AN: Thank you all for reading and reviewing. This next chapter is a bit slow but important and I think it is very interesting. I hope you will enjoy. Please continue to review as it does encourage me. Stay safe, take care and continue to be good people.
Chapter 10
Rebekah fussed over Bonnie as she lay on Klaus' bed still and quiet. She smoothed her hair, tucked the furs around her then got up to get water to place next to her, just in case.
Bonnie hadn't woken up after Klaus brought her into his longhouse, not even after he pulled out the fragment of the arrow still in her side and tended to the wound, or after he gently washed her and himself and laid beside her through the night whispering soft sweet words of his undying love. Still she didn't wake after the second day and he had to leave, having sent for Rebekah to stay with her since he didn't want her to fear the worst, if she woke and he wasn't there
Fidgeting Rebekah paced around the room watching the sleeping witch. She didn't know what to make of this new turn of events. Kol regaled them all with the events of their fight with the English and the witch.
Kol was awestruck by her power and her fighting skills. He had never seen a woman fight the way she did even though his sisters were no shrinking violets, but fierce capable fighters. Their father insisted they be taught to fight, to know how to protect themselves. Yet the way she fought was outstanding for one so small with such delicate features.
He recounted how Klaus cried out when he thought her dead and how he unleashed his beast and blood flowed. How Klaus killed with such unbridled rage and agony that it even scared him. Kol told them how he gently carried her and spoke words of love and adoration to her.
And although they listened to Kol and knew he had no reason to lie, they had a difficult time imagining this side of Klaus. That he would be enamored by this woman he had just met was questionable. Perhaps it was a spell or maybe Kol was exaggerating as he often did at times. But the young Mikaelson swore that Klaus threatened the gods for her sake.
Elijah sat quietly taking it all in, listening to his brother, but his mind went back to the way Klaus spoke of her earlier. He knew something happened while he was with her and he was sure to uncover the details.
Rebekah knew her brother, she remembered when they were young and how he would comfort her and Freya when the storms would frighten them. She recalled the times he would allow Kol to follow him around and get under foot and stayed patient with him while teaching him to fight. Klaus would carve and whittle wooden toys or tokens for them all. Klaus was a man full of passion and love.
She believed Kol and the fact that Klaus went to her, brought her back and stayed with the witch through the night, never leaving her side, spoke volumes to Rebekah about his true feelings. So when he asked her to watch over her, she didn't hesitate. Plus she was very curious of the woman that had apparently captured the hearts of two of her brothers.
Before Rebekah married and left with Connor, she had seen the way Aurora was and she was happy that Klaus wasn't going to be with Aurora because she couldn't stand that clinging, self-serving phony. Around their parents she tried to act so sweet and caring, but it was such a show. She was a bitch, really. Thinking she was better than others and entitled to whatever she wanted. She thought Esther and Mikael were fooled by her acts of altruism, humility and modesty, but they were not.
The Mikaelson parents did not necessarily approve of the young woman, but it was their son's decision. He was intelligent, shrewd and extremely good at reading people, Mikael was not concerned with his dalliance with the girl. He was sure Klaus would not marry her, it was Esther that worried. She knew how duplicitous women could be and she did not want him the be ensured in her trickery.
As Rebekah paced, lost in her thoughts, Bonnie opened her eyes, calling out. "Husband, husband…"
Startled by her voice and what she called Klaus, Rebekah stopped in her tracks and then hurriedly approached the young woman.
Sitting on the bed, she smoothed her hair, " Do not worry, he will be back soon. Do not move too much. Here take some water," Rebekah offered as she helped lift her head and brought the wooden cup to her lips.
The water was cool to her lips and refreshing as it went down, coating her throat, but also causing her to choke in her haste to drink.
"Slow down, love," Rebekah cautioned as she coughed causing water to spray out and run down her chin. Rebekah moved the cup, easing her head back down, then took a nearby rag and wiped her mouth and chin.
"Thank you," Bonnie whispered. Her throat hurt and was still rough and dry, but she asked,"Where is Niklaus?"
"He left with the others yesterday to deal with the remaining MacAskill-Lockwood clan and any English that may have been hiding throughout nearby villages and outskirts." Rebekah informed her.
Rebekah had moved to sit back in the chair next to the bed. She watched the young witch's face. Bonnie looked a bit unhappy but settled back down.
"You should rest. The men will be back soon."
