geschmack an jungen Leuten nicht abgewöhnen. Gegenwärtig ist es ein junger Schauspieler namens Fernet, mit dem er immer zu tun hat.”

[Our valiant Prince Henry, who otherwise possesses all the qualities of a great man, cannot shake off his taste for young people. At present, it is a young actor named Fernet with whom he is always involved.]

Kaphengst

Anton Graff, Christian Ludwig von Kaphengst, 1790

Apparently Kaphegst was born on the 25th of November 1743 in Gühlitz. After the end of the war [1762] he was sent to Heinrich to take over the hussars of the Rheinsberg castle guard. The 20th of August 1765 is the first time he appears in Lehndorffs diary. 1766 he played Hanswurst in a play called Der Milchtopf which was written by Heinrich.

“Schon 1766 hatte er Gelegenheit, bei dem mehrtägigen Fest, das Heinrich seiner Schwester Amalie gab, in kleineren Rollen zu glänzen. [...] 1767 soll er, [...], Heinrich dazu veranlasst haben, einen Orden zu gründen, der im Unterschied zu den Freimaurerlogen auch den Damen offenstünde. Eintretende hatten das Gelübde auf Ovids Ars amatoria abzulegen. ”

[As early as 1766, he had the opportunity to shine in smaller roles at the feast held by Heinrich for his sister Amalie, which lasted several days. [...] In 1767, [...], he is said to have prompted Heinrich to found an order which, unlike the Masonic lodges, would also be open to ladies. Those joining had to take a vow on Ovid's Ars amatoria.]

“Heinrich und Kapengst feierten alljährlich ihre beiden Geburtstage mit mehrtägigen Festen und stets neuen überraschenden und kostspieligen Einfällen.”

[Heinrich and Kapengst celebrated their birthdays every year with festivities lasting several days and always with new surprising and costly ideas.]

Hannelore Lehmann, page 500.

Kaphengst had one illegitimate son named Carl Otto (born 16th of May 1785) with Maria Louisa Therèse Toussaint and another son (Friedrich Leopold Ludwig Johann, born 1776) with Marianne Scholz. Later on he married Toussaint, which already had two children from her first marriage. Four children were born to the couple during the marriage; of these, one son and one daughter remained alive.

Questions, comments, concerns: feel free to contact me.

[multiversal-madness]

Ahh...a fellow LuCrow shipper! Glad to meet you, sir/madame! If you're okay with me asking, what dynamics do Crow and Luke have in your Pandora's Call au and your Vigilante Descole au? After all you mentioned that in Pandora's Call, Crow is one of the few people Luke trusts, and in Vigilante Descole, they might have encountered each other before Layton and Emmy showed up, so what are their relationships like? Thank you for your time, and have a lovely day/night!

In Vigilante Descole Au, Luke and Crow hang out a lot more before the Professor shows up than in canon.

There’s a limited amount of places that are safe for him to go where Targent won’t find him and the Black Market is among them.

When Luke initially disappeared, Crow had assumed he’d just left to avoid the spectre like a spoiled rich kid and abandoned them. Then one night he sees a chase, a masked man running away from people with guns, Luke clutched in his arms.

Crow, having seen the masked man before in the black market and knowing he’s probably more trustworthy than the people with the guns, decides to step in and help, guiding them to the black market for safety.

Crow feels bad for assuming those things about Luke, especially when he finds out Luke’s parents are still trapped, so he tries his best to cheer him up. Crow already feels responsible as the leader of the black ravens, so Luke is now another person he wants to keep safe.

As for Pandora’s Call, Luke saved Crow’s life.

(Under the cut because this is getting long, CW for non-graphic injury to a child)

You see, the Black Ravens are a thing in this au, but they don’t run a black market. They don’t need to in Dropstone.

Instead, they run the Raven’s Guild, the Black Ravens are adventurers. And where is their main point of adventure? Why it’s the ghost town only accessible through the Molentary Express.

In the beginning, most of the Ravens were scared of the spirit, Crow included (not that he’d ever admit it). Then the Spectre attacks started and there was something else to watch out for. Crow became the raven that would most often head to Folsense, the others sticking to safer, less scary adventures.

One night though, Crow got too close.

Folsense’s spectres are different to Misthallery’s one. The canon, single spectre lumbers around, smashing things sure but it moves about as quickly as you’d expect a being of that size. The Folsense spectres though are very fast and their fights very destructive.

Crow went to investigate one, curiosity having gotten the best of him. When the spectres fight started heading towards him, he couldn’t get away quick enough. A piece of rubble sent flying by their destructive trail hit crow in the head, greatly injuring the top left side of his face and eye.

