Chapter Six
Through A Glass Darkly
It was only two days before one of the Mikaelsons came and killed four of the wolves. Andrea didn't know which one of them had done it. She hoped it wasn't Niklaus. The alpha decided it was time to act. He wouldn't declare war yet. He would try to reason with them, tell them they needed to leave.
Andrea returned to the cave a few weeks later. She missed it. She hoped Niklaus wasn't there even though she missed him a lot too. He scared her and her parents would really be mad at her because the Mikaelsons were their enemies now.
It was night time. She heard groaning as she came closer to the river and saw who she thought was Mikael storming away from the river.
"Father! Don't leave me here! I'll die!"
Andrea ran towards Niklaus's voice. Suddenly she wasn't scared. Niklaus was in trouble.
She stopped, horrified at what she saw. Niklaus had a sword in his shoulder and was pinned to the tree, blood staining his shirt. "Did your Father do that to you? Why?"
"Andrea, sweetheart, you need to leave."
"No! You're hurt. I'm gonna take out the knife but…I can't reach it. Wait here. Oh…" She lifted a hand to her mouth. "Right. You can't go anywhere, huh? I'll be right back." She ran to the cave and grabbed the stack of books, running back to Niklaus she climbed on the books until she could reach his shoulder and get a good grip on the handle.
The first time she tried, she lost her grip and fell backwards, the jostling of the blade made Niklaus groan in pain. She whimpered. "I'm not strong enough to take it out. I'm going to run and get Elijah!"
"No! You can't. The sun…It's almost dawn."
Andrea shook her head. "So? Oh because you're vampires now, right? Oh no…I'm gonna try again." After three tries and Niklaus crying out in more pain with each try, Andrea began to cry.
"It's all right, love. It's all right. Just go all right? Leave me here."
"What about your mother? She'll help!"
Niklaus shook his head helplessly. "My father won't let her…and he might stop you from returning."
"Your father is so horrible!" Andrea burst out sobbing.
He grimaced as a sliver of light began to move through the leaves and Andrea didn't think she'd ever felt so scared in her whole life. Was Niklaus gonna burn all up if she didn't get him free? Even seeing him that night by the river wasn't as scary as him maybe burning all up.
"I'm gonna do it. I swear!" she promised. She closed her eyes and gave one last pull that sent her tumbling backwards with the sword handle smacking her in the head as it came free. "Ow!" She rubbed her head but crawled back to Niklaus who had crumpled to the ground. She bet he hurt even worse. "Come on to the cave. We can hide you there till night time." She tried to help him but he was too heavy and ended up mostly crawling to the cave. Andrea helped him lie down and went back to grab the books for him before covering him with the blanket.
"There. You'll be all right now. I'll go get some food for you and bring it back as quick as I can."
"Andrea!" He called out, breathlessly.
She stopped and turned to face him.
"Thank you for your kindness."
She smiled. "You're my very best friend. I don't care if you're an evil bloodsucker."
He'd taught her to hunt small things. She didn't like to do it and it made her feel less like a baby to know that he didn't like to hunt either but he said that he learned it was something that needed to be done to ensure one didn't go hungry. She apologized to the poor rabbit before killing it and bringing it to Niklaus. Andrea started to build a fire. She looked from the animal to Niklaus and watched him looking at it hungrily.
"Um…do you need to…uh…drink first?" She bit her lip.
His eyes met hers, sad and desperate and looking very ashamed.
She lowered her head and focused on building the fire so she wouldn't have to see him do it. She tried not to show how the sounds he was making scared her, but when he touched her shoulder, Andrea couldn't help the scream that escaped her.
"You should go. I'll be all right, love."
Andrea shook her head. "You're still hurt. You need help. It's not your fault what your mother did to you. I'm…I'm not scared of you," she lied and he gave her a small smile that said he knew she was lying.
"Well I am frightened. Frightened of hurting you, sweetheart. Go."
Andrea bit her lip and lifted her chin. "You're my friend. Friends don't leave their friends along when they're hurt. That's not nice."
"Andrea…please…your blood is…calling to me and I fear I won't be able to control this and it will kill me if I harm you. Please…as my friend, help me not to hurt you. Go, for my sake. I beg you and…" He shuddered and his eyes glistened. "Don't come back."
Andrea's heart dropped into her stomach and her eyes filled with tears. "You…don't want to be my friend anymore?"
