Chapter 5
ARA' MANTH
There settled an eerie silence over the castle. It reeked of death and decay in the east wing with some servants even fainting from the strong unpleasant smell while cleaning the emperor's chambers.
In the west wing the Empress Elena was relaxing in a bath filled with milk. Her chamber servants moved around quietly cleaning her chamber, preparing her oils and garments.
Lucian entered her chambers. "Word is being sent out to the Kingdom of the Emperor's passing. I have summoned the witch and it will be done tonight."
"Good Lucian. I sense there is more. You sound worried my friend," Elena said with her eyes closed.
"Leave us" Lucian said to the servants.
After the servants obediently left the chamber, Lucian turned to Elena and said. "Yes, I have received news from the witch that greatly worried me. She's sensing great power from a young witch. A power far more greater than that of ARA' MANTH's army."
Elena opened her eyes. "Is she in ANVARD?"
"She is here in ARA' MANTH."
"Can we use this witch," Elena asked Lucian.
"She is pure blood. A witch that will not go against her beliefs." Lucian replied.
Elena lifted her arm and flicked her wrist. A ruby red bathrobe came floating to her. She stood up naked and put the bathrobe on.
"Kill her then," Elena said while she applied her perfume oils gently on her skin.
"To kill her, we have to kill all the young girls and woman in ARA' MANTH, that have witch blood.
"Cant this witch find her?" Elena asked with a perfectly raised brow.
"This is the hard part. The witch's powers are being protected."
"I take it the army is on their way back from our borders?" Elena asked Lucian.
"Yes, to pay their respects and pledge their loyalty to you. We expect them today." Lucian said.
"Tell the witch to possess as many witches as she can. We have to move about this swiftly." Elena said in a cold voice.
Word spread fast through the KINGDOM of the Emperor's death and all of ARA' MANTH gathered in silence before the castle.
... All except Damon and a few others.
Damon was in his room looking through his drawings of Bonnie. In his hand he was holding one drawing of her that he really liked. It was one where Bonnie was standing by the river. Her head slightly turned to the sunset behind her. He remembered what he and Bonnie said to each other that day. He told her he will build a little house for them.
(Start of flashback)
"Why a little house. Why not a big one?" Bonnie had asked laughing.
"Because I don't want to search for my little wife."
Bonnie took his hand and placed it on her heart. "Hear that? As long as its beating you will never have to search for me."
"A little house," Damon continued with a smile.
"With a garden," Bonnie said.
"Yes, and every sunset I want my wife to stand here, and let me gaze at her beauty that's beautifully in harmony with the beauty of nature.
Bonnie turned around in his arms and put her hand on his cheek. "Damon" ... she whispered ... and with a naughty smile she asked. "So, you want me in a dress or naked?"
He took her in his arms and swallowed her laughter in a passionate kiss.
(End of flashback)
Damon was putting Bonnie's drawings away when Giuseppe entered his room.
"Father" He said with a mocking smirk.
"Thought you would have been staked by now, but seeing your still under my roof you spoiled little fuck. Its time to show your worth.
"My worth father?" Damon asked still mocking Giuseppe.
Giuseppe smacked him hard in his face. "I will not allow you to disrespect me. Don't you disrespect your whores enough? And speaking of whores, I heard you have been with this whore longer than the others." Giuseppe said mocking Damon back.
Damon vampire sped to his father and threw Giuseppe against the wall. Hand around his neck. He squeezed tightly. "Do not talk about Bonnie that way. She is worth more than the blood you over indulge yourself in." Damon said in anger.
In a blink of an eye Giuseppe took Damon's hand and broke all his fingers. He then pushed Damon roughly away from him.
Giuseppe glared down hard at Damon. "Weak. This little whore is making you weak son. Look at you. At least you fought back hard in the past."
Damon got up from the floor and straightened himself. "And I'm still standing father."
Giuseppe's face went scarlet red. He narrowed his eyes at Damon. "You are to join the Empress personal guards. As I've said, time to show your worth ... and you better think about draining that little whore your fucking or something far more horrendous awaits her." Giuseppe said and walked out.
Bonnie came out of her room with her kitten and find her mother and aunt Freyada in the kitchen. Altheya handed two jars to Freyada.
