Beyond the slopes that loomed over the quiet village of Mystic Falls sat a dark, intimidating manor, nearly a castle in size. Though it looked like a fortress, it hardly needed protection from the world around it, standing tall and proud on its pedestal.
It was there, that the vampires ruled Mystic Falls with an iron fist.
Their existence was of public knowledge, but rather than striking fear into the hearts of the villagers, they instead were revered and known as the protectors of their homeland. No one was foolish enough to invade their hills as long as the vampires ruled, making them one of the more powerful royal families across the land. To try and take on an enemy that could not die was to have a death wish for yourself.
Though the chance of being overthrown was slim, the vampires were few in number compared to the steadily expanding town beneath, and the world around them was full of people who would do anything to have their power. To preserve their hold on the throne, it meant only one thing.
It was time to expand the family.
Inwardly groaning as he felt the morning sunlight hit his eyelids, Damon rolled over; fiddling with the ring he never took off, a natural instinct. Lazily he opened his eyes, not bothering to cover his naked torso with the silk sheets tangled beneath him. One of the regular maids they kept around the manor was finishing opening the thick curtains to wake him from his sleep.
Damon watched her silently as he tried to recall her name. Marisol? May?
Turning towards him, she curtsied before rising again. "Lord Salvatore. Your brother requests to have your presence at breakfast this morning." Meeting his eyes for a short moment, she blushed before her gaze returned to the floor.
A slow smirk spread across his face as he remembered her name at last: Mary, the shy little maid who couldn't seem to get enough of him. Beckoning her forward with a slight twitch of his finger, she came forward at once.
"My brother can wait. I'd much rather have a private breakfast today," he murmured, a salacious look in his eyes as he trailed a finger down Mary's cheek, making her shiver and blush deeper. Without hesitation, he brought her down to his level and sank his teeth into the side of her neck, blood spilling into his mouth as she whimpered.
Screw breakfast with his brother. This was much more fun.
The minutes steadily ticked by as Stefan finished his breakfast, no longer expecting his elder brother to join him any time soon. On this particular day, he couldn't help but feel annoyed by Damon's tardiness. Perhaps he should have just been straight forward as to why he wanted his brother's presence, instead of this ruse about wanting his company. Getting Damon's attention always seemed to be a chore though, and today was no different.
By the time Damon sauntered through the wide double doors of the parlor, Stefan had already made himself presentable for the day and was found casually reading through one of his more favored novels. Closing the book, he glanced up at his brother's late arrival.
"Sorry I didn't send word that I wasn't going to make it. I would have sent the maid but I found… better uses for her," Damon shrugged nonchalantly, his signature smirk lingering on his face.
Hardly surprised by his brother's actions, Stefan remained straight faced. "Well I'm glad you could take the time out of your busy schedule to join me finally. I got word while you were out last night that Lord Elijah Mikaelson will be here by noon."
The smirk instantly vanished and was replaced by a frown as Damon took in his words. "What does he want?"
Giving a small shrug, Stefan shook his head, his face grim. "I couldn't tell you, but I'm sure whatever it is, we're not going to like it."
Letting out a snort, Damon casually took a seat in one of the plush arm chairs, motioning for the maid that was posted just outside the doors to bring him a drink. Noticing Stefan narrow his eyes at this, Damon met his gaze with an exasperated look of his own. "Stop with the judging little brother. If my day has to start with one of the Mikaelsons involved, I think I deserve a drink."
Not bothering to answer him, Stefan dropped it and had to admit that he was right. Whenever the Mikaelsons came around it always ended with some sort of bad news.
Stefan's thoughts were interrupted as one of the servants entered and bowed to the two brothers. "Lord Elijah has arrived. Shall I show him in?" he asked.
Taking charge, Stefan nodded and stood from his chair, adjusting his cuff links as Damon downed the contents of his glass, before joining his brother. They waited in silence as the footsteps grew nearer before the servant returned with the Lord Elijah. Striding purposefully into the room, his back ramrod straight, his manners impeccable, Elijah greeted them, declining the offer for something to drink as he dismissed the servant.
"I'm sure the both of you are uncertain as to why I am here," he began, looking them both evenly in the eyes as he got straight to business. Not bothering to take a seat, he strolled absently around the parlor, his eyes trailing over the shelves of books. "I apologize if I have caused any uneasiness by my visit."
"Why are you here?" Damon asked bluntly, getting to the point, distrustful of the Lord. Stefan remained silent despite his brother's lack of manners. He couldn't help but feel as Damon did about this unexpected visit.
Choosing to ignore Damon's tone, Elijah came to a stop and faced them. "I've come to warn the two of you. Although the lands you control have been safe under your rule, you should know about the legitimate threat of a takeover."
