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littlerat2 · 1 year ago

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@prinxietyweek Prinxiety Week Day 3

Prompt: Royalty/Vampire

Warnings: Poison mention, genocide mention, death mention, murder mention, terminal illness mention

Words: 4,028

AO3

Author’s Note: Janus uses He/Him pronouns, but I love calling him the mom, so he will be referred to as “mother” and “mom” in this story <3 Also oh wow this turned out much longer than I thought it would. How many times can I edit this post bc I forgot something? Lmao, currently sitting at four times.

Virgil leaned against the cold stone wall, looking out over the palace gardens. He hadn’t been here in many years. The last time he’d set foot inside of the Sunstrom palace walls, he was just a kid.

That was before the war broke out. If you could even call it a war. It was more like a massacre. The king had sent his best men into the city with one purpose: Killing vampires.

His people were scarce, but ever so slowly, they were starting to rebuild.

The vampire court had always been different from other royal settings. From their earliest days, vampires had hidden deep within the kingdom. You’d probably talk to one every day, unknowing, before the massacre. They were regular people. Running shops, guarding posts. There were even a few on the royal council. They were normal citizens just like everyone else. They just lived under two kingdoms. The Sunstrom kingdom, and the Caedis kingdom.

Two kingdoms meant two sets of law.

Caedis law didn’t interfere with Sunstrom law. King Janus had made sure of that. He wanted to coexist peacefully with humans. In fact, most of the laws were put in place to protect humans. For a while, the royal family was happy with this arraignment.

Until one of the princes was turned.

No one knew the whole story. Not even Virgil knew- which was an impressive example of covering something up, because Virgil heard all of the kingdom’s drama from Janus.

The version of the story Virgil had heard was that Prince Remus had been courting one of Janus’ advisors. One thing had led to another, and Remus had asked the advisor to turn him. After a long conversation about what that might entail, the advisor obliged, and Remus’ father was not pleased. He’d outlawed any known vampires, and urged humans to out any in hiding.

That was about four years ago.

And now, Virgil was standing in front of the palace garden, preparing to fix what the king had done to their kingdom.

He was sent to kill the king, as well as the remaining prince. This would leave the throne to Remus, and from there, vampires would be re-welcomed into the kingdom.

As he scanned the rose garden for his target, he heard what sounded like flapping behind him. He whipped around, but nothing was there. He heard it again, and his eyes snapped up to the vine-ridden balcony he didn’t know was behind him. Leaning on the railing was none other than Prince Roman.

He wore the most beautiful silk gown Virgil had ever seen. It hugged him around the waist and hips, and it had puffy sleeves that ended around the prince’s biceps. Virgil thought he might die if he had to get blood on it. A perfect little tiara sat nestled into his bushy chestnut hair.

In his gloved hands, he held an ivory fan webbed with a fiery red silk. It was embroidered with intricate golden accents, though Virgil couldn’t make out what they were from this distance.

The prince smirked when Virgil caught his gaze. He started twirling the fan in his left hand. It had been a while since Virgil had attended any sort of ball or meeting in the vampire court, but he thought he could remember fan language well enough. He was pretty sure twirling the fan in your left hand meant ‘we are watched.’.

He looked around, and sure enough, two guards were perched behind the hedges. How had he not noticed them?

“You two are dismissed,” Roman’s voice called softly over the balcony. Virgil would do anything to hear that gorgeous voice again.

The two guards shared an apprehensive look, before walking past Virgil and disappearing inside.

Roman looked down at Virgil once more. He just smiled, holding his fan in front of his face with his right hand as he turned around, and walked back inside. Virgil knew that meant ‘follow me’, so he did, if for nothing else but to satiate his own curiosity. He grabbed a few thick bunches of vines that hung from the balcony, and climbed up. He had to use a bit of extra vampire strength to get himself there, but he made it in the end.

When he reached the top, the prince was waiting for him inside by the door. His fan had been discarded to a small table with two chairs.

Without the distance, or the fan, Virgil could now clearly see the man’s features. The corners of his delicate lips were pulled upwards in a soft smile. His jade eyes were kind and inviting. The skin around them crinkled just slightly, and Virgil couldn’t keep his gaze away.

What was he doing? He couldn’t sit here, thinking about how pretty the prince was. He was supposed to kill him! He didn’t think he had it in him anymore.

