A/N: I am honestly not sure what direction this story will go, as at least in the beginning events will happen out of order as the changes brought about by Aries' inclusion are explained. Hopefully, this story will become lengthy. This fic is very much AU (both the modern day as well as the events from TVD/Originals will happen in the 2010s in this story) but it follows a lot of the rules and events in canon but with a twist (although almost none of the events in season 4 or 5 of the Originals will occur as they have). You can think of the present day as the post season 3 (AU) from the Originals (sometime during that time skip between s3/s4). Hopefully, I will be able to paint a more realistic picture about the Originals and their relationships with one another and more. I'm not sure if anyone will ever read this, and to be honest I'm mostly just writing this for my own benefit. Apologies for the lengthy A/N and poor writing to follow.

Chapter 1: Father's Most Favored

The study was a well decorated room with Victorian-style furnishing. A large bookshelf occupied one side entirely filled with various tomes and scrolls thick and small, all appearing to belong to a different age. The sheer size of the books made the study appear smaller than it is. On one side of the room was a large cherry oak desk, completely clean of items occupied one of the sides of the room allowing at least three meters of space from the side of the desk to the shelves. The remaining side of the study - not counting the door - had three large glass easels facing the owner of the room.

All three panes were filled in its entirety with black writing in a crisp and elegant script. The boards were filled with symbols, some of it ancient greek which may lead one to conclude that the content of the boards dealt with mathematics of some kind, some of it in other obscure and ancient symbols. The majority of the symbols, however, were of the writer's own creation over the years. Indeed, he was the only one on the planet to whom the contents of the board could be understood. Perhaps, there were one or two individuals that could guess some of the symbols and in turn, throw guesses as to what the writing was about.

Before the board, with his arms crossed and the eraser in one hand and a previously fresh black marker, but now little more than a dud, was Aries Mikaelson who leant against his desk while studying his work. He had the other colored markers that came in the set with the black one of course, yet none of them offered the simplicity and practicality of the color black. Perhaps if he had, his marker would have a little more life left to it as Aries had been working for the boards for the past six hours.

He hardly noticed the amount of time he spent engrossed in his work for a timeless being such as himself six hours was inconsequential. He doubted any of his siblings had the requisite concentration to spend as much time on a single task - certainly not if after the time was expended the endeavour was mostly fruitless. Then again, Aries was different from the remainder of the Originals. A sudden epiphany came to him as he crossed over to the middle board and half-knelt to enter the bottom line and replace it with his newly acquired result. He drew a crisp rectangular box around the newly written last line before capping the marker. It was an entirely futile exercise as he was the sole witness to his work. As he swiftly erased all three glass panes so even the slightest trace of marker was removed, he mused 'I got 47, I needed 19'. He needn't wipe the boards clean either as no one of relevance ever entered his study and none would understand the boards if they had. It was more to ensure that he would have clean boards to look at the next time he resumed the activity.

He hadn't made much progress today, but he didn't mind, he had more than enough patience as this was a project centuries in the making, unbeknownst to the rest of his siblings. Furthermore, he was close… oh so very close! Perhaps another decade, though if he was going by more precise calculations he was only nine years away from executing the fruits of his labor. It was his greatest ambition, what he wanted more than (almost) anything over the last several centuries. The Mikaelsons all had secrets even from one another, after all as his adopted nephew Marcellus was known to say, "Thick as thieves in one moment...and plotting against each other the next". Although this particular project wasn't intended to go against any of his brethren, it was solely for his own self-interests. In fact, while he could deduce most of his siblings' secrets depending on who it was, none had as many as him and none would come close to figuring them all out. Yet, none of his plots, projects, or plans would ever harm his family physically or otherwise. He would ensure it. Nay, the only thing his family would suffer from was ignorance. It wasn't in his nature to harm the people that meant everything to him after all.

