Death before my eyes
Synopsis: Young Marcellus has only lived with the Original family for two years when Elijah lets him in on the family secret. It turns out the Originals take 'skeletons in the closet' to a whole new level. Set around 1820. Written pre-2x02.
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The Originals aren't like regular families. Marcellus has only been staying with them for two years but that fact has become abundantly clear. For one, they have actual skeletons in their closet.
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He's fourteen when Elijah tells him to follow and leads him down to the cellar. He hasn't really been alone with the man in years, not since those first two months when Elijah had given him lessons in etiquette and history. But those lessons had been discontinued after Elijah and Klaus' fight and the man had kept his distance ever since.
Now, as Elijah takes a candle and lights it while looking behind him to make sure Marcellus is following, he doesn't know what to expect. He doesn't think he's in trouble, can't think of what he would be in trouble for, but then that hasn't stopped people before.
"Mind your step," is the only thing Elijah says, leading him further down. The original moves smoothly and swiftly as always, candle perfectly steady in his hand, and Marcellus feels a surge of familiar envy welling up as he nearly trips over his own legs, still clumsy from his recent growth.
He's been down in the cellar a few times before. There is a wine cellar there, large barrels and and gleaming black bottles. There is even, Klaus once told him proudly, an oak cask containing brandy they'd taken with them when they left for the New World.
It's not the wine cellar Elijah is interested in, however, or the supply room. Instead he hands Marcellus the candle and moves over to the small door in the back. From his pocket he takes a small iron key and unlocks it. The door creaks as he pushes it open firmly.
Marcellus has never been in here before. He hadn't even realized there was another room down in the cellar. Curiosity makes him follow Elijah, who stepped inside the darkness and is standing to the side, reaching for something on the ground.
He steps forward and in the dim light of his candle he sees the man open a coffin.
There are two coffins in the middle of the room, in fact, and when he raises his candle further he sees three more stacked against the walls. Something akin to fear runs through him, his thoughts racing. What is this room? What are those coffins for? And above all: why is Elijah showing him this?
The coffin opens silently and Elijah steps back and turns to look at him, his face not giving away anything about his motives. Marcellus hesitates, then moves closer cautiously until he can see inside.
There's a dead body.
This isn't all that surprising or unexpected, given that it was lying in a coffin, but for it to be locked away like this there surely had to be something special about this corpse.
Looking closer, it is obvious what the cause of death must have been. The murder weapon – a silver dagger, judging by the look of it – is still sticking out of the chest. The dagger looks old, but then so does the clothing. It is a very old style, but the fabric was clearly well-made and no doubt expensive. A nobleman then? The hair is long and appears to be a deep brown colour, but it is the face that gives him pause.
The skin is grey and the man has clearly been dead for a while, but the decomposition process has not started yet. The face is still and dead, but that chin, those eyebrows, it's familiar. He looks back at Elijah, questioning.
"Is that..." he trails off, almost afraid to give voice to the thought that had appeared in his mind.
Elijah inclines his head. "Yes. That is my brother Kol. Niklaus stuck a dagger in his heart not long before we left Europe."
The coffin suddenly seems more ominous, but he takes a step closer regardless, as if pulled closer by morbid curiosity.
"Is he..." He swallows heavily, his throat suddenly dry. "Is he dead?"
Elijah's eyes never waver. The light of the candle reflecting in them makes a haunting image. "For all intents and purposes, yes."
He looks down. "I'm sorry for your loss," he says, awkwardly.
Surprisingly, Elijah smiles.
"Oh, he's not dead forever."
Marcellus frowns, puzzled. In his experience death is quite final, unless one becomes a vampire and sometimes not even then. Just the day before, he saw a young vampire be decapitated by Klaus for some unexplained indiscretion and never get back up again.
"That's the trick, you see."
Elijah moves over to the side of the coffin again, reaching inside to straighten the cravat.
"We can't truly die unless by the wood of one tree or magic. All other weapons would merely be temporary measures. Including," his fingers rest lightly on the silver dagger. "this dagger."
He pulls away, standing up straight and looking down at Marcellus.
"It has to be dipped in the ash of a specific white oak tree and even then just pulling the dagger out would negate the effects."
"Why are you telling me all this?"
Elijah's eyes are hard to read in the dim light. "My brother has taken it upon himself to raise you as one might a son, so it seemed only fair I show you what he does to those most closely related to him."
He looks back at Marcellus, tilting his head slightly. It's as if he's daring Marcellus to contradict him, to defend Klaus, defend the man who had taken him in. Marcellus stays silent.
"That one over there," Elijah points towards the coffin furthest to the side, "is the coffin meant for me. No doubt my brother has another dagger hidden somewhere just for the occasion."
The original smiles at him, but there is nothing kind about the look in his eyes. "Do make sure to lock the door after you when you leave."
And just like that, he turns and leaves, his form being swallowed by the darkness until only the soft echo of his footsteps remains.
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A/N: Just a small piece I've been working on for a while. It felt like the right time to publish it, before the rest of the season airs and it might be proven wrong by new flashbacks. Reviews and feedback would be much appreciated!
A/N: Edited 31/8/2015