I had just walked into the first floor main room when I saw Tyler and Marcel coming in. "Where have you-" Then I noticed Stefan. "Stefan?" He looked over at me before his face froze. I vamped over to him and he gave a weak smile.
I tilted my head a bit and then smiled. I pulled Stefan into a hug. "Glad to see you Klaus."
"Glad to see you too. My other friend seems to have run off."
"Don't worry, I'm here to stay for a bit. I brought Kai too." He pulled out of the hug and I saw Kai standing behind him. I pulled him into a hug as well.
"I've missed you." I whispered into his ear. He smirked.
"I've missed you Daddy Klaus." Tyler twitched and I released Kai before walking into the room I could hear Elijah and Freya talking in… with Finn but whatever. When we reached the stairs I pulled Stefan and Kai to the front of me.
"Freya, this is Stefan Salvatore, a friend of mine. He prefers to go by Rippah." Elijah rolled his eyes and Freya gave me a look. I glared at them. "So much for hospitality. Well this is my home. "One of my trickle-down sirelings. Long story." I shoved Stefan out of the way and Kai toward Freya. "That one is Malachai Parker. He goes by Kai. He's sort of a kid Damon and I share. But I would like to think he's mostly mine." I turned to them. "This is Freya, my brand-new cousin. Also a long story." Stefan nodded and smiled. I turned back to Freya. "Now treat him nicely or I'll throw you out into the bayou for the duration of his stay, and that goes for you too Elijah. Actually, that goes for everyone."
There was awkward silence for a moment before Stefan cleared his throat as more of the house goers came out to see the commotion. Stefan cleared his throat. "So, um, just full disclosure… I'm dating your sister." Stefan chuckled nervously as more silence followed. Then Katerina spoke up.
"What are you doing here Stefan? I thought you lived in Mystic Falls."
"I do, Katherine."
"Katerina here is married to Elijah, that's Sage, she is married to Finn, over here we have Genevieve who is mine, this is Nadia, daughter of my brother Elijah, and then we have Marcel."
"Klaus, I've met some of these people before. How did you get such a big family?"
"Did you know I had Trevor and Rose brought back to life?" He gaped at me.
"You what?"
"Yes. Trevor and Rose are Katerina's parents, making them my parents as well. Or does that make them my grandparents?" I asked thoughtfully.
"No, if you had grandparents they'd be way old, dead, and the parents of your parents."
"Hm. It all gets so confusing with big families like these." Stefan chuckled.
"Yeah, I bet it does."
"At least I can remember everyone's names. And put faces to names of course."
"A guy like you, I'm not surprised. You do tend to keep grudges for a very long time, which is why it's not wise to cross you."
"No, no it is not." We became silent when Elijah cleared his throat, walking toward us.
"Niklaus, may I have a private word with you?" He asked. I smirked.
"No." I replied simply. He grabbed my upper arm and dragged me out of the room anyway. "I'm even surprised you're talking to me Elijah."
"You know very well that there is a prophecy hanging over all our heads and you think it a good idea for Stefan Salvatore to stay?" I rose a brow at this before I suddenly remembered and sighed.
"And you very well know that Stefan Salvatore is not a problem. But, if you are so determined to find foe amongst friends, then look no further than Camille. After all, did she not steal white oak and deliver it to the very people bent on harming us?"
"That is not what happened Niklaus. She was fooled."
"Well maybe I don't give a damn Elijah. You're the one trying to say, that of all people in the world, that Stefan is dangerous."
"He also had white oak in his hands once brother." …
"And now Aya and her mob are free to break the sireline. You know, we've had many glorious enemies over the years, brother, but if they sever their link to us, then they will all come for our heads."
"Not without the white oak."
"Aurora put it in the gun. Where is it?"
"I don't know but our top priority is to find that gun." He replied. Then his phone rang. "Hayley…" I turned to leave but Elijah grabbed my forearm and kept me close. "Yes. I see." I glowered at him as he hung up. "The Crescent wolves… They found Aurora." … Shit.
"Stefan! Watch the kids." I turned and headed out with Elijah.
…
Elijah and I came upon a car when I smelled Aya. Great. Just what I need. More things to make my day go wrong. Elijah and I approached them.
"Hello, gentlemen." She sing songed. I smirked.
"I had planned on taking a different head tonight, but yours will do just fine." She quickly drew out the gun and aimed it at me. "I am getting so tired of having that vile weapon pointed at me." Then she shrugged and aimed it at Elijah. I sneered at her, taking a step forward but the gun was immediately shoved back to me, both hands on it this time.
