Tudor Rose [BoyxBoy]

Chapter 1 - Bloodlines

Anomaly.

In more ways than one.

Tudor Rose Academy stood with its west front at the bank of the River Thames. The former palace had been constructed in 1500 and became a favorite of Queen Elizabeth and the site of her death. Of course, Elizabeth hadn't died. She had been the Headmistress and guardian of the academy since 1603.

Henri Leclair had absolutely no idea about this when he was making his way to her office. He travelled slowly down the glossy hall taking in his surroundings. The windows were almost completely frosted over, as it was January when he was starting his first term at Tudor Rose.

Vampire.

From his mother's side he had inherited a latent gene that had yet to fully mature. His mother was the daughter of Louis Valois and together they comprised the last of the Valois bloodline. This made Henri a pureblood, heir to a dying and immensely weak vampire bloodline that he had since only learned about that year after turning sixteen. His mother had not expected him to become a vampire and so he had to enroll a semester late to Tudor Rose. He had no fangs and he could do nothing special, yet he was being sent to an academy for vampire children for his final years of school before going to University. If University was even still an option after this.

He had been staring blankly for so long walking down this endless hallway that when he finally reached the Headmaster's door, he collided with the body coming out of it. He looked up into deep burgundy eyes. The boy before him had tousled, thick, dark hair and a strong brow that hooded his intense eyes. In them was a contemptuous anger that penetrated Henri's own sour mood and dissolved it. He backed away and the apology he wanted to give was caught in his throat. The other boy looked him overe briefly before starting briskly down the hall. Henri turned to watch him go.

"Come in," he heard the voice of the Headmaster. It was an elderly woman with red curls elaborately done up and red spectacles. He had never heard of a female headmaster.

"Headmas-mistress," he stumbled as he rushed in and sat down across from her. She looked him over approvingly.

"Henri Leclair," she said. "Do you know who I am?"

Henri knew she was the Headmistress, but he did not know who she was at all. His mother had sent him here from France with the knowledge that he would learn all he needed to know upon arriving.

"Please excuse me, but I do not," he said softly.

"I am, or was Queen Elizabeth the First of England," she waited to see if she had shocked him. "I started this school when I 'died' just over two hundred years ago. What year is it? I tend to forget.." 

"It's 1890, miss." Henri struggled with how to address her, English being only a second language.

"Right. Well. Here at Tudor Rose everyone is like us, Henri. By that I mean we are all vampires. How much do you know about that?"

"Very little, miss."

"Interesting. You are a Valois. I understand that only you and your mother are left of your line," she said this as a statement but waited for Henri to nod. "If you didn't know, I shall tell you that the Valois are one of eight important European pureblood bloodlines. The Valois represents France, of course. England is represented by my bloodline, the Tudors, of which I am the Head. There are the Medicis of Italy, the Hohenzollerns of Germany, the Romanovs of Russia, the Borjas of Spain, and the Draculas of Eastern Europe-"

"That was only seven," Henri interrupted before realizing it had been rude.

"Oh," she sighed and adjusted her spectacles. "There is the Cavalcanti pureblood but I don't have time to explain that. Anyway, the students here are all purebloods. That means you descend from a bloodline.  That is really all you need to know for now. To find out your room assignment and curriculum, I suggest you speak to Charles Stuart, he is a prefect for your year and I have instructed him to help you."

She smiled and then looked toward her paper work. Henri took that as a queue to leave. Standing outside the office was a tall and scrawny boy with a handsome face but plainly arrogant attitude. He was holding a folder in one hand and he extended the other; a gesture he had been told was introductory.

"Charles Stuart, Tudor," he said.

"Henri Leclair... Valois," Henri replied and took Charles' hand and shook it enthusiastically, trying to improve his outlook.

They started down the hall and Charles passed the folder to Henri. "In that folder you will find your course schedule and syllabi. If you have questions you can find me or ask anyone, I think you will find everyone at Tudor Rose is quite friendly," there was a pause, "Your room assignment is in Gates, the top floor, I will take you there now."

Henri followed Charles out of the palace and into the gardens. The river was glistening in the white winter sun and Henri was impressed with the beauty of the campus. However no one was out.

Henri knew it was a myth that vampires would perish in sunlight because his own mother walked freely in the sun, so he had to ask. "Where is everyone?"

"It is customary that we have our classes at night," Charles said.

"But why?"

"Purebloods are immune to sunlight, but lesser vampires are not. We have adapted to doing business after dawn. Some students sleep during the day, although it isn't really necessary and I suggest you adapt to living with little to no sleep at all."

No sleep?

Charles pointed, "This building is called Wardrobe, it is a dormitory for the second years. The next one you see is Trumpeters, for the third years. That is where you can find me if need be. The last, and the one you will be living in, is Gates, for the first years." Henri made no comment as they made their way to Gates.

"I do have another question," Henri said after some internal deliberation, the image of the boy from before burned in his mind.