...

Thanks so much, Jade. I'm so happy you're liking this a bit and don't mind Alaric in this too much. I get what you're saying. Though he did kinda grow on me when he and Damon became friends. I figured since he couldn't be friends with him here, I could use him in this role. A bit fatherly at times, a bit hard to read at others. And as is obvious I do love to play with some more unconventional couples so he and Abby made sense. :)

Also happy you don't mind the Rebekah and Tyler storyline. I don't know why, but it really grew on me. :)

Anyways. This story is for you!

...

Qetsiyah had brought news that made Rebekah's and Tyler's heads whirl. Elijah was moving on the Golden capital, on the Silveren refugee camp before it. He had passed through the large ravine dividing part of the wasteland, had traveled through forests on his way, thus alerting the clans living there to his presence.

While they had stayed out of his business, as was usual for them, they had still noted the large amount of people and weapons with worry. Word had spread, had reached Qetsiyah, too. And for the first time, the foresters had started to feel like their own peace was in danger. If Elijah brought war to the Neutral Zone, their own homes would be in danger, and they couldn't idly stand by and watch.

"You're saying you'll join the fight?" Rebekah's eyes were widening as Qetsiyah nodded gravely, still holding her own sword at her side like she needed to jump into battle any second. Behind her, their quiet gleaming companions were watching them while preparing food in a small oven.

"I'm saying our clans won't allow Elijah to destroy what is ours. He is selfish. Only sees his own gain, his own injustices. They way he tore through some of our dwelling places…" She shook her head, her features grim. "He has no regard for my people, just like he has no regard for yours."

Rebekah exchanged a glance with a frowning Tyler, who shrugged at her. Absently rubbing her leg, she looked back at the warrior. "What is your plan? - And what was that talk about the 'risen-again'?" She chuckled at bit at that weird turn, noticing out of the corner of her eye how Tyler ran a hand over his neck as he lowered his head, staring hard at the ground, quite obviously uncomfortable with Qetsiyah's strange moniker for him.

The woman cleared her throat, squaring her shoulders. "Forester lore," she said. "There have been songs of a battle threatening to end all battles. For a long time people believed the songs were referencing the past, the Last War. But then your people and the Golden began to fight and it was clear that it hadn't been the last one after all, that maybe the battle to end all was still waiting to be happen." She paused, tilting her head a little as if to gauge Rebekah's reaction. The story was not new to her, of course. She vaguely remembered having heard some of those songs. Puzzling, her brow creased as she put two and two together.

"You think these people are the Blazing?" She couldn't help but chuckle incredulously. That would mean she was now part of a song.

Qetsiyah glared at her stonily.

"This is not funny to me."

"I'm… I'm sorry," Rebekah muttered, looking to Tyler again briefly, who was now squinting at the forester before them. Qetsiyah stared at him, not once blinking, and this time, he held her gaze, making Rebekah frown. It was as if something was going on between those two that she didn't follow.

"The risen," it suddenly dawned on her, "You think it's Tyler?"

Qetsiyah slowly turned her head to look at Rebekah. "I know. And he'll be the one stopping this battle before it really begins."

"No pressure…" Tyler mumbled to himself, making Rebekah grin over at him, nudging his leg. He gave her a brief look, rolling his eyes, and she smirked wider.

Qetsiyah continued with a stern voice. "We'll need to leave now. Elijah has almost reached Mystic Falls. And my people are on their way there."

Rebekah's eyebrows knit together. "How did you orchestrate all this? I mean, how did you find us? How did you get your people ready? And…"

"I'm a warrior, girl. I have ways. And it was my mission to ensure the fallen would rise again and help us all."

Tyler scoffed. "Yeah," he muttered, "not sure how I'm supposed to do that. Maybe you're looking for someone else."

"I'm looking for the one speared in the shoulder by a ray of sun, the one with a band of silver around his neck," she leaned forward abruptly, pulling down his shirt to tap the sheen around his collarbones with her index finger, making him back away so hard that Rebekah held out her arms to make Qetsiyah back off. But the woman merely grinned at them, then sat back. "You'll show them that what Elijah has to offer is nothing. That they're better off following you."

"No one is going to follow me."

Qetsiyah seemed to be losing her patience with him. Jumping up, she tugged at her pack and with a swift movement, pulled a large Weapon from it, making Rebekah involuntarily back away. Tyler hissed in a breath beside her.

"You thought you were done wearing one of these, didn't you?"

He swallowed visibly, but said nothing. Rebekah looked from him back to Qetsiyah, clearing her throat.

"We don't even know whether it still works. His scar was reactivated, yeah, but maybe it's different now, maybe—"

"Try it on," Qetsiyah said, her tone bordering on an order. She was not looking at Rebekah, but Tyler, who shot her an annoyed glare.

"He's not going to do that." Rebekah put her foot down, suddenly upset. Qetsiyah didn't seem to understand what it meant to wield an Eternal Weapon, what a big thing it was to ask anyone to wear it. "He's lucky he's still alive," she said, nostrils flaring. "The sheen could have easily killed him. If we hadn't found these… these people here—"

"He was never going to die."

Rebekah scoffed. "You honestly believe that? That your… your lore speaks of him, and that he was never in danger? You didn't see him, Qetsiyah! You weren't there when he was writhing in pain, passing out from it and—"

"Rebekah, stop." She looked over to Tyler, who seemed to have grown even more uncomfortable. Shaking his head, he implored her to let it go, but she wasn't sure she could. She had been terrified. It had not just been a minor roadblock, his life had been on the line.