Interrupting him, Damon's irritation grew. "What threat? We've had nothing but peace with the neighboring noble families for quite some time. Who would want to start a war with us?" he asked incredulous.
Elijah's face grew stony. "My brother would."
Silence hung in the air before he began again. "Lord Niklaus Mikaelson, my brother, the oldest of our siblings. He has been ruthless in his conquest to have power and control over the lands to have his own kingdom. He has already taken hold of some smaller regions in the south, and as his brother, I have intelligence that he plans to take Mystic Falls from the two of you," he paused, his brow furrowed as he frowned, clearly bothered by the situation.
"Why should we trust your word Elijah? You just said it yourself; he's your brother," Damon responded pointedly, his irritation mounting inside though he did little to reveal it.
"Niklaus may be my brother, but over time I have learned not to trust anything he says," Elijah replied firmly, though a look of regret passed momentarily over his features. "You can choose to believe me on that or not, I understand. Regardless though, Niklaus is acting entirely on his own. The rest of my family and I have no intention of invading your lands. Though we may not always be on the best of terms, I would like to believe we are not enemies in this situation."
Nodding his head slowly, Stefan finally spoke before Damon could interject this time. "So let's say we do believe you. What would have us do? Go to war when Niklaus has yet to make an appearance?"
"No. The reason Niklaus seems to be targeting your land, besides the convenience, is the fact that his numbers are larger, and could easily overthrow you. You two are the only vampires ruling these lands besides the army you have. If Niklaus saw a more… united front, perhaps he would rethink his course of action." Elijah may not have said it our loud, but his point was clear. The Salvatore brothers were not known to get along, and seemed to disagree on most things, besides the safety of their lands. Clearly, in the eyes of Niklaus, they looked like an easy target.
The brothers grew quiet, now deep in thought of what their next move should be. Straightening his attire, Elijiah regained his formal composure. "I do hope you will take my word as to the rest of my family's choice to remain neutral to this. We will not aid Niklaus in his mission."
"Yet you won't turn against him either," Damon murmured, pinpointing what everyone was thinking.
Bowing his head slightly, Elijah conceded. "We will do what is necessary to survive and rule."
It had been an hour or so since Elijah had departed, leaving the brothers to determine a strategy against Niklaus.
Stefan rapped his knuckles against the side of one of the thick oak bookshelves as he leaned against it, his jaw tense. Damon's eyes flicked over to Stefan, scowling at him.
"Will you knock it off? For god's sake go get a quick bite and focus," he snapped, agitated.
"I don't need to," Stefan retorted obstinately.
"The hell you don't. We need to come up with a plan and I'd rather not have your mind preoccupied when we do," Damon bit back, not in the mood for one of Stefan's mood swings. If he could just moderate how much human blood he drank, he wouldn't be twitching for it like he practically was now.
"I said I'm fine," he ground out. Walking away from the bookshelf, he slowly paced the room, running a hand through his hair. "We just need a bigger army," he thought aloud. "The support of noble families here helps, but I doubt that'll make a difference."
Damon remained silent, already a plan in motion in his head. Stefan was on the right track so far. Leaning back into the armchair, he watched his brother patiently, waiting for the pieces to come together for him.
"We need more vampires to help control Mystic Falls, and our lands beyond that; get Niklaus to back down… But they need to be people who understand how important it is to defend right now, not just anyone…" Stefan shook his head, coming to a stop.
Raising his eyebrows, Damon smiled casually. "They'd be perfect for the job."
Shaking his head instantly, Stefan crossed his arms, thinking the idea was wrong and insane. "No. They don't deserve to have their lives taken from them."
"Oh come on!" Damon nearly shouted. "Who better to protect their homes, their wealth? The Fells, the Forbes, all of them. We throw a ball, put a little vampire blood in the wine, and get them all into one room. I'm sure we could kill them all in no time," he smirked, warming to the idea.
"No, Damon!" Stefan repeated. "I will not force this life on any of them. It's just not an option." He denied it but Damon's idea did make sense. Even with this though, he knew he couldn't bring himself to doom those people to this life.
Pausing briefly, Damon spoke again, his voice serious now. "What if we didn't force it on them? Let's be honest, would they pass up the opportunity to become like us? Or what about having that permanent sense of security and power?"
Stefan sat in silence, his brother's words sinking in. It was true. The men that served them were fiercely loyal and determined to keep hold onto their titles and wealth. He had no doubt they would agree to it.
Taking his brother's silence as an agreement, Damon stood from his chair, making his way out of the room. Glancing back at Stefan for a moment, he grinned. "Let's throw a ball anyway. There's no reason this can't be enjoyable."