Hello loves!
I'm really excited that the last chapter got a ton of positive responses. Bear in mind, I know it's confusing and you'll have to wait another chapter or two until it gets explained in more detail but it will be explained almost completely in the next… probably about ten-ish chapters? Note I said almost.
But as always, I own nothing blah, blah, blah de de blah, blah.
Let's get on with it!
~*•°•*~
Aria sat next to Marcel in the compound as he lazily drank from a glass and watched some vampires feeding around him. She looked up when she heard footsteps and smiled when she saw Josh, a newbie vampire walking over to them.
"Hey. Is everything okay?" Josh asked, "Uh, can I get you something?" He continued.
Marcel sighed, "Look, I know you want a daylight ring, kid. Little heads up? I got guys eighty years ahead of you."
Josh nodded nervously, "Noted. Sorry."
"Dad, lay off a little." Aria scolded before turning to Josh, an idea forming in her mind, "Wait!" She called out before he began walking away, "You know Klaus Mikaelson. Dad asked you to give him a lift home a couple of times? To the Palace Royale Hotel, right?"
Josh's smile fell slightly, "Uhh, yeah... the Palace Royale."
Marcel smirked as he tipped his head to his daughter in a silent acknowledgement that he understood what she was talking about, "See, I stopped by his hotel to say sorry about an argument we had. Turns out, he lied about living there. Lied! Do you ever hear the phrase, 'Uneasy is the head that wears the crown?'"
"Uhh... Lord of the Rings?" He guessed as Aria laughed.
"No, Shakespeare. When I was a kid, Klaus taught me how to read with those plays. All about a king who gained the world but lost his soul. But now, I get it! You see, when it's all said and done, and you look around at the empire you built, the only thing that matters is who you can trust."
"There's gotta be somebody, somewhere that you can trust? 'To stick to you, through thick and thin, to the bitter end.' Sam and Frodo, The Fellowship of the Ring." He quoted as Aria's eyes lit up and she turned to Marcel expectantly.
Marcel caught her eye and nodded slowly, "Yeah, there is someone. We used to be best friends."
~*•°•*~
Aria and Marcel walked through the gate to the Garden, one visibly happier than the other as they approached the area Marcel had kept Thierry ever since he'd 'betrayed him'.
"Thierry." Marcel murmured, his voice barely loud enough to hear for Aria but clearly enough for Thierry to as he slowly looked up, eyes shining with shock at seeing her there.
"Why've you brought her? She shouldn't have to be here. She shouldn't have to see this place." He questioned, his voice weak and scratchy.
"I wanted to come." Aria said quietly, "I had to see you."
Thierry managed to give her a weak smile, "And now you have. And trust me, I feel a whole lot better now that I can see you again, kid."
Aria let out a watery laugh and Marcel took over, "Someone asked if there was anyone I ever trusted. Apart from Aria, I only came up with one name. You. So, Thierry, you and I are gonna have a little talk about Klaus Mikaelson." He finished as he picked up a sledgehammer from the ground and began to break down the wall of bricks surrounding Thierry. Once the brick was all broken down, Aria helped Thierry sit down as not to stumble and handed him a canteen of blood.
"Does this mean you're pardoning me?" Thierry asked with a humorless chuckle as he looked up to Marcel.
"You know I can't do that. You broke my number one rule. You killed a vampire, T. I let that go, it'll make me look weak."
"Dad! You have to let Thierry out! He's always been loyal-"
"Kid, it's fine. Don't bother. Your dad's not gonna listen."
"But…"
Thierry gave her a sad look and she closed her mouth before saying anything else, frowning before getting up, "I'll be at the entrance. And I am saying goodbye to Thierry this time dad." She growled before walking to the entrance.
"This place is brutal! I don't know if I would've preferred this over the coffin to be honest." A familiar voice commented as Aria startled.
"You always have to show up at the most inopportune times, don't you?" She whispered shakily as she wiped away a lone tear that had fallen down her cheek. She looked towards the spot she had heard Kol from and swore that she saw a flash of concern in his eyes at her… state… to put it delicately but it disappeared as soon as it showed.
"What's Marcellus doing here?"
Aria sighed, "He's talking with Thierry."
"The vampire that killed the other one?"
Aria glared at Kol, "Thierry didn't mean to. And he sure as hell didn't deserve to get locked up in here!"
Kol raised his hands in a silent gesture of surrender and the two went silent for a moment, "I would've thought you'd rather not see him down here."
Aria rolled her eyes, "Actually, you might be able to help me. The night of the Masquerade Party, I sent the vampires rousting in the Cauldron to mess with the witches. So, when Max - the vampire that got killed - came in rousting, he went straight for Katie's throat or so Thierry says and he would never lie to me. Not about something like that. Now, I said to roust, I never said to kill. You were there when I gave the order. He's a night-walker. Thierry's a day-walker. Thierry told him to stop, and he wouldn't. So he did it himself. What do you think could've happened that would explain Max not stopping?"
"He was compelled." Kol murmured, looking up from the floor to look at her face.
