Chapter 63

The Mikaelsons trailed behind Elijah leading the way to the campground, Niklaus taking up the tail of their group in order to stay close to Finn. Finn dragged his feet through the forest but made sure to stay as close to Niklaus as he could. He didn't want to accidentally wander too far away and then be accused of breaking one of Klaus's rules. And he was afraid to get close to Marcel of Kol and having to face one of their irritable moods.

He noticed how each of his brothers carried their old bows from when they were humans. He lost his long before they were turned, having never been much of a hunter since Mikael never took the time to properly teach him and he vaguely wondered why any of them bothered to keep theirs when human technology had advanced so far.

"I can't believe they made us leave our phones in the cabin," Kol grumbled to Marcel. "Cellphones are my favorite bit of technology in this new century. What a raucous century it must've been leading up to that little discovery. I think I love just about everything about this century actually. TVs, faster cars...I tried fro-yo the other day. Did I tell you about it? Oh, delicious. Davina and I shared a bowl of it before going to a…retro, underground EDM discotheque."

Marcel smiled as the excitement of the 21st century grew on Kol's face. "EDM discotheque? What is that?"

"It may have been a dance club...or...it may have been some sort of futuristic human zoo. I haven't decided yet, but I like it."

Kol shivered as the cool air blew through the trees. It wasn't a particularly hot summer day but still, he didn't expect it to be warm enough to make him shiver.

Walking closer to Marcel, Kol leaned over to him and whispered, "You didn't happen to bring another sleeping bag with you, didja?"

Marcel shook his head and said, "Why didn't you just pack like Elijah told you to?"

"The day I do everything my brothers tell me to is the day Kol Mikaelson, as you know him, dies."

"You're gonna wish you were dead when he finishes with you."

Kol stumbled between steps at Marcel's comment. "This...isn't a punishable offense...you don't think?"

Marcel shrugged. "I wouldn't know. This is only my second 'hunting trip' and last time we had the servants pack for us."

"The servants," Kol smacked his palm against his forehead. "I should've just made one of 'em pack for me."

Marcel tutted as he shook his head. "All week, I've asked you to come shopping with me. And every time, you just locked yourself in your room with Davina and read books all day."

"Read books?"

Marcel put up a hand to silence Kol as he opened his mouth. "That is what I choose to believe the two of you do in there. Do not even think about shattering my illusion."

Kol chuckles lightly. "I would've gone wit'cha if I suspected you're actually going to buy supplies. Been too afraid to get in the car with you this week, and driving out of New Orleans assuming you're taking me to some little outta the way shop in the middle of nowhere when you're actually-"

"You just need to be more prepared," Marcel barked over Kol's voice, cutting him off before he could say anything about the Mystic Falls vamps or the pig farmer. He wasn't sure if Klaus or Elijah were listening to their conversation but he didn't want to chance it, unlike his cavalier old friend. "You've got no one to blame but yourself."

Kol threw his hand wildly in Elijah's direction. "Elijah usually does the packing for this kinda thing. The first time we did it, we weren't even on a real hunting trip. Klaus and I were getting into it almost daily because apparently, after a night of lechery and debauchery, I exsanguinated village and Klaus thought it may lead to Mikael finding us..and then the bastard threatened to dagger me like Finn and leave me in a box to rot. Elijah convinced him to seclude ourselves from the woods for five days and they could take turns thrashing me instead."

Kol's crestfallen eyes dropped to the forest floor.

In a low mumble, he said, "The bastard could only be bothered to keep me around for a year after that. Always so eager to get rid of me."

Marcel went silent at Kol's statement. He remembered how he felt when Niklaus banished him from their home. It wasn't a knife to the back, but it hurt just as much.

Realizing how pitiful he must've sounded, Kol kicked a loose tree branch out of their path and jauntily said, "The good news is that now the daggers are gone for good so this time when my bastard of a brother gets annoyed of me, he'll just have to put up with it for a bit...on the other hand, I fear I see a lot more of these trips in my future. Scary thing is that I think I prefer it this way."

"Did you get switched on that first trip?"

