Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to The Vampire Diaries, TV show or books. However, I decided to have a little play around with the characters (I would definitely like to play with Damon).
Technically Damon hadn't gone through the right channels to get authorisation to marry Elena. He had made sure Henry was happy with the marriage, which he was, after all he had been compelled into agreement. However Damon had yet to ask Elena's father, which was usually a requirement unless the King consented which would override any objections John Gilbert would have to the marriage. This did not mean Damon didn't want to get permission from John. Despite him greatly disliking the man, he hoped his greed would overcome his hatred for his younger daughter to bless their union. Which was why Damon was paying a visit to Lord John the day after he proposed to Elena. Maud and a now recovering Matthew had kept the entire betrothal secret and the King had not uttered a word to anyone, despite Damon informing him of the betrothal. Instead Damon had told the King he wanted to talk to Elena's father, even though he was prepared to marry her without John's consent.
Damon knocked on the door of John's chambers. "Come in." came John's voice, as Damon walked in through the door. John turned around and saw Damon. "You!" he spat. "Come to apologise for your untoward behaviour with my daughter?" he asked.
Damon tried not to smirk. John was right, but with the wrong daughter. "Elena will not have to do the King's bidding." he told John, who's face started to turn a purple colour from anger.
"And what about her fucking dowry, am I to marry her to the butcher's son? Not that she should expect anything better. I'm not paying any dowry for her, she can fuck off to a convent." he spat.
"I think her marriage prospects are still good, even without you providing her a dowry." Damon smiled. "I believe there is something else which would be an option." he raised an eyebrow.
"It goes to the first daughter to marry. She's not marrying anyone before Katherine. Over my dead body will that happen!" John folded his arms in defiance.
"And if the decision is taken out of your hands?" Damon suggested.
"You cannot authorise any marriage. You might be her temporary ward when at court, but she's coming home with me. I'll not have my daughter marrying some man without my consent." he huffed.
"The King may disagree." Damon said calmly. "If he wishes Elena to be married and you do not abide by the King's wishes, it will be over your dead body...literally." he added menacingly.
"The King wouldn't do such a thing." John snarled.
"Why do you think the Duke of Suffolk kept his head after marrying the King's sister?" Damon asked.
"That was different. Henry was angry because Charles married his sister." John replied.
"No, His Majesty was angry because the Duke of Suffolk didn't ask his permission before they married. Had they have done so, I believe His Majesty would have granted the union. And if I were you, I wouldn't refer to the King by his given name in my presence as I am superior to you and I insist you refer to the King as His Majesty. The same applies for the Duke of Suffolk. They are your superiors, so show them the respect!" Damon spat. "I would suggest you do the same with me." he growled.
"You can't tell me what to do." John snapped.
"Oh but I can." Damon smiled. "I have a proposition for Katherine. A well to do Lord, wealthy landowner. The King likes the prospect, although I think your opinion would be much appreciated."
John raised an eyebrow. "Who?" he asked.
"Lord Stockbridge. I believe he breeds horses for the King. His voice carries much weight and I'm sure your daughter would be well provided for." Damon suggested. The moment he mentioned Lord Stockbridge, he saw John Gilbert's eyes flash with the thought of power and gold. Lord Stockbridge was a man of means and could be a useful ally to someone who wanted the King's ear. What John didn't know was that Lord Stockbridge was also in a lot of debt as he had a nasty gambling habit. Not that it would matter as Katherine wouldn't live much longer than Elena as her fate was just as tragic. No matter how much Damon hated Katherine, it saddened him a little that she wouldn't survive past the age of twenty three.
John thought for a moment but reconsidered. "You were found in a compromising position with my daughter, you should be the one to marry her."
"Oh you mean when you put something in my drink and she followed me to my room, where she then proceeded to try to suck my cock? What type of father would do that to his daughter? Hmm?" Damon raised an eyebrow.
"I never forced her to do anything." John said adamantly.
Damon nodded. "Probably not. There have been many a fair maid who have wanted to suck my cock. They all succeeded in bringing me great pleasure. However one did fail to rise to the occasion, your daughter!" he snarled. "What was her plan should she have managed? Did you ask her to fuck me while I was unconscious?" he taunted.
