Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. I just own the plot and Peyton. So no money for me :(
A/N: This is probably one of the longer chapters...it's hard to tell because I wrote it on small paper. I've got the first 3 chapter done so that's what I'm going to post. I will try to update when I can. Having no internet does put a damper on my writing. So does viruses. I really don't like my laptop
Also, I'm having trouble coming up with a name for my character for my story Hail the Mighty Lion. It does need to be English but somewhat mysterious because the character is mysterious. Any ideas would be welcome
Chapter 1: Major History and Returning to Italy
Italy.
The country of love, good food, and three slightly psychotic vampires. Three vampires who are scared to 'death' of me, but still order me around and send me to do their dirty work. Being a Major from the Southern Vampire Wars who was known as the Goddess of War and whose counterpart is the God of War does have its downsides.
I actually just got finished dealing with the bitch that made my life hell. Maria is finally dead and her ashes are scattered. My cousin, Jasper Whitlock, will be glad to hear of it. She turned him, and me, during the Civil War. She wasn't too happy after turning me because when she did, she made me into something more lethal than what she wanted me to be. She was actually scared of me for once, which I totally took advantage of.
My name is Major Peyton Whitlock. I was born 18 years before the Civil War began. I was an outsider in my hometown. This was because my mother was Quileute Indian. She died shortly before my first birthday. The majority of my father's family hated me. Jasper and his parents were the only ones who made me feel welcome. He was my best friend. I remember my father and Jasper's parents joking about us getting married because of how close we were.
Jasper and I always made sure that people knew that we were like brother and sister, so marriage was never in the cards. We became even closer when I turned 16 and a secret from my mother's family revealed itself
People were starting to disappear during the night. All that would be found was a small blood trail and an open window. The townsfolk were saying all sorts of things in order to explain the disappearances. The one thing that came up the most, usually spoken by the crazies, was vampires. The disappearances began shortly after the war began, s most people thought it was rebel soldiers causing the disappearances.
Jasper and I were out patrolling our family's combined property when we heard the screams coming from the house. We rode back as fast as we could and what we saw was shocking. My father was being held by two pale creatures with bright red eyes. Jasper's parents were lying in a pile in the corner, already dead.
Seeing my father, the only person besides Jasper that cared for me, being held captive by sick monsters made something in me snap. Suddenly I felt my body changing and then I was flying towards the creatures. A few minutes later the creatures were in pieces around me and Jasper was staring at me with his eyes as wide as saucers.
An old mirror was standing in the room and when I looked in it, all I saw was a HUGE white wolf with black streaks here and there. I turned back to Jasper and saw that he was holding my father. I knew that Jasper wouldn't let me near him looking like I was, so I concentrated on becoming human again and closed my eyes.
There were a few moments of pain and then Jasper was covering me with a blanket and asking a million questions. All I could think about was my father. I crawled over to him and held his trembling body. I could tell by his eyes that he was dying and I couldn't do anything to help him. We couldn't go for the doctor, the town was too far and how would we explain Jasper's parents and the torn apart bodies of the creatures that killed them?
He looked into my eyes and said, "Trust that instinct my daughter and keep yourself safe. Your mother would be proud of you." He trembled, took one last breath, and died in my arms. I looked at Jasper and burst into tears. He held me in his arms as we mourned for our losses. Then I dressed in some of Jasper's clothes and we buried my father, his parents, and we burned to remains of the creatures. We took their clothes so we could use them as proof for the story that we came up with to explain the deaths.
Explaining our parent's deaths wasn't easy. Luckily for us, the creatures clothing turned out to be Confederate uniforms. The explanation of AWOL soldiers raiding our farms was accepted and we mourned. After my father's death. my life changed, and not for the better.
My grandmother, who hated me since the day she met me, took over raising me. Under her rule, I could no longer be me. I had to be a proper young lady, or as proper as I could be since I was a half-breed. Jasper and I could still see each other, but only if there was a chaperone. I hated it, and her. Jasper did too and tried to get me out of the house as often as he could, with the help of a few sympathetic servants.
Then the day came when Jasper went off to war, joining the Confederate Army. I knew he was doing it to avenge our family and all I wished was that I could do the same. He promised to write as often as he could and to see me when he could get away. I envied his freedom to do whatever he liked, while I was stuck doing proper ladylike things, which I hated.
The first few months without Jasper were the worst. His letters were the only reasons I didn't go crazy. The first time he came home on leave was the best and worst day of my life. It was my wedding day and he was giving me away. My future husband was the worst man I could imagine. He had been married 4 times already and all of his wives had died mysteriously.
Jasper had offered to steal me away and take me somewhere, but I shot the offer down moments after he said it. First reason was because it wasn't safe. The second was he couldn't take me back to his camp, that was a recipe for disaster. Another was because it wasn't right for me to live with him. He needed to have his chance at life without me weighing him down. I didn't mention this because I didn't want him to feel bad.
So I married the Devil and went to live in Hell.
To be honest, it wasn't exactly Hell. At first anyway. He did understand that I was still mourning and I wasn't ready to be a wife, in any sense of the word. He was patient. We shared a bed, but he didn't expect me to perform any wifely duties, as my grandmother called them. That kind patience lasted for about 6 months.
One night after supper and after he finished dealing with some issues out in the barn, he stormed into the bedroom while I was getting ready for bed. He started removing his own clothes, stating that I had kept him waiting long enough. He dragged me to the bed and took me by force. I wanted to fight, but I knew that it was pointless. So I just laid there and let him. After the first time, and each time after that, I scrubbed myself clean because I felt so dirty and I didn't want any part of him on me, or inside me.
