31 May 1448
The castle is only half-complete, but I do not wish for Elisabeta to remain at Targoviste any longer. Poenari is much more easily defended. The restoration may continue while she resides there in my absence. She travels ahead of me, and today, I meet her there; tonight we are married. I have charged my beloved with overseeing Nicolai and Velascon in the completion of the castle during my campaign. It will busy her thoughts, as she expressed great concern that I should be leaving her so soon after the marriage. Women do not understand the ways of war, but I find Elisabeta to be resourceful with such a large undertaking on my behalf. With the blessing of the Pope on our side, I have no doubt we will be victorious.
Ahbrim makes the final preparations in the cathedral. How pleased he was upon seeing the cathedral. I bade Nicolai and Velascon to employ a man whom they were acquainted with to design the inner sanctum of the chapel. I wished for its design to be pleasing to him and all those who enter. It is a matter of great importance to me Ahbrim finds happiness here at Poenari.
The final preparations are in place for this evening. My heart swells with joy. Never during my imprisonment did I dare dream of being released, or know the joy of loving her. Yet here, by the grace of God, I stand awaiting my beloved’s hand. Many years passed since remaining a captive, without the hope of release, yet here on this day I take Elisabeta to be my loving wife. The plan God has chosen for me is not one which I understand, but gratefulness is in my heart. For each moment with her given it seems like heaven on earth and she the angel who was sent to show me God’s grace. Of a love so granted, I am not worthy, yet in her eyes I am all she needs. What man, be he peasant or noble, could doubt the love of God when held in the eyes of the woman he loves?
2 June 1448
What beauty she held in my eyes our wedding night. Her skin like alabaster, her lips like rubies, her eyes like sparkling honey, were I not so designed to have been Viovode, I would stay in her loving arms and never leave this place. What man could look upon her and not see that God works through her to inspire them to greatness?
This morning we leave to drive the Ottoman Horde from our lands. Soon those incestuous dogs shall know they bow to a false God, one who is not worthy, and one who shall never rule my beloved homeland. The sacrifice made by my fellow Wallachians has been great, yet they complain not. They willingly mine ore for the army’s weapons, toil in their free hours to aid our mission, and tend to their own lives as time permits. They find hope in their Viovode, which has not been known since the time of Mircea.
There is no doubt Ahbrim will see to Elisabeta faithfully in my absence. Departing before my beloved awoke; I left upon her pillow the amethyst brooch. I pray it pleases her. It pains me to leave her in his care, yet it is known within my heart no better man could serve her.
18 June 1448
We arrived, preceded by the Turks, to find the village ransacked, the men left behind all dead with the women and children missing. It is a commonality of their raids. The older are butchered and hung from the surrounding trees as a warning to those who would consider retaliation. Those strong enough to endure are forced into the ranks of their army, the women and children they use as slaves. What brutality my brother has chosen to embrace!
We pursue them to the Carpathian Pass where they shall meet their deaths. I have considered at length how a message should be delivered to them. Reasoning is pointless, as they are not God-fearing men. Devastation, I have decided, is the message they will understand. And when we reach them, I shall ensure that message is delivered in a means they will have no difficulty comprehending.
24 June 1448
How glorious the message sent to Mehmed and his followers, for when he sends the army he keeps in reserve they will find 5000 of their men line the Carpathian passage- all of them impaled.
Matthias had no words when the command was given. Hunyadi questioned my methods and appeared appalled by my choice.
“What better a message to send to Mehmed and my treacherous brother, that I, Prince Vlad, shall tolerate no trespass against my land, my brethren, or my people? Imagine that terror in their hearts for even the most strong of conviction would cower and flee,” I said.
“But you do not kill them, you allow them to suffer. Let mercy be shown,” Hunyadi replied.
“I ask you to consider a single question. Do you, as a man of God, believe our women have been shown mercy at their hands? I tell you they have not.”
I left him to consider the question I had posed. I walked among them listening to them plead for their deaths. No sound at that moment could have been more pleasing. The numbers of those escaping were few. I have no doubt they will carry word to their Sultan of what they witnessed. Our conquest will be short as they flee for the Black Sea with news of what befell them. A courier I have dispatched to my beloved, so that she may know I am unharmed and returning to her as soon as I am able.
Ahbrim’s Journal
2 July 1448
Poenari Castle
Word came this day from Vladimir. God be praised, he is well. Elisabeta is much relieved, as am I. His strategy, I have faith, will drive them from our country. The detail shared by Loki I found concerning. He told tales of Vladimir creating a forest of the undead, those he had impaled while still alive. Days upon days they lingered. Loki explained the reasoning behind what Vladimir had done. Though the strategy I find ingenious, the logic I do not. He treads a fine line between darkness and light. I now wish he would have considered my offer to allow me to accompany him. My words may have been spoken, and it was as though they were silent, but at least the objection would have been made. I am certain none amongst Vladimir’s company dared to question him. That has proven a dangerous path to walk upon. Yet I find with me he is more reasonable. I do not wish for him to fall prey to the darkness and the devil’s hand.
