CHAPTER 10

ARA'MANTH

The houses on the lower side of Ara'Manth was all in ruins. The smell of dead burned flesh and smoke that lingered in the air was suffocating. No more laughter. No children played outside. The streets was empty and deserted. To walk among these ruins made one feel depressed and sad. Vulgar words and insults was written on half burned walls. One of these houses was that of Bonnie and her mother Altheya.

Meredith stood there with Bonnie's little kitten in her arms. She came here everyday ... hoping that her friend was still alive and hiding. "What happened here Bonnie?" Meredith asked. She cried so much and for days on end she dwelled around aimlessly amongst the ruins.

The soldiers didn't bother with her. They just laughed at the girl who they think lost her mind.

Oh how she can still remember that dreadful night.

That night she looked out of her window and everything in her went still. Red angry flames lighted the night sky of Ara'Manth. The screams and cries of children are still ringing in her ears.

That night she ran for the door barefoot in her white night gown. Her grandmother tried to stop her, but Meredith ran out quickly. She was close to Bonnie's house when suddenly there came a terrible wind over Ara'Manth that blew so strong that it lifted her off her feet and she hit her head against something, everything went dark. Her last thought was of Bonnie.

She woke up screaming in her bed. She told her grandmother of her frightening nightmare. If only it was just that. A nightmare.

"Come little Inanna. We have to find Damon." Meredith said to the kitten in a tired voice. She turned around. Her shoulders slumped like that of an old woman.

-X

Damon was having the time of his life where the wine and beer flowed freely in the over crowded tavern. He was sitting between two half naked woman. He was nibbling on one of the girls ears.

"Damon are you going to take me to the ball tonight." The one girl whined in a nasal voice.

"He said he was taking me." The other girl snapped loudly.

Damon smirked and he was about to tell the two girls to fight it out and the winner will go with him to the ball tonight when one of his friends called out to him and said.

"Hey some girl is looking for you outside." The friend said to Damon over the noise.

"Sent her in. I don't fuck on the street." Damon said with a smirk. The two girls laughed loud and ugly.

"She said its important. You better go take a look." The friend said.

Damon grunted in frustration. "This whore better be worth my time." Damon said and got up. The two girls complained, and Damon gave them both sloppy wet kisses before taking his sweet time to go out.

-X-

Damon rolled his eyes when he saw who it was. "Not you again" he said annoyed.

"I have found this." Meredith said and handed him a drawing of Bonnie. "You both loved that drawing. Damon you loved to draw her." Meredith said and looked deep in Damon's eyes for any signs of recognition.

Damon grabbed the drawing from Meredith's hand and looked at it intently. His eyes went wide and with a serious look on his face he said. "I remember her."

Tears of joy formed in Meredith's eyes and she laughed happily. "I knew you would remember her. Now you must help me find her Damon."

"What do you mean find her? I had her last night. And let me tell you this. This girl just loves to take it from behind. Hard" Damon said with a smirk.

Meredith looked hurt. "Your not serious?"

Damon scoffed. "Look, you better stop following me around and telling me that I was so madly in love with this girl or try to convince me that I was. You know what people call you?" Damon said and narrowed his eyes at her. "The village idiot." Damon looked around him before he whispered to her. "The soldiers are looking for this girl. You are just endangering your own life and mine, and I'm not going to die over a girl I don't fucking know. So, wake up and stop stalking me. You come near me again and I'll rip your fucking heart out." Damon said and turned to go into the tavern.

"Please help me find her Damon." Meredith pleaded in a soft lost voice.

Damon stopped and sigh. "Go home."

Meredith watched Damon's retreating figure and a thought came over her. "Why didn't I think of this before. "It was probably a witch who took Damon's memories and only a witch can give it back. It will be dangerous but I have to try, and I know where to go." Meredith said to herself, with a determinate look on her face.

-X-

The night of the Ball at the Empress Elena's Palace

When entering this room will leave you breathless and you eyes restless as they try to focus on the many details with its magnificent designs and decorations. Decorative busts depict the emperor Vlad and his beautiful wife Katherine.

The flamboyant decoration of the superb ceiling incorporates all important symbols of Ara'Manth: art, astronomy, literature, the sea and the art of war. The sheer wealth and variety is remarkable and the quality of the gilded plasterwork is unparalleled. To enhance the spectacle of this room there are mirrors reflecting every angle.

The luxury, food and wine were in abundant. A sharp sad contrast with the lower side of Ara'Manth who was in ruins.

Everyone was enjoying themselves and they were all captivated by the Empress. Elena was the middle point of it all. She stood in the middle of the ballroom in a long elegant dark red dress welcoming her guests. Her hair was in curls and she had a natural rosiness on her cheeks. Her handpicked guests hanged on every word that came out of her lips.

Damon almost spilled his drink when Elena smiled. He had a nice view of her where he was leaning against a pillar. He could not keep his eyes off of her. Her dress was low cut at the back. Leaving her milk white back bare for his eyes to feast on. Damon thought to himself how it would feel to ran his fingers ever so softly on her smooth skin, or better, his lips.

