Disclaimer: I do not own Vassalord, I can't remember who does…BUT IT'S NOT ME!
It had been approximately a week since Christopher had figured out that Father Richard was a vampire and approximately a week since the clergymen kept finding Christopher missing from his bed when they would go check on the children before heading to bed themselves. It hadn't taken any of them very long to discover that the young child would go see the vampiric priest. Of course the boy was scolded but they were all secretly happy that he had opened up to someone. Since his "Master" had dropped him off five years ago, he had been reluctant to open up or talk to anyone. Besides, the clergy knew that Father Richard wouldn't let anything happen to the boy and still made sure he got a decent night's sleep. Finally the Bishop decided to simply look the other way at Christopher's outings with the resident vampire. This did not mean that he was above the rules, if he was caught before he made it to the priest, he would be sent right back to bed but after he found Father Richard, it was up to the priest who found him to deal with him.
Tonight Father Richard and Chris were up on the Church's roof looking at the stars. Neither were speaking and the silence was starting to eat at Chris. "What's it like to be a vampire?" He finally asked; the question had been on his mind since he had found out but hadn't had the nerve to ask the man it.
Father Richard looked over at Chris and was quiet as he thought about an answer he could give the child. "Long and lonely, I guess," he shrugged and looked back up at the stars.
Chris sat up and stared at the priest, "how can it be lonely? You're going to live for a long time! You can make so many friends!"
The dark-haired man shook his head, "friends that you get to watch grow old and die while you stay young forever."
"Can't you make vampire friends?" Chris asked.
Again, he shook his head, "one of two things will happen with two vampires that aren't Master and Childe; one, the two will become friends and forget what little humanity they have left because they no longer hang around humans or two, they will attempt to destroy each other for control of the city." He looked at the blond-haired boy, "vampires are quite territorial."
"Then why don't you make a vampire to be your friend?" The boy asked.
"Not many humans can handle the lifestyle of being a vampire and expose themselves to the sun after a decade or two. It's upsetting for a Master Vampire to one day wake up and find the fledgling you put so much effort and emotion into is nothing more than a pile of dust at the window. You can hear their cries as the sun burns them and you're helpless to go to their aid because the sun will burn you as well," the vampire sighed and looked over at the boy, "those screams stick with you for the rest of your days."
Christopher nodded solemnly and lay back down on the roof of the church. He could tell by how the priest talked, he had had a fledgling expose themselves to the sun while he was trapped in his coffin. He decided to switch the conversation in a safer direction, "you said vampires are territorial. How big is your territory?"
The man nodded, "I did. The size of territory depends on the power of the vampire and their desire to keep undesirables out. My territory is pretty much from this church to the ruins beyond the city."
The nine year-old blinked, "does that mean you're weak?"
Father Richard sat up suddenly and looked offended for a moment but it passed because it was just an innocent question. He lay back down and shook his head, "actually I'm one of the stronger vampires out there. I don't need a big area to defend and with the war going on I don't need to look far too get a meal."
Chris had almost forgotten that being a vampire meant drinking blood. He felt something drop into the pit of his stomach but had to ask anyways, "what do you drink, Father Richard?"
"Hmm?" He had been lost in thought for a moment from looking at the stars; he remembered the question a few seconds after Chris had got his attention, "recently dead soldiers mostly. Sometimes I get lucky and find one that hasn't died yet. On the rare occasion I even get something fresh."
Chris paled, "something fresh?"
"Yeah, don't you think it's odd that no opposing soldiers have attacked the church or the city despite its prime location?" Father Richard asked.
The boy stopped and thought for a moment, "you eat the enemy soldiers?"
"When they attempt to take over the city or use the church as a base," Father Richard replied, "like I said, vampires are territorial and will kill anything they see as a threat to themselves or those living in their territory." He saw Chris' downfallen expression. "Besides, it's one of the terms given to me by the Bishop in order to stay here."
Chris brightened a little, "would you still protect us even if it wasn't?" The vampire of course knew that Chris meant if he would protect him.
Father Richard chuckled and nodded, "of course! You think me that heartless?" He pretended to pout at the last part and Christopher laughed.
"You are a black-hearted fiend," he laughed.
"That hurts! Maybe I should just eat you," he sat up and growled at the boy. Christopher leapt up to "attack" the priest but slipped on some loose shingles and was heading head first to the ground.
"Master!" He screamed and was caught by a black mass. He recognized the bats and his expression lit up, "Master?" The bats lowered him to the ground and reformed into Father Richard. The boy looked down in disappointment then back at the priest, "thank you, Father."
Father Richard had been told by the clergy that the boy still desperately missed the man he called "Master" and he wanted desperately to tell Chris that he was the vampire he still cried out for in his sleep but couldn't. The boy needed to live around humans, not vampires. MyselfishnesshastostopatjustbeingthevampiricFatherRichardaroundChris the vampire mentally scolded himself.
"Come on Christopher, we should get you to bed," the vampire sighed and placed his hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Can we fly through the window, Father Richard, like last time?" Chris asked hopefully.
Father Richard laughed and picked the boy up, "sure." He transformed into a few bats to fly but mostly kept his human shape and transformed fully into bats so they both could fit through the dorm room's open window. The bats swirled around his bed and pulled the covers up to Chris' shoulders and then reformed into the priest, "good night, Christopher."
"Goodnight, Father Richard," the boy yawned and rolled over to sleep. Father Richard left through the window but hovered outside for a moment to hear Chris cry quietly to himself. "Master, I miss you," he sobbed. The vampire almost flew back into the room but stopped himself.
"Sorry Chris, you belong in the world of light, not my world of darkness," he slowly lowered himself to the ground and headed toward his own room, "Lord, please watch over Chris and help him get over the loss of his 'Master'. He deserves better than a vampire."