Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Shattered Illusions ❯ Shattered Petals ( Chapter 34 )

WARNING: Death and suicide in this chapter. You know the drill. If you can't handle it or it's a touchy subject, this is your warning.

Now, I present you with the next chapter!

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Shattered Illusions

By: Revamp

Chapter 34: Shattered Petals

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Millie and Yale went outside of the manor, where there was a large, spacious rose garden. It spanned the length of the front yard, long, concrete walkways seperated rectangular portions of rose gardens, each with a different breed of roses in different colors. Some of the gardens had trellises, some were open with no walls and others had a wall of set of walls around them.

On top of one of the stone walls in a garden section of black roses, Prince Yale sat with his feet dangling over the edge. Millie sat amongst the black blossoms as they danced around her in the sweeping winds. A few petals fluttered past her, dancing high into the sky. Millie smiled as she watched them flutter away.

"Beautiful, isnit it?" Yale asked as he closed his eyes and smiled.

"Gorgeous," Millie looked to him with a smile of her own. "How did you find out about this place?"

"I was punished once and I escaped," Yale began to tell her his story, as flashbacks of ealier times flooded his senses. He could remember everything so clearly.

He had wrappings that hung from his head, neck, and arms. The vampire ran through the roses, the flowers beat against his legs and arms as the bloodied and broken body continued to run.

"It was after my vocal chords were slit and I ran as far as I could. I came to the rose garden and stopped there."

Yale gazed at a section of the rose garden that contained nothing but blood red roses. They reflected in his eyes and waves softly in the gentle breeze. The air was hot and thick, making the breezes a blessing when they swept through and hit his cold skin.

"It's the most beautiful thing I have ever seen."

He broke out into a run again and when he reached the rose garden, he collapsed into a bed of red roses. They scraped his body as his vision blurred and everything faded to black. Yale's broken body laid among the flowers, crushing several of them. Petals caressed his face as his eyes fluttered shut.

"The petals hardly hurt as badly as my injuries. Since then, it has been a place I have always visited. If I die, I wish to be buried here," Yale glanced across the flats of roses with an oddly peaceful look in his eyes as the memories of the past left him.

"Prince Yale..." Millie's eye brows knitted together in worry. She didn't like it when he spoke of such things.

"Today is Earl Prizemarter's birthday," Yale glanced back to Millie.

"That means that the Blue Rose Order meets today," the girl stated. She wondered what the meeting would be like.

"Yes, today at the party," Yale smiled. "It will be good to celebrate with my dear friend." Even if he was only there in spirit, it was nice to know that Yale and Prizemarter would be celebrating together in spirit. It brought a sense of joy to his heart.

"He's buried in the house." That's what Millie had been told, anyway.

"His body is in the black altar of the ball room. His casket rests inside of it." There was no place more perfect that that. It put the earl right in the middle of the party scene with all of his lovely guests. How happy he must have been to bear witness to nothing but moments of glee.

"How did the earl die?" Millie had wondered about it, but kept her questions to herself until now. The girl had always been interested about Prizemarter's death since they had spoken of it.

"He died in a war long ago, when Ramada was invaded. He saved my life when I was a boy and was extremely loyal to both the Wittenburgs and the Greenchapels." As he ended his sentence, he could see the girl rise and walk over to the wall.

"Prince Yale?" She asked in a small voice.

"Yes?" He glanced down at her.

"Copernicus...He's really important, isn't he? I mean, he's just as important as you, isn't he?" Millie had a sneaking suspicion about the brunette. The fact that Prince Yale looked up to Copernicus so much meant that he had to be important. The blonde practically saw him as an advisor.

The vampire's visage hardened. "He's more important than I could ever wish to be."

"Is he affiliated with the king?" She dared to ask. It was a question that he might not be so willing to answer, but she wanted to take that risk. If anyone could tell her about the other vampire, Yale could.

"Yes, but I can't tell you how," Yale wasn't about the break his promise.

"I didn't think you could...Could you tell me what the king is like? I mean, you're related to him, right?" Millie wanted to push him a little more. After all, she was helping to protect this mystery man. It would be nice to know something about him.

Yale decided to let her know little, vague things about the king. It couldn't hurt to tell her something at the very least. "He's my elder brother and he's about the same age as Copernicus. He's a very regal man, kind but he believes in a firm government ruled with an iron fist. He also believes that the figurehead should run the show from the throne and not be actively performing menial tasks."

