Chapter Six

Stefan

I went straight to my room after leaving Viorica's. I still hadn't started working on the prophecy yet, and I was starting to feel guilty. Ever since Viorica had fainted the other day, her father had been quietly worrying and researching. I could at least do my part and find one prophecy.

I crossed over to my desk and groaned when I saw the stack of parchment. I'd forgotten how large my little 'haystack' was. Well it had to be done sooner or later… I sat down and untied the cord that bound the papers.

After I had gotten a methodical rhythm, I let my mind wander a bit. Viorica had looked terrified when I told her I loved her. But then, she was young, true not much younger than myself, but still. She had been protected for much of her childhood and had been schooled rigorously in the ways of a royal child. Viorica had no idea how to respond to my affection.

She would learn though. We had eons of time to learn together. I smiled at the prospect, and almost missed what I was looking for. My eyes widened as I scanned the page.

Prophecy made by Constance the Child, Concerning events to take place three thousand years from now.

It was only the opening page, but at least I knew the prophecy was here! I excitedly pulled out the next page in the stack. My heart sank as I saw what was on the page. It was useless information on a banquet held years before my time. I gritted my teeth in frustration, slamming the page down on the reject pile.

"Having trouble, Stefan?"

I whirled around in my chair, ready to spring up. I relaxed when I saw my uncle chucking softly.

"The young are so defensive. Especially humans! They argue about the most mundane topics and are sent to the "Headmaster" for absurd reasons. These human teachers are the worst, always begging for time off or more pay. I tell you, Stefan, I'll be happy when this year is over."

I smiled as my uncle sat down on my bed, facing me. The academy only took in beginner students every four years. We took no older or younger students, so everyone was the same age. King Draco himself masqueraded as the Headmaster who was available only after dusk.

"It's not really trouble, Your Majesty. More like frustration. I managed to find the opening page to the prophecy, but the prophecy itself is still lost within this stack."

King Draco frowned for a moment, eyeing the stack. After a moment, he smiled and rose from my bed.

"Enough for now Stefan. Come, let's walk in the night."

I re-bound the stack, wary of my uncle's motive. Usually when he wanted to talk with me he was bringing bad or important news.

"Don't worry, Stefan. We're just going for a stroll."

We walked out into the hallway and headed for the hall that would take us out onto the castle grounds. Once there King Draco made his way to me and Viorica's tree, seating himself on the bench. I hadn't been to our tree with Viorica in a while, and I felt down. King Draco waited until I had sat down to begin speaking.

"I know you love Viorica, Stefan, and that's why I'm asking you to do this. As you know, I have been researching for reasons why she might have collapsed so suddenly. There has never been a problem like this among immortals. I was forced to look among the records of the common people."

King Draco suddenly stood up, waving at me to stay seated. He started to pace, his expression anxious. I automatically knew that what he had found was not good. My palms started tingling and I clenched them tightly. A few moments later, my uncle spoke again.

"Her collapsing was either a complicated side-effect of her maturing, but it's not likely. Eight times out of ten, the vampire died."

He looked me straight in the eyes when he said this. I could see the stress written plainly on his face. My whole world felt like it was falling apart. I fell off the beach and onto my knees.

"You mean… Viorica's either going to mature soon or…die?"

Unable to speak, the king nodded miserably.

"How do we stop it? There must be some way…" I said desperately.

"There is no way of stopping it, Stefan" King Draco whispered.

I shook my head in weak defiance and misery. Viorica could not die. Immortals can't die unless we are killed, and it's nearly impossible to accomplish that. For her to be taken from me now… it was cruel.

"What do you need me to do?" I asked, standing up, a sudden determination taking hold of me.

Smiling, my uncle clasped me on the shoulder.

"There's a good lad. I need you to keep a close eye on Viorica. If she starts to deteriorate then I want her to be comfortable. And tell no one else what I have said, not even Viorica herself. The only people who know are you, your father, and I. I don't want to worry Anise. Can you do that for me?"

