CHAPTER ONE: A New Friend

Esther screamed as the pains of childbirth ravaged her senses. She could feel the child coming and she welcomed it, but the pain was never something she could get over. How she had so many children and still even now, wanted more, sometimes even baffled her. Outside the house, the screams could be heard faintly from within. Her husband paced the grounds while her oldest son stood with her second son, both waiting for word of their mother and new sibling.

"Is... is everything just as I ordered?" Esther gasped as her midwife moved closer.

"It is, Esther." The midwife turned to her assistant, the young Sophia, her apprentice and a familiar teen of the village. "Go and get the stillborn child and be quick about it."

The young girl hurried out the back of the tent as Esther pushed for the last time. Quickly, she whispered a spell that put a hush over the outside of the tent, making it where anyone outside would be unable to hear what was going on within. This was a good thing, as the baby began to scream and cry as soon as it was born.

Esther smiled as she took the infant into her arms. He was so beautiful, so healthy and strong. Her eyes found her midwifes who nodded and went to the back of the tent. A few seconds later, a man entered. He was not her husband and if anyone else had seen him come, they would have been suspicious, but her midwife was this man's sister and this man, her secret lover and the true father of her new child.

"He is beautiful," the man said as he took the baby into his arms, "What shall we name him?"

Esther breathed a sigh of relief concerning his love as she grinned and touched the babies hand. She knew he could not stay here. "I was thinking... Niklaus."

"Niklaus..." the man breathed, "It suits him."

The young Sophia re-entered with a stillborn wrapped in a bundle. Esther tensed at the sight, but she knew it must be this way. As the man stood and started towards the back of the tent, the child now sleeping in his arms, she called to him.

"Ansel... please, guide him well."

The man gave her a respectful nod as he left the tent and vanished into the night. Esther took a breath. "It's time."

she whispered the spell she had cast earlier, effectively dropping the silence and began to scream, the tears real after having watched her child leave, possibly never to be seen by her eyes again.

At the sound of his wife's screams, Mikael rushed into the tent, his sons on his heels.

"Esther? What happened?!"

"Mother?!" her children hollered.

Esther fell into her husbands arms and continued to cry as she pointed at the wrapped bundle lying motionless in the arms of her midwife. The midwife presented the child with her head bowed, hiding the small smile that attempted to rise. She felt for the mother, but she was glad the child was with her brother. Their pack needed its new prince and everyone knew Mikael was a violent, aggressive man. She wanted her nephew nowhere around him or his offspring.

"Is it…"

"Dead," the midwife confirmed, meeting his eyes. "A boy."

Mikael closed his eyes and took the child into his arms. He held it for a moment before handing it back and turning to comfort his wife. Finn looked at the child before turning to his mother and father, but Elijah frowned as he stepped towards the bundle and saw for himself the motionless blanketed form.

"What was his name?" he asked curiously, turning to look at his mother.

Esther dared not repeat the name she had truly given her child, so she made one up on the spot. "I was thinking Claudius."

Mikael nodded. "Claudius is a good Viking name. We shall burn him and bury his ashes, as is tradition."

As Mikael left, Finn at his side, Esther took Elijah into her arms. The toddler soon fell asleep due to her silent rocking and while he slept, she whispered to him so only he might hear in his subconscious the truth that she so struggled to keep hidden.

"Perhaps one day, you might meet your brother again. Niklaus."

The years passed and each day with Niklaus brought Ansel untold amounts of happiness. His son was fierce, passionate, strong, and a quick learner. He also seemed to have a way with women, always charming and mysterious, but also a bit demanding. His attitude and stubborn pride seemed to be his biggest weaknesses, but Ansel knew it was his age and perhaps one day, when he matured and had a child of his own, he would learn how to overcome these obstacles.

Niklaus was well liked within his pack and his strength was nearly unbeatable, still Niklaus always seemed to know something was missing. When he asked his father about his mother, he would often tell her about those moments he had known Esther, but how she died in childbirth. Niklaus would always accept this story without doubt, however he was a clever boy and knew something didn't add up. One day, he decided to go into the forest and try and find the grave of his mother for himself. His father had told him of it buried beneath the white oak tree, but he had never taken him.

