A/N: Hey everyone!
This is just an random idea that popped up into my head out of no-where. It is set somewhat in 1860.
Need-to-know: Stefan is older than Damon.
Enjoy!
Elena Gilbert, the eldest daughter of queen Miranda and king Grayson Gilbert, was collecting all of the necessary objects she may need in her adventure. She picked up a rope, some knives from the silverware and a few stones for preventative measure and kept them all into her rucksack.
She then left the castle, making sure she was not followed or seen by any of the guards or servants. When Elena was out of the castle, without any trouble she walked in the direction of the forest. She climbed up into her favourite tree in the woods and opened up her rucksack, fishing out a pear, as she sat and watched the sun come up.
Elena had always cherished being in the forest as it was gorgeous, wide and gave her a sense of freedom. She felt like she could be herself in the forest, away from all the fake smiles and the responsibilities. In the forest she doesn't has to behave all highly and set an example for her younger brother, Jeremy.
She loved her parent and family, but sometimes they could be over-the-top and frustrate her. At time like that Elena used her hiding spots to clear her mind and relax.
Since she was a little girl, Elena always found pleasure in roaming around in the forest and finding hiding spaces, where no-one could reach her. She'd had an affinity for finding flawless hiding spots. She knew of all the nooks and crannies in the castle and was a whiz at playing hide and seek. Exploring a strange and unpredictable place like the forest to find new hiding spots, gave her the thrill.
As she continued to sit on the tree and watch the sunrise, she heard a twig snap behind her and whirled towards the sound. Not seeing anything, she soundlessly slipped from the tree and started making her way to her main hiding spot. Even though she had knives with her, she felt bare without her bow and arrows. She also had a sword, and knew how to yield it, but she preferred keeping her distance and staying incognito. It had a lot to do with the escaping her princess-duties thing.
She walked around, careful to observe any odd ropes. Crawling under a large, overturned rock, she made her way down a narrow tunnel which brought her to an open space. She walked straight over to a quasi table she had made, reaching for her bow and the arrow lying next to it.
"Boo." She heard someone and whirled around, her bow aimed at the intruder.
His grinning face made her roll her eyes and put her weapon back down.
"Damon," she muttered, turning back to her table and dropping her rucksack onto it.
"Princess Elena," he said, and even with her back turned to him she could picture the smirk on his face.
"Don't you have other people to bother?" she asked, turning back to him and crossing her arms as she looked at him pointedly.
"They're not as fun as you are!" he teased, making her roll her eyes, again,"Besides, your life would be boring without me in it."
She threw some arrows into her rucksack and slung it onto her shoulder, then she grabbed her bow and made move to leave. "No. My life would be boring without Bonnie, Caroline and Jeremy. You are an unnecessary nuisance."
He scrambled to get up from the large rock he'd been sitting on to follow her. "Ouch, El, that hurt." He dramatically pretended to clutch at his heart, even though she had her back to him.
In the middle of the dark tunnel she turned around and poked him in the chest. "Don't call me that." She doesn't like nickname.
"Whatever you say, princess." He knew she didn't like to be called princess therefore he used that name.
"Infuriating," she muttered loud enough for him to hear. As she kept moving further into thetunnel and was relieved when she saw light shine through the other end of it and made her way out, standing in front of her hiding spot. She mused to herself that she needed to look for a new one. One Damon didn't know about.
No matter how good her hiding spots were he always seem to find them. She remember all the hiding spot she had found over the years and all on them were always busted by one person. Damon Salvatore. The younger son of king Giuseppe and queen Marline Salvatore, who always found her. Therefore she knew there would be no use of finding a new hiding spot, as Damon will find it anyway.
She liked know that there was one person who will always find her, no matter where she was, but she will never admit it in-front of anyone. She knew she was a bitch to him most of the time, but he always took revenge somehow. He always kept on setting up traps in her hiding spots to make her pay.
He held a hand over his face to shield it from the sunlight. "What's today's plan?"
"None of your business. You can be on your way now," she brushed him off. "Say hello to Stefan for me." She turned to walk away from him.
He immediately frowned, and walked right up behind her only to be pulled up into the air with her in a trap.
"Oops." Damon shrugged.
"Idiot! Did you set it?" Elena asked, frustrated.
"I did. I wasn't planning on being up here with you, though." He answered, with amusment.
"You planned this!" She was angry. Firstly he always found her hiding spot and not he set a trap for her!
"I did not. Well, I mean I planned you getting trapped but not me. Kind of takes away all of the humor, doesn't it?" Damon laughed,"And how do you know Stefan?" He asked in a serious tone.
Damon had met Elena in the forest some years ago and that is how they knew each-other. He had never met her family, and neither had she met his.
