'Can't I just be selfish for once?'<br/><br/>"Can't I just be selfish for once...father," Jalice asked with white hot fury clear in his tone. His hair was as white as snow and his eyes were scarlet. Despite his anger no emotion showed on his face. "You originally wanted me to marry Rosalie. It was decided when I was 13 years old. That was 5 years ago, father. And in that span of time I fell in love with her. Political reasons for the marriage be damned. It wasn't something that was just forced on me. It became something I wanted and now just as easily you rip all of that away from me so I can marry some frail human woman for the sake of preserving the monarchy in the Dominion. You don't give a damn about me being the crown prince. It's your own power you want to hold on to. Because you're a weak old man and you know her house is stronger now."<br/><br/>Valor was sitting in his familiar place at the piano which was to the left of the throne. The piano was white. Perhaps not quite as white as Jalice's hair though. He wasn't worried about that though. His eyes were wide. Valor had become poor at hiding his expressions because of how often he mingled with humans. But in his entire life he had never heard anyone talk to their father this way and he would have never expected Jalice to be the one to do so.<br/><br/>"You will know your place!" Roared the king with enough force to rattle the entire room. Even Jalice flinched and took a few steps back from the throne. The king was not the king because he was a weak man as Jalice would have had you think. He had held on to power despite waning influence because of how terrifying his power was. Some vampires were blessed with abilities even most vampires couldn't use. Some thought that the king had been transformed into a vampire by Dracula himself.<br/><br/>The king waved his hand and one thousand blades suddenly surrounded Jalice. Each of their points were sharper than any vampire fang. And they were all pointed at Jalice.<br/><br/>"You will go through with the wedding. You will marry Princess Ariella. And you will forge a strong alliance between the monarchy and the kingdom. And you will know your role. You are a prince. And one day you will be a king. And soon you will be forced to make decisions that aren't just for your own happiness but for the happiness of those that believe in you to be their leader. Rosalie's house is powerful, yes, but this treaty will reduce that power considerably. The lords of her House will come crawling back to my feet knowing my position is more secure than ever."<br/><br/>The king leaned back. From where Valor sat the king wasn't visible. Perhaps it was better that way. His eyes were drawn back to Jalice. The young boy was trembling. He was barely eighteen years old. And he knew his father would not show him anymore mercy if he continued to talk back.<br/><br/>"...As you wish, Father."<br/><br/>He was brought back to reality when her fingertips traced lightly across the skin of his face. His cheeks were still flushed from the blood she had given him. When she leaned in and kissed him he kissed her back deeply. Jalice might have thought that having to marry Aria was some great injustice, but Valor wished he hadn't renounced his role as crown prince. If he could have been the one to marry her. He broke the kiss and peered into her eyes again. Every time they kissed or touched he felt the electricity surge between them.<br/><br/>"I want to make love to you," Valor said, as he gazed into her eyes. "I know you are promised to the prince of the Valic Dominion but I can assure you nobody is going to care if you're a virgin or not. Not there anyway." Valor caressed her cheek softly. "When I saw you in the forest...your beauty made me feel something. Not love. But certainly a feeling I'm not used to. And I think you feel it too. You wanted to resist in the beginning but even you couldn't resist my allure. If only for a little while...why don't we both be selfish and give in to what we desire because there will come a time when we will have lost that opportunity."