But before she could go on, Qetsiyah waved an arm in an appeasing manner. "I wasn't trying to diminish what he went through. What both of you went through. Rebekah. I wouldn't ask this of you if it wasn't so important."

"Why is it so important?" Tyler challenged, standing up, fidgeting slightly with his hands.

"You know why. You told me yourself how interested Elijah was in the reactivation of Eternal scars. He'll try to convince your people to take back their powers of old. He'll start a war so deadly that no one can win it."

"So, pretty much like it used to be…"

"No!" Qetsiyah clicked her tongue, clearly growing angrier by the minute. "You really don't understand, do you? There won't be any winners. The collateral damage will be immense. Haven't you seen enough terror here? When this site exploded? Elijah won't just stop at Mystic Falls. If he can convince the former Eternals to resume their powers, if he can outfit them all with weapons - there won't be a chance for the city. And then he'll go on to weaponize the remaining mining sites…"

Rebekah shook her head, not convinced. "How would he know how to do that. The Black Ruins, that was an accident. Nobody knows what went wrong."

"It's different if you're actively trying to make something explode rather than deactivating the Eternal source first." Qetsiyah raised an eyebrow, underscoring her point.

Grudgingly Rebekah nodded, seeing where she was coming from. Elijah's people weren't going to use Alaric's concoction, his cure…

"I still don't see why Tyler wearing a weapon would change any of that."

Qetsiyah huffed, then grabbed Rebekah's arm. "Because he'll be their reminder and their warning. - I'll explain it on the way. But now we have to leave," she said, and even though Rebekah didn't know why she was doing it, she reluctantly followed her warrior friend, turning her head to exchange a glance with Tyler, shrugging at him.

"You too, Risen," Qetsiyah called out, making him roll his eyes, but follow anyways.

What the hell were they getting themselves into?

…

Things were happening way too quickly. Suddenly, they were already out in the open, the shiny people Qetsiyah had called the Blazing had managed to procure some horses from who knew where, Rebekah was going along with it all, and Tyler… was freaking out.

Pulling her away from where she was following Qetsiyah's orders and strapping a bag to the horse that would be hers, he dragged her a few feet with him, not listening to her protests. Only when she yelped out in pain did he stop, but not to apologize.

"What the hell are we doing here?" he hissed, still holding her arm in a too tight grip.

"Let go," she said, glaring at him, anger burning red in her cheeks, flickering in her dark eyes. That was the Rebekah he had seen and known before. Taking a deep breath, he did let go, glad when she didn't immediately run back to the horse. Looking at him, her anger dissipated a little, but his was still raging.

"Are we really not even going to talk about what these… gleaming people even are? Who? - We're just going to ride off with Qetsiyah now? Believing all the nonsense she was spewing? How sure is she even that Elijah made it all the way back to the freaking city?"

"I don't think you realize how much time has passed since we saw him…"

Tyler clenched his jaw, his hands curling into fists. She wasn't wrong. He had no concept of time anymore. Of anything. But she hadn't answered any of his questions… Swallowing, he cast his eyes down, digging the heel of his hand against the root of his nose where a headache was forming. The motion sent a lightning of pain through his shoulder, and he stifled a gasp. Rebekah frowned at him with concern, her hand grazing his arm.

"You okay?"

"I'm fine," he snapped, backing away. He couldn't deal with her compassion right now. He knew he was back behaving the way she had called a tantrum before. Way back when… He remembered how she had said it, not meant for his ears. Biting down hard, he tried to fight his way back to the top. "Seriously, though? She wants me to strap on the damn weapon and play the Eternal again? Alongside a horde of foresters and these Blazing people? And what the hell is that bullshit about the risen?" He rolled his eyes, noticing that a soft smile had appeared on Rebekah's face, and that irked him too.

"It sounds kinda neat, though, doesn't it? Like you're something special."

"I'm not freaking special!" he said a little too harshly, and catching himself he added with less anger, "We both know that. I'm not… I'm not what she needs or is looking for. Maybe someone like your brother—"

"Who is most likely dead," Rebekah said so drily that he cringed. But she wasn't done. "Pull yourself together, Tyler," she continued with a weary expression, making him clench his teeth. "So what if you're not the risen? Who bloody cares. Give them some hope, be their damn beacon and make them go into this battle proudly. If Qetsiyah is at all right and Elijah is trying to turn our people against us, against the Golden, we'll need all the help we can get. Maybe bringing the Blazing will distract them enough to… I don't know, stop this stupid battle from even happening and prevent a war."

Tyler ran his hands over his face, trying to control his breathing. Staring up into the darkening sky, he tried to think of something else to do, something better. But there wasn't anything. Rebekah's leg wasn't healed yet, he wasn't either, but it didn't matter. They couldn't stay here forever anyways. So why not leave now, with company.

"Tyler?" Suddenly she stood rather close to him, closer than before, and he could feel her breath on his face, soft and warm. Swallowing, he looked at her, feeling awkward and self-conscious.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, grimacing. "I guess I'm just caught off guard. I can't believe anyone in their right mind could think I was this 'risen'."

"I can see it."

Frowning, he scoffed. "See what?"

"How you could be the risen. You've proven how strong you can be, Tyler. That you can overcome past struggles. Don't go back now."

"I'm not sure I know what you mean."

Leaning forward abruptly, she kissed him straight on the mouth, startling both him and herself. Averting her gaze she took a quick step back, then faced him again. "I believe in you, Tyler, risen or not. Let's just go back home. We'll… We'll take the rest from there."

With that she limped off, leaving him standing there, more confused than before. Had Rebekah St. John really just kissed him?

…

The troops arrived when the sun was already descending, the red-orange glow setting the sky on fire in a way Katherine wanted to see as a sign.

