Vamp Guards ✔️

T H I R T Y-E I G H T

"Is it so wrong to like them? More than platonically?"

Allison stayed silent. So Iris conjured up more fibs to tell.

"That's part of the reason why I watch the guards so much. This person told me what they look like, so I've been scoping around." To him, it sounded convincing, to Allison, it made perfect sense. The King said that whatever Iris did he did it for a reason. This was a great reason.

She turned back to him with a ginger smile. "I don't think I could be much help to your friend, but may I say what's what on my mind?"

Iris gestured at her, saying 'continue' so she did.

"Many naturally loath the vampires. Many despise a healthy relationship between them and us, but many have them. If your friend is aware of the consequences that could possibly effect them if they were to accept these feelings..my opinion is to forget about them anyway. It does no good to love someone who you can't be with."

Iris asked for her help with no expectations. But hearing her answers slightly disappointed him. He looked down and nodded.

"But if these emotions are set and stone, I will pray for your friend, and hope they find resolve."

"You would say that exact same thing if they were here? To give up?"

"Hopeless love is dangerous. Even more so than who they are in love with. It's better to accept the reality rather than make peace with accepting your feelings."

"But when they make it work? What then?"

"If they do..then something so pure to break something so forbidden, I'd be impressed by that. Then I'd say keep fighting."

Iris exhaled sharply and diverted his gaze to his door. If was a powerful word in this context. If he managed to somehow accept and express his feelings for this vampire, what would happen? If they made their forbidden love stable, what would happen? What happens if this happened? It was a looping, dreading mess. And though Iris got a sufficient amount of information he needed from Allison, he remained hesitatant as to where his emotions stood.

And it all lead to if he had the courage to face them or not.

††

Many of the guards were escorting Vridora's guests back to the borders where their home kingdom waited them. The King wanted their travel back home as safe as possible, so while majority of the normal guards left, he sent some first class, too.

That lead to the mansion being vulnerable.

It was early afternoon where the sun was crooked in the sky, and whenever a door was left open in the mansion the sunlight would pour through. Shades of orange gold pierced through the windows, creating rays were dust particles could be seen.

In one hallway were one side of the wall was almost all glass, the prince wandered down it with a paper in his hands and eyes reading the dried ink. His body passed through the rays of sunlight, every time his skin would tingle by the slight warmth.

Before the last of their guests left, he was forced to personally part ways to them. He waved them goodbye with an ever so plain smile that made his dad frown. But he didn't care. When a King was the last to leave, Arlo gave Iris a paper to give to his secretary so he could walk the King out. Iris was doing just that.

He scanned through the cursive paragraphs with little interest. Nothing was important in the file, and he wondered if his dad gave him the task just so he didn't have to walk with them. How thoughtful that would be.

One the last paragraph, Iris stopped in his tracks. Not due to what he read, but because he was suddenly aware of the footsteps behind him. He stood up straight and looked behind him to see a woman closing in. She smiled at him, and two fangs poked her bottom lip. Her eyes were a pale green and her hair was shoulder lengthed.

"My prince." She curtsied at him and lifted the sides of her dress up. Except she didn't have a dress on and only pretended to do so. Iris raised an eyebrow at her but nodded at her respectful greeting. He stayed put while watching her leave down the hall and disappear to the left.

Iris glanced back down at the paper in his hand before sighing and dropping it to his side. He looked to his right where he stood in front of a window. Green trees and grass was mostly was he saw, but beyond the wavering trees he saw the crowd in his village. He recalled how they cheered for him last night, how they looked up to him even though he was still young for political discussions like his dad has every week. Iris understood plenty, he just didn't want to believe he did.

While staring at the crowd, mind blanketed with his thoughts, he would've almost missed the strange movement of the civilians. Iris blinked quickly to regain his focus and squinted.

The once orderly fashioned line of leaving guests were now swarming the streets with frailing arms. Chaos was erupting in the village streets and though he was far from it, he could hear their screams.

Frantically, Iris dropped the paper he had and started running down the corridor. The screams of the village people were distant but distinct when he neared the stairs leading down to the first floor. The one he went down only led to another corridor, in which had scurrying maids and servants. He watched them run with fear in their eyes.

Had whatever that started the commotion in his village enter the mansion? Iris had no time to think about it as he continued running towards the main entrance. Not only was he stupidly curious, but his dad was out there! He was naturally worried.

Iris grunted when he bumped into a fleeing person as he turned a corner of a hall. He realized then that his crowded hallway wasn't full of fleeing people, but retreating ones. They were coming back into the mansion.

Which at the time Iris didn't know, but that was the biggest mistake they could've made.

With frustration at the lack of room, Iris shook his head and aimed for a different hallway. The mansion was a cozy maze, he was sure there was one corridor that had nobody in it. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him. His shoes making it hard not to slide every time he turned a corner.

He paused suddenly when screeches echoed through the halls.

They were full of pure fear.

Iris jumped when a door burst open, the one connected to a staircase leading to the second floor, and a servant ran out. Iris stopped him but grabbing his elbow.

"What's going on?" He demanded, even though the man was visibly shaken up.

"R–rogues! Rogue vampires are attacking!" The servant slipped away from Iris's grasp, to fearful to realize who he was talking to.

Iris glanced at the door. Logically, as the prince, he was supposed to hide during an attack. But in his mind, and in that moment, he didn't care about logic. He only cared about finding his dad.

The thought of death being minutes away clawed at his insides, and yet, though it made him shiver...he found a little entertainment in it.

When Iris climbed his way up to the second floor, a few people were running down it, away from the staircase leading directly into the foyer. He clenched his fists and started rushing towards the danger others were escaping from.

He pushed past the screaming bodies, eyes set on the railing coming in view; ready to run down it.

"Iris!"

Until he heard his name.

The prince frowned at the familar voice. He glanced behind him, not even searching for the voice, before quickly looking back ahead, only to see a dagger flying straight towards his face.