Those were the beliefs that Copernicus had, if she remembered correctly. "You think that if the figurehead doesn't actively lead, that his subordinates can't follow, right?"

"As figurehead, I believe in active duty. People want to know that you can take action and get involved. If you love the public, they will love you," Yale would rule no other way when he was king. He longed to show his people that it didn't take an iron fist to get them to do what he wanted. All it took was a gentle hand and motivation.

"I get it now," Millie said as Yale hopped down from the wall, gracefully landing as his white cape flowed behind him. "You really were a big threat. You did something about the issues and quickly got rid of the problems." To her, he was a very effective ruler indeed.

"Yes, I was a huge threat. I was the one who ordered the execution of the Black Knight Ops leaders who were thought to be conspirators. The king and I went head to head in an argument over the issue." Just remembering the fights with Copernicus made his head reel with pain. There was nothing worse than debates with that man. He was quite stubborn.

Millie walked over to him, taking his hand in her own as rose petals blew through the air with the sweeping winds. Maroon hair blew around as she took tucked some of it behind her ear and smiled. The air was scented with blossoms as the two smiled, together in a moment of peace.

"I won't let you down," she kissed the back of his hand, "my prince."

"I know you won't, Millie," his words left softly and were carried into the air.

XxXxXxXx

Classical music sounded throughout the ballroom, making it lively as it mixed with the conversation of both vampire and human alike. Dancers spun around on the floor and clusters talked, ate, sat at the tables and sipped on punch. Copernicus, Horatio and Tsubomi stood in a sparsely populated area and had a few personal conversations to themselves. Teru and Shiva also joined them, and the two joined in talking about the decor on some of the tables.

Teru reached over and picked up a modern art statue that was placed as a center piece on one of the tables. He gave it a strange look. "What the hell is it supposed to be?"

"It's modern art. It's not supposed to be anything but expression," Shiva commented. That was the purpose of modern art, as a release of artistic expression. It didn't have to truly resemble anything and more often than not, it didn't.

"What are they trying to express? Extreme pain? It's painful to look at, that's for sure," Teru held out one hand. The status was a grotesque series of vines with some sort of ugly, demonic-looking face inside of it. He didn't really get the expression behind it.

Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain to his head as Shiva bopped him with her decorative umbrella. The vampire put the statue down and place his hands over the afflicted area. "Ow! Shiva!"

"Be courteous," Shiva pointed the umbrella at him. "It's Early Prizemarter's birthday." She scolded her red-headed friend.

At the altar, Yale stood before the massive black coffin. On a small podium in front of it, there was a picture of the earl. He was a classy man, distinguished with silver, slicked back hair and a handlebar mustache that was curled on the ends. He also wore a monocle and dressed like a military general. Around his portrait, a few white candles were lit. The blonde placed a bundle of white roses on top of his resting place. "My old friend...I am so very sorry for what I've done."

A pained expression crossed his face as the events of the past assaulted him relentlessly. "I never meant for...any of this to happen."

The earl shoved a young Prince Yale, only twelve years old out of the way as a bullet ripped through his chest. Yale stood there, shocked as the man's body crashed to the ground. His monocle plummeted from his face and cracked on the hard surface below. The boy hugged his savior, anguished cries ripped through the orange skies.

"I will avenge you. I'll get Hide and your death won't be in vain." That was a promise that Yale would take to his grave.

"Hey, Prince Yale," a deep voice sounded from behind him. Yale jolted and turned to see Tsubomi behind him.

"What is it?" He asked before turning all the way around.

"You look kind of solemn. I thought you might want some company," Tsubomi's eyes glanced to the portrait of the distinguished earl. "So, that's the earl?"

Yale nodded. "Yes, Earl Brenson V. Prizemarter III, he died when he was twenty-seven. The man who saved my life when I was twelve," the prince's voice sounded distant, as if he was still wrapped up in the flashbacks that continued to assault his senses.

"A lot of people sure have died around you," Tsubomi wondered how he dealt with such circumstances. It seemed more like a curse than a blessing.

Yale's frown deepened and he tipped his head down, long bangs covered his eyes. "Not around me, because of me, Tsubomi."

Tsubomi's voice lowered, taking on a serious tone. "You really don't like existing, do you?"