Aries walked around to the side of his desk with his chair, sneaking a quick glance at his watch as he did so, it was a model that screamed wealth. Really, though, the half a million dollar price tag for his watch was more for the special features he had built in. He sat at his desk with his back perfectly aligned against the leather on the back of his chair. It was certainly a chair designed for comfort! He reached over with his left hand with a finger that pressed against the corner of the desk and ran his finger along the notches in the wood of the desk. When he reached the seventeenth notch, he pressed it with his finger allowing it a small recess. Immediately, a secret in-built panel, feature of the desk sprang open, revealing a single bound journal with parchment paper. The book was about twenty years old and was currently not filled to the end, which only highlighted the importance of the contents within. Really a more apt name for the book was a grimoire… his current one and one of Aries' most valuable possessions.

He thumbed through the pages, reflecting on the contents of his work, another useless action. He had a near eidetic memory, as did his siblings to different degrees, He and they found it to be both a blessing and a curse in their experience. Sometimes it was difficult to grasp a particular instance that occurred centuries ago, the more recent memories were immensely more lucid. He recalled the contents of his work nearly word for word, diagram after diagram, pausing before his favorites pages. Among the Mikaelsons that maintained an interest in magic, Freya, Kol, and himself, it was amusing how they all focused on different aspects of their crafts. Kol for the most part enjoyed curses, artifacts (his little toys as Aries' liked to refer to them), and the like. Freya had always maintained her interests in rituals. Aries enjoyed spells and other subjects of interest.

Aries, upon reaching the newest entry made a small edit; the result of his earlier work, before placing the book back in the compartment before sealing the panel shut. 'I'm finally close' he thought before reclining back against his chair. He closed his eyes, reflecting. No, it wouldn't do to become excited yet. It wouldn't be over till the very end. He reached back into the recesses of his well organized mind, recalling the past. Various storied memories flashed before him, echoes of so many events long past, all leading up to the present. He normally wasn't one to reminisce, there were only a few that he treasured and many that he wished to desperately forget: memories filled with equal parts tragedy, pain and misery. Still he was wise enough to know that the bad ones served to accentuate the good, it gave him a profound sense of appreciation. 'Decisions' he thought. 'Decisions, actions and their consequences all culminating into the present through some sort of deadly but beautiful butterfly effect'. Some by friends, some by foes, most of them by family but very, very little were his own. All of them forced upon him, exerting their will upon him, forcing him to bend to their whims. Yeah 'Decisions, actions and their consequences' he thought again, 'Most made by others very few of them mine'. It was practically his destiny. His very fate, always, to bend, to succumb, to submit and most importantly: to endure.

The beginning began over a millenia ago in a haphazard viking settlement in present-day Virginia. Aries rarely recalled his mortal years, back when he was a human. It was to be expected of course. It was a time when the future was clear to him, he felt in control, a multitude of happy memories (not all of human years were joyous of course), just the sheer nostalgia of it all. It burned him. It rankled. He felt cheated over what was taken from him and what would happen after. The human memories also lacked clarity, some quality of vividness, almost like they were colorless. It wasn't necessarily that they occurred so long ago, perhaps it was the nature of being a vampire… everything is heightened including memories created through their supernatural senses.

Mikael was a Jarl, a Viking chieftain from before the days of the Norman invasion. He led a clan of vikings, numbering several dozen families, across the ocean from present day Norway to their settlement in North America. He was a fearless leader fierce, intrepid with a commanding aura. He was also the strongest warrior in the clan, the noble viking traditions and customs demanded nothing less. Mikael's father also held the same position before dying when Mikael was still a child. It would be many years later before he had the strength and skills to reclaim what Mikael felt was their families birthright. It was a title that he, wished, more than anything, to pass onto one of his sons. They would have to of course the clan would never accept a weak leader. Undoubtedly, he would have to be a strict father to them if he wanted them to rise to his expectations. He couldn't afford gentleness, compassion, and other such weaknesses and trivialities if he wanted to raise worthy children. His wife Esther was a powerful witch, one of the most powerful in existence. Esther never knew the origins of her family, only that every generation produced frighteningly powerful children. It was a custom in her family to isolate children from a young age and raise them to maximize their skills in magic, almost to their breaking point. It was to ensure that they could protect their village. It was a harsh time, where only the truly strongest could survive wars, harsh winters, famines, and the plague.

