Continuation of Paris's POV:
"I've found a ship that can take us the same time as the other one tomorrow morning," Richard said. He crossed his legs as he sat in the chair at the table in his room again, looking towards me as I munched on some sweets and food, he had bought me. "It has a vampire captain, just like you wanted. We'll be able to get across with Titania and Mihai and not have to sell them. It'll make it easier to travel to Laurence with our horses still with us. He's got a few humans he's taking with him too, but he says that it's not that many." He shook his head then. "He says he makes trips across to England once a month for trading purposes, but we'll be able to be comfortable while riding over." He picked up an apple and started to eat it, looking down at the table. "We should get some sleep after we eat. This might be the last time we have in a while to enjoy the comfort of a warm bed without the rocking of a ship...." He glanced up at me then and purred before he ate another bite of the apple. "Did your clothes get all the sand out from yesterday's adventure?" He gave me a playful look and leaned across the table for a kiss.
"I cleaned them up while you were out," I told him and blushed. I gave him a kiss and smiled. "Want me to do yours?" I asked curiously. He thought about it before he shook his head.
"No, I've got it. I can clean them out before we go tomorrow." He stole another kiss before he sat back in his seat. He frowned a little then before he took another bite of his apple. "Paris... do you think Laurence is going to have our view of the laws since how he is offering his help... or do you think we should be wary of him? We have come a long way to find him... but what if we get over there... and it turns out Laurence had other plans for us?"
"If Laurence can see the future..." I trailed off. "Then whatever he's doing- he sent the letter to us for a reason. I'm sure we should at least check it out.... We'll never know unless we do." I reached out for his hand and gave him a calm smile. He looked at my hand then held it before he gave a nod.
"Yes... you're right. We don't have a better plan than that, do we? I want to make our life perfect for you.... We'll see what he has to say... and if it turns out he tricked us, we can make a break for it. We won't be separated," he promised me then brought my hand to his lips and gave it a soft kiss. "I'll always protect you." I gave him a sweet smile.
"We'll see when we reach him if he's a friend or a foe," I whispered. I looked towards the bed before I walked over to it- pulling him with me. "Let's get an early night's rest. I bet the ship leaves tomorrow- early." He nodded then climbed into bed with me before he stripped down to his underwear and stretched out, purring happily before he pulled me down on top of him and wrapped his arms around me, kissing the top of my head.
"We'll have to figure out where Laurence's castle is in England when we get there," he mumbled in my ear then yawned before he closed his eyes. "Sweet dreams, Paris."
~Time Skip~
"Alright, let's get you on the ship here!" Captain Heinrich said and grinned at us as we walked up to the ship, Richard leading the horses. "Let's see.... We're going to put your horses below deck. I got them some fresh hay waiting on them and some water. They'll be well taken care of." He smirked at us then walked up, shaking Richard's hand before he yanked him close. "The seas are dangerous and treacherous. Don't blame me if anything happens," he said then winked before he pulled away and looked at us before he reached out and took the horses from Richard, leading them up a plank onto the ship then handed them off to a shipmate who took them down below deck. He looked at us then. "Come on! On board before I leave you behind!" He leaned over the edge and looked down at us with a smirk. Richard watched him and frowned before he led me onto the ship then looked around, inspecting everything.
"So, where will we be staying while the ship sails?" Richard asked then looked up at Heinrich.
"Oh, don't worry. You'll have a cozy stay," Heinrich purred then smirked devilishly. "Get em boys." I suddenly felt hands snatch me away from Richard, a dirty rag being crammed into my mouth as they yanked me back by it, holding either end as they tied it behind my head. I felt ropes start to bind my hands together behind my back as Richard struggled, letting out muffled cries as more shipmates got to him and pinned him down to the deck to force him into submission. One of them put their knee on his back as they firmly tied up his hands then yanked on his hair, laughing.
"Not so princely now, are you Richardo Dracula?" One of them sneered at him. Richard's eyes widened, and he tried to shout something, bucking a little to get free. Heinrich smirked.
"You really didn't think that fake names would keep me from realizing who you are? You two have a heavy price on your heads~! I could get so much more of this gold by just simply... turning you in. Thanks for the early payment, Richardo! Your parents would be delighted to see you," he purred and looked down at Richard before he leaned down and yanked on his ear to force him to look at him as Richard glared him down in hatred. "No... I'm not turning you into your parents sadly. I have half a mind to sell you as slaves just like I plan with these other humans below deck.... Your blood would be great to market- being a prince and all.... However, I'm going to turn you into our king. He'll deal with you, and I'll get paid big for turning in traitors to the laws... and for turning in runaways and refugees."
He shoved Richard's head back then snapped his fingers. "Take the two to the carriage waiting nearby. I'm going to be down in a minute. We'll sell the horses later for money." He started to walk away then and smirked before he disappeared into a room on the ship. Richard struggled as they lifted him off the deck, and he kicked at them quickly, growling viciously as they started to yank me down the plank again as the others struggled with subduing Richard to get him off the ship. I groaned and let them take me towards the carriages. I'll probably be able to escape better in the carriage- I just hope Richard can figure that out. It's not like they'll be able to babysit us inside the carriage. Besides- if we're going to the royal family of Germany- I might convince someone there to help us cross to England. They narrowed their eyes at Richard after a few minutes then hit him in the back of the head hard, watching as his body went limp and his head hung over. He stopped altogether as they dragged him off the boat and down the dock to a black carriage then shoved his unconscious body inside and looked towards the ones dragging me along. They quickly placed me inside with Richard, and one of them climbed in and pulled out a knife, holding it up to Richard's throat calmly as they watched me.
