Pairings: Elijah-Klaus/Finn (MM/M) hand, strap, mouth soaping, writing
Great thanks to Jazmine F. ( ) for prompting this chapter and a continuation of this story.
1002 A.D., South France
Castle of the Count de Martel
One Month Later
Klaus stomped down the dim corridor in a huff.
"Lord Finn? Have you seen him this morn?" Klaus asked a servant in the hallway.
"Nay, m'lord," the boys mumbled, bowing, but scurrying away quickly.
"On your way then," Klaus replied wryly, but the boy was long gone. He paused to listen. The stone walls of the castle made the sounds echo somewhat. He heard voices but could not make out what they were saying. Was that laughter?
Klaus continued on his way, irritated that he could not move at vampire speed. Yet they had all committed to not using their full powers to continue to conceal themselves. Elijah oft reminded them it only took one slip and Father could be at the castle. This time, perhaps, with an army of his own followers.
"Oh, my Lord Finn, you are so tall. But in truth, at the nunnery, there were few men, I confess," a musical voice filled with laughter quipped.
Klaus was intrigued and confused. Who the devil was their dull brother speaking to? Klaus vamped the last few yards into the weaving room that Rebekah had set up. There were two looms set up with projects started, yet Rebekah was no one to be seen.
As Klaus stepped in, he faltered. A girl, about Rebekah's age, turned and looked directly at Klaus. The young woman sitting at the loom bench was stunning. The light from the small casement streamed down upon her flowing red hair. But it was her sparkling green eyes that held Klaus captive. They seemed to bore into his very soul, if he still had one.
"Ah, here is my brother Niklaus. Niklaus, please meet the...," Finn started. He was better dressed now, but still preferred dark tunics and simple adornments. Unlike the other siblings, Finn was not interested in playing a noble.
"...the Lady Aurora de Martel, I presume," Klaus purred. He clasped her pale, jeweled hand and kissed it.
"Oh, my, I've heard so much about you, Lord Niklaus," Aurora retorted. "My ladies tell me how helpful you have been to my brother since our father's death. Though, I admit to being somewhat surprised that I was kept away for nearly a month after the fact..."
Klaus was confused, "My lady, how did you come to be here?"
Aurora flushed prettily. She pulled back her hand and wiped as her brow.
"Well, one of the young novices let slip that Papa had died. So I, ah, escaped. I stole a horse and found my way back to my rightful place. My brother will need me here, won't he?" Aurora determined.
Klaus chuckled, "You escaped the convent on your own? My lady, I must admit that is quite shocking. Has Tristan been alerted that you are back? I'm sure he would like to plan a proper feast to welcome you."
"I should hope so. However, I found that he is not here. Unlike my Lord Father, my brother seems to be off hunting and shrinking his duties," Aurora snapped.
Klaus swallowed and admitted, "Aye, my brother Elijah and the steward have taken over quite a few of the lord's duties to give young Tristan a bit of respite. He is very young to be ruling, is he not?"
"Young? My father was younger than he when he took over these lands. Not only has my brother absconded from his duty, he left me to rot at that ungodly convent. Do you know we barely had meat to sup on? I nearly got blisters working in the garden. I intend to have strong words with Tristan when and if he returns," Aurora promised.
Klaus was amused, he glanced at the lady's hands and saw they were smooth and soft. It did not look like she had burdened herself with much hard labor, but he decided not to point that out.
Finn cut in, "Perhaps I can ride out and fetch your dear brother for you, lady? It would be no imposition, I assure you, to help such a lovely soul such as thee."
Klaus eyed Finn with distain. He was surprised that he was flirting with the girl. Klaus did not like it one bit.
"In truth, Brother, I have come to ask for your assistance. Elijah told me you would be helping with the accounts today?" Klaus pointed out. Finn was not anymore helpful than Kol or Rebekah these days. Elijah was wearing himself out covering for Tristan and Klaus himself was also spread thin.
Finn cleared his throat, "If I must, then, I will take my leave. My lady, you will find out how tiresome my younger brother can also be. Perhaps we have that in common."
