The Will

It is a dark night. A storm brews in the dark cloudy horizons, just over the mountaintops to the west. The only light is the tiny campfire off to the side of the dark muddy road, leading into a thick forest teeming with wild animals, spirits, and who knows what else.

Sir Geoffrey sits by the tiny campfire, still weary from his long journey. The heavy armor, once shining brightly like a beacon of a new life, now weighs heavily over his body. His head, wrapped in a bucket-like helmet with a Y-shaped visor, droops forward like a flower slowly wilting. However, Sir Geoffrey is still very much alive, just tired…so tired.

Heaving a great sigh of reluctance, Sir Geoffrey reaches for his knapsack and pulls out a yellowed parchment, a letter addressed to him from his brother, August–or Lord August Brenn, to be exact. The letter is very worn, crumpled, and slightly wet. It is the reason for his journey.

Sir Geoffrey heaves another great sigh of reluctance and opens the letter, rereading its content. He wishes to see if he still has the will to complete the journey.

“Hey, Geoffrey,” the letter begins. “I don’t really know how to start this. Dad and Grandpa were never really the talkative type, so I figured we’d be the same. But not you. You were a talker. You could talk about anything to anyone for hours without shutting up. You were different from us. So, it was only natural that you chose to do something else. I really respect you for that. Me? I didn’t have the courage or will to defy Dad, so I became a Brenn.”

The letter has a large section crossed out by messy ink before continuing. “Sorry for the mess. Other than coded messages and last wills, I’ve never written a letter before. It’s just not my thing, but I need to tell you something since this may be my first and last letter. Geoffrey, I understand why you ran away. It’s been, what, 20 years? For many generations, House Brenn has hunted down vampires as proud hunters of the Silver Order. I can still remember Dad’s proud smile when you declared that you were going to be the greatest hunter in the world. You were only 12 at the time, but you had so much confidence it was infectious. But you ran away on your 15th birthday.

“At the time, I resented you. You left your dream, Dad, Grandpa, me, and House Brenn’s vampire hunting tradition. Everything. It wasn’t until I turned 19, like 5 years after you left, that I heard you made a name for yourself in the neighboring country as a squire. I wished you were dead. You were enjoying your new life while I was suffering. Ever since you left, Dad became so cold that I felt like I would become the same, too. I hated the training, the expectations, the vampire hunting, everything. Do you know how scary it is to fight against a vampire? You probably don’t.”

A small, barely visible, smile appeared on Sir Geoffrey’s face under his helmet, but it disappeared a moment later. Then, the letter has another large section crossed out by ink. Sir Geoffrey could read some of the words, mostly curses and worries from his brother.

“Sorry. Now that I’m older, I know why you ran away,” the letter continues. “That must’ve taken a lot of courage. You were always the brave one. You tried to bring me along, but I didn’t have the courage to leave. Remember that secret room Dad and Grandpa forbade us from entering? That never stopped you from entering. I was too scared, so I never went inside, but I knew that that was the reason why you ran away. After Dad and Grandpa passed away and I became Lord of House Brenn, I entered that secret room. Crystal Coffin. I remembered you telling me that after your first night entering the secret room against Dad and Grandpa’s words. I didn’t understand, but now, I do. Dad and Grandpa committed the greatest sin a hunter of the Silver Order could do: they kept a vampire.”

Sir Geoffrey stops reading. August’s words made him recall some memories from the secret room, causing him to shake his head to clear them away. He continues reading.

“Her name is Alfa, a vampire princess of the Holostein Bloodline, one of the oldest vampire clans in history. She’s sealed within the Crystal Coffin, a special container that prevents her from leaving or staying awake for long periods. I’m sure you knew that. Every now and then, Alfa would awaken, and we would talk. Alfa is very beautiful, probably a thousand years old but looks no older than 20, and so kind, gentle, and funny that you wouldn’t think she’s a vampire.

“At first, I thought Dad and Grandpa were crazy for keeping a vampire under the house. But the more I talked with Alfa, the more I realized why. Love. It was as simple as that. They loved her so much that they defied the Silver Order and went against the Holostein to capture Alfa. I know because I’ve fallen in love with her, too. Me and Alfa talked about various things, including you, Geoffrey, and it was just so comforting to be treated as a human being instead of a killer. But then, I remembered you. You abandoned everything and ran away. There must’ve been a reason. There has to be a reason. You’re so much smarter and more courageous than I’ll ever be.

“If you read my letter up to this point, you may realize what I’m going to do next. If you don’t receive another letter from me but my last will instead, then you know what happened to me. I miss you, Geoffrey.”

Sir Geoffrey finishes reading the letter and folds it. He closes his eyes and looks up at the dark sky, breathing in deeply. No matter how many times he read the letter, Sir Geoffrey cannot help but feel tears streaming down his cheeks.

After a minute to get his emotions under control, Sir Geoffrey puts away his brother’s letter and then pulls out a different letter, neatly placed inside of a white envelope with the House Brenn’s wax seal: August’s last will.

Sir Geoffrey received the will three weeks ago, though his brother’s letter had been sent nearly five months earlier. At the time, Sir Geoffrey had been campaigning against a neighboring kingdom, far from any reliable post. The letter had followed him from camp to camp without ever reaching him until the campaign ended. The will had been sent sometime afterward. By the time either finally found Sir Geoffrey, August had already been dead for months.

Sir Geoffrey opens the will, and it says, “I, August Alfred Brenn, Lord of House Brenn, Keeper of the Brenn Domain, do hereby declare this instrument to be my Last Will and Testament. I bequeath all the rest, residue, and remainder of my estate, of every kind and character, both real and personal, to my elder brother, Sir Geoffrey Manfred Brenn. Sir Geoffrey Manfred Brenn retains the right to refuse any or all inheritance herein bequeathed to him, with one exception: the Crystal Coffin. The Crystal Coffin shall pass solely to Sir Geoffrey Manfred Brenn and may not be refused, sold, donated, transferred, or otherwise conveyed to any other person.”

Sir Geoffrey stops and puts the letter back into his knapsack.

Sir Geoffrey looks up at the dark sky and heaves out a deep breath. His hand tightens its grip on the greatsword lying beside him. He has a vampire to kill.