Hello everyone, I hope you're enjoying the new style of writing!
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"Dear Mr E. Mikaelson,
If you are interested in regaining the three objects you value most, then we have a great bargaining chip for you. If you are interested, to obtain what you believed to be thrown at sea, then please send us an email at: .
Kind Regards
Someone"
It took two weeks for Rowan to receive an interesting email in her inbox. The rest were fake requests, from people hoping to claim some sort of price, they clearly had no clue about. Her Ad had been vague enough for people to misinterpret but specific for the target audience. The email sent, seemed legitimate enough.
"Dear Someone,
I am not very fond of childish games. I do not know what you have or what you think, when it comes to those three items. However, you got my attention. Shall we have a discussion?
Sincerely
Elijah Mikaelson"
Rowan's heart stopped as she read the signature. She hadn't written his full name in her Ad, so there is a high chance this was him. The teen paced her room in anxiousness. She knew what her next course of action should be, however, she was was too fearful of his reaction. What if he found out her location? Would he hurt her? What about her family? What about Elena? There were many variables, holding Rowan back from contacting him. But, she had made up her mind and bit the bullet.
She sent a reply to the email, with the burner-phone's number, along with a date and time to call. She had purchased one while in North Carolina, along with a voice changer. The voice changer was easy to obtain from a comic book store, since they had many of those for different characters.
A few days later, while home alone, she turned on the phone and waited. At 07:30 pm on the dot the phone rang. "Good evening," she replied through the voice changer.
"Good evening Someone," it was him, it was actually Elijah. "What do you have for me?" The man asked.
"The half-brother hasn't thrown the rest at sea. Your bargaining chip is waiting at Saint George's Cemetery, in North Carolina. You'll find it inside the Mausoleum," said Rowan in a rush and ended the call. She then turned off the phone and took a deep breath. It was better for her to have as little contact, with Elijah, as possible, in fear of his possible wrath.
Rowan pretended that nothing had changed and tried to continue on with her life. Her Hunter training was going well and her school work was a walk in the park. The relationship with Elena was still a little rocky but it was good enough. Jeremy was as sweet as ever and she grew more protective of him by the day. All in all, things were at an equilibrium.
One concern for Rowan, was her parent's strange behaviour lately. Miranda especially. The woman would talk about random things at the strangest of times. She tried to coax Rowan into talking about romantic relationships and 'experiences'. The adult-teen finally realised the issue. In her parent's eyes, she was a fourteen-year-old, hormonal girl. She should probably have a rebellious phase, dreaming of a leather-wearing sleaze bag for a boyfriend, the whole teenage loss of common sense phase.
It wasn't Rowan's fault, however, seeing as she was technically an adult and a relationship with a snotty, childish boy, wasn't very appealing. Not to mention the whole moral and ethical dilemmas. Nevertheless, Rowan decided to throw her parents a few bones. She prefered if they never figure out she was different. That way she can protect them and herself. So she started talking about a few boys from school. Then slowly, started to compliment certain actors during movie night. Grayson and Miranda seemed to relax after that. The father, being healthily concerned, for the type of boys his daughter was interested in.
On New Year's, Rowan decided to contact Elijah again. It had been over four months, since the last phone call. It took three rings for him to answer. "Mr Mikaelson," said Rowan.
"Someone, you better explain yourself!" he replied angrily.
"I do not need to explain myself. I am a simple messenger," said Rowan. She was trying hard to remain calm, "As it turns out, Marcel Gerard has control over your precious New Orleans. Be wary, vervain plagues the locals," with that, Rowan ended the call and turned off her phone again. This was more nerve-wracking than she expected.
She planned to try and unite the Mikaelson family, as soon as possible. She'd always sympathised with them and wished to help them regain their family unity. But it also seemed a good idea, in hopes that it will be easier to make a deal with Niklaus. On the show, he'd been alone and at odds with Elijah. The desperation for companionship and breaking the curse had clouded his judgement. Perhaps, the presence of family and reclaiming the city he loved most, would alleviate some of that tension.
Rowan wasn't reaching for the moon in her planning but her best option was to create the best possible circumstances, to achieve an acceptable outcome. There were still many parts to her plan, that'll take years to accomplish. She could only cross her fingers and do the best she could. The love for her siblings and family, giving her the motivation she needed.
Her plan for the New Orleans take-over had multiple parts. She emailed Elijah a list of things he may need. This included; the knowledge that the werewolves were under a curse and that Sabine was able to undo the curse. Also, to be wary of Sabine, as she wasn't who she claims to be. The last, was the idea of dividing the territories and proposing a treaty between the races. The email structure was very neutral and didn't push these ideas, making them into suggestions more than anything.
Rowan wasn't going to argue with Elijah over how to rule the city. All she cared for, was that the Mikaelsons reclaimed their home and the races lived in peace. How the matter was achieved didn't concern her. If she were to knit-pick and stress over every single detail, then she'll go mad, from stress and guilt. She hated to admit that her plan had possible death in it, so why concentrate on that when she can focus on the bigger picture?