The early years of Mikael and Esther's marriage was an unhappy one, but with a joyous beginning for the young couple. Their union failed to produce children. Esther wanted more than anything to have children and start a family. She would raise them without the lofty expectations forced on her and her elder sister (or so she thought). Mikael wanted heirs to pass along the family legacy. The village was beginning to place pressure on Mikael, already his chief rivals had begun families of their own, while it seemed he would never have children of his own. When all hope seemed lost, out of nowhere the young family were gifted with a beautiful daughter, Freya (named after a Norse deity). Mikael was overjoyed with having a daughter and doted on her. Soon after, the Mikaelsons were blessed with a son Finn. While Finn, in his formative years, displayed none of the characteristics he was looking for in a son. Mikael always felt the boy was coddled too much by Esther. He was far too weak he had decided. No matter he thought 'I can have more children. One worthy enough to bare my mantle'.

For several years the young family was relatively happy, or at least more happy than they were before they had children. When Freya had reached her fifth nameday, Mikael had set out for a war with other vikings in the village. He didn't take Finn, the boy was weak (young as well, but it would not have mattered if he were strong enough). When he returned, his triumph quickly evaporated. He discovered that his daughter, his world, had died of the plague (or so he thought), the body had to be cremated, before his return. so as to not spread the disease. Coincidentally, there was a plague ongoing at the same time. The clan while praying to their gods for mercy, and promising the blood of enemies as a sacrifice, looked to Mikael to save them from the plague.

It was Viking tradition to take to the sea to escape conflict. When he announced his bold plan of voyaging to the lands to the west he was ridiculed. "It is cowardice...not the viking way to flee!" some thought. Others merely believed that the journey into the unknown would be fraught with peril. At last when the tides aligned, Mikael asked those that would join him to do so. It was a credit to his leadership that many families did join him. It was certainly a difficult journey and over the course of several months many died. Esther, was pregnant with their third child during the journey. In fact, it is very likely that Elijah was, historically, the first European settler to be born in the new world. At last Mikaels' band of vikings discovered a prime settlement in the new world, the first Europeans to do so. Together they escaped the famine, war, and plague.

The area the Vikings would decide to settle on had plenty of land for all their families. A survey of the neighboring land eased plenty of worries once they discovered everything that could be hunted and gathered. After a several month sea voyage, they likely would have accepted any living condition as long as it was on land. Farming wasn't an aspect of viking life, a continent away the viking custom was to pillage crops from neighboring lands on a seasonal basis. Here, however, some families those not as combat inclined would eventually have to make the transition to farmers. The weak ones in Mikael's opinion, that was not the way of life of any respectable family. He vowed to himself that no family member of his would have to farm. Mikael was no ordinary viking chief, an ordinary one would never have the guts to make the journey nearly a world away. Furthermore they would not have been able to convince the others to make the same journey. Eventually a name for their settlement was decided: Islos. While the others satisfied themselves with exploring the immediate area, Mikael explored deeper in the new territory and in every direction.

He would be glad he did. To the north and to the south lay two different tribes of different sizes. While things were peaceful between them now, that wasn't always the case. To make war with each other one tribe would have to cross into the Viking territory, depending on the natives' nature that may mean engaging with the Vikings in battle. Without being able to communicate in the native tongue of either tribe and being outnumbered by each tribe, Mikael knew that his people could not afford to be complacent. Even here, his people would have to maintain all of the old traditions in order to survive. It was also possible that both tribes could invade from each side in order to deal with a common enemy. This discovery of course was not enough to convince Mikael to relocate to a different settlement. He had enough of running that year, furthermore, Vikings were hardly the people to worry about being outnumbered or overwhelmed. Across the ocean it was tradition to attack and raid settlements two, three times the size of their party. The greater the scope of victory the greater the glory that could be attained among their fellow Vikings after all. The fearlessness along with their reputation was often enough to overwhelm any enemy. Nay even here, if it came to it, they would make their final stand down to the last man, woman, and child. These natives would have to be careful with having vikings as neighbors, however. Once their population grew three fold, the demand for more land would, inevitably, lead to battle. It was the viking way. In a generation even, their settlement may split into multiple smaller viking settlements that would spread out further and flourish on their own.