"Make a move, and we'll drain him of his blood, understand?" The man said then smirked. "We won't hesitate to hurt a royal. We don't give a damn about you." I sent him a small glare before nodding slowly. I don't want Richard hurt- he's my mate. I'll have to settle this with the people at the castle. Royal to royal. Maybe they'll understand that we're not going back to our parents. I looked towards the carriage door, eyeing it down. It's not like I'll be able to carry Richard and escape easily anyways if I did try to escape. I'd have to steal the carriage and manage not to get caught again. Plus, I can't drive the carriage with tied hands. That would be close to impossible. They have my hands so tight together I'd fail almost instantly in attempting to escape. The man watched me then grinned at me. "Heh, it's almost funny to see someone like you tied up," he purred. "I bet your spoiled little brain is going nuts trying to figure out how to get free. You're lucky if King Dante doesn't have you executed for breaking vampire laws- that's right, I can smell that you've been marked by this prince," he told me then sent me a glare. "It's disgusting." I glared him down in disgust. He's like my parents. He doesn't believe we should have rights or a say in who we decide to love. I sharpened my fangs, sinking them into the cloth and growled. How dare this pathetic peasant talk down to me! I'm going to make sure I get a chance to smack him straight across the face when I get my hands free. He started to laugh at me then. "So, you like men, huh? Enough to show me your fangs?" He smirked then and exposed his fangs at me before he gave a growl. I rolled my eyes towards him and turned my eyes away from him in ignorance. He's not worth my time.
Captain Heinrich walked up to the carriage then and snapped his fingers. "Scoot over," he hissed then shoved the man to the side as he got in. One of the shipmates shut the door for him, and I felt the carriage start to move. He looked the three of us over then eyed down the knife then looked at Richard. "You know, he's worth more uninjured, you rat," he hissed then snatched the knife before he pocketed it. "Do you know how much money were going to get off these two?!" He glared the man down before he looked at me. "I bet you're a better talking companion, aren't you?" He leaned over and took the gag out of my mouth. "Don't try anything funny, got it?" I adjusted my jaw and licked my lips. I felt the itching sensation crawling in my shoulders once again.
"Do me a favor," I told him. "Scratch my shoulders for me- they itch." I started to rub my back against the seat in irritation. He wrinkled his nose up at me.
"No," he hissed then looked me over. "That's your problem." He looked outside the carriage then and started to bounce his foot lightly before Richard groaned next to me in the seat. His eyes slowly opened, and he looked around in a daze before he closed his eyes again, pained. Heinrich looked at him in interest then nudged him with his foot. "Wakey wakey Richardo," he purred, watching as Richard pulled away from him to get away. He laughed then and smirked. "Boys, I hope you fetch me a lot of money when the king sees you."
After an hour ride, we arrived at a castle hidden by trees from sight. It pulled up to a stop in front of the steps, and the man got out first, pulling me out then gagged me again, tying it behind my head before I could protest. Heinrich got out and pulled Richard with him, dragging him as Richard kicked lightly but wasn't fighting as hard as before. "Stop it, or else I'm going to tell him that an execution would be best for the two of you," Heinrich hissed lightly in his ear. Richard hesitated but stopped fighting, looking towards me then up at the castle before Heinrich tsked and started to lead us inside. A servant looked over then widened his eyes before he walked up.
"Good sir, what brings you here?" He asked, eyeing us over.
"I'm here to turn in some rats that deserve a lot worse than Hell," Heinrich purred. The servant nodded and frowned at us before he started to walk to a side door.
"Right this way. We'll inform our master that you're here," he said then got the doors to a waiting room. Heinrich pulled us inside then sat us down on a couch before he removed our gags and sat down in an armchair, crossing his legs as the man stood by the door to guard it from us. I looked towards Richard and gave him a worried look.
"How's your head?" I asked curiously. We probably should have known better than to mark each other until we arrived at Laurence's castle. Now we're going to have to persuade the king into giving us safe passage to England. He looked towards me then leaned his head against my shoulder.
"It's... fine. It throbs a little, but it's healing," he told me softly then looked up at me. "Are you okay? They didn't hurt you, did they?" He looked me over worriedly then.
"No. I wasn't stupid enough to try to fight them. We'll figure something out here and get the king to help us. We could offer him something- possibly persuade him into joining our side. Who doesn't want power over choosing who they wish to love?" I asked. I kept my voice low, so it was just between us.
"PARIS!" I heard a girl squeal out as the doors flung open. "I knew I smelled you here!" A pretty girl around my age walked straight into the room like she owned the place. I recognized her blonde hair instantly along with her fire red eyes. It was Val! I met her at the ball. She looked over the situation then her eyes showed confusion. "Why're you tied up- Richardo!?" I caught her breathe in our scents before she giggled. "So, it's true!" She sat down on the couch by me and rubbed my cheek. "Paris, you're both in a lot of trouble. Your parents are looking for you and sent out letters to each kingdom with instructions to find you- both of you and bring you home. The letters informed the kingdoms that you're both traitors." She eyed Richardo down then. She wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged my head- making sure to hug tightly. "Paris~" She let me go so I could breath. "Don't worry. You're safe here. I'm not going to let Dante hand you over. You'll have a clear hearing before anything else is done. No matter what you two have done... I'm sure it's not that bad." Richard looked towards her then at me before he blushed a little. The guy from the ball who called me a French poodle walked in then and paused when he saw us then growled.
