Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait. I hope this chapter was worth it.
Mystic Falls Kingdom - Hybrid Village
Matt Donovan is one of the first hybrids Klaus turned. He has been one for close to a hundred fifty years, yet he looks like he is in his twenties. One of the many perks of being a hybrid. Another being able to control the phasing, but the most important one would be his wife, Elena. He met her eleven years ago when she escaped the massacre of her wolf tribe. The Silver Moon wolves were an ancient pack, almost as ancient as the Southern Wolves. No one knows who killed them, the only thing that Elena remembers was a black smoke engulfing the village, and the symbol carved into the foreheads of her dead pack members. A six pointed star inside a circle. Her twin sister, Katherine, sacrificed herself so Elena could escape with the pack's most valued treasure, the Fire Moonstone. An ancient moonstone, in the shape of a teardrop, that absorbs the energy of the full moon. It has been collecting the energy for over two thousands years. The power it holds has been sought after by many witches, vampires, and wolves.
Angry and seeking revenge Elena wanted to find the witch that had summoned the black smoke. Only a very powerful witch could have summon something like that, and the most powerful witch is the Great Witch Freya. It is a well known fact that Klaus wants the stone. Elena came to Mystic Falls believing it was him who ordered Freya to summon the smoke. Blinded by grief she attacked him. Before he ripped her throat out he asked why she dared to attack him. When he heard her story he let her go. He told her that it was not him who killed her pack, but he would help her find revenge, and so he turned her into a hybrid. As long as he had the last Silver Moon wolf as one of his hybrids the Fire Moonstone was his. He had Freya help Elena find anything they could on spells evolving black smoke, but they all turned out to be dead ends. To this day Elena still tries to find out who killed her family.
Matt heard of the last Silver Moon Wolf, but she kept to herself living away from the other hybrids. It wasn't until seven years ago that he finally met her when she came to the hybrid's full moon bonfire. She was quite and did not talk with anyone unless it was to answer a question, but only with a quick yes or no. Matt took it upon himself to make her feel comfortable enough to open up. They ended up talking all night. By time the sun rose the next morning he had fallen in love. They got married in a small ceremony five years ago, and Klaus has allowed Freya to perform the ritual so Elena can conceive. Soon Matt and Elena will have the family that they have always wanted, but for now waking up in the morning to see Elena's sleeping face is all he needs to make him feel content.
As Matt got up to get ready for the day he heard footsteps approaching his home. As to not wake Elena, he opened the door before the person could knock. Matt saw two other hybrids walking towards his home, Dante and Cahal. Dante is a tall tanned skin man, with long black hair. Cahal has light brown hair and olive skin. "What do you two want?"
"Good morning to you too."
"Dante, I do not have time for this. Why are you here?"
"Klaus needs to speak with us right away."
"Did he say why?"
"It's about the Bennetts." Matt felt the world stop. Had Klaus found out about the secret he has been keeping for the past eighteen years.
~Eighteen Years Ago~
Matt slowly makes his way through the Bennett Castle. He walks over and around all the bodies that lay throughout the castle. He and twelve other hybrids had come to the castle as soon as night fell. They killed anyone who was in or near the castle. Five hours later everyone seemed to be dead. Besides him there were only two other hybrids that had survived the battle. Now he was checking to make sure that they were the only ones who survived.
Suddenly he heard howling. He sped outside just in time to see one of the hybrids in wolf form run off into the forest. He turned to the other one. "Cahal! What happened?"
"Three of the Bennett children escaped. Dante picked up their trail and is tracking them."
"You stay here in case they come back. I'll catch up with Dante." Matt took off and found Dante a couple of miles away from the castle. He had phased back to his human form. "Did you find them?"
"No, I lost the trail."
"Keep looking. Head towards Pearl Lake and see if you can pick up the trail there. I'll head towards Bennett Cove and see if they are trying to get escape by boat." Dante ran off towards the lake and Matt went in the direction of the cove. It was almost dawn by the time he reached there. A few trading ships were docked there and not a soul in sight. Just as Matt turns to head back into the forest he hears the rustling of leaves to his right. He ducks behind some crates and sees two girls and a baby. The Bennett girls that escaped. He watches as they rush over to a small boat.
"Hello!?" The oldest girl calls out.
"Shhhh! You'll wake the others." Matt sees a tall, well built man jump off the boat. "What do you want?"
"Are you Alaric?"
"Yes, and who are you?"
The oldest girl passes the baby to the other. "Emily Bennett." She then pulls out a folded piece of paper from her bag, giving it to Alaric. "My aunt told me to give this you. She said you can help us."
