Chapter One
As the two age old friends sat on the top of the highest cliff in Romania looking over the thousand year old ruins of their castles, Stefan couldn't help but think of their past, the past that brought them to hell and back again. Would they ever experience the majesty and superiority of once again sitting on the golden thrones of the vampire world? Only time would tell.
"Soon brother, soon." Vladimir patted Stefan's shoulder with a familiar strong hand.
"Not again, Vlad…our plan failed with the Cullens, nothing will work." Stefan answered with a defeated shrug and a longing gaze over the Romanian city.
"Aha...But we did not have the numbers supporting us did we?" Vlad jumped up and over the rocky cliff in his usual vampire speed yet unusually smug.
Stefan rolled his eyes and started to follow his brother through the entry of the Romanian forest at vampire speed. Vladimir gave Stefan a familiar look as they both slowed down to human speed, when they reached the river.
"Soon, we will be running through these forests like the free and powerful men we once were brother, instead of having to move every couple of years to another country because of Aro's lap dogs." Vladimir spoke simply with determination.
Stefan smiled at the thought as he bent down and ran his hand across the top of the water. "If only, it was that easy. Aro has many coven members brother, with very powerful gifts. Think of Jane for instance, she could have us on the floor in seconds wreathing in pain!"
Vladimir nodded taking in the usual pessimism from his brother. "Yes, but three can play at that game." Vlad smirked and rushed off with vampire speed, over the river bank and into the green brush.
Stefan huffed and quickly followed his brother at the same speed.
Ten months later, the two friends had formed a large following of vampires on their side, notably old faces such as Benjamin and Tia from the Egyptian coven, Senna and Zafrina from the Amazonian coven and the Denali coven including Garrett. They were gaining notability fast and the Volturi would soon come to seek them out, which is exactly what Vladimir and Stefan expected.
The home base was in the underground pipeline of highly populated, unsuspecting Russian city of Moscow. It was the perfect place for an army full of vampires, infinite amounts of meals walking around and the perfect cloudy overcast weather to dine-in or takeaway.
Stefan sat with his legs up on the dining table intently reading a Russian newspaper on international politics as Vladimir leant against the cold piped line attached to the far stoned wall gazing at the increasing amount of vampires forming in their nicely furnished underground fortress. Vlad and Stefan had links with the Russian mafia and it wasn't too hard to claim a place like this, I mean they were stone cold inhumane creatures of the world that could snap a person's neck in under a few seconds, so it wasn't too hard to persuade them.
Stefan peered over the top of the newspaper at his formidable brother who was clearly lost in thought; he placed his newspaper on the dining table. It didn't take much for Stefan to realize Vladimir was troubled.
"What troubles you brother?" Stefan got up and stood by his brother and looked over the steel balcony to see a few vampires talking. The whole fortress was lit by candlelight and it reminded Stefan of the old Romanian palace they once dwelled in thousands of years before. Oh how the times have changed, he thought.
"We are all fighting for different causes. It will be a shame to be defeated, for our name's sake. " Vladimir grimaced.
"Drumul spre iad e pavat cu intenţii bune." Stefan replied in thick Romanian, quoting his coven's renowned motto.
"The road to hell is paved with good intentions…indeed brother, indeed." Vlad replied with a smirk on his face, recognizing the saying and taking comfort in it.
Stefan smiled back and gazed up seeming lost in his own thoughts. "To be sitting on our thrones again, to claim victory over our enemies. That is what we are fighting for!"
"You do have a gift of eloquence my friend, it will come in handy in motivating the troops." Vlad crossed his arms and snickered.
Benjamin came up the stairs with his mate Tia close behind to address the two scheming brothers.
"It is good to see you again Benjamin, I am glad you have come to support us. It's a shame that your other coven members are intolerant to our views." Stefan spoke up as he shook Ben's hand and kissed Tia on the cheek.
Ben grimaced. "I will always uphold my values, and to live as vampires is already a difficulty, why should it be any harder for gifted vampires?"
"That's exactly right my friend, soon vampires alike will live in harmony once my brother and I take our rightful seats on the golden thrones of the vampire kingdom." Vladimir replied with indignation to his voice.
Stefan placed his hand on Vladimir's shoulder to calm him down and to keep him off his usual ranting topic. Vladimir regretfully nodded and excused himself from the conversation before his pain and temper got the best of him. Stefan watched as his brother walked down the dark alleyway in the Russian pipeline towards the forest.
"I apologize for my brother, we have waited for this moment for 1500 years. The pain of the past is quite evident as you can see." Stefan said directly to Benjamin.
Benjamin smiled. "I understand, Tia and I will be going out tonight to eat we should be back by the morning."
"Of course friends, enjoy yourselves. I do suggest going for the butchers they always have a fresh taste to them." Stefan smirked at Ben and Tia as they walked down the stairs to the common area where the rest of the vampires were staying.
Stefan took out his pocket watch and stared longingly down at the cover, it had a ruby red phoenix bird with a sapphire eye sitting gracefully in the middle of a yellow diamond rising sun. The caption 'Drumul spre iad e pavat cu intenţii bune' was written elegantly around the image. This was the Romanian coven's crest; this pocket watch was always kept in Stefan's blazer pocket close to his heart, or what he had left of his heart. Vladimir had a compass with the crest on the front, which he always carried with him in his pants pocket. Both objects of affection for Stefan and Vladimir symbolized the past and the intended future for the coven.
Stefan ran his cold, dead finger across the phoenix bird which he always seemed to do when he was troubled, he thought of his many comrades that died in the fiery trap of the Volturi, he squeezed his eyes shut to try and push the images to the back of his mind and slipped the pocket watch back into his blazer pocket.
Stefan smiled as he thought of the time they were first gifted with their covens very own crest; it was one of the few happy moments Stefan still remembered with all his friends and siblings. The crest was given to Vladimir and Stefan by their maker Dracul as a sign of passing on the crown of royalty. Stefan distinctively remembers their first time sitting on the two golden thrones; the room was filled with vampires from different parts of the world and all bowed to the floor as Stefan and Vladimir entered into the main hall, the food was abundant, the money was abundant, the women were abundant, thought Stefan smugly.
Soon, Stefan thought, we will have our revenge.
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