"Val, get away from them. They're dangerous," he hissed then walked up, taking Val away from me then looked me over. "Great, it's that French Poodle again- What are you, a gay French Poodle?" He smirked at me then. "Do you do tricks like roll over and beg?" Richard narrowed his eyes then.
"Shut up, Dante," he hissed at him. He looked at Richard then and started to laugh.
"Oh, this is glorious~! Look at you, the high and mighty Richardo, caught. I was wondering who was going to be the one to turn you two traitors in. What the Hell were you thinking, Richardo? You could've had any lady you wanted as your fiancé, but you chose to run away with a male? This has gotten you both into loads of trouble. There are some kings and queens who want your head, Richardo- Oh yes, they do. Especially now that it's starting to come out that you're dangerous, and you've been biting other vampires for years. Your parents have finally started to tell on you- do you know what a disgrace you are to them? They have to apologize to everyone for everything you've ever done. They've been apologizing for even creating you, Richardo-"
"Didn't I say shut up, Dante?" Richard said then shook his head. "You'd think it'd get through your head that no one wants to hear you talking. You're just a king who was handed his throne earlier than most, so shut up and learn a new trick." Dante narrowed his eyes then smacked my mate hard across the face.
"Oh, I hope they kill you. Your brother is so much better than you. You're scum, Richardo, and you'll die like scum," he hissed.
"DANTE!" Val hissed out and smacked him straight across the face as well. "Control yourself!" She yelled. She waited a second before pushing him straight down on top of a coffee table. "Stay down that low," she hissed. "You might be a king but you're not acting like one. You're going to give them both a fair hearing because whatever reasons you have to not like them... has got to hold off." She reached into my jacket then and pulled out my journal and sat it down in his lap before slipping out the small letter from Laurence. "Do you know what this says inside?" She asked him. How in the hell did she know where to find my diary and the letter? Is it some sort of power she has about finding things? "Laurence wrote them a letter where it's been kept inside Paris's diary." It's not a diary! "Laurence is on their side and the way I see it... if Laurence is taking sides with two- traitors then maybe we need to hear the traitors out before handing them over, so they'll receive a terrible fate." She undone the letter and let Dante glimpse over the text. "Let's give them a hearing. Laurence is not only my fiancé (which is who I need to respect) but a very powerful vampire. He can see the future. He's always put things aligned to suit a bright future for everyone. I know it. I know him. He knows them. So let's know them." She looked towards us and sat down beside Dante. "Please," she told us and motioned for us to speak. Dante eyed us over then looked at the letter with a frown. Richard studied them before he looked at me in uncertainty then looked them over again.
"We're... trying to get to Laurence," Richard said then glanced at the letter before he looked at Val. "Our parents tried to separate us when they found out we were mates, but we refuse to be separated. Even if we're both male, we still love each other, and we want to be together.... If Laurence can help us, then we need to get to him, and we've been trying to get to England for weeks. We've ridden from my castle all the way here to take a boat when Heinrich betrayed us and captured us for money- He was supposed to take us across the waters. We've come too far to give up either, so even if you do turn us in, I'll fight you with everything I've got," he growled the last part lightly, eyeing Dante. Dante started to laugh then.
"You'll fight me with everything you've got?" He looked Richard over then. "Richardo, you're tied up right now. I doubt you're much of a threat." He looked the letter over again before he looked at Val. "Laurence really wants them in England?" He asked and frowned. "Has he talked to you about this? You are his fiancé after all.... Maybe he sent you a letter asking for you to watch out for these two and explained more than this?" He gestured to our letter then before he looked the journal over and opened it, flipping through it with a curious look. "French Poodle, you record everything in here, yes?" I blushed as I watched him running through my journal.
"Ye-yeah... please don't read my journal entry from the past two days," I whispered and looked away. Oh man, I wrote about mating with Richard in there. "At least.... n- not aloud or near Richard."
"Laurence sent me a letter," Val confirmed. "He told me if I come across Paris and Richard in the next couple of days that he wanted me to hear them out and decide on my own what I'll do from there. I think he was obviously referring to this." She gave Dante a small smile. "They done it for love, Dante. I think we should have the right to choose our own paths. Don't you?" She asked. "You haven't even been forced to marry your fiancé yet- but your wedding is soon. Don't you think you should choose if you want to marry her?" He shut my journal then and looked at Val with a horrified look.
"I don't want to marry her! She's horrible," he said quickly then paused before he looked at the two of us. He studied us then before he sighed. "I guess... it's not that weird... for two men to be together if they love each other." He looked towards Val then. "You want me to send them to Laurence, don't you?" Richard watched them curiously before he leaned against me and purred softly before he gave me a playful smile.
"So, what's in the journal?" He teased me softly.
"Nothing," I mumbled and looked away from him and blushed. Oh, I really hope he never reads that... What was I thinking!
