Three Years Later

Freya strolled the French Quarter, enjoying the jazz flirting from around the corner as a street musician played on his trombone. She'd just left a meeting with Mariketa the Awaited, in hopes that the revered witch would know of some way to resurrect Caroline, but the shockingly young witch, answered apologetically, that even if she could perform the spell, she wouldn't. Most who come back from the dead, come back wrong. Like Freya gave a damn if Caroline suddenly developed a need to eat mortals brains, she needed Caroline to fix her brother! No one had heard from Klaus since he'd disappeared into the woods over three years ago. Marcel was struggling to keep control of the Hybrids, they had trouble responding to his orders since he was not their king. Their werewolf side would not respond to anyone who was not their alpha. She knew if she could resurrect Caroline, Klaus would return and finally their family would be whole. She'd tried to meet with the Valkyries, but every time she approached Val Hall she was attacked by various species of Lore. She barely escaped with her life each time.

Hopping on the streetcar, she headed towards the remains of the mansion in the Garden District, she often found herself there when she needed to think. She'd cloaked it with magic, preventing the mortal population from knowing what had occurred there. Elijah had suggested that they clear the rubble, and begin rebuilding the mansion, but Freya was against it. She needed everything the same as when Caroline died. They still had no idea what had happened here. No one could answer how Caroline had such power, and why she'd died with nothing but dust left behind. Freya strolled up to the remains of the mansion, noticing immediately that someone else was there. A Valkyrie was sitting by the dais, twirling her hands in the dust left by Caroline's death. Dressed in armor as old as Freya, she had her mass of jet black hair shooting back from her face, leaving it free to fall down her back.

Freya shouted, "Hey! Don't touch that!"

The Valkyrie had gold empty eyes, and wasn't wearing any shoes. She was gorgeous but clearly mad, could this possibly be Nïx?

The Valkyrie didn't even glance up at Freya's shout, humming to herself. When Freya grabbed her hand to stop the circles she was making in the dust, those vacant golden eyes locked on her.

"The Mikaelson witch, about time you showed up."

Definitely Nïx. "I've been trying to meet with you for three years, Nïx."

Putting up a finger to her head she stated, "Oops. Must have forgotten to pencil you in."

"Why didn't you meet with me? I️ would think the Valkyries would want to resurrect Caroline." Freya crossed her arms across her chest.

"Shhh! Can't let Annika know that Caroline's not here."

"You mean the other Valkyries don't even know that Caroline's dead?!" Freya shouted. "You've been the one causing Loreans to attack me every time I️ approach Val Hall! Forcing me to retreat! So they won't know that Caroline's gone, why?"

Nïx stood up, dusting herself off. "Like I️ said they can't know that Caroline's not here. Not until later."

"Why later? What happens later, Nïx?"

Smiling brightly, Nïx glanced back at the pile of dust, "Later is when Caroline finds her way back."

"Back? Back from where? She's dead! There is no back!"

"No way back? I didn't know you were psychic too!" A rumble of thunder was the only warning Freya had before lightning came down to strike Nïx, leaving nothing behind but a small pile of glittering white dust.

Glaring down at the dust, she tried to puzzle through the conversation she'd just had. Caroline would find her own way back? She was dead. Wait did Nïx ever actually say Caroline was dead? She just said not here. Never dead. Freya reached down to pick up what Nïx's lightning had left behind. Feeling the dust between her fingers before she gasped in realization and bolted from the mansion.

She was back at the compound in the French Quarter in record breaking time, "Elijah! Rebekah! I have to show you this!"

Speeding up the steps, she threw open the doors to Katerina and Elijah's suite. Elijah was seated at his desk, Katerina perched on the edge of it. Both were wearing identical looks of shock. They barely looked up as Freya entered the room, focused on the chair in front of them, Freya came around and her mouth dropped. Sitting in the seat in front of Elijah's desk was Klaus, and he looked exactly the same as he had before he'd disappeared, apparently no worse for wear despite his mate's death.

Her exuberance overflowing, Klaus would be besides himself at the news! She knelt down beside his chair, pulling his hand into hers. "Klaus, she's not dead."

Katerina gasped in response and came to kneel next to Freya, grabbing the witch by the shoulders, "What do you mean she's not dead?!"

Freya's smile widened and tears of joy misted her eyes, "I finally met with Nïx, she explained some things to me. Caroline is not dead, she's lost, and she'll be finding her own way back soon!"

