ELIJAH
I knew having some of Niklaus's men on the hunting party for Katerina would lead to some form of folly. But after the treachery of Trevor and his friend Rose who are both of my sire-line and aided Katerina in her escape, Nicklaus did not trust my men in capturing the doppelganger now turned vampire, thus he ordered me to bring along some of his to help in Katerina's capture. I should have caught the girl before she could even make it a hundred miles within the border between her homeland and the monster that dwelled across the border. I underestimated Katerina's ability to navigate through wilderness. Something she most likely acquired from her father long before Niklaus impaled him on his own sword. I halt my party from crossing. Not only am I bound by my word never to set foot in Romania, but Niklaus, Rebekah, Kol, and even Finn who lies daggered in a coffin cannot cross this threshold without breaking our word to the Prince who rules these lands.
But then I remember what Niklaus told me just before departing England.
"Bring Katerina Petrova back alive by whatever means necessary brother. That little harlot has not even begun to suffer for her transgression against us!"
'You mean her transgression against you brother.' I feel sorry for the poor girl, being born as they key to breaking the curse placed on Niklaus by our mother. I had planned to save Katerina by having her drink a magical elixir that would have revived her after the completion of the sacrifice. If only she had not run, this could have been avoided.
Now the foolish little girl is well into the territory of the Vampire we led her to believe was nothing but mere myth. And to add to my growing troubles, Klaus men had disappeared from the hunting party a few miles back from which we had come. If I had to guess where those fools absconded to, they had circled around were now currently in pursuit of Katerina across the border. Wonderful.
"What are your orders Lord Elijah? " one of my own men… Richard I believe he is name is: ask. It was a very good question considering the dilemma I find myself in. Do I break the agreement my siblings and I forged with the Voivode of Wallachia? Or do I return to Niklaus empty handed and risk being daggered like our brother Finn?
"We cross long enough to gather my brother's men and hopefully the girl." I order before blurring across the border with my incredible speed as an Original. The party struggled to not fall behind.
We crossed miles of wilderness within a few minutes. The wind whipped upon our faces but leaves no irritation to our skin. Not only were we to track Katerina now, but my brother's foolish men. Though they are not to blame, not when it is Niklaus whose orders they act under. My brother is more Nero than Augustus when it comes to diplomacy.
I come to a halt when the scent of blood clouds my sense of smell. It was close, very close. My right arm goes up, signaling the party to stop. As a vampire everything becomes heightened, our sight, hearing, taste and scent. Blood is unique by its properties to its functions, and also its scent and taste. For instance I know that the blood to which I am currently sensing belongs to a vampire, for a humans blood smells fresh it has a certain aroma to it that cannot be described. All vampire blood has a feint scent of decay to it.. If a vampire were to drink the blood of another vampire, it will satiate us but the taste of it is less than desirable to our heightened sense of smell and taste. Moving to the clearing, I am stopped as a large black bat screeches mere inches from my face as it flies by. Not giving the creature a second thought, I move to the clearing where I am greeted to a horrific site that makes even my own stomach twist in revulsion.
Before my own eyes are what were once Niklaus's men now impaled upon long pikes with metal barbs protruding through various places of their now heartless bodies. The man in the middle who was leader among them; appeared to have his head severed, then pushed back into place upon the pike after the initial impaling. It as a sight a damned soul might look upon in the most horrific bowel of the Inferno. I could hear even my men who had been Vampires for a few centuries, gasp and vomit at the sight. But that is not what held my gaze. No, that was focused on the Vampires before us, the ones who had killed Niklaus's men, and the ones who became on alert at our arrival. And there in the center, the one I hoped we would not meet this night, and Katerina unconscious in his arms; the Lord of Wallachia, Dracula!
"Ah Lord Elijah…" He smiles ignoring the circumstance of why I am here. "And here I thought these were Lord Klaus's men that intruded upon my lands." I pause to collect my own thoughts before answering.
"Forgive our intrusion Prince Dracula…" I begin trying to defuse the situation. "We've come in search of that girl you hold in your arms. My brother would greatly appreciate her return." There was no need to dance around our reasons for being here. Let's hope the Prince would see reason.
"Yes well…Perhaps Lord Klaus should have considered that before breaking his word not to set foot in Romania." Well one can only have hoped for reason to prevail. "You and the rest of your family were part of that agreement." He reminds me with an arrogant smirk. "Or have you forgotten this?" My eyes narrow at him for his accusation, even though he had a right to it.
"I have not, but it is my brother who desires the girl to be brought back. Please allow me to take the girl and perhaps we could renew our deal. She has wronged my family and must be brought back to face judgement." Niklaus's treachery often caused ramifications, and at this particular moment it was what I least needed now.
"By that you mean Klaus's judgement." I do not like where this negotiation seems to be heading. "Where this…" He looks down at Katerina with a small smile before looking back to me. "Fetching girl will be at the mercy of your brother's wrath." His eyes narrow and his face contort to express anger, I should have known better in trying to bargain with this man, not with the history between my family and the Prince.
"Tell me Elijah what caused this vision…" He is speaking of Katerina again. "To have earned such ire from Lord Klaus, that he would break his word?"
I decide to remain silent to the Prince's question for it was not for him to know why we needed Katerina, nor is it mine to give him this information. If he known it was to break the curse Mother and Father had placed on Niklaus to keep his true-self…his Were Wolf side sealed, because father saw it as an abomination…of course he had always been especially hard on Niklaus, often beating him for the most trivial of matters. Father's hate for Niklaus had always been there… he just finally had an excuse to justify it his abuse.
"Your silence gives me all I need, not to return this…Katerina to you Elijah." Dracula adjust her more for a comfortable position as he begins to turn. "Do give my displeasure to your brother at the breaking of our agreement won't you old friend?" The tone of those last two words is in mockery to me and whatever friendship we used to have.
"I cannot allow you to take the girl." I try one more time but he does not stop as his back is to me, and Dracula begins walking away. "Do not turn your back on me Vlad!" I warn before blurring to intercept him, however as I make the move to grab his shoulder from behind, The Impaler plants a kick into my stomach that sends me flying backwards. I feel a sharp branch pierce right through my back. I look down and there is a good foot of branch piercing out through my heart and chest.
'He had planned for my interception.' I think to myself as I feel my body begin to slowly desiccate from the branch stabbing through my heart. The last which my sight falls upon is Dracula's arrogance as he smiles at me.
"My Apologies Elijah, but Katerina is now under my protection. If you, Klaus or any of your brood dare encroach on these lands again, then it shall be taken as an act of war." His expression turned from arrogant to threatening.
"Farwell Elijah." Is what I last hear from the monster as I slip into an abyss of darkness.