(Author's note: This is a chapter that is a side chapter about Van and the new character Andraste. Andraste belong to Rei and she created him, she allows me to use him in this story because without him it wouldn't be written 3. She helped me with his actions and speaking parts.)

Andraste,

It has been sometime since we spoke, friend. I know this letter comes to you as a surprise since I have not spoken with you since the birth of my last daughter, Serlinda. I am in need of you at your quickest possible convenience, included I've gotten a pass clearance for you to come to Harmonia. I await your presence.

Sincerely,

Van Winter

It had been a month since the disappearance of the Winter family's youngest daughter, Kit-Kit. All that was left was a few swatches of blood patched clothing, a wounded horse and a trail that went to the outskirts of the city near a river, but nothing more than that. Some would say that Kit-Kit ran away and killed herself and was feasted upon by wild animals, others say that in a fit of rage that Van, himself, had killed her and dumped her body in the river but there was no proof because she had been missing for so long. There was unbelievable stress on Van's social status for several weeks because of the fiasco, leading him to call on detectives but no one had seen anything suspicious.

It was a private matter that needed to be dealt with, Van's social status seemed to be in constant jeopardy because of his youngest daughter, it was one thing after another and he'd grown weary of dealing with it. If it wasn't that she had some incurable disease, it was that no first class man would find her a suitable wife regardless of Van's status and bank account. Some had never seen her but once but that was all it took, priests believed in faith, but faith did little. Everything surrounding his youngest daughter brought him grief, especially when he used to be such a pleasant and giving man in the beginning.

It was time to act, no longer could he wait for his daughter to appear. The only option was a vampire who owed him a debt from fifteen years ago, this vampire he saved on the brink of death out of kindness. It was time to return the favor and fifteen days passed before Andraste appeared in the Harmonian home of the Winter's. Van took no chances and took the Andraste to his study immediately and closed the doors and locked themselves inside so Viktoriya wouldn't get any ideas about listening in on their conversation.

Andraste Valkyrie was cynical vampire, but unlike many he stood out for more than his pale skin, sharpened fangs and need for blood. He stood taller than many at six foot seven inches, his figure seemed lean but carried enough power to scare some of the strongest of his kind off. His presence was looming, dark even to say the least but his feature were masculine, yet attractive with a sharp jaw and long ears sticking out of his long white hair. The most menacing feature about him was his eyes, they were as red as a red, red rose against a yellow pastel background that you couldn't help but lose yourself into. A man like him was definitely a good idea to have in your debt, especially with an unruly daughter that he claimed to have amongst his peers.

"Thanks for coming, Andraste. I really appreciate it, but enough of pleasantries, I'm sure you wonder why I asked you to come post haste. " Van was sitting on his desk, he was shifting through some photos on the desk that he was clearly looking for something specific. "To what do I deserve the pleasure of your call?" Andraste spoke for the first time since enter the room with his deep, yet soft voice that would make women feel allure.

"Well, Andraste, I'll be blunt. My daughter is missing and I'm in a need to find her for my own concern-" Van was briefly interrupted by Andraste,"Why do you need me to find your daughter, Van?" Andraste appeared more curious that something was being kept from him.

"I need to take her to the wife's homeland. She went missing the night before we had to leave. Shes been missing for a month now. I don't know how to track her..." Van seemed mildly worried about it, which was more than usual. "I've never seen you so worried about something, Van. " Andraste felt it was peculiar than a man who seemed to have lost most of his good will would be concerned over his daughter's disappearance. It was then that he had begun to crack, he started pacing the room slightly with agitation and his hands were on his hips, his blue eyes turned towards Andraste and his hand kind of went in his blonde hair in frustration,"I have my reasons for being particularly worried about my daughter. "

Andraste rested his hands on the nearest chair,"One minute you don't care about anything, the next you're "concerned"... What is this about?" His eyebrows lifted just slightly in an attempt to make due with the fact that he was clearly hiding something when he didn't need to be. Van's expression was annoyed, his eyes were narrowed and his lips were thin from a lack of a smile or a frown, but holding back frustration and anger. This is when Van stopped pacing the room to look at his "comrade"'s pale face to come up with some sort of answer. "Not that it's any of your business, but youngest daughter has her mother's heritage, ever so much more than Serlinda. So much more that her appearance is a problem amongst Harmonian's, some believing my wife isn't Harmonian-" Van was clipped by Andraste,"She isn't Harmonian. A good farce, however."

