Pairing: Finn/Kol-Rebekah (M/MF) wooden spoon
Klaus/Rebekah (M/F) wooden spoon- brief
1002 A.D., South France
Castle of the Count de Martel
Klaus' Bedchamber
Evening
Tristan turned in the great bed and groaned. His buttocks smarted and itched where that vervain-soaked switch had lashed them.
"Your arse is bad? I got thrashed twice as hard. Lord Elijah has no mercy for me," Lucien whined. "We shall not heal where we got the switch. But in truth, you always had me flogged harder. God's nails, Nicolette, that old wet nurse, had a heavier hand."
"Nonsense, I think I got whipped much harder, Lucien," Tristan argued. "More is always expected from the lord, tis the truth." Before the other teen could argue, Tristan asked, "What do you think they had to speak about? Do they know about our little hunts?"
Lucien moaned as he sat up and stretched. "Nay, if they knew, we would not be the only one getting whippings around here."
Tristan grinned, "Indeed. Do you think we can get out of this bed now?"
"You can try! I am content to stay here until we are dismissed. Not use, disobeying so soon," Lucien said wryly. "Unless we were to head to the privy?"
Tristan groaned, "Are we to be treated like babes for the rest of our immortal life? This is folly. I should check on Aurora. Knowing her, she is probably itching to roam freely."
"You had to say 'itch', aye? My bum is going to drive me mad. I am sure Eira has a remedy or some such ointment," Lucien offered, as he lightly rubbed his itchy and sore welts covering his behind. "And her touch is most soft and tender."
Tristan smirked, "I bet it is."
Kol burst in the chamber door, letting it slam back on the stone walls.
"You are released from your punishment, lads," Kol announced.
"Thank the Saints!" Lucien yelped. "I must find my lady."
"That black-haired beauty?" Kol asked.
"Aye, Eira? Why?" Lucien inquired as he got up and went to look for his clothes.
"Do you know anything about her people?" Kol asked. "I think Elijah is speaking with her now."
"Her people?" Tristan wondered. "I know little of them. I think they died of the sweating sickness many winters ago. Why do you ask, my lord?"
Kol frowned, "I am not quite sure. She just seems special. I cannot put my finger on it."
Lucien groused, "I am bedding her. I will trust you will keep all fingers off of her, if you please."
Kol laughed, "Do not be jealous, Lucien. I do not intend to steal your woman. She is just very talented with herbs. That is all I proposed to say."
Lucien looked at Kol with doubt. The youngest brother was much more full of mirth than the older ones, especially Finn, but Lucien did not entirely trust him.
"Oh, and you are to take your striped behinds to the great hall. The steward is waiting to instruct you," Kol called out, as he took his leave.
Tristan shrugged, "I suppose I shall have to postpone my visit with my sister until later..."
Kitchen
Elijah dismissed the beautiful, young servant to her duties after he had failed to compel her again. Klaus came in from the yard and sat down with his elder brother at the rough plank table.
"She knows nothing," Elijah stated in a low voice. "But I feel like my charms were not working on her. Yet, she was telling the truth. If she is a witch, she has no idea."
"Interesting," Klaus said. A kitchen boy brought them cups of wine and they sipped at them slowly.
"So you said the Friar shall take you into his confidence," Elijah pressed. "I wonder if we will truly know what Finn is up to...I know he is our brother, but I do not completely trust him."
Klaus toyed with his cup. "If the church is to come here on a witch hunt, we have to protect these people. Our people now. The witches are afraid that a beast is roaming in the villages, murdering people at random. I believe they think it tis wolves."
"Wolves?" Elijah gasped. "As in werewolves? Niklaus, this is not good."
"I know. Mayhaps we should listen in as Finn disciples Rebekah and Kol. Both are being a tad too closed-mouthed about their little hunts...Something more is going on, Elijah. I can feel it."
Elijah took a sip of his wine and concurred, "Why do we not ask the good Friar to do a small listening spell for us? Remember how Mother often fixed those hoops in the forest to alert her when Father was coming home? The old sound spell. Kol probably knows it better, but I think I remember the incantation and the materials needed."
"You do that. I am going to try to speak to this Eira. We should gauge her power before those vultures arrive," Klaus spat.
"Aye, but what of this new arrival? This Lucie, all but a child, half-beaten to death...She had a smell of magic and something else. I cannot place it. Maybe I am mistaken. She is with Aurora now. You should speak to her again also," Elijah said, getting up.
"Oh, she's with the Lady Aurora," Klaus re-stated. He cleared his throat. "Perhaps later..." Klaus went back out to find Eira in the gardens and Elijah watched him go. To no one in particular, Elijah said, "What was that about?"