There was the refugee camp, lying before the city gates, and it took her a while before she noticed that the place seemed a little too quiet. The evening had barely just begun and yet the camp lay in darkness, no torches, no people visible. Tapping Elijah's shoulder, she leaned in to whisper in his ear. "It's too quiet. Could be a trap."

He frowned at her, a mound appearing between his eyebrows. "How?"

She shrugged. There was no easy answer for that. Maybe someone on the enemy's side had gotten wind of their plan and warned the camp and city. How, she had no idea. It didn't matter. They still had Tulle, could still parade the woman around and get to the former Eternals that way.

She told Elijah as much now, making him contemplate how best to go about it.

"Send out a small recon team to check on the camp. Then we'll see," he said, and Katherine nodded, quickly moving off to get a few people together.

It didn't take them long to find out what was going on. The camp… was just a decoy. An outer wall of tents with nothing in its midst. Someone had warned these people. Gone were their chances to quickly infect the healed Eternals and turn them back into the supersoldiers they had once been. When she told Elijah about her findings, he angrily paced back and force, glaring at her as if she had all the answers. "How did this happen? Who could have known?"

"I don't know," Katherine honestly told him, just as Julian stepped forward, looking as somber as ever in his long black cloak.

"Elijah," the man spoke with a gravelly voice and their king who didn't like to be called a king turned to face him. "Let us wait till morning, when the sun is up and the people behind the city walls will be able to see what we have to offer them."

"What we have to offer them?" Katherine snorted, but Elijah's glare silenced her.

Julian continued, unperturbed, focused only on Elijah. "The Eternal. We show them that she has her powers back, that she has a weapon. And we promise them the same. If they help us get into the city."

"There's not enough of them to override the entire guard of Mystic Falls," Katherine chimed in, and this time, Elijah didn't silence her but looked at Julian expectantly. The man sighed, looking as if he was talking to children.

"The camp was full of Eternals - and their families, as well as other people displaced by the collapsing Silveren structures. If we can get all of them - and with the promise of new power we can, then that should indeed be enough. Tell them all they need to do is open the gates and come out to us. That we don't mean harm for anyone." He cocked his head, scrutinizing Elijah. "Because we don't need to mean harm at this point, do we?"

Elijah made an offhand gesture, but didn't speak. Katherine squinted at him from under her lashes, unsure of how to take it. What did her king plan? He was cunning, and ruthless, but not as aggressively ready to take over the world as his mother was, who had only been willing to stay behind because she was so sure her dear son was going to bring home a victory and an empire.

Eventually, Elijah shook his head. "Not yet, no. Let us see how these people treat us first." Turning to leave, he addressed Katherine. "Set up camp. Set it up right here where they can see us. Then we wait till morning."

Frowning, she nodded. A camp in view of the enemy sounded like a bad idea to her, but she wasn't going to argue. As her king walked out into the open, she followed him with a few feet distance. He didn't say anything, just stood there for a long time, staring up at the giant walls surrounding Mystic Falls.

…

"What the hell is he doing?" Enzo asked, a wary frown on his face that Bonnie could understand all too well. She was as anxious as he was, unsure of what this man down there was trying to achieve.

He was not Julian, that much was sure.

"He's trying to intimidate us." Stefan was looking through a pair of binoculars, passing them on when he was done. With them, there were General Wallace and one of his lieutenants, a nasty looking man who looked like he would have been much less out of place in one of the prison camps in the mountains, far away from society.

Bonnie didn't trust either of the military men, but she knew they needed their expertise, so she was willing to suck it up for now.

Alaric, too, had joined them, and as he was peeking into the distance now, using Stefan's binoculars, he clicked his tongue in recognition.

"That's Elijah. I should have known."

"Who is he?" Stefan's tone was stern, but Alaric grinned at him anyways.

"Suffice it to say he's a bit more of a challenge than Julian would have been. He was brought up like a warrior, unlike Julian, so I'd wager a guess and say he'll be harder to persuade that there doesn't have to be a fight. Or a war."

Bonnie exchanged a glance with Enzo, whose jaw muscles were doing their usual dance as he tried to keep in his building anger.

You think he's going to attack.

I don't know, he admitted, but she could tell that he was entertaining that idea.

The walls are pretty hard to get past, she reminded him, but there was an uneasiness in him that quickly spilled over to her. Pulling her coat closed around her, she left her hands across her stomach, thinking of her baby.

I want you with Abby in the house when this is going down, Bonnie.

She stifled a scoff, as she communicated her disdain about the idea. making the lieutenant shoot her a glance. After all this time she still hadn't quite learned how to keep her bond a secret and she hated to have drawn that man's attention. He cocked his head and sneered at her.

"Mind sharing whatever gems you two just talked about?"

Enzo glared at him, ready to get in his face, but Bonnie held him back. Don't, she told him, we don't need any fighting in here. Let's focus on the Zoners, okay? If we have to, we'll deal with that lieutenant afterward…

Grudgingly, Enzo let it go, while Bonnie focused back on the men. Shooting the lieutenant a dismissive glance, she said, "We need to replace the guards every eight hours. To make sure they're well rested and alert. Someone will have to keep an eye on the Zoners all night, though if Alaric is right, I'm assuming this Elijah knows enough strategies to wait till dawn. There's no way he'd try to storm a heavily guarded city in the middle of the night when that city is highly aware of his presence."

"I agree." Stefan nodded, scratching his chin as he seemed to think things over. "The guard is on a roster already. Come dawn, I will send out a team to parlay."

"I want to be on it."