The prince's head snapped up, and a jolt of realization shot through his body. Blue eyes widened at the boy's words. Never had someone pointed out something like that about him. He was shocked that Tsubomi would be so honest in pointing it out. "Huh?"

"You probably like the fact that you can't talk. The less you say, the less pain you're in," Tsubomi delivered another shocking blow that rendered the prince speechless. All he could do was stare at her in utter disbelief. "You know, I feel the same way. I may not know you like Millie does, but I know enough to know you're miserable when you're not around her. The solemn vampire prince, who has so much to hide: emotionally and otherwise."

Yale closed his eyes and tilted his head down and to the side. His voice was solemn. It was strange, how this boy could just break down his walls and infiltrate his heart so easily. "You're right...Millie is the only one who makes me happy."

Tsubomi turned to him, leveling the broken prince with a serious gaze. "You should love her and stop hurting yourself. You're already in bad shape, so stop depriving yourself of happiness...Prince Yale...learn to be happy and love yourself just a little. I know you must feel like you failed Ramada but I'm sure they still think you're a good prince." That was something that she was sure of. Yale didn't need anything or anyone to define him. As a prince, he had to have pride in himself. He couldn't make his people happy if he wasn't happy himself.

"Hey! Over here! Prince Yale, Tsubomi! Get over here! We wish to speak to you!" Teru shouted from a couple of feet away, drawing attention to himself by waving frantically around, as the two turned to him and walked over to him.

"Yes? You wanted to ask me something?" Yale tilted his head in question.

"We are officially your knights now that the ceremony is over. I bet you got tired of giving us the sword treatment, huh?" Shiva joked a little, referring to the knighting process and how many times the prince had to lift the sword.

"It was nothing. I have knighted many people. I have even knighted Copernicus' knights in his absence." To him, it was part of being a prince, and one of the many tasks that came with the position.

"I'm a prince and a knight! This is marvelous, fantastic, beautiful, wonderful, splendiferous!" Teru threw his hands into the air and twirled around dramatically.

Tsubomi arched an eyebrow. "Splendiferous?" What the hell kind of word was that?

"Yes, splendiferous, Sir Tsubomi!" The red head hooked an arm around the girl and twirled one of the tendrils of hair that hung over her shoulder around his finger. "Such pretty, pretty hair for a knight." It shimmered in the artificial lighting of the ball room. He couldn't help but touch it.

"I'm sorry I don't have unkempt, wild hair like you," the girl shot, just as dry and sarcastic as she always had.

"I know! It's great!" Teru called out, fluffing his wild series of spikes.

"You two are getting along well," Copernicus cut into the conversation as he walked over to the group, joining in.

"We manage," Yale smiled at his brother.

"At least he's not hanging on me," Millie sighed, shuffling her way into the group, right beside of Teru.

"Are you jealous, Millie...Sir Millie," Teru teased the girl over her knightly title.

Millie went board straight in anger. How dare he refer to her as a man! "I am not a sir!" She argued.

"Yes sir, sir!" Teru continued to tease, saluting to her like a member of the guard.

"Okay, madam Teru," Millie shot with her arms folded over her breasts and a scowl painted into her features.

The red head placed a hand to his chest and mocked offense with his mouth agape and his eyes widened. Copernicus chuckled softly at their antics. Millie and Teru had truly formed a special type of bond between them, a truly humorous bond that the brunette was amused by.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself," Copernicus' mood really was infectious. Shiva felt herself smile along with him.

"Yes, after the work is done, I'm casual as can be." It was time for everyone to relax and Copernicus was taking some time to get his mind off of Hide, and all of the small details of his plans. It was nice to sit back and enjoy the perks of his lavish lifestyle. It was something that he rarely had the chance to do.

"Excuse me, I need some more wine. I'll be back," Yale dismissed himself, holding up his empty wine glass as he weaved through the group and ventured off to refill his glass. Tsubomi offered to go with him, and the two made their way over towards the punch tables, where several types of bottled wines were sitting.

A gun was aimed for Yale as he walked down a flight of stairs, followed by Tsubomi who walked a few steps behind him. The cross hairs of the gun were positioned into place, following the elaborately dressed blonde. The shot rang throughout the ball room, and in that moment it felt surreal. It overpowered everything, even the blaring classical tunes in the background. Yale's eyes widened as the bullet ripped through his body. Blue petals dispersed from his chest, fluttering around him as gasps, screams and shock rang through the air. Tsubomi looked shocked. Shiva's umbrella hit the ground with a clank as the group was riddled with horror and shock. Horatio was mortified and tears clung to Millie's widened eyes.