Kol cringed at the thought. A shudder rolled through his body as he thought back to the first trip he went on with Elijah and how he managed to get switched every day. "Every bloody day. Some days I swear I can feel lingering welts from those five days. Damn brothers didn't need magic to keep me from healing back then because they wouldn't let up a moment to let the blooding supernatural healing kick in."

"Language." Elijah's firm voice rang over the sounds of birds tweeting and small animals scurrying through the forest. Kol and Marcel froze, realizing Elijah had apparently heard every word they said.

Kol flushed, afraid to look back at Niklaus to see if his vindictive older brother had heard what he'd said about him too.

Craning his neck around to them, Elijah said, "That is the only warning the two of you will get from me this weekend."

"The two of us," Kol repeated. "There are three of us."

Facing forward to continue leading the trek, Elijah said, "Finn is granted a certain amount of liberties considering this is his first hunting trip."

Kol's brows furrowed in anger. "That's not fair. I didn't get any special 'liberties' my first trip. You just busted my ass every six seconds."

Elijah suddenly stopped and turned to face them all. Kol fought the urge to shrink himself as Elijah slung his backpack from his shoulders and rested against a nearby tree.

His brother was intimidating on a regular day in his tailored suits but now in the forest in his dark green pants, heavy-soled tactical boots, and camouflage jacket, his brother looked every bit of the hardened hunter about to take out his unwitting prey.

"Niklaus," Elijah started walking towards Kol and his youngest brother shivered. "Do you mind forging ahead with Finn and Marcellus while Kol and I speak for a moment?"

Kol flinched as a hand swung past his head, afraid that Elijah had vamped behind him before he registered his movements but in the same second, Niklaus's hand fell onto Marcel's shoulder beside him.

"Of course, Elijah," Klaus coolly replied, refusing to look at his little brother as he ushered Marcel further along the uncut path.

Marcel shot a sympathetic look back to his friend as they passed Elijah but as a look of doom set over Kol's face, he turned away.

Finn continued to stare back at Kol as he stumbled over the rocky forest floor next to Niklaus. He wanted to see his irksome brother punished but he was too afraid to ask to stay as an observer. His brothers would certainly assume he had evil motives for his return if he asked to do something so cynical.

As Elijah opened his mouth to speak to Kol, Finn attempted to narrow in his vamp hearing to at least hear Kol's scolding but as soon as he stopped focusing on where he was going, his foot caught under a raised root and he tilted towards the ground. The heavy backpack Freya filled with all of the camping essentials she could find in a week's notice worked with gravity in pushing him forward, causing him to fall quicker than he could catch himself and he landed face-first into the dirt.

Marcel chuckled as he watched the boy faceplant but Niklaus wasn't as entertained.

"Are you alright," Niklaus hurried to Finn's side, standing the boy up in front of him and gently brushing dirt and dead leaves from his face.

"I-I'm fine," Finn answered shakily, slightly afraid that his blunder would be enough for him to find himself in the same position as Kol. "I-I'm sorry."

Niklaus absentmindedly ignored his brother's fear as he took note of the scrapes on his cheeks caused by the small rocks planted in the dirt.

"You're hurt."

"It-it'll heal," Finn stammered, relieved that Niklaus didn't seem angry.

"No," Klaus stood and reached his hand out for Finn to take. "It won't. Come along. Let's find a campsite and when we settle in I'll-"

"Wait a minute, now," Marcel interrupted, stepping irritably in front of Klaus. "What do you mean, 'no, it won't'? Are you saying…"

Klaus's silence was answer enough. They were without their magical healing which meant the weekend was going to be a lot longer than he expected.

Marcel's mouth tightened with unspoken anger. "When were you going to tell us?"

"I was sure you would find out soon enough," Klaus answered calmly. Closing the distance in between him and Marcel until they were inches away from each other, he continued just as calm, "In fact, you are dangerously close to discovering it for yourself at this very moment."

As hard as his voice was, there was a softness in Niklaus's eyes that pleaded with his son to behave.

"Unless you would like to test my sister's magic in the same manner as Kol, I suggest you rein in that temper for the rest of the weekend."

Glancing back at Kol and Elijah barely visible through the line of trees and bushes they passed, Marcel watched as Elijah flipped Kol under his arm and brought his hand down across his brother's narrow backside before turning away and marching off without another word to Klaus.

