Chapter 8

Marcel made it to breakfast on time. Breakfast was a buffet, as it often is in the Mikaelson household. Marcel sat at the end of the table away from the others, who didn't seem to mind the man's withdrawn behavior, but when Hope entered she hurried over to Marcel and took the seat beside him.

"You're okay." She said to him happily. "Are you staying here now?"

The girl's giddiness lifted the somber cloud that hung over him and he replied with a smile, "I am…on a contingent basis."

"Contingent on what?"

Marcel chanced a glance at Klaus who was staring right back at him.

Loud enough for the entire table to hear, Klaus said, "Marcel, you seem to be done with your breakfast. Perhaps you should get to those chores."

"Chores."

"The chores outlined in your Manual," Kol responded. "You did read it, didn't you?"

Marcel had only skimmed through the Manual in order to be on time for breakfast though by the intense glare Kol was giving him he knew it was best not to admit that.

"Right, those chores. I'll get to them when I'm done here."

"I think you're done," Nik growled. "Go on."

Marcel left with little resistance.

"Hope, what are your plans for the day?"

"I'm just going to hang around here today. Get to know Marcel better."

"Come now, a girl your age spending a perfectly good Friday indoors, certainly not. What about that friend of yours, what was that lad's name…"

"Sebastian? Are you saying you want me to go out with him?"

"As friends," Klaus smiled. "I trust you. Your mother did a fine job raising you in my absence."

"Thanks, dad, but I really would rather stay here. Marcel's all alone now."

Niklaus was not happy with her response but he kept his displeasure hidden behind a smile.

After breakfast he found Marcel cleaning the paintbrushes in Klaus's studio as appointed to him in the Manual.

"Rule number two. What is it?" Klaus stated.

Marcel was caught off guard by the question and stammered out a 'what'.

"You heard me. Rule number two in that thick Manual I gave you this morning, what was it?"

"Something about Rebekah and Hope?"

"You don't remember?"

"Give me a break, there are over 200 of those damn rules, you can't expect me to remember all of them."

"Well, allow me to jog your memory. You are never to be alone with either Rebekah or Hope. Ever. Should you break that rule you will wish death was an alternative punishment."

Klaus turned to leave but Marcel yelled after him, "I would never hurt them! You know that, right?"

"It is not a matter of if you will hurt them, Marcellus, but of whether your double-crossing tendencies will rub off on them. I spent hundreds of years with Rebekah but in a matter of a short century you managed to turn her against me. I refuse to let that happen with Hope. So should you ever break this rule, Marcel, the punishment shall be grave and unrelenting."

"Klaus, I came to you begging, and you still don't trust me!"

"I fear I will never trust you. Should you stay here and work your fingers to the bone doing the most menial tasks day in and day out I wouldn't trust you so if it's trust you're looking for you might as well leave now because I can all but guarantee you, you will never again find it from me."

Niklaus spun on his heels and marched heatedly out of the room. Marcel considered leaving at that moment. He thought it would be easier to find a new city to claim and build into his empire but his conscience wouldn't let him. He spent 12 years filled with regret over what he did to his family and if it took 100 years he was going to prove to Klaus that he was truly remorseful and deserving of his trust.

Moments after Klaus left, Hope entered.

"When you finish here do you wanna go see a movie?"

Marcel continued cleaning the brushes and refused to look at the girl. "Can't, I have to mend the banisters after this."

"What about after that?"

Marcel sighed, "Then I have to clean the gutters, wash the windows, and – y'know what, I just have too much to do."

"Oh…then what about tomorrow?"

Marcel turned to the girl and glared menacingly. "I'm just too busy to goof off with some kid. Now can you please go, you're becoming really annoying."

As Hope went running out of the room, Marcel felt his heart sink but he had to keep Klaus happy for now. He was sure he could make it up to Hope eventually.

-M-

Freya was working on a spell to protect the Compound from intruders when Kol entered fuming.

"I still can't believe they're letting that traitor live." He barked. "Y'know, I tried to betray the bastard once. Landed me a century with a dagger in my chest. But no, the rules have always been different for Marcel, he has always been their guy."

"Believe me, I'm just as mad about it as you are."

"Really? How's that?"

"He tried to kill us," Freya said angrily tossing a hand full of specified leaves in a blow. "Anyone who tries to hurt my family is my enemy, always."

"Now you're talking." Kol grinned evilly. Closing in on Freya, he whispered, "How's about you and me make a little alliance of our own."

"Are you proposing we go against Elijah and Niklaus? Because I saw what that got you last time and I would rather it didn't happen to me."

"Trust me, sister. It will be worth it to get rid of Marcel once and for all. Its in everyone's best interest that he is gone. Marcel's not one of us, he said so himself, he doesn't belong here. This is our family."

"So what did you have in mind?"

"We just have to wait a bit. Something's bound to come up."

Suddenly Haylee came in in a panic.

"We have a problem." She stated.

Kol smiled knowingly at Freya.

They quickly found the others so she could tell them all at once.

"When I left New Orleans the Crescent pack divided into two factions; those who remained loyal to their banished queen and those who considered me a coward. The rebels joined forces with Marcel while we were gone and banished my people back out to the bayou. I went out to the bayou today to pass out some much-needed provisions when I was told that there's been talk circulating that the rebels are planning a revolt. No one knows when but they seem pretty confident."

Niklaus was outraged. He feared something like this would happen.

