France, 1002
Th-thump, th-thump, th-thump…
Finn pressed his lips together and forced himself to concentrate on anything else than the sound of the heartbeat of the little girl who was sitting on his lap. Sweet little Alina. She was curled up against his chest, she was exhausted. What was taking his siblings so long? Normally Finn wouldn't have minded looking after his niece, she was the only humanity left in their family, but right now he had to struggle to stay calm.
It had been days since he had fed and he couldn't deny that he wouldn't have wanted her warm little body so close to him. Of course he would have rather died than harmed a child, especially her, but he still had to struggle to ignore the scent of her blood. He truly hated himself for it. His life had become a never-ending nightmare.
"Is everything alright, little one?" he asked.
"Uh huh," she hummed sleepily. "When is papa coming back?"
"Soon."
Hopefully.
"Are you cold or hungry?"
She shook her head.
"Sleepy."
Finn couldn't help but smile.
"I know. I am sure your father will be here soon."
She sighed, fighting against sleep. She didn't want to sleep before Elijah would return. Poor thing. This was no life for a child. Fleeing from her own grandfather… Finn wasn't sure how many moons had passed since they had left their home village, he had lost count. They had sailed at least four moons before finally arriving here. Finn couldn't remember the last time he would have slept in a bed or even indoors. They needed to keep moving and stay as unnoticed as possible.
The night was chilly and the sky was full of stars. Finn looked at the flames of the campfire and made sure that his niece was warm wrapped inside a blanket. She was still very small, but thankfully she didn't have to walk if she didn't want to, someone was always ready to carry her. Niklaus and Rebekah adored her and even Kol was acting like a decent man when he was with her.
Elijah had worshiped her ever since she had been born and he had always been a good father, but Finn had noticed the change in him. He hadn't been the same after losing Alina's mother. Elijah never talked about her and Alina had also stopped asking about her when she had noticed how much that upset her father. She was a smart girl, but she was still a child. An innocent child among monsters.
Th-thump, th-thump, th-thump…
"Finn," Kol's voice suddenly said.
Finn startled and looked up.
"Where is Elijah?"
"He will be here soon, but I think you should give Alina to me now and go and find yourself some… furry friends."
Kol kept his tone of voice light, but Finn certainly understood what he meant.
"Yes," he murmured as he stood up and handed the sleepy child to Kol.
"Hello there, little darling," Kol said smiling. "Come to your favorite uncle."
"Is papa here?" she murmured.
"Not yet, but he said that I can keep you company until he comes. Is that alright?"
"Uh huh…"
"Good girl."
Kol sat down by the campfire and placed Alina onto his lap. Finn frowned, asking Kol a silent question. Why wasn't Elijah here? Kol shrugged and patted Alina's head.
"Are you comfortable, little darling?"
"Yes, Uncle Kol."
"Alright, good. Close your eyes, time to go to sleep."