Van snorted through his nose, disliking the interruption," Well, because of my foolish decision, some believe she's diseased or they might catch whatever she has, even though none of us have it. It is hurting the social standing that I worked so hard to achieve through sacrificing myself for Harmonia. My daughter has tainted it and if I am ever to get retribution for this, she needs to be useful or something that can be seen as less a threat and more an accomplishment like my other children. My other kin are in the army, but she can't be -My real plan was to go to the wife's homeland, steal the rune that's there and show the Coucil that she's just as useful if not more so to Harmonia." Van looked through his blonde hair that had gotten tossed since he looked a little flustered, near sweating thanks to his situation.

"Hmph...You're such a sad excuse for a human being, but very well... I will search for her." Andraste said with a cynical tone in his voice as Van handed him over a photo of what appeared to be a girl with pale skin, white hair and eyes as pink as carnations. The photo said an awful lot about his youngest daughter, she was feminine and small, not much muscle but likely had her mother's prowess of magic. Andraste slipped the photo in his pocket, looking back towards Van who spoke,"The photo will help, but she's small and her demeanor is very demure, feminine, weak and doesn't really speak. I'm not sure if she's still alive to be honest, only pieces of her clothing were found with blood on them." Van handed him over a bag with the pieces in them, Andraste tucked the bag away and nodded while he continued on,"All I know is that she fell from the first story, stole one of the horses that returned and the trail runs cold after you hit the river."

"You only found her clothes?" Andraste tilted his head just slightly to the left. "Yes, only parts of her clothing."Van shrugged. "I...see." Andraste nodded, taking in the information.

"Well? Will you bring her back?" Being short of temper, he was not so forgiving to those who wanted things from him,"I suppose, but what do I get in return? If I can't keep up my strength, you might as well forget your daughter." Van knew that he already meant that he needed blood as payment, so he had began to roll the sleeve of his left arm up so he could expose his forearm for Andraste. Andraste's face soured,"I never said, I meant your blood, Van. It might make me grumpy, coming from an old man." Andraste sounded as if he would almost laugh, but didn't, he managed a straight face still.

"I want your daughter's blood, as much as I want. You're asking me to find her." Andraste said, bluntly. Van showed concern, this was a vampire not someone else, he could turn her or manipulate her. That didn't do well with him and he lifted his finger to the towering vampire," -You promise not to turn my daughter into a vampire, right?" Van held his breath. Andraste snorted,"No, I will not turn her."

Taking a step back, Van took a release of breath,"When will you start?"

"Being as you have no patience, I will start now." Andraste leaned off of the chair, moving towards the door.

"Thanks, Andraste, I appreciate it. You might be able to follow her scent from outside." Van went to reach to shake Andraste's hand but Andraste didn't move his hand out,"Don't thank me, it damages your "good" character." Andraste waved his hand and he jerked the door knob and left the house as quick as possible, closing the door behind him and going outside. Once he was outside he turned around and walked to the place where she fell and bent down, his fingertips touching the ground, sniffing the air in hopes of getting a scent. The scent was very mild, barely noticeable, he moved down the path she took, across the field and into the forest where he saw that there had been a fight which looked like she'd been defending herself on the ground or something like it. The blood trail was dried but he followed it to the river, where he noticed it went cold, so he followed the the river figuring he'd get the scent of Kit-Kit at some point.

The scent got stronger to the south, but was mostly faint until he arrived in Kaku. Once there, the scent was so strong he followed it to the house that she'd been at and where her blood was strongest and her sent. Andraste stopped only when he could rest briefly before continuing in Kooluk and following them to El-Eal. The vampire found the camp they made from the woods, he leaned against the tree and watched the group sleep, but he watched her sleep from afar. Once the rest of the group had fallen asleep, he slinked into the camp silently and bent to one knee at her body.

His cold hand with long fingers reached out to touch her face, just graze it and take a deep breath of her skin and blood. Just before he was going to silently wake her, the sound of someone stirring had him back up and hide within the nearby forest. There he would continue to follow them until she had a moment alone.