"Drink from both as soon as you get home." Altheya said to Freyada.
"Thank you Theya. Looks like this one is coming sooner then me and John expected. " Freyada said and placed her hand lovingly on her pregnant belly.
Bonnie smiled and said. "And if I didn't knew any better. I would say my mother is a witch."
Bonnie missed the looks Altheya and Freyada gave each other.
"Well your mother is very good with her herbs."
"I know aunt Freyada that's why everyone in ARA' MANTH comes to her." Bonnie said and kissed her mother's cheek. "Mother I promised Mer I will visit her, can I go to her now please?"
"Just don't be late. With the passing of the Emperor who is to say what will happen." Altheya said to her daughter.
"Of course mother." She said and kissed both her mother and aunt Freyada goodbye.
"You should tell her Altheya. I can sense immense power from her and its growing by the day." Freyada said as soon as Bonnie left.
"I know Frey ... I ... just
"What's stopping you my friend?"
"My heart," Altheya said softly.
Freyada sigh. "She can't control that much power. Not by herself for now. She can cause great destruction on her own Altheya. We are in dangerous times ... please prepare her before its too late." Freyada said and closed her eyes. She chanted in the old language of the witches and disappeared.
"So what did you name her?" Damon asked. They were sitting near a water fountain where it was a bit quiet.
"Inanna," Bonnie said softly.
"It is a beautiful name." Damon said to her.
"Bonnie?" A voice said behind them.
Bonnie quickly turned around with wide eye. "Uncle Emile." She greeted.
Emile had a displeased look on his face and Damon rolled his eyes.
"Who is this Bonnie?" Emile asked hard.
"Oh ... he ... he
"Damon Salvatore. Bonnie's man. Damon answered for her with a smirk and a wink.
Emile gave Damon a look of disgust. "I will leave you two lovebirds to it." Emile said calmly. Too calmly.
Bonnie turned to Damon fuming.
Damon hold up his hands and said. "Not in front of the kitten that's how bad parenting starts."
"Why did you say that? Now he is going to tell mother about us Damon."
"That's what I was going for. Your not going to tell mother so I figured uncle Emile looked damn well eager as hell to tell dear mother, so" Damon said and rolled his eyes.
"There is something off with you Damon. Is this why you have this fucking attitude?"
"Oooh! Did you learn that word in school? Does mother know the F word has been added to your vocabulary." Damon asked with sarcasm.
"I don't have time for this" Bonnie said and turned away from him.
Damon grabbed her by the arm and spun her around to him. "Don't you ever walk away from me," he said through gritted teeth.
Bonnie smacked Damon hard across the face. "And don't you ever lay your hands on me like this." Bonnie said angry.
Damon felt the sting on his cheek. "Well you fucking little hell cat. " He said as he looked at her with crazy eyes.
"You should not have said that Damon. My mother shouldn't find out about us like this."
Damon looked away from her and there came a far away look over his eyes ... then he looked back at Bonnie with so much intensity in his eyes that her heart skipped a beat and her knees got weak.
"No Bonnie I should have done that. I am tired of hiding. I want everyone in ARA' MANTH to know your mine. Can you not see," he said and touched her cheek softly. "You made me the man I am today Bonnie. Before you I didn't give a fuck."
Damon stepped closer to Bonnie and put his forehead against hers. "I need you to fight with me for us Bonnie. Remember the time we first met. I held a butterfly in my closed hand and I asked you if you think it was alive or dead. Remember what you said to me?" Damon asked softly.
She inhaled deeply and breathed out slowly. "You hold its life in your hand" Bonnie whispered.
"You are holding my life in your hand Bonnie. I have never felt so alive when I'm with you. Your feisty, cheeky, stubborn but most of all you have beauty. You see the beauty where others can not. Through your eyes I saw that beauty too. He kissed her softly on the head before vamp speeding away.
Altheya was franticly moving around the house. Emile's visit earlier really upset her. Will she walk the same path as Emile. Her daughter openly in public with a vampire. Altheya couldn't bare to think such a thing. She looked through the window. Its already dark. Bonnie was still not home.