Katerina smiled brightly grabbing her sister-in-Law into a hug. Freya looked for Elijah's reaction, noticing that his steely demeanor was locked on Klaus's face. Dragging her eyes to her other brother, his face completely impassive, she immediately sensed something was wrong. Standing up, Niklaus's face betrayed nothing, scraping imaginary lint off his sleeve, he raised an eyebrow and inquired, "Who the hell is Caroline?"

Freya's mouth dropped and she got to her feet as well, grabbing him by the shoulders and searching his eyes for recognition, "Brother, do you not remember her?"

Klaus yanked out of Freya's delicate hold, with a little more force than necessary. "You may be my sister, but do not attempt to force your thoughts upon me."

Katerina stood as well, her eyebrow raising, "You know Freya?"

Klaus glanced dismissively at the Sorceress, "Of course I know her. Why wouldn't I?"

Freya and Katerina exchanged a look of concern. Elijah stood cautiously, rounding the desk, clapping Klaus on the shoulder, "It's good to have you back Niklaus." Elijah waved off Freya who was ready to ask more questions, escorting Klaus out of his study. Leaving Elijah, Kat and Freya alone together.

Sighing wearily, Elijah fell back into his chair. "He doesn't remember her. How?"

Freya, quick tempered like most Mikaelsons, huffed, "I have no idea, but I intend to find out."

Three weeks earlier

Rebekah knocked loudly on the imposing door of the Audubon mansion shouting, "Bloody Hell, Damon! It's us! Open up!"

Stefan came up behind Rebekah, pulling her back against his chest. "My love, we come to their house every week, at the same time, Damon's expecting us, he just enjoys making you angry."

Huffing with annoyance, her irritation quickly melting away as Stefan held her close, purring "You know, since your brother is being rude, we could make use of the time…"

She wiggled her hips suggestively, causing a low growl of lust from Stefan. As if sensing his ill timing, Damon swung open the door, but his arrogant glower was gone, he looked worried and ragged. We're those claw marks on his chest? Both Rebekah and Stefan knew that when Damon was worried, shit was about to hit the fan. Rebekah reached out to touch Damon's shoulder, her brow furrowing in concern, "Damon? Is everything alright?"

His voice was hoarse as if he'd been recently choked, and for the first time, Rebekah noticed a deep gash in his thigh, blood still dripping onto the white marble. "Your brother."

Rebekah rolled her eyes, "What the bloody hell has Kol done now?"

Damon shook his head ominously, uncharacteristically short on words, "The other one."

Rebekah's eyes widened before she bolted past Damon into the house. The entryway leading to the back of the house was destroyed, huge claw marks were trailing both the floor and walls, the once pristine white hallway was now bright red with blood. Red paw prints covered the white marble, Rebekah followed them to the backyard of the house. Elena was also injured, claw marks slowly healing down her side, collapsed in one of their patio chairs she was breathing heavily. Rebekah barely looked at her, heading for Niklaus, who was in human form, asleep on the lawn, covered in blood.

"I made him sleep. He's resisting the Persuasion and he's too strong for me to keep putting him down. He's lost it, Rebekah. He can't distinguish anything. He just attacks. He can't keep living like this."

Cautiously, Rebekah knelt next to her brother, "Nik?"

Without waking, he began to mumble, fighting against Elena's Persuasion. "Caroline, no! My queen, my love, my life." It was a miracle Elena had gotten him down at all.

Stefan and Damon arrived, Rebekah couldn't help the tears that began to flow at Nik's muttering. Damon went to Elena's side, his voice accusing, "He broke in here, we think he was looking for Caroline. He kept howling and sniffing, when he couldn't find her, he attacked."

Stefan knelt next to Rebekah, looking down at Niklaus. He saw the tears falling from Rebekah, unable to bear the pain caused by the sight of his Bride crying, he looked back to Elena. "Can you make him forget her?"

Rebekah gasped, "Make him forget his mate? If he ever found out he'd kill us!"

Stefan pulled Rebekah's palm into his, "Bex, he can't live like this. It's clearly making him go mad. Don't you want him back?"

Contemplating the implications, she noticed for the first time how terrible Klaus looked. His ribs were trying to break through his skin, he hadn't been feeding properly. He was miserable and mad. If she could spare him a second of pain, she had to take it. Nodding to Elena, the sorceress came to kneel next to them, whispering to Klaus, "Forget Caroline Forbes. Forget your queen, your mate, your love, all of it, forget it."