As the seven-year-old walked the forest floor, making his way deeper and deeper into the territory he knew belonged to the village neighboring their own that he had been forbidden to enter, he suddenly thought he heard the sound of crying. Curious, he stealthily made his way through the bushes and over the roots before coming to a small clearing where three boys were located. The oldest and tallest of the three looked anything but happy, his arms crossed and his expression impatient. The youngest sat on the forest floor, his knee bleeding from where he must have tripped and scraped it. The middle boy, his smile bright, attended to the youngest.

"You'll be fine Kol, it's only a scratch," he chuckled, "you act like your dying."

"It burns, Elijah!" the little boy cried. He couldn't be more than maybe five or six years old.

Elijah sighed and Finn scoffed.

"Father is expecting us. We need to pick up the pace. We still haven't collected berries for mother, either. At this rate, we won't even make it home before nightfall."

"I'll stay and collect the berries. Go and bring the kill to father with Kol, Finn. I'll be along shortly."

Finn looked doubtful. "Father said we should stay together. If you get hurt or lost when he placed me in charge..."

"I'll be fine. It won't be the first time I have picked berries for mother alone, besides as you said, father is waiting for our kill. The deer will grow old if we wait much longer. Go on. Kol could use a rest anyways."

Finn hesitated but nodded. Kol reluctantly got up and walked with his eldest brother while Elijah shook his head and turned to pick up the basket of berries off the forest floor. Niklaus watched him curiously. The boy was a couple heads taller than himself, perhaps around eleven or twelve years of age.

"Are you going to stare at me all day?"

Niklaus blinked, coming out of his pondering. He hadn't even realized the boy had moved and was now standing in front of him, arms crossed.

"S-Sorry. I did not mean to intrude or spy, I merely heard crying and went to investigate," Niklaus hurried to say, his reddish blonde locks slipping into his eyes.

Elijah nodded and looked the small child over. The blonde was shorter than him and quite skinny for his age. His skin was pale and he had light freckles decorating his cheeks.

"My name is Elijah Mikaelson. I don't remember you in our village."

"I'm not from your village. My name is Niklaus Anselson and I'm from beyond the forest."

"Ah, that explains it."

The two stood there a bit awkwardly at the beginning before Elijah hesitated.

"Would you like to join me in picking berries? They are quite tasty if you know which ones to avoid that are poisonous."

Niklaus smiled. "Sure, lead the way."

The two boys walked and talked, laughing as they made their way steadily through the forest and into another clearing. Together, they picked several bushels of berries, snacking on a few in between. When the sun began to set, Elijah bid him farewell.

"Thank you for helping me, Niklaus."

"Elijah, Wait! Will I... can I play with you again?"

Elijah smiled. "I would like that very much. I will come to the clearing tomorrow in the forest. Meet me there?"

Niklaus grinned. "It's agreed."

Niklaus laughed happily to himself as he walked back to his village, but his smile faded when he saw the stern expression on his father's face just beyond the woods.

"Niklaus... you vanished without a word. What if something had happened to you?"

Niklaus hung his head. "Sorry father. I..." he hesitated.

Ansel waited. He knew his son would tell him what he wished to say if given time.

"I wanted to see mothers grave," he finally whispered.

Ansel stiffened and was about to retort, but Niklaus continued.

"Instead, I ended up meeting a boy in the forest. His name is Elijah."

Ansel closed his mouth. He knew who Elijah was; one of the other sons of Esther and her husband Mikael. Truly, Niklaus' half-brother, not that the boy knew.

"He agreed to play with me in the forest again tomorrow father! He seemed very nice. Is it... can I meet him again?"

Ansel wanted to say No. He wanted to keep his son away from that family who knew nothing of his existence, but he felt he did not have the right to disallow his son the opportunity to come to know his family, even if he was unaware it was his family he was meeting.

"You may, but I expect you to tell me before you go galivanting into the forest alone next time."

Niklaus smiled, relived his father was not angry. "Yes!"

"Now," Ansel stated as he wrapped a loose arm around his son's shoulders, "tell me of your adventures while we go find dinner."

As Niklaus spoke, Ansel listened and the two grew closer as father and son.