Set in 15th Century England
Elena walked along the street, as it steadily grew darker around her. She had lost track of time in the market, trying to find the perfect necklace to buy for her mother's birthday the following day. Her parents had always warned her against walking home alone in the night, and so normally she would have left earlier, but today she just hadn't been focusing on the time at all. Shivering in the cool breeze, she pulled her cloak tighter, and quickened her pace. The streets were deserted around her, and she scolded herself for leaving this late. Her parents would no doubt be waiting to reprimand her. The houses on her left came to an end, as she reached the part of the journey she hated the most. For about 10 minutes of her walk, the forest stretched out into the distance on her left. The trees were packed tightly together, so she could barely see 10 meters into the woods. She had no idea what animals were lurking in the dark. Her heart hammering in fear, she sped up, anxious to reach the warm comfort of her home. Just as she was reaching the end of the forest, a hand shot out from the trees, grasping her wrist tightly and pulling her into the thick woods.
"Don't make a sound." A low voice said, as she emerged into a small clearing in the forest and found herself looking into unfamiliar, dark brown eyes.
She immediately opened her mouth to scream anyway, but found she was unable to do so. However hard she tried, she couldn't make a single sound. What strange magic had this man done to her?
"My name is Finn Mikaelson. I apologise for what I am about to do, but unfortunately for you, there isn't anyone else around I can ask." The man talking to her was tall, with long, dark brown hair and dark eyes. He was dressed simply, but the blue gemstone glittering on a ring on his finger implied he was wealthy.
Again, Elena tried to speak, but to no avail. "Don't move." Finn said to her, sensing her distress. Embarrassed that the thought hadn't actually occurred to her, she tried to run away, but found herself unable to do that either. Terrified, she helplessly looked on at him, as he removed something from his tunic. It looked like a sharp, white stake, and it seemed to glow in the moonlight. Confused, she looked back up at Finn, as he turned it over in his hand. She had no idea who this strange man was, or what he wanted from her, or even what exactly it was he held in his hand. However she could do nothing about it. She was unable to move or speak, though she had no idea why.
He hesitated, as if he was making a difficult decision. Eventually, he spoke, quietly but firmly, no doubt in his voice.
"You don't know me, and you should be glad you don't. But I'm a monster; in fact my whole family consists of monsters. I can't live this way any longer. Why do I deserve to live, if it means so many people have to give their lives for me?"
Elena didn't say anything, not that she could have even if she wanted to. Finn carried on speaking anyway.
"I know this doesn't make any sense to you, but it doesn't matter, soon you won't remember any of it anyway. I just want you to know you should not feel guilty about what I'm making you do." He took a breath, and then let it out, smiling, as if he was finally at peace.
"I want you to kill me, and then I want you to forget about this whole meeting."
(**)
Elena rolled over in her bed, unable to sleep. As she had expected, her parents had been angry with her for coming home late. But she felt she had been justified. After over an hour of browsing jewelry at the local market, she had finally picked out the perfect necklace for her mother. Plus, her walk back had been quiet and uneventful, so she didn't see why her parents were so annoyed. But for some reason, their anger must have got to her, because as much as she had tried, she just couldn't fall asleep.
She lived in a small village with her parents, and she was happy with her life. Though they didn't have much money, they got by, and that was more than enough for her. Her father was a doctor, and was well respected and liked in the village. As was her mother. In fact her father had even taken the time to teach her to read and write, a skill that hardly any women were allowed.
Sighing, she got up and went over to the window, opening it to allow some air inside. As she felt the breeze on her face, her nose wrinkled at the smell. Was that smoke? Leaning out of the window, she quickly spotted the flames licking the side of the house. Her heart pounding in fear, she leaned back.
"Mother! Father ! Fire!" She shouted out, but got no reply. She ran out the door, and was immediately suffocated by the smoke that had already filled the corridor. The flames were spreading rapidly, and within seconds, she could barely see in any direction. Her eyes filled with tears, as the smoke stung them, but she kept calling out for her parents.
"No, no, no, no." She whispered to herself. What if she was too late? What if something had happened to her parents? She held up her arm to cover her mouth, as she ran along the corridor towards her parents' room, fear surging through her.
"Elena, stop!" A soft voice called out, as a dark shadow emerged in front of her. Elena froze with fear, before recognition dawned as she saw the familiar face of her neighbor, Charlotte. Charlotte had lived next door for as long as Elena could remember, and she was a close friend of her mother's. She had been like an aunt to Elena, always looking out for her.
"Charlotte! Thank god, we have to get my parents out!" Elena said, grabbing Charlotte's arm and dragging her along. But Charlotte shook free, and took hold of Elena's shoulders, forcing her to stop.
"No, you have to get out of here! My horse is outside, take her and leave. Go as fast as you can, as far as you can." Charlotte shouted, over the noise of the roaring flames surrounding them.