“Well? Are you going to come in? Or would you prefer to continue gawking at me in the cold?” Roman teased. His voice was deep and rich. Silky smooth on Virgil’s ears. What else could he do but walk inside?

As soon as he set foot in the door, Roman’s smile seemed to widen.

“There we go,” he said softly. “It’s much warmer inside, isn’t it?”

Virgil nodded dumbly. He could feel a fog seeping into his head. It wasn’t a bad feeling. It was quite gentle and warm. And very, very distracting.

“I’ve got tea!” Roman nearly skipped over to the kitchenette on the other side of the room, and grabbed a shiny tray with two teacups, and a white teapot. He set it on the little circular table, and pulled out a chair. “Come, sit! I’m dying to hear you talk, you know.”

Virgil sat down, trying not to look as eager as he felt. “Thank you,” He said softly.

“Of course,” Roman said, taking a seat. “Your voice is lovely, darling.”

Virgil blinked in surprise for a moment. “I- uh- thank you,” he stammered. “Yours is too,” he added meekly. He felt heat crawl up his neck at how shaky his own words sounded.

“Thank you. My name is Roman.”

“Virgil,” he replied.

Roman nodded, and poured tea into both of their cups. He passed one to Virgil before taking a sip from the remaining cup. Virgil raised his own cup to his lips, but paused before it made contact. “It isn’t poisoned. You watched me pour it, and I’ve just taken a drink.”

“There could be poison on the inside of my cup,” Virgil countered. “You could have treated it before I came inside.”

Roman looked purely startled.

“I didn’t think of that,” he admitted. “Well, it might do me some good to have you present during my next meeting.” The prince huffed out a small laugh. “You think of everything, don’t you?” He slid his own teacup in Virgil's direction. “You can have mine, then.” He plucked the teacup out of Virgil’s hands, and took a sip. “There’s no garlic, silver, or crucifixes in it, either,” he said with a teasing glint in his eyes.

Virgil’s eyes widened. He had a disguise. Janus had even changed his eye color, and hid his fangs with magic. How did he know?

“Don’t worry! I’m not going to call the guards!” Roman reassured quickly. “I just want to get to know you. That’s all, darling.”

“How did you know?” Virgil asked, curling in on himself just slightly.

“You were always latched onto your king’s leg when he came to visit. When we were children,” Roman said with a chuckle.

“My mother,” Virgil clarified. Roman’s eyes went wide, but he smiled.

“A fellow prince!” He beamed. “It took me a moment to realize who you were, but when I did, I knew I was right.”

“That was years ago. How did you remember that?” Virgil asked, disbelief clear in his tone. “We never even spoke.”

Roman shrugged. “Good memory, I guess. I mean, you clearly remembered my face.”

“You’re the prince. Of course I remembered your face,” Virgil said, maybe with a little more bite than intended.

“You’re a prince, too,” Roman countered with a smug smile.

“Not a well known one. Other than your family, and other vampires, I’m not sure many people knew Caedis even had a prince, back then.” Virgil took a wary sip of his tea. Sweetness exploded over his tongue. He’d never tasted anything like it. It was full-bodied and sweet, but also had a little spice.

“Whatever,” Roman brushed off. Virgil found he didn’t mind all that much. “So, tell me,” the prince rested his chin on the heel of his hand, leaning forward to look at Virgil, “What is a dashing vampire like yourself doing here this late at night.”

Virgil’s heart sank, and it must have shown on his face, because Roman’s browline pinched in worry.

“I’m sorry, darling. I didn’t mean to-”

“I was sent to kill you,” Virgil blurted, before slapping a hand over his mouth. “And your father.”

“O-oh,” Roman said, taken aback.

“I don’t think I want to, though,” Virgil mumbled, peering down into his tea. He watched the liquid ripple with his words, and he tried to let it calm him.

If Roman was uncomfortable around Virgil after that confession, he certainly didn’t show it.

“May I ask why?”

“Why I don’t want to kill you? Or why I was supposed to?” Virgil asked, a soft, slightly bitter laugh escaping his lips. He was afraid he’d already ruined this. Roman was kind, and interesting. Why did he have to say that?

“Why not both?” Roman asked, a playful smile on his face.

“Well… You’re intriguing, Princey,” Virgil said honestly.

