He had lost, and they both knew it. Joachim cursed in his mind; he idly wondered if the result of the battle had been decided before he had gone against Walter. It was too late now as he lay on the floor, defeated. Walter was stronger, and Walter was the one who had won tonight.

Joachim heard footsteps as the older vampire walked closer and stopped a few feet away from him. He didn't wish to look at the redhead but did so anyway. There was a cruel smile on Walter's face as he looked down at Joachim and shook his head.

"Joachim, Joachim..." Walter mused. He folded his arms and studied the younger vampire. "You little fool. What made you think you could defeat me? And why?"

"...You..." Joachim mumbled but trailed off. Talking was harder than he had imagined; he was greatly weakened and barely clinging to consciousness. He would have gladly fainted but couldn't because of the pain throughout his body. He had used all his strength to fight Walter, and Walter surely hadn't been holding back with his attacks. The difference was that the older vampire barely seemed to be harmed at all while Joachim found himself lying on floor, too weak to even yell the exact answer at his former lover.

Walter waited for a moment then removed his gauntlet and knelt down next to the younger vampire. "What is it? Don't you have anything to say? You are more ungrateful than I thought, Joachim. After everything I gave you, you still raised your swords against me. Surely you knew you would not win." He leaned closer and ran his fingers over Joachim's face. "I must say, I am very disappointed."

"Die," the silver-haired vampire whispered. He glared at Walter, his hatred for the older vampire quite apparent. It was useless, and Walter would probably kill him now for rebelling, but Joachim didn't really care anymore. He had failed.

The older vampire laughed. Joachim hated it; he hated how Walter could act like that, like he was superior to anyone. It was one of his reasons to want to kill Walter, although there had been many other reasons as well. He closed his eyes to save himself from seeing the redhead's victorious smile, and he turned his head away when Walter touched his face gently.

"I am disappointed that you weren't able to provide me something more of a fight," the master of the castle continued. "That was pitiful, Joachim. I always thought that I taught you better than this, but it appears I was wrong. Or perhaps it is something else... Perhaps you can't hurt me?"

"Damn you," Joachim hissed. He could figure out well enough what Walter was after with such comments. At least he did know his loss had nothing to do with his inability to hurt Walter, as he saw no reason why he wouldn't want to kill the older vampire after everything he had done to him. Still, was it all predetermined? He cursed himself, knowing he should have been prepared better. With the power of the Ebony Stone on his side, why would Walter lose to someone without such power?

Walter grabbed the younger vampire by the hair, and Joachim did not resist. He had no strength left for futility. He would die now; Walter would probably make him suffer before it and enjoy the fact that his victim was powerless and could not respond. Joachim despised the idea of dying like that, weak and unable to resist, but it didn't matter. He lay there with no attempt to get out of the older vampire's hold, only hoping that he could keep himself from letting Walter hear him cry out of pain whenever the redhead got to the killing part.

The pain he was expecting didn't come. He blinked as he tasted blood; he then realized Walter had slit his wrist open and pressed his hand on Joachim's lips. Why, his tired mind couldn't figure out - but his vampiric instinct kicked in, and he drank the older vampire's blood. He raised his hand and reached for Walter's hand to hold it still while he fed while some sane part of him mind nagged him for being stupid. He could hear that Walter was laughing again; this was the first part of some cruel punishment, and he was being forced to enjoy it.

"Thirsty, aren't you, my little pet?" Walter asked with clear amusement in his voice. "Drink all you want. After all, you must be tired after the fight."

He was right of course. Joachim cursed the older vampire silently but could not break away. His exhausted body filled with energy. Walter's blood was strong, much stronger than a human's; it left him half-drunken and disorientated, and when Walter finally pulled his hand away, Joachim fell back to the floor, laughing weakly for no reason.