Stefan inclined his head, taking her in, then nodded. "But my men will take the lead in negotiations."

"Alright."

"No," Enzo shot, his brows coming together in an angry half bow as he glared at Bonnie. Raising her chin, she asserted her point, backed up by Stefan's agreement, but Enzo wasn't having it.

"You're allowing a pregnant woman on a mission like that?" he said directed at the commander, who looked at him with an earnest expression.

"She made her choice. And she has experience negotiating between different groups, as you know best."

She could see and feel it work in him, a certain flustered upset that he didn't quite know how to channel, and it almost made her smile.

I know what I'm doing. And me being pregnant doesn't change that. It's not like I'm purposely endangering myself or the baby. Or do you believe that?

He clenched his teeth, rolling his eyes at her. You know that's not what I meant…

The heat was out of his words, only worry left. Out loud he said, "Fine. But I'll come too."

"The more the merrier!" The lieutenant's sleazy grin almost made Enzo lash out again, but he caught himself when Bonnie grabbed his wrist, shaking her head once.

That asshole better not be part of the parlay…

"Mind if I tag along too?" Alaric looked at the commander with an earnest expression, then at the others. "I know Julian. If he's at all part of the Zoners' own parlay group, maybe I can reason with him and in turn, he can reason with their leader."

"Do you know Elijah, too?" Stefan raised a questioning eyebrow at him and Alaric shrugged.

"Not personally, no. Julian mentioned him a few times. He's… a wildcard…"

Stefan nodded, then sighed. "Good. Be ready an hour before dawn."

With that, he saluted them and they all went on their way. Alaric nudged Enzo briefly on the way back, winking at Bonnie at the same time.

"I know we can sway them," he whispered, sounding way more convinced than Bonnie felt.

"I hope you're right. We need a success after the disaster at Ruins…" Enzo looked at him wrily and the older man patted his shoulder reassuringly.

"It'll be fine, son. I know Julian. This can't be what he wanted. If we can somehow get him to convince this Elijah guy too…"

But he didn't continue, and Bonnie didn't blame him. There was no knowing how things would go. And reinforcements were a long ways away…

…

Dawn came, and with it Klaus Mikaelson found himself at the gates, fulfilling his guard duty. Sniffing, he rubbed his cold hands briefly, before readjusting the rifle he had been holding. Mornings had grown icy in the last few days. Summer had made room for fall without him noticing it much until now.

Why was it that every little skirmish as well as the bigger battles always had to take place when it was freaking uncomfortable outside? With a roll of his eyes, he clenched his teeth, making them gnash against each other in a way that made him break out in goosebumps even more.

"Fantastic," he muttered to himself, making one of the other guards shoot him a curious glance. He met it with a glare and a "What?!", and the kid scoffed and turned away.

"Just making sure you haven't lost it," he then muttered, making Klaus frown then grow annoyed.

"Because I was talking to myself? Yeah, of course you'd think that it can only mean that nasty Klaus Mikaelson has gone crazy."

"Yeah, whatever man."

"Mind your own freaking business."

The guard turned to face him, his expression suddenly changed. A lot firmer. "Dude, I was just worried. We all know what happened with your bond, and there's people out there that are looking up to you because you took it upon yourself to go through with it first, okay? We're just… worried, is all. And grateful, I guess. No need to be an asshole about it."

Then he tightened his grip on his own rifle, peeking through the gates from behind a metal beam.

Klaus didn't know what to say. A bit flustered, he stood there for a moment, staring at the other man. He could almost hear what Caroline would tell him. How she would nudge his side and roll her eyes at him and say, "go apologize, you idiot."

So he did.

With a quick, "Hey! I'm sorry," he got the guy's attention preparing himself for yet another eyeroll or a comment about how stupid he was, but all he got was a nod of the head, then an abrupt, "Whoa. You see that?"

Frowning, he huddled over to his fellow guard, following his pointer finger. There, out in the open, maybe a few feet between the camp and the city, stood a small group of Zoners, a woman with a blazing sword in their midst.

"What the actual fuck," it escaped him, then he motioned for one of the soldiers in the back to go give the signal and get the General and Commander out there.

The Zoners had stopped, just staring up at the walls, and a funny feeling crept up Klaus's spine as he watched from where he stood, mostly hidden from view.

What did these people think they were doing? And why the hell did they have an Eternal among them? One that hadn't had the procedure done, to boot. A freaking functional Eternal.

This was probably not very good.

…

Elijah patted Valerie Tulle's back, mumbling to her. Taking a deep breath, she listened. His warm breath against her cold ear made her shiver. When he was done, she nodded and took a calculated step forward. Where she stood, she knew people behind the walls would be able to see her if they climbed up enough. All they had to do was talk loudly enough.

"People of Mystic Falls!" Elijah's rumbling voice definitely had a good volume to it. Tensing her shoulders, Valerie waited for him to say what he wanted to say. Once he was done, she would stretch her arm out into the sky, brandishing her weapon like a beacon, her sleeve already rolled up so everyone could see her gleaming scar poking out.

"I know you're housing the Silveren refugees," the Zoner king continued, and she gnawed on her lip, still not quite sure whether she truly agreed where this was going. But her people had been through too much. They had given up their privileges before, and had been promised peace. For what, though? For what but more pain? A new war in which they didn't have the power to fight anymore?

She sniffed, gritting her teeth. No, she wasn't going to let them run into another fight and be killed, not after what she had had to witness at the Black Ruins.

"Do you trust these refugees? They were your enemies up until recently, after all…" Elijah continued, pausing briefly, before changing direction. He had begun to sew the first seeds of distrust on the Golden side without many words, now it was time to go for the actual blow.