Matt watches as Alaric reads the piece of paper and the girls stand there waiting. He knows this is the perfect chance to strike, but just as he is about to make his move the baby starts to cry. He watches as Emily takes the baby from the other girl and rocks her back in forth to comfort her. "It's okay, there is no need to cry." She gently rubs the baby's back as it falls back to sleep. Matt takes a closer look at the three Bennetts. He can clearly see that the girls are covered in dirt and have deep bags under their eyes, especially the one called Emily. He can feel the guilt weighing on his heart.
"Where is your aunt?" Alaric asks.
"She is dead." Emily whispers, but Matt hears the words laced with the sadness. The guilt he feels gets heavier.
Matt sees Alaric's face turn from emotionless to complete shock. We he regains his composure he speaks. "We must leave now. The journey to Crescent Island is a long one. We will need to make a few stops along the way to pick up supplies and food." Alaric then pulls out a whistle and summons a hawk. He writes a quick note, attaches it to the Hawk, and sends it off. "I have just sent a message to Giuseppe Salvatore. His family and a few other witches live on that island. He will help you settle once we reach there."
Alaric takes Emily bag and brings them on the ship. If Matt does not attack now then they will escape and he would have failed Klaus, but he can't move. They had lost everything and yet here they are, just three survivors making sure that take care of each other. He can't kill them. Instead he watches the boat sail off. When the it was no longer in sight he walks back to the Bennett Castle to see Dante and Cahal standing by the gate. If he tells them that the Bennetts are on a small ship, Klaus will send an armada to kill them. He sees the tired faces of the two girls and hears the crying of the baby. He already took their home, so he would make sure they found a new one.
"I found the Bennetts. They tried to escape on a boat, but I killed them."
"You killed all three by yourself?" Dante asked.
"They were two little girls and a baby. It was not difficult."
"They may be young, but they are still Bennetts."
"Doesn't matter I took care of them." Dante looks suspicious, but Matt ignores him. "Klaus wants anything of value. Let's take what we can find."
"Can't." Cahal says. "While we were waiting for you to come back we took out the bodies, after we were done we couldn't go back inside. It seems a boundary spell has been put around the castle."
"What!?" Matt tries to walk through the gate only to be thrown back. "How is that possible? Who did it?"
"No idea."
"Where are the bodies?"
"We threw them in a pit we dug, and just as we were about to burn them a bunch of witches came and stopped us. They took the bodies saying that the Bennetts needed a proper burial."
"Klaus will not like this, but there is nothing we can do. Lets head back to High Castle."
~Present Time~
"I need to get ready." Matt says, closing the door in haste. He tries to calm down thinking to himself that there is no way that Klaus can know about what he had done. He never told a soul. He feels his heart beat start to slow down. He hears the rustle of blankets and looks up in time to see Elena walk out of the bedroom.
"Matt? What are you doing by the door?" She rubs her eyes sleepily.
"Dante and Cahal are here. Klaus has summoned the three of us." Elena fully awakens at the mention of Klaus. She rushes over to Matt.
"Why? Is something wrong? Do you want me to go too?"
"I'm sure there is nothing to worry about. I'll talk to you when I get back." Matt walks into their bedroom and a minute later comes back out fully dressed. He gives her a soft peck on her lips. "Everything is good. I'll see you soon."
Ember Isles - East Docks
The sun had just risen by the time Bonnie and Stefan arrive on Ember Isles. They were greeted by the dock-master and his wife. "Welcome to Ember Isles. What brings you two here?"
"I'm Stefan, and this is my partner Bonnie. We are here for research on rare animals and plants, and what they can be used for."
~An hour before they made landfall~
Bonnie studies the map of Ember Isles. "So what do we tell the villagers when we get there?"
"For now I think it's best we don't mention the whole darkness is coming thing."
"Really? And here I thought it would be a good idea to terrify a small village with the idea of the world ending."
"Sarcasm is beneath you, Bonnie."
She laughs. "Sorry, but seriously what do we tell them?"
Stefan takes the map from Bonnie and points to a lake on the map. "My mother told me that this is the only place in the world you can find the blue spotted frogs. They make this slime that is excellent for getting rid of nightmares."
"Fascinating. Why are you telling me this?"
"Ember Isles has some of the rarest animals and plants in the known world. I think we should tell them that we are here to study them. That way it will allow us to roam around the place without any suspicion."
Bonnie nods in agreement. "That is a very good idea."
"Also I think it is best we don't anyone we are witches."
