Hey there!

Remember I said I had a one shot? Well this is the one.

This story is based on a local legend of my hometown, there's a statue there which we call The Bride of the sea (You can check out photos in my twitter account and Tumblr) I really hope you enjoy this one, please let me know what you think of it.

Amber, thank you so much for being my beta for this one too. You do an amazing job!

Love,

Sam

"She's kept her love for him as alive as the summer they first met. In order to do this, she's turned life away. To paint a leaf, you have to sacrifice the whole landscape. It might seem like you're limiting yourself at first, but after a while you realize that having a quarter-of-an-inch of something you have a better chance of holding on to a certain feeling of the universe than if you pretended to be doing the whole sky.

My mother did not choose a leaf or a head. She chose my father. And to hold on to a certain feeling, she sacrificed the world."

-Nicole Krauss-

.

.

Once upon a time in a tiny village of the new world, lived a girl whose beauty was so captivating that the sea itself was enamored with her. Her olive skin was luminescent, her doe eyes sparkled in the sunlight, a beatific smile seem to always grace her lips and her long dark hair blew softly in the breeze creating a perfect picture everyday as she walked barefoot on the shore of the coast.

Elena was her name and she was one of the most beloved of all treasures that the small village cherished; although her family was of modest means it was her charm and kindness that made everyone around her fall deeply in love with her.

But Elena was not at all happy in that place, for she longed to travel far away to see the many wonders that the world had to offer, she longed for adventure. Every sunset as she walked along the shore she trained her eyes to the horizon and watched the ships in the distance, wondering who they carried, where all they had been and what great adventures they were living and sighed sadly when she realized that was a question for which she would never get an answer.

"You spend too much time with your head in the clouds, my dear," her best friend Caroline always told her when Elena started to voice her myriad questions out loud.

"But don't you want to know what is out there Caroline?" she would ask as her eyes filled with excitement and wonder, "What exotic places are beyond the shore and how do the people live there?"

"What's the use in wondering, dear Elena?" her friend would say offering her a sympathetic smile. "We have everything we could want here."

Not for her, she thought, Elena wanted more. She was hungry for something she couldn't name, she wanted more than a small, quiet life in a place where nothing exciting ever happened. Sometimes she dreamed she would hop on a ship and sail to the lands far beyond, to the great England with its tall castles or the fair Scotland with its green lands but deep down she knew that sadly this was nothing more than a pipe dream because she was born in this tiny village and this is where she was destined to die.

At the young age of eighteen, she was already betrothed to young Matthew, the son of the village mayor, a handsome boy with sun kissed hair and eyes as blue as the sky. He was the man every young woman in her village dreamed of marrying, but whom Elena knew to be unkind and conceited; he had no care for her, he only wanted to possess the most beautiful pearl the universe had gifted them with, he saw her as nothing more than a prize. But it was her duty to marry this unworthy man and Elena would never do anything that could harm her family or their reputation therefore she was going to wed him in three months' time.

The young girl was already resigned to spending the rest of her life in that godforsaken village, married to a man she did not love, without ever experiencing any of the myriad wonders the world had to offer. But fate had another thing planned for her and everything changed in a blink of an eye the day a black flag was spotted in the distant horizon.

That morning Elena bid her parent's goodbye after informing them she would be spending the morning at Caroline's house. Instead she headed out to the most secluded part of the village, a place almost no one but her knew about. Elena liked to spend her mornings in a small clearing that had the sweetest water she had ever tasted, the place was a hidden treasure in the village since very few knew about its existence and none of them enjoyed it the way she did.

She discarded her dress and sank into the deliciously cold water with nothing on but her white shift, she lapped, floated and twirled around in the water hearing nothing but the chirping of the birds and the breeze that rustled the trees sinuously. Elena was so deep in the water, lost in her whimsical thoughts of faraway places that she missed the sound of canyons and blood curdling screams in the distance.

A pirate ship had docked on the shore and not even the village battlement was able to keep the Salvatores outside, pirates straight from Spain that had arrived to create havoc in the small, peaceful village. Stefan was the one they called "The Ripper" and he was believed to be as bloodthirsty as he was handsome, his brother Damon who people called the "Devil's charm" could be as brutal as Stefan, but didn't hunger for blood as much as his brother did.