Bonnie had to clear her mind after Damon opened his heart to her. Did she love him? ... Yes. Did she saw a future for them? ... Most definitely. But what if it comes down to choosing between her love for Damon and that of her mother's wishes. Bonnie sigh. She knows in her heart she can't choose between them. She loved them both dearly.
... She promised her mother she will not be late but at this moment her heart longed for him... "I love him. I do love you Damon." She whispered. She suddenly laughed happy. Bonnie looked up at the sky. Its already dark. She got up quickly to her feet and ran back with a light happy heart.
With a fast beating heart Bonnie sneaked into Damon's home. She never done this before let alone be outside this late. She got to his room and slowly opened his door. Damon was standing by the window with his back to her.
" So you remembered what I told you. How to sneak in" Damon said with a smirk.
Bonnie felt her face flushed, and a soft look of determination came over her face. "You Damon Salvatore will forever hold my heart ... and I'm ready to give my all" ... She loosened the straps of her dress and let it fall to the floor.
Damon turned around and almost choked on his saliva. There in front of him Bonnie stand in all her naked glory. No words were being spoken as Damon took Bonnie in his arms and claimed her for him.
As the two lovers embraced their new strengthen love and Damon taking Bonnie's young body over and over again to sweet unimaginable forbidden pleasure ... evil was lurking around ...
It was at one of the houses down, near the docs, Emile woke up in his bed. His legs moving to the floor by itself. No! No! Dark magic in its ugliest form. He thought to himself. He was trapped in his own body, and he knew his body was about to be used to do evil.
It was still dark when the two elated lovers woke up to loud screams and noise down in the streets. Damon got up naked and walked to the window. He narrowed his eyes at what he saw. "This does not look good." He turned back to her. "Get dress quickly Bonnie I will have to take you home safely."
Bonnie got dressed quickly.
The streets were filled with people running around in a state of panicked. Soldiers dragged out young girls and woman some by their hair others by their feet or arms screaming and kicking. These girls were set on fire in the streets. Their loved ones used magic to protect them. Bonnie saw a young pregnant girl being dragged out and thrown hard on the ground by two soldiers.
"No! You monsters leave her alone." She screamed at them with fire in her green orbs. Bonnie let go of Damon's hand and ran to the girl.
"Another witch. Take her too." One of the soldiers said.
"No! She is not a witch. She is human and my woman." Damon said blocking the soldiers from Bonnie and the girl. "Why are you doing this?" he asked.
"Witches attacked vampires at the outskirts and when that didn't satisfy them, they came to the streets trying to finish our kind. It was a witch who poisoned our Emperor with her dark magic now they think they can take over ARA' MANTH. We have tolerated their kind way too long. " One soldier said venomously and spit on the ground next to Bonnie and the girl.
Bonnie stood up slowly and glared at the soldiers with eyes that shined unnaturally. Damon looked on stunned.
"Take me and leave her." Bonnie said to the soldiers in a cold voice.
Damon snapped out of it when he heard what she said. "No! Leave her. She is human."
"And what about the other one" One of the soldiers asked and pointed to the girl on the ground.
"She is human too. I'm friends with her brother," he lied.
The two soldiers looked Bonnie and the girl up and down and nodded to Damon.
"Thank you, may the light of the Goddess Inanna forever shine upon you," the young girl whispered in tears to them.
"Get to a safe place." Bonnie said softly and the young girl nodded.
"We should go Bonnie. Now." Damon snapped.
The streets were getting more and more in utter chaos. Houses were being burned to the ground with families in it. One woman used her body as a shield to protect her two little blond girls from being hit repeatedly before being set on fire. Bonnie looked on in horror and held Damon's hand tightly. Damon pulled her closer to him.
Bonnie ran into their home screaming for her mother. She found her mother pacing wildly in their living room courtiers. Speaking to herself in a language neither Bonnie and Damon understood.
"Mother," she said softly.
Altheya looked up at them with wild eyes.
"You foul creature. How dare you soil the goddess with your filth," Altheya spat at Damon.
"And you," she turned to Bonnie. "How dare you welcome its demon seed inside of you."
Bonnie looked at Damon with wide eyes. "What is wrong with her Damon?"
"Your mother is a witch Bonnie." Damon said hard.
"No, no. She is in shock. Look what is happening outside Damon." Bonnie said and started to cry.