This had also messed with his head in the moment. He could barely stand upright never mind run from the inbound spectres.

Then the spirit appeared, but he didn’t try to scare him. Instead he took his hand and guided him away from the spectres path, taking him somewhere safe before helping with his eye.

It was also when the spirit was helping him that Crow got to see his face for the first time, since he had taken off his mask to get a better look at Crow’s injury. Crow had never expected him to be so young, younger than him even, though only by around a year or two.

From that point on, they started getting closer, Crow claiming that the Black Ravens were loyal to the Spirit and the other kids going along with it because he did save Crow’s life. Luke also stopped scaring the ravens, as long as they spoke to him about where they were planning to go in each visit.

No raven is as close to Luke as Crow though. I can see Crow calling him “M’Lord” as a nickname and maybe even being let into Herzen Castle sometimes (though Crow was still pretty nervous around Anton and Nigel).

[cayenne-twilight]

Hi! Could you write something about Sophia and Anton's daughter (let's call ber Iris) if she knew her father? Bonus for baby Katia! Thank you!

The little girl sat on her mother’s lap, dressed in pajamas. Her mother brushed her vibrant purple hair, a trait she had passed down from herself.

“Ow mama, stop,” the girl pouted. “You’re pulling.”

“Sorry, Iris,” Sophia said, pulling the brush more gently. “If you quit rolling around in the fields, you wouldn’t have these tangles.”

Admittedly, Dropstone did have the most charming landscape. That was why she chose this particular area to settle, after all. Well, that was part of the reason at least. The pond near town center, the rolling fields, the mountains in the distance, beaten paths winding between sparse clusters of trees; it was all very lovely. A change of scenery.

“That better be it, mama,” Iris said, pulling her hair over her shoulder protectively.

“Thank you for being patient,” Sophia smiled.

“You have to tell me a real good bedtime story to make up for the yanks,” Iris said.

Sophia hoisted the girl onto her bed and tucked her in, kissing her cheek. “Hmm, would you like a fairy tale from the storybook?”

“Nuh-uh. I’ve heard all of those over and over again. How about a brand new story?”

‘I should add a public library to my list of projects,’ Sophia thought. “I suppose I can make something up, but I can’t guarantee it’ll be as good as the old stories.”

“No matter, just as long as it’s fresh.”

“Here goes nothing then,” she brainstormed for a moment. “Did any of your stories have vampires in them?”

“Vampires?” Iris’s eyes widened. “This better not be a scary story. You’re supposed to be putting me to sleep, not keeping me up all night, remember?”

Sophia petted her hair. “No, love. This was a good vampire. He lived in a big castle in the forest, and he liked to throw balls with lots of music and dancing. The decorations and tableware were made out of the most brilliant gold. After all, vampires can’t touch silver, you know. His hair was golden, too, and he had a flowing cape that swooshed around as he danced. He was awfully charming, and lots of ladies wanted to dance with him.”

“But don’t vampires have to drink blood?” Iris asked.

“This one had a penchant for um… grape juice, and it kept him satisfied.” Sophia started the story from the beginning.

It would be a lie to say that the drive to Herzen mansion wasn’t daunting. The surrounding town of Folsense may have been welcoming with its warm glow and interesting brand of night life, but this maiden’s destination was detached from the outside world. The road took her through a shadowy thicket, gangly trees arching over her on either side. She tried to imagine what this trail must look like on a sunny spring day, but she couldn’t quite put the image together. She arrived at the massive building’s doors, parking her car. The maiden grabbed her clutch purse and pulled her faux fur coat tightly around her torso as she scuttered inside, taking care to not trip over her heels.

A short, bespectacled man with a downward hooked nose took her coat and pointed her towards the main hall. She was amazed at the sheer size of it. Sure, her father had a countryside mansion of his own, but she could probably stuff most of it into this room alone. She couldn’t imagine what it must be like upstairs or inside those turrets visible from outside.

“And what might your name be?” The young man approached her, a champagne flute in each hand.

She accepted the drink. “Sophia. And you?”

“Anton. Anton Herzen.” He winked.

So this is Duke Herzen’s son. He was certainly handsome-

“Whoa, mama! The girl has the same name as you?” Iris said.

Sophia laughed. “Yes, what a coincidence.”

Sophia and Anton made small talk over fine hors d’oeuvres, seated in the cloister above the main hall.

Anton popped the last piece of a finger sandwich into his mouth. He gestured towards the couples dancing below. “Care to join them?”