He sniffled and his eyes looked cold and mean now. "No. No I don't. So go away and stay gone."
"But…"
"GO damn you! Get out of my sight!" He yelled.
Andrea's face crumpled and she ran out of the cave feeling as if she had no one left in the world who loved her anymore.
The day after the most recent full moon brought with it the horrific news that one of the Mikaelson boys had transitioned into a wolf after killing one of the wolves. That didn't make any sense to Andrea because they were vampires, not werewolves. She overhead a friend of her mother's say the word hybrid, which meant he was now both vampire and werewolf.
It was Niklaus. He was a hybrid. "If he's a wolf, maybe that means I can be bonded with him, right, Mother?" Andrea offered as she sat at the table, finishing the last of her milk. Maybe then Niklaus would want to be her friend again.
Her mother slapped her so hard Andrea went tumbling off the chair to the floor.
"As if I would let that abomination near my daughter, stupid girl! No, you will be bonded to the alpha family and be grateful for the honour."
It seemed that fate had other plans as that night the alpha and his daughters were killed, with his mate and her mother escaping the slaughter and vanishing into the night. The villagers banded together and declared war on the Mikaelsons for killing six more of their people. Two of them were Andrea's parents. It had been pure luck that Andrea had suffered a nightmare and gone to the cave despite Niklaus not being her friend anymore. She still felt safer there, knowing he was near than anywhere else. He wasn't there so she figured he maybe wouldn't mind.
When she went back the next morning, her mother's friend came running up to her and scooped her up with a cry of relief that she was okay.
When the woman told her that her parents were dead, Andrea cried which didn't make sense to Andrea because even though they were nice to her sometimes, most of the times she knew her parents didn't love her so she shouldn't love them either, but still, she cried.
She didn't believe that Niklaus had killed her parents. She refused to even though people were saying it had to be him because he was the abomination. The other four had been drained but her parents had been massacred in the same way the alpha and his daughters had been.
Her mother's friend, Darya took her into her home that day and said she could live with them now.
Andrea was too afraid to sleep. What were they going to do to Niklaus? She had to warn him and his brothers and sister Rebekah who was nice to her. She listened as Darya and her husband talked in very low voices while she tried to be very quiet herself as she attempted to sneak out of the house without them knowing.
"You must assert yourself as alpha now before the battle begins. Now is the time to strike," Darya whispered. "Show yourself to be the leader I know you are."
"I will lead the attack on the Mikaelsons and rid our people of that scourge once and for all, then at the festival I will announce myself as the new alpha," her husband, Royden informed her.
"You must be prepared to face opposition, my love."
"Then I will have to show them that any opposition will not be tolerated."
"Yes, that is the way, my husband. You must not be weak as Jasyn was. Unlike him, you will not be an alpha who negotiates, who discusses. That weakness, that unwillingness to act made him easy prey for you. You proved yourself to be the alpha he never would be when you destroyed him and his whole litter."
Andrea blinked as she tried to understand what they were saying. A panicky feeling filled her heart. Destroyed. What did that mean? If you destroyed something, you wrecked it, you broke it, but the alpha hadn't been broken, he'd been killed. Is that what Darya meant? They killed him? Were Darya and her husband bad people?
"Now, what do we do about the child?" Darya asked.
Andrea stayed behind her door, listening and trying to be as quiet as she could.
"We'll bond her Langon once I'm situated as alpha," Royden replied.
"Why wait? Let's do it first thing in the morning."
"What is the rush, wife?"
"If there is opposition, you could be attacked. If the child is bonded to our son, then it will keep anyone from harming us. The villagers love that little girl, especially now that she has been orphaned, they will allow no harm to come to her, and by extension we will be safe as well."
Andrea whimpered. She did not want to be bonded to Langon! She did not want to be with these people anymore. They were not nice people! Andrea climbed out the window and ran away from the house towards the Mikaelson home. Maybe if she warned them that the villagers were going to attack they wouldn't suck her blood and kill her dead. She knew Niklaus wouldn't even if he wasn't her friend anymore. Maybe warning him would make him want to be her friend again.
Elijah pulled open the door and Andrea fell into the house, she'd been knocking so hard.
"They k…k..killed the…they're c..c..c…,"
Niklaus immediately rushed over to her and took her by the shoulders. "What is it, sweetheart? What happened?"