"Prince...Prince Yale..." Millie's pupils shook with horror as she said her lover's name in a trembling tone. Blood streamed from the blonde's chest as everything happened in slow motion. The petals flew and the blood that streamed out of his chest was splattered on the petals as they tumbled haphazardly through the air. His body fell as Millie wept, tears streaming down her face as she dove, catching him before he could make contact.

"Prince Yale! Prince Yale, please don't die!" The maroon-haired girl begged as she clutched the prince's body close to her.

The blonde twitched as the crimson liquid bubbled and spurted from his chest. He tried to speak, but blood gurgled from his mouth, running from the corner. Gurgling, Yale placed a hand to his coat where the wound was.

Millie pressed her hands into the gunshot wound, trying to keep the blood from coming to the surface as quickly. "Please...Please stop bleeding! Don't die!" The girl was hysterical as the blood welled up around her hands, coating her fingers in slick red.

Copernicus knelt beside of his brother, taking him from the girl and hugging him close.

"Copernicus...I..."

"Yale..." The brunette's speech was low as tears clung to his eyes. His grip on his brother tightened as the blonde in his arms slowly bled out.

"Millie...Please don't cry..." Copernicus' hug loosened and the prince slowly brought his hand to the side of the girl's face, stroking it gently. I knew this would happen...but now...now I can tell you the long-awaited thing I have been wishing to admit."

Millie gripped his hand, holding it tightly. "What? What is it, Prince Yale?"

"Remember when you said that you loved me, Millie?"

"Yes," she remembered it all-too well. It was her most cherished memory.

"I love you as well. I've loved you from the moment we met, Millie Ashford. No one is as wonderful as you...Perhaps if I would have found you sooner we could have been so happy," Yale smiled faintly, blood ran from his filmy teeth.

"I love you too...but why? Why couldn't you have told me earlier?" This wasn't her picture-perfect romance. This wasn't how she wanted him to admit his love. Why did he have to leave her? She was counting on forever. This was a romance turned into a horror film, right before her eyes, and everything that she had once treasured was ripped from her life.

Yale took a note from his pocket. A picture of himself was enclosed into the folded letter. Half-opened blue eyes looked to the girl as she took the articles of parchment in her hands. "Please...as my dying request, read this when you're alone. It tells you all you need to know about me. I regret that we didn't meet earlier. I am always so happy to be around you."

"Oh, Prince Yale!" Millie couldn't take it anymore. She held the letter to her breast and broke out into hysterical sobbing. She was about to lose everything she had worked for, and knowing the prince had loved her all along felt as if someone violently punched her directly in the heart.

"I never meant to cause you so much pain....but it seems as though I have by keeping the secret from you." Just then, he felt tears hit his cheek. His eyes panned up to see Copernicus, weeping above him. "Dear brother...Please Copernicus...take my place as leader of the Order of the Blue Rose."

"Yes, your majesty," Copernicus sobbed.

"I loved you all...Thank you for everything...I can finally see King Carlyle and Queen Hepesta again," Yale's head turned to the side, and blood cascaded from his mouth, running into his brother's lap. Copernicus then hugged him close again, weeping.

'My lord...I wasn't...I wasn't able to...I have failed you." As a knight, a protector, Horatio should have went with him, but he didn't think that something like this would have happened. A prang of guilt and sorrow stabbed at his heart as she tightly clenched the fabric over his chest.

"Prince Yale..." Tsubomi whispered as she tilted her head down.

He was gone.

The prince was dead.

XxXxXxXx

A vampire put down the gun he had fired from, while everyone else gathered around the chilling murder scene. The vampire was tall and light framed, with long, curly hair and a thin mustache. Beside of him, Hizaki stood with his umbrella opened over his shoulder. The drag queen even made sure to wear his best ball gown to the occasion. It was a brilliant gold with white, lace borders and mad from the same empire cut as the rest of his gowns consisted of. His umbrella matched, golden and scrawled with baroque patterns and bordered with white lace.

