Alternatives: Prelude

Hello hello hello,

Sorry about the unintentional hiatus guys, I am afraid being in my final year at university I totally forgot I am a fanfiction writer as well as a fanfic reader. But after reading loads of fanfic I remembered it's my 4 year anniversary on here.

So to celebrate that fact, I have written a prelude to a story I thought about ages ago but haven't got round to (I do have many in mind and quite a few are novel length, if you want to know more the info with a short summary is on my profile).

This is based on the Extra Outtake called Alternatives, where in an AU something happens in the Dreamworld to Vlad. I suggest you read the outtake before reading this because I don't want to spoil it.

But for now as a celebration of being on fanfiction so long, here is the prelude to the story that will be called Alternatives.

I don't own Young Dracula.

"Quietly, now, don't disturb them.

There are people who live like that.

The artists of tomorrow.

In pleasant despair." - Despair, by Japan (Translated lyrics into English).

I first heard this song when I first started watching YD, and ever since I have always associated the song with Vlad.

Prelude: Glimpse into the Past

The young Grand High Vampire looked down on the newly built Stokely, his former home, and he couldn't help but think that the town had never looked better. The houses were no longer the mousey yellow colour that they had been previously, they were a mixed of brick red and brilliant white. The town seemed to reflect the mood of everything going on. Bright and happy, and yet still retaining that sunrise feeling that this was only the beginning, a new beginning.

The laughter going on from the celebrations that were being undergone was echoing into the sky. Celebrations at the liberation of the world. A liberation that was most likely only temporary…

"Vlad?" Vlad turned around abruptly, interrupted from the dark turn in his thoughts, to look at Stokely castle to spot his best friend in front of him smiling widely. Robin was his normal getup of black clothing that Vlad remembered from so long ago, the long leather jacket, black jeans and grey skeletal shirt were all familiar and comforting.

He felt his jaw drop, the last time he has seen Robin Brannagh he had not looked like how he liked to remember him, he had looked normal but in a way that was wrong.

"Robin, is that really you?" Vlad asked in surprise, suppressing the urge to run up to and hug him. He wasn't sure how Robin would react to that, or even how he may react.

"Sure it is." He grinned, looking to happiest Vlad had ever seen him. "Looking down on your domain?"

Vlad blinked in surprise. "How…?"

Robin shook his head, telling him it was something that he was best not knowing. "Don't ask."

"Okay…" He paused, feeling concerned. Robin didn't used to hide things from him without good reason, and usually Vlad ended up finding out anyway. Robin was a bad liar with some obvious tells. "I… It's been a long time."

His best friend laughed quietly. "Yeah, eight years. I'm sure that's a long time for you."

Vlad began to relax at the sarcasm in his best friend's voice, shrugged and put his hands in his pockets. "Well, if things hadn't have turned out the way they had things may have been different… I'm sorry."

"Don't apologise," Robin said scowling, telling Vlad he didn't blame him and didn't want his best friend to blame himself. "None of this was your fault. Things are better because of you. What happened... well no one expected that, but I think the same thing would have happened to me even if you hadn't have transformed when you did."

Vlad looked down in shame, remembering what had occurred eight years previously. "I hate to admit this, but you're probably right."

"'Course I am." Robin rolled his eyes, and then gestured to the castle behind him. "They did a good job huh?"

Vlad looked at the newly restored Stokely castle. It hadn't been this good looking in hundreds of years, even though Vlad couldn't be sure about that part. The grey castle was no longer its off-putting colour but was more of a neutral grey with several towers rather than a single one.

Robin moved over to stand next to best friend and put a hand on his shoulder. "You just couldn't stay away."

Vlad shook his head in denial, though it was partly true. "It's not that." He paused. "I just… it's just this is where it all began. You telling me that I was 'looking over my domain'. That view I was looking at…. it was the last thing I saw in the Dreamworld before I woke up."

Robin looked over in shock. "Really?"

Vlad smirked at the look at his best friend's face. "Surprise!"

"I knew you were powerful… but visions of the future? Really?"

Vlad laughed lightly, he used to take his powers so seriously but now it was easy to make light of them. "If there has been one thing in the past eight years that I have learnt. It's that there isn't a thing as impossible. Especially when it comes to my powers… unfortunately."

"They are that strong?"

"Unlimited is more like it." Vlad gestured around. "I mean look around. It's the middle of the day and I am stood out here completely unaffected."

Robin looked up to the sky smiling slightly and closing his eyes, looking like he was luxuriating in the sunlight. That was a first, Robin Brannagh never liked being in the sunlight he used to say it ruined his complexion.

Things had most certainly changed for them both.

Robin then shook his head. "Anyway. Now what?"

"I think we need to talk."

Vlad's best friend frowned. "About?"

"You know, the past eight years what you've been doing. What I have been doing…" Vlad paused.

"I do remember some of it you know."

"Clearly," Vlad said in a firm voice, that Robin didn't recognise it was the voice of a leader.

"Bossy," Robin muttered teasingly. "You really are fitting into this leader thing aren't you?"

"Ugh," the young vampire rolled his eyes, relaxing again. "You sound like Dad for Bat's sake."

Robin burst out laughing. "Now that's more like it!"

"Still not sitting on the throne then." Robin nodded at the throne that was sat on its usual platform in the throne room.

"No, I did try it." Vlad paused looking around the all too familiar room. It had been reconstructed perfectly, and that was the problem. It was so familiar it was scary, it brought back too many memories. "And it felt wrong… I expected drama or something. All the throne is a symbol of power, not a show of it. I don't need a throne."

"You never did," Robin agreed, thinking of the time when Vlad was no longer the heir to the Dracula throne. Robin had seen both Vlad's good and bad sides, but that had been a time Vlad had been at one of his worst… and his most powerful, Robin had been nearly terrified when Vlad had thrown that fireball, showing how fast his powers were progressing. Vlad was beyond a doubt power-hungry, but in his own way – a way that where he never needed to have symbols of power because he showed his power more easily. "You were never one for symbols of power. You're much more of doing rather than showing person."

Vlad smiled faintly. "Maybe a bit too much."

Robin sighed, he couldn't deny that. Vlad did have a habit of taking things too far, ensuring people knew how much power he had. "Yeah. Well, you did what had to be done."

"That doesn't excuse what happened Robin," Vlad shook his head looking down in shame. "I practically made a deal with the devil."

"And look where it has got us." Robin stated. "A world without war, a world where humans know about vampires. A world where people are at peace."

"Hmm," the young Grand High Vampire shook his head. "This is only temporary Robin. Things will flare up again. People will start to doubt whether vampires will attack them and it will go backwards."

"Maybe," Robin said and then smirked. "But it cannot be as bad as before. Plus, people trust you human or not… I wonder why…?"

Vlad smiled at the sarcasm. "Thanks Robin. Having you here… it helps."

Robin approached him and touched the pendant that hung from Vlad's neck lightly. "I know the past eight years have been difficult for you. You never wanted this. I know that better than anyone, but trust yourself. If anyone can keep this world safe from itself, it's Vladimir Dracula."

And there we have it, it's fairly short but it's only a prelude to the main story. I am not sure how long the actual story will be. Chances are it will be novel length like Choices. But I do have 2 (Used and Youth) other novel-length stories in mind so it's going to be touch and go which comes first.

Points for people who notice the references to other stories/outtakes I have written! They are discreet so you may need to know my stories well to recognise the correlations.

Next thing I will be posting will be another one-shot called 'The Disease'. Then I'll be adding some more Extra Outtakes while I finish my little prequel story called 'Turmoil'.

Thank you for reading and please review!

C

xx