"Now when I first thought of that, I dismissed the idea considering all our guys are on Vervain but then I remembered something. Max went missing for a couple days before the rousting. And who can compel vampires?"
Kol sighed and pursed his lips, "My family." He murmured. He seemed almost… remorseful? Why would he feel bad? "But if you figured that out, why didn't you tell your father?"
"He wouldn't have listened because of the stupid daylight ring spell they found in Katie's shop." Aria frowned bitterly.
Kol frowned, "Hang on. Whenever I'm not with you, I'm walking around New Orleans. What's this shop called?"
"Jardin Gris."
Kol smirked, "Have you ever been in the Jardin Gris? I have once or twice and let me tell you, I couldn't find my own hand in front of my face in there!"
"So how did someone go in there, and after a couple minutes, find some stolen goods?" Aria finished as Kol nodded. She smiled widely and laughed, "That's it. That's it! Mikaelson, I could kiss you right now!"
Kol smirked and she paused in her movements as what she said hit her, "Well. You know what I mean. I mean, you're a ghost. And you're bloody annoying too."
Kol's smirk dropped slightly and the mood shifted into an uncomfortable silence, "Thank you, Kol." Aria murmured.
"You're welcome, little witch." He replied as footsteps neared them.
"Who you talking to, kid?" Marcel asked as he stopped in front of his daughter.
"Just myself. Dad, I think I know what happened to Thierry."
"So do I. I think it's time for a little trip to Katie's old shop, don't you?"
"I would love nothing more." Aria smirked.
~*•°•*~
"Isn't this Katie's shop?" Marcel questioned as he and Aria stopped beside the main door to Katie's old shop.
Aria watched Rebekah pause in her movements before she sighed and carried on with what she was doing before. What it was that she was doing was just a whole other mystery in itself.
"So did she leave you the keys in her will, or maybe it's just Help-Yourself Tuesday?" Aria spoke, slightly amused. After a moment she continued, "What are you doing here, Rebekah?"
"You know, I read if you mix Mugwort with Sage, you've got quite a vampire-repellent? Wards off even the most resilient pest." She commented as Aria smiled in amusement, eyes flickering between the Original and her father excitedly as said vampire rolled his eyes, "Why are you two here?" She continued.
"Just keeping my city safe from thieves and vandals. But, every time I turn around, I catch an Original with their hand in the cookie jar!"
Rebekah let out a small laugh, "Well, luckily for you, your cookies are the last thing on my mind."
"Oh, I can see that." He walked closer to her, "Though, I can think of a time when things were different." Marcel said as Aria made a face. Did he really not realise he was flirting with her right behind him?
Rebekah tensed slightly, "Maybe once. Not anymore." She made a noise of relief and held up a jar, "Camphor, found it!" She murmured to herself before leaving the shop.
"What on earth was she doing here?" Aria asked in slight suspicion.
"Never mind that now, Aria. We have more important things on our plate. Now, it's time we test this theory of Thierry's, hm?"
Aria grinned.
~*•°•*~
Aria walked up to the attic and collapsed on the bed beside Davina before propping herself up on her left elbow and turning to look at her friend, "Well, I had an eventful day. What about you?"
Davina smiled at her, "Well, Elijah Mikaelson stayed true to his word. Surprisingly. He brought me a spell from his mother, Esther's Grimoire and… I did it."
Aria smiled, "I'm so proud of you, Davina. What was the spell? Maybe I could try it. See which one of us is more powerful." Her last sentence was teasing and Davina laughed.
Davina's smile widened at the chance to teach Aria a spell and shot up out of bed before walking to the table she'd been at hours earlier and picking up the sheet carefully. She quickly scanned it before bringing it back over to the bed and sitting down with her legs tucked beneath her as Aria sat up and flicked her long hair over her shoulder before tilting her head to the side as she read the page.
Her smile slowly slipped and her eyebrows furrowed as she read the spell again and one more time just to make sure she was seeing things right, "Aria? What is it?"
Aria looked up to Davina with a frown, "Davina this isn't just any random spell. Did Elijah bring you anything else."
Davina frowned, "Yeah he brought me some tangled-up ball of rope. Why?"
"Davina this is an unlinking spell."
"Yeah I know. I unlinked the rope, so what?"
"Could you bring the rope over here please?"
Davina did as she was asked and Aria grabbed it before muttering a few choice words under her breath her shoulders drooping when the rope flashed a dull white before going back to normal, "Aria? What just happened?"
"This rope isn't what you were un-knotting. Elijah wanted you to unlink something else."
"What?"
"I don't know."
"I've been having a bad feeling about the witches, Aria. Maybe it's something to do with them."
"What feeling?"
"One of them is going to die." She murmured as Aria's face twisted into a smirk.
"If I get my way, it won't just be a feeling, D. It won't be just a feeling."
~*•°•*~
Bit of a short chapter, but when I looked at the episode, there wasn't actually much I could do with it that I could add Aria in for. Again, I know that the last chapter was probably majorly confusing and it will be getting explained in the next few chapters I promise you all.
But until then, I'll see you all again soon!
As always, SecretMidnightRose