~Present Time~
"You have come to the right place. I'm Adam" He shakes Stefan's hand. "I would love to show you around, but the chief is getting married and the whole village is preparing for the celebration."
"That is very exciting. When is the wedding?" Bonnie asks, Adam ignores her.
"Do you plan to stay on your boat? If you do not want to, I am sure that the chief will allow you stay at his home. He loves to meet new people."
"The boat is fine." Bonnie replies.
"Sir?" Adam looks at Stefan.
"She is right. We will be staying on our boat."
"Very well. My wife and I must go and help prepare for the wedding. See that path up ahead, that will lead you straight to the main part of the village. When you are ready please feel free to come. The wedding is tomorrow, but the festivities have already started."
"We will. Thank you."
"What a bastard!" As soon as Adam and his wife disappeared down the path Bonnie starts to yell. "He acted like I didn't exist!"
"Calm down Bonnie. Remember what I told you this morning. Ember Isles is a village where the women are basically slaves."
"But why!?"
"I have no idea, it's their culture."
"It's wrong." Bonnie huffs in anger.
"I agree, but there is nothing we can do. We need to find the first warrior, so let's go." Stefan starts to head towards the village as Bonnie reluctantly follows behind.
Village Center
Caroline stands in the shop as the dressmaker makes some last minute adjustments to her dress. Her mother watches like a hawk as she sews the finishing touches on to the wedding dress. "Stand straight. The dress needs to fit perfectly. I refuse to let anything be off. Tomorrow will be the most perfect wedding." Caroline ignores her mother. She knows for a fact that tomorrow will be her mother's worst day, because by then she will be long gone. Everything has all been set up. There is a bag full of clothes and gold coins that were given to her mother by the chief. On the east docks is the ship that was once her father's. Before he died he would take her on to the ship and teach her all there is to know about being a captain. She really misses him, and hopes that he would understand why she must leave.
Caroline hears the door open and her mother goes to check who has entered the shop. "Your mother seems to be more excited about the wedding than you, my dear."
She looks down at the dressmaker. "What makes you say that?"
"You look like I have dressed you for your funeral. Though I don't blame you."
"What do you mean?"
"You are marrying that wretched old man. If I were you, I would have run away a long time ago."
Caroline feels the sensation of relief flow through her knowing she is not the only one thinking the same thing. "If I knew what my mother had done from the beginning I would have been long gone by now, but now I know the truth."
"What do you mean?"
"Lets just say that you do not need to worry about the dress. Today is the last time I'll be wearing it." The dressmaker was going to ask more but Caroline's mother came back.
"Your delivery of fabric came. I was not sure were to have them put so I left it on the table in the front."
"That is fine." She gets up. "I'm done."
"Excellent. Caroline, I am meeting with the chief's advisors to go over the details of tomorrow. You are free for the rest of the day, but if you stay out make sure you return home before night falls. I want you to be well rested for tomorrow."
"Yes mother." Caroline removes the dress and puts on her simple blue cotton dress.
When Caroline walks out her mother turns to the dressmaker. "Well?"
"You are right. She plans to run."
Bonnie and Stefan walk around the village center watching the villagers scurry from one place to the next. There is a large arch covered in gardinia's right in the middle. Some of the villagers are putting pink roses in flower pots that hang on poles around the village, while some villagers are wrapping a shimmery white cloth around them. Bonnie notes it's only women doing the decorating, and the men all seem to be heading to the village tavern. "When Adam said the festivities were already starting, he failed to mention that it was only for men."
"I know, I don't like this place either. Hopefully we will find the person we are looking for soon so we can leave."
"There is another problem as well that we have not talked about."
"What's that?"
"How are we going to fit three people on our boat, let alone five people plus us?"
"You have a point. We are going to have to find a new ship, a large one." As they turn a corner Bonnie bumps into a woman making her fall backwards. "Bonnie!"
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. I was in a rush and was not looking where I was going." The woman holds out her hand to help Bonnie up. "Are you okay?"
When Bonnie is back on her feet she looks at the woman who ran into her. She recognizes her instantly as the woman who was sleeping in the small hut. "I'm fine. I also was not paying attention. I'm Bonnie by the way." She reaches out her hand.
"Caroline." She takes Bonnie's hand shaking it. As soon as they touch they feel a park between them. Caroline gasps and pulls away rubbing her hand. "I haven't seen you before, are you two here for the wedding?"
"No, we are here to study the rare animals and plants that grow here. This is Stefan, we are both witches." Bonnie sees Caroline's eyes light up. Stefan gives Bonnie a warning look, but she ignores it.
