In the small out of the way village in the shadows of the forest, The Jarrett family were tending to their land and life stock, they owned a small farm. Mainly run by Jeff the patriarch of the family who looked after the others, and Bobby, Jeff oldest child and only son, they would work together to plough the lands making sure the crops were growing, as well as tend to their life stock. Karen the matriarch of the family, stayed at the family home with their only daughter Maria. Teaching her about the importance of being a good wife, and helping her to look after her ten year old daughter Paige. Maria never told her parents who the father of her child was, instead keeping it a secret.
"Father, may I confide in you with something?" asked Bobby, he had slightly tanned skin and dark hair, his eye colour was a close match to his hair colour, he was very well build in term of muscles from pulling equipment along. He looked at his father who was slightly smaller than him, with blond hair and blue eyes, like himself he was muscular. His father nodded in response, knowing Bobby would never ask unless it was important. He was always worrying about Maria and his niece, they were his top priority most of the time. "I keep having this dream, where a man who's eyes turn blue comes and kidnaps Paige and Maria, the main target being Paige. This man was sent by another like him, the man who comes calls the other James, the vampire king" added Bobby, the last time he had one of these dreams was a decade before, where he dreamt Maria was with a stranger, someone from outside their small village. Sure enough Maria gave birth to Paige nine months later. Bobby knew the legends of vampires but like many presumed they were just stories invented to scare children, besides the century old attack no evidence of vampires had ever been discovered or written about.
"We'll keep both girls safe, Maria would be lost without Paige running along behind her. No one is going to take them away from us, hell will take over before anyone takes them away" replied Jeff, those two girls were two of the three most important women in his life. His wife Karen being the other one. Unknown to Jeff and Bobby there was a hooded figure watching the house and farm from the trees that surrounded the north east side. He would wait until night fell, where the families guard would be down, when they would least expect it to happen. As he continued to watch the small family of five, he noticed two other women come, one had blond hair she wore a tight fitting beige dress, where as the other one with sandy hair had a dress that allowed her to breath, hers was a light blue colour but it looked as if it had faded over time.
Gunner watch his two targets from a far, noticing how the two women that arrived would interact with Maria, how they would talk to her and watch as the small child came to them, a smile on her pale features. Maria was wearing a dress of different colour fabrics, it appeared to be hand made, where as her red hair was up in a pony tail, as she wore a necklace with a purple gem around her neck. The young girl he presumed was Paige, was wearing a hand made black and red dress, a smile up on her pale features as she ran from her mother to the man who had dreams on what was going to happen, Paige's raven hair was down put blowing around behind her as she ran through the turned up fields.
Night fell soon enough, Gunner was about to make his way out of the trees when the ten year old girl, came out of the house and spotted him. Curiosity getting the better of her she slowly made her way towards the trees, when she seen Gunner crotch there, and how his eyes turned from brown to a mystical electric blue, she didn't run away instead looked at him like he was an animal she had never seen before, he but a finger on his lips, when he heard a voice calling her name, she nodded before asking a question, her curiosity clear to hear in her voice the same thing made her eyes sparkle slightly, all of which reminded Gunner of the centuries old vampire she had once been many years prior.
"Who are you? I haven't seen you around here before" asked Paige, her hands grasping each other in front of her, she smiled at him sweetly. She was so innocent and had no idea what was about to happen, or what she was apart of. Hell she didn't even know that in her past life she was a vampire princess, that had lived for eight centuries. Gunner smiled at her before kneeling down to be at her height level, he looked into her eyes, seeing her kindness and gentleness, even the love for things around her, she would soon learn of her who she once was, and why she is so important to James. He knew she would be safe with him, she would be safe with all of them back in Storms Landing. He would personally keep watch over her as he had once done.
"That's because I was sent here to get two very special people, would you be able to help me find them?" asked Gunner acting as if she was his child or one of the boys who ran around the castle halls. He interacting with her to gain her trust, giving her a reason to not be afraid. When she nodded he continued. "Two women, a little princess called Paige Jarrett and her mother Maria Jarrett, would a beautiful young lady such as yourself happen to know where I could find them?" added Gunner, seeing the smile appear on her pale features when he mentioned her name and called her a princess, her rightful title and one she would learn of when she went back to the place where she truly belonged.
"I'm Paige, my mummy is in the house" answered Paige. Gunner smiled before putting a loose strand of hair behind the girls ear, she smiled at him, before pulling him off the muddy ground and with her. Bobby seeing the man his niece was pulling behind her, recognised him, it was the man from his dreams, could it be true? Were his dreams the warning signs of when something bad was going to happen? Or did he have a talent for seeing the future while he slept? Either way it was very unnerving that the man being dragged to the house by Paige was the same one he seen kidnapping her and Maria in his dreams. "Uncle Bobby, this man is looking for mummy and me" spoke Paige standing next to the man smiling up at him, she seemed to trust him but it was unknown why and a near mystery to Bobby, all of his sense told him the mysterious man was dangerous yet his niece stood at his side like he was an old friend of hers.