"Let's send them to Laurence- Let's go with them! I'm curious to know what's going to happen to them there." She looked towards me. "I'm on your side, Paris." She gave me a sweet smile. Dante looked the two of us over before he got to his feet then sighed.
"We'll go," he said then leaned over and untied Richard first then turned to me before he looked me over and faintly smirked as he untied me. He put my journal in my lap and laughed. "Your writing is very interesting, especially those last few entries," he teased me before he looked at Val. "Come on. Let's go tell Victor we're going. He's still sleeping I think." Richard moved close to me then and watched as Heinrich got up, looking upset.
"You've got to be kidding me-" He started but one look from Dante shut him up.
"Oh yes... the rats. I can't just let the two of you go... not if we're going to be helping them," he hummed out before he snapped his fingers. A few butlers grabbed the two vampires then. "Take them downstairs to the dungeon. I'll deal with it when I get home," he purred out and smirked as Heinrich started to fight and was yanked out of the room with the other man. "There we go...." He looked at us then. "Go get cleaned up. My servants will provide you two with clean clothes to get dressed in. If you get hungry, you may drink from one servant each," he said then looked at Val, taking her hand before he left us. Richard looked at me and quickly pulled me into his arms before he kissed my cheek, letting out a sigh of relief.
"That was close," he mumbled and then looked me in the eyes before he ran his fingers through my hair. "We're going to make it to Laurence," he purred then leaned his face into the crook of my neck with a happy smile. "Did you really write about the beach or something in your journal?" He asked sweetly.
"I- I did," I told him and laughed. "I told him not to read it. Besides~ I told you I write my whole life down in my journals. That way if I ever need to look back... I have them. I'm glad Val was here and helped us. She's a very kind and understanding woman. We'll owe her... You know, that right? Anyone that helps us... we'll be in their dept." He gave a slight nod before he looked at the door then at me before he kissed my neck softly.
"Yeah, I know," he whispered. "I wish he hadn't read your journal though.... That was something private between us." He gently caressed my leg then before he kissed my cheek. "We should take them up on the offer of bath and clean clothes. We'll be at sea soon."
"I know... I really want some new clothes," I admitted and laughed softly. He laughed with me before he got to his feet then swept me up into his arms bridal style.
"We should take a bath together," he purred in my ear. "What do you think, or would you prefer your own private bath?"
"A bath together? If you really want to but I rather have a private bath," I told him softly. I like room in a tub. Lots of room. He nodded before he kissed my cheek then set me down before he gave me a small smirk.
"Alright, well you can enjoy it then," he purred sweetly then leaned in and kissed my neck before he pulled away and went over to a butler standing by. "We'd like baths," he hummed out. The butler nodded before he started to walk through the door.
"Right this way, sirs. We'll bring you fresh towels and clothes. Would you like for maids to wash you or for you to wash yourselves?" He asked us and held the door for us.
"I want a maid to wash me," I said quickly and purred. I like being pampered. I made sure to keep up with the butler. "I want to smell like roses."
"Would you like rose petals in the bath?" He asked me and glanced me over before he led us up a flight of stairs and into a bathroom with a built-in tub and a mirror. He looked around before he got a towel out for me and set it down on a tabletop then went over to the wall where there was a pump for water. He adjusted something with a knob on it then looked at me. "The water will be a little warmer than lukewarm. I hope that's alright. A maid will be up here shortly to see to your cleaning." He walked to the door then and looked at my mate expectantly and watched as Richard followed him. "We'll put you close by," he said then took him out of the room.
After a few minutes, a maid walked in and looked up at me with a bright smile. "Hello," she said sweetly then walked over and started to pump water into the tub. She put soap in it, getting it bubbly before she put some rose petals in the bath then walked over to me, humming under her breath before she started to unbutton my shirt for me. "They said you wanted to smell like roses, yes?"
"Yes! Roses reminds me of my homeland. My mother keeps roses in the garden," I explained to her. I let her undress me, bathe me, trim my nails, hair, and eyebrows. She dressed me in the fresh clothes she brought up for me as well. I smirked, feeling relieved to be spoiled again. I dismissed her as I placed my journal into my new set of clothes with the pen. I walked out of my room to look for Richard, knowing he'd be done by now. He was talking with Dante a little way down the hall, frowning slightly as he spoke in hushed tones.
"Ugh, fine Richardo... fine. I'll see what I can do about it," Dante muttered. "I'll see what the others say about it, but I'm not pressing the matter for you. You could get my fangs ripped out asking me to do that. I'm not parting with my fangs, Richardo- especially in front of everyone." Richard smirked then before he laughed.
"That'd be interesting to see. Just don't tell my parents or Paris's parents that you've seen us, got it?" Dante frowned a little.
"You don't order me aro-"
"You'll do it because if you do, that means you marry that fiancé of yours you don't want to marry," Richard said plainly then looked around before he spotted me then purred happily at the sight of me. I walked straight up to them and grabbed Richard's hand. I eyed Dante over curiously.
"What're you two talking about?" I asked curiously.
"I've asked him to start speaking to other princes and princesses our age," Richard told me. "I figured it would be smart to have more friends as long as Dante doesn't ruin it." Dante rolled his eyes then.