They walked down the stairs arm in arm, getting into position to waltz as the live orchestra flipped their sheet music to the next song. They met eyed and smiled. The first hum of strings cued them, stepping back and forth to the rhythm. They swirled across the floor, performing spins at the proper moments.

“So tell me what it’s like, being a Herzen,” Sophia said.

“Being a Herzen? Why, it’s nothing to write home about, save for the family wealth perhaps.”

“Oh really?”

“Yes. Father’s got himself occupied with some silly new business venture. I gather he’s going after pharmaceuticals now, which rubs me the wrong way considering that he doesn’t even know how to alleviate the common cold.”

“Pharmaceuticals? That is odd. He already owns the gold mining company, doesn’t he?”

“That’s just it. The miners have discovered some sort of hallucinogen trapped in the rock, and now they’re searching for a way to harvest it and rework it into anesthesia or anti-anxiety medication.”

“I can’t imagine there being a safe way to do that,” Sophia said.

“There must be, and I hope to God father knows of it.”

With the end of the song, they returned upstairs to continue the next course of food.

Iris yawned. “Now I mean this as constructive story-telling criticism, but this is getting a bit boring. What about the part where the guy is a vampire? Or was that a surprise for later? *Gasp* Maybe the girl will find out he’s secretly a monster and will have to decide whether she’s afraid of him or if she’ll love him anyways!”

“I should’ve thought of that,” Sophia said. “Maybe you should be the one telling stories.” She booped Iris’s nose like a button. “At least I’m succeeding in making you sleepy.”

“What’s Folsense like?” Sophia asked.

“It’s lovely. The lights are beautiful at night, and I’m not just saying that because of the cabaret.”

“I’d love to take a walk there one of these days. Would you be so kind as to give me a tour?”

“Yes, of course. I know Folsense like the back of my hand, and it knows me. Well, except for the people I pranked last Halloween when I ran around convincing them I was a real vampire. That reputation still follows me among the less social townsfolk.”

“I would love to have been there and seen it. Halloween must be a blast in a mansion like this, what with the gothic architecture and spooky forest.”

“I’ve never thrown a Halloween party before, but now that you mention it, it would be surely be smashing.”

Anton took a long drink of his red wine and spoke again, “Where are you from?”

“I live pretty close to London.”

“London? But that’s so far off! It must have taken you, what? Two hours to get here?”

“It’s really not as long as it seems.”

“But it’s already so late! If you left early you’d still only get home in the wee hours of the morning.”

“I could stay at the Folsense hotel-”

“Or you could stay here.”

“You have vacant rooms available?”

“If you want a vacant room, that’s all right too.”

“I don’t.”

Sophia decided it would be best to skip that part of the story.

Anton was still asleep when she woke up the next morning. She put yesterday’s clothes back on and took the chance to explore the castle. Sophia ducked in and out of unlocked doorways, looking for something like a living room or dining room. She found the sheer number of unused spaces odd, thinking that she would surely use them for something more useful, or at least make each room more unique. She stumbled upon the dining room where the Duke was taking his breakfast.

“Nigel, fetch the kettle, would y- DEAR GOD girl, who are you?” the shock faded as soon as it set in. “You wouldn’t happen to be one of Anton’s-“

Sophia laughed nervously. “No, no, nothing like that. He just let me stay the night because I live so far away. Really.”

The Duke’s eyes narrowed as he dabbed the jam from his whiskers with a napkin. “Leave.”

Sophia thought about Anton still asleep in his room. “Um… right. I’ll be right out.” She smiled fakely, trying to remember how to get to the front door.

She gently cracked open the door to Anton’s bedroom. “Antoooon,” she stage-whispered.

He opened his eyes and pushed himself up. “Eh?”

“Your father wants me out. When can I see you again? Maybe we could meet in Folsense?”

“Ah, sorry about him. Are you free next Saturday? We could meet in front of the museum around noon, perhaps.”

“Sounds great! See you there.” Sophia left him, walking through the hallway into the main hall and down the steps to the front door. She retrieved her purse and coat, leaving for her car. Sophia drove home through the rolling hills and fields of the countryside in a dreamy state of highway hypnosis.

“She fell in love with the guy,” Iris stated.

“Yes.”

“And his dad doesn’t want them to be together. It’s a story of forbidden love! Do they have to meet up in secret and serenade each other through the window from outside?”

“Don’t worry, Iris. The Duke isn’t a bad guy, he just cares about his son in his own way, I suppose.”

Sophia and Anton would meet up periodically about town, but although it was good fun, they couldn't do this forever. Anton led Sophia by the hand into the mansion and up to his office.