Soon after settling, Mikael and Esther, had a joyous occasion to celebrate: the birth of their second son: Elijah. In Mikaels' opinion Elijah wasn't much of an improvement, over Finn, in what he wanted in a son. He desperately hoped that Esther would not coddle this child at the very least. All said however, Mikael was satisfied with now having two sons and saw no need in having more children. He was still feeling no small amount of grief over losing his only daughter, Freya. He vowed that he would never return to that god-forsaken land that took his daughter. Mikael was far too busy in the beginning to spend much time with his family anyways. He would spend most of his time building the settlement and its defenses with the others along with learning about their new land. Esther would often be left to her own devices from singing to birds, to learning new spells, and studying new plants for medicinal purposes. Mikael often didn't understand all of his wife's odd hobbies, but he could not deny their usefulness.

Two years into building Islos, it came as a surprise to Mikael to discover that Esther was once again with child. At the time, Mikael was too pleasantly surprised to think much of it. His family was flourishing and the settlement was as well. Even the more nomadic and blood thirsty among them grew accustomed to the peace and prosperity of their new home. Esther gave birth to a third son. She demanded to name the babe, something that Mikael didn't fret over. After all, he got the chance to name Freya and Finn. Esther chose to name their son Niklaus. It was a peculiar choice for a name in Mikaels' opinion - a derivation of the germanic nickname for the devil - he didn't complain however. When Mikael first held his son in his arms, he was slightly miffed. The whelp would not stop crying! Clearly, this one would grow to be a sensitive child he thought frowning. Although the volume of the cries did indicate a healthy lung capacity, Mikael prayed that that was a good sign. Mikael was aware that his expectations for his children were lofty. It was expected that the children of a Jarl would rise to a high stature. He could hardly complain however plenty of other children around them had grown to become lazy, weak, or bratty. Meanwhile, at the age of three and six his boys at the very least were very obedient and would soon learn the viking ways.

The birth of Niklaus served to increase the ties and bond between Esther and Mikael. Now that Islos was more established, Mikael could afford to spend more time with his family. The one worry in the years to come were the occasional interactions from both the native tribes. By now both tribes were well aware of the presence of the Vikings. The interactions were all blood less; members of the tribe would scout and survey the Viking settlement from a distance. Mikael and the other Vikings hoped that their defenses and fortifications would dissuade any thoughts of an invasion.

Shortly after Niklaus turned three the Mikaelsons were expecting yet another child. Over the years, Mikael was all too aware that his early impressions of his son were mostly on the mark. The lad was quite sensitive! At least he was also polite, obedient, and tried ever so hard to please his father. Like all the other Mikaelson children Niklaus was put to bed each night by his mother's tales of Viking heroes and warriors of the past along with the older tales of the great Greek and Roman Generals, Heroes, Kings, and Emperors. The tales were meant to inspire the children from a young age. Soon enough, the Mikaelsons celebrated the addition of another child to the family, a daughter this time. It was Mikaels' turn this time to name the babe. When he held his daughter for the first time, the first thing he noticed was her striking blonde hair, a trait she shared with her long departed sister and both her parents. None of the Mikaelson sons shared their parents' hair. As he looked at his daughter he knew no one could ever replace his firstborn, Freya, at the same time he would never expect his daughter to. Over the years Mikaels grief faded away, helped along by the additional children over the years. He noticed all three of his sons had already formed an attachment to their sister and were doting on her. 'Good', he thought 'It is to be expected with three older brothers. She will be looked after well perhaps even spoiled' He chortled a little at the idea. He finally decided on a name "Rebekah" he announced proudly. The birth of all the children in their settlement led to a visit from their resident Astrologer and Seer. Mikael cared little for such trivialities but such traditions had their place after all. When it came to the birth of Mikaels children, however, the new child was presented, in a small ceremony, before the village elders: a small council of older men and women who assisted the Jarl by looking after the small daily minutiae that Mikael had no time for, along with running the village when he was absent on scouting or hunting trips.