"And Silveren: Do you really like your new life? As refugees in a city of people that don't really care about you? That are probably rather happy that you gave up your one source of power? Do you want this? Do you want your children to grow up without pride, without a place to really call home? Living in tents when you could have so much more?"

He nodded to Valerie, who stepped just one more step toward him, where he pulled up her arm even higher, and she stared up at the blazing sword, feeling the strange flow inside of her. This weapon was a bit crude, not what she was used to from before, and yet Julian had done a pretty decent job. It almost felt like the real thing.

"Look at her," Elijah implored their invisible audience. "She's one of you. Or was. She gave it up, too, her Eternal status, her weapon. But look at her now: she got it back. Wegave it back to her! And we'll give it back to you, too: your power, your pride. If you join us and help us fight these hypocrites, we will welcome you among us with open arms! - Open the gates!"

A grin spread on his face, mirrored by Valerie's own. They couldn't see it yet, but she knew the words would have had an effect on her people. She simply knew, because they had worked on her.

…

Caroline was growing nervous. Everyone had heard the Zoners outside, their offer. With a house full of her own people, most of them former Eternals or at least related to an Eternal, she didn't know what to do. People were growing restless.

"Maybe we should listen to what they have to offer," someone said, and a lot of the others agreed. Caroline ran her hands over her face, then stalked over to the loudest of the complaining former Eternals.

"Are you all idiots?!" she yelled at them, shaking her head in disbelief. "Do you remember what it took us to get here? To stop this freaking war? We've all risked so damn much. We've worked so hard for this, and now you wanna give all that up and go back to having these scars and that pain, and and…" She was so angry she was lost for words, and it made her grow upset with herself. "Is that really what you want?"

"Even the Captain son has his scar back," someone noted, and the whole room seemed to agree, nodding and chattering and making Caroline's head feel like it was about to explode.

Shit, she thought. She was losing them. Enzo better get down here. She better try and find him to appease their people before they did something stupid. Before this whole situation escalated.

She also needed to warn Klaus. He couldn't be at the gates. Not when things went south… With a deep inhalation and a shuddering exhalation, she tried to calm herself. "Listen," she then said, trying one last time. "Let me get Enzo here and we can talk about this."

They looked at her with dark eyes and grim faces, but at least they were listening. "Please," she implored them, "before you do anything rash…"

A first tentative nod from one of the people was soon followed by the others falling silent.

"He better be here quick then," someone said, and Caroline exhaled in a shudder.

She had bought them some time. Now she had to run and hope she could find Enzo anywhere. And fast.

…

They walked out there, weapons at the ready. Enzo had unearthed one of the few remaining Eternal weapons they had stashed away, locked up to deal with another time. Bonnie was still carrying the dagger Rebekah had once given her during the last real fight she had had to fight. The Commander and General both had a rare firearm.

It took everything for Enzo to not just race over there and chop off that traitor woman's head. What had she been thinking, parading around for the Zoners, letting them use her as bait?

Before he could follow his thought further, Stefan grabbed his arm, startling him.

"Enzo, you should go back and talk with your people inside. I'm not saying they're tempted by this offer, but I don't want to risk it, either."

The words hit him like a sucker punch. The Commander had tried - or rather, pretended - to soften the blow with his choice of words, but it was obvious to Enzo that the man indeed believed there was a real chance the Silveren would go after the Golden behind their city walls.

He's just being cautious, Bonnie said, and he stared at her.

I know, he replied, but still, it worked in him.

Go. I got this…

With a deep sigh, he nodded, then brushed past her, needing to feel her briefly before he ran off and back toward the city.

...

He had barely made it back, making a confused Klaus Mikaelson frown at him when he passed him at the gates, when Caroline appeared from the direction of Alaric's mansion, out of breath and with red cheeks.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Mikaelson tried to shove her back and away from the gates, but she gave him a quick imploring look then pushed him slightly away to focus on Enzo.

"Thank goodness you're still here. You gotta come with me. We might have a problem."

Stefan had been right. The realization hit Enzo instantly, making his heart jump in his chest, and he clenched his teeth as he grabbed her arm, already walking away with her.

"What's going on?" he hissed. Behind him, Klaus called, "Yeah, alright, just leave me here in the dark. It's cool…"

Caroline shot Enzo an excusing glance, already turning back around as she did. "I just gotta…" She waved over to the other man, then sprinted away. He couldn't hear her or Klaus, but saw the other man nod, then kiss Caroline's forehead. "Be safe," Klaus then called out while she was already jogging backwards toward Enzo and she nodded at him briefly.

"You, too, Klaus."

"I was born for moments like this." He smirked at her, making her roll her eyes. Then she had caught up with Enzo and hurried him on toward the mansion.

"Sorry," she muttered, giving him a peevish look, but he didn't comment on it.

"What's going on, Caroline?"

"Our people… some of them are considering taking these assholes up on their offer and I'm having a hard time convincing them that it's probably a ruse." She clicked her tongue, shrugging her shoulders helplessly. "I don't know what else to do. They know you got your Eternal scar reactivated and…"

She trailed off but he knew what she wanted to say.

"They think I'm a hypocrite and that they shouldn't have given it up in the first place."

She raised an eyebrow. "Something like that, ya. I'm sorry…"

"Yeah… - Come on, let's go. Bonnie is trying to talk the Zoners out of whatever they're planning. We better make sure it's not our people that ruin everything…"

You got this, Enzo. I know you do…

He scoffed softly, not so sure. I'll try my best, love. But we really need you to come through for us too…

I know…

...

