Valor had never told her it was his own brother that she would be marrying. In fact he had never even mentioned to her that he was a prince. It wasn't that he meant to hide it. It had just never really come up. When she asked questions about his life he answered them honestly, but at no point did she ever ask his status or even about his lineage. And now it felt especially cruel to mention the fact that he was the brother of the one she was going to marry. She wasn't exactly leaving him behind as she might have thought. Of course he hadn't really made a habit of staying in the Valic Dominion but perhaps he would be doing so from now on. He wanted to protect her especially from the House of Birds who might not be entirely thrilled with her presence there.<br/><br/>The vampire was aware of her movements as she stood up and walked towards the balcony. He felt as she rested her head against his back between his shoulder blades and grasped his shirt. He could tell she was experiencing pain just like he was. He could tell by her movements and the way her heart was beating. Also the fact that she didn't want to look him in the eye. She was in a moment of weakness which was always dangerous for someone with royal blood so it made sense.<br/><br/>He smiled when she said she wouldn't forget and that she had been happy as well. Not that either of them really needed to say it. The time they had spent together was proof of it. "You don't have to thank me," Valor said, gently. "I should be thanking you. Until now I had always been a very promiscuous and fun loving vampire. I enjoyed enthralling the masses with my song and piano playing."<br/><br/>There were words he didn't say there. What he wanted to say is he would have been open to taking her hand in marriage. A bitter voice in his ear told him it could have been him had he stayed at home instead of living the life of a minstrel. He had thought he would be so happy to wander the land engaging in copulation and adulation as he sought validation outside of the Dominion.<br/><br/>The vampire turned around and slid his right arm around her waist and pulled her into a tight embrace. His left hand rested against the back of her head and it softly. She still smelled wonderful and he could smell her blood as clearly as the first time they had met. But he wasn't thinking of feeding. Gently he pulled away after a moment.<br/><br/>"You should get some sleep. After all you've got a long journey ahead of you tomorrow." It pained him that these would be their last moments together. But that was the nature of life. Humans and even vampires had a tendency to crave things they could never hope to have...<br/><br/>Meanwhile...<br/><br/>Jalice stood in his bedroom observing his face. His eyes were scarlet and glowed faintly and his hair was as white as snow. These were traits he had received from his mother. Valor looked more like their father than he did. His eyes trailed down his naked body. Much like Valor he had a lithe build and was hairless below the belt. There was however a wicked scar that ran from his left breast all the way down past his abs.<br/><br/>The vampire sighed and looked around the room. His room was a grayish white and a light illuminated his bedroom though the source couldn't exactly be identified. The walls provided light. It was a form of magic the House of Lions had perfected. It worked best in white and gray environments so the entire Valic Dominion was white and gray.<br/><br/>Tomorrow the young vampire would be marrying a human woman. The princess of the kingdom that had been at war with his country for centuries. It still made him feel a white hot fury that his father would force such a thing on him out of nowhere after he was already promised to someone else. Promised to someone that he actually loved. And Rosalie wasn't taking it well either. They hadn't spoken much in the past week although he had hoped that he would be able to talk to her tonight. He knew he could have went and found her. He knew her scent. He knew her favorite spots. But he didn't want to bother her.<br/><br/>Sighing the young vampire looked at the garb he would be wearing tomorrow. A white suit as was customary of vampires when they pledged their eternal love to someone. This was the garment he should have worn when he married Rosalie.