King Vatore went right to his son's quarters, he would rather Alessio heard the news from him. He knew that if he didn't move swiftly, nobles seeking to muddy the waters would immediately rush to the second Prince.
Alessio was on the balcony, the wind blew through his long hair but it didn't break his concentration. He sat on a tall stool, an easel propped in front of him, the start of a serene garden taking shape on the white sheet.
"I didn't know you took up painting," Vatore commented as he strode onto the balcony.
The Vampire King was towering, a force of nature. His darkly handsome features held a touch of cruelty, and his steel gray eyes held approval as he studied his son's creation.
Alessio shot to his feet and threw himself in front of the easel, looking betrayed. "Don't look, Father, I only picked up the brush a few days ago."
Vatore looked amused but he didn't insist on studying the painting any further even though he wouldn't have to expend any effort if he wanted to. "I think it looks lovely," He said honestly, leaning against the lattice.
"Don't look," Alessio insisted, getting more frantic. He didn't pull away from the painting until he turned it away from his Father, looking at him with a sheepish smile. "Did you need something from me?"
Alessio didn't just pick up the brush but he didn't want anyone to be privy to his paintings, even Luka didn't know about them, much more the fact that he could paint. Alessio didn't really paint, he only made paintings of Eleanor but no matter how many he made, he couldn't seem to capture her aura.
King Vatore sobered up, straightening up. "I have some sad news," He started carefully. "It's about your betrothed, Princess Eleanor."
He had Alessio's full attention now, the Prince frowned, the expression marring his coldly handsome features. Questions bubbled up his throat but he pushed them down, waiting for his Father to get to the point of the matter in his own time. His heart thumped in his chest however, going through several scenarios of what could have happened and if it would delay the wedding.
Vatore didn't know how Alessio regarded the human Princess and in the face of the current circumstances, he wished he had taken the time to find out even a little. "King Rolfe just sent a letter, Princess Eleanor is dead, and her older brother Prince Silvan will be taking her place."
Alessio didn't hear the rest of his father's words, it felt like there were hundreds of bees in his head, buzzing so loudly they drowned his thoughts.
Eleanor was dead? That couldn't be…
Eleanor should have been at the castle in less than a fortnight, then he would see her in person and draw better portraits of her. How could she be dead? How could…
"I understand that this is incredibly abrupt, but King Rolfe sounded really anguished at the thought of breaking his promise, so he insisted on offering another child." Vatore spoke softly, none of the cold underlying steel when he spoke to his court. "Naturally a wedding would have to be held because the old bastards at court would not allow the human Prince to join the court otherwise."
Alessio was frozen to the ground, his lips felt sewn shut. "I understand, Father." He said stiffly.
Vatore frowned as he watched the lights in his son's eyes dim, feeling dread at the realization that he had missed something vital. He was not great with heartfelt conversations, especially with his youngest son. If his wife, Nadia were here, she would have broken the news in a more palatable way.
Alessio turned his back to him then, and that was Vatore's cue to leave, dematerializing out of the room. Nadia wouldn't return to the castle until a few days before the wedding, he wondered if he should send word to his Queen to return earlier.
While he contemplated that, he went off to find someone else. Nadia was miles away, but there was someone right in the Capital who could better speak to Alessio and maybe comfort him.
-+-
Alessio knew the moment his Father left but he remained unmoving, his heart felt like there was a jagged dagger in it. It prompted him to place a hand over his unbuttoned dress shirt and absently pat his chest. He would never get to see Eleanor, he would never get to confirm for himself that she was just like her paintings.
He turned the easel around now that he was all alone, Eleanor should have been the centerpiece of the garden but now it would remain incomplete. He wanted to rip the painting to shreds but he couldn't bring himself to do it, so he kept it in a hidden chest with the many others.
Alessio had spent all this time pining and waiting, he had been young when the alliance treaty was signed and after he was betrothed to Princess Eleanor, he remained celibate out of respect for her but was it really just respect?
He had gone over many times how his first meeting with Eleanor would go, how her voice would sound. He had wanted to see her smile in person, hold her hand, taste her blood…
He staggered slightly in the cavernous space of his room, feeling the pain in his heart bloom. It made him dizzy, the room spinning.
Eleanor was dead.
Alessio had never cared before how fragile humans were, after all, it was as natural as sunrise and sunset, and the rain but now it tore at him, because there wasn't a thing he would have been able to do to save her.
A knock on his door wrenched him out of his spiral, Alessio knew who it was, and he really didn't want to see Luka at the moment. He knew that the noble Vampire was here to gloat that he had been right all this time.
"I'm fine, Luka," He raised his voice, "I want to be alone."