Destined | prologue
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Winter 1859 | Cloverville, Central Louisiana | Annual Ball
Elijah strolled around the ballroom looking for his brother in the crowds of rich gentlemen and fancy ladies. It wouldn't be too difficult to find Klaus knowing his proclivity to indulge himself in ladies and boisterous talks. The younger brother had made him aware of the leadership to the conspiracy that had them on the edge for months. Some frivolous attempt to make the elder Original vulnerable with hopes and an impossible prophecy.
Klaus spent a month in the other town a little away from here where everything happened on a large scale and similarly a plot was being schemed with quite an armor. Their longtime friend and a strong ally Sharel Beauchêne resided here and had agreed to help them in the best possible way to get rid of the threats with an advantage of her line descending from a long line of seers. Klaus chose to accompany Elijah for a reason he was unwilling to disclose.
The group was larger than they had anticipated and Sharel had given them additional information. The powerful Beauchêne witch left New Orleans after her family had been threatened and attacked where she lost her husband and daughter-in-law and in accordance moved to this small town near Alexandria to protect her grandchild from the same fate.
He didn't want to prolong the process of eliminating the messengers longer than necessary and so far, it was proving to be quite difficult.
Away from the commotion of the ball, a girl stared at various people with her chocolate brown eyes accessing their movements and her hand went up her hair to make sure the red roses stayed in place. She had agreed to attend this event at the request of her grandmother who wanted her to meet a gentleman.
At an age of ten and nine, she was called a rebel for following in her father's footsteps and taking up his responsibilities as the future Laurentis heir and while her grandmother was proud of the fact that her granddaughter was the only woman chairing a prestigious position in the Council, a man would make her regard her life more when diving into difficult situations. Her father had temporarily stepped down from his seat when she debuted into the society a year prior and as his only heir, it was her legacy to continue it and she hadn't disappointed him since.
While the initial meeting between her and the gentleman named William Harvey did not go well, she was certain it had something to do with her 'eccentric' life choices as he very well put it in one word. Though it didn't hurt her when she wanted the best for her family, it apparently ruined her night when he tested her patience with every sentence that came spouting out his mouth. As much as she wanted to retort, her grandmother had raised her better than to collide virtues in front of everyone.
She smoothed her hands on her blue gown as her fingers fiddled with her pendant given by her late mother hoping to avoid everybody and get back to her grandmother.
Looking at the girls around her age conversing in huddles, she swiftly looked away, aware that she wouldn't be welcomed there because of her 'eccentricity'. Their mothers had a preconceived notion that she would influence young minds and make them go against their wishes, ruining their chances of a suitor with good influence, enough money, and a big house.
Her one and only friend Rafael had accompanied her father for this trip expecting to make possible connections and acquaintances.
From across the room Elijah glanced at the girl standing in the corner, deep in thought. He saw her eyes darting everywhere looking for someone when she moved to the other side of the ballroom. The girl though young was immensely beautiful. Her brown eyes were sharp yet delicate as they assessed everyone, her pink lips contrasting with her pale olive skin as she fiddled with a pendant around her neck, probably an heirloom.
The ladies around seemed to keep their distance from her which ultimately made him curious. Talking to old men who looked rather pleased with her attendance to accompanying another, she mingled with the gentlemen altogether avoiding the ladies billowing their fans to the passing young men. He concluded that she was an oddity.
Elijah put his empty glass on a passing server's tray and walked towards the girl who was finally left alone. Stopping beside her, he wafted her rose and sandalwood essence which turned out to be peculiarly grounding. His heart suddenly caved in with a sense of peace.
"You appear to be deep in thought," he said making her turn towards him and her eyes spoke so much with a glance that he had to avert his gaze to look straight ahead.
"Pardon me. Do I know you?" The girl curtsied, taking in his features and knew for certain he was new to this town.
"Certainly not, but it is never late to make acquaintances. I am Elijah Mikaelson."
The girl looked around at the other men, her eyes gleaming in annoyance. "Making acquaintances is not a necessity but a choice Sir," she quipped. He hid his smirk at her bold comment which was contemplating for a woman of her status.
"I choose to enjoy the pleasure of your company tonight Miss. Introductions are not necessary for you have apparently denied me the courtesy, to which I shall oblige," he told her with a smile when her eyes assessed him again. She was scrutinizing him and yet there was a hint of innocence in her eyes.
"You are truthfully defying the niche of balls and for that, I am definitely grateful," she humored him after a while.
"What shall appease you instead?"
"A talk that doesn't end with a proposal, expected dowry or definitions of a conventional bride," she frowned thinking of her previous encounters.
"None of those desolate subjects," Elijah agreed as they watched the people around them continuing their tasks.