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The entire operation, for ruling New Orleans, took 6 months to complete. 3 months were spent taking care of Marcel's men and reigning the adopted Mikaelson in. Elijah had brought Klaus with, to place his ward under control. The hybrid was brutal, due to the tension with his siblings. Even Mikael's incapacitation hadn't helped the hybrid. The fourth month was spent, learning who Sabine truly was and placing her under their thumb.
That discovery had been brutal to Elijah. He'd demanded that Rowan turn her phone back and give him an explanation. The teen was afraid but wished to give Elijah some comfort, in hopes he still trusts her in the future. The phone call was short. "Mr Mikaelson," Rowan had said.
"Someone! What is the meaning of this? Did you know it was Celeste?" demanded Elijah, his tone was murderous.
"Mr Mikaelson, I only know, what is told to me," lied Rowan, she had started shaking and gripping her covers.
"Who is giving you this information?" asked Elijah.
"I am not at liberty to say, for the time being at least," replied Rowan, hoping to calm him. The phone call ended after that and the adult-teen spent the night in fear.
After that, Elijah was a little less hard on the informant. He would ask Rowan for advice on the treaty and she'd suggest various things such as; territories with a common area, no hostility toward any faction and for each group, to have a neutral, well-liked representative. Lastly, monthly meetings to discuss possible changes or to address issues and violations. The Original had liked all of the suggestions and two months later, the first draft of the treaty was signed.
For the next year and a half, everything was peaceful. Rowan refocused on her daily life and school. She had become proficient in anti-vampire weaponry and was on her way to learning firearm use. Grayson started her on a small pistol, taking her to the range on weekends, to practice. Miranda was very proud of her eldest daughter's progress and maturity in handling the responsibility.
Despite the peaceful atmosphere, Rowan had been very cranky, during the months leading up to her sixteenth birthday. She would get random headaches and become hazy at odd times. The adult-teen chalked it up to the stress, of her actions, finally catching up to her. She tried to soothe herself with meditation and small doses of painkillers. Nothing seemed to work. She even tried to refrain from caffeine and sweets but nothing helped.
Everything became clear, the morning of the girl's birthday. Rowan woke up with an excruciating headache. "Oh why today, please stop," she begged with tears in her eyes from the pain. "What is happening to me?" She went to the bathroom to wash up and to take some Ibuprofen. Right as she splashed her face, the headache, somehow, got worse. "Oh my god, stop!" yelled Rowan and with her scream the bathroom mirror shattered. The headache ceased and Rowan stood in shock at the scene. "No!" she whispered as the possible explanation ran in her head. "No!" she repeated and rushed to get dressed.
She completed getting ready in 20 minutes and ran down the stairs. "Rowan, Happy...where are you going?" called Miranda as she saw her daughter head for the daughter without glancing around.
"Thanks, mum, I'm sorry I have to go, this is important," responded the younger and got on her bike. Rowan road to the Bennetts' house and rushed to ring the bell, not caring that her bike had fallen in the garden and wasn't secured. "Ms Bennett! Please open up, it's important!" called the hysterical teen. A few seconds later, Sheila opened the door in her robe, followed by Bonnie and Mr Bennett. "Good morning, I'm sorry to bargain in like this but I need to speak with you," rambled Rowan.
"Very well, child, come in," said Sheila and Rowan followed her inside.
"In private please," said the teen. The old witch was sceptical but took Rowan to a small office room.
"Is this good enough?" asked Sheila.
"Ms Bennett, how do I know if I'm a witch?" The question startled the old woman.
"What makes you ask such a question, child?" She questioned.
"Look could just be paranoid and this may be a coincidence but..." and Rowan explained her situation, starting with the random headaches of the previous months, to her bathroom incident that morning.
"I see why you'd link it to magic, give me your hand dear," said Sheila, she pleasantly surprised by the turn of events. When Rowan held the older woman's hand, they both felt each other's magic. "You were right dear, you are gifted," said Sheila with a smile. Rowan smiled back, very happy with her luck and the new ability in her arsenal. But then a thought occurred to her.
"Ms Bennett...I'm not a Gilbert, am I?" Rowan said softly.
"It isn't my place to say Rowan, you may have to speak with you parents. What I can tell you, is that no matter what you learn, Miranda and Grayson will always be your parents," said the woman, trying to comfort the teen. Rowan smiled sullenly but nodded in agreement.
"And I'll always be their Rowan Gilbert," she responded.
"Now, as for your gifts, I can provide you with some training if you wish," said Sheila. Rowan's eyes widened and she grinned.
"Yes, please please!" She said and hugged Sheila tightly.
"Oh, you're going to be an exciting student, I can tell but you must ask your parents first," replied Sheila with a chuckle.
"I will, I should probably get going," said Rowan and hugged the older one more time before rushing back home. There, Grayson and Miranda, along with the younger children, were waiting with worry. When Rowan entered the house, she was bombarded with questions by her parents.
"The only reason I'm not grounding you, is because you've never done this before and it's your birthday!" Said Miranda with tears.
"I'm so sorry mum, please don't cry. I have some interesting news to share, later," said Rowan in a whisper.