At some point, Rebekah had just gotten too tired. Riding day and night, her leg protesting the longer it took, she had been drained to the point where eventually she let herself slump forward, her hands fisting the mane of her horse so she wouldn't fall completely. Thus clinging to the animal, she felt its muscles move under her as it continued its gallop, following Qetsiyah, and Tyler, and a congregation of the Blazing as a large shadow appeared in front of them.

"Bekah."

A soft touch against the base of her head made her raise herself up slowly, strong arms coming around her.

"I got this," she snapped, only then realizing that it was Tyler and that they had stopped. He didn't let go at her harsh tone, just gave her this look that she didn't even know how to read. A soft halfsmile with a lot of fondness, a hint of compassion.

"Let's get you down. Time to rest for a bit."

"Rest? I thought Qetsiyah had said we needed to hurry—"

"Yeah, well. And you need rest - we need rest," he amended quickly when she couldn't help but glare at him with sudden annoyance. "Come on…"

With a grudging mumble she let him help her down. Once her feet touched ground, she half fell against him from the shock of her injured leg getting jostled. He caught her easily, her hands gripping his shirt for support and she looked up to him, frowning, then said, "It's getting a bit too cold for this kind of outfit, don't you think?"

The genuine laugh coming from him in reply startled her, but soon the corners of her mouth curled up too as she chimed in involuntarily. Until a curt voice interrupted them.

"I'm glad you two are enjoying each other, but my people have arrived and we need to discuss our strategy from here."

Swallowing the chuckle, Rebekah sobered quickly, pulling herself up even more until she stood on her own, exchanging a quick furtive glance with Tyler.

"Qetsiyah," she said, her expression undecided between a smile and a frown, until the warrior woman suddenly winked at her. It was such a short lived expression, just a second or so before she grew serious again, that Rebekah wasn't even sure she had seen it. After all, Qetsiyah was rarely seen smiling or looking even remotely pleased. But this moment right there, she had seemed… happy with what she had seen.

Rubbing her cold ears in a self-conscious gesture, Rebekah looked around, only now noticing that the large wall of shadow must have been the forest people. Eyes widening, she stared at what seemed to be the largest number of clan members she had ever seen.

Turning to face Qetsiyah, she saw the woman nod with a proud air.

"We take this threat very seriously, Rebekah, Captain's daughter. And we're honored to be riding with you and the risen to keep the peace," she said with a solemn tone that caused Tyler to stifle a cough.

Rebekah pressed her lips together, a bit surprised by the sheer number of people. As if she hadn't realized the scale Qetsiyah had been talking about because truth was, she hadn't. And now she was wondering just what scenario exactly the woman was expecting?

Was Mystic Falls going to get overrun? And why had the Blazing come? Not all of them, perhaps, but a good fifteen or twenty of them. Rebekah looked over to them now, puzzling yet again how they even communicated among each other. The way they chattered seemed to be just one component and the longer she spent time around them, the more she had begun to suspect that they had some kind of mind bonds of their own.

Shaking her head, she tried to focus back on Qetsiyah, or she would get all worked up again on how people that seemed doused in Silveren nanobots could also maintain the more Golden associated trait of a telepathic link. It was mind-boggling.

"So," she said, returning her focus to Qetsiyah. "How are we going to proceed from here? You said we need to hurry."

The warrior nodded her agreement. "This will be a short break only. My people need a moment to go over our strategy, and then we'll be off again."

"I still don't understand what's going on, why so many of your people are here," Tyler said, the frown on his face still firmly in place, mirroring Rebekah's own.

"It's because of the scale of this event. Mystic Falls is the Golden capital. If it falls…"

He shook his head, clearly not seeing her point.

"It won't," he said, and Rebekah had to admit to herself she was with him there. Mystic Falls was a massive city with massive walls. No one could easily overrun it and destroy it. The Neutral Zone certainly couldn't have gotten enough tech to even attempt such a daring feat.

But Qetsiyah huffed in obvious annoyance, then poked a finger at Tyler in a rather un-impressed way. "Well, maybe not if your people," she shot Rebekah a glance, too, "wouldn't try to go against their hosts."

"The hell are you talking about? Our people would never—"

Qetsiyah waved an arm to stop Rebekah, then she jerked her head in the direction of the Blazing.

"They've seen it happen."

"What?!" She wasn't sure she understood, and she could tell that Tyler was equally bewildered.

"What are you talking about?"

The warrior woman sighed, looking hard at them both. "They are telepaths, and seers. You have spent more time with them than I have, Rebekah of the Silveren, how did you not pick up on that?!"

Swallowing, Rebekah had to fight to keep her rising temper in check. She didn't like to be called out like that, made to feel like a stupid child. Qetsiyah was right, though. How had the warrior learned so much about and from them, while Rebekah had learned… nothing?

"I… I still don't understand how our people would do something like that…"

Qetsiyah shrugged. "If the temptation is big enough…" Then, before either Rebekah or Tyler could ask any more questions, she walked away, toward her people, one hand on the pommel of her sword as if she was already preparing to strike.

Rebekah exchanged a glance with her flustered looking companion.

"What temptation?" she asked, and Tyler shrugged, running a hand over his face in a weary gesture. Then he stood up straighter, offering her an arm.

"Maybe we can ask these Blazing ourselves."

"Yeah." She scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Like talking to them has worked so well for me in the last few days. But who knows, maybe the risen has a special connection to them and you can get more out of them."

He had grimaced when she had used that term, and she almost felt sorry. But she wasn't willing to apologize for something as stupid as that, and he wasn't bringing it up, either, so she remained quiet, following him slowly on his way over to the shiny strangers.