Aurora let out a peal of musical laughter.
"Oh, you are amusing. I thank you for that. I have only had the company of silent sisters for the last few months. Please excuse me while I seek my chambers and refresh myself," Aurora smiled, as she sailed out of the room. She was still in a green riding habit, though short, she walked with the posture of a queen.
Klaus put his hand on Finn's chest, as he got up to leave.
"You think it wise to become so familiar with the mistress of this castle? Elijah thought it too soon for our young progeny to be near a human of her stature. What if they were to lose control and harm her?" Klaus chided.
"Niklaus, that is a clever way to put it. But I can see in your eyes that you fancy her," Finn mocked. "She is above your status, Brother. Do not forget that we are mere farmers playing at being nobles. It is pathetic. How long do we have to stay here feigning a false life?"
"Until we know we are safe from Father? Our excesses almost drew him, Finn. Have you forgotten so soon? This is the only place we can stay together safely!" Klaus roared. He glanced at the doorway to make sure he hadn't drawn any attention. He took a ragged breath before going on. Finn always brought out the anger in him. He sensed Finn cared not if they stayed together or scattered across Europe, never to see each other again.
Klaus went on, "And you are faltering on your duties. We need you to aid us. Kol and Rebekah are off making merry with Tristan and Lucian. Can you not see that?"
"I see all, Niklaus. I do. I just do not care. You are spoiling Tristan and Lucian as much as Kol and Rebekah. Do you know what they are doing right now?" Finn snarked with a cold glint in his eyes.
"They are hunting. At least they provide the castle with meat. What do you do? Study all day?" Klaus grimaced.
"Hunting, aye, but perhaps for more than animals," Finn said, getting up. He smoothed down his plain cloak and sneered at Klaus. "And my studies are important."
"We have scribes and stewards for that. We need your help with ruling this estate!" Klaus fired back.
"I care not for that. Nor you and Elijah putting on airs. It is disgusting," Finn growled. He started to stalk away, but Klaus stepped in front of him.
"I explained our reasoning. Can you not see it? Or do you not wish to see it?" Klaus retorted.
"Step out of my way, Niklaus. I have a lesson with Friar John and he does not like to be kept waiting," Finn warned.
Klaus stood his ground and Finn shoved him out of the way. Klaus' face darkened and his fangs came out, but he allowed Finn to leave. He would speak to Elijah about him later. Right now, he had to hear the petitions...again at Elijah's side.
Outside at Gate
Late Afternoon
Elijah was furious. The petitions made for a long, boring day. Finn never came out of the study. Lady Aurora was impatient for her brother and Klaus was enraged at Finn. He had harped at Elijah all day that he should "do something" about Finn. What? Elijah did not know.
"They are still not back?" Elijah demanded of the guard at the gate.
"Nay, my Lord Elijah," the young guard answered.
"Who left? Did they bring any guards with them?" Klaus asked as he scanned the far horizon for his siblings and progeny. They never stayed out this late.
"It was the Count de Martel, Lord Kol, Lord Lucien, Lady Rebekah, and the kitchen lass...," the guard trailed off, not knowing her Christian name.
"Eira, perhaps?" Klaus wondered.
The guard nodded.
Elijah's sharp eyes spotted the party several miles off. He dismissed the guard.
"There they are," Elijah said tightly.
"In their defense, we gave them permission to hunt," Klaus stated. "It is Finn, who is really the one in need of punishment..."
"He is our older brother, Niklaus! Surely, you jest," Elijah scoffed, looking at Klaus as if he had gone insane.
"I am not jesting! You clearly told him that we needed his presence today, did you not?" Klaus pressed.
"I did," Elijah agreed.
"And he disobeyed you?" Klaus clarified.
"He did, as he often does," Elijah realized. "But, as I said, he is our elder brother. How can we punish him? It is untoward."
"We? Aye, he did shove past me to go to his lesson. Why is he so eager to learn so much from that scholar? Elijah, I am telling you that he is up to something. Promise me, you will look into it and rectify his insolence," Klaus pleaded.
