Chapter 1
A/N: All OCs are of my own.
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"Always and forever. I need you to stand by my side. Be my brother. Help me destroy Stefan and I promise you our family will be whole again."
Klaus closes Kol's coffin lid.
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After explaining to Elijah the events he missed critical to their family, he ordered his hybrids to bring in the object he mentioned from the attic. As the hybrids brought it in to the back of the room, Elijah's eyes widen slightly before stepping towards the glass coffin. With only a white sheet covering her pearl white skin and a eternally blooming flower crown on top of her light blond hair. Elijah went to touch the coffin that now seemed like a glorified displace case to her serene presence, nothing like his daggered siblings.
"A witch, excelled in clairvoyance foresaw her lover and their pack killed by my hands. Determined to change the future, she spell casts 'her' friend to slumber and handed 'her' over to the pack to use as a leverage against me. Instead of turning them into hybrids, I killed every last of them just as the witch foresaw."
Klaus went to the other side of the coffin, his eyes looking from the person inside to his brother.
"When I first laid my eyes on her, I too wore the same expression now on yours. Though I believe all questions to her all these years she's been gone, will be answered when Stefan is destroyed."
Elijah turned his feet to leave, Klaus deduced it would be so he could change from his daggered clothes. Hearing his brother's footsteps fade. Klaus placed his hand where Elijah's were.
"I kept my word."
—Flashback—
He sees her sitting on a fallen tree and silently walks over to sit beside her.
"Nik you still haven't changed. Remember when we played, you were always the first to find me. Not Eli, Kol nor even Bekah could find me."
The blond smiles with that melancholic expression of hers, Klaus let a small smile back knowingly. His eyes focuses on her large blue doe eyes that seem to look far beyond the forests as always.
"I know where you always go, it is given that I will always find you."
"If you say those words to Tatia, I am sure she will choose you."
"My little bird, I will only say them to you."
Her cheeks slightly redden before leaning to him with a serious look. Klaus smiled at the innocent girl with her large round eyes trying her best to look intensely at him.
"Then I want your word. No matter where I am. How long it has been. You will always come find me."
"I give you my word." Klaus said without a hint of hesitation.
—Flashback ends—
Elijah opened the door, knowingly glancing at Stefan and Damon standing outside.
"Niklaus, our guests have arrived."
"Damon. Stefan. Elijah tells me, you seek an audience. Very bold. Let's discuss the terms of our agreement like civilized men, shall we?"
The four men stand in the dining room where a table for them is set and two females standing awaiting to serve the men this fine evening.
"It's better to indulge him."
"I didn't come here to eat, Klaus. Fact, I didn't want to come here at all. But I was told I had to cause you would hear us out." Stefan said carrying distaste to the sight before him.
"Well, we can sit and eat or I can reach down your throats and pull out your insides. The choice is yours." Klaus offering the choice to Stefan.
Without another word in the tense atmosphere, they proceeded to sit as told and everyone except Stefan begins to drink and dine in. One of the servants pours Damon some more wine.
"Thank you, love."
"You lost your appetite."
"Eat. I thought we agreed that we would leave the grumpy Stefan at home."
"That's the spirit. Isn't it nice? Four of us dining together? Such a treat. Is this what you had in mind when you pulled the dagger from my brother?"
"Well, I know how he felt about you, so I figured the more, the merrier." Damon said before playfully winks at Elijah.
The tense atmosphere grew as the silence stayed. Klaus decided to play around the dinner conversation.
"Stefan. Where is the lovely Elena tonight?"
"I don't know. Ask Damon."
Klaus laughs.
"I'm sorry, you've missed so much. Ah, trouble in paradise."
"One more word about Elena and this dinner's over."
Klaus smiles and puts a finger to his lips as a promise to keep quiet about Elena.
"You know what, probably best just to keep Elena in the do-not-discuss pile." Damon spoke warily.
"You're probably right." Klaus agreed.
"Yeah."
"It's just the allure of the Petrova doppelgänger, still so strong. What do you say, brother? Should we tell them about Tatia?"
"Now why should we discuss matters long since resolved?"
"Well, given their shared affection for both Elena and Katerina, I think our guests might be curious to learn about the originator of the Petrova line."
"Well, we're not going anywhere Elijah. Please, do tell." Damon said to stall for more time before taking another sip of wine.
"When our family first settled here, there was a girl named Tatia. She was an exquisite beauty. Every boy of age desired to be her suitor, even though she'd had a child by another man. And none loved her more than Niklaus."
"I'd say there was one who loved her at least as much."
"Wait a minute. So you both loved the same girl?" The younger Salvatore asked, surprised by the new found fact.
"Our mother was a very powerful witch. She sought to end our feud over Tatia and so she took her. Klaus and I would later learn that it was Tatia's blood that we consumed in the wine on the night where our mother performed the spell which turned us into vampires. Tatia wouldn't make a decision between the two of us, so for a time Niklaus and I...grew estranged. People we loved got hurt, harsh words were traded, we even came to blows, didn't we, brother?"
"But in the end we realized the sacred bond of family."
"Family above all." Elijah asserted with his own hidden meaning and the two brothers raise their glasses.
"Family above all." Klaus repeated, clinking their glasses together.
—Flashback—
"Your mother and father came over earlier to talk to Ayana. I overheard them discuss my marriage."
Klaus eyes falter, the blond notices the blank stare and grasps her delicate small clean hand over his. When she finally sees Klaus' expression calm, she moves her hand back to her lap and begins twirling her fingertips. Seeing her nervous habit, he smiled in reassurance.
"Are you nervous marrying Finn?"
"He may be the oldest, it seems your family has other plans for his marriage."
"Then who will be marrying our little bird?"
Unable to look at his eyes, she stands from the log then walk some distance between the two. With the time of one deep breath, she twirls around to face Klaus with a large grin.
"I will tell you if you can catch me!"
Klaus smirks at the flighty one and quickly chases after her now empty presence, into the deep forest they always played in.
"Milana, I will always find you no matter where you go."
However that was the first time Klaus could not find her. He searched around where his little bird would always go until Elijah found him.
"Brother have you seen Milana?"
"It seems you have been made a fool of. Mila came over and asked of me to find you in the forest in time before father notices."
Understanding the wrath of their father, Klaus ran with Elijah home in time to see their father returning with his mother, Ayana and Milana shadowing behind. Without giving a glance at Klaus, Mikael stood in front of their line of sight and began to make his speech. Klaus on the other hand tries to make eye contact with Milana by intensely staring at her. What he didn't expect was her unwavering eyes to his father. Klaus reluctantly turns his eyes and ears to watch and listen his father.
"-our family will soon celebrate and welcome my son Elijah and his marriage with Milana-"
—Flashback Ends—
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Fact #1: Milana was abandoned as a toddler in the forest, picked up by the witch Ayana.