"Not many witches come here. If they want something usually they send a message and someone from the village delivers it. I've never met one before. Is there something specific you guys are looking for? My father was one of the traders. I know a lot about the wildlife here."
"Really? Could you show us around?"
Caroline pauses. She really needs to get things in order so she can leave tonight, but there is something about Bonnie that Caroline can't put her finger on. "Of course."
"Um…could you excuse us for a moment." Stefan pulls Bonnie away and whispers. "What are you doing? We don't actually have to look for plants and animals."
"She is the one we have been looking for."
"Really? She doesn't look like much of a warrior."
"I remember her from the vision the Goddess gave me, and when we touched, I felt a connection. It is definitely her."
"Great. What next? How do we convince her to join us?"
"No idea." With that they turn back to Caroline.
"Everything okay?"
"Of course. Where should we start?"
"The green house. It is where a lot of the magical plants are kept and harvested. It is much easier to grow them ourselves then having to forage for it."
"Sounds good." Caroline starts to lead to the northern part of the village. "So how come you are not helping with the big wedding coming up?"
"Oh….um...it's my… wedding."
"I see…wait! You're the one getting married!?" Bonnie looks at Stefan, knowing he is thinking the same thing she is. If Caroline is getting married how the hell are they going to convince her travel around the world collecting the rest of the warriors and then go to Crescent Island to fight some darkness that they know next to nothing about?
"Yes."
"Congratulations."
"Thanks." Bonnie notes the way her shoulders slump over at the mention of her wedding. When Damon asked Emily to marry him, she was over the moon, telling Bonnie and Lucy the details of her dream wedding.
"I know it's not my place, but you don't seem happy about getting married." Stefan remains quite, but sends her a questioning look. "When my cousin got engaged she was so happy that the mere mention of anything wedding related she would get this goofy smile on her face."
"Did she have a choice?"
"Of course."
"I did not." Bonnie wants to know more about Caroline's situation, but Stefan's hand on her shoulder told her that it was not the time. They walk the rest of the way in silence. When the reach the greenhouse Caroline sees her mother standing at the door way with two men. When she takes a good look at them she notices that one of the men is holding the bag she hid that had her clothes and money. She tells Bonnie and Stefan to stay here as she ran to her mother.
"Mother! What are you doing here?" As soon as Caroline stops in front of her mother the other man grabs her, twists her arms behind her back, and ties her writs. "What are you doing!? Let me go!" She struggles trying to escape the man's hold.
"Did you honestly think that I would not find out about your little plan to run away." Her mother slaps her leaving a dark red mark on her cheek. "You stupid girl." She raises her hand to slap Caroline again.
Not able to watch any longer Bonnie sends the woman and the man holding Caroline into the the wall of the greenhouse. The other man scared of what he saw ran towards the village dropping the bag. "Are you okay?" Bonnie rushes over to untie Caroline, and Stefan checks on the woman and man.
"I'm fine."
"Who are those people?"
"My mom and one of the chief's advisor."
"They are out cold, but they will wake up soon." Stefan said. "Why is your mother doing this to you."
"She found out I was running away. She's the one who arranged my marriage to the chief. I have no desire to marry him." Caroline picked up the bag. "Thanks for helping me but I have to go."
"Wait! How are planning to escape?"
"My father's ship."
"If your mom knew about your stash at the greenhouse I guarantee she knows about the ship."
"Where is your ship?" Stefan asks.
"At the east docks."
"Our boat is there to. We can help you escape, but you have to let us come with you."
"Why? Aren't you here to study the wildlife of this place?"
"We don't have time to explain. I'll tell you everything as soon as we leave Ember Isles. Do you trust me?"
Caroline looks at Bonnie and Stefan, two strangers she met today. She knows nothing about them and they know nothing about her, but there was something about Bonnie. She could hear a voice inside her head telling her that being with Bonnie is where she belongs. "I think I might be crazy, but yes. I trust you."
Mystic Falls Kingdom - High Castle
Klaus is sitting at his large desk when Matt and the two other hybrids enter. Klaus gets up to greet them. "Matt, Dante, and Cahal. I'm glad you could make it." Matt bows his head and the other two follow his lead. "Would any of you care for a drink?"
"I'm sorry, but my wife and I have plans and I would like to not be late. So why have you called us here?"
"Straight to the point as always Matt. Very well, I called you here to talk about that night eighteen years ago when I sent you to kill the Bennetts. Some things have come up that have got me worried that not all the Bennetts were killed. Specifically Emily, Lucy, and Bonnie Bennett."