As the sun started to set, Elena knew it was time to head back home or her mother would start worrying about her and would realize she never went to Caroline's home. So she quickly stepped out of the water and was about to pick up her dress when the sound of feet on the grass startled her.

She raised a hand to her chest to steady her heart as her eyes scanned the clearing and she found the finest looking man she had ever gazed upon, stepping from behind the bushes. "Pardon me my lady, it was not my intention to frighten you," he said as he raised his hands in surrender and a smirk appeared on his lips.

"Who are you?" Elena asked trying to keep her voice steady, she didn't want the stranger to know how terrified she truly was.

His blue eyes twinkled with amusement and she tried to reign in her mind that was telling her how handsome the man was, she had no time for that. "Who are you?" he countered as he moved closer to her and eyed her up and down hungrily.

Elena was utterly aware of how scarce her clothing was and how transparent it would be now that it was completely drenched. "I offer you an apology, my lord, but I shouldn't be speaking to a man as I am alone at present, I am to be married soon and my fiancé wouldn't like it."

His eye brow lifted as a beguiling smile appeared on his face, "I don't see your fiancé anywhere near," he extended his arms to show her they were alone and that's when Elena saw the tattoo on his forearm, a mark she knew only pirates possessed.

Her eyes widened in complete terror and she forgot all about her dress and her decency as she dashed across the field back to the road that would take her to the village. Unfortunately for her she was no match for his strength or his speed therefore within seconds she found herself pulled flush against his body as he held her down from behind.

"Not so fast little lady," he whispered against her ear and she felt herself trembling as his hot breath caressed her skin.

"You're a pirate!" she bit out and heard him chuckle devilishly.

"So it would appear," his arms tightened around her as one of his hands moved up until he was cupping one of her breasts through the damp material of her shift.

Elena gasped in outrage and tried to break free but his arms were like steel bands around her petite frame. "Be still love," he said softly, "I won't hurt you."

"You can't touch me!" she shouted and he almost doubled with laughter at the lady's outburst. Here she was, a prisoner of a dangerous pirate and yet she had the guts to rebel against him, she was fierce and he was instantly drawn to her boldness.

"Calm down love and this will all work out," his voice took a soothing tone as he loosened his hold on her in order to turn her around to face him. "You are safer here with me than out there with them," his eyes had lost all amusement and something in his stare made him believe what he was saying was the truth.

"Who are you?" she whispered

"Damon Salvatore! my darling," his lips tipped up into a smile again and Elena scrutinized every feature of this man's face. His eyes were of a blue so deep that it could rival the oceans', his jawline was sharp and the stubble there gave him a rugged aspect, his cheeks were rosy, he had a gold hoop earing in his left ear and a crimson bandana covered what Elena was sure was hair as dark as the night.

"What do you want with me?" her chin lifted up high but he was able to detect the hint of fear in her voice. Damon had been stunned by the maiden's beauty from the moment he had seen her, he had travelled the lengths of the world and not once had he found someone as fair as her, and now seeing the fire in her eyes he was sure that he had been bewitched.

"It's better if you don't know that my lady," he answered cheekily.

Elena's body tensed up with fear and she fought once again against her captor's restrain. "I need to leave, my family… they're going to be looking for me." Panic gripped her when she thought of her parents trapped in the village currently being destroyed by pirates.

"What are you going to do?" his face had become somber now as he stared at her. "How would you be able to help them?"

"I don't know," she fought against him once again, her body rubbing against his and Damon hissed at the growing arousal in his pants at the girl's movements. "I just need to get to them"

"Be still my lady," he warned her. "The safest place you can be is with me," he raised his hand and took hold her chin forcing her to look at him. "If you go now the only thing you will achieve is to get your family killed."

Elena wanted to tell him he was wrong, but she saw nothing but honesty in his eyes and the longer she thought about it the more she realized he was right. Her house as well as Caroline's had an underground shelter, if her parents believed she was with her they would know she was safe, they would already be in the shelter by now and would stay put, but if she went to them all she would end up doing, is revealing their hiding place.