Elisabeta believes she is with child. I pray for this to be true. She has tempered Vladimir with her pious and gentle nature. A child would give Vladimir the ability to show the love he was not given as a child and perhaps heal him. I pray now for his safe return so that he may rejoice in the blessed news.
Chapter Eight
Vladimir’s Journal
2 August 1448
The Black Sea
Mehmed sent an emissary to speak of a possible truce between our nations after finding 5000 of his brethren impaled. He finds me to be barbaric. I laughed as his slave announced the intentions of the Sultan.
“You say you have come to make peace, yet I say there can be no peace between us. The offer before me is preposterous. You say the sultan will allow me to remain as Viovode so long as I make concessions to him. I tell you, it is my God given right as Baserab to rule as Viovode. He did not grant me the origins of my birth, nor did he show mercy to me as a royal prisoner. Tell Mehmed the scars upon my back bear witness to his generosity and his mercy. No concessions shall be offered and none shall be made. Not so long as the House of Baserab rules, not so long as the Order lives,” I said.
He protested on the behalf of the sultan, stating the request was not an unreasonable one, which I should accept such a generous offer as a second one would not be extended.
“I will pay tax to no man who does not bear kinship to this family, nor will I bow to a man who is not my ruler. Tell him, I too, have a responsibility to my people and have rules by which we must all abide. One such a law is: no man shall stand before the Viovode without removing his hat, which you have failed to remove after two requests. Since your turban you love so greatly, I shall ensure it is never lost.”
The message sent to Mehmed will be quite clear when his emissary returns to him with his turban nailed to his head. I, Vladimir Dracul, the Viovode of Wallachia and Soldier of God, bow to no man nor will I sacrifice my people by doing so.
6 August 1448
Eustav, near the Black Sea
We fight with only ten thousand men, greatly depleted from our original numbers. Still, the soldiers’ spirits are high;
wages have been paid, and I have given my word after the defeat of Mehmed’s men here, we shall return home. God has blessed us with few deaths against the many we face.
The battle was great, long, and fierce. Those we captured were impaled in the open field outside Eustav in designs, which pleased me- a maze, if one would consider it so, of the dead. Perhaps they will learn that the true Viovode of Wallachia will not grant them deliverance from death, but will instead prolong it with great detail. In the silence of what is unspoken, an uprising comes. Rumors abound that the Danesti lays claim as Viovode to the Wallachian throne. I fear the peace we committed through prayer to God will be short lived. Elisabeta must be kept from harm. Word has been sent by Matthias to his court to make ready for her arrival. I dispatched a courier only this morn to Ahbrim that he too should make ready to leave, not to the House of Matthias, but to the House of Bathory in Moldavia where my Bogdan resides and where our allegiances have remained strong. I am not certain that Matthias is not behind the rumors and the uprising we are about to face. His lack of enthusiasm for the methods employed in war is evident.
My trust is placed in no one’s hands but God’s. There it shall remain. Hunyadi was the first to learn of this treachery. I bid him to pray for the soul of young Matthias, for should I discover it was he who would lay this plot against me, it will be he who rots on a stake before my dinner table.
24 August 1448
Elisabeta is secured within the confines of the Bathory estate without Ahbrim at her side to provide her solace and comfort in our separation. He soon shall travel to the house of Matthias now that his mission to Moldavia is complete. She is with child, our child, a blessing I could not have prayed for even in my darkest hour.
To keep appearances, I and many others of the court along with the Royal Guards have remained behind. Skirmishes have been contained and kept to a minimum. The rebuilding at Targoviste will continue, even in my absence, as will the rebuilding determined by Ahbrim and myself during our first meeting. The villagers had been well paid in advance and know the fate they await should they defy me.
I have learned through the confessions of a man not known to me that it is not Matthias who conspires against me, but John Hunyadi. He has taken the Turks to his bed and made them his bride. He desires to take from me that which is rightfully mine. He will invade Wallachia and attempt to usurp the throne. My beloved wife dispatched the man to me, upon learning of the treachery planned. A friend of the Baserab long has the Hunyadi family been. His treachery must be confronted and the methods in this deception revealed.
12 November 1448
It was nearly evening tide as we arrived, those of us who escaped the clutches of Hunyadi and his men. He put a Danesti on the throne; Vladislav II, as the army fled from Poenari through the secret passages constructed by Nicolai and Velascon. Praise God they travel with me.
Bogdan welcomed our arrival, but none was as welcoming as my beloved, her face wet with tears at the fear I had not escaped. My beautiful beloved, how I missed her and now that I have her in my arms, I wish never to let her go. She is ill, stricken with fever from her journey from the House of Bathory to Moldavia. Bogdan has called to her the best physicians. While she rests, here we shall plot our vengeance and reclaim the Wallachian throne.
14 November 1448
Our child now rests in the hands of God. So great my sorrow, it is difficult to comfort my beloved. In my heart, I know no blame lies upon her, for it was the journey, which caused her sickness. Hunyadi and his grievance with the Baserab must end. Though it is he I hold responsible for what befell my beloved Elisabeta, I know now it is not with the Turks he sleeps, but with the people of his own land. His reasons for taking the throne will be based only upon what history will write of it; my father before me had been a traitor and made his alliance with the Turks. His logic was - so goes the father, so follows the son. I will pray to God to grant me the strength needed to forgive him, and pray Hunyadi will see the error of his ways, for in his heart he must realize the son of the traitor does not walk in the same footsteps as his father.