Elijah nodded, but was focused on the incoming riders.
"Ho! Let the guards take the horses to the stables. Niklaus and I would like a word with you all," Elijah announced.
Kol jumped off his stallion with a flourish.
"Forgive our late hour, Brothers. We had a successful hunt," Kol smirked.
"And yet, I see no meats or fowl for supper tonight," Klaus observed.
"Aye, we gave it to some poor villagers on our way here," Rebekah said. "They needed the meat more." She hopped down off her horse and helped the black-haired Eira down. Only Eira managed to look nervous as the interrogation progressed.
"It's a shame that as the Lady Aurora made her way here," Elijah shared. "She heard about your father's death and escaped the convent. Tristan, I thought you told me that you wrote your sister of the news last month?"
Tristan frowned as he gave the reins of his horse to the groom who had run up.
"Apologies, it must have slipped my mind," Tristan said lightly. "And aye, my sister has a strong mind of her own. Perhaps I feared this would be the result of a letter..."
"Aurora is here?" Lucien gasped in excitement. "We must go greet her. She has been long gone from her home."
Elijah's face grew sterner, "So you lied to me? Tristan, Lucien, Eira, go see to the Lady Aurora. Kol, Rebekah, we shall speak further about your hunt."
The three younger persons walked off as Elijah pinned Kol and Rebekah with firm stares.
Rebekah faltered and broke, "What, Elijah? Must you chastise us now? We are tired and wish to wash. Speak or let us go."
Elijah calmed himself. "Just tell me that you were not decimating villages out there. That is all I ask."
Kol grinned, "We were on our best behavior. We know Father is looming. I swear it, Elijah."
Klaus held up a gloved hand. "One more question. Why did you bring Eira?"
Kol shrugged, "Lucien fancies her. It is odd, though. She cannot be held under our persuasion. And she swears she does not drink the vervain tea...We just seem to have better luck with she is with us, with our hunts."
"May we go now?" Rebekah demanded.
Klaus softened, "Go on, you should meet the Lady Aurora also. I think you will find much in common with her."
Kol and Rebekah took off without looking back.
"They are lying," Elijah said finally.
"Aye, very much so. What do you think they are up to?" Klaus asked.
"I know not, but I do not like it. We shall have to keep a closer eye on them or find someone who can. This Eira...Do you think she could be a special?" Elijah wondered. "Something is odd here."
"I am starting to believe that very much. The herbs, the 'luck', and the inability to be swayed, she is unlike any other human here. Let us worry about our wayward young people later. Right now, we need to focus on Finn...," Klaus concluded.
"We'll speak to him after we sup tonight," Elijah said, he was still thinking of his younger siblings. He expected Kol to lie to him, it was his habit. Yet Rebekah, she always confessed. Yet this time she had not blinked an eye. That put Elijah in as foul a mood as Niklaus was in over Finn.
Great Hall
Evening
The Lady Aurora beguiled Rebekah and Kol as much as she had already charmed Klaus. The younger nobles laughed and drank heavily as she regaled them with stories of the nunnery and her darling escape from it.
Elijah asked Finn to stay behind with him and Klaus after the others left the supper table.
"Elijah, I do have my studies to attend to, if you could make this brief," Finn complained.
"Finn, I am happy that one of you had taken advantage of the scholar, yet I am unclear as to what you intend to do with this knowledge," Elijah asked, as he brought a cup of wine to his mouth.
"Do with it? I intend to use it when we move on from this ridiculous castle! Do you really think you will fool real nobles? And what happens in a decade when others age and die and we all look the same?" Finn hissed in a near whisper.
Klaus leaned back and downed his wine. Some sloshed on the plank table, the same color as blood. He would leave the bulk of this conversation with Elijah. Elijah signaled a servant boy over and took the wine cask out of his hands.
"Leave it," Elijah demanded. Klaus went to reach for it, yet Elijah slapped his wrist.
"Niklaus, you have had enough," Elijah reprimanded.
