The sun rose over the town of Mystic Falls. The town itself was a reasonable size and prosperous due to the successful cotton businesses and the lively marketplace.
The general population lived in town whilst the high society of Mystic Falls lived in one of the many estates surrounding the bustling town, each adjacent to many acres of private land and cotton fields.
The governor of Virginia, Mason Lockwood resided in his nephew Tyler Lockwood's manor. His poor health forced him to leave the capital, Richmond and confined him to the Mystic Falls countryside. Unable to achieve much for the greater good of Virginia, Mason attempted to keep the peace as much as he could in Mystic Falls.
Though the general public knew little about Tyler, he was seen as rather queer and had an interesting mind with a bold imagination. He was looked down upon by his respectable peers despite his connections and social status. Nevertheless, Tyler was not affected by the other's opinions of his strange character.
The two families however who made Mystic Falls so notoriously well known where the Salvatores and the Gilberts. The Salvatores had been in a bitter feud with the Gilberts ever since they first came to Virginia.
Generations of people had lived through and experienced the endless conflict between the two wealthy families yet none could even remember what any of the arguing was about. One of the first things a Salvatore child would be taught is never to trust or even speak to a Gilbert and vice versa. Each family boasted acres of fertile farmland, numerous slaves and healthy children.
The Gilberts were an All-American family from old money who had inhabited Mystic Falls for hundreds of years. Lord Grayson Gilbert was a cunning plantation owner who like his wife Lady Miranda Gilbert, would jump at any prospect of improving his social standing or increasing his general wealth.
Their daughter Elena was regarded as one of the most beautiful young ladies in Mystic Falls and many beaux would regularly ask for her hand. Miranda and Grayson however would never let their precious only child marry any commoner.
Still, the most protective of the beloved girl was her cousin, Jeremy. Jeremy was extremely ill-famed for his quick temper and strong sense of Gilbert pride. He was one to cause many fights when provoked and had been in trouble with the law yet he still retained his ego.
The closest to Elena was perhaps her nurse, Isobel who had been her wet nurse when she was only a baby. The fiercely crude Isobel had long made herself too comfortable as part of the Gilbert household. When her services were no longer needed, so she took it upon herself to stay and act as a private maid to Elena.
The Salvatores were not unlike the Gilberts as they still maintained the dignity and formality of an upper class family. Originally from Tuscany, the family immigrated to Mystic Falls due to the financial opportunities that came with farming and selling cotton to Great Britain.
Like true Italians, the Salvatores were very family-oriented. At the head of the family were Giuseppe and his wife Katherine. Both were very loving and gentle people, especially Katherine. Giuseppe despite his affectionate side was a shrewd businessman when it came to his endeavors and at times could be increasingly stubborn.
They had one son, Damon, who was very dear to them as he was their only child. At twenty years old, Damon was seen by his female companions as extremely handsome and women loved him because of his passionate nature and intelligence. What these women did not know was that his obsession with love could sometimes drive him to become immature and impulsive.
Damon was thoroughly in love with the idea of love yet he had no knowledge of what true love actually was. He enjoyed the aspirations of flirting with women and filling their heads with pretty little things designed to make them swoon.
One of his only non romantic characteristics was that he was devoted and loyal to his cousin Stefan and friend Tyler. Stefan, after being orphaned by a fire in his home when he was a child, was taken in by his aunt and uncle. They had become very close and he had become an active member of the family.
Stefan was known for his honor, as he would never verbally or physically act out upon anybody for fear that he might disgrace the Salvatore name. Nevertheless he would occasionally have the tendency to have a fierce temper in private.
How good or kind any of these people seemed personally did not matter when it came to the rivalry between the two families as a whole, and on one normal day in the town of Mystic Falls in 1864, the feud was about to take new heights.
I hope you enjoyed it. This is based around Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet'. Review if you would like me to continue!