Walter looked at the younger vampire, evidently pleased. "So much better now, don't you think?" He mused, then leaned down to place a gentle kiss on Joachim's lips. The silver-haired vampire let himself be kissed for a moment - he then suddenly moved his head up a little and bit Walter's lips. The older vampire pulled away, still smiling and ignoring the fact that his lip was bleeding. He then rewarded Joachim with a sudden slap across the face while he shook his head.

"Bad little Joachim," he said, raising his hand to the wound on his lip. "So disobedient. You rebelled against me, and now you will be punished for your insubordination."

He grabbed the younger vampire by the throat and pulled him up to his feet. "You have forgotten who to be loyal to, it seems. I made you, Joachim. I gave you these powers, and you will serve only me. You forgot where your place is, and I will remind you of that."

"Go to hell," Joachim answered with a half-smile on his face. "Go rot in hell, Walter."

Walter just smirked. Joachim strained as he felt how his body was captured by an invisible force, and before he could react, he was flung across the room and thrown against the wall. He tried to struggle, but the force kept him there while Walter walked over with a wicked smile on his face. Upon reaching the younger vampire, Walter flicked his wrist a little. The spell vanished, and Joachim was dropped to the floor. Before he could get up, however, Walter grabbed him by the throat again, lifted him up and pressed his face against the wall brutally.

"Is that your final answer, Joachim?" The master of the castle asked calmly.

"I don't care," Joachim mumbled. He struggled for a little, but Walter grabbed his wrists, pulled his hands behind his back and bound them with a spell. "Ghh... What does it matter? It's not like my answer would change anything anymore. And yes," he added, managing to grin. "I would prefer if you burned in hell for all eternity, Walter."

The older vampire laughed softly. "So you will not obey then. You think I will kill you now, don't you, Joachim?" Walter learned closer and placed a short kiss on the younger vampire's neck. "Ah yes... But, I have no desire to kill you, although you will eventually wish I had just chosen to do so. For your punishment shall be as eternal as the night around this forest!"

Walter laughed again, although this time he sounded simply cruel. Joachim struggled more, but the older vampire flung him around, still holding him by the throat, and pressed his back against the wall. Joachim strained and struggled more. The position was uncomfortable as his hands were captured between the wall and his body.

"...I said... I don't care," he hissed at his master. Joachim was, however, seriously wondering what Walter had come up with now. He knew how sadistic the older vampire could be, but whatever it was... No, he didn't care. If Walter was going to keep him alive, then it certainly didn't matter what the punishment was. As long as he was alive, he would eventually come up with a way to defeat his former lover.

"Oh, but you will care," Walter replied with an odd smile on his face. "You will learn to care, Joachim, for you will belong to me for as long as the night exists."

Joachim opened his mouth to say something, but he didn't get anywhere as Walter captured him for a deep, forceful kiss. He tried to bite again and to fight, but the older vampire held him down firmly and controlled the kiss with ferocity. The fact that Joachim's body had once been taught to obey anything Walter did to him didn't help either; he was completely at his master's mercy. He cursed himself for this; cursed the fact that the kiss made his body heat up and want something he didn't wish from Walter ever again.

He blinked as he heard the sound of fabric tearing and felt the older vampire's hand on his lower body. He tried to kick his captor and struggled to get away, but Walter paid no attention to his resistance. Joachim's white pants were discarded to the floor in more than one piece, shredded. The older vampire then worked with his own pants, completely ignoring Joachim's furious struggles.

"Why do you bother fighting?" Walter asked chuckling as he broke he kiss. "You know what will happen, and you also know your weak attempts are in vain. You can never escape from me, Joachim, and you will never defeat me."

Joachim glared death at the older vampire and continued squirming in Walter's grip as his legs were forced apart despite of all his protests. "You'll never have-"

That was as far as he got before Walter grabbed him by the waist and entered him brutally. Whatever he had been trying to say turned into a pained scream which he had wished not let Walter hear. His voice echoed from the walls of the throne room, accompanied by the sound of the older vampire's malicious laughter. For that moment what Walter had said was right, and Joachim wished to die.

