Paris, France; 1793

"King Louis XVI has been executed by the radicals." Klaus announced as he entered the extravagant living room.

Abelia and her younger sister looked up from the large book on the wooden table to acknowledge the entrance of the hybrid. Both sisters shot each other knowing looks, neither seeming to be surprised by his news.

"No grief over the king?" Klaus asked mockingly.

Abelia shook her head, not feeling an ounce of remorse for the king who set himself up to be taken out by his people. He was not a good king in her eyes and she vows to be nothing like him when she is acknowledged as the queen of the protectors. Nevertheless, she has to sympathize with the dead king for the sake of her mission. The protectors are nobles who counted on the king for their survival against the Jacobins and other revolutionaries.

"She's feeling more grief over reading Utopia." Alesana chirped, gesturing toward the book on the table.

The older Smith vampire rolled her eyes and nodded in agreement. She hated literature to the core, and it is most unfortunate that she has to read and understand them for the sake of this mission. The protectors are all nobles, highly educated. They value education and if Abelia lacked the knowledge of an aristocrat, the protectors will not see her as queen.

"I am pretty sure Thomas More is one fine lad, but Utopia has got to be the worst. No society will ever be as the way he wished it to be. Look at what is happening right now! Revolutionaries running this country!" She exclaimed.

The hybrid smirked at the vampire, clearly amused by her lack of respect for fine literature. Utopia is one of his favorite piece of work but to see Abelia struggle to grasp onto the concept is something else.

"Kol has not been a proper mentor." Klaus noted.

Abelia raised an eyebrow and tilted her head. She did not know what the hybrid meant by that.

"He should have taught you to respect and admire art and literature. You know I would bring you all around Europe to show you all the beauty this world has to offer."

She did not say or do anything. Kol taught her the basics of being a vampire, most particularly control. As soon as she reigned in her hunger, the pair went right on to research Silas. He had not taken time out to teach her what Klaus would've. She did not mind at all, because she has no appreciation for such things.

Alesana snickered.

"What about me? Why didn't anyone bring me around Europe?"

Klaus turned to the younger vampire.

"To be quite frank with you, love, I am more so fond of your sister."

Abelia shot her sister a triumphant look. She knew Klaus had always enjoyed her company, even though he did not do much to show her that. Her loyalty to him had always been something he appreciated, and he expresses that often.

"Isn't Abelia always the first choice?' Alesana muttered bitterly.

The older vampire got up from her seat and appeared beside Klaus. She and the hybrid exchanged looks, both refusing to acknowledge Alesana's comment. They both know that Abelia was more desirable than her sister, especially back then. Abelia had the beauty, and Alesana simply didn't. However, the years had been kind to her; Alesana has the beauty now.

"Where is Kol?" Abelia asked the hybrid.

Klaus smiled at her, shrugging.

"I believe he brought Rebekah along with him to see the commotion going on at the Revolution Square."

Abelia shook her head at the thought. It is very alike Kol to want to see the aftermath of Louis XVI's execution. He liked the drama and the reactions of the people. She knew that he wished he was present at the king's execution, but unfortunately, he did not make it on time to see the entertainment.

Kol enjoyed entertainment like no other.

If Abelia weren't so concentrated on Klaus's task, she would've enjoyed watching the king's execution as well. However, she felt herself start to change. She started focusing on the more important things in life than watching the beheading of the king merely for the fun of it. The politics behind the king's death grew to be more of a concern to her. That scared her, because it meant that she no longer resembled Kol in that aspect.

"Enough about my silly brother, we have matters to attend to, Abelia. I believe you are ready to meet your people." Klaus cleared his throat and placed a hand on her shoulder.

Abelia's face lit up at the thought.

"It means I do not have to finish Utopia?" Abelia asked enthusiastically.

Klaus chuckled.

"You'll still have to finish it eventually, but first, we need to meet your people. The king was just executed; now is the moment the protectors need you most."


Abelia and Klaus entered the extravagant mansion after the butler invited the pair in. The pair ignored the dirty looks that people were shooting them. Of course they can sense that they have vampires in their midst. The protectors were trained to be able to sense supernatural beings.

When they entered the living room, most of the members of the counsel got up from their seats. Their eyes narrowed in disdain but Klaus did not seem to mind at all. He was the one to call this meeting through Abelia's trackers.

After a few moments of silence, a blonde man stepped up and spoke.

"We do not associate ourselves with vampires." His voice was strong and firm.

"Neither of us are just a vampire. I, Klaus Mikaelson, am the hybrid." Klaus said without missing a beat.

Gasps and weary sighs filled the room, providing Klaus with a perfect reason to smirk proudly at himself. It was definitely his desired reaction.

"No, I am not here to kill you all, although I could if any of you want to try and test my patience."

No one said anything, and Klaus did not expect them to.

"I am Abelia Smith, and my father was William Smith. I do not know if I am known to be the queen of the protectors to you guys, but I am your queen and you shall all show me the respect that I deserve." Abelia said with authority.

She did not know where the confidence came from, but whatever she did was for Klaus. He told her that she needed to show her people that she is the queen and that her authority cannot be questioned. Showing her power in her words is how the confrontation should be approached.