"What news?" Grayson demanded.
"We have little kittens here, I can't say," hinted Rowan at the presence of her siblings. The hint got Miranda's attention.
"Wait, is it regarding the vamp business?" Whispered the woman.
"Sort of," replied Rowan. The parents finally let her go and the family enjoyed a nice day, celebrating Rowan's sixteenth birthday. Grayson had paid for half of Rowan's car and the teen thanked him. Miranda had given her eldest a nice pair of earrings, that belonged to her great-great grandmother. The best gift, was Jenna and John stopping by to celebrate with the family.
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At the end of the day, Elena and Jeremy were sent to bed, meanwhile Rowan sat in her father's office with the parents. "Well, what's the news," asked Miranda.
"Mum, I need you to remain calm until I finish, please," said Rowan and the mother, braced herself.
"Go on honey, we're going to give you as much time as you need," said Grayson.
"Mum, Dad. I figured out why I was having these random headaches and difficulty concentrating. This morning I woke up with the worst headache ever and when I went to the bathroom to wash my face, the glass broke but the headache was gone," explained Rowan. "I linked the dots and went to Sheila Bennett's house, I think you know where this is going," said the girl at her parent's reaction.
"Rowan? Are you trying to tell us...are you a witch?" Asked Grayson.
"Yes," said the girl simply. She refrained from mentioning that she knew about her adoption, opting to ask, sometime later. The parents were ecstatic with the news.
"We're so proud of you honey," Miranda said and hugged her daughter. "Is Sheila going to teach you?"
"Yeah, she offered but said I had to ask you first," replied Rowan.
"Well, we're all for it!" Said Grayson and joined the hug.
"Thanks mum, thanks dad," said Rowan and the parents melted at their daughter.
Training with Sheila was unexpected. The woman started Rowan on learning Latin and symbols. The teen already knew french with her English and sign language. Both were chosen strategically and had been difficult for Rowan to learn. Latin on the other hand, seemed to flow into her brain easily, as if the information was stored there already and she was just remembering it.
According to Sheila, the stronger a witch's ancestry and bloodline, the easier for her to learn. Bennett witches learned Latin in weeks. It was the information passed down by the previous generations. Rowan found herself fluent in the language after two months. It was scary but very exciting. The symbols were easy to memorise too. What was unexpected, was her fluency in Ancient Greek, for no absolute reason. Rowan had felt an urge to study it for her spells and had thought it a good idea. Suddenly, three weeks later, she spoke Greek more than she spoke English.
"Your ancestor's link to Greek must be stronger than Latin. It is a useful skill for a witch to know spells in multiple languages. I myself know spells in 3 languages. Latin, French and Hebrew," explained Sheila.
"Will you be teaching Bonnie, all of those?" Asked Rowan.
"I'm afraid, since I live, French and Hebrew will be difficult to learn," said the older woman.
"I can try to encourage her, I've convinced the girls to learn sign language. All I had to say was they could consider it a secret language," said Rowan. Sheila thanked the girl for her enthusiasm but said that she'll cross the bridge when she comes to it.
When Rowan started her junior year, she had completed learning about herbs and stones, that can aid or hinder spells. Now she was meant to begin studying actual spells. The girl got an idea, from her stone teachings. She went online and searched for a moonstone. Witches were able to harness energy from the full moon. If she could collect that energy every month and store it, she can have an energy source for emergencies. It was easy to find a suitable sized stone and order it in the form of a necklace.
When the next full moon arrived, the young witch found herself, sneaking out of the house and heading to the SWH. The place wasn't as scary anymore for the adult-teen. Her training in combat and recent magic power, had given her courage. She entered the place and was greeted by an overflow of warm energy. "This is unexpected, good evening," she greeted to the empty house. Candles were lit up and she smiled. "May I join you for the night?" She asked and more warm energy surrounded her.
Rowan laid out her stuff. She drew a Yin-Yang sign on the floor, using chalk and placed bowls on its axis. In one bowl she placed a lit candle, the other dirt, the third had water and the fourth had a balloon. She stood in the middle and laid the moon stone in her palms. The young witch reached out with her magic to the moon energy. It took a few moments but the girl was able to connect to the energy source and direct the magical flow into the stone. The stone glowed and Rowan smiled at her success.
The next month, she decided to tell Sheila and bring her with her. The old woman was hesitant to follow the eager teen but did so. When Rowan showed Sheila the house, the woman teared up. "Oh, Rowan, thank you for bringing me to my ancestors," said the woman.
"Wait, they're your ancestors? Can you connect with them?" lied the teen.
"Oh yes. From now on, this is where I train you. Their wisdom and power will help guide you," said the old woman and entered the house with the teen. Rowan felt a stronger surge of energy, the candles had strong fires and the windows were rustling excitedly. The adult-teen knew this was a good idea. She showed Sheila her plan with the stone and handed the woman, another moonstone.
"You're too clever for your own good Rowan," said Sheila with a smile and took the stone, joining Rowan in the new ritual.
It was now October 7th 2006
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Please tell me your thoughts!