Hey everyone, hope you enjoy! sorry for the delay! Merry Christmas...
He didn't know where to start. Well, you've met my father. To tell the story of my family, I have to start with him. His story is even longer than mine, you may grow bored mon cher.
I'll cope. Meredith smiled at him, in anticipation.
Well, my father has always had a lust for power. That's why he is so disinterested in vampires; their power is the most primitive power, nothing to interest him. His greatest delight is witches. Father lived in heaven with Dieu. He was what humans call an angel. One of the chosen few, hand-picked by Dieu to live out eternity in happiness and peace. No sickness, no pain, no anger, just peace. But peace wasn't enough for my father. He wanted everything, he had a lust for power. He watched the humans, the vampires, the witches, the demons down in the other dimensions and he envied them. He began to visit the other dimensions. Every night, he heard a sort of sirens call. Someone calling his name… Lucifer. He searched every dimension for the person that voice belonged to. Finally after almost ten years, he found her. She was a beautiful witch, with black hair and big, dark , chocolate eyes. He found her in Paris. My mother. Straight away, he loved her. She had a dark, powerful aura. Just as powerful as Bonnie's. I told you Bonnie was powerful. My mother is the most powerful witch I have ever known. However, Dieu had laws against the mixing of magical blood. It was a sin for my father to marry her, to love her, to have her bare his children. Dieu told my father he had to choose. Her or eternity. He couldn't have both. Father's pride would not accept Dieu's words and so he tried to take heaven from Dieu. Father failed and was expelled from heaven. That is why he dislikes Malachi so much. Malachi is one of Dieu's many sons. Malachi, however, was allowed to stay in heaven even with his addition to power, his lust for witches. Father couldn't understand, it seemed so unfair. He had been expelled for love whilst Malachi was allowed to live in lust.
Meredith sat in silence as she listened to Sage's story. She felt slightly sorry for Lucifer.
My father felt the need to protect my mother from Dieu. So he began to grow an army of demons, witches and vampires… even angels. That's why he wants Darla. He is desperate to protect the family. Or at least that's one reason. A second part of him has never really given up on the idea of stealing heaven from Dieu. A foolish dream.
Sage waited for Meredith to say something but she kept quiet so he decided to continue. My father and mother fell in love and had children but the children were cursed by Dieu. They were all immortal, but not in a heavenly peaceful way. They would live forever, walking through the different worlds, the different dimension, never belonging. They would be the guardians of the gatehouses, they would spend most of eternity alone. They would be responsible for the souls of humans, vampires, witches, and demons. They would take them to their final resting place. If they were chosen then they would go to heaven and become angels but if they were not chosen… well then they were ours for the taking. That is my father's business, the procuring of souls for the second kingdom.
The second kingdom? Meredith was confused.
"The second kingdom, I suppose the humans would call it hell. It's not really as bad as they make it sound. It's just like the dark dimension, I suppose." Sage replied. I was responsible for collecting vampires and so I have vampiric abilities, my brother Michael is responsible for humans so he is human.
"How does that work? Humans aren't immortal." Meredith asked.
He dies.
He dies?
He dies, about every 70 years. He ages like any other human and he dies. Then he comes back to life as a seventeen year old and starts the whole process again.
Wow. Meredith didn't have words to describe her confusion at what Sage was saying.
Sage continued with the rest of his story. Then there was my sister Lizzie. She was a witch and responsible for collecting the witches' souls. Then my demon brother Thomas. My brother Caleb is something different altogether; he's an angel.
I see…
Meredith, I understand if this is too weird for you.
No. Sage, I'm fine – keep telling me. I want to know.
Er… if you are sure. One of Dieu's rules was that we could never fall in love, we'd be forever alone. For centuries we did as Dieu commanded, obeying his rules, but I rebelled. I refused to keep his rules. I liked a girl, she was a witch. I didn't love her but I wanted to. I was very young and naïve. Dieu had her killed. He had her murdered. Her name was Alexia.
I'm really sorry, Sage. Meredith saw genuine sadness in Sage's normally happy face.
Oh Meredith, don't be sorry. My siblings all had similar situations happen to them. My mother was torn by it, completely devastated. She decided to perform a spell. She wanted to break that part of the curse. We thought she'd failed until about four centuries ago my brother Michael fell in love with Victoria. When Victoria, we call her Tori, didn't die, my mother performed a new spell that resulted in her and all their offspring being reincarnated just like Michael. They have about twenty children now.
Sage could sense that Meredith was overwhelmed. Sorry. It's a lot to get your head around.
It's ok. Keep going.
Caleb was next. He fell in love with an angel, Arianna. She had to leave heaven to join him. None of us believed it would happen. We were so surprised when she arrived at our family home. They now have four children. Lizzie has found a witch husband, Lewis. They have only two children, but Lizzie is pregnant with their third. Thomas and myself are the only ones who remain alone. My mother is constantly asking if we've met anyone recently. Meredith was sat quietly listening to Sage.
My mother worries because I am constantly rebelling. There are so many rules. We aren't allowed to love outside of our own species. So Thomas must marry a demon and I must devote my life to a vampire. I suppose you could say I have it easy because I can change the people I care for, transform them into a vampire, unlike my siblings. I don't see it that way though. The vampire curse is not something I want to give the one I love. Half a century ago I ran into Damon, and on our travels we met a young human girl, she was Italian. Her name was Lucia. I cared about her more than I'd ever cared for anyone before her but I refused to change her. I wanted to protect her from my life. But when Dieu realised how I felt for her and that she was human he had her killed. I wasted her life. I held myself responsible. I should have changed her. I vowed that day that I would never love again. I also told myself that I would never allow myself to get involved in the life of humans. I broke both of those promises. Sage watched for some response from Meredith. When she merely smiled kindly, he continued with his story.
When my father commanded that you be turned it was because I have been too active in yours and Elena and Bonnie's lives for it to go unnoticed. You were in danger from Dieu. He would have had you all killed, just in case. You see, I'm not really allowed to interfere in the lives of mortal humans or witches for that matter. In his own way, he was trying to save me from the pain of losing the one I love. He realised within seconds that I loved you. I was hoping he'd have no idea, that I would be able to hide it from him, but he knows me better than I thought he did. I'm so sorry. It would be better for you, if you stayed away from me. It would be better for you if you had nothing to do with me or my family. I'm so sorry for getting you involved in all of this.
Meredith looked directly into Sage's eyes and saw that he was severely grieved by what was happening. I'm so sorry, mon cher.
You love me?
More than life itself. It terrifies me. I've lived so long, I have seen the worst and best of love. I have seen the joy it brings but I have also seen the pain. I can't ask you to stay with me.
Sage, you don't have to ask. It's my choice. I want to stay with you. You promised me, you'd show me the world.