“Father.”

“What is it Anton? I’m busy.”

“I’ve come to say that I love Sophia whether or not you agree with it, and that she will be coming over no matter what you think.”

The Duke sighed. “You’re right; I can’t stop you two, no matter what I think.”

To Duke Herzen’s distaste, Sophia ended up practically moving in. He appeared to be in denial, engaging young Freidrich in conversation or turning to his legal documents whenever they were in the same room. The young couple tried to keep to themselves, which one would think to be easy in a house of that size, but he seemed to turn up at every corner as if watching them.

Sophia sat down next to him in his library one day. “I didn’t take you for the type to read Poe for fun.”

“Well here I am. Do you read him?”

“Oh of course! I love that surreal macabre stuff. I’ve actually been curious about the mines below the castle; isn’t it a dangerous setup?”

Duke Herzen closed his book. “There were reports of coal being collected when they first built the foundation. I had the idea of digging deeper. I see how having a gaping pit under your home may seem precarious, but I trust in the beams and supports holding us up.”

“Anton mentioned some sort of gas discovered down there…”

“Did he now? That was meant to stay confidential.”

“Oh don’t get mad at him for it, it was but a slip.”

“Still, I’m sure this could become the next big thing in pharma. I need to find the men to research and rework it, but after that it’ll be smooth sailing. I didn’t think you’d be interested in this sort of thing.”

“I can’t deny that I have my concerns, but admittedly this is all very curious.”

Duke Herzen reopened the novel. “Look after him, will you?”

“The vampire’s dad was very cold at first,” Sophia said. “But his heart started to warm up as he got to know the maiden. Soon enough, he began confiding in her. The maiden and the vampire lived together in his castle until one terrible day, tragedy struck.”

“Aww come ooon. I thought this was gonna be a sappy feel good love story. No tragedies,” Iris whined.

“Okay fine. No tragedy.”

“There’s more of it seeping out and diffusing into the air than we thought,” Duke Herzen said from his sickbed.

“What does this mean? Have you lost all hope in stopping it?” Sophia asked, masking panic.

“There’s not much we can do but leave it alone and move somewhere else. Not that I would make it much longer anyhow.”

“Oh don’t say that rubbish.”

“You can’t change the fact of the matter, my dear.” He smiled weakly. “I’ll leave it up to you to lead the evacuation.”

“But so many people don’t plan on leaving. What of them?”

“We can’t force anyone to go.”

“That’s awful- don’t they know-”

“Whatever they’re thinking, their minds won’t change.”

“Awful,” Sophia muttered again.

“I’m staying!” Anton yelled. “I know the risks, and I know that I feel responsible for this town, so I can’t just leave it.”

“You idiot!” Sophia retorted. “There’s no future for Folsense, so stop acting like you’re immune from this gas unlike everybody else.”

“And here I was thinking you’d stay with me.” He turned away.

Sophia grimaced.

“How about we just go to bed and talk this over like normal people tomorrow morning?” he sighed.

Tomorrow morning Sophia was gone. She got up before the sun and kissed Anton’s sleeping head. Lugging her trunk down the ornate staircase, she took a final look around the home she called her own, around the hall where he and she shared their first dance. Nigel handed Sophia her coat, he was staying as well. She stepped out into the crisp air where birds were only beginning to chirp and walked through the woods to the station. They really weren’t all that spooky in the daytime. Charming, really. Friedrich helped her pull the luggage up from the platform.

“Is it really okay? To leave him here, I mean.”

Sophia scanned the rooftops of Folsense once more. “I don’t know, Friedrich. I don’t know.”

She didn’t tell him the train was today. She didn’t tell him that they didn’t plan on coming back once this all “blew over” because she suspected it wouldn’t. She didn’t tell him about the baby.

The train hissed and whistled, pistons coming to life and shoving the wheels along the tracks. This was it. Her last look at Folsense. Her last chance to be with him. The town disappeared before she could notice, replaced with a view of rolling fields and sparse trees. She took a deep breath. This was it.

Sophia snapped back. “The vampire and the maiden threw a grand big wedding and invited all the townsfolk. At first they were wary of the vampire, but it turned out to be a jolly fun evening. They lived together happily ever after, and even had a little daughter who hated having her hair brushed. The good vampire protected the town for the rest of time, no matter what, so all the people could be safe and happy like them.”

“Wow, it’s like I was there, mama,” Iris giggled. “You should start writing this stuff down.”

“Oh hush, dear. It’s far past your bedtime.” Sophia kissed Iris on her sleepy head and left the room. It’s like she was there again.