Klaus gave a curt look over his shoulder to ensure Elijah hadn't seen Marcel's disrespectful behavior. He sighed at seeing his brother otherwise occupied.

Reaching down and taking Finn's hand, Niklaus continued forward.

Flashback:

"You don't have to come with me," Kol groaned as Elijah followed him out the courtyard.

"It's no bother at all, Kol," Elijah said politely, matching Kol's every step as they trotted up the stairs. "The sooner I string this bow, the sooner we can get out into the woods and down to helping you lose this attitude of yours."

Kol grumbled his displeasure louder with every step since it may be the last time he'd be allowed to grumble for the rest of the day. As they entered his room, Kol suddenly remembered what else was in the chest with his bow.

"Alright brother," Elijah strolled over to the chair in front of Kol's desk, scanning the room for the bow. "Where is it?"

From where Elijah was sitting, he would have a clear view of the dagger in the chest if Kol opened it so Kol knew he couldn't let that happen.

"Um...actually, Elijah, I...lost it. Yeah. That's what really happened."

"Why didn't you just tell me that downstairs?"

"...I was too embarrassed to tell you because...I know how you get about me being irresponsible...so I made up the story about the string and...now we're here."

Elijah took a deep breath, calming himself as he brushed his hands against the seat of his pants in the slow, methodical way that wore Kol's patience.

"We-we aren't in the forest yet," Kol shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants to keep himself from covering his behind like he wanted to. "You-you can't punish me for lying to ya."

"I can always punish you for lying, little brother," Elijah quickly corrected. "Because I always expect the truth from you, a feat that seems almost hopeless at times." He folded his right leg over his left knee and said, "Tell me what it is you're hiding from me, and I will let you keep your trousers."

Kol went flush. "What do you mean? I-I'm not hiding anything."

"Continue to lie to me and you will only make things worse for yourself. You have kept up with that bow for centuries, I even saw you showing it off to Marcellus not a week ago. Now, all of a sudden, it has disappeared?"

Kol shifted uncomfortably under his brother's scrutinizing gaze. Elijah was hardly surprised as Kol's shame quickly transformed into anger as it was his brother's default when confronted with his mistakes.

"I...I don't know what you're talking about! I said I wasn't hiding anything and I'm not! If I were Marcel-"

"If you were Marcel you would have gotten one warning followed by a dozen swats. Marcel knows that I do not react well to lies, a lesson he's accepted better in the past seven years than you have with centuries of experience. And since you insist on being so obstinate..." Elijah patted his knee and said, "Come here. Lower your trousers."

Kol's hands shot back to his behind and he took a step back towards the wardrobe. He sucked his bottom lip between his teeth, refusing to let it tremble and show his fear any more than his juvenile antics were already.

Seeing that his brother was not planning to go quietly, Elijah stood, taking careful steps over to Kol as his brother continued to back away.

Kol's back bumped against the wardrobe and he realized he was trapped. He looked across the room to the door, wondering if he could make it to it before Elijah could reach him but the thought quickly faded from his mind as he remembered Klaus was still waiting downstairs with Marcel and Klaus was a much worse foe than Elijah.

"I-I did lose it, 'Lijah," Kol whined, hoping to reach his brother's sympathy if he showed a bit of sorrow. "Please, don't…"

"This little lying habit of yours is going to end right now before we leave. I will not have you out there setting a bad example for Marcellus on his first hunting trip."

Elijah sped over to Kol and pinched his earlobe between his fingers, dragging Kol to the chair as he continued to fight back tears.

"I am going to thrash you," Elijah secured Kol with a hand to the small of his back and held him still. "Until such a time as you deem it appropriate to tell me the truth."

Kol's body went rigid as Elijah pulled his pants and underwear down to his knees. His tears began as the cool breeze floating through the open window brushed across his exposed cheeks. He hated that he couldn't just tell Elijah the truth in the beginning if only just to keep his pants up and feel a little less like a whimpering child. He didn't want to lie but he was afraid of what his big brothers would do if they found out he didn't destroy the dagger like they told him to.

