September 17, 1001
Summer Solstice

Elena felt like she was a beached whale and wasn't ashamed to admit it if anyone asked. Not that anyone would, for obvious reasons, Elena noted to herself. Elijah stood protectively next to her as they watched Romona and Anton becoming one. She would have to remember that she was soon to be officially addressed by Romona Antonson, the next time she spoke to her close friend. Elena looked down at her wedding ring and was relieved that her fingers hadn't once swelled during her pregnancy to a point she couldn't wear it.

"What are you thinking about?" Elijah asked, his fingers making circle motions on her hand that caused her heartbeat to increase.

"Oh nothing important," Elena lied. There was a pause as they watched the exchange of swords between the couple.

"I know when my wife is lying to me," he whispered into her temple, and she had to admire his effect on her. She loved him more than she thought was humanly possible.

"I don't even know why I think I can getaway with trying it with you Elijah. I was just thinking about our own wedding ceremony and how handsome my husband to be looked." Elena said tilting her head up for a kiss that lingered not long enough, but she understood that they were in public and while making out with her husband was exactly frowned upon, they were attending Romana and Anton's wedding so they did need to show a little decorum. At least until they retired for the evening.

"Just over two years of marriage. That does sound rather amazing, doesn't it?"

"That it does Lijah. But as much as I enjoy reminiscing about that special date, I'm also thinking about another date in particular," Elena paused to rub her taut stomach. She was literally counting the days now and was starting to feel a little anxious lately.

"Are you worried?" Elena asked for once, allowing her concern to show through. She had been putting up a brave front for everyone, but not surprisingly, her husband had seen right through it. Not that she could blame him. She loved that he could read her so well it was almost preternatural with how he could, and it was uncanny if she really thought about it.

"A little, but I know that mother and Ayana are preparing for every contingency. Mother even has looked through Ayana's grimoire collection for inspiration. It's been years since Ayana has let anyone do that with her collection," Elijah answered.

"I… I didn't know. Has she found anything useful?" Elena asked curiously. Ayana did have an extensive collection of books and scrolls housed in her Spellchamber.

"I believe so, but it sounds like that when the day finally comes, they want us to have the child in Ayana's Spellchamber?"

Elena looked at her husband, then over at Ayana, standing next to Esther, talking. It had surprised Elena that both Anton and Romona had asked Allison, a new witch herself. Who, not surprisingly, had been a student of Ayana for the last year after her powers had emerged, nearly scaring her parents to death. If she recalled correctly, Ayana had to resort to communicating with her Spirits and found out that Allison's great grandmother had been a witch, but for some unknown reason, it skipped every other generation. It didn't help that her grandmother died during the birth of her final child, so that knowledge had been lost until recently.

Romona and Allison had become close friends, and Elena was happy that her friend had someone else to count on. Elena didn't really like who Anton was, but she wasn't about to intrude into their relationship. Not unless she had no other choice, Elena rationalized to herself.

With the exchange of swords complete, all that was left was the exchange of vows. The attending crowd quieted as Romona spoke first.

"I, Romona Adricson, take thee, Anton Antonson, to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part, according with the Spirits of Nature; and thereto I pledge thee my faith." Romana declared as she leaned forward slowly, sliding his ring onto his ring finger.

"I, Anton Antonson, take thee, Romona Adricson, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part, according with the Spirits of Nature; and thereto I pledge thee my faith."

"That was it then," Elena whispered to no one in particular everyone else was silently, watching as the young witch stood over the kneeling couple with her arms spread wide to the gathered attendees.

"Ladies and honored men of our small but growing community, may I be the first to present Anton and Romona Antonson!" Allison's voice rang out, and the gathered audience applauded. Even after witnessing another wedding, Elena felt strange that kissing the bride from her time was not part of Norse tradition. She'd been sorely tempted to suggest it to Romana, but once again decided it really wasn't that important. Everyone watched as they picked up their weapons, Romona and Anton stood when Allison motioned for them to stand.

"So my love are you ready to head back to our home?"