John seemed to have had enough of Damon's accusations and punched him in the face, hard. Damon was still recovering from the illness and was still on high strength vervain, so the punch really hurt and he suspected he would have a black eye within the hour. An already angry Damon was furious, he grabbed John by the collar and pulled him in close.
"I've killed more men with my bare hands than you've had hot dinners." he whispered into John's ear. "I could snap your neck like a twig. Which right now is very tempting." he hissed.
"Why don't you?" John croaked as Damon let go.
"Because I am here on business. We are discussing the marital affairs of your daughters." Damon smiled. "Now, as I say, Katherine is to be betrothed to Lord Stockbridge. The King as agreed will pay the dowry. They will marry and be most happy." he smirked. "Elena is to be betrothed and you will supply the dowry, which will be the pearl." he said as John's face dropped.
"What do you know of the pearl?" John asked. "I thought you mentioned a family heirloom, there are plenty others to choose from."
"Don't act stupid, you knew exactly what I meant, you snake. Elena will be the one to get the pearl as she will be the first to marry." Damon smiled.
"And who is this idiot who wants to marry my daughter for a pearl?" John asked.
"Me!" Damon smiled. "Although I think you have this all wrong. I want Elena to have the pearl. I want to marry Elena." he said. "If I just wanted the pearl, you wouldn't have needed to concoct a cock sucking plan with Katherine. I'd have been ready and willing, but she doesn't do it for me." he shrugged.
"They look almost the same." John raised an eyebrow. "If Katherine can't please you, I doubt Elena will know where to start." he laughed in a crazy way. "She's as innocent as a the Virgin Mary herself."
"Good." Damon smiled. "She won't have any bad habits for me to sort out."
"I doubt she'll give herself over to you easily. I will not have you doing unspeakable things to my daughter without her consent." John tried to act as if he really cared. "You'd be better off with Katherine and let Elena marry the butcher's son." he said.
Damon frowned. Why was John so dead set on Elena marrying the butcher's son. "Is she already betrothed?" he asked as John looked down. "She is isn't she? But Elena doesn't know does she otherwise she wouldn't have said yes." he said as John looked up at Damon in shock.
"You had no right to." he snarled, I'm her father, it is my decision.
"Wrong! It is the King's decision. The betrothal is null and void." Damon said.
"It will need to be voided by the Archbishop of Canterbury." John told him. "I will get a letter from the Pope himself if I have to stop this madness."
Damon smiled. "Wont make an ounce of difference." he shook his head and laughed. "The Pope can't do fuck all to help you. The King has full control over the Archbishop. He's already agreed to the betrothal." Damon frowned, he couldn't understand why John was so adamant for it to be Katherine who got the pearl and not Elena. There was more to this than met the eye. "What are you not telling me?" he asked.
"I have no idea what you mean?" John frowned.
Damon stared John in the eyes and compelled him. "Why do you not want Elena to have the pearl?" he asked.
"Only Katherine must have it." John replied numbly.
"Why?" Damon asked.
"Only Katherine must have it." John repeated in such a manner to which Damon began to suspect John had been compelled in the past to prevent Elena from getting the pearl, therefore he needed a different tactic as John's memory must have been wiped which meant he wouldn't be able to answer his question.
"When was Elena betrothed to the butcher's son?" Damon compelled John.
"When she was a baby." John replied.
"Who arranged it?" Damon asked.
"The old serving maid." John said.
"What was her name?" Damon frowned.
"Isobel." John replied to which Damon sighed. Clearly Isobel had been dead set on Katherine getting the pearl.
"When is Elena to be married?" Damon asked.
"After Katherine. Katherine must have the pearl." John insisted.
"What did Isobel want with the pearl?" Damon asked.
"The half-breed cannot be allowed to live." John cried, as if Damon's mind control was hurting him.
"Who is the half-breed?" Damon asked.
"The child of the time-traveller." John replied. "Isobel says it must die or never live."
"Why?" Damon shook John hard.