"First thing first," Elijah took charge. "We protect Hope. We double her protection detail and keep her in at night, at least until we can confirm the authenticity of this information."

"Of course," Hayley agrees.

"Someone should go to Vincent's sanctuary and ask some questions. Figure out what those wolves know."

"I'll go." Niklaus volunteered.

"No, not you. We're not trying to start a war, we're just trying to get information."

Freya volunteered next and Elijah agreed because she was currently the least hated Mikaelson amongst them. He also hoped that her being a witch would prompt Vincent to be more cordial.

Niklaus then took over, saying, "Haylee, go back out to the bayou and put the word out. Any wolf ready and willing to lie down their life for my daughter is welcomed back into my home."

They were adjourning the meeting when Kol said, "So are we all just going to ignore the little spy outside the door?"

Marcel's entire body tensed at the acknowledgment. When he saw all the Mikaelsons run into one room he knew something big was going down so he immediately went to eavesdrop. He didn't expect someone would notice his presence.

With a sigh Klaus admitted, "I sensed him too but I was hoping he wouldn't be stupid enough to eavesdrop so soon into his probation. Marcellus!"

Marcel nervously rounded the corner to see a room full of disapproving stares.

"What am I going to do with you?" Klaus groaned. "I'm sure 'No eavesdropping' was covered on page one. Did you even read the Manual?"

Marcel considered lying but then he remembered rule number one. He was in enough trouble as it was.

"I skimmed it." He admitted. "I haven't really had time to read the whole thing yet."

"And yet you found time to listen in on conversations that don't concern you," Freya added.

With a heavy sigh, Klaus said, "Come on, let's go to the basement."

Marcel cringed. If the night before was any indication of what was about to happen in the basement now, he wanted no part of it; as if he had a choice.

"Actually, brother," Kol stepped up. "Let me take care of him this time. You already have so much on your hands as it is."

Niklaus was skeptical. He wanted to trust his brother but he didn't like how quickly he volunteered to perform a task that even he didn't want to do. Still, he agreed to it simply because he wanted to focus on the rogue wolf pack threatening his family.

Kol and Marcel walked silently down to the basement. The sight of the metal chair bolted to the floor sent shivers down Marcel's spine.

He waited for Kol to sit down. Though the idea of being over Kol's lap of all people angered him he was in no position to protest.

Kol, however, never sat down.

"Over the back of the chair." He ordered.

Marcel stared confused at the high-backed chair until he heard the unmistakable sound of leather being pulled through Kol's belt loops. He turn back to Kol, doubling the belt over in his hand, with his mouth agape.

"Ni-Niklaus would never use that." He stammered.

"Well, Niklaus isn't here, is he." Kol gave him a forceful nudge towards the chair. "Now, over the back."

Marcel hesitantly leaned over the back of the chair. His feet struggled to find ground as his hips settled against the cold, metal back.

Kol started swinging and Marcel gripped the iron seat and kept his mouth shut. He was determined to take the beating silently. He didn't want to give Kol the satisfaction of knowing how much that belt truly hurt him.

Kol grew angry when he realized what Marcel was doing and he wanted to unleash all of his strength on him but he held back. He wanted to wait until Marcel committed a bigger infraction to release his full strength on him so if Marcel should protest, which he was certain he would, he could end him in self defense. That was the only way he could get away with it.

When he finished, Kol stood back and admired his work. Marcel may have remained silent to mask his pain but he couldn't control the shivers going through his body.

"Stand up."

Marcel took a few deep breaths to calm himself before standing on his shaky legs.

"Still wearing that shameless look of self confidence, are ya." Kol jeered. "Even through the tears."

Marcel hated himself for the tears that escaped but no matter how much he fought them they just kept coming. He was grateful to feel the pain lessening and knew his body was beginning to heal itself.

"Don't worry, I'll break you eventually. Get out of here. You've got chores to finish."

Marcel wiped his face with the sleeve of his shirt and marched steadily to the staircase.

"Oh, and you better hope you can get those chores done before dinner, mate," Kol yelled behind him. "Or the two of us might be seeing each other down here much sooner than you'd want."

-M-

Freya was in her room studying an ancient grimoire when Kol found her.

"Sister, I need a favor." He said with a wide smile.

"Anything, brother. What is it?"

"I need you to nullify Marcel's healing ability." Seeing the look of confusion on his sister's face, Kol went on to explain, "I just spent twenty minutes giving that brat my best and he walked out of there with only a few measly tears on his face. I want to break him and to do that I need him to not be able to heal while I'm beating him."

"Brother, I think you've gone too far. I want him gone, not tortured."

"You want to get rid of him, sister, this is how you do it. You have to make it so he'll want to leave and never come back."

"Kol, this is crazy."

"No, sister, you don't understand. You and me, we're just hitchhikers. A couple of blokes just riding for a few miles. We can get dropped of at any moment and it wouldn't make a difference because Nik, Elijah, and Rebekah are the only main passengers on that trip and they can ride for centuries with just the three of them. I know because they have. But then Marcel showed up and suddenly another permanent seat opened up and it's just for him. If given a choice they'll choose him over us, trust me. So it's our job to get rid of him by any means necessary. Now, I need to know if you can handle that because if not I'll do it on my own."

When Freya didn't answer, Kol turned to leave in a huff. "Wait," she said stopping him at the door. "Fine. I'll do it. Just…make it quick."