Her swollen feet already aching Elena nodded and turned to walk back with her husband to the Mikaelson's Longhouse. She had already explained, as if her condition wasn't apparent, that she wasn't going to be able to take part in the foot race. Romana had understood, but the look that Anton had given her the day she mentioned it almost made her want to turn homicidal on the hapless moron. Sometimes people refused to accept that most if not all traditions are not always made with all the possible contingencies in mind. There was no way she was going to exert herself for a race that might throw her into early labor all for the sake of tradition. Tevye she was not. She really liked that musical her aunt Jenna especially. Nowadays living in the untamed lands of continent not even given a proper name yet. They didn't have enough energy to waste on such pursuits and part of her would never truly say goodbye to things she once took for granted.

The foot race was well on its way by the time they both made it back to their home and into their bedroom. Elena felt bad she couldn't participate and was also relieved she could now lay down. For a bit she exerted a great deal of energy, it seemed, just standing there.

"I love you Elena Mikaelson."

"And I love you too, Elijah Mikaelson. Now come lay down with me. I believe our children want to hear you tell them another story," Elena suggested.

"Oh do they now?"

He approached their bed and knelt just so his face was level with her swollen belly with a smirk on his face.

"Mmm… They want to hear the one about the young viking warrior who caught a young maiden in his strong arms after she pushed herself too far on a treacherous journey in the wilds."

"Hmm… Okay then."

Elena quirked a smile as she listened to her husband when he started to tell a story she had grown to adore. She resisted, but eventually she felt the heaviness of her eyelid win and was soon fast asleep just before he got to the really good part. He kissed her on the side of her head already promising to tell the story to his growing family tomorrow.


September 28, 1001

Dear Diary,

I have a feeling that today is going to be the day, not that I have any doubt about the witches in my life. Well, maybe except for Kol, but he is a special case. I've been feeling off all morning and although I haven't had any major contractions, I feel different. When I mentioned it to Elijah, he immediately got our belongings we'd need and after informing the family, we made our way to Ayana's Spellchamber, where an area had been specially prepared for yours truly.

More than once Elijah has caught me writing in my journal, and he has naturally been curious the few times I've caught him reading over my shoulder. I caught him with a rather adorably confused expression when he learned he couldn't read it. Which I wasn't all too surprised by; I've kept writing in English and looks like it has already paid off. It's been exactly three years, one month and three days since I traveled back into the past. It's really hard to believe that I've almost forgotten what my native tongue sounds like by now.

My former life is like a distant memory to me, almost as if it was a dream and I like to think that the things I have done to change things here will have some impact on the future. Tatia and Nik have grown very close, and he is surprisingly a good father figure for Irina. I hope they get married soon and start a family for themselves, but my brother-in-law hasn't yet asked her.

I did manage to convince him to stop sneaking out to watch the werewolves change during the full moon. As expected, he denied it when I first approached him about it, but when I explained that I wasn't going to tell anyone, especially Mikael, he eventually agreed.

Hopefully, I have done enough to chan…

Crap! My water just broke. Sorry I have got to go!


September 28, 1001
Aryana's Spellchamber

There were far too many people in the room, and right now she wanted to crush her husband's balls with her bare hand. The pain was that bad! Well, he deserves it for putting her through this; she seethed.
Alright, maybe she should be more charitable towards the father of her children, but a girl can dream, can't she?

"Alright, I think you're just about ready. You're dilated to the proper size now," Ayana spoke firmly. Elena felt a twinge of guilt, or was it a sign of pending contraction? She didn't care. She just knew that after this was over, she was going to have to apologize to several people. She knew that they were just concerned, but she snapped at first at Elijah, then Rebekah, the list was too long to go into and she had more pressing matters on her mind.

Rebekah watched nervously with Klaus and while part of her wanted them to leave, she also wanted them to stay. Elijah was sitting next to her, holding her hand as the next contraction hit like a lightning bolt. As soon as she took a deep breath and started pushing, Esther held a smoking bundle of something above her and started chanting the same thing in increasing intensity.