"I swear Richardo, if the elders find out and they catch me, I'm going to get you," he told him then shook his head. "My private boat leaves in a few hours. I have servants packing you both extra clothing to take with you. Val, Victor, and I will be accompanying you to England to make sure you make it to Laurence's castle safely... and to see what the Hell Laurence wants with you."
"Can't either of you teleport?" I asked curiously. "I mean... we're all reaching the age where we should at least have one power growing on us by now..." I trailed off. My parents told me that by our late twenties... if we haven't gained one power by then... we probably won't have one for the rest of our lives."
"What are you boys talking about?" I heard Val's sweet voice from down the hall. "I hope you're not arguing."
"No, we're not arguing," Dante called to her. "Val, can you teleport?" Richard shook his head at me.
"No, I can't teleport at all.... We wouldn't have been riding through Europe like this if I could teleport already," he whispered then blushed.
"I wasn't asking you," I whispered to Richard. I knew he didn't all along because he would have done teleported us. "I was talking about him, Val, and Victor."
"Teleporting?" Val asked and looked me over. "Well, I know a few things that can get us there quicker... but it's not exactly teleporting." I heard a laugh behind me then.
"We don't need teleporting! We have a party boat with lots of vodka~" I heard the voice purr behind me. "Dante, don't tell them you can teleport. I want a boat ride-"
"So, Dante teleports?" Richard said and looked at Dante, his eyebrow twitching slightly. "You could've just taken us to Laurence all this time...."
"Well..." I trailed off. "If we take a boat to Laurence's castle then we'll be able to go on foot to his castle and make sure he's not setting us up or there is one there," I suggested. "Plus a boat full of vodka is pretty cool sounding. My mom never let me have that stuff! Plus it gives us a chance to bond and make allies." I looked towards Dante specifically. "The boat sounds nice." He grinned then.
"Great! It's settled. We'll travel by boat. I'll give you two the same room," he purred then winked at us. "Lots of vodka and two gay lovers on a ship at sea.... I wonder how that's going to go." Richard pulled me closer then and leaned his chin on top of my head, holding me around my waist as he looked at Dante.
"Thanks, but that's none of your business what goes on in our bed," he said calmly. "Paris is mine."
"This is going to be fun~ A bunch of teenagers drinking on a ship together," Val purred out sweetly. The man behind me started to laugh then before he went past us and hugged Dante then looked at us.
"Want some~?" He pulled a bottle out of his jacket then and popped it open, taking a swig of it. "This is high quality vodka~!" I looked over the bottle before taking it and took a sip from it. I coughed hard after the swig and fell backwards into Richard in confusion.
"Th-that was really disgustingly bleh," I told him as my head started to feel light like a feather. I took another swig and bit down into Richard this time to have something to wash it down with. He yelped slightly at the suddency then started to laugh.
"Paris~" I felt him grip my waist then as he pulled me closer and kissed the side of my head. I pulled back quickly in realization we haven't told them.
"You guys," I said quickly. "Just to let you know... vampire blood tastes better than human blood. Our parents lied to us all these years." Dante frowned at that.
"Really?" He asked then sniffed the air before he walked over and smelled Richard's blood. "Damn, it smells good...." He hesitated before he looked the blood over then leaned in and licked Richard's neck to try it. Richard tensed quickly at the other vampire being so close to him before Victor came over and bit down into Richard's wrist to try him. Val walked up to me and grabbed my wrist, biting into it to see for herself. I guess she decided Richard didn't need four vampires drinking his blood in a row. She pulled back and licked her lips.
"It's true," she gasped out. "Richard too?" She asked them. Dante let out a moan in response before he pinned Richard against a wall and licked his neck.
"Oh, he's amazing tasting," Victor purred out and pulled back from Richard's wrist with a smirk. "He's the best thing I've ever tasted."
"Please don't drink all of him," I begged them. "He's my mate... and I don't want him to get too tired and weak."
"I wonder why they kept this a secret," Val mumbled as she licked her lips. "We don't have to feed from humans.. just off each other- or lower vampires." She giggled. Richard frowned as Dante licked his neck again, and he squirmed to get free.
"Well, they probably kept it a secret because they didn't want to become like Richardo- pinned against a wall and drained. It probably will do us good to still drink from humans every now and then for a variety of blood," Victor purred out then started to edge Dante off Richard to get him free. "Dante, you're going to make him weak." I frowned.
"What other secrets have they kept?" I asked in wonder. I pulled Richard to me to get him away from Dante. Dante narrowed his eyes and tried to go for Richard, but Victor kept a tight grip on him.
"Oh, they probably have kept a lot of secrets from us," Victor purred out. "I heard a legend once that royals used to be able to shift genders, but as soon as I was told about it, my parents quickly shut it down and told me that it was a fake and that the one who told me was telling me lies. Maybe that's true too?"
"How would we know?" I asked curiously. "If that's true- then I can have kids with Richard," I said hopefully and looked towards him. "That's why we must be soul mates! That legend has to be true." I kissed his cheek quickly. He blushed and looked at me.
"K-kids?" He said then bit his bottom lip.
"Well... I could find out more about it~" Victor suggested and smirked. "I could figure out how the shift works and tell the two of you.... I heard it had something to do with a stone... in our chests." He patted his chest then and purred. "Something about taking it out."