"What is your name my lady?" Damon asked once he realized she wasn't going to fight him anymore.

"Elena!" she answered as she felt herself relaxing in his embrace, she couldn't explain it but there was something in his eyes that told her the pirate was not going to hurt her.

"What a beautiful name," he stroked her cheek and in the next minute Elena was being thrown over his shoulder. "Well dear Elena it seems like you're my prisoner now."

"Put me down!" she yelled as she pumped her fist against his back earning a chuckle and a slap on the bum by him. "You're an animal!"

"I've been called worse," he laughed as he interned himself into the trees. For Elena the time she was upside down on the pirate's back seemed like ages but in reality it was only a couple of minutes.

He took her to a cave that was hidden behind the trees and placed her on the ground next to a tree. "You promise you won't run if I let you go?" he asked as he continued to hold her against himself.

"Where would I go?" she answered honestly. She was more afraid of the dangers that could be waiting for her out there, than of the pirate that was currently holding her hostage.

"Good!" he released her and then held up the dress Elena had discarded on the floor, the one she didn't even realize he had taken, and ripped a part of the fabric from the bottom.

"Hey!" she shouted as she tried to take the clothing out of his hands "What in God's name are you doing? That was a favorite of mine!" she screamed in complete outrage

"Be quiet my dear!" he admonished her as he moved out of her reach "Trust me what you're wearing right now suits you better," his eyes were fixated on her breasts, her transparent shift baring them to his hungry gaze and Elena felt her cheeks burning as she covered them with her hands. "Como here!" he walked to her and gripped her arm, "I'm still not completely trustful of you," he said as he dragged her next to the tree and forced her to sit down.

"You are not trustful of me?" she asked incensed before huffing, "Like a pirate could ask for trust."

"Believe it or not little lady, we live by our own code of honor," he reproached her as he took her arms and placed them behind her before securing them to the tree with the fabric he had ripped from her dress earlier. "And I need to make sure you'll be here when I return."

"Return? Where are you going?" a hint of panic sneaked into her voice at the prospect of being left alone in the dark woods tied to a tree, the sun was almost gone and who knew what would await her here in complete darkness.

"Do no fret love, no one will find you here," he told her reassuringly. "Besides I won't be gone for long." Those were his last words before he disappeared behind the trees and Elena was left alone cursing him with every word she knew.

He was probably gone for a very short while but for Elena it felt like hours, she was sitting there alone listening to every sound and wondering if that was the moment she was going to die, devoured by a leopard or worse murdered by another pirate. She was so afraid during the time he was gone that she wasn't able to conceal the sigh of relief she let out when he appeared again behind the trees.

"Miss me already little lady?" he teased as he placed some baskets on the ground.

"You wish!" she bit out. "What is that?"

"Survival," he told her as he pulled out a couple of blankets from the basket and started placing them inside the shallow cave, forming a bed of sorts. "I'm building you a home my dear," his lips tipped into that smirk she was already starting to love and hate at the same time and she wanted nothing more in that moment then to kick him between the legs to erase it from his face, "We are going to need all of this if we're to stay here."

"Stay here?" she asked stunned.

He took the other baskets which contained food and water and placed them inside the cave as well. "Welcome home darling," he smiled broadly as he extended his arms, showing off the little shelter he had created for her. "Now, you must come here," he approached her and subsequently released her from her bonds, while she looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"You are insufferable," she said resentfully, sticking her nose up in the air, trying to appear as regal as her mother always told her to be. She had no idea why, but she was enjoying quarreling with this pirate more than she should.

She entered the cave because it was already dark outside and she was starting to get cold in the flimsy clothes she was wearing. He started a small fire outside and began roasting the meat he had stolen from the village while she broke the loaves of bread he had brought with him.

"Shouldn't you be out there terrorizing the village?" she asked as she watched him work, the flames casted a shadow upon his face and made him look even more beautiful than he already was.

"Nah, it's gotten old," he shrugged.