"And it has come to my attention that you indeed prefer directing a conversation your way. We cannot have that if we are to talk."
"Shall I lead the chatter in a manner preferable to you only?"
"You shall not answer for you do conduct it same for all," she smiled and he couldn't hold back his own grin. The girl was intuitive and very observant and had managed to read him better than most in their first encounter with the Original.
"Shall I have the honor of dancing the next set?" he asked, seeing the Quadrille in procession on the dance floor. She didn't reply, but handed her dance card to him instead. He flipped it to see it unsurprisingly blank. "The gentlemen here are not diligent I presume?" He jotted down his name next to two simultaneous dances.
"They look for their future Lady of the house. I fail to uphold to their typical specifications and I do not come with a dowry or the mannerisms to be someone's wife," she said seeing his name across from Polka and Galop on the card. "I tend to avoid gossip but it seems you have given them one by securing two sets."
"Am I to disappoint the guests with none?" he glanced at her once more before writing his name for Waltz under Galop. "A new gentleman in town to dance three recurring sets with an unconventional lady in the annual gala. How positively scandalous."
Her eyebrow raised seeing his names in succession and she smiled, "It is inappropriate to get three sets from the same gentleman."
He handed her the card and she read it closely before immediately dangling it to her wrist.
"They should not have left the most beautiful girl in the ballroom for me to secure the opportunity."
"You do not know me?" She asked curiously.
"I can ask the same to you for myself," he replied and heard the music for the quadrille come to an end. He held out his elbow to her with a smile, "Shall we?"
She took it without hesitation and let him lead her to the dance floor getting curious glances from people.
"My dwindling list of suitors will be monumentally non-existent after the dances," she informed him.
"You do not seem to care."
"I do not," the girl replied and they locked eyes for a moment before she swiftly looked away. "You appear to be a man who refrains from dancing much, less alone Galop. Are you certain you know how to proceed?" She humored changing the topic as they took their positions.
"Are you challenging my dancing skills, Miss?" He grinned at her when the floor manager blew the trumpet.
Elijah held out his hand for her as she glanced at it. Her brown eyes drifted to meet his hazel ones before she placed her hand in his; both unaware that she'd be taking it for an eternity.
"I am doubting it," she told him when the music started and he bowed raising his brows before she curtsied with a smirk.
They walked around together, her hand out gracefully when he twirled her into his arms, hand above her waist matching the footsteps perfectly. The fourth beat ended as he spun her afar before the three-four beat started again.
"Still having doubts about my skills, dear?" He smiled at her eagerness to continue as a tinge of pink spread across her cheeks. Elijah thought it was lovely when it illuminated her face even more under the candelabras while they went back and forth with their feet.
It wasn't long before their movements continued to Galop and then a slow waltz as they listened to what the other had to offer through short conversations.
"My grandfather founded this town in the 30s. The choice in the name was certainly not his," she told him as they glided across the floor.
"I suppose you ought to be right for I find the name Cloverville a tad bit..."
"Infantile, humorous," she continued his description with a laugh.
"That might explain why the guests are rather wary of you. The founder's granddaughter with a streak of rebellion running in her veins," the Original said giving her a look.
"As long as my family is not condemned, I care not of others opinions. They are liable to mold it to suit their needs," she informed Elijah as he lifted her up in the air before bringing her back to her feet with a grace.
"Am I supposed to believe that the lady herself gets entangled into enough misfits to not upkeep her duties anymore?" He joked feeling her hand on his shoulder lightly while his own glided across her waist.
"The gentleman speaks for himself," she answered getting twirled around so her back was to his chest. "Everyone has an irrational moment that one cannot escape from and I am not obligated to share my proposed duties to a stranger."
"I consider myself different from the normal populace," he turned her with a smug smile.
"Is that arrogance I detect in that tone?" She mused tilting her head.
"People call me honorable," he told her making her raise an eyebrow. Elijah waited for her to speak for a minute or two as they coordinated their movement in astute silence.
She gazed at him and he watched as she seemed to go into the depths of his soul igniting a series of thoughts inside him. He had alluded to the physical instances of beauty several times in his life but none had gripped him this fast where he just wanted her for himself so she could soothe his tormented soul. She had a calming aura surrounding her, the one he never realized needed until now.
"I do not know you in person to believe your precepts sir," she said softly and he looked at her in an instant.
"I may not be acclimatized to the recent proceedings since you have refused me the general familiarity that accompanies one when they know your name," Elijah elaborated, an impish grin taking over his features.
"I am the Founder's grand-daughter. You have to earn it," she smirked when the waltz concluded.
