The Bastard Prince

To some, vampires were known to be creatures of the night, while to others they were abominations, the spawn of demons sent to earth for the sole purpose to terrorize the weak.

They live long, long, lives, reaching up to thousands of years old without losing their vitality nor youthfulness.

They could manipulate their aging process by the time they reach a couple of hundred years old.

Some would retain their childish feature, while others choose their mature form. Whichever works for them and to their taste.

Vampires were inherently gifted with magic from the moment they came into being, and these affinities would usually take about six years, six months, and six days to totally manifest.

Some of it were the ability to heal quickly, inhumane speed and agility. Royalty and nobles were notably stronger than most vampires, some even having unique affinities for the elements.

King Raxus was known to be an eccentric king – a crazy king at that, while the Queen Zephyrine was just nothing but a trophy wife despite her immense power for divination.

The king and queen had only one offspring – Prince Dominick.

From a young age of four, even before he manifested any unique abilities, the prince had been crowned as successor to the crown, and was favored by all.

Nobody knows what, or how it happened, but one day the king announced he had a second son. He brought to court a boy with hair as black as a raven and eyes that were cold and apologetic.

Prince Aleksander was a mystery to all.

The bastard prince held the king's interest for a little while, vanishing for days just to be with the young prince, and the people's curiosity on how he came to be grew.

The king never disclosed who the bastard prince's mother was, nor the fact if she was a pureblood vampire or just some other damsel the king took a liking to.

This brought quite a stir inside the castle, with the queen and the ten-year-old crown prince growing jealous of the bastard prince's sudden rise to fame.

But then, just as whimsical and quick the king had brought Aleksander into the spotlight, he quickly grew tired of him and King Raxus sent the boy away with just a snap of his fingers.

Aleksander held the king's interest for merely two and a half weeks – no more, no less.

Many believe that it was actually Queen Zephyrine who had coerced the king to get rid of the bastard prince. She might be a trophy wife, but the king always trusted all of her prophecies and divinations to a certain extent.

Rumor soon spread that the bastard prince was cursed to doom the kingdom in blood if he had stayed in the Ardorlean's castle. Many feared coming near him, if not disgusted at all.

There were those that believed the bastard prince had powers that could overthrow the monarchy, but in all the years he had been away from the castle, he never showed interest.

The king sent the bastard prince off to the farthest part of the vampire capital. In a rundown manor not even fit for dwelling, with only one male attendant and a blood servant.

Prince Aleksander grew up into adulthood with no riches to support any lavish balls like the rest of the nobilities. Not even a coachman nor a maid was provided.

His home was rarely cleaned, except for his own chamber. The manor was not fit for royalty at all.

When news came to him that his father had arranged him to marry someone, he didn't bother asking who it was or why so sudden.

The woman can die with neglect for all he cares, just as how he had been neglected by his own father.

Aleksander had always resented the king for throwing him away like a toy after he had his fill of entertainment. Taken so young from his mother, he couldn't even remember her face.

What he could remember though, was that her singing him a lullaby as they waited for the king to pick him up.

Aleksander couldn't remember where his mother is now. Whether she was alive or not, he couldn't find anything with only her voice as his lead.

"Your highness, your bride has arrived."

The bastard prince turned from his brooding.

He had been in his table with a glass of blood from the newest blood servant, and red stained his lips as he was in the middle of taking another sip.

"Where does this woman come from, Henry? Is she some random middleclass vampire lady who only knows how to knit and slice throats?" Aleksander said as he swirled his glass of blood.

His eyes looked disinterested, but his attendant knew the prince was curious of the woman. If not so much as for the reason she had been chosen as his bride.

"She…" Henry's brows knitted in hesitation, "She is a slave, your highness."

Aleksander stopped midway, his eyes dilating in the dark. The swirling blood spilled out of the glass and jumped onto his shiny oaken table.

"A slave?" came his disappointed question.

Aleksander had thought the king had picked for him the poorest bride out of all the nobles. But in the least he had expected the woman to have some sort of status in the vampire society.

Maybe their family had taken an ire from the king and his father wanted to play a joke on them. The crazy king and his crazy decisions, yet again, as some might say.

But to his dismay, his father had actually chosen the lowest of the lows for him to marry.

Aleksander couldn't suppress a sarcastic laugh. Damn, the king has played him funny.

The prince stood and looked out below his glass windows, and he could see a vampire knight riding a horse with a tiny figure cradled in front of him.

He surmised it could only be the slave said to be his bride, and the prince's grip on his glass tightened.