I nodded briefly and my uncle smiled again.

"Come along; let's get you back to the castle before dawn."

I paused outside Viorica's room. She said she hadn't been sleeping well lately… I hoped she wasn't awake, otherwise she would see this as a huge violation of her privacy. I poked my head in the door and relaxed when I saw her sleeping form on the bed. I eased quietly into her room and sat on the window-seat.

I watched Viorica sleep; she looked so peaceful. Her face was worry-free, like the Viorica I knew before the times grew stressful. I reached out and lightly touched her soft cheek. She looked perfectly healthy, and I refused to believe that she could possibly be dying.

Viorica's brow furrowed and she sighed in her sleep, rolling over. I retracted my hand quickly so I wouldn't wake her. I waited for a few more seconds, then got up and quietly exited the room. Out in the hallway I took a deep breath to calm myself.

The castle was silent, half the school sleeping. The vampire students- or the Moonlight students as the humans called us- were either doing homework or quietly socializing. That's one reason I didn't think humans and vampires would get along. Humans lived life in the fast lane, always moving at rapid paces, always loud and obnoxious. Vampires were calm, serene, and took time to marvel at the beauties around them.

That was one thing Viorica and I could never agree on. She seemed to find the humans amusing and believed we could all co-exist. Sometimes I wanted to believe as well, but the humans had a bloody history with us that I was unable to forget. Sighing, I opened the door to my dorm and went inside.

The stack of papers was still lying on my desk. I eyed it grudgingly, but didn't move towards it. Instead I crossed over to my bed, collapsing on it. Viorica couldn't be in danger of dying. How would that explain how she saw Prince Samuel's face? Perhaps the king didn't take that into consideration…

It was unlikely, but I figured I would see him first thing tomorrow night. He might not have forgotten that factor in his research, but it was worth a try. It could make a difference, especially to Viorica. Groaning, I rolled over and fell into a fitful sleep, my dreams haunted by ghosts of what could be.

I found it amusing that I knew when Viorica was approaching without having to turn around. The quiet voices of my classmates became even more hushed, and there was a sound of rustling clothes as they bowed. When I felt her draw near, I turned, holding out my arm. I surprised her with a small sweet kiss. Viorica smiled at me and gently took my arm.

Maximus was, as always, waiting for us. He smirked at me, and I looked away. I refused to let Maximus get to me. Sometimes though… I really wanted to put him in his place.

"Today we will be learning about the different powers you can receive when you mature."

The classroom rippled with excitement, while Viorica and I stifled groans. Most everything Maximus taught we have already learned through our royal training. It was a real surprise when Maximus prepared a lesson on a subject we didn't already know about. Maximus's assistant used his power to begin writing down the names of me and Viorica's parents on the board.

"King Draco has the power to read your mind. He can hear any thought that passes through your mind at any given moment. It would take a miracle to lie to him. Wouldn't it, Princess Viorica?"

Viorica didn't answer, and I nudged her gently. She jerked in surprise, blinking hard.

"Pardon?" she asked politely.

I could see Maximus relish his power over Viorica. I clenched my shaking hands in order to remain calm.

"Isn't it hard to do something wrong when His Majesty can read minds?" Maximus repeated slowly.

Maximus was trying to trap Viorica, trying to prove that the royals weren't as perfect as we seemed. But Viorica was too smart for Maximus, even when she was in a distracted mood.

"If I had been so inclined as to misbehave, Master Maximus, I'm sure it would have been hard to fool my father." Viorica continued in that same polite voice.

I could see Maximus's disappointment as he swung quickly to another topic. I smiled briefly, then looked over at Viorica. She was staring straight ahead, and to Maximus, it probably seemed like she was paying attention. I could tell her mind wasn't anywhere near the lesson, however. Her brow was furrowed, and she looked worried. I wanted to touch her shoulder to bring her mind back to the classroom so I could talk to her, but something held me back.

