Oh wow, I managed to update. So, the Iceland adventure was supposed to be done in one chapter but I felt like splitting it where I did works well. Have fun and leave a review.
I feel like I have to mention that most of my chapter names are song titles. I take no credit there.
To Caroline's great surprise, she and Elena arrived in Reykjavík without any obstacles. No vengeful Original showed up to kill them both brutally and he also did not send any witches or vampires or werewolves to capture them. It seemed they were safe for the time being.
While the girls would have loved to explore Iceland's beautiful capital, time was working against them. They had to get themselves some winter clothes since the village where Lucresse's friend was living would be covered in snow which the two vampires were not prepared for. After their shopping trip, they would have to find a flight to Eskifjörður, the witch's hometown that was basically at the other side of the country. While both girls didn't even attempt to find out how that name was pronounced, they were glad that the people in Reykjavík were well versed in the English language and they managed to get a flight to the airport closest to the town on the following morning.
They checked into a small hotel and Caroline spent the better half of the remaining evening trying to calm down a distressed Elena. Understandably, the brunette had thought that her days of being a blood bag were over as soon as she turned into a vampire. Alas, there she was waiting to be used again. While Caroline tried her best to be optimistic, Elena just wanted to lie down. However, her blonde friend had better plans.
A few hours ago, a very worried Stefan had called Caroline because of her panicked message she had sent to him and Enzo in Monte-Carlo. He wasn't able to reach them during their flight to Iceland and had been borderline hysteric when Caroline finally answered his calls.
She had managed to ensure that everything was fine again and they talked about their whereabouts. That's when she found out that Stefan had been living in Reykjavík for the last five months. Thrilled with the prospect of seeing her friend again, Caroline knew Elena would love to meet the younger Salvatore as well.
"Alright, time to stop moping. We have a date in an hour!" Caroline exclaimed and threw some clothes on her friend's still figure hidden under the duvet. Elena mumbled something which Caroline did not even try to use her vampire hearing on. "Come on, we've got one night in this magnificent city and we'll not let it go to waste because you want to sulk around."
That made Elena sit up. "Care, I have no idea what will happen to me tomorrow. I might as well go back to Monaco and let Kol get his revenge. His torture would at least be very straight forward."
Caroline rolled her eyes at her friend's pessimism. "You think I would let anything happen to you? Come on Elena, I've been in the 'Save Elena Gilbert'-squad since Katherine smothered me with my pillow and except for some little mishaps we always got you out of everything alive…-ish."
The brunette sighed heavily but started getting dressed. "Who are we even meeting here?"
Caroline smirked. "You'll see."
The girls arrived at the small but charming restaurant on time (Caroline was not one to arrive late at an arranged meeting) and went inside. Before they could tell the chef de rang about their reservations, Stefan arrived in front of them.
Caroline squealed and jumped into his arms while Elena had a surprised smile on her face. After the blonde had let go of him, Stefan hugged Elena as well and then led them to a table in the back of the restaurant. Surprisingly, it was already occupied by a pretty Asian-looking woman.
"Caroline, Elena, that's Kira, my girlfriend. Kira, these are the girls I have already told you so much about." The girl smiled widely at them and commented how she was glad to finally meet some of Stefan's friends.
Caroline was surprised but happy that Stefan had apparently finally found a sweet and likable girl who was smitten with him. Though, Elena's smile seemed a little frosty and Caroline stored that info for a much needed interrogation afterwards.
What relieved her a little bit was the fact that Kira was a vampire as well. Stefan told them how he had stumbled upon her a little over a year ago in London where she had been crying over a drained body of a young man. He took the freshly turned vampire under his wing and taught her how to control her urges, much like he had done with Caroline when she had been turned. Kira was living in London as an exchange student from Tokyo when she was attacked by a rather young vampire who had turned her to get himself a life partner. Caroline was pleased to hear that Stefan had removed his heart before starting Kira's lessons in urge control.