…

"Risen." The one called Acer was the first to spot them and he smiled at Tyler with a soft expression that made him want to just turn around and leave again.

He hated that word, hated that he had no idea what it meant or why anyone would honestly think it could refer to him. But there was no way out of that strange responsibility it seemed, so he simply went with it, acutely aware of Rebekah by his side, giving him a sideways glance.

She was still hanging onto him, trying not to put weight on her leg, and he had to admit that he liked feeling her beside him, feeling her clothes brush against his with a soft rustle every so often.

But now they were here to talk to these kind and strange people that had helped them so much, had saved his life, even, and he didn't even know what to say.

It was an honor to help you and the girl, Acer said, and Renn bowed his head.

"Thank you," he muttered, then continued, I'm sorry we invaded your home, that we brought all this mess with us. And I'm sorry I have to ask this, but… Qetsiyah, he pointed offhandedly behind him, she said that you have already seen what is going to happen if we can't stop it. What have you seen?

It felt weird to even ask, but he had to. Chances were the poor guy wouldn't understand him anyways. Then again, hadn't he just spoken rather eloquently before? Tyler frowned, feeling uneasy.

We don't all see. Dell does. Sung. Nix. I don't. Though I believe. - Let me get Dell for you. She can answer your questions...

Tyler nodded, expecting the man to return to his group and talk to the tall woman who seemed to be their leader. But he remained standing before them, smile in place, eyes taking on a vacant look.

There are no easy answers, Risen. Your people seek lost powers. They are hurting. Those who are hurt lash out unexpectedly sometimes. It doesn't make them bad people. It doesn't make you bad. But it will be okay, because you are here to guide them back on their path. They will see you, and they will heed your warning. I have seen it.

He shook his head, looking at Rebekah as if maybe she was better at this asking the right questions thing, but her stare was vacant, her features frozen in a mask of wonder, and when he tapped her chin lightly, she slowly moved to look at him, life whooshing back into her face.

"What the hell was that?" she said with a soft gasp, and only then did it slowly trickle into his conscience that something had happened he hadn't caught on to before. They had been able to understand the Blazing, had communicated with them. Confused, he stared at her, seeing the wonder in her eyes as she held his gaze.

"Did you really just communicate with them? How?" she asked, making his frown deepen.

"What do you mean? You heard them too, right?"

"I did, but… I couldn't talk to them. It was… bizarre. And then I heard you, but like you were in my head or something, not out here."

A lump was lodging in his throat, making him feel uncomfortable. Great, was he turning into even more of a freak now? As if the silver sheen wasn't enough. Averting his gaze, he fidgeted with the bandage Qetsiyah had given him for his arm, making sure it still covered the entire length of his arm, getting lost somewhere until a light touch against the side of his neck jolted him back.

Rebekah was looking at him with an earnest expression and he had to fight the urge to cast his eyes down instead of meeting her gaze.

"She meant the Eternal scars, right? You think Elijah found a way to do what I suggested? Reactivate the Eternals? - I should have never even mentioned it."

Scoffing, he shook his head. "He already knew. After all, he saw what happened to me. If anything, I should have made sure they didn't catch me alive - as I was trained to do." He rolled his eyes. Yet another blunder…

Her hand was still resting against his neck, his heart beating a little too fast under the touch.

"They said we can fix this. So let's fix it."

"How?" he asked, a desperate grin on his face. They didn't even really understand what the hell was supposed to happen. "If our people go against the Golden, there'll be war on more than one front. I don't see how us getting there can change any of that."

"We have Qetsiyah's people—"

His harsh scoff cut into her words. "To do what? What if our people are already mutineering as we speak? What if it's already over by the time we get there? Either they're all dead, because it's a freaking Golden city after all, or… if by some stroke of… of luck or whatever you'd wanna call it, they make it over to Elijah's people, he will use them up like cheap cannon fodder just to get into Mystic Falls. He doesn't really care about our people. All he wants is entrance into the city. And power. It all comes down to freaking power…"

Her head slightly tilted, her dark braids falling into her face, Rebekah stood before him, and he was ready to hear her tear into him for being weak and melodramatic, but then she nodded slowly and said, "You're right. And that's why we have to at least try. Because aside from us, no one cares about our people. They need us."

His jaw muscles hurt from being too taut, but it was a mere blip on his body's radar, couldn't even begin to compete with the other pain still prevalent, if dulled considerably since the Blazing had treated him. But suddenly, it washed over him again, rising and ebbing away in a strange tidal wave, almost as if it could sense his desperation.

Then Rebekah leaned forward, resting her forehead against his. "We have to try, Tyler. For our people," she whispered, and wrapping his hands around her neck, breathing her in, he nodded almost imperceptibly.

"Okay…"

…

Shit. Caroline looked around, her ponytail flying behind her as she whipped her head around. They hadn't even made it back to Alaric's place before the streets before them had filled with their enraged looking fellow Silveren, some of them brandishing batons and pipes, whatever materials they had been able to find and that could work as weapons.

Understandably, the Golden Command hadn't allowed them into the city with their weapons, and all Eternals had given up their swords way before, a precaution that Caroline could now see wasn't helping much. Her heart was torn. On the one hand, she would always be one of them, a Silveren, would always stand by them. On the other, she knew that the Golden had been kind, if wary. They had allowed them shelter behind their city walls, they had agreed to the truce, had offered all assistance. She had worked by their side, with them. And she had fallen in love with one of them.

Now her people were getting ready to revolt, to undo everything they had accomplished, endanger the fragile peace. For what? A weak promise of power? Dazed, she watched as Enzo stood up straighter, extending both arms as if he wanted to single handedly block their way.