"Who?" Dante asks. Matt remains quite showing no emotion whatsoever.
"They would have been the three youngest Bennetts. Two girls and a baby."
"I remember, Matt killed them." Cahal answers.
Klaus looks to Matt to elaborate. "The three escaped into the forest. I had Cahal stay at the castle in case they returned. I sent Dante towards Pearl Lake and I went to Bennett Cove to see if they would try to escape on a ship. Turns out I was right and found them around dawn trying to sneak onto a ship. I killed the three of them and their bodies fell into the water and were swept away by the waves."
"Hmm…" Klaus observes Matt closely. He is giving no sign that he is lying. "Okay. You may go."
"That's it?" Dante asks
"Yes. I just needed to confirm the story you told us back then. You may go." The three of them leave the room as Klaus goes back to his desk. "You can come out brother."
Elijah steps out from behind the curtain. "I don't know why I had to hide."
"I wanted your opinion on Matt's story."
"It's the same one he told last time."
"That's it. It is the exact same story, word for word. He is lying to me."
"Matt is your most loyal hybrid, why would he lie to you?"
"I have no idea. I want you to follow him. Tell me everything he does and who he talks to."
"Why am I doing this? Send one of your minions."
"This is important. I need someone I can trust."
"Fine, as you wish, but before I leave there is something I need to tell you. Kol did not take Davina out yesterday."
"What are you talking about? I saw them leave together."
"Yes, but Freya told me that he left Davina with her and ran off."
"I thought they were getting along. Just go do what I told you to do. I'll handle Kol."
"Very well." Elijah left and Klaus poured himself a glass of wine. It seemed as if everything was going wrong at the same time and Klaus had a feeling that it was only going to get worse.
Blood Moon Tavern
Alaric was enjoying a nice cold drink of ale enjoying the conversations of the people around him. During the day is the only time the Blood Moon Tavern is filled only with humans, and Alaric prefers it that way. He hates coming to Mystic Falls, because everywhere you go there are vampires around every corner. Before, when he was in the kingdom, he would spend his time with the Bennetts. Alaric travels all over the world picking up rare and interesting things and sells them. The rarest ones he kept for the Bennetts. It was the only way he knew how to pay them back for saving his life from an oni, a type of demon.
Since they were killed his only place of solace was this tavern. But his enjoyment was short lived when a man takes a seat at his table. He recognizes him as one of Klaus's hybrid. Alaric takes a big swig of his ale and looks at the unwelcome guest. "What do you want?"
"I'm Matt and I need you to send a message to…" Matt looks around the bar, and notes only humans are here. "...Emily Bennett." He whispers.
Alaric looks at Matt. "Sorry to break it to you, the Bennetts died eighteen years ago."
"And I was the one that led the attack on them."
"Then why are you coming to me asking about Bennetts?"
"I saw Emily Bennett, and two other escape onto your ship. I could have killed them and you, but I didn't"
"I have no idea what you're talking about." He takes another gulp.
"Look I don't have time for this. I know you can get a message to them. I told Klaus that I killed them eighteen years ago, but something happened. Klaus is starting to suspect that they are still alive. You need to warn them." Matt gets up and walks out of the tavern. Alaric finishes his drink and heads towards the ship. Matt was right he needed to warn Emily that Klaus is coming.
Bennett Castle
A tall figure covered in a black-hooded robe stands by the castle gates. He touches the castle and immediately feels the magic protecting it start to burn him. When the pain becomes unbearable he removes his hand. "Still no luck." The man turns to see a woman also dressed in the same robe as him.
"It has been eighteen years and yet whatever magic is protecting this place is only getting stronger. If you had gotten the Fire Moonstone liked I asked, instead of killing an entire pack we would have what we need by now."
"Would you relax. They were protecting the stone, so I had to kill the them."
"Relax!?" In six months time, our master will awaken. When he does he is going to need his weapon, which is inside this castle."
"Well maybe if you had gotten the weapon first before tricking Klaus into killing the Bennetts then we would not be in this predicament."
"Did you come here just to piss me off?"
"No, pissing you off is just a bonus." The woman smirks.
"Then why are you here?"
"I found where that wolf hid the stone."
"Excellent, you must retrieve it right away. The next full moon is in two days. That is when we can use the stone to destroy this protection spell and get the weapon." He turns to the woman. "Do not fail me again."
Author's Note:
Next chapter: Bonnie, Stefan and Caroline try to escape Ember Isles, Davina makes a plan to sneak out to the Bennett Castle, and Alaric sends a message to Emily
Thanks for reading
~The Darkening Heart