Squirming on his lap, Kol groaned, "P-please, 'Lijah,"

Elijah tightened his arm around Kol's body, lifting his behind up just enough to land a series of mechanical smacks across his entire behind.

Kol's flinched after each smack but gritted his teeth to keep from crying out.

After a dozen spanks, Elijah rested his hand against his brother's warm bottom, taking note of the light red blotches decorating it.

"Consider yourself lucky that I believe keeping Klaus and Marcel waiting any longer would be rude or you would be in far worse shape right now."

Kol wiped his forearm against his face, wiping away the tears dripping down his cheeks.

"Do you want to tell me the truth now, or would you like another set?"

"I didn't...I didn't-"

Another dozen, heavy-handed spanks reignited the fire across Kol's behind.

"Try again," Elijah demanded, slapping his hand one last time across Kol's bright red behind.

Kol unconsciously glanced over to the chest.

Elijah saw Kol's subtle gesture and lifted his brother back to his feet before walking to the chest.

"No, 'Lijah, don't-"

Elijah flipped open the lid of the chest to see the bow tucked away in it along with several other magical objects Kol had hidden for himself through the years.

But to Kol's surprise, there was no mystical, black-handled dagger.

Elijah grabbed the bow and examined it for any damages that would explain his brother's strange behavior.

After finding none, he glared back at Kol for an answer.

Kol twisted his hands behind his back. He knew there was only one other person in the Compound who knew about the dagger and if Marcel did have it he would find himself in even more trouble.

I'll just get it from the lad myself, Kol thought. Before Elijah or Niklaus find out.

"Well," Elijah demanded, still slightly irritated by his brother's senseless lies.

"I, uh...I split the wood while I trying to string it earlier," Kol sniffled out another lie. "I know how anal you are about antiques and...I was afraid you'd be angry."

Elijah eyed the bow with more scrutiny until he saw a small chip at the tip of the hand-carved bow. It hurt the aesthetic craftsmanship of the weapon but it wasn't something Elijah would normally pitch a fit about.

He turned his gaze back to Kol. There was something off about his brother's story but he didn't quite know what.

Crossing the room to Kol, Elijah pinched his jaws between his hand and said, "The lying ends right now, brother. Remind me what happens if I catch you in a lie today - any lie, brother, even a seemingly insignificant one."

Kol's face went red. "You...you take a switch to me."

"Bare," Elijah stated firmly, embarrassing his brother more. "Twice. There hasn't been a hunting trip yet that you have walked away without feeling the bite of the switch, dear brother. But this time, we have a young, impressionable mind with us, a mind that idolizes you, a mind that Niklaus and I are trying to mold into a great leader but if you keep infecting him with your least favorable qualities, you risk the gambit of ruining him."

Kol closed his eyes, unable to look at Elijah as he made the claim that Kol could somehow ruin Klaus's precious Marcellus.

With a sigh, Elijah released Kol's jaw and said, "Straighten your clothes and your face before coming downstairs. And do not keep up waiting long or I may decide you need a preemptive spanking as soon as we get to the camping grounds in order to deter further undesirable behavior."

Kol wiped fiercely at the tears on his face as Elijah left the room before pulling his pants back into place.

How 'bout I let little Marcel keep his new gift, Kol thought as he stomped out of his room. We'll see how perfect Elijah and Niklaus thinks he is with a little dark magic coursing through his body.

End Flashback

Marcel threw his backpack on top of a wide log as Klaus tended to Finn's wounds. They found the perfect camping spot. It wasn't too far from the lake, had a decently flat floor, and thanks to the recent construction of the cabin, there were tree stumps around the border that could serve many purposes: a makeshift seat for Klaus to get a better look at the cuts on Finn's cheek as he applied ointment, for one.

"Marcellus, I want you to gather firewood before Kol and Elijah get here," Niklaus said, hoping doing something active would distract Marcel from his anger before his brother appeared.

He knew by Marcel's current attitude, it was only a matter of time before he found himself in Kol's position but Klaus was determined to prolong it as long as he could, even if his son was too distracted to put in the same effort.

Marcel simply ignored Klaus, choosing to instead text Josh about the injustice of having his healing abilities for the weekend. This made his plan all the more dangerous. If he did get caught by Klaus's sirelings or the Mystic Falls crew while his healing was nullified, whatever torture they did to him would be all the more worse.