When Elena was done he followed her every move. Her timeless dark red dress was like a stream of blood that flowed smoothly around her where she moved around the ballroom.

He noticed her slipping through a side door. With drink in hand he decided to follow her.

-X-

He found her in the hallway looking through the window deep in thought.

"Damon Salvatore and you must be?" he asked with a sexy smirk.

Elena turned around slowly and looked at Damon, but didn't say anything.

He took a sip from his drink and narrowed his eyes at her. "I see. Playing hard to get looks good on some women, and let me tell you this. It looks extremely good on you." He said and winked at her.

Elena grabbed Damon around the throat and pushed him against the wall. " I'm your Empress and you will respect me." She said in his face.

Damon looked at Elena's ruby red kissable lips so close to him, and he smirked. "You could have just said that when I asked you who you are, but as I have said. Playing hard looks extremely good on you."

Elena squeezed her hand tighter around Damon's neck.

"I can still breath you know." Damon said with a mocking smirk.

Elena's cheeks went red with anger. She through Damon in the air. He went flying through a door. Damon landed hard on his back and slides over the floor. Loud gaps could be heard and everyone went quiet, even the band stopped playing. Damon looked in amusement at the shocked faces in the ball room.

He got up and dusted himself off. "And this is how you enter a dancefloor."

Elena came bursting through the door unaware she was about to enter the ballroom. She stopped when she saw everyone looking at her.

"And there she is, our Empress have honored me with a dance. I was so excited that I ran in here, tripped over my feet and you know the rest." Damon laughed, but Elena knew it was at her expense that he was laughing. Damon walked slowly to Elena. Enjoying her discomfort. He bowed in front of her and with a mock smirk, he said. "Forgive me, your Empress, Shall we have this dance?"

The band started playing again and still Elena couldn't move. It was as if her brain malfunctioned. Never in her life was it necessary for her to dance. She was always sitting quietly beside her father or on her thrown all night. To be looked at.

"This is already awkward Princess, take my hand before you embarrass us both." Damon whispered to her harshly.

"I can't dance" Elena whispered back.

"Well were never too young to learn." Damon said with a smirk and took her hand gently, and led her to the dancefloor. Damon bent his head and whispered in her ear. "Just follow my lead Princess."

Damon was a master at dancing. He knew how to mould Elena's body to his will.

To Elena, this was a whole new experience. Her feet hardly touched the floor. Like a swan she moved gracefully in Damon's arms. Her long dark red, timeless elegant dress flowed gracefully behind her when Damon turned her.

To soon the dance ended. Damon bowed down and kissed her hand. He looked deep into Elena's eyes and said. "You are truly the most beautiful women in all of Ara'Manth."

-X-

The night was dark and the night air cold. It was so quiet around her that she imagined herself that she could hear her own heart beat. She made her way with hurried fast-paced footsteps to her destination. Her black cloak blends well with the dark shadows around her. She was part of the night.

In the night the dilapidated ruins looked like black scary figures with arms stretched out to grab you. To think here was life and now, nothing.

Meredith stopped and softly whistled twice. With a bouncing heart she waited. Slowly a dark figure emerged from the shadows.

"Elizabeth." Meredith said softly. Elizabeth falls with a sob in Meredith's arms.

"I am so sorry to hear about your father. Uncle Emile was thee most gentle person I have ever known. He would have never done such horrible things." Meredith said to the girl.

Elizabeth smiled sadly through her tears and said. "It was dark magic that made him do it. The only way for him to stop was to take his own life. He is now in a better place and it falls on us to save what is still left to be saved."

Meredith squeezed Elizabeth's hands gently and nods her head.

"I have news" Elizabeth said in an urgent whispered voice. "Damon's memory was wiped away by a witch called Magda and only she could give it back to him."

"Oh no! What now?" Meredith asked hard.

"Hush." Elizabeth said and looked around. "Good news is Bonnie's life force is still present. Its vague and far beyond this realm, but she is alive."

"I knew it. She is alive." The two girls hugged each other and laughed happily.

"Liz" Meredith said and in Meredith's eyes, Liz could read the question that Meredith wanted to asked.

"We stay in the shadows Mer. Our magic protects us, makes us invisible. For how long I do not know. We exist, but we do not really exist." Elizabeth eyes gleamed with tears. "How foolishly in love I was. Shunned away father's love for a vampire who could not wait to betray me just to save himself. I never even had the chance to tell my father how sorry I am." Elizabeth said bitterly and wiped away her tears.

"Do not despair. Help will come." Meredith said and gave Liz an encouraging smile. She kissed Liz softly on her cold wet cheek.

"You must go back and promise not to come back here again. It is too dangerous for you and for us, Mer. This ... this is goodbye until we see each other again." Elizabeth said in a shaky soft voice.

"Until we see again Elizabeth." And as the two girls parted ways, they wished in their hearts that they would see each other again and everything will be as it was before.