Finn's Chambers
"You are really going to thrash our little sister?" Kol questioned Finn directly. They had finished the supper feast given in honor of Aurora's homecoming. Elijah had compelled her to act normally, though she was ravished with hunger and the new emotions that being a vampire evoked. Klaus had promised to take her out to feed with Tristan and Lucien as Finn 'dealt' with the younger siblings.
"Aye, and you, also," Finn replied hotly. "I gave you permission to go on hunts, but not to stay out all day and shirk your other duties!"
"What other duties? I have none," Kol spouted. "So we were a little late and failed to bring home meat? It is not as if the castle starved or suffered for it."
"Kol, do not make this worse," Rebekah pleaded, wringing her hands.
Finn and Kol ignored her. Finn answered Kol, "Nay, but perhaps some far off villagers suffered? Did they not?"
Kol stiffened and spat, "You gave us a task, Brother. Just mayhaps we could not find what you wanted, tis not reason to punish us."
Finn growled, "You know I have no choice. Do not make this worse on me. Bend yourself over the bed. Both of you."
Rebekah hissed in protest, as Finn picked up a big wooden cooking spoon.
"Where did that come from? It looks familiar," Rebekah whined.
"Niklaus carved it. It has that herb on it, the purple one. Bare yourselves," Finn ordered. "I mean to do this properly."
"But-!" Rebekah wailed.
Kol smirked, "Bekah, do not make this worse!"
Rebekah shoved him and he laughed harder and then slipped down his hose, baring his pale rump. Rebekah flipped up her fine linen skirts and settled in on her elbows. With her white bottom sticking up, she felt silly and irritated. She did not like this one bit.
"You both keep your hands away from your seats. I have no wish to crack your hands," Finn said dryly. Without any further conversation, Finn put his large hand on Kol's back and with the large spoon in his right hand, he brought the flat side down hard.
Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!
Kol yelled out an "AH!" with each whack and was soon trying to move out of the way of the wooden instrument.
Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!
"Still. I know you thought this was a jest," Finn said evening.
"Nooooo, I-I do not!" Kol shouted as Finn reddened his bottom with the heavy utensil.
Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!
Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!
Finn suddenly let go of Kol and switched to Rebekah, saying, "Kol, do not move. Or you will get twice as many next round. Rebekah, are you ready?"
She was already weeping and shifting.
Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!
Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!
"Sttttoooooppppp," Rebekah begged. Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!
"When you have been punished, I will gladly stop," Finn retorted, he held her down harder as she was thrashing more.
Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!
Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!
Rebekah shrieked and hollered as the spoon pelted her behind and made it ache and smart terribly.
Kol was not crying openly, but tears had come to his eyes. He wasn't looking forward to his next turn.
Finn held him firmly and began to paddle him with the spoon, just as firmly.
Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!
Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!
Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!
Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!
Kol finally began to sob and beg for Finn to stop. The wood treated with vervain was impeding their healing and both vampires were feeling every lick.
"We found a witch! She might be able to do it," Rebekah hollered.
"What?" Finn asked, stopping.
"The new girl, who escaped from the nunnery, she must be a witch! Aurora told me she is untrained, but very powerful," Rebekah sobbed out in relief. "I swear it. Stop, Finn!"
Finn dropped the spoon. "Why did you not tell me sooner?"
Kol sniffed sadly, "Aye, I shall not sit again until Candlemas, you could have spoke first before he thrashed me so hard."
"Oh hush, I promised Aurora I would not speak of it again. She fears the church will try to burn Lucie. The girl is dear to her," Rebekah said, fixing her clothing and wiping at her face. "You shall mayhaps get what you want."
Klaus and Elijah stepped into the room causing Finn to wonder what they were doing there.
"Brothers, I thought you tasked me with this duty. I feel like our siblings have been whipped enough tonight," Finn said. Elijah went over and put an arm on Kol as he pulled his hose up over his sore behind.
Klaus went to the wardrobe and pulled aside two cloaks, revealing the listening hoops that were magically altered.
"I will not ask any of you this again, what in hell is going on? Why is Finn looking for a powerful witch?" Klaus demanded.
Elijah let go of Kol, "And we want the full truth out of all three of you. The church is sending a group of witch hunters here and Niklaus and I have no notion of what you are up to. Please indulge us before this scene grows ugly."
Finn sat down heavily in a chair near the bed. "Rebekah, Kol, you can go sort yourselves out. I will see to you later."
Klaus put up a hand. "Nay, I want to hear what they have to say."
"Fine," Finn said heavily. He looked at Rebekah and sighed.
"When Rebekah and I were on route here and she fell in love, I could not locate her as she ran off with her lover, though I did not know of it at the time. I search and paid off several innkeepers but I was worried that she was taken against her will," Finn continued. "I found a witch and she used my blood to locate her. To my surprise, it said she was in the kingdom of Norway. A location was also shown in the same town I was currently in. I knew that could not be true as she was only gone one day. Plus, I knew I only had one sister..."
