The Vampire Prince

Chapter 12: No Longer Forbidden

"Jack was the only person that was ever there for me, the only person that cared about me, the only person who I could trust!" I cried. "None of you cared about me!" I added.
He began to breathe heavily, showing his anger and sadness.
"Jack only cared for you because he was told to." He said. My eyes widened.
"From the day you were born, I told him to take care of you, and as long as he got paid, he said he would. He only seemed to care because he was getting paid to care." He explained. My heart felt as if it was going to shatter. Was it true? Was Jack just getting paid to care about me?
"Don't listen to him, my son," Jack's voice softly said to me, "it's not true. I cared because I loved you."
I began to cry, listening to my father continue, "Jack wasn't happy to have taken care of you. He hated having to constantly care for a child. He wasn't prepared to love you. He even told me that he'd love you only if he was getting paid."
"Is it.. true?" I whispered, dropping my sword to the ground.
"No, but I wish it was." He said, "I wish I could say he didn't love you, but you are my son."
"And you.. you are evil. That's what you are!" I cried, tears falling quickly.
"Jack hated me as much as you hate me, it was mutual.." He said before standing up.
I hated my father so much. He didn't care if I was hurting. He didn't care if Jack was hurting.

"It's time for me to join her. Come with me." He said, motioning for me to follow him. We walked out of the castle very slowly, and I was crying the whole time. We walked through the garden and to a cliff that dropped down to the ocean. If someone were to fall, they'd drown or be killed by the pressure from hitting the water. My father stood on the very edge of the cliff, his back facing me. It was a very windy night, and his cape whirled in the wind. He took it off carefully, and it fell down the cliff into the sea.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"This is where my life ends," He whispered, turning to face me. He took off his crown and handed it to me.
"Put it on. It'll look better on you." He demanded. I put on his crown and sighed.
"Are you going to.. kill yourself?" I questioned, my voice cracking.
He nodded his head and said, "I am."
"And, at last, I'm sorry for being a terrible father to you." He added.
He took a small step backwards and smiled a bit. "You can have Charlotte."
"Don't worry my Jane, I will be there soon." He whispered, looking up at the sky.
"And Vincent, one last thing." He began. "Be a good king. Take care of the kingdom for me."
I sighed and replied angrily, "Go to hell."
Slowly, he fell backwards off of the cliff. I looked down at him as he was falling. The cliff was a very far way down, so he was falling for at least 20 seconds.
When he finally reached the water, there was a faint splash. My father was finally dead. I felt relief, as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I felt free.
"Son," I heard Jack's voice say. I turned around, and there he was. Standing in front of me.

He was transparent as if he was a ghost, and his voice echoed.
"I don't have much time," He hurriedly said, moving closer to me. I began to sob and fell to my knees.
I began to say, "Jack, please tell me it's all a dream. Please come back. Don't tell me—"
"It's not true." He assured me, sitting on his knees in front of me. "I always loved you, nothing could've stopped me from caring about you."
He cupped my face in his hands. His hands were as cold as ice that was burning my skin.
"Please don't tell me you believed anything he said." He whispered.
"I didn't. I know you, Jack. I know you couldn't do that." I whispered back, tears staining my cheeks.
"Vincent, I was not getting paid to care about you. Your father offered to pay me, but I didn't want to become selfish, so I declined his offer." He explained.
He wrapped his arms around me, and his body was even colder than his hands.
"I'll always be by your side, my boy. I always have been." He mumbled, his voice trembling.
"Please come back. I can't handle this life without you." I begged.
"But you can." He replied. "Don't you ever forget how much I love you."
He let go of the hug and looked into my eyes before taking my hand. He kissed my cheek gently.
"Go get Charlotte and become the king." He whispered before disappearing. I stood up slowly, sobbing.

I walked down through the garden and back into the town. Everyone was still gathered by the bridge waiting for me, including Charlotte.
"King Ethan is dead, and so is Queen Jane and Prince Joel." I shouted to them. They all gasped and began whispering things I couldn't hear.
"I, Prince Vincent, am now the king of Grovesouth!" I yelled before looking at Charlotte.
Everyone began to cheer for me, smiles across their faces. Charlotte walked up to me, frowning.
"You're the king now? You.. killed them?" She whispered. I nodded.
"You can be my queen." I whispered. She hugged me tightly, beginning to cry.
"I'd love to, Vincent!" She cried. I hugged her back and everyone kept cheering for us, not knowing what I'd done to my family. None of them knew. None of them knew what I'd done to have Charlotte.
"I need to turn you.. into a vampire." I said to her once we let go of each other. Her eyes widened, and she opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn't find the right words to say.
She nodded, giving me permission to turn her. Slowly, I moved her hair out of the way of her neck and sank my fangs into her neck, drinking a bit of her sweet blood.
Eventually, I released a venom from my fangs that would turn her into a vampire, and we'd be together forever. Just the two of us. She cried out in pain, and after I let go, I could see fangs growing in her mouth. I hated to have put her in so much pain, but she was willing to let me.

Eventually, she had fully turned. She was a vampire. I smiled brightly and she grinned back at me. "Charlotte, my dear," I said, "will you marry me and be the queen of Grovesouth?"
She nodded and whispered, "Yes, Vincent. I will."
Everyone cheered once again, and we walked back to the castle to tell the maids and butlers to start planning our wedding.
So, that was how it ended. Charlotte and I got married a month later on August 7th, just a day after my 22nd birthday. Even though we went through a lot to get to it, we gained our happy ending that we deserved. And though Jack wasn't physically there, I knew he was at the wedding, watching me marry the woman I loved most. I knew he was happy for me, and I listened to what he had said. I always knew he was with me at all times, even if I didn't know it. I missed him greatly, but I had Charlotte there for me. This truly was a story to remember.

The End.