"What?" I asked curiously before looking towards him. "In our chest?" I widened my eyes... I know vampires are fast healers compared to humans. "If it's true...." I looked down at my chest and opened up my shirt. I placed my fingernails against my chest and took a deep breath. "I'll have a stone inside me." I gave them all a slight worried look- I might die from this, but I want to know facts. I dug my nails in and let out a small groan as I broke through my skin and kept pressing down into my chest. "I'll find one," I promised. I pushed my hand through to almost my wrist and felt around before feeling a small pulse touch my fingers. I blinked a few times. "I think- my heart-" I gasped out and fell against Richard as things got a little dark for me as I grabbed a slick pulsating... stone! I could feel roots spreading out through my body from it and pulses hit from them. I let it go quickly and yanked my hand out. I gasped and face planted the floor. "It's there!" I gasped out and laughed. "It was so amazing... slick like a stone...." I flicked off some blood from my hand. "But... it's rooted in me. I imagine the same for all vampires. Like a life source. Like how hearts are but- different." Richard was quickly down by my side, pulling me into his arms protectively and kissed my cheek.
"Paris... if it's a life source, maybe we shouldn't play with it," he told me then kissed my head.
"We can always ask Laurence about stones and changing sexes," Dante said calmly, watching the two of us. "He'd know for sure... and that way we wouldn't kill each other just to find something out to see how much we've been lied to. We can ask him everything and see what all the lies are and the actual truth to our questions." He looked the two of us over then. "It's safer than ripping things out of each other."
"Aw, buzz kill. I wanted to see for real," Victor said then huffed a little. "We should do it anyway-"
"We're not going to accidentally kill someone trying to find the truth," Dante said firmly, looking at Victor. Val looked a little curious herself like Victor. Suddenly a black shadow appeared and landed softly on my chest before a letter was left as it disappeared. I picked up the letter- a note addressed to us all.
"I think it's a letter," I told them and opened it, trying not to get my blood all over it as I ripped the seal off.
Dearest friends,
All will be revealed when you reach me. If you're too curious about the lies... have this book to read on your journey. It's something I made for you. Play safe. Laurence.
"What book?" I asked curiously. I suddenly heard a heavy thud next to me as a book came out of nowhere. A small journal. "Laurence sent us a journal of his knowledge over what we're curious about," I told them and looked at the journal. A few wine glasses appeared next to it and blood filled in them- mini shadow servants were working at it. Richard looked at it with wide eyes then slowly pulled me away from it, freaked out. Dante watched it with fascination before he picked the book up then started to flip through it. His eyes widened slightly.
"Victor... you're right. We can change genders. That stone you felt, Paris, contains our life force inside it. We can live on inside the stone and be transferred to a human vessel." He flipped the page quickly then laughed. "The human will lose consciousness, and we'll possess the body and take over, making the human a temporary vampire and just a body for us to use." He passed the book to Victor then who took it quickly then started to read it with wide eyes.
"Father lied to me!" He narrowed his eyes then and reached for a glass of blood, taking a sip of it. I grabbed a wine glass and swallowed the blood down eagerly. I really needed it after what I went through to find a stone. Val glanced into the journal curiously.
"It says that if we choose a human with the opposite gender as our stone/birth gender then we'll become the human's gender until we're back in our original forms.... and the only way is to take a vampire's blood and pour it over the stone. Purebloods are preferred." She said as she pointed into the journal at the text. "This is amazing. Paris, if you wanted, you could become a human and marry Richard and bare him children to continue his line of Dracula blood." I blushed a bright red and looked away. I could. Why didn't my parents just agree for us to do that? So we could be together the way we intend. Richard held me close then and kissed the top of my head.
"I don't want children right now," he said then purred sweetly. "I'm happy with you as a male... and we need to fight our parents right now so they will let us be together." He kissed my cheek then and gave me a sweet smile. "We do, however, need to tell everyone about what we know. We need to study that book Laurence gave us and tell the rest. It's the best chance we've got at getting everyone on our side- if we expose the lies our parents have been telling us for years." He eyed the book then. "We need to keep that book safe. We can't let the elders have it. They might burn it. That book contains everything we need to know... and we need to get to Laurence. We have to get to him." He stood up then with me in his arms and held me close. "With this in light, there is no way you three can turn us in," he said firmly. "We're not criminals or traitors- They are." I looked towards Richard and gasped. He- He's right... Our parents have been submerging rich information about our species for years! They don't want us to be diverse... they're wanting us to be just like the humans... but we're not. We're way different... capable of so much more.
"This is no longer just about us Richard," I told him. "This is about so much more now.... We all need to stand up to the elders.... They've lied to us and kept secrets.... They're traitors to their own children." I shook my head and squeezed my eyes shut. "Our own parents." I felt my chest ache, and my shoulders were begging to be scratched. "They want to kill us for standing up to them. Well, we know the knowledge they know now. Thanks to the journal... thanks to Laurence. I think this will be war. We have to have a war. We can't let them rule us anymore like this. We need a revolution for our generation and more to come. If they want to smash us out... then we'll smash them out." I looked towards Dante, Val, and Victor. "This is for us. Are you with me?" Dante blinked a bit before he laughed a little.
"War?" He asked. "Well, at least I'm a king with access to the German vampire army. My parents don't even have access to it anymore." Victor smirked then.