"ibakiwoni yetefet'iro menafisiti inezīhini wet'atochi inidayayu 'ayinochachewini lemet'ebek'i āsimatini iniditaseri yiredunyali!"

"ibakiwoni yetefet'iro menafisiti inezīhini wet'atochi inidayayu 'ayinochachewini lemet'ebek'i āsimatini iniditaseri yiredunyali!"

Even though she was in labor, the coherent side of her mind knew she didn't recognize this particular language and in the last three years, she had learned more than she wanted about the Latin Language. When the contraction subsided enough, she glanced at Ayana with a thoughtful expression laced with concern. Esther was still chanting and didn't seem willing to take questions from her, let alone provide answers.

"Wh… What language is that? I don't think I've heard it before," Elena breathed, readying herself for the next contraction, which could come at any time. The frequency had been increasing for some time now.

"I don't think you have, dear. It's Amharic. I believe I unfortunately don't know much about that language to translate for you," Ayana apologized. Elena was about to speak when the next contraction hit again. Elijah was lucky she didn't grab anything of value that personally belonged to him.

25 Minutes Later:

The angry cry of her son echoed in the Spellchamber and although her work wasn't done, she couldn't be happier. She watched as Esther and Rebekah cleaned him up. She frowned when Esther cut her palm and rubbed a bit of her blood into his chest and forehead. But when she blinked, the trace of blood she thought she saw was absent. Before she could ask, Rebekah carefully swaddled her son and brought him over to his parents.

"May I present to you Eirik Jeremiah Mikaelson," Rebekah said softly and handed her nephew to her sister. Elena started to cry as she touched his back. She wanted to put him to her, touch him skin to skin, but the next contraction hit.

Elijah thankfully rescued his son when the worst of it hit. Rebekah replaced Elijah and although she worried for her sister, she was determined to be there for her and Elena appreciated it. Not surprisingly, Esther resumed her chanting in the same Amharic as before. Even in mid push, she couldn't help to be curious about what her mother-in-law was saying.

"ibakiwoni yetefet'iro menafisiti inezīhini wet'atochi inidayayu 'ayinochachewini lemet'ebek'i āsimatini iniditaseri yiredunyali!"

"ibakiwoni yetefet'iro menafisiti inezīhini wet'atochi inidayayu 'ayinochachewini lemet'ebek'i āsimatini iniditaseri yiredunyali!"

45 Minutes Later:

Elena held both of her infant children, now resting on her bare chest. She insisted that they had to have skin on skin contact with her and no one dared to contradict her. She knew she needed to feed them and little Eirik was already showing signs he was more than ready. Before she handed her daughter off to Elijah, she wanted to greet her first.

"Hello Astrid Rebekah Mikaelson, I'm your mama." Elena introduced herself to her tiny daughter. Looking up at her husband and son, she felt the love radiating off her love, but tensed when a shadow appeared behind him. She blinked, and the apparition was gone.

"Elena, are you okay?" Elijah asked after he noticed her expression change.

"No… No… I just thought I saw someone familiar, but it must have been the shadows behind you, playing tricks on my mind. Please don't be to concerned about it."


October 4, 1001
Mikaelson Longhouse
Night before full moon:

"Come here, little guy, I know you're hungry." Elena mumbled as she carefully picked him up from the crib that Klaus had made, one for each of her babies. Even though she was still half asleep, it was quickly becoming a routine and Elena was starting to feel that she might be getting a hang of it.

Part of the routine was almost like clockwork. Astrid would wake up either from hunger or after being woken up by her older brother. Thankfully, Elijah was already bending over to pick up his daughter.

"Hello there little Astrid, mama has what you need, just be patient," Elijah spoke gently to his daughter. It both amazed and annoyed her that he always woke up with no lingering aftereffects. Even before little Eirik and Astrid were a mere twinkle in their father's eyes, he always seemed so put together each morning it made her want to punch him in the arm. Admittedly, she was a little jealous. After all, it had taken her months to learn to adjust to not having coffee. Elijah, however, didn't have the same excuse, and that annoyed her even more, since she couldn't ever mention coffee without telling him the truth.