"How many people died?" Bonnie questioned. She had hoped to have gotten to Niklaus before they were able to attack the village unseen, but she had failed to act as swiftly as she should have.
"According to Nik and Kol more would have perished had you not fought and held back the English reinforcements that were on their way. I am told that they planned to kill everyone, in particular myself and my unborn child." Casting her eye down and rubbing her belly, Rebekah continued, " I will never know how men can be so cruel and full of hate."
Shaking herself, changing the topic, Rebekah probed with a shy smile, "Do you love my brother?"
Bonnie slightly positioned herself so that she could comfortably look at Rebekah as she spoke. "I know not of love, but I know he is the stillness that calms my restless heart. And when I incline my ear to his chest and hear his strong and steady heartbeat, the cadence somehow fills the emptiness I have felt for so long. And just being in his presence causes my magic to hum and vibrate in what I believe is happiness. Where he goes, whether he permits or not, I will follow. I will make his people my people. I would not suffer to be without him. Tell me princess, is that love?"
The smile that Rebekah gifted her with brought her a warmth that she had never felt before from another woman. It felt as if they were bonded or connected in some way. Bonnie couldn't explain it but she was sure that they both felt it in that moment.
Nodding her head in affirmation, Rebekah gleefully replied, "Yes, that is love. When you can only see your future with that man sharing it. The only one that you would have to father your children, to grow old with. Yes, that is love."
"Is that what you felt for your husband?" Bonnie questioned, she could see the light in her eyes as she spoke as well as a sadness.
"I came to love Connor. My father and Argyll had arranged the marriage."
"But there was, or perhaps is, another that has captured your heart." Bonnie astutely surmised, adding before Rebekah spoke further.
"Yes, we loved each other fiercely. He was going to ask my father for my hand, but we were too late. For honor sake we resolved to end our love affair. He left, adventure bound before I wed, but, I thank the gods, he returned in good health."
"And now?"
"Now?" Rebekah asked not certain what the witch meant by that. Confusion marred the young woman's face as she looked to the witch for understanding.
"Now, will you be with him? Will he be a husband to you and a father to the babe?" Bonnie expounded on her thoughts.
Looking contemplative while digesting the question, Rebekah realized she truly didn't know the answer, but she knew her heart's song. "I know not." She sighed. "I dare not dream or hope or think of such things for they are folly. And I fear to entertain such when fate has decided our course would only bring despair and sickness of the heart."
Bonnie sat up a bit higher in spite of the discomfort. She twirled her hands in a circular motion over each other, saying a spell as she did. Cupping her hands together, golden light spilled through her fingers. Rebekah watched mesmerized. When the light dimmed and she opened her hands revealing in her palm lay a tiny creature that resembled a miniature dragon, with one head instead of two, four legs , a set of webbed wings and one tail. Its color started out green but soon changed to a blue-green, then blue-yellow and finally a light blue-purple. It was no more than the size of a hen's egg.
The small creature made a little hissing sound and shook as it made itself comfortable on Bonnie's lap as she let it free. Rebekah watched in wonderment, smiling as she watched the little thing turn in circles before it actually sat down in a ball with its tail tucked underneath its body. Both girls giggled with delight watching the creature. Then Bonnie looked up at Rebekah who was still smiling.
"This little fellow is a nesle. I know not a word in your tongue for it."
"Nesle," Rebekah repeated slowly, getting a feel for the word. "Nesle," she repeated again more confidently and then smiled.
"They are all but gone now," Bonnie said sadly, "But such is the way of many magical creatures."
"Where do they come from? I have never seen such a thing. Where have they gone?" Rebekah asked in rapid succession, with childlike curiosity, caused Bonnie to chuckle.
The witch's magic was slowly working its healing powers over her body and she could feel her wounds slowly mending themselves which helped the pain in her throat to dissipate.
So feeling better and wishing to share with the princess some of the stories she had begun to remember, among other things, once she had opened the trunk, settled back a bit while trying to avoid disturbing the tiny creature in her lap.
In a rhythmic recurrence of sound that filled the room, Bonnie began to weave a fascinating tale which totally enraptured Rebekah. And as she listened, on the wall, she saw shadowy images depicting each scene for her to witness.
"A long time again, a beautiful goddess fell in love with a mortal man, but this was forbidden; the reason for this is a tale for another time. But oh how she loved him. And she was so in love with him she could not give him up and every night she went to him when the moon was full and the stars were bright as she used them for her stepping stones guiding her from the heavens to earth to be by his side."
