Choices


As promised this is a fifty five chapter long story... so nope it hasn't finished yet. All the action has finished though. This is just tying up the loose ends...

Three chapters left including this one.

I don't own YD.


Chapter 53: Not Perfect


Jonno had been recovering from his injury for over a week now.

Robin had managed to rush him to hospital after pulling out the stake that had lodged itself in him.

Jonno had lost an awful lot of blood, but the doctors told Robin and Vlad who visited often that he was going to survive. Jonno was a fighter and wasn't going to let a stake kill him.

Jonno would be in the hospital another month before he got out, but that didn't matter anymore because there was now a peace treaty in place between vampires and breathers.

The doctors called Jonno's parents over, who were staggered to see him in such a condition but told them everything that had happened and how vampires didn't need to be slayed; they only needed to stop biting.

It had taken a whole week from when he had been rushed to hospital for the slayers to agree, realising Jonno had a point about them – after seeing the information about the Verfore's, to sign the treaty at the Verfore fortress, just as the prophecy for told.

The Council had been replaced, Mori was now clan leader, Valencia was a representative of the long gone Galore clan, Yassik - his father had died only a day after the Grand high Vampire had, but was glad he had lived to find out that Salem was dead – was on the council officially as Count Lecushka, Darius was now on the Verfore throne with a seat on the council, Ingrid had taken up the Westenra throne and castle but said she was Countess Westenra-Dracula, Korith through not on the throne represented his father on the council, some council members such as Yang Shi stayed on the council because they seemed more trustworthy than some of the others and finally there was Terra, she hadn't taken the Salem throne quickly... she delayed it but eventually gave in and was a member of the council too.


Vlad thought back on what Terra had done after her father's death... she had hidden in her room trying to cope. Then Korith called his aunt and Francine came and helped Terra though it until she was mostly herself again. Vlad knew though that Terra may never be the same again, but loved her nonetheless.

Vlad himself was now officially Count Dracula, though no one referred to him as Count Dracula, they all saw him as the Chosen One... the Grand High Vampire. He had power over the council now, but he didn't bother to enforce that power because he felt he had to show a level of trust in them so that they would trust him.

Then there was Robin... Darius had binded him to Verfore blood mirror, stating he was his brother – though he wasn't – and next in line for the throne should he have no children.

Vlad looked up at the ceiling snorting. Darius would have children, everyone knew that... Adze had happily taken up living with Darius and was unofficially Madam Verfore.

Vlad now lived with Robin in Stokely Castle still. Ingrid had taken up in the Westenra residence, Yassik and Valencia in the Lecushka residence, Mori in his father's castle; Korith had moved back in with his father and Terra had taken her mother to live with her in the Salem house which they were doing a major redecorating of.

Bertrand had stayed for a few days and then disappeared to help Daralum teach with his son. Vlad knew he would see him from time to time though he didn't need him anymore.

"How things have changed..." Vlad muttered, he was sat on his throne – he had had his father's one moved to the Blood Mirror room to stay there as a testament to his father, his father's ashes in a pot on the throne – looking up still.

Renfield was tottering around tidying and Robin was sat on the table reading the latest Vampire Times.

"Yeah," Robin agreed. "Who'd have thought I'd get to be a vampire, you'd be the Grand High Vampire and we'd manage to get peace!"

Vlad looked down to smile at his best friend. "It feels like it's all over now... I have no goals to achieve..."

Robin put the paper down and snorted. "As if," he complained. "You have to get your fangs into Terra remember? That's your next goal."

Vlad rolled his eyes.

"At least you have a girl to chase after," Robin complained. "All the vampire girls I know are spoken for." He pouted.

Vlad laughed. "I'm sure you'll meet some freaky vampire girl somewhere Robin. Then you'll instantly fall for her."

Robin shook his head disapprovingly at his best friend. "Whatever you say your highness,"

They both laughed.

It all seemed so perfect, but Vlad knew that it wasn't perfect. If it was perfect then his mother and father would be still alive, so would Will and Terra would be with him rather than with her mother uncertain of how she really felt for Vlad.

Even though the Count had reassured Vlad somewhat, he still felt the pain in his heart from seeing so many people die; he had a constant weight in his stomach from the guilt of feeling that all the death and pain was his fault.

Part of him wished he could just die just to get rid of his companion – pain. But, he knew that it was stupid of him to feel that way too; all the others needed him, or at least the vampire race needed him. They still weren't used to the idea of no biting; some were trying to do it without being noticed... others drank blood from humans without biting claiming it wasn't an infraction of the rules. Vlad was still needed here to keep the peace in place.

Vlad looked up to his worn ceiling from his currently open coffin, thinking of the time his father had pinned him upside down from that very ceiling as punishment for not cheating in the rugby trials...

Vlad smiled faintly knowing that his eyes were watering, he missed those times... trying to be human when he wasn't, having a normal – ish – human friend and most of all his father, Vlad missed Count Dracula more than any person who had died.

What he wouldn't give to go back and do it all again... Then he would make things right, he wouldn't argue with his father the way he had, he would be more tolerant and show he really loved his father no matter what.

Vlad closed his eyes attempting to let the weight of the world he felt go off his shoulders.


Like I said this is mostly a tying of loose ends thing now. But there are still two chapters. Sorry this chapter is a bit on the slow and lame side, I know it isn't up to my normal standard but the next one will be better and the final chapter should be the best of the last three chapters.

Thanks for reading and please review!

C

xx