The moment passed soon, and the silver-haired vampire managed to bite his lip and silence himself. It wasn't easy with Walter pressing into him cruelly, making him bleed. His body was aching again, and he felt like losing consciousness over the pain of being ripped apart. He turned his face away and closed his eyes to avoid looking at Walter.

"You will understand eventually," the older vampire told him, laughing. "You will understand the futility of your actions, and why you will never have what you wish for. You are mine, Joachim, and you always will be mine to do whatever I wish."

Joachim opened his eyes and scowled at Walter then lowered his face and gritted his teeth. As much as he would have wanted to express his hatred, he had to concentrate all his remaining strength on staying quiet. Walter's skillful, merciless thrusts weakened him even more. He cursed himself in his mind for being so masochistic that his body reacted to the brutal act, but he knew he couldn't have fought it. His master had once taught him, and as long as it was Walter, pain was irrelevant.

The older vampire laughed again, his amusement at Joachim's reaction apparent. "Do you see now? You can't fight me, and you can never defeat me."

He finally let go of the younger vampire's throat and caught him by the hair instead. He pulled Joachim's head up for violent kiss, successfully ruining the younger vampire's attempts at staying quiet and uncaring. There was still blood on Walter's lips from when Joachim had managed to bite him earlier, and the taste robbed the rest of Joachim's fragile control. Walter's deep, cruel thrusts ripped him; he gave in to the kiss even though he hated the feeling of being so defeated, but he figured things would be over more quickly this way. He only wished for a release, then Walter could do whatever he wanted.

Joachim growled in frustration when the older vampire broke the kiss and ceased moving. "I know what you need, Joachim, but first answer me... Do you remember who you belong to?"

That was his punishment and he knew it; as long as Walter was alive there was, as the older vampire had said, no escape. Joachim turned away and bit his lip, trembling in the redhead's hold. His mind was numb, but he knew he had to answer, and he knew what the only acceptable answer was should he wish to live and end what had happened today without more torture. He could have refused, or he could have not answered at all, but then the punishment would have been worse, and he had been through enough. He despised himself for it, but he had to do it. So, he nodded just a little.

"Good boy, Joachim," Walter whispered softly before pressing into him again brutally enough to make him cry out weakly. "I will make sure you never forget that."

Knowing was more than enough; it was worse than the fact that Walter would certainly make him remember. Joachim didn't care at the moment, though; he was shaking, and only his pride kept him from begging Walter to finish already. Right then, he didn't know whom he hated more - Walter or himself.

Walter smirked, then pulled his captive's head to the side and sank his teeth into Joachim's pale skin. A pained cry escaped from the younger vampire's lips; the sound then turned into a muffled moan of pleasure. Joachim's ravaged body couldn't take any longer and he came, unconsciously whispering Walter's name but thankfully not hearing it. The older vampire did hear it, however, and smiled, pleased.

"Yes, Joachim," he said, pressing into the slender body one more time to claim his own release. "Yes... you are mine."

The younger vampire didn't hear it anymore. When Walter let go off him he slumped by the wall, exhausted and unable to move. He could barely feel Walter picking him up and carrying him away, to a place that was to become his prison. When he opened his eyes Walter was gone, and he was left alone in the empty room in the heart of the Dark Palace of Waterfalls.

Joachim was alive. That was his punishment, he knew it - to belong to the bastard for all eternity and live knowing it. He smiled darkly as he stared at the back of the room, and for a moment considered if death had been a better choice. He then shook his head and laughed bitterly.

He would live, then. He would live, and one day he would stop belonging to Walter. That would be the day when Walter would die.

Author's notes:

And yet another for the CV Fanfic LJ community challenges. Challenge was simply "favorite pairing", and these two would be my one of my favorites around the Castlevania fandom.

This is supposed to be a version of what happened after Joachim went and turned against Walter. Poor Joachim.

- Lady Harken (July, 2005)