I had heard rumors that his previous wives had taken their own lives due to his treatment and I started to believe them. For the next six months, he would force himself on me and beat me. Soon, I wasn't allowed to go out of the house without his permission. Jasper was forbidden to see me, so the only contact I had was the letter snuck to me by sympathetic servants. Then one day, the letters stopped arriving and I learned a few days after that, Jasper was officially reported as missing in action.
Another reason my husband beat me was because I wasn't getting pregnant. I was too scared to tell him that if he gave my body a chance by not beating me, I might get pregnant. Though I did do everything I could to not get pregnant, hoping that he would divorce me before he killed me. What helped me get through it was something my father had told me when I first started my monthly bleeding. According to my mother's people, a Quileute woman cannot get pregnant by any man other than her soul mate. I prayed that what my mother believed in was true.
My 'husband' finally snapped on my 17th birthday. Apparently he had seen me in town and observed me flirting. Ridiculous accusations because I would never do that and also because my grandmother was with me and she would report any bad behavior to him.
He didn't believe me. He was also very drunk so that didn't help either. He picked up a fireplace poker and started chasing me. He chased me all over the house, ranting that he was going to kill me. Our fight ended on the stairs. He came after me and was about to strike when he tripped and fell down the stairs. I watched in terror as he fell, praying that he would become unconscious so that we could forget this whole entire fight. I would get my prayer answered, but in an entirely different way.
When he reached the bottom, he wasn't moving. A servant slowly checked his pulse and also checked for a heartbeat. He looked back up at me and shook his head. My 'husband' was dead. I was finally free of him and his cruelty. But I knew that I would have to leave in order to keep that freedom.
I got dressed in clothes to ride, got provisions, got my horse saddled, and then I lit the house on fire. I sent the servants to the north on a safe path to freedom and then I rode hard to where Jasper's last letter had been posted and prayed that I'd find him or someone else to help. When I couldn't find any help, as the town was strangely deserted, I decided to take the biggest risk of my life.
I joined the Confederate Army.
A well paid bribe ensured that I missed the physical exam needed to join and about a year and a half after I joined, I became the youngest Major in history. And that's when my life decided to go to Hell again.
I was on patrol near Houston when that 'instinct' I got from my mother started to make itself known. I had learned to control it enough to where it wouldn't come out unless I wanted it to, but I still listened when it perked up. Turning into a giant fur ball in front of my men would not have been wise.
I had a feeling that I would not be returning to my men, so I sent a note with my horse, giving my command to the captain in my regiment and then sent my horse in the direction of the campsite. I then took my hat and coat off so that I could move better. A rustle in a nearby group of trees got my attention, so I turned to face whatever came out.
A young Spanish woman came out, followed by Jasper. I was so stunned that I dropped my sword. I could tell Jasper was stunned too. The woman muttered something to him and answered, though I could tell it was reluctantly. Suddenly she was circling me like I was her prey and that's when I noticed her bright RED eyes. I looked at Jasper and noticed that his eyes were the same color.
My chin was jerked in her direction and she said, "I hope you survive, because my God of War needs a new Goddess." The she bit my neck. The pain was excruciating. I heard the woman start to scream and that was the last I heard and saw before everything went black.
A few days later I woke up to my new life. It was Jasper who explained it all to me as I followed him around. We were a part of Maria's army
Over the next few years Jasper and I did whatever Maria wanted us to do. We also learned to control our gifts. Jasper became an empath when he was turned. He was slightly scared of his gift, due to the fact that not only could he feel the emotions of every single person he came in contact with, he could also manipulate and control that person's emotions. This came in handy with the newborns we were training.
My gifts on the other hand, well Maria was pleased and pissed at the same time about them. It seemed that when she bit me, my wolf blood emerged, which weakened her considerably. I retained my ability to shift into a wolf, which was strengthened by my being a vampire. I was also an empath, had the Sight, and I could easily control my bloodlust. I could also change my appearance. I helped Jasper with his bloodlust and when we kept two newborns from being destroyed, I helped them learn control too.
Luckily for all of us, we were able to escape Maria a few months after saving the two newborns, Peter and Charlotte. Jasper still hated himself for what he did during the war, so he headed out on his own. Last I heard, he was still with Alice waiting for his true mate. Peter and Charlotte are nomads, so who knows where they were at the moment.
I wandered, got a few degrees, and somehow ended up in Volterra. The Volturi had heard of Jasper and me, but since they couldn't get him to do what they wanted, they settled for me. Aro was cocky and thought he could order me around. Caius and Marcus knew better and treated me with respect.
I did work for them, but on my own terms. I did jobs when and if I wanted to. The only reason I really stayed attached is because I knew that Jasper's true mate would somehow end up in Volterra and she would lead me to my mate. So I needed to be there when she showed up.
I was about ten minutes away from the castle when I got a text from Felix telling me that I needed to get to the castle quick. When I texted back asking why, all he said was that a pixie was there with a strange human girl. I smiled at his description of Alice and that's when my Sight kicked in. Apparently Alice's human companion was Jasper's mate and the person that could lead me to mine.
I reached the castle and found Felix waiting for me. I left my bags in the car and followed him to the throne room. The emotions I was feeling were phenomenal. I realized that they were coming from the human girl and laughed. Jasper had an empath's wet dream for a mate. Interesting. I opened the throne room doors and prepared to deal with the kings.