“Oh? How so?”

“It’s just… I don’t know. You just… You’ve got a story.”

“Everyone does.”

“But I want to know yours,” Virgil said, absentmindedly. “You’re nothing like I thought you’d be.”

Roman looked gobsmacked for a second. Stunned, even. His eyes looked almost pleading, but no request left his lips.

“What did you expect?” He asked, his voice going quiet. Almost airy, even.

“I don’t know… Hostility? Arrogance? You’re a prince,” Virgil scoffed.

Roman guffawed. “You’re a prince, too!”

“I wasn’t raised as one,” Virgil said, swishing around the tea in his cup. He still hadn’t decided if it was safe to drink, or not.

Roman raised an eyebrow at him. “You weren’t?”

“Nope. I didn’t get all of the stuffy crap the rest of you royals get.”

“Then… How were you raised?” Roman asked. Virgil thought his voice had softened, but he must be imagining it.

“I don’t remember a lot of it. I was pretty sick growing up. Janus found me. I was almost dead by the time he did.” He could see Roman connecting the dots in his head, before the tiniest gasp escaped the prince’s lips.

“So he turned you to save your life, and raised you as his own,” he said, incredulous.

“Yep. Even then, he just… raised me like a normal kid. I wasn’t made out to be a prince until the massacre.”

Virgil hadn’t meant to call it a massacre in front of Roman, but he couldn’t say he regretted it. He couldn’t say he was wrong, either.

The prince opened his mouth to speak, but closed it, looking down at his gloves. He tried again, but Virgil spoke before Roman got a chance to.

“I was sent to kill you- and your father- so we could put your brother on the throne,” he murmured. “We were hoping to bring vampires back into the kingdom.”

The prince seemed to regain his composure, because he now wore a sympathetic expression.

“What happened to your people wasn’t fair.”

Virgil knew he wasn’t being sincere. He couldn’t be. “You don’t have to lie to me, Princey,” he sneered. “I already told you I’m not going to kill you.”

He thought he might be imagining the offended look on Roman’s face.

“I’m not!” He spat. “I don’t agree with what my father did. I tried to stop him! He wouldn’t listen.”

Virgil shook his head. This was cruel. Maybe Roman didn’t even like him. Maybe this was all just some sick mind game. Maybe the guards were on their way right now. Maybe-

“Do you know why Remus asked to be turned?” Roman said, his voice now gentle and quiet. He didn’t look at Virgil anymore. No, he just peered into the depths of his teacup.

Virgil shook his head.

“No one does.”

“I do,” Roman murmured. “He could see the strain between our kingdoms. We both could. He thought that if he was turned… Maybe our dad would be more lenient with your kind.”

“He was already courting an advisor in my father’s court. Why did he have to become a vampire himself?” Virgil asked, in honest curiosity.

“Logan was just an advisor. That wouldn’t be enough to stop a war from breaking out. If anything, that would just protect Logan, not the rest of you.” Roman shook his head. “We thought that if one of us turned, our dad would see vampires as regular people, just like us. I guess we didn’t really think that through, though…”

Virgil was shocked by the sincerity in his voice. He hadn’t expected much from any of the Sunstrom royal family. Remus was different. He’d left the kingdom. That had to be for a reason, right?

“Thank you for trying,” Virgil said softly.

“I was hoping we could try again?” Roman asked, a hopeful glint in his eye. “That’s not the only reason I wanted to talk to you,” he added swiftly. “But, if you’re the vampire prince… Well, that means we might be able to fix things between our kingdoms.”

Virgil thought for a moment. Was Roman implying what Virgil thought he was? He could admit, he thought Roman was kind, and he wanted to get to know him more, but he had just met the man.

“I’m not saying we get married!” Roman reassured, as if reading his mind. “But… maybe we could convince our fathers to negotiate, instead of…”

“Killing each other?” Virgil offered with a grim laugh.

“Yeah.”

“Okay. Yeah, let’s… let’s try that. It’s not like it could get much worse.”

“That just means there’s nothing left to lose,” Roman said with a smile. It looked a little strained, but Virgil didn’t comment on it. “Now, where were we, darling?”

Was he really okay with jumping back into casual conversation? Or did he just want to change the subject? Virgil wasn’t sure, but he was grateful either way. He didn’t particularly want to talk about his kingdom’s downfall, nor did he want to think about the fact that one day, he would be responsible for his rapidly dwindling subjects.