Andrea was shaking so hard she couldn't breathe.
Rebekah wrapped a blanket around her. "There we are then, darling. Easy now. What happened?"
"The alpha is dead. They think….think…you did it. But I know you didn't! I know cause my mother's friend Darya did it! She…she and her husband Royden did it! I heard them! I heard them say so!"
One of the other brothers, Finn burst into the house, covered in blood. "We need to leave. Now!"
"What happened to you?" Rebekah asked.
"It's Kol. Mother tried to kill him because we killed those wol-" Finn stopped when he saw Andrea. "What is she doing here?"
Andrea burrowed closer against Rebekah. Esther tried to kill her son?
"Leave her alone, Finn. Where is Kol now?" Niklaus asked as Rebekah ran to grab as many things as she could fit in cloth bags.
"He escaped. I managed to run as well. The last I saw Mother and Father were fighting."
"We need to get out of here, now," Elijah said.
Andrea looked around as they all scrambled about, getting ready to leave. What would happen to her?
"They're here!" Finn warned looking back from the window.
"Father or Mother?" Niklaus asked.
"The wolves," Finn replied, wide-eyed.
Rebekah stared at Elijah. "What now?"
Andrea scrambled behind Niklaus when someone threw a torch through the window and one of the crowd demanded that they come out. She wrapped her little hands in the folds of his white shirt and held tight.
He turned and scooped her up moving them all to the back of the house, though more wolves were waiting there.
Andrea tugged on his shirt. "They won't hurt me so maybe they won't hurt you if they know we're friends…or…maybe you can pretend to be my friend again."
Niklaus stared down at her. "Little Wolf…" He shook his head. "You're braver than I deserve."
"Or…I heard Darya and Royden say they were going to bond me to their son so when people found out what they did the werewolves wouldn't kill them because Langon was bonded to me." She gripped his arms now. "Niklaus! You're part wolf, right? If you're bonded to me they won't hurt you! And I won't have to be bonded to Langon if I'm already bonded to you. Please don't let them bond me to him! Please!" she begged, starting to cry. "I'm not brave. They scare me!"
"Andrea, you don't want to be bonded to me. I'm…not a good match for you," he said sadly.
"Hell, I'll do it if you won't!" Finn said stepping forward.
Niklaus reached out with lightening speed and gripped him by the throat. "Don't come near her."
"And you can't, Finn, you're not a wolf," Elijah pointed out.
"Well, someone needs to do something soon!" Rebekah said, ducking as another torch was thrown through the window and she struggled to put it out. "We have Andrea Labonair here with us! Stop your attack before the child is harmed!" She screamed out the window.
"You can go away after and hide. They'll let you go. It's just for them to see they can't hurt you. Please Niklaus! You can leave and…maybe if you want to you can find a witch after to do a spell to make us not bonded anymore but just for now? Just so you'll be okay and I won't have to be bonded to bad people and maybe find someone I like better later, though no one is as best as you."
"Andrea-" Niklaus started, looking panicked from her to the window.
"Let the child go!" One of the wolves screamed.
"It's the best solution for now, Niklaus. We won't be able to hold them off soon. You're connection to the child is the only card we have to play," Elijah reasoned, taking his brother by the shoulder.
"Brother, have you lost your mind? To shackle an innocent to an abomination like me?" Niklaus protested, wide eyed.
"Stop it. That is our parents talking! You are not an abomination. Do this, Niklaus. Do this and ensure our safe passage out of this house," Elijah pleaded.
"I don't even know how to do such a thing."
Elijah rushed to the kitchen. "I'll perform the ritual." He came back with rope and a knife. Andrea took a step back at the sight of the knife, coming up against Rebekah who stroked her hair.
"It's all right, love. It'll just hurt for a little bit. You still want to do this, my brave girl?"
Andrea swallowed. A little bit of pain would be okay if it meant her people wouldn't hurt Niklaus. She nodded and Rebekah kissed the crown of her hair. Andrea looked back at her and her heart hurt because it felt so nice. She wished Rebekah could be her mother.
Elijah set a bowl between Niklaus and Andrea. The little girl coughed as smoke filled the room from one of torches Finn had struggled to put out before it sent the whole house up.
Through the open window someone shot an arrow that caught Finn in the chest. Andrea screamed.
"Brother!" Rebekah cried going to him.