"They're going for the gates aren't they?" she asked, face falling, and he shot her a quick sideways glance.

"Yeah."

"Shit. Alright, what do we do? We can't let them get there. They'll… if they open the gates and let the Zoners in, we're all toast."

"I know."

Caroline took a deep breath. "You don't think that they'd even pull through on that offer, do you?" She had to ask, even though she was sure she knew the answer.

Enzo's brief glare was confirmation enough. "What do you think? That the guy would willingly arm some of the strongest soldiers there are?" He scoffed. Out loud, he yelled at the nearing crowd, "Don't be stupid. It's a trap. He'll kill you as soon as you give him access to the city."

Out of the corners of her eyes, Caroline saw Golden military approach and she tapped Enzo's arm, her heart clenching.

"Enzo."

"I know," he muttered, not looking at her but focusing on their people approaching them. "See the soldiers at your sides? They won't just let you pass, you know that. They'll fight you like an enemy. They'll kill you and you won't even make it out of here. Is that really worth it? Getting your children killed? Your families? For empty promises of things we fought so hard to get rid of?"

"Easy for you to say, Captain son," a voice called out among their midst, and when the people parted, Caroline and Enzo were both shocked to see it was Silas.

"That piece of shit," it escaped Enzo, and she couldn't have agreed more. The man had pretended to be on their side, had worked so hard to keep the camp afloat, and now? He continued, sneering. "Don't you have your Eternal powers back?"

Jaw set, Enzo stared at the man. His anger was palpable now, just like his disappointment, and Caroline couldn't blame him. Together, they had worked so freaking hard to help these people and now they wanted all that pain and desperation back? The suffering?

Would the Golden react the same way once she had finally perfected the bond cure to a state where she dared try it out again? Or should she just stop now, give up before she invested even more in something people would eventually come to loathe?

But now was not the time to think about that. Now they had to try and keep these enraged people at bay, keep them from storming into their own undoing, thus hurting the entire city of Mystic Falls.

"What do we do," she hissed to Enzo, who didn't give a sign that he'd heard her, just continued to stare at Silas and the others, still holding out his arms.

"You don't want this. Let's talk about it."

"Talk?!" Silas scoffed, guiding the men and women further, shoving past Caroline and Enzo. "We're done talking, Captain son. We're done being powerless, living in tents, feeling degraded—"

"Did you forget at what cost the Eternal scars came?" Caroline yelled at him as she and Enzo tried to keep the people from moving, Golden soldiers zoning in from all directions now.

What if they decided to treat the Silveren as a threat? She knew they had a few firearms too. The whole situation could easily turn into a complete disaster even within the city walls. With the Golden closing in on them, she soon felt pushed to the outside, losing sight of Enzo. Calling out to him, she didn't get an answer and began panicking as ever more bodies pressed against her, people yelling and screaming.

She heard shots, clatter and clanging. People fell, a lot of them hers. Raising her arms, she tried to get back into the pulk, but couldn't seem to make her way. It was all a mass of limbs and bodies. She saw her own hands grappling at something as she fell, her knees harshly connecting with the cobbled floor. People were above her, closing out the sky, and she had trouble breathing, seeing.

"Enzo?!"

A hand clasped around her wrist from somewhere, she didn't know where, because she had lost all sense of direction, but when she looked up, it wasn't him.

"Klaus?"

"What the hell are you doing here, Caroline?"

He pulled her up, and she came to stand half leaning against him, realizing that they had somehow managed to get way too close to the gates. Klaus must have rushed over once he saw that, trying to fend them all off.

"We can't let them get past the gates." Caroline panted, barely getting the words out.

"No shit." Klaus wildly looked around, motioning something to a few of his fellow guards. When Caroline looked around, she saw that the Golden soldiers had all lined up by the gates, trying to keep the remaining crowd of Silveren from barging through. As she watched, Klaus tried to push her behind his back, making her glare at him.

"What are you doing?!"

"Trying to keep you safe, what does it look like?!"

"I can take—"

"If you're going to tell me you can take care of yourself after I just dug you out of a pile of people, don't even continue."

She rolled her eyes at his annoyed face, even though he had a point.

"What do we do?" she asked, her hand on his back as she peeked over his shoulder, finally seeing Enzo emerge in between the Golden and Silveren, seemingly keeping both of them at bay.

"Stop," he said, arms held up high as if he was the one surrendering. "Come on, guys. The enemy is outside! Commander Salvatore and Bonnie are trying to diffuse the situation out there right now, but if we fight in here, against each other…" He shook his head, desperate and lost for words. "Come on, Silas, our people will get killed if you don't stop this."

The man scoffed. "They're not yours anymore, St. John. You're in bed with the Golden - literally. You're not on our side anymore."

Chuckling without humor, Enzo shook his head. "You know that's not true. Bonnie and I did everything we could to make this all stop, to give you all a better life—"

"Yet here you are, with your Eternal powers back, but we are supposed to not do the same?"

"You think I wanted this?!"

Silas raised his chin, challenging Enzo, but he didn't say anything.

"Come on," Enzo was addressing the others now, looking around all the faces, some of them more confused than angry. "You can't want this. The war is finally over. You can't win anything. All you can do is lose. Your lives and a chance for the rest of our people to live in peace. Look around you, there's not a chance you'll make it out alive…"

The Silveren stood frozen, contemplating Enzo's words. Out of the corner of her eyes Caroline saw the Golden guards point their rifles, ready to intervene if Enzo failed.

Klaus held out his hands in a gesture not unlike Enzo's.

And Caroline held her breath.

…