Elena sighed, no matter how many times she has walked around this garden her boredom would not shift. Her doe brown eyes gazed longingly at the castle gates. How she wished she could venture out again, she felt trapped here. She sat down on the grass, servants, guards and nobles all watching her carefully. She hated how they all watched, waiting for her to do something wrong so they would have something to gossip about or report. She brushed her wavy elbow length, chestnut hair out of her face and picked up a dandelion. She longed for the day this war ended and she was allowed to venture into the forest again to practice her archery. The feel of a bow and arrow in her hands always made her feel calm and complete. Her father forbade it but she did not care and convinced her brother to teach her at the young age of 13. She was now 2 weeks from being 18 and had become an expert archer, rivalling the skills of those in the realms elite squad to which Jeremy belonged. She used her manicured nails to cut a slit in the dandelion and grabbed another one, threading the stem into it. She had done this many time's with her mother as a child, they would make a crown and Miranda would place it upon her head while filling her with hopes of love. More people stop to watch her and she cringed. She had been told by many suitors that her beauty was above all others and they were not wrong. She was beautiful. Her eyes were the perfect almond shape with rows of thick long lashes that widened them, exposing her kind and gentle eyes. Her nose was small and slim and lips full and rosy. Her body was slim but toned from many hours of archery practice but still had curves to die for. She sighed losing interest in what she was doing; she had lost interest in these types of things ever since her mother started forcing etiquette down her throat. She loved her mother more than anything but lately she felt like a prize to be shipped off to the highest bidder. Elena Gilbert of the mystic falls realm was soon to be wed to a man she did not know nor love. Her mother had lied to her; she had filled her dreams with passion and love only to dash them. Tomorrow she would find out who her hand was promised to publicly and humiliatingly so that alliances could be made as they faced the threat against him.
...
Damon Salvatore rode down his army camp, his silver armour shinning and demanding respect. He was a man to be feared. His piercing blue eyes held distaste and a frown was etched into his godly features. The news he had just received was not welcomed and he was furious. The Gilbert's once again had set his plans back for the second time this season. His muscles rippled and contracted under his armour as he dismounted his horse angrily. This war was dragging on too long for his liking and wished nothing more than to be in his bed chamber with a few women in his bed and a whiskey in his hand. He hurried into his strategy tent to find his generals around the map they had drawn up, wooden figures placed to signify where his army's were.
"Alaric, update now!" his friend was taken aback by his tone but nodded to Klaus and Stefan who moved a few figures around.
"My lord, it seems the Mason Lockwood is advancing his army into our territory at Richmond. We've heard that he also has a small convoy heading into Mystic Falls" Damon's hand clenched the table god damn those Gilberts!
"It has come to my attention that Lockwood is intended to marry Gilbert's daughter Elena, securing their alliance which will cause his army to outnumber ours and also block the path we need to take to get to the Lockwood realm" his generals looked up shocked. This was new and could cause everything to fall apart "We need a way to gain control of mystic falls and fast" Damon looked over to his brother who had his brows furrowed together in concentration
"We could kidnap her?" Damon rose his head, his sapphire eyes meeting his brothers emerald ones "If we stop the wedding we stop the alliance right?"
"No that wouldn't work, it would just make them work together to get her back, causing us to retreat further" The idea ticked over in his head "But if I convinced her to marry me instead then Grayson would have no choice but to join us, we would have free passage straight through mystic falls"
"And how do you expect that to work? Women have no power in war!" Damon sneered at Klaus; sometimes he didn't even know why this man was his general. His brother insisted he was one of the best which was the only reason he was here
"Everyone knows how much Grayson love's his daughter, he would do anything for her even if that meant joining with us, if I get her into bed with me he would have no choice but to marry her to me in fear of ruining his precious daughters reputation" Klaus was silent then nodded, Damon was right. He couldn't help but smirk, he had heard many time's of the Gilbert girl's beauty. A part of him had always wish they would cross paths after the war just to see if it was true what they said, that Elena Gilbert, Daughter or Miranda and Grayson Gilbert was the jewel of all the realms. To have her on his arm would bring him an honour no man had ever accomplished before.