"We have to do this now!" Elijah shouted. He grabbed Andrea's hand and made a small cut in the second last finger on her left hand and on her wrist squeezed a few drops of blood into a stone bowl, then did the same to Niklaus.
It did hurt but Andrea told herself to be brave. "Is he dead?" Andrea asked, looking at Finn lying on the floor as Rebekah pulled the arrow from his chest.
Elijah used the rope to bind Andrea's hand to Niklaus's and instructed them to press their cut fingers against each other. Andrea sucked in her breath because that stung a lot more than the cut had. "Repeat the words after me. I bind myself to you in spirit and in flesh. I shall know you as you know me. This I swear to you. As my heart's blood beats against your hand, my loyalty shall be yours. My courage shall be yours. The strength of my heart shall flow through your veins, beyond time. I accept what you are and what you shall be." At that Niklaus glared at his brother.
"I can't do this to her, Elijah."
"Please, Niklaus. They're gonna make me bind to Langon if you don't," Andrea sniffled, afraid.
"We're saving you both," Elijah insisted. "Now let me finish. I accept and wish a thousand lifetimes with you. Bonded in love and soul I am."
Haltingly, Niklaus and Andrea repeated the words. The house shook violently and the air seemed to shift and explode in blinding light and noise around them. A shiver of warmth and love moved through Andrea like she'd never felt before. She felt protected, like nothing would ever hurt her again. She felt powerful.
Niklaus shielded her until it settled. They all looked at each other but Andrea got to her feet and tugged off the rope. "Okay. It's gonna be okay now." A strength filled her and she moved towards the door.
"Andrea, wait!" Niklaus insisted.
"You wait here, okay?" She moved the things blocking the door and opened it.
Darya ran towards her. "Thank God you're all right!"
Andrea stuck her hand out. "No! You're a bad lady."
Darya stopped and looked at her warily. "What are you speaking of, child? I only want to help you."
"You're going to leave Niklaus and my friends alone. None of you are not going to hurt them."
"Stupid child, they killed six of our people including your parents! They killed our alpha!" Royden shouted, enraged.
"No! They didn't. You killed the alpha and his family. I heard you and Darya talking. Maybe…maybe you killed my mother and father too."
The crowd gasped and murmured amongst each other, looking suspiciously at Royden and his wife.
"They have confused the child and turned her against her own people!" Darya said, her eyes filling with tears.
"No! The Mikaelson's can't help what they are. Their mother turned them into vampires but they did not kill our alpha. I know what I heard. I was in bed and heard Darya and Royden talking. You pretend to be nice but you're not! I ask the rest of you to banish the Mikaelsons cause what they did was very bad but they can't help it, so they shouldn't be killed."
"She's lying!" Darya exclaimed fearfully as the crowd began to turn against her. She faked a smiled and extended her hand to Andrea. "Come darling. Let's take you home away from these monsters. Then we can bind you to Langon and he'll protect you so these vampires can never hurt you or our people again."
Andrea glared at her. "I know why you really want to do that and it's not to protect me but yourself but it's too late. I'm already bound so there!" She snapped triumphantly stomping her foot.
The crowd stared at her, going instantly silent.
"Impossible!" Royden's angry voice cut through the quiet. "There was no binding ceremony that was witnessed by our people. Your father never approved a match for you that wasn't with the alpha's non-existent son!"
Andrea turned and motioned Niklaus forward. "I'm bound to the hybrid. Niklaus Mikaelson."
The crowd erupted in anger. "A vampire! It's not possible! It's not valid! He's a monster! Not one of us!"
Niklaus came up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. It helped Andrea feel braver and she looked up at him with a smile.
"Half a vampire!" Elijah pointed out coming up behind Niklaus and Andrea. "The other half is a werewolf. As you've so often thrown in his face, he is a hybrid. Therefore the ritual is valid."
"This will not stand!" Royden shouted, coming at them with a spear.
Niklaus rushed forward and slit his throat, killing him instantly. Andrea screamed, but not for horror over Royden's death. Her fear was that Niklaus's action would make the crowd attack them. "Anyone else?" Niklaus asked. "You are all nothing to me, so I have no problem destroying the lot of you. For her, I ask you to stand down. Stand down, let us leave and you will be left in peace. Except you. For her sake, I offer you all the justice of killing the people who killed your alpha family." He took his knife and stabbed Darya, leaving her lifeless body next to her husband's.