"The wine does chase away some of my demons, but perhaps creates other ones," Klaus noted. When Elijah fell into one of his rare fits of temper, Klaus did not dare goad him.
"We will move on," Elijah said, moving back to his conversation with Finn. "Or feign our deaths and back as our descendants. Yet you seem awfully eager to move on. Is there a reason for that? Something you have failed to inform us of?"
Finn now looked offended, "Brother Elijah, or shall I say Count de Martel, as you seem to think of yourself now, you may be lord of the manor, but you are not my better. I know that for damn sure." Finn got up and picked up the heavy goblet in front of him and downed it. "But you do offer good wine here..."
Klaus mumbled, "Is there anyone of our blood who is not hiding something today?"
Finn coughed and grasped his throat as Elijah replied, "Sadly, Niklaus, there is not. Now, help me get Finn to the study. I have doused him with vervain, it shall only give us a moment to subdue him...Grab a torch."
Master's Study
The two Original vampires got Finn to the study by explaining that he had indulged in too much wine. They had a servant boy light some scones and candles to cast a dim light in the stuffy chamber. Elijah told him to stand by the door, but recall nothing he saw. There were shelves of scrolls and parchments, a desk, and benches for the students to get their lessons here. As of the last few weeks, only Finn had been coming regularly.
Klaus was astonished that Elijah had done this. Finn was out cold at the moment.
Elijah explained, "I had the kitchen girl fix the wine. In large amounts, it makes a vampire fall into a spell of sleep. He'll wake shortly, but he may be weakened. Like you, I wondered why Finn has been so obsessed with his studies."
They lay Finn on the hard bench for the scholars and began to search the room. They found the copies of Greek and Latin texts, as well as some religious manuscripts in French. There were a few maps, as well as Friar John's switch which was kept on the desk.
"He has not cut a fresh switch since the younger ones have shirked their studies," Klaus noticed. Elijah nodded, but found the strap hanging on the wall.
"I thought I told the servants to burn this," Elijah frowned. He had felt that the heavy leather was too harsh when he used it on Tristan, yet Finn was an Original vampire. He would heal more quickly.
"Elijah, I think I have found something," Klaus marveled. He held a leather bound book inscribed with an astrological symbol on the cover.
Elijah gasped, taking the book and flipping through its heavy pages full of secret spells and rituals. "That is a grimoire! Why would a friar have something like this?"
Finn groaned and sat up on the bench. "What did you do to me? My head!"
Klaus vamped to Finn and grabbed him roughly. "It tis vervain. You were drugged so we could get some answers."
Elijah joined them. "Niklaus, he is still our brother. Show him that respect. Now, Finn, can you please expound on what is going on here?"
Elijah tossed the book to Finn. He caught it and gave it only a cursory glance as if he were familiar with it.
"It is a grimoire. The friar, is not a really a friar anymore," Finn admitted warily. He looked at Klaus, as if he feared his wrath.
"He is a witch," Elijah determined.
"Aye, they go by the term warlock here. When the Count went after the covens, they had to go underground, in hiding. Many were killed," Finn said, rubbing at his temples. "I thought that maybe these secret witches could find a cure for us, but the more I study, the less likely that seems. The dark magic Mother used is nothing anyone here has seen."
"There are more?" Klaus pressed.
"Aye, many, but none as powerful as Mother or even Kol was, in the craft. These are simple people who used herbs and spells to survive fever and childbirth, not create a new type of beast, such as we," Finn shared. "I am sorry for my deception, but I did not wish to get your hopes up."
"Hopes? If we go back to human, I am not sure if Father would so easily give up his quest to destroy Niklaus, even then," Elijah ventured.
Klaus' face grew sad. "Brothers, I assure you, Father will never stop hunting me. Even if this curse is lifted, I am still a beast to him, an abomination."
Elijah stepped nearer and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Fear not, he shall have to get through the rest of us first," Elijah vowed. Klaus gripped Elijah's hand and nodded his thanks.
Finn sniffed and stepped away. "I should have realized that none of you really want to be cured. Even Kol, who is hexed to fed more than the rest of us combined, grows more feral each day. And our sister, she is also more bloodthirsty a creature than I ever dreamed. If you would have seen that village...She had no mercy."