Elena frowned, confused. "Why? We have to get my parents out!"
Charlotte shook her head, and Elena saw the fear in her eyes. "Elena, this fire wasn't an accident!"
Elena grew even more confused. It wasn't an accident? Their family was well liked in this village, no one would do something like this to them. What was Charlotte talking about?
"I saw his symbol on your door. I don't know why he's after you, but he is, which means he won't ever leave you. They'll be back soon to check the fire did it's job, you have to get out now!" Charlotte said, the words coming out rushed with terror. "Ride as fast as you can away from here, hide out somewhere."
Elena looked around helplessly, as the flames had completely surrounded them. Charlotte seemed to have gone crazy with fear, she didn't seem to know what she was saying.
"Charlotte, nobody's after me! We have to get my parents out of here, then put out this fire!"
Charlotte glanced at the flames then at the door, which was now almost totally covered by the flames. She looked afraid.
"I don't have time to explain, but if you stay here, they'll come back and they will kill you. I will get your parents out, don't worry. Just go! Now!" Charlotte pushed her backwards, towards the door, while moving her hand at the same time. Elena looked behind her, as the flames around the door seemed to suddenly lessen.
"H – how did you do that?" Elena asked, mystified.
"Elena, get out!" Charlotte shoved her once more, forcing Elena to turn before she fell. She pushed the door open, and stepped out into the night, her lungs grateful for the clean air. She turned, just in time to see the flames grow bigger again as the door swung shut, locking her out of her own house.
"Find the bodies." Elena heard someone shout, as she saw a group of men smash the windows and enter the house. They didn't seem to see her, though she had no idea why. The men looked angry, they almost seemed to be snarling, as the jumped through the windows of her house. Realizing there may have been some truth in what Charlotte was saying, Elena turned and ran towards the horse outside Charlotte's house. She jumped on its back, and turned to look at her house, for what might have been the last time. Charlotte had said that she would get her parents out, and she trusted her. But she was still afraid. Afraid of the fires that were still consuming her childhood home, afraid of the dangerous looking men who had just entered, and afraid to leave the village, where she had spent her entire life.
As she rode past her house, she caught a glimpse of the symbol on her door that Charlotte had mentioned. Burned into the wooden door of her house, was a large 'K'.
(**)
Elena rode as fast as she could for the next few hours. A few time she paused, to catch her breath, until she heard the shouts and sounds of horse's hooves in the distance behind her. Terrified, she decided not to stop anymore. Who were these people chasing her, and why were they after her? To her knowledge, she had never hurt anyone in her life, and neither had her parents. So what had she done to deserve this wrath from them? After 5 or 6 hours of continuous riding, the path she was on forked in two. On the left it continued downwards into a small village, similar to hers, perhaps slightly larger. On the right it ended abruptly, as a large, grey castle rose out of the darkness, looming above her. The sounds of hooves behind her increased in volume, as she realized they were steadily gaining on her. Her heart racing in terror, she looked at the fork. Which way would they expect her to go? The answer was easy, it was where she desperately wanted to go. Left. Into the village. Surely there would be a friendly family willing to help her out, hide her for a few days, until things died down. But if that was the way she wanted to go, that was the way they would go to look for her.
Taking a breath, and trying to gain some courage, she headed right, towards the large wooden gates. She jumped off the horse, and shook the water from her hair. She was completely soaked through, it had been raining continuously for the last few hours.
"Help! Is anyone there? Open up!" She shouted, hammering on the gates.
She realized how desperate she was. If the owners refused to open the gates, she wouldn't have time to try her luck in the village, the men would have caught up with her by then. This was her only chance.
"Help! Please! There are men after me, they'll kill me!" Elena shouted out again. She was sore all over, her arms ached, her legs ached. She knew if this gate didn't open, she would collapse. It would be over.
After a few minutes of hammering, there was a noisy creak, and the gate opened ever so slightly, as an elderly man popped his head through the gap. He was soaked through as well, and his friendly brown eyes weren't focused, as if he had just woken up. She ran over to him, a glimmer of hope rising inside her.
"Please, you have to help me. These men are chasing me, they will kill me. I just need shelter for a few hours, until they go past. And then I will leave, I promise. Please, please. You have to help me." Elena said, her heart rate increasing. She kept looking behind her, dreading the moment when she would see horses appear on the path.
The old man looked at her suspiciously, and then he looked back up at the castle, worriedly. Elena had no idea what he was thinking. Just when she was convinced he was going to send her away, he nodded slightly.
"You can stay the night. Get dried up and get some rest, but you have to be out tomorrow." He croaked,
Elena let out the breath she didn't realize she had been holding, and hugged him with relief. He stumbled back slightly, as he hadn't been expecting it, but when she let him go, she saw him smiling slightly.