He took another sip of tea, and smiled slightly. “I like this tea,” he said to fill the silence.

“I’m glad,” Roman said with a smile. “Have you had it before?” He picked up the teapot and refilled Virgil’s cup. For the first time, Virgil realized the painting on the side. It was some variety of frog Virgil had never seen, with a little crown on its head, painted in incredible detail. It made Virgil smile.

“Not to my knowledge,” He said with a soft laugh. “I like your frog.”

“Oh! Thank you! I painted it,” Roman bragged, glowing with pride. “Would you like to see some of my other paintings?”

“Sure,” Virgil smiled.

Roman jumped up. “Wait right here! I’ll be back in no time at all!” He rushed off behind a curtain somewhere, bouncing excitedly with every step. Virgil briefly wondered if anyone else had ever asked to see his art. Or if anyone else ever had the privilege.

He wouldn’t admit it, but he loved art. Janus had bought him a few paintings to decorate his room with when he was younger, and from then, he was amazed. He didn’t understand how some people could create such beautiful pictures by smearing paint on a piece of fabric. He thought it must have been some sort of magic.

Roman came back into the room holding several different pieces of canvas, each a different size. He moved the teapot and the tray, but left their cups. He laid out the different sheets of fabric, and Virgil smiled when he saw several different types of frog sitting before him. There were other animals too. A couple of foxes, a family of deer, even a bat or two. But the frogs definitely outnumbered any other species.

“You really like frogs, huh?” He teased.

Roman looked at him with a very serious expression. “I love frogs.”

Virgil couldn’t help the bright laughter that bubbled up in his chest. “We have a lot of frogs at home.”

Roman gave the most excited gasp Virgil had ever heard. “You guys have frogs?!”

“Yep. I hear them right outside my window at night.”

“Oh my stars. I need one,” Roman said, hands flying to his cheeks.

“You need a frog?” Virgil asked with a soft chuckle.

“Yes, I need a frog, Virgil!” Roman spat. “Will you bring me a frog?”

Virgil sat in disbelief for a solid few seconds.

“You heard me.”

He burst out laughing. “I will… see what I can do.” He loved the hopeful smile that took up residence on Roman’s face. “But you’ve got to learn how to take care of it.”

“I will find every book about frogs in the kingdom, if you bring me a frog,” Roman said, looking directly into Virgil’s eyes. “I mean it.”

“Then… I’ll see if I can’t bring you a frog,” Virgil giggled. He took another sip of his tea, and looked back at the menagerie of paintings before him. “These are really good, Princey,” He said sincerely.

“You think so?” Roman asked, eyes wide. He had a look of pure disbelief on his face.

“Yeah! Why do you look so surprised?”

“Well…” The prince rubbed the back of his neck. “No one has told me they like my art before. I mean, Remus has. But he’s my brother. He kinda has to.”

“Well, I think these are really cool,” Virgil said, looking over the assortment again. His eyes landed on a smaller painting, not much larger than his teacup. It showed a little frog sitting in the grass. On top of its head was a purple flower missing its stem. It looked like a little hat. “I like this one a lot.”

Roman smiled, pushing the cloth closer to Virgil. “Take it.”

Virgil was taken aback. “You’re sure?” He asked softly. Roman nodded, and Virgil tucked the little painting into his coat. “Thank you.”

“Of course!”

Virgil kept looking over the paintings, marveling in their detail as he let himself relax. But, as always, there was the little pang of doubt deep in his stomach, telling him something was wrong.

“Why aren’t you mad at me? I literally told you I was supposed to murder you,” He blurted, incredulous.

“People try to kill me all the time, darling,” Roman said quietly, something melodic to his voice. “But you know what doesn’t happen all that often?”

Virgil gave the softest shake of his head, enamored by the sudden shift in Roman’s tone.

“People don’t try to talk to me,” Roman said sadly. “I’m not a person to them. I’m a pretty face. A stepping stone on their way to potential power!... They don’t try to understand me. They don’t even try to know me. You did.”

Virgil flushed at the pure passion radiating from Roman’s words. From his eyes, and his expression. Every part of this man is bursting with emotion so strong, Virgil might be able to feel it himself.