A year later found Esther pregnant yet again. This pregnancy however took its toll on Esthers' body and in the later months her health would deteriorate. When her and Mikael were alone in their home she would say, "My own child hates me! I can feel it." Mikael, who really had better things to do then deal with such things would exclaim, "Nonsense! You are not as young as you once were. Having all those children has likely taken its toll. We really ought to stop having more!"

Mikael would spend most of the next few months with Finn and Elijah teaching them how to hunt and use different weapons. While neither son quite measured to his expectations, Elijah was occasionally competent. At the very least he was a highly intelligent lad who already displayed strong leadership qualities. When it came time for his son to take the reins of leadership, there would no doubt be some controversy over Mikaels' decision to nominate his second son for the position. Esther for one would be quite miffed. The decision would fall solely on Mikael, however, and he would ensure that he would pick his most competent son for the job when the time came. His people deserved nothing less. Finn was simply coddled too much by Esther in his formative years, even now in his opinion. It was good then that Niklaus was quite willing to look after young Rebekah. The two had formed quite a close sibling bond already. Niklaus was looking forward to having yet another sibling to look up to him. It was ironic then that the child would be so wrong yet right at the same time.

It was the middle of the winter, Esther was expecting to give birth any day now. The food in the village was running low, it was his responsibility to go along with the others to find food to sustain them all. He hated to be away at such a critical time, yet he had no other option. When he returned successful in his venture, he was very exhausted. He trekked straight to his home hoping to get warmth from the bone chilling winter air. Outside his house he found the town seer. "Mars is bright tonight….brighter than I've ever seen it in all my years!" he exclaimed. Mikael looked up and indeed he was able to spot the crimson celestial object, hardly ever visible to man. The seer looked at Mikael. "It's a good omen… one of the very best, I've just been informed that you have another son." He looked up once more at the heavens before strolling away. Mikael paused at the entryway to his house, a mixture of dread and excitement filled him. He never believed such nonsense anyways he told himself hoping to curtail some of the excitement. At the same time he curtailed his dread over his expectations being subverted. He knew he was a good leader to his people, he followed all the traditions, and he devoutly followed the religion his people believed in. Were his prayers about to be answered then? Would he for once get what he felt he deserved?

Mikael arrived before his and Esther's room. Immediately he felt that something was wrong, something was out of place. Dread settled in his bones as he could not immediately place what was amiss. He glanced around the room, his eyes first fell upon his wife. The childbirth took a heavy toll and she was now resting. There were two midwives in the room. They both, upon noticing his arrival, tilted their heads in obeisance. "Jarl. You have a healthy son. The gods have truly blessed you". The other added "We will be nearby, send for us when you need it." Both left the room. Mikael approached the cot that he had crafted many years ago. Suffice to say it had served its purpose well over the years. He reached up and picked up his youngest son. The first thing he noticed pleased him: the child had the same blonde hair that he, Esther, and Rebekah all possessed. Mikeal never could place why that particular trait pleased him. The next thing he noticed was the child's eyes… practically obsidian in colouring and looking directly. It was the gaze that floored him. It was equal parts analyzing and piercing as if the child could read the contents of his father's soul in its entirety. The colouring and that exact gaze… The memories of Mikaels' childhood flashed before him … the last time he saw those very same eyes! It was like he was four years old once again and his father was gazing back at him. A shiver ran down his spine as he very clearly recalled his father and their last moments together back when he was a young child who hardly understood the ways of the world. It was as if all those nightmares of the past that he thought were long buried rose up to overwhelm him all at once. He let out an unconscious gasp, inconceivable for a man of his stature! He immediately buried all those feelings, the ghosts of his past, including the instincts that told him that his father was looking at him once again. This was the very last thing he was expecting when he arrived to check upon his son.

