Chapter 6: The Haughty-back of New Orleans

Author's note: I took creative liberties with the character of Celeste and the events surrounding the Originals' occupation of New Orleans during that time period. Thanks again for all of your wonderful reviews and support. Keep reviewing and let me know your thoughts!

"Great events have incalculable results."
― Victor Hugo, The Hunchback of Notre Dame

"What's that?"

Caroline looked up from the white trellis she was inserting beside the green been seedlings. She followed Hope's finger to the leafy green plant she attempted to clumsily stuff into the clay pot. "That is parsley you're planting, honey." She frowned slightly when she saw how Hope was crushing the stems. "Here," she said kindly, "we have to be gentle when we handle the plants." She used the garden trowel to make the hole in the soil slightly larger. "You know, parsley is a very special plant. Not only does it beautifully dress up a meal and add flavor, it also has a very interesting story about how it was created."

Hope looked doubtful, scrunching her eight-year-old face adorably. "Really?" She glanced around the other children who had stopped their own planting to look at Caroline curiously.

Caroline realized that all of the children's chatter had died off and their innocent, dirt-streaked faces were watching her intently. She smiled, thinking that at this rate, the community garden project was never getting completed, but she couldn't pass up an opportunity to entertain the kids with an exciting story. "Ancient civilizations like the Greeks enjoyed telling myths about how certain things came to be. This story is about a great hero named Achemorus. He was the son of a humble seamstress and lived in a village that was being attacked by a giant serpent. Despite the fact that he came from nothing, he did not let his circumstances tell him who he was. He wanted to be a brave warrior; therefore, he behaved as a brave warrior. His mother made beautiful cloaks and traded one of her creations for a sturdy sword from a blacksmith. She gave the sword to her son and told him how much she believed in him. With his weapon in hand, Achemorus bravely fought the beast and he mortally wounded it."

"Yeah!" cried out some of the children gleefully. "He got the snake!"

Caroline gave a small smile as she continued, "Achemorus watched the great creature as it suffered in agony and he realized that while the beast had been his enemy, he also respected its power. He moved quickly and gave the serpent a merciful death to end its pain. Unfortunately, Achemorus had been wounded in the battle as well and the gods knew that he would not survive. To reward him for bravely defending his village and being respectful even to one he considered an enemy, wherever the hero's blood pooled on the earth, a new plant named parsley grew. In sporting events held in his honor, the winners were crowned with wreaths made of parsley. The wreaths were considered good luck and could be used to ward off bad spirits."

"I'm gonna be a hero," shouted one boy who began wielding an imaginary sword in his glove-covered hands, scattering potting soil in a circle as he twirled.

Caroline laughed and said, "All of you can be heroes just as soon as I give you your crowns." She pulled out a canvas sack and smiled as the children gathered around her, jumping up and down eagerly as she began handing out parsley wreaths and placed them gently on their heads. She clapped her hands to get their attention and began breaking the children up into smaller groups to go work in different parts of the lot to finish planting the rest of the vegetables.

"Caroline," Hope asked hesitantly, "who will take care of the garden after we leave?"

"Everyone will," Caroline said confidently, bending down to grab a small bay laurel shrub. "We're planting the vegetable garden for this neighborhood, and everyone has pledged to help maintain it." She pointed to the clusters of people joining the children at the planters. "The neighbors appreciate our help and they want it to be a success. If this project goes well, we should be able to start similar projects in other neighborhoods around New Orleans."

Hope smiled shyly, "Will you let me help with those projects too?" She played with the edges of her wreath and added, "And can there be crowns there too?"

She laughed, squeezing the girl's hand. "Of course! Gardening with a crown is a must. I do all of my best work while wearing a crown."

"How droll. If only all of life's problems could be dealt with so effortlessly," a dry voice intoned behind them. "Such cheerful optimism and faith in humanity despite generations of experience to the contrary is both refreshing and perplexing."

"Hi, Uncle Elijah," Hope grinned.

Caroline turned to face Elijah, noting his dour expression warily. "Elijah," she said lightly. "I see you've arrived a bit early to pick up Hope. Perhaps you and I could chat for a moment while Hope finishes up?" Without waiting for his undoubtedly surly reply, she placed the bay laurel in Hope's eager hands and said sweetly, "Honey, go ahead and bring this laurel to that corner way over there and help plant it along the border with the others. When you're finished, I can tell you all about a nymph named Daphne who used her amazing abilities at hide and seek to teach a pompous, insecure jerk a lesson about misjudging someone."