Elijah stood and started to pace. "So Rebekah was with her lover in France? I thought she came back a day later?"
"Aye, she did. So that led to the question of who was in Norway. The witch did the spell again and the results were similar. The witch asked if I had another sister. I recalled that once, I did... I believe Freya is alive," Finn said slowly.
"Freya? Our eldest sister? But Mother said she died of plague?" Klaus corrected.
Finn shook his head. "I always had a dream that she was taken, by a dark-haired woman in the winter when Father was raiding. Then, we left soon after for the New World. Mother always told me it was just a dream. She told me the story of how we buried Freya in the meadow where we used to play so often that it felt real to me, but now I doubt that memory. It had to be false. What if that dream was real?"
"Finn, you were a child? Maybe this witch was playing tricks to gain more coin?" Klaus proposed.
"Mayhaps," Finn said, accepting that.
"It is interesting, but the only way we will know is if someone can do the spell again and get the same results. So what were Kol and Rebekah doing in the villages?" Elijah pressed.
Kol rubbed his backside and chuckled. He looked at Finn and Finn nodded for him to tell their brothers the truth. Kol began, "Feeding, of course, and looking for a powerful witch for Finn. The Court killed off most of the covens, but some survivors scattered. Any witches we found were barely about to garner enough power to light a candle. We killed them as we could not erase our faces from their minds."
Elijah frowned and gave Finn a hard look. Finn gulped.
"I did not want to share this as I intended to leave again," Finn admitted. "I need to find her, Brothers. The map I have to of much too large of an area for me to search alone, I needs narrow the search area. For that, I need a more powerful witch."
"Why not tell us?" Elijah demanded.
"Niklaus would not let any of go, is that not correct, Brother?" Finn said bitterly.
Klaus looked at Finn bitterly. "If you needs go, go. But come back with our sister."
"You mean that, Niklaus?" Finn asked in shock. "I t-thought..."
"I know what you think of me, Finn," Klaus snapped. "I do not appreciate your deception or the fine mess you have left us in here, but if Freya is alive, bring her to us."
Finn was overwhelmed was his emotions. "She was everything to me at one time...If there is any chance, I must try."
Elijah nodded, "Just please allow us the chance to help you. I have sensed something in the flaxen-haired girl. An energy unlike I have seen before. Like Eira, she cannot be put under our mind influence. It simply does not work on her."
Rebekah said, "Aurora thinks she has very special powers. Even if she is not a witch, she is a resourceful girl to survive her journey here alone. The nuns suspected her of using magic and brutally beat her, but yet she managed to heal herself."
Klaus nodded, "She may be a werewolf also.I think that is what you smelled on her, Elijah. But until she slaughters a human, we would not know. ."
Kol grinned, "That is easy enough to do. Have her execute-"
"Kol!" Elijah chided. "You best get to bed now unless you want me to complete your punishment."
"Nay, nay, I am going," Kol grumbled. Rebekah went to follow him when Klaus seized her arm.
"Not so fast, my Lady Rebekah," Klaus snatched the wooden spoon off the floor and smacked her behind through her dress several times as he held her arm.
Whack. Whack. Whack.
"Owwww. Finn already spanked us. Nik, please," Rebekah wailed.
Whack. Whack. Whack.
"Not for running off with a lover like that," Klaus reprimanded. "Did you ever get punished for that?"
Whack. Whack. Whack.
"No! I can do what I wish. You are not a lord over me or any lord at all! I should be off with my own family right now. Not trapped her with the likes of you," Rebekah screeched, she kicked Klaus in the shins and stormed off.
Elijah stopped Klaus from going after her. He threw the spoon on the bed and then sat roughly on it to calm himself.
"Niklaus, she is correct. Many girls her age are already married and have families. She came back," Elijah clarified. "That is enough."
Finn nodded, "Aye, she did come back on her own, after I was sure she was gone for good. So how long am I to wait to see if this new witch can do the spell? Friar John is not strong enough...although he did fair well with the listening spell."
"Aye, we did not want to go to that length, Brother. Forgive our deceit. Can we agree to work together from hence forth?" Elijah negotiated.
"Aye, but that means you tell me what you know, too. Are we in agreement?" Finn asked plainly.
Klaus reluctantly agreed. "Fine. I will tell you all I know. The castle folk said that witches were not the only ones the late Count purged. There is talk that he killed off the werewolves, too. But there was one he could never hunt. I think that in addition to the witches Rebekah and Kol purged, there may be a rogue wolf out there hunting."
"But the full moon isn't for another three weeks," Elijah stated.
"Aye, that is not a great deal of time for us to stop the next attack. Let us speak to this Lucie again. She is sharing a room with the Lady Aurora. We have no time to waste," Klaus determined.
But when they got to Aurora's bedchamber, it was empty. And there was no sign of Lucie or Aurora.