The blonde man that spoke before snickered at her, shaking his head in disbelief. He is the only one who dared to express his reaction. Everyone else in the room stared at her, frozen and in fear for their lives.

"Even if you are descended from the royal bloodline, you are not going to take charge of this faction easily." The blonde man snarled at her.

"And if I were to prove that I am indeed your queen, you are to swear your allegiance to me." Abelia returned.

The blonde man held out a hand for her to take and hesitantly, the queen of the protectors approached the strange man and placed her hand right above his. He closed his eyes, absorbing energy from her. Abelia felt something warm surrounding her and maybe it is pure bliss that she finally met someone who is alike her. This is the first time she has fallen in contact with someone of her kind.

He released his contact with her and gave her a solemn nod.

"What is your name?"

"Morello." The man said.

"Do you acknowledge me as your queen, Morello?" Abelia said, finally snapped out of her daze.

Morello glanced back at the counsel, slowly turning back to her. He looked hesitant to agree, but he finally did by making a sound of affirmative. The rest of the counsel walked closer to the trio, surrounding them in a circle.

Klaus shot the vampire a look of triumph as all of the counsel members bowed down on the floor.

"My queen." They all murmured.

Morello grimaced at the sight but Abelia noticed that he is also kneeled down on the floor. He, unlike the rest, did not look genuine. She noted that he is the one she needs to watch her actions around. She needs to win Morello over.

Abelia turned to look at Klaus, grinning at him. He returned the grin but she identified worry in his eyes. Something tells him that Abelia did not completely win over the counsel just yet. They need to work further towards reaching their goal. But Klaus didn't have to worry about any of that; he is concerned over something bigger.

A few seconds later, Klaus reached out behind Abelia and snatched a wooden stake that flew from the top floor. The vampire turned to look at the caught stake in horror. She stared at Klaus, unsure of what to do next. The stake was aimed at her; if Klaus did not sense it coming, she would have been dead by now.

The offender seems to have good aim because the stake would have shot through her heart.

"Don't say I did not warn you." Klaus said maliciously, flinging the stake at the attacker in high speed.

Abelia blinked quickly and saw that the stake killed a man on the top floor, the man who tried to kill her. She saw most of the protectors get up from their position from the corner of her eyes and they backed away in fear.

"She is your queen, show a little respect." Klaus muttered, shaking his head.

He turned to the counsel members with an enthusiastic grin on his face.

"Anyone else want to test my patience?"

No one moved a muscle or said a word. Klaus showed everyone in this room who had the power, and that is the way he likes it.

"Why did you bring a hybrid here?" Morello asked Abelia, not kindly.

The said hybrid smirked.

"I'm not just a hybrid, I'm the hybrid. I am trying to emphasize that there is no one like me."

Abelia sighed, walking closer to Morello. The blonde man did not cower away in fear, did not even move at all.

"He is my friend."

"I am also here to ensure her safety, which is properly demonstrated for you all to see today, mind you."

"Let me rephrase my concerns, my queen, what do you want with us?" Morello scratched his chin and began pacing around the female vampire.

Abelia looked at Klaus, unsure if she could handle this mission the way he wants her to. She did not believe in herself and her ability to win over a group of unconvinced people. Morello is not easy to win over.

"I want to be included in the counsel meetings. If you guys are discussing politics, I wish to be discussing politics. My biggest wish is to strengthen the faction of protectors here, make an impact on the French Revolution."

Morello perked up in interest, as did most people in the room.

"Would you care to elaborate, my queen?"

"I want to defend our kind. The French Revolution has taken a drastic turn, and the radicals are taking charge right now. You are my people, and you are backed into the corner by the Jacobins. I am here to offer you my protection, as is Klaus here. We are going to restore order in France. And after that is done, we will ensure that us, the protectors, will not answer to any supernatural beings ever again."

The room is silent at this point. Klaus can sense that most of the protectors in this room are convinced of Abelia's speech. Her words are leaving an impact on her people; she is doing better than she anticipated.

"You see, my queen, you are a supernatural being." Morello challenged.

Klaus should kill him right now, she thought disdainfully to herself.

"I happen to be turned into a vampire, but I am still a protector. I am the queen, which implies responsibility for our kind. I will assume to my role."

"Might I point out that you are servicing a hybrid right now?"

Abelia shrugged, unfazed by his quips.

"How do you know that I am serving Klaus? What if Klaus is serving me?"

Klaus cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"Now, I am asking to be invited to the counsel meetings with Klaus as my escort. That is all I ask for as of right now. I will give you reason to trust me, prove to you that my intentions are genuine. I will do however it takes to serve my people; and I assure you that I will not be alike our late King Louis XVI."

There was silence as a response. Morello seems to be contemplating on something, lips pursed in deep thoughts.

"You may join us in our counsel meetings, my queen. Your trackers will be informed of our meetings before it takes place."

Abelia opened her mouth to reply, only to be intercepted by Klaus.

"Very well! I shall see all of you at our next meeting, then. Abelia, the carriage is waiting outside, we must take our leave."

The two turned to exit the mansion without another word.