A/N Thank you all for reviewing!
1001 A.D
"Here, Nik, you must get clean."
Rebekah sniffed, taking a moment to wipe at her wet cheeks before she knelt down beside her brother. Klaus didn't reply, he remained silent, staring off into nothing. Legs pulled to his chest, arms locked around them, he didn't react as his sister wiped away the blood that smeared his face. In front of him Elijah was finishing burying his mother's coffin, something he'd been at for day and night, Klaus wasn't sure how long.
He'd killed his mother.
"I couldn't stop myself. I just wanted to know why. Why she lied to me, why she said nothing for so long and why she abandoned me."Klaus muttered more to himself than to his siblings, finally turning his head to watch his sister as she took his hands and wiped the dry blood from them."She said nothing. She just walked away, and all I remember was the anger."
Rebekah had to wipe her cheeks once more before she went back to cleaning the blood from her brother. She was grieving for her mother, and she was grieving for her entire family with equal measure.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."Klaus whispered to his sister, swallowing the lump in his throat before he looked up at his brother, choking back a sob."I just wanted to know why she hated me."
"She did not hate you. She was afraid."Rebekah whispered back, handing the torn piece of clothing to Elijah who dipped it back into the bowl of water before he began to wipe his own hands. Rebekah turned back to her brother, shuffling closer to him and embracing him."I'm sorry they turned their backs on you. I will never do that."
Klaus let out a relieved breath, his tears finally falling after him holding them back. As he had done many times before, Klaus let his head rest on Rebekah's shoulder after she hugged him tighter. He looked like a lost little boy, reminding Elijah of when he would find his brother curled up in a ball, wondering why he was the outcast according to Mikael. Elijah watched his brother with a crestfallen expression, both disappointed and sympathetic.
He rounded the grave he had just dug and reached down, pulling his brother to his feet as well as his sister and hugged Klaus. His little brother instantly embraced him back, desperately clinging to Elijah for reassurance, something he'd done his entire life.
"Nobody hates you, Niklaus, we did not ask for this. We have all done things we regret because of this...this curse."Elijah softly said after pulling back, wiping his hands of the blood as much he could, his voice impassive but no lace of hatred in his tone."We have to regain control of ourselves. The urges, the anger, the sorrow, the ecstasy, it is a vicious circle. It cannot control us if we don't let it."
Klaus nodded in agreement, turning from his mother's grave, unable to stand looking at it any longer.
As he turned, Klaus' eyes caught sight of Finn who was watching his siblings.
He'd disappeared after they'd found Esther and Klaus and had been gone the entire night. The eldest Mikaelson sibling, rims of his eyes slightly reddened from his obvious devastation, leaned against a tree as he watched. His dark eyes focused on Klaus, the apparent grief and seething rage causing the younger Mikaelson's face to fall but both remained where they stood.
"Niklaus."Elijah called, drying his hands on his tunic, raising his head and looking to Klaus."With the recent disturbance and now the absence of Kol, we need to keep hold of whatever family we have left."
"I-I can't."Klaus didn't look up from the ground, eyes on his now washed hands. He could still see particles of blood embedded underneath his nails, but it was an improvement from how his hands had been coated in crimson."He hates me."
"With our newfound abilities comes time. Finn needs time but, more importantly, he needs family."Elijah softly replied, placing an encouraging hand on Klaus' shoulder."We need family."
"You, me, Rebekah..."Elijah turned and looked into the forest where his daughter was saying goodbye to their fallen brother."Ella. She needs her family now more than ever, we all do. I will not let this family break if I have the means to keep it together."
Klaus finally looked at his siblings when Rebekah touched his arm fondly. Her tears still came, filling her eyes but she, as usual, still managed to comfort her brother.
"Please, Nik..."
The siblings shared a look, Klaus finally nodding despite his uneasiness and he held Rebekah's hand before he turned away and began walking in Finn's direction.
Klaus slowly made his way over to his elder brother, raising his head an inch with each step as his belief in the purpose of keeping Finn with them grew. Klaus, while sorry for his siblings' pain over Esther's death, did not feel a loss. His need for his mother's love, while still there, was now a black hole in his heart that was beginning to fill with resentment.
"What did you say to our siblings that has refrained their retribution?"Finn asked when his brother came up to him, it now obvious he had been listening."How can Rebekah comfort you knowing you are the monster that murdered our mother? I expect this from Elijah despite his morality."
As he finished, Finn witnessed Elijah and Rebekah look away with almost shame. He knew they held their mother dear, despite their issues, but it seemed that they held their brother closer to their heart.
"Finn-"
"The mere sight of you makes my blood boil, what you have taken from this family is unjustifiable."Finn cut in, holding up a hand when his brother attempted to speak once more, glancing over Klaus' shoulder at Elijah and Rebekah who stood watching them."How our siblings can still look at you with warmth after what you have done astonishes me. Then again, I suppose they never did show mother the affection she deserved."
"She cursed me then abandoned me, and you stand there to defend her?"Klaus' upset subsided, his tone turning resentful, his obvious upset showing."She lied to me my entire life, stood back and watched as Mikael abused me and yet-"
Klaus shook his head, the anger in his blue eyes turning doleful before they filled with unwanted tears. Finn narrowed his eyes as his brother drew in a long, sharp breath, turning his head away as if he were ashamed at the tears in his eyes. He was. Mikael would lash Klaus for hours if he cried after being punished for something he didn't even do. He'd yell at his sons for showing weakness but never lash them like he did Klaus.