Elena sat down on their bed and with Eirik in one arm, she somehow formed a cushion over her lap to support her babies as she breast fed them both at the same time. It had been an adjustment process and it almost always required an extra set of hands such as Elijah to help maneuver her infants into the proper position so they could latch on to her milk swollen breast. The payoff was worth it and she loved the experience of having her children suckling from her.

"Are you sure about wanting us to be moved to the caves instead of staying here with your parents, Finn, Kol, and Rebekah?" Elena asked once he settled back on the bed to watch.

"I'm sure. Father insisted that we seek the safety of the caves. He did reassure me he didn't lack any confidence in the sturdiness of our home to resist repeated attempts to enter from the outside. I think that he is more concerned that if Eirik and Astrid are disturbed by the sounds from the outside, they might encourage the beasts to cause more damage to the house barricades than we want."

Elena considered his explanation and as much as she hated leaving most of her family behind she couldn't find a reason to protest more than she had when Mikael had informed them that they as well as Niklaus and Henrik would be spending the full moon in the caves with almost everyone else.

"We will do it then, Elijah. I just don't enjoy leaving everyone else here when we seek shelter in a cave," Elena said, already feeling tired from the lack of sleep.

He smiled, understanding her concern. He felt the same way, but didn't want to add to her anxiety that they might reconsider their planned relocation for the duration of the full moon. He'd personally insured that their home was almost a fortress. The rock they had stacked along the outside walls was just another layer the wolves would have to breach, and the door would require a battering ram to knock it free of its hinges, let alone penetrate. Elijah was confident that his family was safe, but he did feel a little guilty that he privately wanted his wife, son, and daughter to seek safety inside the familiar cave network he'd explored with his brothers as a boy.

"I know how you feel sweetheart, but this is for the best and it is only for one night."

They talked a little more about how they were going to maneuver their two infant children through the cave passageways without hurting them or themselves. The topic eventually shifted to an idea about building a home for themselves the following year, but that already had a mountain of obstacles they would need to address. It was long before the twins were finished and after burping them both, she, with the help of her ever present husband, returned them to their respective cribs.

Even in the flickering light from the candle Elijah lit at almost the first cry of hunger from his son, they regarded their now sleeping children. Together they stood like sentries standing watch over their charges.

"They are so tiny Elijah," Elena whispered into her husbands shoulder when they finally turned towards their bed.

"They will get bigger before you know it, my Kærasta, but now it's time to go to bed ourselves."

She wanted to argue with him but also knew that he was right. "Your right as always Lijah, tomorrow is going to be a long day," she sighed as the promise of sleep or at least a few hours of it beckoned her.

Elena cuddled next to her husband, already feeling safe in his arms, but a part of her worried about tomorrow. Before she could really consider what her sleep deprived mind was so fixating on, sleep once again reclaimed her. For now, she and her family slept in the safety of their home. The world will take care of itself tomorrow.


October 5, 1001
Ayana's Dwelling

Elena was feeling better considering she had hardly slept a wink last night. Concerns for her family holed up in their barricaded home and having to wake up to feed and change her babies had kept her preoccupied with worrying about anything else. But when she found her sister waiting to take her daughter from her husband, relief washed over her in waves.

Now she was visiting Ayana to check on how her former guardian was doing. She was once again breastfeeding her son. He always seemed to want more food than his little sister and Elena was concerned for her daughter.

"Well Ayana, is Astrid getting enough to eat? I don't want to feel like I'm depriving her," Elena asked, feeling a little fretful. Last night had still left her on edge and she didn't quite know why, but put it off due to lack of sleep.

"Little Astrid will eat when she is hungry, and you'll be happy to know that she is doing well. You're a very good mother, Elena," Ayana answered, holding Astrid as she peered down at the sleeping child.