"Well you know, he's the eldest brother and heir to the throne. I'm the eldest daughter and heir to the throne. It seemed only fitting. Your father is also a very nice person," she said off handedly.
"You were at our castle?" He asked, surprise clear as a day on his face.
"Yes, I was. I saw pictures. King Giuseppe and Queen Marline were only extremely enthusiastic that I had expressed interest in their kingdom. Tell me Damon, why did they seem so surprised to hear of our...acquaintance?" She question, hurt, but not showing it.
"You were at the castle..." He only then seemed to process her words. On well, I had a fight with dad and hadn't returned home in two days, so it seem fitting I wouldn't know.
"I hadn't told them." Damon finally answered her question.
She tried to lean back, to get in a comfortable position, only to realize they were still trapped. She crossed her arms,"Well, that's not important. I might be your future sister-in-law." Elena decided to take her revenge by grinning him.
She was delighted at the scowl that took over his face. "He's too old for you," he grumbled.
"How do you figure that?" she asked and let out a silent giggle. His jealousy was amusing.
"He's twenty-seven. You're twenty-one." He said in a matter-of-fact-tone.
"Yes, and you're twenty-three. So what?" Elena questioned, to which she got no reply from him,"You should be happy. Two kingdoms merging?"
"Your parents would never let you marry for land." Damon was confident about that.
"Why not?" she asked surprised.
"They married for love, and they want their kids to marry for love." Her eyes went wide, and he just shrugged. That was the same line his father had said to her when they had returned to their castle after King Salvatore had proposed the idea on Elena and Stefan getting married.
"Have you been talking to my father?" She interrogated.
"He was in the forest yesterday. We talked." Damon answered lamely.
She seemed extremely disturbed by the idea of Damon and her father talking,"Oh, god. You didn't tell them about me sneaking into the forest, did you? And neither about the hiding spots, right?" To these question she received no answer, as he was pissed that she was considering marring Stefan,"Ugh! Just let me out!" She demanded to be free of the trap.
"Flaw of the plan. I don't know how to get down." Damon told her.
"You're kidding me." Elena questioned, anger showing on her face.
"I'm not. I hadn't planned on being up here with you." He answered honestly.
She rolled her eyes, but noticed a taut rope. "Is that the rope we would need to cut to get us down?"
He moved around a little to look at the rope she was pointing at, and nodded. She manoeuvred around and got her bow and an arrow from her rucksack.
"What are you going to do?" Damon asked.
"Shoot it and break it, of course." She arched an eyebrow at him as if asking him to challenge her.
He raised his arms up in surrender. "How are you gonna do it?"
"Just, sit still and don't move." He opened his mouth to say something, but she covered his mouth with her hand. "And don't say anything." She warned and he nodded in acquiescence.
His eyes went wide when she moved to position herself to get a perfect shot. He felt her knees on his upper thighs, she was leaning over him to get the arrow through one of the openings and his face was pressed against her neck, which meant whenever he breathed he was acquainted with her sweet smell. He couldn't believe the position they were in.
And I'd thought just being in the trap with her was too close. He thought to himself.
He didn't so much hear the rope snap as he felt the trap going down, as he was busy trying to control himself. With a loud thud he landed on his back on the forest ground and as if that wasn't enough, Elena fell down right onto him, a result of her position in the trap. Her bow had landed a foot next to them, but she was flush on top of him. Her face was mere inches from him, and he could feel her hot breath fan over his face, each and every part of their bodies touching.
Elena seemed to realize their position a little later than him, but when she did, she scrambled to get up and off him. She dusted some dirt off her pants while Damon got up.
"A simple, 'Thank you for breaking my fall Prince Damon' would suffice," he suggested, making her laugh loudly. She shook her head and turned to go when his hand wrapped itself around her wrist to stop her. She looked down at their hands, and when she looked up, she was pulled into his body and he was kissing her.
She was surprised, but when his tongue traced over her lower lip, she moaned. His hand released her wrist and her previously captured hand came up to rest on his shoulder. When she felt her lungs begging for air she pulled away.
He surprised her by stepping back,"Have a nice day, Princess Elena," he said, and bowed slightly.
She noticed he wasn't mocking her, but being sincere, and decided to play along.
"To you too, Prince Damon." She curtsied. Then she turned and was walking away when he called out to her.
"Elena!" She stopped, but didn't turn around to look at him. She just twisted her body to look at him. "Don't marry my brother, Stefan." He said, almost pleadingly.
She smiled coyly back at him, before starting to walk again. He was disappointed, and was just about to turn to go when her response floated over the air and into his willing ears.
"I was never going to." And with that she ran away toward her castle, leaving him there smiling like an idiot.
A/N: How was it? Share your views! Tell me what you feel? It's just take a few second to review! So please, don't stop yourself!