Chapter 2

Hey! I know I haven't gotten many reviews yet, but I'm hoping for more if I write another chapter. I enjoy writing, and I am trying to use fanfiction to practice my writing skills.

Anyway, here's the story.

Elena opened her eyes slowly as the wind died down and the sound of wings flapping dissipated. She no longer felt those strong arms holding on to her, but she knew he hadn't left yet; she could still feel his intense presence nearby. Of course… Why would he allow his 'intended prize' to leave his sight? Elena thought to herself.

However, she took advantage of the moment he left her side for, and took in her surroundings. She noted the desolate appearance of the land, the dead trees and dried up ground reminding her of when Scar reigned over the Pridelands in The Lion King. She listened, and heard no other sounds other than her breathing and the slowly approaching footsteps coming behind her.

"Quite the shithole, I know. But, hey, we had no say in where those pesky witches sent us off to." The Vampire King shrugged as he approached her with an air of nonchalance.

Elena slowly turned to face the approaching vampire, "Maybe, if you hadn't killed people then you wouldn't be here."

The Vampire King raised a brow in response, "Well, for your information, vampires MUST drink blood in order to survive."

"But that doesn't mean you had to kill!"

The Vampire King jerked his head back and scrunched his face, "Where's the fun in that?"

Elena let out a frustrated sigh, as she obviously was getting nowhere with this guy. He had his views of what happened and obviously wasn't going to change.

The silence that followed was deafening, to both human and vampire, as they stood across from one another. The Vampire King never took his eyes off the human girl, and took the opportunity to give her a good once over.

"Well, I suppose we should get to it then…" The Vampire King stated, causing Elena to look up to meet his icy gaze.

"If you look behind you, you'll see the labyrinth there at the bottom of the hill. Remember, to advance through it, you must correctly solve riddles… If you answer wrong, you'll face the consequences… And don't forget… You only get three strikes and then you're mine…"

Elena held her ground as the Vampire King closed the distance between them and reached for her face to gently stroke her cheek. She fought back the tears that threatened to spill over at any moment. The Vampire King's expression gave a sense of sympathy as he slowly stroked her cheek.

He sighed as he raised his hand to stroke her cheek once more, "You know," he started quietly, just above a whisper, "This could all be avoided…"

Elena looked up and met his gaze, forgetting momentarily about his hand that stopped moving and was simply touching her cheek now. Her face contorted in confusion at his statement.

"Just surrender to me, Elena. Be my Queen and you'll be spared from having to deal with this silly game."

Elena couldn't believe he had just said that to her.

"But, that would mean that Stefan would die, wouldn't it?"

The Vampire King nodded his head, "Well, of course. Gotta eliminate my competition somehow…"

Elena reached up and slapped his hand from her face then, not caring that she earned an angered look from the Vampire King for defying him.

"NO. Not if it means losing Stefan. Not if it means he has to die."

The Vampire King's expression turned hard then, his arms crossing and his stance displaying nothing but power and confidence.

"I don't think you realize, Elena… I'm going to have you in the end. Yes, I'm giving you a 'sporting chance', but that means nothing… By hook or by crook, you WILL be mine!"

Elena lifted her chin in defiance, attempting to hide the fear that was growing in her.

"Over my dead body."

"That can be arranged," started the Vampire King, "seeing as you're going to be turned into a vampire anyway… Why not make it happen sooner?"

Elena decided to turn and run then, her legs carrying her as quickly as they could manage. She ran down the hill towards the foreboding labyrinth.

"You're merely prolonging the inevitable, Elena! Accept your fate!"

Elena ran faster as he yelled out his warning to her. This can't be happening! Elena thought to herself.

Elena reached the labyrinth, but couldn't see any entrance. She heard a whooshing sound behind her, but figured it to be the wind.

"How am I supposed to solve this damn thing if I can't even enter it!"

"You're at the entrance." Elena shrieked as she heard the Vampire King speak behind her. "You just have to solve the first riddle in order to enter."

Elena turned and looked at him, "And what would the riddle be?"

The Vampire King cocked his head to the side, as if in thought.

"Hmmm, I guess I'll start you off easy… A plane crashes directly on the border of the US and Canada. Where do they bury the survivors?"

The Vampire King smirked; he held his hands behind his back as he leaned in towards Elena as he awaited her answer.

Elena took a moment to think about the answer, playing the riddle over in her head. She didn't want to risk getting her first strike before even starting the labyrinth.

"I'll repeat it… A plane crashes directly on the border of the US and Canada. Where do they bury the survivors?"

Elena looked up at him, "You don't bury survivors…"

The Vampire King looked pleased, maybe… He extended his arm towards the labyrinth, and Elena watched as the stones parted and moved, forming an entryway into the labyrinth.

Elena began to walk towards the entrance, when she heard him speak from behind her, "From here on out, the riddles will only get harder… Oh, and you can call me Damon…"

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