"My name is Gunner, I was sent here to speak to Maria and take Paige here to her father" added Gunner explaining why he was there, and what is name was. Bobby just nodded, this was the first time he had heard anything from Paige's father, Maria hadn't told him anything about who her father was, just saying that he was a traveller who abounded her, when she informed him she was with child. "May I speak with Maria please?" asked Gunner being polite. Bobby nodded again, this time he walked away soon after fetching his younger sister, and bringing her back to the man and her daughter, after explaining what he was there for. Bobby seen the confusion come over Maria's features upon hearing Paige's father had send Gunner, that alone sending warning bells for them both and the concern to grow within Maria as she remembered her lover from so long ago. Mike.
"Why did Paige's father send you now, when has never tried to before?" asked Maria once she reacted where the pair were, holding her hand out for her daughter to come to her. Gunner leant down and whispered something to the little girl, when she nodded he allowed her to jump up on his back, like he was giving her a piggy back ride. "Please put Paige down, she isn't going anywhere without myself or my brother here with her" added Maria, becoming a little concerned when Gunner never moved to put Paige down, he just smiled when Paige laughed. It was almost as if he could only take orders from her, like he was protecting her from something. Maria too had spotted the trust her daughter had in this man and how he seemed so familiar with her, even placing a necklace around her neck, an old fashioned onyx ring.
"I have orders to bring her home to her father, the king. And for you to come as well" suddenly responded Gunner, noticing how Paige had fallen asleep. Her breathing against his neck had become more even, for such a young women she was very trusting, she didn't know him or what his intentions were yet she gave him her trust and allowed him to pick her up and on her families land. When Maria didn't answer he smiled and in a blink of an eye he was gone, taking Paige with him, he had a plan to take the kings daughter back to James first then he would go back and fetch Maria so that she could be with her daughter and more likely be willing to go with him although angry and distrusting of him. James would get his new queen when Maria went with him if she did. Once Maria and Bobby realised the man was a vampire and had taken Paige with him, they automatically assumed that she was in danger, that the vampire named Gunner would kill her before the night was out, neither aware he would do the opposite and protect her and be a friend when she needed one.
Maria noticed something about Gunner's story didn't add up, how could he have been sent by Paige's father, when he had died not long after she was conceived. He wanted to do everything for their child, but his body wasn't strong enough. He died in her arms, he was cremated at her request and she spread his ashed over the land they had planned to live together with their child. Bobby noticed Maria looked confused, but he didn't ask, figuring it was just worry that her daughter was now in the hands of a vampire. Completely unaware of the secret in which his younger sister harboured when it come to Paige's father and what had happened to him all those year prior.
"Why now? After all this time" asked Maria, still not being able to tell her older brother the truth on what had happened to her lover and Paige's father a decade before hand. It still hurt her to remember how happy Mike was to learn of her pregnancy, how they had planned their wedding and brought a farm to live on and raise their daughter, close by so she could still visit her loved ones. "Why would Mike be interested in knowing Paige now after abandoning me back then?" added Maria saying the name of her lover for the first time. Bobby stood by and listened, this was the first time he had heard the name of his sister's lover. He could see tears in Maria's eyes, he knew she worried for Paige's well being, he was still unaware of the true fate of Mike and that Maria worried more because the man who had taken her daughter believed he was working for her father when Mike had died when she was two months in her pregnancy.
Back in the castle James called home, Gunner had arrived back with a sleeping girl wrapped in his cloak resting her head on his shoulder. Angelina had opened the door to the throne room when she seen Gunner with the girl cuddled up in his arms. James was slumped in his throne, wondering what life would have been like if Kate and Paige would have never died. If they ruled along side him today, he was soon brought from his thoughts when Gunner cleared his throat. James looked at him in confusion on why he was back and where Maria was, he had spotted Paige's head resting on Gunner's shoulder as she slept, probably none the wiser he had used his speed to get her from the farm she had called home to the castle, or if she was aware of it then she had slept right through it.
"Where is her mother?" asked James, Gunner smiled then moved his arm slightly to reveal a sleeping pale figure to Winter who carefully took her and carried her to the tower which held her chambers. James smiled a genuine smile, one he hadn't used in almost a century. When he seen her, he was reminded of what his Paige was like when she was ten, she loved nature and wanted her own horses, learning how to ride them. She loved everything around her. "Paige" whispered James, placing a hand on the side of the girls face before Winter took her away, she moved her head a little before opening her eyes to reveal her sparkling brown eyes. She looked at him in confusion, more for where she was rather than the man in front of her who happened to know her name. "Hello Paige, your mummy will be along soon" added James, smiling at her, she smiled slight back, now wondering where her mummy was. James didn't want to say anything about being her father as he didn't know if she knew her biological father or not.
"I made a mistake" spoke Gunner when he was sure Winter had taken the sleepy ten year old away from the throne room, James soon turned his attention to the former soldier a curious expression painting over the softness of being able to see the young girl who was his daughter reborn again. "I accidently mention I was sent by her father. She thinks you are her dad" added Gunner revealing the mistake in which he had made, to which James nodded and sent Gunner back to his normal duties, he knew Paige would ask about that eventually, just as he knew he couldn't say he wasn't as it would only confuse her more than she likely already was. Plus in away he was her father, in his own mind and that of those who called the castle home she was his daughter, now she was home once more.