Looking at her right here, next to me, death was not something I would think would be anywhere near her. Viorica looked like a beautiful, strong vampire. But as much as I didn't want to, I saw her with different eyes now. I saw things I didn't before-like the small shadows underneath her eyes.

Suddenly Viorica turned to look at me. Something in my face must have alarmed her, because she gave me a tiny frown. When I didn't look away or change my expression, she smiled at me.

"You don't have to look so worried, Stefan. You're looking at me as if I might suddenly disappear. I'm alright."

I was about to make a positive reply-complying with her father's wish- when Maximus's voice rang out.

"Princess Viorica, I understand that you are a royal child, but that does not give you special privileges in my classroom. Shut your insolent mouth before I shut it for you."

I sprang up immediately, along with another female student. A part of my mind recognized her as Viorica's friend Maria, but I was too furious to care. The world took on a red tinge and several students gasped. Maximus looked surprised.

"Apologize to Viorica, Maximus. Now," I growled.

I was happy to see Maximus appear a little frightened, as much as he tried to hide it.

"My deepest apologies, Highness," he said, sweeping a low bow.

Viorica ignored him, looking up at me. I glanced down and saw that her face was pale and stressed. The anger disappeared as quickly as it had come and the world returned to its normal color. I felt drained and exhausted.

"Stefan?"

It was her quiet worried voice that did me in. Closing my eyes, I turned and ran down the steps. When I reached the door however, a voice stopped me from leaving.

"Master Maximus, your disrespect will no longer be tolerated by this class. We are honored to have the prince and princess to be our classmates. You are honored to be able to teach them. They do not demand your respect, so I will for them!"

Maria was still standing, her voice filled with anger and power. Her eyes were glowing a deep red, and she was glaring at Maximus. As she finished her speech, a heavy wind began to blow, ruffling her hair. It affected no one but Maximus, who staggered under the gale.

Maria just changed…

I took that moment to leave the classroom. I ran, not caring where I was going. I stopped only when I heard my name being called softly.

"Stefan, dear. I would love to not have to chase you all around the castle."

I turned as my Aunt Anise drifted towards me, her face wrinkled at the corners with concern. She raised her eyebrows at me questioningly, and I dropped my gaze. She placed her hand on my shoulder and steered me to a bench.

"Now, would you like to tell me what happened in the classroom?"

I poured out the entire story to Queen Anise. She kept a comforting hand on my shoulder. She showed no emotion until I repeated what Maximus had said. Her mouth formed a flat line on her face, and her hand grew tighter on my shoulder.

"I convinced Draco not to go to Maximus in anger the other night. I had hoped Maximus had just had a rough night and that his disrespectful manner would pass. I will do no such thing now." She said softly, a hint of anger at the edges of her voice.

I hesitated, wanting to ask something, but unsure of how to phrase it. Queen Anise blinked, her anger passing, and looked over at me with a pleasant smile on her face.

"What is it, Stefan. I can answer any question you'd like."

"Maria just matured tonight, and I think it was through anger. My eyes have only glinted red when I'm angry and that's when I can feel the power. Is… is that how we mature? Through anger?"

"No, Stefan. There is no set way how we change, and no one knows why. My own personal theory is that we mature when we do something great or spontaneous for our personality. Maria is Viorica's quiet little friend, right?"

I nodded, thinking that Maria hadn't seemed so quiet tonight in the classroom…

"When she stood up to Maximus, Maria was doing something she had never done before. I think that is what might have brought on her maturing. Do you understand?"

I was relieved. I didn't like feeling so out of control with anger, and was happy that I wouldn't have to be when I matured. Viorica had looked so stressed and worried about me. It was amusing, because that's how I was feeling about her all the time now.

"Yes, Queen Aunt. Thank you."

Queen Anise smiled and gracefully got to her feet. I quickly followed suit.

"Come along dear. Let's get you to your room. I understand you have a prophecy to find."