They talked about their adventures since their journey had begun and did not forget to warn them about guided tours in Rome. Elena had started to get out of her mopey state and they had a nice evening. It got a little tense when they told Stefan about their recent run-in with a certain Original and how they didn't come to Iceland as tourists. Stefan insisted on accompanying them on their flight in the next morning. While Caroline vehemently told him no, Elena was eager to accept his help. Incredulous, the blonde vampire stared at her brunette friend.
"Uhm no, we won't drag Stefan into this. What difference does it make if he comes with us? I'm pretty sure the witch would feel threatened more than anything else if three vampires suddenly arrived at her doorstep."
"But Stefan is stronger than we and has more experience in dealing with witches."
"So? If she can take us down, she'll be able to handle Stefan as well. Lucresse didn't make it sound like her friend was some experienced newbie-witch. Hell, she wants to tap into ancient magic so having Stefan with us won't make any difference."
Elena opened her mouth to retort but couldn't find anything to refute Caroline's argument. She sat back defeated and emptied her wine glass in one gulp. Then she muttered "Excuse me." and left the restaurant.
Stefan looked worried after the brunette and Caroline shook her head slightly. While she appreciated Stefan's concern, she was not going to let him fall back into old patterns. He stopped being responsible for Elena's problems when the girl chose his brother. Especially since it seemed that he had finally found happiness away from Mystic Falls and the doppelganger curse.
Caroline started gathering her things and handed her credit card (false name, of course) to the waiter. "Stefan, thank you but we'll handle this ourselves. It was so nice to see you again and maybe we'll be able to meet up soon? I think this unpronounceable city we're heading to doesn't have flights out of Iceland so we'll probably have to come back here once we've dealt with the witch. She got up, hugged her friend and turned to his girlfriend.
"It was really nice meeting you, Kira. Keep this one safe, will you? He's one of the good guys." The girl smiled at that and promised to do as she was told. When Caroline stepped outside, she couldn't find Elena anywhere and sighed. That was promising to be an interesting talk back in their room.
Back at the hotel, she found Elena already in bed, writing into a thick leader book, presumably a diary. Now that was something she hadn't seen in a while.
"When did you start keeping a diary again?" Elena shrugged without looking up. "I never really stopped. Just didn't do it as frequently as I used to."
Caroline acknowledged that silently and sat down on her bed. "Soo… wanna tell me what that sudden display of selfishness was about?"
At that, Elena stopped and glared at Caroline. "Excuse me?"
Caroline shook her head at her friend's cluelessness. Or maybe she was just stubborn. "We just met Stefan again today and even though we haven't seen him in years, you were willing to let him go with us. Just like that, you didn't even hesitate to drag him into this mess!"
"He offered to help us! Is it that ridiculous to ask a friend for support?"
Caroline rolled her eyes and groaned. "That's not it. You just still feel entitled to Stefan even though he finally managed to get away from Mystic Falls and its black hole of supernatural problems."
Elena huffed and crossed her arms and Caroline wondered when she had started traveling with a petulant child.
"And what about your attitude towards Kira? The girl was super friendly and Stefan finally found someone to make him happy."
Elena snorted. "Please, it's just a matter of time until she breaks his heart. She was just turned recently, there's no way she'll stay with the first guy who happened to help her when she was in trouble."
Caroline's mouth dropped. "Woah. When did you get so bitter? What do you think she'll do? Break up with him to get it on with his brother?"
Now it was Elena's turn to gape at her blonde friend. "That's not fair. I never intended to hurt Stefan!"
Caroline nodded. "You didn't intend to but he ended up hurt either way. So let him finally be happy. It's not like you want him back or anything." Caroline smirked, trying to lighten the mood again but when Elena's only reaction was to look away guiltily, Caroline flipped her shit.
"Seriously? I mean … Seriously? Please tell me you're not about to do another brother switch?"
When Elena still didn't answer, Caroline gave up.
"You know what? I'm way too tired to deal with this. We have to get up early so I'll go to sleep now. You try figuring out if you really want to go back to Elena ca. 2011."
With that, she got herself ready for bed and laid down without a further word for the former doppelganger. Elena sat still for a while, then she continued writing into her diary and after what seemed like forever laid down as well and turned off the lights.