Her power soaked into Klaus's skin and his fevered ramblings quickly subsided. Damon came next to them, placing a blanket over the hybrid. Finally succumbing to sleep, he looked relaxed, but still Rebekah worried, glancing at her brother. What have we done?

Elijah summoned the entire family to the dining room, sans Klaus, within a couple hours of Klaus's arrival. Finn and Sage, drove in from their farm in Texas, after Mikael's death, Finn craved the simplicity, knowing that as long as he lived under the same roof of his siblings, peace would be a distant dream. With Freya's help, Sage and Finn found a compromise, a remote farm close enough to Houston, that Sage could indulge in her wild urges whenever the mood struck her. When they'd left, Finn had hugged Freya fiercely, emphasizing that he would just be a phone call away. Kol and Bonnie lived in a small apartment across the street from the compound, Bonnie made it clear that she thought Kol living under the same roof of his siblings would cause him to relapse. Kol has been walking the straight and narrow for three years, desperate to please Bonnie. Together Bonnie's power and knowledge had increased, Kol was a walking grimoire, and though he couldn't practice magic, he helped her learn more and more.

Rebekah and Stefan sat in their designated seats, both noticeably pale. They still lived in the compound with Elijah and Katerina, but made frequent trips to Damon's mansion in the Garden District.

Elijah took his seat at the head of the table, Katerina on his right, and Freya on his left. Though absent for over a thousand years, she melted into the family as if she had always been there.

Speaking first, his siblings and their spouses swung to him, "Niklaus has returned."

Gasps circled the table, he continued in a calm voice, "But he has no memory of Caroline, it appears he remembers the events of the last several years, he didn't ask about Mikael and he recognized Freya as his sister. This is especially bad timing considering, Freya?"

Freya stood from the table, spreading her hands on the tabletop, "I finally met with Nïx. Actually, met with me is generous, more like Nïx allowed me to finally meet with her. She showed up were we last saw Caroline, in her deliberately vague way, she revealed that Caroline's not dead at all."

Bonnie leapt to her feet, "She's not dead? Are you sure, Freya?" Her hope clear in her tone.

"When Nïx left the meeting, she used lightning in order to travel," reaching into her jean pocket, she pulled out two small vials of glittering dust, holding up one, "This was what she left behind." Pointing to the other, "This was what was left behind by Caroline. I've examined them, they're identical."

Bonnie's excitement was making the lamps flicker, "So you think she teleported somewhere, and is stuck?"

Freya nodded, "Nïx said something about finding her way back soon."

Before Freya could continue, Rebekah suddenly pushed back from the table and ran out without a word, Stefan made his apologies before following her out.

Raising her eyebrows at Rebekah's sudden departure but assumed she was overcome with the thought of Nik coming back whole, she continued. "I think it might be wise, that we take a page from Nik's book, and follow along with his memory gap. Until Caroline's back, no mention of her to Niklaus."

Valhalla

Caroline arrived on a scream of pain, wrenched across time and space by the powerful lightning. Barely breathing, she landed painfully on her knees as the lightning that had been holding her upright, disappeared. Sweating from the heat, naked, her clothes seared away from the lightning, she curled in on herself, and emptied the contents of her stomach. Wiping her hand across her mouth, she felt her corneas slowly regenerating from the light. Rubbing them painfully, she tried not to hurl again. In, out, in, out.

The breathing technique Annika taught her to help her fight through pain, once her vision cleared, able to focus, she took in her surroundings. Unlike her aunts, she had never spent time in Valhalla. But she recognized it from her aunts stories, a golden hall with clouds replacing the floor, outside she heard the clash of metal as the souls of warriors hand-picked from the fallen by Valkyries over the centuries, practiced outside.

Where were Freyja and Wöden?

Getting the pain under control, she slowly uncurled from the ball she'd collapsed into on arrival. When she managed to stand fully upright, the clouds came around her, covering her nakedness with armor. She'd never seen such an intricately designed breastplate or grieves, not even on Katerina. Her arms were covered from wrist to shoulder in scale like gold filigree. Light and moveable but she could tell it was indestructible. The breastplate was gold overlaying modded leather. A single lightning bolt stretched from her left shoulder to her right hip, slashing across her in silver. On the top half of the breastplates, were scenes of frost giants battling against the gods. The lower half was a Valkyrie, who hunted the night with a wolf at her side.