"Of course, I'd wage war," he purred out. "I've been wanting my throne for a while... and since how my parents lied to me...." He looked at the book then in awe. Richard kissed my neck softly and smiled against me.
"I'm with you wherever you go, my love," he whispered in my ear. "If it's a war you think we need... then we'll do what we have to." He wrapped his arms around my waist then.
"My older siblings..." Val trailed off. "If I kill my parents... my siblings are next in line and they're not as convincing as me." She rubbed her arms. "I'll have to kill them and take the throne." She let out a sigh but nodded. "I'm with you Paris. You're going to be a very strong leader with us and Richard by your side." Victor smirked then.
"I think we should take this little party to the boat, shouldn't we? Servants might overhear us," he purred out then watched as Dante nodded and grabbed us all. We suddenly appeared on a boat, and Victor started to laugh, pulling out another bottle of vodka. "So~ Shall we play a game? Let's get drunk!"
"Sorry boys, but I'm not getting drunk with you. Somebody has to sail the ship," Dante purred then pulled away, starting to do things on the ship to get it ready.
"Yeah~ You don't want us ending up someplace else- probably over the edge of the world," I laughed out towards them and pulled Richard close to me as the rocking started to make me a little sick. I rushed to the edge of the boat and puked up what I had from the glass of wine. Ewwwwe. I heard Richard laugh a little as he watched me.
"Seems like Paris doesn't like waves," he purred out. Victor laughed then before he took a sip of his vodka then gave Richard a playful look.
"Oh, it'll be fine~ He'll get his sea legs," he said then walked over to Richard, exposing his fangs at him. Richard laughed then and growled as he exposed his fangs back.
"You're not biting me again, Victor," he told him then took the vodka and took a swig of it. I clung to the side of the boat and groaned. I can't believe I'm agreeing to this. We should just teleport to be outside his castle. That way I don't die a puking man.
"Ha~ are you enjoying it, Richardo?" Victor purred, watching as my mate drank some of the vodka.
"Of course," he purred and then looked towards me, walking over before he rubbed my back. "Paris, do you need to go lay down?" I leaned into his body and let out a small sigh.
"No," I told him. He kissed the top of my head then before he held me closer by my shoulder and then took a sip of the vodka.
"I love you," he purred to me then gently started to edge me away from the rails. "Come on. Let's get you away from that in case you fall in or something." I nodded and clung to his shirt.
"Just throw some vodka in him. He'll be fine," Val suggested. Richard laughed a little then before he looked at me and offered me the vodka.
"You want some more sips?" He asked me then leaned in and kissed my neck with a purr as his free hand moved to the small of my back and led me closer to him. I looked towards the vodka before taking Val's advice and took another sip from it. I heard Victor laughing as he took a sip of another bottle he had before he passed it to Val with a smirk. Richard watched me then let me go before he walked over to Dante and started to help out with the ship somewhat. Victor walked over to me then smirked.
"So~ want to play a game? We'll see who gets drunk first~" He eyed me over then and purred.
"No... I already know I'll lose," I told him. "You know more about this stuff than I do- obviously." I shook my head. He laughed then before he reached for the bottle and took a sip before he passed it back to me.
"I think Dante gave you guys the second biggest room on the ship for you two to sleep in together," he purred then gave me a wink before he handed the bottle back to me. "With how Dante sails, we'll be in England before we know it... and then your playtime with Richardo might be over for a long while- especially if you're waging a war." He looked towards were Richard was trying out messing with the captain's wheel with Dante standing right behind him, inspecting a compass and pointing things out to my mate. "I hope you two manage to win your little war. It would be disappointing to see future generations shunned of knowledge by the elders... and I doubt you want to see Richardo ripped from you and possibly killed as a traitor to the council. He's not yet a king either, so he has no real power in the council... just hopefully connections with some of us who have already ascended their thrones." He glanced back at me then before he purred. "So, what are you going to do if you win? Are you going to restart the council with new laws?"
"Of course," I told him. "I'll restart it- reform it. Anyone that gets in my way will be executed for treason," I decided. "Our parents included for withholding information that's important. Everyone should know what they kept secret. I'll make a new council with new laws." I gave him a sweet smile before taking a swig of the vodka again. It's all we can do. Our parents won't ever understand, and they'll only get in the way. He looked me over.
"When it really comes to the day to do it... will you be able to kill your parents? They are your parents after all. Most would have a problem with that," he purred and gave a small smirk.
"They're wanting to kill me!" I said quickly. "If that's what they're intending to do with me." I gave him a sad look. "I thought parents were supposed to be there for you... but they weren't actually supporting me.... They were slaving me." He nodded as his smirk widened.
"Good, I don't want a leader who isn't willing to follow through with his words," he told me then stole the vodka back and took a sip before he handed it back to me. "I don't follow someone who says one thing but does another." I gave him a smile.
"Victor~" I took a swallow from the vodka before I started to chug it as it got smoother to drink. "We're going to rule." I looked up at Richard, watching him with love and admiration. "We'll make the world a better place." As cheesy as it sounded... I was being honest.