Elijah turned to Finn. "Forget all that. We need to focus on securing our place here. You must help us run this castle until we can work out a more secure position. If not, we shall not endure here. Niklaus and I cannot do it all ourselves. Will you join us?"
Finn shrugged, "To what end? Rebekah is lost to us, she is not who she used to be. That sweet girl, such a delight, now..."
Klaus grew angry. "Do not speak of her as she is gone. Finn, if she needs discipline, you ought to give it to her. You are the one who lets her run wild and then chides us for what we cannot control."
Elijah agreed, "Aye, Niklaus is correct. Why did you not punish her when you were together? She was only 16 summers when we were turned, she still needs direction. Shall I show you how it is done?"
Finn slumped down on the bench, it seemed that he did not care about anything. He looked tired and already beaten.
"Do what you will. I care not," Finn said.
Klaus' eyes widened. "Elijah, are you sure?"
"Get the strap, Niklaus. I intend to do this while he is still under the effects of the vervain," Elijah shared. He sat down on the bench and yanked Finn over his lap. Finn tried to free himself, but could not match Elijah's strength.
Klaus turned back with the strap and saw Elijah swatting Finn's backside energetically as Finn kicked and cursed him.
"Elijah, is he even feeling that?" Klaus wondered.
Elijah looked up but did not stop the spanking.
"In my pouch, there is some vervain in a vial. Take it out and treat the strap with it. Do not spill it on your hands," Elijah directed as he pulled up Finn's tunic and swatted him over his thin hose.
Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
Finn blurted out, "Do not help him! Niklaus, you bastard, help me!"
Klaus' face colored as he carefully dripped the vervain on the brown leather strap.
Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
Elijah managed to yank down Finn's hose to bare his behind. He smacked him hard enough to leave momentary hand prints that healed quickly. Elijah realized that he was venting his angry, but Finn was only in a mild discomfort. He had to use his words to get to Finn right now.
Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
"Finn, you are our brother. We love you," Elijah began, still smacking his large hand down hard, now on Finn's bare thighs.
Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
"Ahhhh. I w-would toss y-your black h-heart to the d-dogs, E-Elijah," Finn cursed.
Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
"But you have not been doing your duties. We need you to look after Kol and Rebekah and help us. Or we are all dead," Elijah explained.
Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack! Smack!
Klaus bit his lip. "Elijah, he is not listening. Shall I try?"
Elijah took a breath and stood up Finn and marched him over to the master's desk in the front. It was a large table and Klaus cleared a space so Elijah could bend Finn over.
"The vervain is wearing off. I shall hold him," Elijah breathed.
"Aye," Klaus said. He helped Elijah and then took his place behind Finn.
"I d-detest both of you," Finn roared. His pink backside paled to an alabaster white in front of Klaus' eyes. Klaus pulled back the leather strap and brought it down with a WHAPPING sound.
Unlike the spanking from Elijah's hand, the strap elicited a pained yelp from the eldest Mikaelson in the room. Klaus braced himself and brought the strap down across the first red strip harder. Mayhaps they would get somewhere with their brother?
Whap! Whap!
"AWWWWWW," Finn hollered.
Whap! Whap!
"He shall stop after you promise to behave yourself," Elijah fumed. "We should not have to discipline you. We have enough to worry about with the younger ones."
Whap! Whap!
"Owwwwwww...Indeed," Finn rasped. "If you only knew..."
"Halt a moment, Niklaus," Elijah ordered. "Finn, what do you know? Tell us."
"Burn in h-helll," Finn screamed. Elijah nodded to Klaus to continue.
Whap.
"I cannot," Klaus said, handing Elijah the strap. "He's not healing."
"That was the purpose," Elijah said, taking the strap and swatting Finn's upper thighs.
Whap! Whap! Whap! Whap!
Finn tried to dance out of the way, but Klaus had gripped his wrists hard and held him.
"ARGGGGHHH," Finn howled. He broke into halting tears and cursed both brothers again.