Elena was about to ask a follow up question when a loud yelp of pain drew both her and Ayana attention. Rebekah was sucking on her fingers, and Elena frowned in concern. Rebekah looked accusatory at Ayana and pulled her fingers from her mouth.

"Ayana, you burned me!" Rebekah shouted, only remembering at the last minute that there was at least one sleeping child in Ayana's dwelling with them. Thankfully, her son was content to suckle on her breast and her little angel was still sleeping peacefully in Ayana's arms. It took Elena a moment to notice the swinging talismans hanging from a rope in Ayana's window. Elena shook her head in sad reflection as she too recalled her own experience touching one of those necklaces herself and, unlike Rebekah, she'd been warned not to touch them and yet she did it, anyway. Sometimes people never learned, Elena decided and waited.

"That is not yours to touch," Ayana said evenly as she lifted Astrid up to press a soft kiss on the sleeping infant's forehead.

Feeling sorry for her sister, Elena opened her mouth to tell Rebekah she shouldn't feel bad because she had done the same thing herself despite being warned beforehand when a heart wrenching cry came from outside.

"Mother!"

Elena paled as Rebekah first looked to Ayana, then to herself. "Was that Niklaus? Something is wrong!" Rebekah cried. Elena shared her sister's worried expression, by unspoken consent they all when to see what was going on.

Rebekah, not burdened with carrying a child, was the first to arrive. Elena, who was still nursing Eirik, and Ayana, carrying a surprisingly still sleeping Astrid, were only a few paces behind. Elena felt her mouth go dry. It felt like Elena was watching a car accident unfold in front of her and she felt numb. It was a miracle that she didn't forget herself and accidentally drop her son. Thankfully mother nature had ensured she had the instinct to hold on regardless what her brain was doing at the moment.

A bloodied Klaus was carrying the still form of his little brother, Henrik. Nearby, another prone form was face down on the dirt and it took Elena a moment to recognize the hair and her heart sank when she realized that it was Henrik's friend, the same one who was one year older than her former brother-in-law. How had he died and ended up here? Elena asked herself, but doubted anyone other than the child's parents would care. It wasn't that people in their community were callous, they just lived with the threat of death from the elements, starvation, disease, the list goes on and Elena couldn't bring herself to find someone to blame.

"Henrik!" Rebekah cried and knelt next to her fallen brother. Elena felt tears welling up, clouding her vision, but she could see enough to watch as her sister tried to touch her brother but pulled her hand back, almost afraid to cause him any more harm. Elena knew that he was beyond that now and her heart went out to the boy who everyone loved. It didn't matter that his father was a brute of man or that his mother was a witch. All the townsfolk she ever encountered had always considered the youngest Mikaelson before her own children to be a pleasant, loving child.

Klaus stood apart, looking at something behind Elena, and she turned around to look as an anguished cry from Klaus finally awoke Astrid.

"Mother!"

"No, no! What happened?" Esther cried out as she quickly approached the commotion. She froze when saw her bloodied son laying on the ground.

"Mother! I am sorry I tried to warn him not to go! The wolves! He wanted to see them, I'm so sorry!" Klaus bawled as he finally collapsed to the ground in tears. Elena, not wanting him to feel alone, moved to kneel next to him and put an arm around him, her own tears mingling with his own. Henrik was such a good boy and Elena didn't know what to do.

"We must save him. Please, there must be a way!" Esther pleaded and from the corner of her eye, she watched as Ayana, now comforting her daughter, leaned over to study Henrik. After a far too short of time, she leaned back with resignation on her face.

"The spirits will not give us a way, Esther. Your boy is gone."

Esther looked dumbfounded at her former mentor and shook her head in denial. Elena watched as Esther finally collapsed next to her fallen child. Esther, still in denial, pulled Henrik to her body and clutched his still form to her own as her body trembled with grief. For the briefest of moments they made eye contact, mother to mother, and Elena knew that their world was forever changed. Unless she could find a way of preventing what she knew would happen in the near future. How had things gone so wrong so suddenly?