F O R T Y

Iris stomped out of his dad's office with hands clenched into fists.

"A bodyguard is the most useless thing I need right now, but a personal one!?"

Kai was just as baffled as the prince. The urge to protest with him was very tempting, but not stronger than his loyalty. He did express his displeasure in his facial expressions.

"Oh, it won't be so bad, son. Don't act like it's the end of the world."

Iris sighed and ran his hands down his face with frustration, "Where is she?" He asked, changing the topic, which confused and upset the King. Before he asked who, he closed his mouth.

"Mortuary."

Iris nodded and walked away from his dad and the vampire, who he now knew was Kai. The melancholy curtaining his heart didn't allow any satisfaction through. Not an ounce of happiness flowed through him at the thought of getting close to Kai. And that hurt him.

The King and the vampire watched him disappear, alone, but for once Arlo thought that was probably for the best. He turned towards Kai and smiled, a new mask covering his face.

"Shall I show you to your new room?" He put an arm around Kai's shoulder and directed them down the hall. Kai took note of his surroundings. He's never had to be in the mansion directly, so he didn't bother memorizing the hallways and whatnot; now he wished he had.

"This is Iris's room, and–"

"Iris's?" Kai stopped in the doorway instead of walking in with the King. He looked around, confusion wearing his face.

Arlo blinked at him before chuckling. He beckoned at the guard. "Iris's room as another smaller one connected to it; kind of coincidental, huh? You'll be staying in there to be closer."

Kai mentally groaned. He followed the King to a door on the right, and when he opened it, he peered inside. There was no denying it was a definite step up to the first class quarters he stayed in.

The room was medium sized, much smaller than Iris's. It had a full sized bed, two dressers, both home to small lamps, and a closet.

"Simple, right?"

Kai nodded. It's been decades since he had his own room like this.

"Now, I'll give you the basics. Wherever my son goes, you go. If he's in here or in his study doing work, you will wait near him until he leaves. Your job is to protect him, nothing more. So you can stop frowning."

Kai raised his eyebrows, "Sorry, sir, this is just...not what I'm used to doing."

"I understand, attempting new things take effort. Just remembered who you're watching.

††

It was coin drop silent where Iris went. It was cold and the torches lighting up the small box room he sat in flickered like a person was taking their last breath.

Iris gazed down at the body laying on a metal table, their body draped in a white cloth. His lips were curled downward and his heart beat sadly. Gently, he reached his arm out and touched the person's hand  laying on their stomach. Everything was cold.

"I'm so sorry," He whispered and drew back his hand like the coldness bit him. Sorry for what, he couldn't recall. He was just sorry that this had to be Allison's fate. "You deserved a lot better."

He reflected on the times he shared with the cheerful nurse. Her motherly advice was something he'd always cherish. Never was Amelia a mother to him, and he doubt she'll start anytime soon. Allison cared for Iris, as she was ordered to, but she did countless things she didn't have to for him. She did things that made him happy but would jeopardize her job. The little things she did that Iris made her thing went unnoticed, he wished he acknowledged them now.

"You were a good mother." His voice cracked slightly at the end. They weren't blood related in anyway, but she provided everything young Iris wanted, what he needed; and above all that was a mother figure.

"Mother?"

Iris's breath caught in his throat when he turned around at the unexpected voice. He frowned and returned pouring his sorrow over his passed nurse.

"What?" He asked, wiping under his eyes in case a tear did fall and he didn't notice.

Kai hesitated in the door way to the mortuary. "You called her mother."

"Oh. No, she's..was just my nurse. But I respected her as a mother."

"Allison, was it?"

Iris nodded, gazing at her face through the faint translucent sheet. He sighed before backing away, whispering one last thank you.

When he turned, Kai expected to see tears and a woeful expression on Iris, but he was surprised to see a hard–faced prince staring at him.

"What are you doing here anyway?"

"I'm your personal guard now, the King said I need to be near you at all times."

Iris frowned heavily at him. "If you would've objected more to his idea he might have agreed that it was unnecessary."

Kai leaned off the doorframe he was against. "He's a King, I have no right to object his wishes."

"You had a right to express your opinions."

"Saying I hated it would've been rude."

"Well your kindness got us into this," He gestured between them before leaving him in the doorway. "A bodyguard is ridiculous, especially since it's you."

Kai scratched his neck while he followed the prince of out the dim house holding the deceased bodies.

"Is it because I bumped into you that one night? I said I was sorry, and I meant it."

Iris glanced at Kai from over his shoulder, his eyes scanning him before looking back ahead.

"No, that's not why."

Kai debated on asking the reason, but lost the fight to. He followed Iris all the way to his room, informing him about what his dad told him. Iris shared no comments.

"Well, just stay as far away as possible. You don't have to be breathing down my neck."

