Chapter Three

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The heat of the afternoon sun beat down unrelentingly, making the dress Helena was wearing more stiffling than usual. She had never been a fan of the fancy dressers her mother demanded she wear, there was no sense in a young girl pretending to be a lady as far as Helena was concerned. There was plenty of time for her to be dull, dutiful lady when she grew up, all she wanted to do was play in the hot sun and maybe even make some real friends. But instead she was cooped up in the large house, forced to take etiquette lessons, and never allowed to speak to anyone but her parents friends children.

"Should I be sad that my brother is dead?" Helena asked in a quiet voice to the quiet man walking beside her. "Am I going to go to hell?" Looking around as the group left her brothers funeral Helena realised she was already in hell. Of all her family, and the people they knew, she was the only one who saw the people they kept as slave as just that. People. It troubled her that she lived in a grand house with unlimited food and water, while the slaves died seemingly everyday.

"Young Helena, you my child will not go to hell. You're far too sweet." Answered Elijah softly, his lips pulling into a small smile. "And kind. You are a shining example of humanity."

Beaming with pride Helena skipped around Elijah so that she was stood between him and his brother. The Mikaelson family had been living in her home for some time and it had quickly turned into the only good thing in Helena's life. The Mikaelson's treated her so differently to her own family; to her father she was nothing but a disappointment for simply being born a girl, but to Elijah and his family she was special.

"I wish you were my father." Helena admitted taking Elijah and Niklaus' hands in her own as she skipped between them to keep up with their larger strides.

A hearty laugh rumbled from Niklaus at the young girls admission. It was endearing how naive and sweet Helena was, if she knew the monsters that he and his family truly were there was no way she'd wish for Elijah to be her father. "You wouldn't want Elijah as a father, he's much too serious. You want someone who knows how to have fun."

"Elijah isn't serious, he's clever." Corrected Helena. "He would be able to teach me things that aren't just how to eat soup correctly." Beside her Niklaus laughed again, and Helena swelled with pride that she was the reason. "One day, Niklaus, I think I will marry you. I want a fun husband."

The matter of fact way that Helena spoke made both Mikaelson brothers smile. Since their arrival at the Governer's house the small girl had taken quite the shining to all of their family, but it was obvious that Niklaus was her favourite. When the Goverener wasn't throwing lavish parties in his honour, Niklaus was shadowed by the tiny blonde girl and he found that despite having no regard for human life in general that little Helena had wiggled into his heart. "I'm far too old for you, my little spit fire."

Helena shook her head no seriously. "I've over heard my father speaking. One day I will be as old as you, then you can marry me." It wasn't lady like to snoop, but there was too much mystery around the Mikaelsons arrival and Helena couldn't help but find some answers. It had come as shock when she had overheard her father discussing the terms behind the Mikaelsons residence, but it didn't change how nicely they had all treated her since their arrival.

As they made their way further down the dusty track behind the main group of funeral goers, Helena spotted the boy that she was desperate to speak to. It had come as some surprise to her when she had over heard screaming about a slave boy who her father had fathered, but it also brought her hope. Hope that she could have a sibling that actually cared for her and wanted to play with her.

"He is my brother!" Helena yelled when a man began whipping at the young boy. Dropping her hold on Elijah and Niklaus, Helena ran as fast as her dress would allow over to the boy and pushed at the man's legs desperately. "Leave him alone!"

Kicking the young girl off of his leg, the man pushed her down onto the ground next to the slave boy and raised his whip high above his head. "He's nothing more than an animal."

Before the whip could crack through the air, a strong hand grabbed hold of the mans arm and held it strongly. "This is none of your concern." He said angrily, trying to yank himself free.

Quick as lightening, Helena watched as Niklaus snapped the mans neck and his lifeless body dropped to the ground near to where she and the slave boy were sat. Unknowingly she had taken hold of the boys hand, squeezing it tightly from fear of the whip.

"Helena, up you get." Instructed Elijah as he purposefully walked over to the two children, and then helped Helena to her feet. "Lets not keep your father waiting."