"Creator destroyed by his own creation. I suppose there's a certain poetry to that, wouldn't you say, Niklaus? Shoot me, and you die." She shrugged.
"True. For now." I was about to point something out to her but…
"Not now Niklaus." I smirked at her. Then a witch appeared, chanting.
"Lo cosu om a din la chambre. Lo cusu om a din la chambre…" My muscles seized up, and I groaned in pain. Then it was black.
I woke up on a carpet and rolled over. Elijah stood. "What is this?" I smirked.
"Our new home until they can kill us?" I looked over as a giggle sounded in the room. Aurora.
"Oh, Nik. The funny faces you make when someone surprises you." I rolled my eyes at her before noticing Tristan.
"So good to see you both again, especially today."
"Mmm."
"How the hell are we here?"
"Oooh! I know the answer to that one. It's representational magic. Something in this room represents each one of us."
"Apparently, it's what allowed Aya's witches to drag you to this chambre de chasse they created for me.
"Perfect. We find what represents us, we break free." He chuckled.
"You can certainly try, but until then, my Strix are preparing a spell that is like no other in history. We are going to sever the link which binds your lives to ours." Then it hit me. Tristan. Here! With Aurora! If only Elijah weren't here.
"Are we, now?"
"Mmhmm."
"Our second rate-Napoleon, desperately trying to leave his mark on the world with those filthy little claws."
"Even if, in the end, he's left with nothing but the scars of his failures." I smirked at Tristan playfully.
"Oh, rest assured, it will work. Soon, our fates will no longer be tied to yours."
"And, once that's done, as your bodies remain helpless, and your minds remain here, Aya will use my white oak to fulfill the prophecy." Tristan walked toward me and I resisted the urge to smile at him.
"So, you see… Today, you die. And, with your sirelines torn from you, you die alone. Until then, how shall we pass the time?" I started wandering about the room, thinking. How can I tell Aurora that I know where Tristan is? Without informing Elijah about it? When I happened about to some swords when Auroa vamped over to me, grab a katana, and hold it to my neck. I merely rose a brow at her.
"Oh, dear. Perhaps I've gotten too close to that which represents me in here?" She chuckled.
"Oh, you mean the swords? Hardly, darling. Though, between a sub-par piece of art and a broken relic, I supposed you'd have to choose the swords, wouldn't you? If only out of denial."
"Who said anything about swords? Perhaps I meant you. Perhaps I didn't. The point is-" I vamped toward her, grabbed her arm, and spun her so I had her in a choke hold, holding the katana to her throat. "-when I'm free, I'm going to cut you in half." I used this moment to try and get inside her head but she yanked away, turning to face me.
"How's Cami?"
"No longer my concern." I sneered right back at her. I walked around again and sat down at a chessboard. Aurora followed me. She picked up one of the white knights.
"You know what, Nik? Maybe this is the piece that represents you in here." I rolled my eyes at her but gave a little smile as she imitated the hooves of a horse across solid cement. "You do quite fancy yourself the white knight, don't you? You even carved one out of white oak when you were a boy."
"You mean the one you turned into bullets to bury in my brother's heart." She shrugged.
"Like I said, there's more than one way to hurt you. I do like seeing how hard you work to save the few who still care about you. There's Elijah, Cami... Hmm. It's a pretty short list.
"I'm not a white knight Aurora. Otherwise my brother wouldn't be trying to fix me."
"Do you not also claim to be a king, darling?" I scoffed at her.
"I am the king."
"Oh yes, that's more fitting. And yet, the king is both the greatest and the weakest piece on the board. It flounders around once all its defenders desert it. Much like what will happen to you when that sire link breaks. Once the chains fall, they'll clamor for a piece of white oak to shove into your heart. You don't actually think they fight for you because they love you, do you?" I scoffed again, just letting her talk. "They have to, Nik. You're their eternal burden." As she slammed the white king down onto the table. I flipped the table over and gave her another smile, wanting her to keep talking. Aurora quickly had the table set up again. She was beginning to seem quite confused as to my intentions.
Tristan was playing a tune on the violin now. Aurora was circling around him and watching him. Elijah was in a chair, looking bored. I was smirking at Aurora, hoping she'd look over here, come talk to me again. I need her on my side, especially if I am to sneak away and pull Tristan from the depths of the ocean. I snapped back to attention when Tristan stopped playing. Aurora turned her focus on us.
"Why, holy heavens. Look at you two. How could a woman really love either of you?" I smirked. She continued. "Even if she can stomach all your treachery, she's left to face your brother."
"Ask yourself that question sweetheart. Or are you already about to go off again about 'How Elijah Ruined Our Love'."