Roman placed a warm hand on his, and he could feel hundreds of little purple butterflies flapping their wings against the walls of his stomach. They only got stronger, as Roman leaned in close, nose just centimeters away. His deep, green eyes peered into Virgil’s lavender ones.

“You did, Virgil. So I think our time together is more than worth a death threat or two. Don’t you?”

Virgil couldn’t help the wide smile that broke out over his face. He couldn’t stop his gaze from softening if he tried. He couldn’t resist placing his free hand over Roman’s, and brushing it with his thumb gently.

“I do,” He said, voice no higher than a whisper. He knew Roman could hear it. He didn’t need more than a whisper. This moment was theirs, and no one else’s.

Roman’s hand landed on his fan once more. He held it upside down, not bothering to open it. He brought it to his lips, pressing the handle into them softly. He smiled underneath it.

Virgil knew what that meant. He pressed his lips to Roman’s, not having to be told twice.

The kiss was soft, chaste, and just filled with emotion. It was everything Virgil never knew he’d wanted. Roman’s lips tasted just like the tea they were drinking, and Virgil wondered if he could bring some home, just to have a bit of this moment with him while he was away.

If he couldn’t kill Roman before, he definitely couldn’t now. He didn’t know what he’d do if he never got to kiss this man again. He’d surely lose his mind.

As if furthering his point, Roman cupped Virgil’s cheek and deepened the kiss, raking his other hand through Virgil’s inky hair.

When the two separated, Virgil mourned the end for a moment, before Roman’s nose pressed against his own. The two just stared at each other in wonder, forehead to forehead.

“You’re beautiful,” Roman whispered, pressing a soft kiss to the tip of Virgil’s nose. He flushed, letting a smile tear across his face.

“You are, too,” Virgil murmured. He let his hands wander up to Roman’s cheeks as he closed his eyes and basked in the contact for a few long minutes.

He melted as Roman hummed a soft tune. The sound caressed his ears, and he could already see himself in his room longing to hear it again. When had he become so sappy? Maybe that was just a side effect of being around the world’s most dramatic prince.

As much as he wished he could stay here for hours, he knew he was running out of time. Reluctantly, he pulled away.

“As lovely as this is, I should go. I’m expected home by sunrise,” Virgil whispered sadly. “But, I want to see you again,” he said desperately and quickly. The words poured out of him before he even registered them in his mind. “I want to do this again,” he motioned between the two of them. “I-I want to talk again. I just want to be with you.”

“You will,” Roman proclaimed, determination strong in his voice. “You will. We will. I’ll make sure of it.” He rushed over to his wardrobe, retrieving a pitch black fan with purple webbing and silver accents. He placed it ever so gently in Virgil’s hands. “Take this. If all goes well, you’ll need it.” Roman winked. “The guards shouldn’t give you much trouble, if they see you have it. They know I don’t just give those out to anyone.”

Virgil flushed and looked down at the fan, admiring it briefly before looking back up at Roman.

“Send me a letter as soon as you get home safely. Find Remy. He’ll get it to me safely.”

Virgil’s surprise must have shown on his face, because Roman gave a smug little laugh.

“What? I had to keep in touch with my brother somehow after he left.” His smile turned sad. “Take care of him, will you? Tell him I miss him.”

“I will.”

Roman looked at him for a moment, an odd look on his face. Then, he slowly wrapped his arms around Virgil in a gentle, yet tight hug. He pulled back, pressing a soft kiss to his forehead.

“I’ll talk to you soon,” Virgil murmured as he pulled away.

“I look forward to your letters, my love,” Roman said with a dramatic flourish. Virgil giggled.

And then, he was off.

Author’s Note: Thank you so much to edupunkn00b in the Raven’s Roost discord server for helping me come up w the name for the vamp kingdom! <3 And thank you to @cats-soups for helping me design Roman’s fan <3

If you guys want a part two of this, I’d prob be down to write some more in this universe :) Can’t promise a whole timeline, but I can prob write some little bits from the story, like Remus’ relationship and being turned, Virgil and Roman’s relationship, the aftermath of this fic, ect. <3

#prinxiety #sanders sides #sander sides #thomas sanders sides #ts virgil #ts logan #ts deceit #ts remus #ts sides #ts roman #ts remy #ts janus #prinxiety week 2024

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