That was when Mikael noticed it. He spotted what it was that first unsettled him when he entered the room. The child was completely silent, not a tear or cry in sight. The concept astounded him. All his older children had cried immediately before and while he held them for the first time. Niklaus in particular! This one was dead silent still studying him with its gaze, the very gaze that reassured Mikael that his son was very much alive and healthy. All at once that very observation filled him with joy once again. He thought 'Yes, I cannot afford to let this one be coddled by Esther. The gods have answered my prayers at last.' He walked over to the sole window in the room cradling his son. As the cool winter breeze settled over the pair, Father and Son, Mikael idly noticed that the child was bathed in a small red light. Glancing outside and at the sky once more Mikael noticed the glowing red embers of Mars. All at once he knew what to name his son. "Aries. Aries Mikaelson." It was a derivation of the name of the greek god of war and yet it was quite fitting with everything that happened today and with everything that he noticed about his son.

Almost a year later, Esther had given birth yet again to another son. She got to name this one. "Kol" she had decided. Once again it had taken a toll on Esther's health. This time Esther was practically on her deathbed, it was a close thing that she made it thru. Mikael was informed by one of the witches in Islos that when a powerful witch, that belonged to an ancestry of powerful users of magic, had children who were born with the same incredible potential, the births would take a toll on the health of the witch. In the end, Mikael knew that it was his wife's magic that saw her through the ordeal. He vowed right then, once he saw that she would make it through, to never have children again. Besides he already got everything he wanted and more.

When the shrieking and wailing child was given to him to hold for the first time, the whole ordeal really irritated him. Here his wife had just barely stayed alive and this child would not stay quiet. He hardly held baby Kol for a moment before passing the screaming child off to the midwife. "Odin's Beard! This child cries more than Niklaus!" He exclaimed. The baby continued to shriek at the abrupt motions, but Mikael couldn't find it in himself to give even half a damn about the whelp, if he was being honest. He hardly cared. By now he already had the heir he wanted. And a spare. And a spare's spare too if he thought about it. He hardly felt the need to indulge what he saw as another needy child. In fact during Kol's early months, even Esther would struggle to give Kol the attention she had given to his elder siblings.

Mikael strode outside only to find his second youngest waiting there patiently for him. The infant hadn't even turned one yet, he was already standing and walking for several months now, far sooner than his older siblings had. And what a sure footed gait the toddler had - the balance demanded of a proper warrior. From the day he was born, Mikael had never seen Aries cry. At this point, Mikael didn't think he could. He also lacked the fussiness and other off-putting qualities that other infants did. Since that day, Mikael could never shake off the resemblance that Aries shared with the child's grandfather. The feelings never faded and so Mikael simply got accustomed to seeing his father in his son in almost everything Aries did. Indeed, Mikael couldn't help but show the lad more of his attention, something that Aries responded well too. Little did he know that all his other children would have been equally receptive to any attention if Mikael were so inclined to direct it at them.

As Aries walked up to him, Mikael couldn't help but once more feel a sense of fulfillment and content.

He simply chortled in the direction of the infant, who had very easily succeeded in getting his fathers' attention. Mikaels' family was finally complete and as far as he was concerned it was complete for some time now. Even his grief over losing his daughter, it was many years ago now, seemed settled. All his wishes, desires, and prayers seemed to be answered by his son's very presence. Yes, Mikael thought - he already had everything he needed.

A/N: Yeah I know that part of this is cliched, but whatever. Also no Henryk in this fic. In this fic the Mikaelson parents favor different children, Esther would favor Finn and to a lesser degree Klaus. Mikael on the other hand (after losing Freya) will exclusively favor Aries. The love and attention that Mikael should have divided equally to all his children will be entirely directed at Aries. Areis will certainly rise to the occasion to bear this burden - to always be his father most favored. The beginning of this fic will cover the human years briefly before coming back to important moments when needed. Like I mentioned earlier, a lot of the scenes in this story will be told in flashbacks/ backstories/ and out of order sequences. It will be a while before we reach a linear timeline.