The Tale of Two Sisters

CHAPTER 1

Mystic Falls- 1861

Faster and faster she ran, the coppery scent dragging her along. Her storm-cloud grey eyes darting side to side while her golden locks flew in the breeze behind her. Her feet passed over stones and twigs and the occasional severed limb. She finally heard the soft moaning of a fallen confederate soldier. She found him, bleeding out through his abdomen, and the scarlet spreading slowly over his grey uniform as he lay against a tree. She looked up at his face- he was young, about 21 she estimated. His hair, jet black was curly and still held the character of a boy, but his face held the image of a man. He had strong, fierce features and straight jaw line. He had the face of an angel. He had pale skin, which grew paler every second. His eyelids drooped but as he looked around she could see that his eyes were a startling light blue. They almost held a hue of silver within them and she became entranced by him.

"Shh, lie still please. You'll only make it worse." She pleaded softly with him. His moaning had increased and he had begun groping at the ground for his musket. "I won't hurt you. I promise." She touched his cool face and rubbed her thumb against his chin. He looked at her, eyes wide and he visibly began to relax. "Beautiful." He murmured as he began to pass into unconsciousness. She gave him a warm smile as she watched his eyes close.

She looked to her left and right to make sure that no one was looking as she scooped him into her arms fireman style. She focused on his heart beat and made sure it kept pace. "Where did u say you lived again?" Knowing very well he could not answer her eyebrows knit together as she read his thoughts. An image of a large white mansion flashed into her head and within minutes she arrived at the foot of the stairs. "A rich boy, eh?" She mused as she got to the front door and let his feet touch the ground and wound his arm around her shoulder to make it look as if she only helped him along. With her free hand, she knocked hard on the great oak door. A young boy answered the door. He was about 14- light brown hair, slightly tan skin and piercing jade green eyes. His nose was similar to the man she now had bleeding out on her shoulder. A brother, perhaps? His eyes widened with worry when he saw the injured soldier. "Damon." He said gasping. "I found him not too far from the road. He's been shot, but I think I can help him. May I please come in?" She said quickly. "Please- hurry in. Papa!" He shouted over his shoulder.

An older gentleman came out who held a resemblance of both boys. The father. "My boy!" He exclaimed and ushered them to the dining room. "Lay him upon the table, please!" She let the boy help 'Damon'. She turned to the house maids who had magically appeared out from the shadows. "I'll need some hot water, towels and bandages, please." They nodded and scurried off, appearing 5 minutes later with supplies. "Thank you."

She turned her attention to the wound. She ripped open the jacket and shirt to reveal a gash. She could see the bullet and announced what she was doing. "I can see the bullet. I'm going to pull it out. I'll need you to hold him down; he'll wake up as soon as I start." The boy rushed over to hold down his brother's arms. He looked at her signaling he was ready. She took a deep breath and gently stuck her fingers in the wound. Damon suddenly awoke and gave a great howl. His younger brother held him down and surprisingly he succeeded despite his brother's bigger size.

He was still squirming a bit, so she really had no choice. She stopped what she was doing and so she placed a slightly bloody hand on his feverish brow. "Shh, relax. You're going to be okay. I promise." In that instance, Damon seemed to listen to her and he took a deep breath and stopped moving. She quickly averted her attention to his wound. She gently surrounded the edge of the bullet with her fingers and slowly began to pull it out.

Soon there were bloody bandages all over the table. She had just finished wrapping the final strip across his abdomen. "There. He should be fine. I removed the bullet." She looked up at the father and son and gave them a small smile. The father let out a big sigh. "Thank you so much. I don't know how I could ever repay you!" "No please." She shook her head. "I can't take anything from you. I just wanted to help." "At least stay for dinner?" Her resolve weakened and she gave in.

An hour later, she found herself at their dinner table, finishing a plate. "Thank you so much, Giuseppe." She directed at the father. He had introduced himself and his sons. The younger boy was named Stephan and his older brother was Damon. They were the Salvatore family. They owned all the land around their house for their logging company. "Please Ms. Pierce, stay for the night?" Stephan asked politely. She had noticed in the time she was there how mature he acted. He also looked a bit older than 14. He had a strong jaw and broad shoulders. His green gaze was fixating and firm. He rarely smiled, but when he did, his whole face illuminated.