Interlocked with a leather and gold pleated skirt, her feet laced up in sandals, she looked very much the Valkyrie of legend. Her head felt heavy, as her hair was now coiled in braids around her forehead. Reaching up shakily, she felt the cold metal points of a crown on her head. "What the hell is going on?"

A clap of thunder heralded the presence of someone else in the Hall, glaring at the two thrones, a woman appeared, with raven black hair and grey eyes. Caroline felt in her bones, Freyja.

Freyja wasted no time in dusting off the lingering specs from her shoulder, "About time you returned."

Caroline hastily kneeled before the goddess, "I was not raised here goddess, unlike my Valkyrie sisters, I have never been here."

Freyja tsked dismissively, "Still keeping your memories from her, old friend? Isn' t it time you trusted her with the truth?"

Caroline glanced over both shoulders for the person she addressed, the Hall was empty but the two of them. Her eyebrows coming down in concern, was the goddess mad like Nïx? She stood from her kneeling, deciding she'd rather be on foot with the unstable goddess. Freyja eyes showed amusement and had the steely glint of determination, but no trace of the madness that she was used to seeing from her aunt. "Goddess, I wish you would tell me what you're talking about."

Caroline phrased her statement carefully so as not to offend Freyja. The goddess ignored her question, moving to stride slowly around the room. "I never understood why you made your decision those years ago. You woke me from my sleep, though you knew that we were too weak to survive in this age for any prolonged period of time. We are not gods of this time, without the prayers, we must wait for our return, but you told me that it wasn't an option. That something was coming, something only you could deal with. So you made me." Freyja paused for a moment to look down at her hands, rubbing them as if desperate to get them clean, "You told me I had to kill you, so that your soul could be reborn in another, telling me that you had done the same to your wolf sending his soul through time."

Caroline's eyes tracked the goddess around the room nervously. What was the goddess rambling about? "Freyja," forgetting the dangers of touching a goddess she reached out to stop the goddess by grabbing her forearms, "what are you talking about? Why am I here?"

She chuckled mirthlessly, slipping from Caroline's grasp. "My daughter, Caroline Forbes. Do you wonder why you never grew up here like all the Valkyrie? Why you seem to have powers no other Valkyrie has? Why you keep being told you're important?"

Caroline was about to nod in answer, but Freyja moved as a blur putting both her hands on the side of Caroline's face, her nails digging in the side of her skull. "It's time, old friend, to tell her why. You need her to know everything before she goes back."

Tugging against the goddess's hands, she instinctively tried to escape as the nails breached her skin. Freyja's eyes turned milky white and her grip became more painful. Then like a hot poker was being jammed through her skull, a tidal wave of memories and knowledge crashed into her head, filling it to the point of breaking. Tears fell from her eyes, but her voice couldn't let loose a scream, but everything was a jumble of flashes. Freyja suddenly released her head but grabbed her arms to support her as Caroline almost crumpled to the ground. "It's okay, Caroline, I know it's confusing. You will be able to understand the memories soon enough."

"Who's memories are these?" Caroline tried to shake her head to clear it, to no avail.

"There yours. Well I mean the You before you were you. You're not a Valkyrie, Caroline, you are and always have been a god."

Caroline's mind still whirled, "A god?"

"Yes, sweet Caroline, you are the ruler of us all. You are Wöden reborn. I gave you access to his memories, he was trying to keep them from you, always an agenda with him. But he needed to be reborn in an immortal body in order to fight the ancient evil that is arising." Caroline grabbed Freyja's shoulders as she swayed, "I must return to sleep, I shouldn't have used so much power to be here. I'm sure you can find your own way back to Earth."

A bolt of lightning and the goddess was gone. A god? Her? Not just any god but Wöden? His name had evolved through history, the king of Norse gods more commonly known as Odin, but her aunts had raised her on his ancient name. She was him? He was her? A single memory became crystal clear as she stood confused, she was talking to herself, glaring at her huge battle scared hands, out of a single eye.

"I know this is overwhelming to have this thrust upon you. But our soul, it was destined to survive the trouble that approaches." The fire in front of her crackled, drawing a huge black wolf closer to her side. Without even realizing it, she knew this was Freki, Her constant companion. "I sent Freki to you, he will he needed in the battle to will protect you."

"You will have our power at your fingertips but a word of caution from an old man: it is easy for such power to develop a mind of its own, so start small."