"Isobel said Katherine must have the pearl, not Elena. Elena must marry the butcher's son and the half-breed cannot live. The half-breed will stop the pearl being returned to its rightful owner." he whispered.
"What else do you know?" Damon asked.
"Nothing." John replied numbly.
"Where is the pearl now?" Damon demanded.
"In my chambers at home." John replied. Damon nodded, clearly he wasn't going to get any more information from John. He'd already been compelled by Isobel before she died, which was something that couldn't be overridden. Damon just had no idea why Isobel was still interested in the pearl after she had been turned, and there wasn't a soul alive who could tell him.
Damon pushed John away. As the King had already granted the betrothal of Damon and Elena, he would have no issue with dispensing away the betrothal to the butcher's son. As compensation, Damon would ensure the lad was paid off and allowed to marry who he wanted. The King would proclaim himself head of the Church of England in just four days time, meaning the Pope did not have the divine rights to dictating religion in England. With or without the blessing of John, Damon was going to marry Elena. However he needed to come clean with her about the pearl.
Damon left John in his chambers and returned to his own rooms. When he checked the mirror, he noticed a bruise appearing on his cheek where John had thumped him. Damon smiled, as much as he hated it, this was his trophy of love to Elena. He didn't care about how he looked, he just wanted her to know he had taken the punch for her and wore it with pride. This would prove to Elena his love for her, because he was going to need all of the help he could get when he had this conversation with her.
Damon heard a knock at his door, he turned to it and called out. "Come in." as Elena entered the room. "Come sit next to me by the fire Elena. We need to talk." he said as Elena looked at him worriedly, her concern grew visually when she saw the bruise on his face.
Elena ran over to Damon, knelt down beside him and examined the bruise on his face, which was still a little sore to the touch. "Did my father do this?" her eyes flashed angrily as Damon winced slightly at her touch.
"I shall wear it with pride." Damon smirked.
"Do not jest." Elena frowned as she sat on the chair opposite to him.
"I like jesting, it in one of my favourite pastimes." Damon laughed as Elena's eyes rolled in annoyance.
"I take it my father did not want us to marry." Elena sighed.
"No he did not." Damon shook his head.
"Why?" Elena asked.
"I was hoping you would be able to explain it to me." Damon frowned.
Elena looked at him in puzzlement. "Why would I know?"
"When discussing your dowry, there was mentioned the family heirloom, the pearl. What do you know of it?" Damon asked.
"I know it goes to the first born daughter." Elena started as Damon narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Well it goes to the first daughter to marry, who is always the first born daughter in the family."
"But if the youngest daughter marries first, she would inherit it?" Damon raised an eyebrow.
"I suppose." Elena nodded. "But that wouldn't be allowed to happen." she said.
"Why is that?" Damon was desperate to know.
"Katherine told me that there is a curse on the pearl." Elena said. "When she was a small child, not long after I was born, an angel came to visit her and told her a story about the pearl. When I asked father he told me it was true, the pearl had a legend behind it and our family were the guardians. Katherine said the angel told her if I inherited the pearl, the legend would come true. I think that was why she took me to see Maggie, to prove I was the one in the legend, but Maggie's words didn't suggest anything or the sort." she explained.
"Tell me the story." Damon smiled.
"You promise you won't laugh?" Elena asked. "It is ridiculous."
"I promise." Damon said sincerely, holding her hand tenderly.
Elena looked at the gesture and smiled then nodded. "Once there were woodland druids in the land of Wales, who kept nature in balance. Part of their magic revolved around the day and the night. They used the stars and the sun to guide them. At their great temple there were two stones, a black pearl to represent the night and a rare blue gem, mined from caves in the east of the lands of Wales." she said. "An evil King tricked the druids into giving them the pearl. He asked about its magic, they told him it was the key to eternal life. The King wanted to live forever and wanted to know how. The druids told him the magic would work only thrice for eternal life. However the pearl had already granted the wish once to an evil witch King to take his powers but instead it gave him new powers and he continued to rule his people although they were weak without his magic. Therefore the pearl could only grant two more wishes for eternal life, but did not wish to use the powers in such a way again until the right time and cast a spell ensuring those wishing for eternal life must be worthy and pure in heart. The evil King asked if the druids wanted eternal life and they said no, they used the pearl to help them with their night magic as it would light up for them during sacrifices to the gods. Also if it granted the other two lives, the pearl would lose its magic The King then asked his men to kill all of the druids so he could steal the pearl and the blue stone so he and his lover could be granted eternal life. One of the druids fled with the blue stone, which was never seen again."