"Really should be on my way- I was supposed to be at my new house by now." "You can stay the night and be on your way in the morning, can't you?" Giuseppe asked. She gave a small sigh. "You both are too generous. I suppose one night won't hurt." Stephan let a big smile spread over his face; he seemed to glow with happiness. "May I please see Damon once more before I retire?" Giuseppe nodded. "Of course!" He signaled for one of the maids to guide her to the room.

Gwen entered into a large open room with big windows and large wooden furniture. On an enormous bed lay Damon. He looked quite weak and restless, as if he were in a nightmare. She got close to the bed and stroked his forehead gently. She smiled slightly because his nose twitched while she caressed him. Her smile then faded as she brought the inside of her wrist to her lips and bit down, exposing her blood. She brought it to his mouth, catching any drops that fell anywhere else. She pressed it against his lips and he subconsciously tried to spit it out, but she, being stronger than he, forced it down. In about 5 seconds, he calmed down and took it. She removed her wrist and as it healed she kissed his forehead. "Now you'll be safe." She got up and went into her room.

Damon's eyelids began to flutter as the light entered the window and reflected off the white walls. The room seemed to fill with a bright glowing light. He smiled as he fully opened his eyes. He could hear voices outside. Stephan's, his father's, the house maids, and someone else he couldn't identify. A woman's- young. She had a laughter that was expansive and infectious.

Stephan burst through his doors and exclaimed- "DAMON'S AWAKE!" He had a wide smile on his face and his eyes twinkled. More rapid footsteps followed and soon his father and the rest of the housemaids were at the door. In a matter of seconds they were surrounding him and fawning over him. "Guinevere will be delighted to meet you!" His father smiled. "Who's Guinevere?" "The girl who saved your life!"

His eyes flicked down to his abdomen which was covered in bloody bandages. His father unwrapped them to reveal his wound-free stomach. They all looked down at it with knitted together eyebrows. "What happened?" "You were shot, Damon. There was a bullet in your stomach." Stephan said clearly as confused as he. "Where is Guinevere?" The head housemaid, Mary chimed in. "She went out for a walk. I told her that Master Damon would be up later on in the afternoon."

"I'm here." A beautiful young woman entered the room. Her hair, an almost golden colour, cascaded down her shoulders, and the front was tied into a small braid. Her features were soft, yet her eyes were piercing silver. Her figure was curvy yet petite. She walked into the room with such a grace, Damon was sure she must have been part angel.

"May I?" She asked gently. As she came closer he could smell the sun filled air on her. He nodded, dumbfounded, still a bit stunned by her appearance. She placed a smooth, cool hand against his forehead. "His fever's broken." She said smiling. "What did you do?" Asked his father. "All I did was remove the bullet, clean up his wound, and sutured it." "His wound's completely healed. No scars!" Stephan explained. He removed his bandages and Guinevere's eyebrows knit together in confusion. Damon's eyes were fixated on Guinivere. She looked up at him and he couldn't move his eyes. She gave him a small smile which revealed the sweetest dimples he had ever seen. After looking him over for a while, she looked at his father and said plainly, "I don't see anything wrong with him." Giuseppe frowned a bit and sighed. "Well Damon, I believe that you have to be kept under house arrest." "But I-" Damon began to protest. "No buts. You're staying here." Damon let his head hit the pillow in defeat as he gave out a great huff of air.

Stephan started up again. "Well, Ms. Pierce could stay to help you, couldn't she?" Damon's eyes shot open and he looked up at the angelic beauty. Her silver orbs were wide as well. "I don't- I mean..." "Nonsense!" His father exclaimed. "You can stay with Damon and we will give you a bed to sleep in and food to eat!" Guinivere looked at the numerous faces in the room, first at Giuseppe, then Stephan, then to Mary and finally at Damon. They locked eyes instantly and for a moment the room was silent. A certain breath hung in the air, and Damon realized it was he that had ceased his breath. He calmly inhaled and braced himself for her 'no'. Instead she replied with a steady "Yes. I'd be delighted to stay and help you." She looked down at him and gave him that beautiful smile.