"Honestly, there was really no reason for him to live, anyway. Not only was he a major threat, he was a major annoyance. Now I don't have his rebellious attitude to deal with. After all, he was the closest to defeat us single-handedly, he could have defeated Hide and more importantly...He knew Hide's weakness...He knew everything about our operation. I'm glad he's dead and without a word, taking the silence to his grave. That's how it should be," Hizaki's red lips curled into a smile and his possession spell wore off of the vampire he had possessed into firing the fatal shot that killed the prince.

The gun clacked on the ground as the vampire let out a yell. Horror was riddled into his expression and he backed up, trembling. "W-What did I just do?" He inquired as his eyes darted to the gun, then to Prince Yale, then to the gathering. "M-My lord...I just...I just murdered the second crowned p-prince of R-Ramada." The man stammered.

He looked at Hizaki. "The Princess of Illusions...You...you possessed me?"

"Yes, I did...dear Earl Charles Hampton," Hizaki smiled, talking about the issue as if it was a simple, mundane subject. "How does it feel to possess a gun in your hand? To know that you've taken the life of the boy you helped raise?"

"Prince...Y-Yale...A-Axis..." Charles trailed as the memories of Yale's childhood ran through his memories.

A small, blonde child played the piano, finishing up his tune as he heard clapping from behind him. "How was it, Mr. Hampton?" The boy turned to the elder vampire with a small smile on his face.

"Impeccable as always, my lord. Your music is beautiful," Charles walked closer to the boy as his clapping died down.

"Canon in D...My favorite song. It's absolutely beautiful, don't you think?" Yale turned around and faced the other male.

"It's always been my favorite as well." Of all of the classical tune, the two shared a love for that particular one. Charles liked to go into the music room and play the tune himself, and he was always happy to walk in on the prince practicing his favorite song.

Yale smiled at him. "We have a lot of similarities. I like you."

Yale had always played that tune, even when he was older Charles had walked in on him sitting at the piano and playing the Canon in D, more masterfully and refined than it had ever been. The sweet melodies wafted over to his ears, filling him with a great joy that put him on cloud nine. "Canon in D?" He asked.

Yale stopped playing and glanced over his shoulder at him. "Yes...Earl Hampton, have you been spying on me?"

"You have always loved that song. I remember teaching you to play it when you were just a boy." They had spent many years together in that music room, learning every key stroke of Canon in D. Charles remembered how alive the music room was, and how wonderful the moment was when Yale had perfected the song, bringing its full beauty to life.

"Yes, Earl Hampton, do you know why I love this song?" Yale asked.

"No, I do not. Why do you love this song, your majesty?" Charles had wondered what made him love that song for a while. Now was the most appropriate time to find out.

"It was my mother's favorite song. She always played it for me...ever since I was small and from that moment, I longed to play it one day as well." He had heard the song when he was very little. It was a tune that was engraved into his soul from birth, a tune that reminded him of Hepesta. It was a childhood memory that he could never forget.

Charles placed a hand on the vampire's shoulder and smiled at him. "I'm sure she's proud of you."

His words were gentle and yet the prince looked down in sorrow and remembrance of his mother, shooting his father in the middle of the head. His wide-eyed expression was riddled in horror, and then everything went black. "Why?" Yale's shaky voice begged for an answer as he placed a hand to his head with tears in his eyes. "Why? Why did this happen?" His teeth clenched as he tried to repress his instability over the issue.

Charles hugged the boy, pressing his head to his stomach and frowned as the distraught boy cried audibly. "My lord, I know that you're going through intense therapy sessions, and you seem to show little improvement but I wonder, perhaps, if we need psychologists and doctors who are better suited for your needs. King Copernicus is worried about your health. I beg of you, your majesty, please don't think about the people of Ramada. Just think about yourself."

The visions left the shaken earl as he looked at his trembling hands and picked up the gun. "I tried...so hard to keep him out of danger, and yet...I am the one who killed him..." His shaken words accompanied the tears that ran down his face. "No...He was like a son to me..." Charles put the gun to his head. "Your majesty...I am so sorry that I have failed you, please forgive me. Perhaps I can better serve you in the depths of hell."

With those final words of remorse, Charles pulled the trigger as blood splattered all over the white walls of the balcony. His body fell to the ground at Hizaki's feet and the gun tumbled from his hand and hit his high heel before spinning to a stop.

...To Be Coninued