Klaus eyed Elijah, he did not think this was working.
"What would the Friar John the scholar do? The warlock would probably turn a naughty lad like Finn into a toad, but the priest...He would probably shove a bar of that lye soap into Finn's nasty mouth," Klaus determined. Klaus called out to the servant boy who had been compelled not to remember anything. The boy came back several swats later with a small gray bar that Klaus forced into Finn's mouth.
Whap!
"Did not Mother do that to you when you called Kol an inbred goat?" Elijah recalled.
Whap!
"Nay," Klaus laughed. "I called him an 'fat, ugly pig.' Then, I had to muck out Loki's pen without rinsing my mouth. Never did that again..."
Whap!
Finn tried to speak, but it was muffled. Tears flew onto the desk.
Elijah had been slowing the blows as Finn's seat was looking scaled, even in the dim light.
Klaus gave Elijah a pleading look. Elijah nodded and Klaus released Finn's wrists. He immediately plucked out the soap and wiped his mouth. Then, his hands flew to his blazing bottom. Elijah caught them.
"Nay, Brother, you shall burn your hands. Your punishment is not over," Elijah said firmly.
Klaus came over and held Finn's hands as he squirmed weakly and fought to rub out the sting from the strapping.
Elijah pushed a smaller table to the corner and found a piece of parchment and a quill and ink. He kicked over a rough, wooden stool in front of the desk.
"Sit him down on his smarting bottom, Niklaus. Finn, you will write down all the witches in this coven that you know about. Then, you will write all the duties you have skipped out on that you could be doing. If it is not complete, you will get a harder strapping. I promise you that!"
Klaus marched Finn over and forced him down on the stool. He yelped out and began to weep as his scotched behind met the wood. Elijah took over and held him in place as he reluctantly began to write. He tried to shift, but Elijah threatened to spank him with the switch every time he squirmed or stopped.
Due to his discomfit, Finn wrote quickly and then used his sleeve to wipe as his mouth. The awful soap taste was overwhelming.
Finn groaned in bitter tears, "You w-win, B-Brothers. E-Enough. Kol and R-Rebekah, I fear, a-are feeding off v-villages. The girl, E-Eira, reports to Friar J-John. W-We have b-been t-trying to r-reverse the h-hex on Kol, but w-we need a s-stronger w-witch."
Elijah and Klaus stared at each other. Klaus yelled, "And you were not going to tell us? What folly? Why?"
Finn shrugged and turned to look at Elijah. "I cannot s-say. I h-hardened my h-heart to all of y-you. When y-you were born, I s-swore, to stay to m-myself. It is h-hard to r-reverse. F-Forgive me."
Elijah nodded, "Finn, we are not your enemies. Let us into your heart and your confidence. We need you. Please, do not shut us out."
Finn nodded and Elijah pulled him up from the stool with his bottom still sore and bare.
Elijah embraced him and Finn did not resist. Klaus stood by awkwardly until Elijah opened his arm to him. They embraced as they never had before, even as humans.
"We must stay together or perish," Elijah said. "Always and forever."
Spitting again, Finn finally smiled weakly and repeated, "Always and forever. I would ask for wine, but can I be assured you will not dose me again."
Klaus spoke up, "We should not sink to that level. But if one of us needs punishment, you must accept it. Do you trust us?"
Finn agreed, "I do. Forgive m-me for my f-failings. I was t-trying to work alone, but I see that we must be u-united in all things."
"I agree, but your punishment is not yet over," Elijah informed Finn. "You need to deal with Rebekah and Kol. This behavior cannot be tolerated. Niklaus and I will deal with Tristan and Lucien. Agreed?"
Klaus and Finn agreed and Finn was allowed to retire to his bed chamber.
Klaus and Elijah fixed the study up and replaced the Friar's grimoire. They worked quietly until Rebekah raced in.
"What tis it? Why are you not abed?" Elijah asked sharply.
"It is the Lady Aurora! I fear she is dead," Rebekah shrieked.
Klaus paled and without thought, vamped to her bed chamber.