"When the queen of the gods became aware of her disobedience she was furious for this was a most sacred law. Therefore the queen in her most cunning way went to the king of the gods and innocently inquired of him at court, what was the penalty for such an action(although she knew the answer). The king firmly stated death was the punishment for such a defiance."
"With a sickeningly sweet smile on her face the queen declared that it was his favorite daughter who refused to obey his rule and sacred command, therefore he must carry out the law."
"With a heavy heart the king went to the goddess and asked her if the allegation of her transgression was true. The goddess confirmed it was. He begged her to forsake the mortal, but she refused."
"Then he asked her what made this mere mortal have such favor in her eyes. The goddess told her father, my eyes only see the love he has for me and that makes him mightier and fairer than any other man, whether he be a god or mortal and in his eyes he sees only the woman he loves."
"The king was aggrieved by her answer. His word was law and he was not above the law, but she was his favorite child and the most gracious and lovely of all the goddesses and he was loathed to strike her down."
"For days he pondered on this most difficult decision. He would not be consoled nor would he be rushed by his wife or any of the other gods in this matter. Finally he brought the goddess and her paramour before him to hear his final decree on the matter."
"As they stood before him, he turned to the mortal and asked if he was willing to die for the goddess and he adamantly said yes he would. Then he turned to the goddess and asked the same, to which she also said yes. Looking closely at the two with wisdom and compassion he saw the love they had for each other and thus made his announcement."
"By law she had to be punished and death was the punishment. Death being the end of a thing; he would end her and her lover thereby adhering to the law, however it was by his discretion how they would meet their end."
"The king was very wise indeed, he proclaimed that due to the goddess' disobedience and her unyielding love for the mortal and his for her, they would always be dependent and independent of each other, driven apart yet always seeking and finding each other, always being each other's greatest strength and weakness for all time."
"And thus he turned them into the first nesles. They have many enemies and a hard dangerous life with few defenses to protect themselves. Their greatest defense they don't always have available to them."
"Why is that?" Rebekah asked.
"Nesle hatchlings are born with two heads and the means to spit fire, although they do not have the ability as hatchlings. When the time comes they find a safe place and go into a cocoon after eating all the creeping things it can find. Once in that safe place, the cocoon hardens with scales. While in the cocoon, it grows and changes, once the time is right it emerges from the cocoon, shedding its skin, but not be alone. He has metamorphosed and his mate also emerges, both with one head, having split apart while in the cocoon."
"They are driven to leave each other , if they stay together they attack and fight each other. So they leave to seek out others of their kind and to learn to be independent of each other. But their journeys are set with perils and they must be connying and adaptable to survive. If they both survive they will find each other, no matter where they may be, even in captivity. They are meant to find the other, if one should die the other will find the place the other has died, often staying there dying themselves."
"Once they are reunited, they are not easily preyed upon. This is because they are stronger as one. In their mating they exchange the means by which they both can spit fire."
Rebekah marinated on what the witch told her then she asked, " What are you saying, that Marcel and I like the nesles?"
"I am simply saying one can learn many insightful lessons by paying attention to the nesle. While the nesle may be at the mercy of fate throughout its life, once it finds and is reunited with its mate it does not allow fate or any other threat to seperate them again."
Rebekah nodded to the witch then got up from her seat to help ease the tiny witch back down so that she could rest. "Rest and I will go see if there is any news of the men's' return." She said after tucking Bonnie in. The nesle moved to cuddle up with Bonnie, but she forbade it, "Away with you, go to your mistress," she commanded.
Rebekah looked at her questioningly, Bonnie answered her unspoken question, "I conjured him through magic, he will stay as he is, only growing in size and unable to spit fire. He does not have a mate. Without another to love, he will surely die. I give him to you. He will serve you well."
Rebekah was humbled by the kind gesture of the witch, she smiled, "Thank you. Now you must rest, Nik would be furious with me if he knew I was keeping you from your rest."
Rebekah walked out shutting the door behind her. She had a lot of thoughts taking up residence in her head, but the one that she listened to the most was the one that echoed her heart's desire, which compelled her to take action. Regardless of the consequences or lack of propriety, she would leave, to return to her people and to make a life with Marcel.
She prayed to the gods that he would return safely with the men from their military attack.
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