"I'm okay with that." In fact, Kai was thrilled he didn't have to be told twice. He shut himself in his new room when Iris told him he was going to clean up.

He had little personal belongings, and he decided on getting them all when the mansion went to bed.

For now, Kai sat on his bed, facing the window behind it, and started planning on how to cover it.

††

The King gave a long speech about how he shared his village's sorrow and stricken emotions about the attack. Some lost something dear to them, others had houses broke into. It was a despairing day.

However, without the King's consent, and certainly without his knowledge, a bargain was seeping around the kingdom like poison in the water system. The guests that came over, since no one got close to the borders, stayed another night. A rumor, a whisper scattered around.

The next day, everyone left safely this time, wary and hesitant, but they made it home.

Not a speck of the attack was in the news. Arlo requested a report from every kingdom that visited, and nothing. The attack never left Vridora; in fact, apparently it never happened.

Whatever the rumored bargain was spread like a wild fire and worked like magic. It was a strange miracle, and though it greatly confused the King, he was relieved. So, Vridora was back to being attack free for a decade.

Whispers continued to fly, but nothing too serious; they were containable.

As for the mansion, higher security was initiated. The King had a small episode of paranoia, but his tactics we're proven helpful. Vridora was known for their progressing guards, now, for high security.

There was a peaceful silence in the halls of the mansion. Maids worked quietly in their stations and servants, in theirs. Corridors were vacant but free from dust and instead collected sunlight squeezing through the cracks of the purposely faded curtains covering the windows.

In Iris's room there rested two utterly bored males.

Iris and Kai both rested on their beds, Iris tossed a crumbled up paper up and down where he laid and Kai was sprawled face first on his.

If he was still the leader of the first class guards, he'd be hanging out with them, cracking jokes and laughing. Anything was better than laying around all day. Don't get him wrong, he'll savor the downtime, since he rarely got it, but Kai was the energetic type. He had to move around.

The vampire threw himself off his bed and abruptly ripped his door open. The unexpected loudness it created made Iris flinch, making the piece of paper fall and land on his face. He sat up and looked at Kai with a frown.

"I'll be right back." That's all he said before leaving the room. Iris didn't reach for an explanation, he just shrugged and flopped back down on his bed.

Kai had never went to get his stuff last night like he told himself he would. He didn't know if the King told the guards how he got promoted–more like demoted–though he didn't see why he would, so he braced himself before entering the training hall, a separate building from the mansion.

When he opened the door, all eyes trained directly onto him. When he shut it, he became crowded with cheers.

"Kai!" One woman had pushed her way through the others and wrapped her arms around him. Her smile was sparkling but the worry was still in her eyes. "I thought you died or something!"

"We all did."

"Yeah what happened?"

"Where'd you go?"

Kai looked around, feeling bombarded by questions, but he smiled at their concern. He asked for some room and eventually they all made it to the middle of the building, Kai being the direct center of attention.

"I have news," He said, clearing his throat. "And I want everyone to stay calm and respectful of the choices that have been made."

Now murmurs began passing around.

Kai cleared his throat again, an honest sadness coming over him.

"I will not longer be the leader of the first class guards."

The vampires that were sitting shot to their feet and the ones who stood, felt like slumping to their knees.

"What!"

"Hey, I said stay calm! I'll still be here, just not with you guys."

"That's worse!" One man shouted.

"Where are you going?" Another demanded.

"What's happening?"

Kai slapped his forehead, knowing calm wasn't in any of these guards' dictionary.

"I've been ordered to become the prince's bodyguard. Due to what happened, the King feels its unsafe for him to be out alone."

The demands lowered to something unreadable. When Kai glanced around he saw nothing other than bewilderment on his friends' faces.

"The prince's bodyguard?" The woman who hugged Kai, Cyrus, spoke up first.

"Yes."

"...How in the hell did you earn that position?"

The argument that was once about why Kai was leaving, was now turning into why he was appointed to such a job. Some reasons made Kai smile, others made him arch an eyebrow.

Regardless of wanting to stay and hang out with them some more, Kai knew he had something just a little more important to attend to. He sneaked his way out of the crowd and headed towards their sleeping quarters. On the way there he waved at a tall, buff vampire, before running off.

In five seconds he was next to his bed he used to sleep in. As he looked around, he'll definitely miss being so close to so many vampires he's befriended. He got his belongings, again there wasn't much, before returning back to Iris.

A whole new experience was waiting patiently for him. Waiting for them both.

††

Ugh, I just reread a small portion of the beginning of this book and...how did I allow myself to publish it?!! I'm going to go back and edit the beginning of the story a little bit, so updates may be a bit slow again. Also, if there are errors of any kind PLEASE tell me!! I'm used to negativity so you can be as open minded to me about what needs to be changed or what could be added, it would really help me out, as an inexperienced author, and plus I love the feedback :) thank you!!

~Swissy