"Gotten old? Aren't pirates supposed to love what they do?"

"I think anyone who does a job for too long will get bored eventually," he answered as he placed the roasted meat inside the basket and walked towards the cave where she was sitting. "My brother is the one who's always enjoyed this the most."

"Your brother?"

"Stefan, he's the captain of the ship," he placed the basket with the meat in the center and sat next to her with his back pressing into the cold wall of the cave, "He's always liked to terrorize people, I just enjoy traveling."

"Where do you come from?" she asked as they both started to eat from the food he had taken from the village, a fact Elena didn't want to acknowledge to herself at the moment.

"I was born in Italy, my brother and I were orphans and were adopted by pirates," he told her. "I've spent the last twenty years of my life living in Spain and everywhere else that we go."

"What is it like?" Elena asked, her voice perking up with genuine interest as she asked the questions no one else ever wanted to or had the answers to.

"Beautiful; Italy is breathtaking, there's so much art and music and the food is delicious, elegant people wearing expensive clothes and women with funny hair. It's marvelous!" His face it up when he talked about his country and Elena couldn't help the pull she felt towards this mysterious man as he regaled her with his adventures. "Spain is also a work of art, cobblestone buildings so grand that would leave your head spinning for days."

"What is your favorite place in the whole world?" she asked eagerly, the food was finished and she sat cross legged in front of him, her face glowing with all the information he was giving her.

"Ireland!" he said without hesitation.

"Ireland? Why?"

"Miles and miles of the greenest of lands," his eyes had a faraway look as he spoke, "It calms me."

"Everything sounds wonderful," she said wistfully, "I've always wondered… what it is like out there."

"I could show you," he leaned down until he was almost touching her. "I can show you the whole world Elena."

She felt a blush creeping up her face at his words and the proximity of his body to hers. "Don't talk nonsenses Damon."

"I am not," He said as he tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, "And you'll realize it."

The conversation ended there and they went to sleep minutes afterwards, truth be told Elena expected the pirate to try something with her but he didn't. They just slept with their bodies so close to each other that she could feel the warmth radiating from him and smell the earthly scent that was distinctively his.

While anyone else might think her a lunatic, Elena had never felt more safe and sound, than in that moment, lying next to the swashbuckling pirate.

The next day, Damon and Elena spent a lot of time quarreling… but also talking, he told her about his travels and all the things he had seen abroad; the exotic food, the strange customs, the singular people and weird costumes. They swam in the clearing and made jokes at each other's expense; Elena was feeling so happy that she almost forgot she was the man's prisoner.

On the fourth day, something happened that Elena couldn't have speculated in a million years, something she would have laughed at, if someone had told her would happen. On the fourth day, Elena found herself giving her body to the pirate, he didn't take it by force she gave it to him willingly.

She knew her virtue was long gone the minute his lips touched hers, a fire ignited inside of her with the seductive touch of his hands and soft lips, and after that there was no other way to quench her thirst and desire for him then to give herself to him completely, and he gladly took the gift she offered. He moved inside her with complete abandon while murmuring sweet nothings into her ear, promises of love out of a pirate's she knew better than to believe but in that moment she let herself be a dreamer and believed every single thing he was saying.

"Will you agree to be my bride Elena?" he asked once they sated their desire for each other and their bodies lay tangled intimately on the blanketed floor of the cave.

"What?" she squeaked.

"I am going to marry you," he told her with so much confidence that she could do nothing but believe him. "You won't marry that foolish boy you're betrothed to, you'll be mine, all mine!"

"Do you really mean it?" she said plaintively and the insecurity in her voice almost broke his heart, the man who had spent most of his life tormenting others, was touched for the first time in his life.

His ocean blue eyes looked at her with tenderness, "I never lie Elena, you'll be my bride and I will give you the whole world!"

They spent the next day loving each other, lost in the magical unison of their bodies and the feelings that awoke inside of them with such passionate force. They knew that what they were feeling was inexplicable and neither of them had any doubt that they had fallen in love in a matter of days and who could tell them that it was wrong?