A few hours later, Caroline was woken up by The Killers' "Mr. Brightside". One of her favorite older songs, she had put it as her alarm to start the day in a good mood. However, there was nothing good about the upcoming day so her attitude was as gloomy as the weather outside. Elena was already awake and ready to go, standing in front of the window and looking as low-spirited as Caroline was feeling. Even though they had had that fall-out the night before, the blonde vampire felt bad for her friend. The last few years they had spent in peace had made her forget how often Elena had been used and abused just because she was unlucky enough to be born out of the Petrova bloodline.
She got up and hugged Elena, who sank into her embrace defeated. "It's alright, I won't let anything happen to you."
When they arrived at the airport, Caroline was not surprised to find Stefan waiting for them. Actually, she would have been quite astonished if the younger Salvatore would not have shown up for their departure.
Before Caroline could say anything, Elena spoke up. "Stefan, I'm sorry that I insisted you come with us. Please, just go back home."
He shook his head and smiled exasperated. "You know I won't let you two travel alone to a town full of witches. I'll be your back-up in case anything goes awry."
"What about Kira?" Caroline asked hesitantly. She did not want to drag the young vampire's sober coach away.
"She'll be alright. Besides, Kira insisted I go with you to help. Where's our gate?"
Caroline smiled lovingly at her friend, as did Elena but her smile was a little too enamored for Caroline's liking. Though, now was not the time to take care of this matter.
After a short flight, the trio landed in a city close to their destination. They rented a car and prepared for their trip to Eskifjörður. Their preparations included finding a hospital and "borrowing" some blood bags for the ride. They had no idea what to expect so it was better to go in as strengthened as possible.
On the road, they discussed their plan. Stefan would stay back in their motel room which Caroline had rented online the day before. He would wait for them to call him at a certain time and if they didn't, he would call Enzo, who was currently having fun in Amsterdam, for back-up and they would try to get them out – if the girls were still alive that is. Admittedly, it was not the best plan but all they could come up within the short time frame.
Eskifjörður was a pretty little fisher village established on the shore of a fjord. The snow and sunny weather made it look like a beautiful small winter wonderland. However, they needed to be wary. More than half of the 900-something population consisted of either witches or werewolves. They would obviously not be too happy about the arrival of three vampires and probably already knew about them.
The receptionist of the petite motel was human but he observed them suspiciously. "We don't get tourists here often…especially not young ones like you two."
Caroline put on her brightest Miss Mystic Falls-smile. "We're not here as tourists, we're visiting someone. Do you happen to know Tjara Mínervudóttir?"
The man raised his eyebrows surprised. "Tjara told me I would have some guests soon. You're lucky that there's still a room available. A group of researchers arrived two days ago and took up most of my space. I can give you Tjara's address if you need it."
The girls thanked him, took the sheet of paper where he had written down the witch's house number and left to get their luggage. Stefan had been waiting outside to remain undetected.
Their room was small, with two single beds and a couch but at least it was clean. The girls got changed and sipped on their blood bags while Stefan made himself comfortable on the bed with the TV turned on.
"See, I wouldn't mind staying in to watch TV today." Caroline smirked at her friend.
Stefan shrugged. "I offered to go instead of you but what can I do if you keep insisting on having me stay back?"
Caroline rolled her eyes playfully and reminded him of the time she or Elena would call him to ensure their safety. After that, the girls got in the car and followed Google Maps' instructions to find Tjara's house.
The witch lived in a pretty little white house with a blue roof at the other end of the town. When they exited the car, Caroline couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. They had probably driven right into a witch neighborhood if the wary eyes behind curtains and the surprisingly pungent smell of vervain were any indication.
When they went through the little wicket gate, the front door opened and a woman watched them curiously. Tjara was a red-head with skin so fair it seemed to be translucent. She looked as if she was in her late 20s but just like Lucresse, she was most likely older than she seemed.
"You must be Caroline and Elena. Imagine my surprise when Lucresse called me to say that a Petrova doppelganger was on her way to meet me. Come in!"