Damon wondered if this had anything to do with his ring, which was a Blue John stone, mined in the caves of Castleton, which was east of Anglesey. "What was the blue stone for?" he asked.
"We don't have it." Elena shook her head. "So we never found out what it was for." she said. "The evil King took the pearl back to his Kingdom and gave it to his lover. He searched all the lands for a witch who knew the spell to make them immortal, but nobody could help them. His quest for witches led to a conspiracy and he was murdered by his own friends." she told him. "After that the pearl disappeared, but it was only in hiding. The pearl chooses who it wishes to guard it and will kill those who want to use its power for evil. An elderly man found the stone in the ruins of the King's lover's house and he took it to the local soothsayer. The pearl spoke to him through the soothsayer and told him it must only be passed down through the first married daughter, that way it would be kept safe from the descendants of the evil King, until the day no more daughters would be born and there would be a good King to take the pearl and guard it."
Damon raised an eyebrow, so far this sounded like Esther's story about Caesar taking the stone from the druids and then falling into the hands of Richard I, although told in the fashion of a fairytale. To him it indeed sounded more romantic but he suspected he was about to find out more than Esther herself knew.
Elena continued. "For almost fifty generations, the stone was passed from father to the first married daughter as part of her dowry. The family moved to other lands and the legend was always passed down to the daughters until the day when only sons were born. The soothsayer returned from the dead as it was time for the pearl to move on, and he found a good Christian King and took him to visit the daughter with no sons and she gladly gave him the pearl, stating it was cursed and only brought the family pain. The soothsayer told the King to ignore the woman and send the pearl to one of his men in recompense for his godly services and that the family would take care of it until it time to return to its true owner." Elena told him. "The soothsayer warned, a descendant of the evil witch King who was made immortal by the druids, would one day try to steal it back, and when that day came, the soothsayer would send an angel to warn the family of their duty to protect the pearl. If the descendant got hold of the pearl, he would hand it over to the witch King, who already knew where the blue stone was. Together he would make his witches powerful once more. He told them that the pearl should pass through the first married daughter and if there are no daughters then it would be the firstborn son."
"That's a sounds like a bedtime story." Damon said as he thought carefully about what to say and opted for the truth. "I must admit, I had already heard tales of the pearl belonging to that of the Emperor of Rome Julias Caesar who gave it to his lover. It disappeared until it was found in France by Richard I and sent to your family who have been guardians of it ever since. I know nothing of soothsayers or angels." he smiled.
"Why do you know of the pearl?" Elena raised a suspicious eyebrow.
"Mostly that it is a well known tale throughout the land. It has been told that the pearl usually passes through the firstborn daughter." he said. "And those who are unworthy and try to take it against its will perish."
Elena narrowed her eyes. "Are you marrying me for the pearl?" she asked.
Damon wanted to lie to her and say the pearl had nothing to do with the reason he was betrothed to her, but for some reason he couldn't completely lie to her, instead he told her part of the truth. "Yes and no." Damon said sadly. "My intention was to marry Katherine. Like many before me, I am aware of the value of the pearl. I knew the firstborn daughter would get the pearl if I were to marry her." Tears sprung from Elena's eyes; Damon leapt off his chair and knelt down in front to her. "But somewhere along the way, I fell in love with you." he told her, hoping it would placate her, but her response suggested otherwise when she slapped him on the face, catching the bruise. "Ow!" he cried.
"You used me!" she wept. "I was vulnerable and you used that against me." she started to get up, but Damon stopped her.
"The pearl chooses it's guardian. Not the other way around. It sends signs." he told her.
"How do you know?" Elena sniffled.
"A mixture of what I know about it and just now from the tale you told me." Damon replied. "Sit down, please?" he asked; Elena sat back in her chair.