Chapter Nine
Vladimir Dracul’s Journal
The Road to Hungary
6 October 1451
We flee now to Hungary and seek the sanctuary of Hunyadi. Many years now, I have corresponded with him in secret through Ahbrim to express my distaste of the Ottoman Horde. Greatly impressed was he by my knowledge of the inner workings of their sect and mindset, the deeds carried to him of my valor in battle, and my hatred of my own brother who has betrayed me. Welcoming were his words that should any evil befall the House of Bathory, or the House of Bogdan, welcome we would be at his castle. My hatred was well conveyed by Ahbrim on his many visits to Hunyadi. For this, I am thankful not only to Ahbrim, but also God, for allowing Hunyadi to see the errors of his past judgments against me. He has assured me that Poenari shall be returned to its rightful Viovode and Princess.
Our journey will be a short one and our keep will not be long, for I wish to reclaim the castle as quickly as I am able. The Princess shall be returned to her rightful place, at my side and at my throne. She fears not the battle before us, for word comes in many correspondences my men have remained loyal and await my return.
Poenari Castle
14 November 1451
The first of many battles fought today to destroy the Ottoman Horde was blessed by God and victorious. With the aid of Hunyadi’s army, we have retaken the Castle and returned Elisabeta to her home.
Hunyadi has a better appreciation for the hatred I hold against the Turks and Radu. He was favorable in his mannerisms and embraced the victory with fervor. Far from the walls of the castle lies a forest of the dead; those who stood against me, be they friend or foe, now stand impaled as a stern warning to all who would stand against the chosen Soldier of God for Wallachia.
Tomorrow I leave for the smaller villages that lay on the outskirts of Transylvania who have welcomed the Horde into their homes and their lives to show them what happens when a Viovode is betrayed. Every man, woman, and child will be slain. The village will be ransacked, their worldly possessions becoming part of the empire, and whatever is of use to the village of Targoviste shall be delivered unto them for their loyalty. I have charged Nicolai and Velascon with dispersing the possessions of those who stand against me in Targoviste knowing they will make wise choices.
This battle will not be short-lived, for Hunyadi and my forces must push the Ottomans toward the Black Sea once more. Battle-weary I have grown in such a short period of time and desire only to be Viovode, to love my wife and make with her many children. But I understand that this cannot be, until Hunyadi and our armies have accomplished that which God has decreed.
Yet this day is not memorable for the glorious dispatch of my enemies. Today, God granted us with a son, my son. So dark is his hair and eyes he resembles his mother. How high my heart soared at his cries and at her deliverance from the clutches of death. A devoted mother, I have no doubt, she will be. I know not how long this war will take to win, but I have no doubt that with God at our backs we shall be victorious.
What darkness befalls now befalls the world
Ahbrim Baserab’s Journal
Poenari Castle
25 December 1452
Frantically we searched for her, the Princess, without success. It was not till I caught sight of a torn shard from her dress at the turret, I realized what she had done. I held her note in my hand as I sent them to retrieve her, reading her words over and over again.
“My beloved, you are gone, and my life without you now has no meaning. The tears I shed will soon be cradled in your loving hands as I know you await me in Heaven. Forgive my weakness, but I cannot live without you, for I would rather be reunited in death and live an eternity with you in Heaven than endure the torture of living without you and your loving caress on earth. I would rather rot and be eaten by the fish than fall to the hands of the Turks.”
The Priests carried her lifele
ss body to the cathedral and placed her before the altar. I wept before her.
“Elisabeta, you have condemned your soul, child. Why did you not come to me?” I whispered.
His screams I heard long before he entered the cathedral. His beloved, his Elisabeta, the woman he loved more than life itself was gone from this world. The agony of his cries caused me to cover my ears as he fell to his knees at her side.
From my hand, he ripped the note she had written. The anger on his face was evident to all who stood in the room as he glared at me. He brushed her hair from her face, kissing her before he drew her to his chest weeping.
“In Heaven, my love, I shall hold you once more and it will be as though we never parted.”
“This cannot be, Vladimir. She has taken her own life,” I said.
“Lies! Lies!” He screamed. Never before had I witnessed such anger, such hatred from him. “I curse you! I curse God. I despise you. You have betrayed me.”
“Recant your hastily spoken words, Vladimir. She broke God’s covenant. She has taken her own life. Pray with me for forgiveness and for her soul now in peril.”
“Pray? You wish me to pray? Pray for what? Pray that I might be granted the same fate so that I might see her once more?”
His screams echoed through the cathedral as he laid her at his feet. The Priests clamored behind me as Vladimir crushed the altar.
“Were the power within my grasp, I would take immortality by the hand, Ahbrim, and make him my bedfellow. I would see them suffer deaths so foul and horrid, even their God would flee from me!” He screamed.
Memoirs of an Immortal Life Page 5