He bowed and she curtsied, with a smile marring both faces. Before he could reply while the people around them dispersed, the floor manager came along with a butler.
"Miss, your grandmother has requested your presence," the butler said and she nodded turning to glance at Elijah.
"It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance," she said grinning at him before she grabbed hold of the manager's extended elbow and walked away from him.
Elijah left the procession downstairs unsuccessful at locating his brother while the thoughts of the mysterious girl clouded his mind repeatedly. She made him feel... free of his burdens, the guilt and the responsibilities that weighed his daily life. It was refreshing to forget that he was not a monster that people made him out to be.
The girl had made him smile and he wanted to capture the very essence that grounded and anchored him so suddenly that for the first time in his eternal existence, he felt stable with that nonchalant comfort without any expectations. Elijah could just be himself around her.
He came across her in the library turning pages and his lips turned up in a smile without his permission. Elijah cleared his throat announcing his presence. She instantly looked up at him and smiled. The glow of a candlelight beautifully illuminated her lashes.
"Isn't your presence required downstairs?" She enquired.
"I have made my necessary farewells and have been unsuccessful in finding my disorderly younger brother."
"He must be old enough to look after himself. So I hereby conclude that maybe he is hiding from you, tired from your disciplinarian ways," she told him, a giggle rolling out of her mouth.
"My brother has a habit of getting himself into troubles," Elijah tried to justify.
"And I presume you rescue him every time? I personally think that he needs to face it himself if he is to know something about repercussions. It might stop him from repeating them if he is given the chance to learn from his past mistakes," she frowned.
"You are very wise and... perceptive," the Original said not refuting her claims when he knew that tending to Niklaus was his everything. Always and Forever wasn't just a vow anymore, it had become their own personal curse. "I aim for his redemption," he continued feeling like he could tell her everything and she wouldn't judge.
"You cannot aim for his redemption when he doesn't want to redeem himself. People choose their own redemption, Sir. You cannot make choices for him."
"You are telling me that my life has been in vain," he sighed with a touch of humor.
"Forgive me but I doubt my observations are going to deter you from your ambitious path," the girl smiled and Elijah responded with his own leaning against the desk; she was right obviously.
"I happen to believe that one day I will truly see him happy," Elijah pointed out.
"Happiness is a subjective term. It might mean many things. Its definition is different for all."
The gravity of her words were not unfound to the Original. It was true and thought-provoking. He looked into her eyes and everything seemed better. She felt right.
"Let me reintroduce myself. I am Elijah Mikaelson," he broke the silence.
"I assumed we will defy the ball niche but you have broken the unspoken vow, Mr. Mikaelson," she humored before humming, "You are a difficult man to read. Your eyes give away your old soul." The girl smiled turning around to retrieve a journal from the shelf.
"So I have been told," he walked towards her and placed his hand over hers to stop her from turning the page, closing the book shut.
Her eyes snapped to his, looking down at his hand as he savored the warmth clinging to his cold skin when she abruptly retreated her hand from underneath his.
Plucking the journal from her hands, he opened its first page. "A friend of mine got married to one of the founders, Raymond Laurentis. They used to live in New Orleans and certain circumstances brought them here," he informed the girl.
She cleared her throat and stepped back. "I haven't had the pleasure of seeing you around this town. A visit I presume."
"With a purpose," he answered without missing a beat.
"Anything nefarious in your mind?" she asked. "I must inform you that our town is very peaceful. Kindly refrain from stirring troubles," the girl ordered, a chuckle resounding the room.
"Maybe," he looked at her as she fiddled with her pendant. "Is that an inquiry from a concerned resident of the town?"
"Maybe?" She teased him making his lips twitch.
Elijah smiled, taking in her recherché features, "Do I not get the lady's name?"
"Adelia," she replied softly after a moment.
"Beautiful," he stared at her and she avoided his intense gaze as her cheeks soon met with a blush.
"I must take my leave for I already have an arrangement to get to," she told him and he straightened his posture concealing his disappointment.
"I look forward to seeing you again," he placed a chaste kiss on her hand while she curtsied in farewell.
"With your last name of a Mikaelson, we soon will," she stated with a mischievous glint in her eyes before she exited the room.
Elijah stunned at her knowledge of his identity hurriedly moved to follow her out the library only to witness empty corridors.
She had long disappeared, leaving nothing but her rose and sandalwood fragrance wafting in the air.
...
Introducing
Eiza González as Adelia Laurentis
"You are all I have."
a n d
Daniel Gillies as Elijah Mikaelson
"You mean the world to me."
...
Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries or any of the characters. All rights go to Julie Plec and L. J. Smith. I only own my OCs.
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Constructive criticisms are appreciated.