"I think the pearl drew me to you." Damon told her. "I know what the King is about to do and with the timing of the death of my father and what the King wanted from you, I believe it was fate. I am a wealthy man, I do not need money or jewels." he stroked her face. "I suspect the pearl called me here to prevent you from your marriage."
"What marriage?" Elena raised an eyebrow.
"You were betrothed as a child to the butcher's son." Damon cast his eyes down as Elena clapped her hand to her mouth.
"Who said this?" she whispered.
"Your father told me." Damon replied. "I will ask the King to annul the betrothal and we can still be wed."
"Why would I trust you?" Elena asked.
"Because I think the pearl is trying to tell us something. I believe your urge to drink my blood is the pearl calling out to us. Our union is essential to its survival." he said.
"But the angel told Katherine not to let me have it." Elena frowned.
"And what reason do you think Katherine might have told you that tale?" Damon asked, although he had a suspicion Katherine was telling the truth.
"Because she wanted it herself." Elena said meekly, to which Damon nodded and placed his hands on her cheeks.
"I would give up all of my riches for you." he said. "If I only wanted the pearl I would be marrying Katherine. But I want, no need to marry you." he frowned. "You are like a piece of me which has been missing for hundreds of years." he smiled.
Elena laughed. "You are only five and twenty, I think you jest." she said as Damon cast his eyes down and shook his head.
"I have been waiting for you since the dawn of time. You are my world." he said, chastely kissing her on the lips. "Will you still marry me?" he asked.
"Of course." Elena nodded.
"Good." Damon nodded. "I must write letters to people to tell them of our impending marriage. I suspect you may wish to do the same." he suggested.
"Of course." Elena nodded as she made her way back to her room.
"We shall dine alone tonight?" Damon asked.
"Of course." Elena grinned, curtsied and left the room, closing the door behind her.
Damon took out a piece of paper. His instinct told him to write to Bonnie, but he had a bad feeling that the letters could be infiltrated. Instead he made a list of who was who in the story. He knew he had the Blue John Stone which had come from Maggie's father who was a descendant of the druids, which cleared that part of the story up. Julias Caesar was the evil King who gave it to his Mistress Servilia. He had a feeling the angel was Isobel after she had been turned. Damon had already heard the story behind the first vampire which was created by a magical stone. Nobody knew the identity of the first vampire who was once a Heletian witch King and the druids tried to remove his and the powers of his followers using the stone, instead they made him immortal and reduced the witches to only being able to influence others. Damon guessed the immortality spell only worked if both the Blue John and the pearl were together, but if the Heletian Witch King was immortal, why would he want the pearl, unless it would unlock his magic once more making him a vampire and a powerful witch. What Damon needed to know was who the first vampire was and how he was connected to Isobel, who clearly knew all of this before she even turned. He had deduced the soothsayer was most probably the first vampire, which meant he could not take the stone itself. Damon also he being a vampire, made making him a descendant the Heletian witch King.
Now Damon understood why the pearl was calling him as he was the one prophesied to take it from them. What was now confusing Damon was why the soothsayer had lied and warned the Gilbert family about him and Elena, surely after all of these millennia, the Heletian King could wait a bit longer for the pearl, after all he and Elena were to die in less than two years. Of course, none of Elena's story explained the tale John had told him about a half-breed, but he only had to guess Isobel was acting under orders to scare John which had obviously worked.
For the time being, Damon decided it would be a wise idea to keep this information to himself. He no longer knew who he could trust as he had a bad feeling he unwittingly knew the Heletian King and was being watched from afar.
Damon hid his theory under a floorboard instead of the bargueño. From now on he would be cautious in regards to what he would send back to the office. As he had kissed Elena, he wiped the conversation from his recordings, knowing that would serve as a good enough reason for the blank space. In the meantime, he wanted to do something nice for Elena, so he set about a letter which he knew he could send, a request for some good chocolate to give to Elena as an apology and a token of his love.
Thank you all for your kind reviews. They do mean a lot to me.
If you like this story, please like, follow and/or review. It helps motivate me to get the chapters written and published quicker.
Mandzipop.