Do you want me to go with you as back up? - Josh texted back. Josh didn't know what the hunting trip entailed - Marcel didn't to run the risk of outting Kol's punishment too by giving Josh too many details - so he assumed Klaus took their healing ability to make the danger of hunting and camping more exciting and realistic.

When Klaus looked over to Marcel to find himself staring at his son's back as he focused on something other than what Klaus said, his irritation grew

"Marcel," Klaus called again. "Did you hear me?"

"Yeah, one second," Marcel mumbled, texting Josh to stay where he was and that Marcel would figure something out.

Klaus eased Finn from in front of him as he stood and marched over to Marcel.

Before Marcel could react, Klaus snatched his phone from his hand, leaving his text message mid-draft.

"Give it back," Marcel scrambled to grab his phone but Niklaus held it back out of reach.

"Enough!"

Klaus's raised voice stilled Marcel. His father could be as loud as a locomotive when he wanted to be...Marcel just wasn't used to him being that loud to him.

"Have you gone mad? I told you to leave your phone at the cabin and not only do you bring it, you have the unprecedented audacity to use it while standing not ten feet from me."

Marcel took a step back. He knew it was risky to text josh then but he had gotten away with texting people in secret for years, mostly to set up covert attacks on unsuspecting wolf dens and witch covens while he kept the leaders distracted with fancy champagne and charming conversation. But he stupidly allowed his mind to get too distracted on thinking of a Plan B that didn't involve a physical altercation in case he found himself walking into a trap in a couple of days to keep track of Klaus's whereabouts.

Marcel's subtle compliance cooled Klaus's anger.

"I am keeping this phone for the rest of the trip-"

"Okay, but I just need to finish one text-"

"I said 'no' Marcel."

"Then just let me-"

"Enough of the fighting! Ask me for this phone again, and I will break it in two," Klaus bellowed, anger reigniting at Marcel continued backtalk. "Go gather firewood. Do not make me repeat myself again."

Marcel felt his stomach swell inside of him as Klaus walked away from him. He hadn't cleared his messages from Josh or Tyler yet and his phone was unlocked in his father's hands.

Please don't read the message, he repeated as a mantra in his head as his phone disappeared in front of Klaus.

He could not breathe easy until he saw Klaus tuck the phone into his jeans pocket before returning to the stomp in front of Finn.

It wasn't until he looked at Finn's awed face that the embarrassment of being chastised by his father finally set in.

Spinning around, hoping to hide the pink tint on his cheeks, Marcel went into the woods in search for firewood, being sure to not stray too far from the campsite in order to prevent further embarrassment.

"There," Niklaus patted Finn's shoulders after applying the bandage to his cheek. "All better."

Finn blushed as his brother stared at him in the caring way a parent would instead of with the callous annoyance he normally saw in his eyes.

"You-you're not angry?" Finn questioned.

"Angry?" Niklaus's eyebrow raised. "At Marcellus? No, he gets that way sometimes. I've simply learned to live with. Elijah, on the other hand-"

"No, I mean…" Finn's gaze fell down to the ground. He took a deep breath, certain that a clot on the ear would be coming soon. "About me falling. Father...he would be livid."

"Then lucky for us we are no longer children at the heel of his boot."

Finn looked up, shocked at his brother's calmness.

Turning his sight to the bow on Klaus's back, Finn tapped his finger against the tip of the bow. "If you hate him so much...why do you keep the bows he made for you?"

"Because..."

Klaus grabbed hte bow from over his shoulder and stood it on the ground between him and Finn so Finn could get a closer look at the carvings against the side of the bow. There, carved in the language of their Mother-tongue, were the names of all of their siblings from 'Freya' to 'Henrik'.

"It reminds us where we come from," Klaus continued. "These trips in with our father were some of the most traumatizing days of our childhood. Every moment we spent out in the woods with him, all any of us could think of was how we would rather be anywhere else. But then one day, in the heat of a disagreement with Kol, we found ourselves stuck out in the woods 'bonding' for three days."

"And by...'bonding'...you mean..."