On the morning of the sixth day, Damon went to the village to find more supplies and found that his brother was ready to go, he didn't ask for his whereabouts since they trusted each other completely and Stefan had always known that Damon was a loner, but when he told him it was time to return, the blue eyed man knew there was nothing left to debate.

Stefan would never allow him to stay behind without knowing the reason why and God only knows how he would react to such a beauty as Elena. She had bewitched him and he feared she would bewitch his brother as well, plus the people in the village would tear him apart, so staying was not an option but neither was taking her with them, so there was only one solution to their problem, a solution that broke his heart.

When he went back to the cave, Elena took one look at his woebegone face and knew that the fairytale had come to a sad end; it was time for him to go home.

"I will not break my promise," Damon avowed as they kneeled in front of each other, both of them caressing the others faces as if to imprint every feature in their memories, "You'll be my bride Elena!"

"How?" she asked brokenly as tears fell uncontrollably down her cheeks.

"I will come for you," he told her as he pulled out a long chain that held a lapis lazuli stone in a pendant. "This belonged to my mother and now is yours, my promise to you," he put the necklace around her neck, the stone resting right between her breasts.

"It is beautiful," she whispered in awe as she twirled the blue stone around her fingers, as blue as the color of his eyes.

"It's a vow of my everlasting love, will you wait for me?" his eyes were so vulnerable and hopeful that in Elena's mind there was not even a single doubt that she would wait for him even if took all eternity, because after feeling what she had felt in his arms there was no way she could settle for living with anyone other than her dashing buccaneer.

"Yes, I will!" she promised earnestly.

He dropped his forehead to hers and stroked her hair lovingly, hair that had lain sprawled in the blankets, as he made to love her the last few nights. "I love you!" he whispered against her mouth.

"I love you!" she told him and no other words felt more right coming out of her mouth. "I love you and will forever!"

"Keep your eyes on the horizon and soon enough you'll see me appear," he whispered before they shared their last kiss, filled with love and passion and the promise of a future together.

"I will wait for you, forever!"

With one last peck and the gift of a smile he went away, disappearing behind the trees and taking her heart with him.

"Forever!" she whispered into the lonely morning.

The villagers were grateful to see the pirates sail away, many treacheries had taken place during the week they had spent amongst them. Elena was thankful to discover that neither her parents nor Caroline had suffered during that time, the same couldn't be said of young Matthew who had perished under the hands of the wretched Stefan Salvatore.

Bit by bit, the villagers started return to their normal lives, laughter was heard in the main square once again as they started to leave behind the memory of the dark days they had lived through. And they prayed fervently that they would never again have to suffer the fate they had endured when they were invaded and held captive by the nasty pirates.

In diametric contrast to them, Elena never went back to being the same again. She started spending all of her days walking by the shore, awaiting the arrival of her love who had sailed away with the promise of returning to her. The people in the village assigned her behavior and her lack of smiles to the pain of losing young Matthew and she let them believe it, because what good would it do to let them know she was pining for one of the pirates, the lot who were guilty of bringing so much pain into their lives.

The sea often tried to steal smiles from her, creating harmonious waves that reflected the golden glints of the sun. In the afternoons, the sea was awash in soft orange as the king sun sank into loving arms of the water, creating a spectacle that delighted the young woman who was always sitting by the shore waiting for the return of her loved one.

But he was never to come home to her.

On their journey back home, the ship of the Salvatore brothers was intercepted by the feared Laurens De Graaf, no survivors were found. Not even young Damon, who was shot dead and tossed into the sea, a woman's name escaping his lips for one last time, as he became one with the ocean never to return to the arms of his lover.

News of his death reached Elena's ears but she refused to believe it, he had promised to return and in exchange she had promised to wait for him forever, so she would do just that.

People of the village say that with time coral and sand started to cover young Elena and her body started to root at the edge of the beach until she turned completely to stone, her eyes always on the horizon waiting for the return of her young lover and every time there's a tempest in the sea, legend says that the waves are provoked by the young pirate who to this day is trying to get back to his lover and fulfill his promise of eternal love.

.

.

THE END