Elijah raised an eyebrow as he watched Hope's retreating figure. "My niece is filled with innocence and a loving nature. As my brother possesses neither of those qualities, I can only assume that this can be attributed to your presence in her life."

Caroline folded her arms in front of her, gazing at the perturbed Original vampire critically. Over the years, she and Elijah had maintained a cordial relationship, but were not particularly close; it was difficult to establish a relationship with someone perpetually closed off and who took his existence so seriously. She rolled her eyes in annoyance. "I can tell by the foul mood that you're moments away from bronzing that stick up your ass. What's wrong?"

He sighed dramatically. "Nothing more than Niklaus slaughtering those we should be negotiating with once again. At the merest whisper of difficulty, his reckless, impulsive nature has led him to murder one of the most powerful dyad families. They were an entire generation of royalty and an important ally of ours!" He pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation. "Niklaus has associated with you for years now and I had thought your positive influence would have taught him compassion and love. What a pity he's not a terribly apt pupil."

Caroline bristled at Elijah's accusations and coldly said, "Those whispers in Klaus' ear you harshly judge are mine. I discovered that the dyad family currently in power was attempting to resurrect the white oak tree species. Those deceitful forest spirits had sought the assistance of a shaman associate of mine and were certain that once they successfully grew saplings, they would make their move and rally all of the Original vampires' enemies to their cause." She narrowed her blue eyes in anger. "Therefore, I advised Klaus of this difficulty so that he could take the necessary action to protect his family and the fragile peace of his kingdom."

She noted the astonishment on Elijah's face and stepped closer to him, the fury in her voice evident. "Furthermore, the compassion and love that you find absent within Klaus has been a part of him long before he met me and my influence. He once told me that you took a witch as your lover."

"Celeste," Elijah said gruffly, his eyes flashing dangerously. "Do not speak of her. You know nothing of Klaus' spiteful, irrational actions," he said harshly.

She cocked her head and inquired mockingly, "I know nothing? Allow me to enlighten you with my paltry knowledge, then." She paused to gesture toward the remaining stack of planters a group of volunteers needed to complete their portion of the garden. Once they left, she continued. "Klaus admitted to me that while at the time he failed to comprehend your emotional attachment to another, he saw no harm in it and left you to what he considered a frivolous infatuation. Furthermore, his mind was occupied with matching wits with an unusually resilient werewolf pack that was hell-bent on challenging your family's authority to rule the city."

Elijah waved his hand impatiently. "Yes, I recall they were cleverer than we originally credited them; they outmaneuvered us politically on more than one occasion before we were able to put a stop to it once and for all. But I fail to see how —"

Caroline spat out the words as though their mere formation left a sour taste in her mouth. "Yes, you did fail, Elijah. Had you not been so blinded by your passion, you would have realized how suspiciously well-informed the werewolves were. Klaus had his suspicions, you see, but didn't want to trouble you unnecessarily if his assumption proved false. He followed Celeste and learned that she not only had formed an alliance with the rogue werewolves, but also had been placed directly in your path to spy on you and your family. Had this been the extent of her crimes, Klaus might have been persuaded to be lenient, for you, his beloved brother."

Her eyes glittered frostily as she continued, "But Celeste's betrayal went further. You shamefully compromised the safety of your family when you told her of Mikael and his relentless pursuit. On the evening that she ventured to the werewolves' lair to share with them the name that could be your family's undoing, Klaus killed her as well as the werewolves and anyone else privy to your family's closely guarded secret. While you were off inventing Masterpiece Theater or some other pursuit worthy of the noble Elijah Mikaelson, Klaus was keeping your family safe." She paused to delight in the sudden paleness of Elijah's face as he absorbed her revelation. "You know, I asked Klaus why he would dispatch Celeste without telling you the true reason, and he said, 'Because I would rather my brother hate me than hate himself.'"

Elijah struggled to regain his composure as he stuttered, "Why Niklaus would let me think…I, I would have destroyed her for betraying our family…"

Caroline shrugged and replied acidly, "Perhaps Klaus understands the burden of compassion and love far better than you or I. But what do I know? I'm not the apt pupil that Klaus is."