not_heavens_adam | Headcanon Post

So, in Volume 1, chapter 1, we're introduced to this character Princess Marie. It's obvious from the moment Johnny lays eyes on her that he knows who she is, even Charley calls him out on it. It's only confirmed when, later, the boys go to confront her.

It's clear in the interaction between Rayflo and Marie that she considers herself Johnny's master and he even seems inclined to follow her orders at first instinct, the only reason he doesn't is that Charley stops him.

One other little teaser for Johnny and Marie's relationship in chapter 1 is the flashback we're shown of Johnny bringing Marie to the Vatican to put her into a sleeping beauty-like state. In chapter 21, we're shown a painting of Johnny and Marie from when Johnny was a knight, something that was alluded to chapter 6. So, where do all the pieces fit?

My take:

Scene: Johnny's kingdom, wherever/whenever that may be, Johnny is already a part of the royal knights and, in my headcanon, is knight captain, when the king and queen have their first child: Marie. Marie is the first and only princess, whether she is to rule or be married off, she is very important to the kingdom and treasured by her parents. As he is one of their best and most trusted knights, the king and queen assign Johnny as Marie's protector.

This assignment means that, from the day Marie was born, Johnny was at her side almost constantly. He got to watch her grown and learn and become the adorable little girl she was. Her innocence and love won over his heart so completely that this 'assignment' went from something he was supposed to do to something he wanted to do; he loved Marie so completely and she loved him right back. He was her, literal, knight in shining armor who was always there for her and always ready to offer a smile and encouragement.

Ten/Eleven years down the line, there's the seige on the castle in which almost everyone died, king and queen included, but Johnny protects Marie with his life, and sustains his mortal wounds in this way. Enter: Belial who offers to not only save Johnny's life, but also grant him more strength. With no options left and no real comprehension for what he's agreeing to, Johnny takes up Belial's offer and is made into a 'pure blood vampire.'

So, now, Johnny has immortality and strength to protect Marie and anyone else whom he loves, along with this ability to 'save' people from death and corruption by turning them as well. This is how Marie turns into a vampire. Johnny, in his desperation to save her from death, decay, and to sustain her innocent attitude, turns her into a vampire as well.

This is where everything goes wrong.

Turning the young girl into a vampire is fine at first, and the two travel around together: the Princess and her Knight. However, as time goes on, with the bloodlust and taint she suffers, Maire begins to loose her sanity. She slaughters whole villages and goes on killing sprees while Johnny takes the blame for it to protect her. He's unable to stop her because, as he has been conditioned by himself, he can't deny her when she wishes something, and of course, he can't kill her. This is when he knocks her out and takes her to the Vatican as a priest and requests that they keep her in a permanent sleep so that she can avoid her own insanity.

This horrific mutation of one so beloved to him only scars Johnny, mentally and emotionally, and causes him to see 'turning' as a curse and something he swore to never do again. This was why, when Charley was dying, he was hesitant to save him; he didn't want Charley to loose his purity to such a tainting 'disease.'

What really makes Charley's 'turning' so tragic is the fact that it still went 'wrong' if only in the sense that then Johnny had to spend several decades being hunted by the one person he cared about more than anyone else.