"Thank you so much!" She said, returning the smile.
(**)
Damon had been trying to get some sleep, when he had heard the commotion outside. He had heard the riders before they had even reached the castle, the benefits of vampire hearing. Since the town they lived in was normally quiet, he had been intrigued by the sudden disturbance late at night. Standing up, he looked out of the window, down into the courtyard. He could hear a single rider approaching the gate, and not far behind, a group of about 4 or 5 riders.
He pushed open the window slightly, as the single rider started hammering on the gate. He was surprised to see it was a woman. She was dressed simply, clearly not from a wealthy background. She was soaked through, and she looked terrified, as she shook the water out from her long, brown hair. He watched as Alaric, their gatekeeper, slowly shuffled across the courtyard and pushed open the gate. As he listened to the exchange between Alaric and the woman, his curiosity grew by the second. Eventually Alaric let her in, as Damon knew he would. He had a soft heart, and would never have turned down a young woman in distress. He watched as they crossed the courtyard again, and Alaric let her into the small cottage he stayed in.
The door had just swung shut behind them, when the group of riders arrived at the gates. He watched as two of them jumped up onto the walls surrounding the castle, and their eyes swept across the grounds. They were vampires, that much was clear, which was why they couldn't enter the actual grounds of the castle. They hadn't been invited. The whole castle and its grounds belonged to Alaric, though he wasn't aware of that. It kept them protected though, as vampires couldn't enter without permission, and Alaric was fully loyal to them.
"She's not here." One of the men stood on the wall shouted back to the rest of the group.
"Let's try the town. Otherwise she must be further ahead." The other man said. They both jumped back on their horses, and the whole group headed towards the town.
Further intrigued, Damon pushed open his window all the way, and jumped down from the castle, landing lightly on his feet. Another benefit of being a vampire, these heights were nothing to him. He made his way to the cottage, his shirt quickly getting soaked through. It was really pouring down. Alaric was nowhere in sight, so Damon continued on into the bedroom at the back. He entered, just as the woman was attempting to do up her dress at the back. When she saw him, she blushed.
"Haven't you heard of knocking?" She asked, angrily.
"Allow me." He said, helping her with her dress, quickly and expertly doing it up. He was done within seconds, and she turned to look at him, with an expression of suspicion.
"It's not difficult! Look, I'll demonstrate." She said, as she knocked on the cupboard next to her. Her dark brown eyes were flashing with anger, as Damon held back a smile. Her life was clearly in danger, yet she still wanted to reprimand him for his manners.
There was a quick knock on the door behind him, as Alaric stepped into the bedroom.
"See, he knows how to do it." The woman said, though her expression of anger had been replaced with gratefulness, as she looked at Alaric.
"My lord! I didn't see you come in." Alaric said, bowing to him.
"It's no problem. I just wanted to speak with our guest." Damon said, and Alaric nodded and left.
Damon turned back to see the woman blushing furiously.
"L-Lord? I'm sorry, I didn't know." She said, looking down embarrassedly.
Damon noted that she still hadn't curtsied. It was probably the first time he had spoken to a woman, and she hadn't curtsied. This woman clearly didn't have experience speaking to nobility, but instead of being offended, he found it refreshing.
"Well next time you decide to rebuke someone, maybe you should check if they own the castle you're standing next to."
The woman half smiled, like she was unsure whether he was telling a joke or not.
"I will, I apologize." She said, quickly. She still looked completely embarrassed that she had spoken that way to a lord.
"Never mind. Who are you?" He asked, getting to the point.
"My name is Elena, sir, I mean my lord. These men are after me, I have no idea why. They set fire to my house, and they chased me all the way here, for the last 7 or 8 hours. I don't know what I did, I don't know who they are." She said, her words coming out rushed.
Damon frowned, he was getting more and more curious. She seemed to be a normal human girl, so what had she done to cause a group of vampires to chase after her for so long?
"You have no idea who they are?" He asked, disbelievingly.
"No! I didn't even know they were after me, until my neighbor told me. She saw the symbol on my door and - "
"Symbol?" Damon cut in, intrigued.
"Well, she said it was a symbol. It just looked like a big 'K' to me." Elena continued to talk, but Damon had stopped listening. The symbol meant only one thing. Klaus. Now why was the world's most powerful vampire, Klaus, after this seemingly normal human girl? It didn't really matter anyway, since there was only one thing to be done in this situation. Give the girl to Klaus, or incur the wrath of an Original vampire. There really was no decision to be made. He glanced at the girl who was still talking in front of him. Her long brown hair was starting to dry in soft waves, and her eyes, though tense with fear, were still full of life.
She was beautiful, even he had to admit. It was just a pity she wouldn't be alive much longer.
Hey, so just scene setting at the moment, but let me know if you like the concept and think I should continue?