"Mhhmm, I'll hold you to that," he told me then laughed as he watched me chugging it. Richard caught me looking at him then gave me a smirk before he winked at me playfully then exposed his fangs. I exposed my fangs back to him playfully and laughed. He's testing it. I gave Victor the bottle and started for Richard with a playful smirk. He smirked back at me and then looked me over as I approached him and he let go of the wheel, making Dante react quickly and take it back as he started to prowl my way with a purr. I felt my heart race as I saw him coming for me. Uh oh... He really is coming this way! I widened my eyes and ran for it, clinging to Victor for protection. I know what he's like on the beach! I don't want it down below deck. Victor started to laugh as he saw Richard coming for me then looked at me. "What? You're afraid of your own mate?" Richard paused and looked us over before he frowned a little then went to return to Dante, glancing over his shoulder at me as he turned away. I frowned... I can't believe it. My own mate won't play cat and mouse with me? I'm not that afraid... It would have been fun to be chased by him. I let go of Victor.
"No, I'm not scared of nothing." I crossed my arms quickly. "I'm leading this revolution." Victor laughed then before I saw a small smirk forming on Richard's face from him overhearing me.
"What was that?" He called out then started back for me again. I felt a slight panic raise up in me as I managed to grab his attention with my ego.
"I said I was leading the revolution- therefore I'm not afraid of anything." I told him and stood my ground. He walked up then and purred before he leaned in and kissed me deeply, moving his arms around my waist. I heard Victor laughing at us before he started to walk off and leave us. I pulled back from the kiss as I thought about something. "If I am going to be a leader.... I really need to train in combats... I'll need you by my side Richard.... I'd like you to be my general as well." I gave his cheek a kiss. "For eternity." He nodded before he kissed my neck.
"Alright... I can manage that. I'm very good at chess actually," he purred in my ear. "We'll see about training to fight."
"I'm so grateful to be mated to you," I whispered in his ear. He's been nothing but good to me. He's opened my mind. He pulled back from my neck then looked me in the eyes with a loving purr and rubbed my cheek.
"You're such a sweet mate," he whispered then leaned in for a kiss. I gave his lips a small kiss before pulling back slowly from it and decided to explore the ship. I yanked him after me to see what was below deck. He laughed softly as he followed me through some doors and then down below deck, looking at the hallway that was down here with three doors on each side. He pulled away then started to poke around, opening some of the doors and looking inside.
"Looks like the first two on each side are bedrooms... and the back two are storage rooms," he mumbled and then went inside one of the bedrooms. "Our stuff is in this one!" I walked into the same room he entered and glanced around with interest. I crawled onto the little bed set up light for the both of us and curled up to the pillows. I let out a gasp of small pleasure. I'm so going to just stay here until we get to England. He purred before he shut the door and started towards me with a playful look, exposing his fangs. I looked towards him with one eye open before curling up tightly into a ball and hid my neck. He laid down beside me in the bed then wrapped his arms around me, kissing my shoulder softly then kissed the back of my neck before he turned me to face him and kissed my forehead. I glanced up at him slowly and blushed before I wrapped my arms around him and pushed him onto his back. I laid my head down on his chest and let out a soft sigh of satisfaction. He ran his fingers through my hair gently then smelled me before he held me tightly.
"Paris, this is what you want, right?" He asked me softly. "You're okay with the war? I know you suggested it, and... I'm okay with it- Hell, I'm for it... but I want to make sure you're not claiming war just because it's what everyone else wants."
"Our parents are choosing to hold back information from us... They're small minded, and if they don't want to see the obvious then... I'll have no choice." I shook my head a little. He nodded then kissed the top of my head.
"We'll train together," he promised me then tilted my head up, leaning in and kissing my lips. I kissed him back before placing my head back.
"We'll have to train together. We both will have to train to defeat armies and our parents.... I just don't know how we'll do it. Maybe we need to ask Laurence for advice. Maybe grow an army of our own?" I asked him.
"Yeah... we might have to. We have Dante on our side though... and he has an army we can borrow," Richard murmured to me then stretched out.
"One army won't be enough," I mumbled softly.
"If Laurence is really on our side, we have Laurence's army too," he whispered in my ear. "Victor, Val, and Dante will be recruiting for us too."
"That's true... We might have a winning chance. We also need to recruit others our age in the royal families to help us." He nodded to me and then kissed the top of my head before he tilted my head again then leaned in for my neck and kissed it with a purr. I purred back to him before hiding my neck quickly.
"Richard, go feed from a servant... I'm too tired to give you blood." He laughed then.
"You're too tired?" He purred playfully before he managed to slip his fingers up under my chin and ran his fingers along my neck. I giggled and moved away from his touch.
"What're you trying to do?" I asked him. He gave a playful growl before he moved me onto my back and crawled over me, going for my neck again with his fangs. I gasped and dodged him quickly. I curled up into a ball, hiding my neck from him. He looked at me and then leaned in and kissed my cheek before he started to trail kisses down to my jawline slowly, going over towards my ear. I exposed my neck for him slowly to let him get what he wanted. Maybe he won't drink my blood if I give in. He purred softly and leaned his face into my neck, kissing it gently before I felt him giving me a love bite. I gripped at his shirt and closed my eyes tightly. I crawled into this bed to sleep... not receive attention from my mate. He gave my neck another kiss before he leaned in and kissed my neck. He watched me before he slowly got off me and pulled me onto his chest and ran his fingers through my hair.
"Let's get some sleep before we find ourselves being forced on deck," he said sweetly. I let my eyes shut, feeling the sway of the ship. I let out a small sigh and let myself be rocked to sleep.