Allowing Elijah to steer her back in the direction of the road, Helena stared back at the slave boy who was her brother and offered him a small smile, hoping that he understood that she was not like her family.

"You're filthy, your mother is going to have a fit."

Looking down at the large skirt of her dress Helena saw that the poweder blue material was covered in dirt and grass stains, Elijah was right her mother would have a heart attack when she saw her, but Helena didn't care. It had been a long time since she had cared what her family thought of her. "Not with you and Niklaus around. Mother and Father know how much you both like me, and you scare them."

"I wonder why that would be?" Teased Elijah with a small smirk.

Elle woke from her restless sleep suddenly, someone was in the room. Snapping her eyes open they landed on Marcel, who was sat at the end of her bed a grin plastered across his face. "What the hell do you want?"

"You sleep the same way you did when we were children."

Elle's eyes rolled so hard she feared they would get stuck in the back of her head. It was typical Marcel to try and go down memory lane in an attempt to dull her anger, but this time it wouldn't work. Sitting herself up in the vast amount of plush white pillows, Elle reached over to the bedside table and snatched up a near empty bottle of vodka. "You didn't tell me Marcel, and watching me sleep isn't the way to make me forgive you." After taking a large swig from the bottle Elle continued. "If it was Rebekah you know I would have told you."

Marcel knew that Elle was telling the truth, but he hadn't kept it from her out of spite he just wanted to have time to figure out Klaus' plan before Elle was dragged into it. Above everything she was his sister and he had to protect her, even if it made her hate him. "After all these years you still put Klaus Mikaelson before anything else."

The love that Elle and Klaus had shared had been pure, possible the only pure thing he chose to show other people, and Elle couldn't just cast it aside like a piece of forgotten trash. Klaus had helped her become the woman she was, she owed him so much, and on top of that Elle had loved him more than anything in the world. "When Rebekah comes in search of Nik, I'll ask you the same question."

Marcel watched as Elle chugged from the bottle of vodka again with distaste. He was all for people having a good time, but it seemed that all his siter did was drown at the bottom of multiple bottles. She was miserable, and it pained Marcel to watch. "Do you remember when we were children living with the Mikaelsons? I remember you sneaking into my room at night, crawling into my bed because you were scared of the dark."

"I was nine Marcel."

It didn't matter to Marcel how old they were, he remembered how close they were fondly. Elle had been the only one of her family to treat him like a person and that was something he's never forget. For so many years they had been so close, but as they had got older the bond that had once been so strong between them weakened. He found love with Rebekah, and Elle found infactuation with Klaus. In Marcel's opinion Klaus was incapable of love, he just wanted control, and Elle had been too blind to see it.

Letting out a long sigh, Marcel rubbed his tired eyes. He'd had a long night no thanks to Klaus and Elle. "He'll find you today, but you already know that."

Rising from the warm cocoon of her blankets, Elle walked quietly over to the chair beside her wardrobe where her cream silk gown was draped, and slipped her arms into the cool fabric, tying it at her waist. "Hell find me, and maybe I'll fill him in on what you've been up to in the past century." Sauntering around the large bed, Elle threw open the doors which led out to a balcony and picked up the packet of cigarette's she kept on the metal table before lighting one and blowing the smoke into Marcel's face. "Maybe I'll fill him in on just how badly you've treated me. We both know how much Nik loves revenge."

"You don't want me dead, Elle."

"Maybe I don't." Replied Elle dismissively. "But Nik will once he knows what you've done. So, I suggest you don't piss me off." Returning to the balcony Elle dropped down into one of the two chairs that lined the table and propped her pale legs on the railing. "You can go now Marcel."

Again Marcel sighed. There was no use in trying to force a conversation when Elle was in a mood, he might aswell talk to a wall there was more chance he's get a responce. "Just be careful, Elle. No matter how much you push me away you're still my sister."

A/N/ Thank you to the guest for your review, and that you to everyone who fav/followed the story. I know there hasn't been much Elle/Klaus interaction yet but it's coming in the next chapter I promise :) Let me know what you thought of this chapter.