The girls looked at each other skeptically. This woman was a little too welcoming for a witch who had never met them before. Either she was powerful enough that she didn't mind inviting two unknown vampires in or she had some trick up her sleeve. Maybe she was just planning to kill them when she was done with her spell. They waited long enough that the witch noticed their hesitation.
"Oh, you're surprised I'm inviting you in? Don't worry, this is not my permanent residence so I don't mind giving you access to the house. It is more of a neutral meeting point for the supernatural in our village."
The girls were still wary but it was not like they could resist now that they were there. It was definitely a good thing to bring Stefan with them, just in case the witch was luring them into a trap.
They followed her inside and sat down in a comfy living room. The house was warm, nicely decorated but it also did not appear to be lived in so at least Tjara's story seemed to be true.
"Alright ladies, this is rather simple. I suppose you are Elena?" She asked and turned to the girl in question. Elena nodded and eyed the witch suspiciously. Meanwhile, Caroline looked around the living room to be aware of her surroundings. The smell of vervain had only increased, which was no surprise – pots of various sizes filled with the plant were scattered around the room. It was starting to make her feel nauseous and she didn't doubt that it was weakening her.
"Can I offer you something to drink?" The witch asked kindly. The girls declined – obviously.
"Alright, like I said: this is fairly easy for you two. I will check Elena's lineage today to be sure that she was born as a descendant of Amara. Then I have to get some preparations ready, you come back tomorrow, I'll take a little bit of her blood and you're free to go."
"That's it? We are supposed to believe that you'll let us go tomorrow without any consequences or I don't know, kill us?" Caroline asked, not all too sure about the witch's simple demands.
Tjara chuckled. "Vampires are always so distrustful. Don't worry, I don't mean you any harm. I was lucky that Lucresse happened to come across a doppelganger and would like to use your blood for my spell. There's a high possibility that it won't work because you're a vampire. Still, I have to try it and then you can go unharmed, I promise."
Caroline frowned while Elena asked a question that was bothering her.
"Yeah, concerning the blood taking: how much exactly will you need?"
The witch waved her off. "Just a couple drops, I'm not planning on draining you. Now come, I have to check your background."
Elena looked at Caroline who could only shrug. They followed the witch to the dining room, where a circle of unlit candles was arranged on the ground. With a slight wave of her hand, Tjara lit all of them at once and ordered Elena to sit down in the circle. The girl did as she was told and the witch followed and sat down across from her. She took her hands, closed her eyes and started muttering a spell. Caroline got flashbacks to Bonnie's earliest attempts at magic while the witch's chanting made the flames grow higher.
After a few minutes, the flames started dying down and the witch opened her eyes. She released Elena and they got up from the floor.
"Alright, your linage is undisputed." Caroline rolled her eyes. They didn't need a random witch to confirm that. Katherine Pierce, Klaus' attempted sacrifice of Elena and the hybrid creations and all the other instances where Elena's blood was the main ingredient in witch spells had made it pretty clear that she was a descendant of Amara.
"Alright, you can go now. Enjoy the town, get some food, sleep well. Come back tomorrow shortly before noon. And you better not kill any humans while you're here or I'll have to rethink me letting you leave unharmed."
The girls looked at each other but said nothing, nodded and left the house. The witch watched them get into the car and drive away. When they were out of sight, she grabbed her phone and called a number.
"Tjara? You do know that it's barely past dawn here? I haven't even had breakfast yet!"
The witch snickered at the annoyed voice of her cousin. "Oh, how loved I feel when you react like that when I call you. Though, I think I can help you with something Annabelle."
Now the woman on the other line listened up. "Alright, I'll bite. What is it?"
"You told me about this young vampire Niklaus Mikaelson has made you track for the last few years, right?"
Annabelle sighed. "Yes, and he's been pestering me to find out where she is even though I can't track her or her companion anymore. Why?"
"Who did you say was her friend again?"
"This former Petrova doppelganger. Elena something. Why are you asking?"
Tjara smirked. "Well, I think I have found your missing vampire."