Klaus nodded. "But that's not all that there is. Out here, there are no distractions. Just brothers aimed at building a friendship, love, trust, and support."

Finn stared at his name written between Freya and Elijah's on Klaus's bow, remembering his new place on the Mikaelson hierarchy.

"What about when I'm a man again?" He asked.

Niklaus raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't aware that Freya was close to discovering a cure for you."

Finn blushed as he remembered the conversation he had with Freya asking her to set aside her quest of returning him to his original body for now because he feared his family would face him as a man with more reluctance than they were already.

"N-not yet...but I will be a man again eventually. When I am..." Finn looked into Niklaus's eyes, hoping to seem brave in spite of his quivering voice. "Y-you won't be allowed to take me on these trips. Or spank me at all. And I-I don't say that because...I don't think I will trust you then. I just...I am your older brother and...and...and I subject myself to this humiliation now because I am a boy b-but...when I am a man again...y-you can't...you're not allowed to..."

Fear of being thrown over his brother's lap and spanked for even thinking of taking a stand against him forced Finn's mouth shut before he finished his declaration.

He flinched as Niklaus placed his hand on Finn's mop of brown hair. "Alright," Klaus promised with a soft smile. "When you're back to your old body, I won't spank you anymore. But until then, whenever Elijah or I ask you to present yourself for a spanking, you will do so without thrashing around in angry opposition first. Are we agreed?"

Finn wanted to scream 'no'. If Klaus and Elijah wanted to spank him, he was going to make them work for it first. But, wanting to make it through the weekend without a single spanking, Finn didn't want to seem oppositional so he simply nodded his agreement.

"Good. Now," Klaus stood, resting his bow down on the stump behind him. "Help me clear the forest floor so we can start a fire."

Finn found himself almost eager to gather the fallen branches and leaves in his arms and carry them off of the campsite. As the hard ground finally came into view, so did Elijah and Kol.

"Ah, here you are," Elijah stated rather plainly.

Kol walked closely behind Elijah, hoping to shield his shame behind his brother so no one would see the tear streaks still staining his face.

Turning to Kol, Elijah grabbed his limp pack off of his back and said, "Why don't you help them clear the floor and I'll start making a fire."

Kol thought about his pants rubbing against his burning bottom as he bent over to pick up leaves and cringed. But he knew he couldn't argue about it lest he received another walloping.

"Yes, Elijah," he grumbled.

As Kol trudged through the campsite, lazily picking up leaves one at a time, Elijah shook his head. "We will see if we cannot get that attitude under control by the end of the weekend."

Marcel came out of the forest just as Elijah created a circle of rocks in the middle of the campsite.

"Oh good," Elijah said as Marcel walked over to him. "You brought-"

Marcel dumped the arm full of heavy logs in his arms on the ground in front of Elijah before marching over to the stump where his pack sat and throwing himself back against it.

"Marcellus," Elijah's voice rang out through the clearing as he rose to his feet. "Come here this instant."

Marcel cringed as he suddenly realized what he'd done. When he came back from the forest, his mind and eyes were only focused on Niklaus and his phone, he barely registered Elijah's presence as he dumped the logs in front of him. Now Elijah was the only thing on his mind.

Marcel eased himself to a seated position, looking wearily at Elijah, and then to Niklaus.

"Do I need to repeat myself, Marcellus?" Elijah boomed, snapping Marcel's attention back to himself.

Niklaus shook his head in disappointment at Marcel. He was only willing to ignore his disrespect and disobedience for so long. He'd hoped that being off by himself to collect would calm Marcel but it turned out that only Elijah's chilly glare was enough to cool the embers off his wrath.

Finn and Kol stopped what they were doing to look on to the scene of Marcel standing on unsteady legs between the two heated brothers.

"Stand and go to Elijah," Niklaus urged MArcel, hoping to save him from any unnecessary punishment. "You've brought this upon yourself."

Marcel's eyes widened. He couldn't help but shift in his boots as he folded his arms protectively across his chest.

"Marcellus!" Elijah's barked soared through the treetops and slammed against Marcel's ears like a hammer. "Come here. Now."