"I speak of both of you. Did you not rip Aya from Elijah when you forced him to abandon his loyal Strix? Just as he tore you from me? All in the name of 'Always and Forever'. A ridiculous concept that ensures both of you spend your immortality alone."
"Maybe I like being alone." Elijah spoke up, finally tired of our 'bickering'.
"Tell me something, Aurora- have you met your brother Tristan?" I chuckled at that. Elijah pointed at Tristan, and Aurora cocked her head to the side in confusion. "Between deception and rampant abuse, he frequently- repeatedly- isolates and abandons you." That's harsh. Let's see how she takes it. "Of course… he's painfully aware of something that we've known all along- you are a deranged and ridiculous child who cannot be left unsupervised." Sounds like Finn about me. "Do you know… I think the greatest mercy I ever paid my brother was to compel you to leave him." Tristan glared at Elijah coldly, and Aurora looked as though she's about to cry. I forced a smirk. "Et vóilà! Ten centuries later… He came to that conclusion all by himself." They were quiet now. I turned and headed toward a quiet little area to be by myself. "Well, look at that. So, it appears I've struck a nerve."
We were talking to each other again when suddenly Freya appeared. "Quickly. Find me what represents you in here." I smirked and gasped as my throat was slit open and I started to cough up blood.
"Niklaus!" I fell, coughing up blood. "Niklaus!" Then I heard Elijah start doing the same thing I was. I tried to stop the bleeding with my hands.
"Oh God. It's starting." Freya knelt in front of us. If Freya actually manages to pull this off, I'll be glad to call her my cousin. "I need you to focus. Show me what represents you so I can break you out."
"The kings…" I growled.
"The knights…" Elijah shouted. Freya stood and ran.
"Which is it? The kings or the knights? We need to decide now."
"How perfect! Even in this crucial hour, your ignorance blinds you." She knelt to my eye level. "Even if you never learn from your sins, at least you will die because of them… and I get to watch." Then I understood.
"Take the queens. The women we betrayed represent us. Aurora… Aya."
"Onlucan et permette mon ostium! Onlucan et permettre mon ostium! Onlucan et permettre mon ostium!" I woke, founding myself in a pool of blood. I heard chanting. I leaped out of the water but I was shoved back by a spell.
"NO!" I know that voice! Davina! I snarled as lights exploded into a shower of sparks. She pulled her arm down and I went slamming back into the water. I screamed underneath the water as my flesh burned away but because I had super healing, it grew back just as quickly. Her traitorous chanting continued. Then the pool spat water up into the air before it came shooting just as hard back down. I opened my eyes a few seconds later to the slamming of doors. Elijah gently held me up out of the water.
"I felt them leave. My sireline is broken" I whispered before closing my eyes.
…
I watched as Aurora woke up. I'd placed her in the cemetery where I planned to keep her out of harms way until I could get her brother. She'd already proved I can't let her be, or even get her on my side. So the best solution is to put her on no one's side. I was already half way bricking her inside the little corner I'd picked for her. "Welcome back to the real world, love." Aurora rushed toward me, but she found herself stopped by an invisible barrier. She glared at me and tried to push through it again. "Courtesy of my dear friend, Sophie."
"Ohh… What are you doing?"
"I've tried to tell you, you didn't listen. But you've fought me tooth and claw. So I've decided the best thing to do is to lock you up, safe and sound. Of course no one else really knows any of my real plans do they? I mean there's only so many people you can trust really. See, Elijah would have tried to stop me." I said all of this as I packed brick after brick up.
"You can't just leave me here!"
"Well it's not like I could dagger you the way I do my siblings now could I?"
"Then just kill me! Please, Nik! Just kill me!"
"Oh, I think not. Not with the brother you so dearly love rotting at the bottom of the ocean. I wouldn't grant you the mercy." I leaned forward. "So, while the fish eat him…"
"No…"
"And the worms eat you… Just know that it was I who took everything from you." She started sobbing as I turned and left her, hidden behind a brick wall.
…
I paced back and forth deep in the forest, wasted. Damn it. Damn it! I kicked the nearest stone and heard it shatter into pebbles. I threw myself against a tree and pulled my knees up to my chest. Then I felt my skin burn, feeling like I was being pierced all along my veins. I coudn't really feel pain right now, I was still wasted, but I did groan. Then it stopped.
That was weird.
I'm alone now. I'm no longer a sire. All the vampires from my past… all the vampires from my sire line are going to be coming for my head. I'm doomed. I understand now. I understand what the dream was about now. I've been watching the future. It was some stupid omen.
Well what the hell am I supposed to do now? I asked myself this question many times as I fell sideways, shaking.
What the hell am I supposed to do?