"Bonnie its not safe outside and I don't think its safe here. Your mother is unstable. Come with me." He said softly.
"UNSTABLE! SHE MUST GO WITH YOU?!" Altheya screamed at him. She flicked her wrist and Damon hit the wall hard with his back, an invincible force pressed him against the wall. She then used her other hand to hold Damon's heart in an invincible magic grip. Altheya squeezed her hand and Damon screamed out in pain.
"Feel that vampire. How I can end the beating of your undead heart."
Bonnie screamed at her mother in horror. "Mother? Mother No! Please!" She ran to Damon and tried to pull him down, but what magic Altheya used was too strong.
Altheya looked at Bonnie in disbelief. "My own daughter will choose this demon over her own mother?"
"Mother ... please ... I beg of you ... don't make me choose. I can't. Please let him go." Bonnie sobbed.
"There will be no place in this world for both of us Bonnie."
"Bonnie get out of here," Damon said through intense pain. He was red in the face by now and his eyes started to lose focus.
"No, Damon I can't leave you."
Altheya dropped her hands and Damon was released from her magic.
Bonnie looked at her mother with tears in her eyes. Altheya looked up and whispered. "Forgive me Inanna." She then raised her hand at Bonnie and begin to chant in the old language of the witches.
Bonnie felt an intense need to close her eyes and drift into the welcoming darkness. The harder Altheya chanted the more sleepy she got. Her heart was racing. Her eyelids felt heavy with sleep and her legs felt weak.
Bonnie's eyes almost closed and for a split second she could see trees and the air around her smelled different. She willed her eyes open and everything in front of her happened in slow motion.
She saw Damon running to her mother. Knife in his hand. Where did he get the knife she though dazed. The knife in Damon's hand was getting closer and closer to her mother until its blade was buried deep inside Altheya's guts.
"No" she whispered. "No" she said harder this time. "NO!" she screamed, and at that moment the whole of ARA' MANTH shook to its core. Outside came a strong wind that blew furiously over ARA' MANTH. Everyone ran for their lives and safety. The walls of the house started to crumble in around them.
Damon looked in disbelief at the lifeless body of Altheya. He didn't mean to kill her. He just wanted her to stop. She was going to kill Bonnie. He turned to Bonnie when he noticed everything around them went quiet. It was as if the walls of the house that started to crumble in were frozen in time. The ceiling that was about to crush them was frozen in mid air.
"Bonnie" ... Damon said softly.
There came no reaction from her. A beautiful statue with wide eyes and wild untamed curls. Her lips slightly parted. Frozen in time.
"Its not too late," A voice said sharply behind him.
"Illile, you place a protection spell around us. A legion of soldiers are coming this way. We have to finish before they arrive." Magda said softly.
"Vampire! Did you do this to them." Illile screamed at Damon.
"Safe your strength my friend. Let him be." Magda said softly to Illile.
"Emile, John, a pregnant Frey and now Theya. They are all gone." Illile broke down.
"You are not going to touch Bonnie. I will defend her with my last breath." Damon said and moved in front of Bonnie.
"Like you defended her by killing her own mother you filth," Illile screamed. His puffy face red and sweaty.
Magda placed her hand gently on Illile.
"I'm sorry Magda" Illile said tiredly. They have been fighting soldiers all night.
Magda looked at Damon with big sad eyes.
"What is happening to Bonnie. Please tell me what I can do to help her." Damon pleaded softly.
"I'm sorry." Magda said and walked to Damon. She placed her hand on his head and started to chant.
Damon couldn't move as hard as he tried. "No! What are you doing? Stop! Please stop" He screamed.
Magda removed every single memory of Damon and Bonnie. Leaving his mind empty of her and everyone linked to her. Her existence erased. He dropped to the floor in a deep sleep.
"The army is almost here Illile, we have to send ANVARD's new ruler home now. She is our only hope.
Illile got up tired to his feet and took Magda's hand.
"It has been an honour my friend." Illile said to Magda and squeezed her hand tightly.
Magda turned to Illile with tears and a soft smile. "No, my friend the honour was all mine."
They looked back at the young girl in front of them and begin to chant.
Slowly Bonnie's body disappeared ... bit by bit ... Until there was nothing left.