Freki howled at the moon hanging low in the sky. "There's someone out there, killing off gods as they sleep. They've been at it for the last two thousand years. The moment it was known that a pantheon of gods was forced to sleep to conserve their strength, their bodies were discovered. It's to leave their charges unprotected. So that when it comes to destroy the universe, it is vulnerable. You must protect it. You are one of the few gods left with the power to do so. I know I ask a lot of you child. An impossible task, one only you can do." She groaned as she came to a stand, leaning heavily on her staff.

"Our own pantheon is not safe, they've already killed all except for me and Freyja. I kept us hidden, kept us safe. With our Valkyrie daughters, we could not be taken unawares." She felt the slight wetness roll down her cheek, "They took my sons and wife from me. They killed them in such a way to prevent rebirth. They are lost to me forever."

She reached out to scratch Freki behind the ears. "You have to discover the source of this treachery, and stop them. Good luck, my child."

Wrenched our of the memory, Caroline patted herself down to make sure she was not still the wizened old man of the memory. But with the fading of the memory, the knowledge of how to control the lightning travel was left behind. Without a second thought, she summoned it to send her back to where it had first taken her, the mansion in the Garden District. The landing was still a jolt, but Caroline was proud she didn't throw up again. Still a little disoriented, she struggled to gain her bearings. The mansion was in worse disrepair than she expected. There was little left of the walls, huge scorch marks scarring what remained. Her armor remained, she guessed it was spelled.

"Father."

Her eyes swung to her Aunt Nïx who was kneeling before her. "You knew?" Caroline whipped out accusatorially.

Nïx rose to her feet, her eyes more clear and lucid than Caroline had ever seen them. "I didn't, not until you left. Then it came to me in a blur."

Moving down from the dais, she went to embrace Nïx in her arms, she had missed her aunt. "Do you know who threatens the very order of things?"

Nïx shook her head morosely, "They dance at the edge of my vision, seeming to only reveal enough information to keep me out of their way."

Nïx was blind to this threat? Fan-Fucking-tactic. Sighing wearily, it had been a long day, she just wanted to take a bath and cuddle with Klaus. Oh shit, Klaus! "Where's Klaus?"

Nïx remained mulishly silent to her question, her face reflecting her disapproval. She remembered his last sight of her, seeming to be ripped apart by lightning, she had to get to him before he did irreparable damage.

She was still wearing the armor and crown of Valhalla, not exactly the most subtle outfit. Hustling past Nïx, she may be Wöden reborn but no way was she going to ask her precognitive aunt about him. Not quite ready to deal with that explosion. Nïx probably already knew but still.

Her aunt didn't follow her out of the ruined mansion, so Caroline hopped on the next streetcar to head to the French Quarter. She didn't even think about the fact that she still wore the armor or the crown on her head. This is New Orleans after all. Locals didn't glance at her twice, tourists gaze might linger but dismiss it as part of the craziness of the city.

She was glad to see that nothing much had changed since her disappearance, Klaus hadn't burned the city to the ground. She wasn't looking forward to getting her ass chewed out for disappearing, but he could deal, she hadn't exactly meant to teleport to another realm. He'd be mad at first, but she'd distract him from his rage. Her smile curved knowingly, looking forward to distracting him.

Stepping down from the streetcar when it reached Canal, she headed into the Quarter. Halfway down Royal Street, she noticed Davina, hurrying out of an antique shop, a smiling Marcel on her heels. Gods they look happy. Skipping over, she nearly tackled Davina to the ground. Marcel immediately went on the defensive, baring his fangs, before he fell back a step when he saw who was hugging his Bride. "Caroline?" His voice betrayed his utter shock and disbelief.

Davina pulled back from the hug, glancing over Caroline before pulling her friend back into a crushing embrace. Caroline knew they would be surprised to see her, but when she felt tears fall from Davina, her eyes widened in confusion. Stepping back from Davina, who was sobbing, Marcel reached out to tuck her into his side, comforting her.

"I knew you would be surprised, but why are you acting like you've seen a ghost?" Her confusion evident.

Marcel answered, his own voice shaky, "That's probably because until you were hugging her, Davina was sure you were dead."

Oh shit. "Dead?! Why would you think I was dead?" A tremor of unease crept into her voice.

Marcel kissed Davina's head gently, she had yet to stop crying, "Probably because you dusted every vampire and blew up the mansion. Also you left behind a dust pile as if you had been burned alive."

"No, not dead, just.." A horrifying realization crept into her bones, making her bolt down the street before Marcel could utter another word.

Sarcastically Marcel called after her, "By the way that was three years ago!" But Caroline was too far away to hear.