Marcel tried to hide the anxiety that coursed through his body from appearing on his face as he marched back over to Elijah but he couldn't help the pout that pushed his bottom lip out. He tried to offset the rogue facial expression by biting his lip to seem more menacing than childish but as he stood before Elijah, refusing to meet his eyes in shame, his bottom lip sucked in between his teeth, and his shoulders slumped, he looked every bit the mischievous lad Elijah knew two hundred years ago.

"Let's put aside the fact that you made me call you three times," Elijah started slowly. "And focus first on this attitude of yours. Do you want to tell me what has gotten into you?"

Marcel almost wanted to stay silent but he knew not answering Elijah right now would be the worst thing he could do.

"Not really," he groaned, his wandering eyes finding Kol leaning against a tree with a shit-eating grin on his face.

A tight grip on Marcel's jaws drew his eyesight back to Elijah, staring heatedly at him. "Look me in the eyes, Marcellus."

Flashback

Marcel and Klaus shared a look before their eyes dropped down to the last beignet on the kitchen counter between them. Moving as quick as his human reflexes could make him, Marcel plucked the sweet treat from the tray before Klaus's hand even left the countertop.

Klaus chuckled as his son silently cheered his own victory. They both know he could have stolen that beignet before Marcel could blink if he wanted to, after all, Niklaus was an eight hundred-year-old vampire with supernatural abilities and Marce was just a 10-year-old boy.

"Alright," Niklaus walked around the counter and lifted Marcel from the tall stool he perched so happily on top onto the floor. "Now that you're all full, let's hear this crowd silencing how me the speech you've been going on about. I fear I won't be able to rest until I am floored by your masterful rendition. I am so terribly sorry that my meeting ran late through the night and I missed the 9pm performance. Hopefully, the young thespian has the energy now after sharing half-a-dozen beignets with his adoring audience to put on a morning show just as moving?"

Marcel's eyes brightened with delight at his poppa's excitement. He straightened his pajama shirt as if it were a suit jacket as he swallowed the last bit of pastry in his mouth. Taking a deep breath, he began to recite his favorite speech from the Shakespearean play Elijah was currently teaching him to read.

"Romans, countrymen, and lovers, hear me for my cause, and-"

Marcel watched as Klaus reached slowly out to his chin, pressing his finger lightly upward until Marcel's eyesight was locked on to his.

"Remember, Marcellus, Brutus was a brave and honorable man and you are a brave and honorable boy," Klaus said warmly. "Always look people in the eyes as you speak. It's how you show them that you are on equal grounds."

Marcel smiled at his poppa's encouragement. He'd been staring down at the floor when speaking to people for so long, he didn't normally realize it when it happened. But his poppa did, and he worked every day to patiently fix Marcel's unconscious conditioning.

"I apologize for the interruption, dear sir," Klaus said with a wink. "Please, do me the honor of hearing it once more from the beginning. "

Marcel nodded, staring into his father's warm green eyes as he started the speech again.

End Flashback

"Look me in the eyes," Elijah repeated. "And tell me what happened."

Elijah wasn't trying to compel, not with his powers anyway. Marcel knew Elijah simply wanted him to look him in the eyes and tell him the truth like a trusted brother.

With a sigh, Marcel looked into Elijah's eyes and said, "I got into it without Klaus. I was mad at him and I accidentally took it out on you. I'm sorry."

"What else, Marcellus," Niklaus asked from his spot at the edge of the camp, listening to everything Marcel and Elijah said just like Kol and Finn were doing.

Marcel's leg began to bounce and he wrung his hands behind his back, the words choking him as they preferred to be caught in his throat than to admit his earlier actions.

"Having a tough time remembering what all you said or did in my absence, Marcellus?" Elijah prodded. "Let's see if I can help jog your memory. Go cut me a switch."

Marcel suddenly froze. Kol's jaw dropped. Even he had never gotten a switching before the campfire was made.

"Wh-what?" Marcel stuttered. "But...I didn't tell a lie."

Elijah crossed his arms over his chest, firm in his decision, and unmoved by Marcel's sudden modest attitude. "Withholding the truth is the same as lying, Marcellus, you know this. Now go cut a switch. And make sure it's a supple one. I do hate having to start over midway through because of a snapped implement."