Disclaimer: I do not own either Twilight or Highlander, although Gabriel is my own creation.
This is an idea I've been playing around with for a while now. This is going to be a little A/U. It's also my first fan-fiction, so bare with me.
Chapter I: Prologue
Eternity is relentless. Neither righteous nor forgiving. I've witnessed impossible things in my nearly four hundred years, but nothing as relevant as the reality of my cursed being. The blood I have shed, and the tears I have cried over the atrocities I have committed never allowed me to forget that.
My name is Gabriel. I was born in 1632 in London, England during the Scientific Revolution. My father, Fredrick Cullen, was an elitist Anglican pastor in a world that was slowly forgetting him. He, and other pastors like him, believed that monsters were a particularly real threat. They formed hunting parties to search for, and trail, any individual they deemed suspicious. Agatha MacArthur, an Irish immigrant and my mother, was simply a kind spirit. Though I never really had a chance to know the woman. She had left this world after the birth of my only sibling, Carlisle, in 1643. The tragedy forced me into sort of a parental role over Carlisle, as my farther was to grieved to do so.
My brother and I were the closest of siblings. I had taught him all the world had graciously shown me up to that point. Common interests such as science and quests to travel the world kept us awake for hours in wondrous discussion during our younger years. With the money I earned via odd jobs, I had put him through school; no easy task for a family who was not of noble fortunes. Eventually, Carlisle had reached maturity around the time our father became ill. Sympathetic to the man, Carlisle took on the duties of the hunting party. Sharing none of our father's medieval superstitions, however, Carlisle sought out fact rather than fiction.
In 1665, England was thrust back into war with the Dutch over domination of trading at sea. I, being a lieutenant in the Royal Navy, was sent to blockade the advancing Dutch. I do not recall how it happened, but I died during that confrontation. That is where my story begins.
You see, I am Immortal. Not until my First Death did I become so. Call it fate being a cruel temptress, but I've roamed the earth ever since. From training in Asia, sailing the seven seas, exploring the New World, and riding in the American Old West, I have fulfilled the dream that my brother and I had all those years ago. I'm not the only Immortal, however, though our exact number is unknown. Immortals do not age and remain as the day they met their First Death. We battle amongst each other for a force that resides within us called the Quickening. We gain this only by means of decapitating our opponent. Because of this, we typically carry around a sword or other bladed weapon. It is all part of the Game which has few rules...
Firstly, never fight on Holy Ground, for it is Sanctuary.
Secondly, battles must be one on one.
Third, our existence must be kept from the mortal world.
And finally, in the end, there can only be one.
I don't know why we are, we just are. Fighting in this ridiculous Game has taken a toll on my fragile soul. After three hundred years I have decided to retire my sword, and isolate myself. Revealing in my solitude may allow me some form of serenity. Therefore, I have come to the only place on this earth I once felt drawn to, the Olympic Peninsula. Even in 2012, its ample forests were desolate enough for an Immortal to reside without gaining much attention. I only wished that Carlisle were here to put my fears to rest. How I missed my dear brother.
A/N: Not sure how I feel about it, but here's the first chapter. It was only meant to introduce Gabriel and give a brief back story. There while be plenty more though. I intend to have quite a few flack backs.
Til next time...