Finn's blood was boiling with rage, the sight of Klaus turned his stomach, but there was a small part—a minuscule part of Finn that was tempted to place a hand on Klaus' shoulder. They'd never been close, Finn had always stuck by Esther's side, and his devotion to her made him distant from his siblings, but there were moments now and then where Finn would show affection to his siblings.
Despite this Finn remained headstrong, shaking his head, his anger with his brother prevailing.
"If you are looking for sympathy, Niklaus-"
Klaus sniffed, blinking away his tears before he let out a cold laugh.
"From you, Finn? I'd have more chance with our father."Klaus coldly replied, his response making Finn's eye almost twitch before the younger Mikaelson bitterly added."I apologize. He never was my father, was he? Even before all of this."
Finn went quiet after that, Klaus' words leaving him startled for a moment.
"I suppose you are to abandon us as mother did? Like Kol seemingly has?"Klaus murmured, pain in his eyes at the mention of his now youngest brother's absence."You never did think of anyone but her."
Finn glared at Klaus, suddenly taking a step forward and his brother straightened, ready to defend himself. But Finn made no move to attack Klaus. Instead, he angrily stared at his brother, the rage still burning as it was before.
"Your actions utterly disgust me, Niklaus, and if what father told us about our immortality is true, you should believe that it is going to take me centuries to look at you without wanting to bury you in the ground to rot."Finn quietly and bitterly hissed, his voice cracking a little when he glanced at the hut they used to reside before he looked at his siblings, eyes softening a little."But, considering my duty to take care of this family outweighs my wish to destroy you, I am remaining with this family."
Finn and his siblings had never been close-knit, they had been a group while he had remained with his mother. But, as the eldest, it was his duty to keep them together. He was head of the family now that his father wanted nothing more than vengeance.
"Father wishes to bury you, and I feel little sympathy for you but, while I do not understand it considering your abhorrent actions, our siblings hold love for you and will stand by you. Father will have not hesitant in hunting them in order to get to you and in spite of their gluttonous tendencies, I will not let him hurt my family."
Klaus gave a short nod, a small smile curving at his mouth when he heard the determination in Finn's voice. His smile quickly fell, however, as he remembered the vacancy that now resided in their family now that Kol was gone. Klaus looked back at the Mikaelson's that remained, expression now as determined as Finn.
Turning back a moment later, Klaus firmly replied."Neither will I."
Finn carefully studied Klaus, as if he were attempting to decipher if he was to be trusted. And, as he did that, he came to the realization that his younger brother, while a beast, was telling the truth. The elder brother didn't respond; he didn't glower or smile. Instead, he simply sidestepped Klaus and walked away.
And, after taking a moment for himself, Klaus soon turned and followed his brother.
Finn joined Elijah and Rebekah near Esther's freshly dug grave, standing over it with a forlorn expression. His hands met in front of him; his head bowed as he silently showed respect to his mother.
Rebekah turned in his direction, lips curving up a little, pleased with his presence as it meant he was remaining with them.
"Finn..."
"We must leave as soon as possible."Finn interrupted, looking anywhere but them as if it would pain him to do so, completely ignoring Klaus who came up beside Rebekah."Father is sure to have followed us."
Elijah nodded in firm agreement and, while upset by Kol's abandonment he hoped his brother had avoided their father. Mikael's rage toward Esther's betrayal had spanned days despite his success in making Klaus' wolf dormant. He would soon backtrack home after his murderous spree in killing the rest of the wolves.
They needed to get as far from Mikael as possible.
"We must-"Finn's eyes suddenly widened a little, and he looked around, demanding."Where is Ella?"
"Saying one last goodbye to Henrik and Ellie."Elijah quietly replied, face falling at the mention of their fallen brother and the same happened to his siblings."She knows we won't return and refused to settle until she could say farewell to her uncle and her mother."
Finn simply nodded, and the siblings remained silent, collectively thinking of Henrik fondly as well as Ellie. Ella was in a state of confusion, hunger, and fright concerning recent events.
Elijah had spent some time there just after their turning but, after his bloodshed, he couldn't bring himself to go back. While the 'funeral' had been done in true Viking style, Elijah and Klaus had built a small shrine-esque area which was scattered with Ellie's favorite flowers and where Henrik's sword lay in front of a small monument where Ellie could go to spend time with them. While Mikael despised it, Elijah had never allowed his father to find its location and would go toe to toe with his concerning Mikael's criticism on how Elijah raised his daughter.
"Is she aware?"
"Ella knows her grandmother is gone."Elijah quietly replied, rolling up the sleeves of his tunic in order to hide the blood that stained it, rolling them up to his elbow, his voice turning more demanding as he, directing the next sentence to Finn, added."She knows nothing of what took place. I will tell her one day considering our immortality but not anytime soon. I expect you to respect that."
Finn didn't reply but he nodded in silent agreement, this telling Elijah he would remain silent about the subject.
A few moments passed, and Rebekah raised her head, whispering."Where are we going?"
"I have no clue, but it doesn't matter."Elijah answered with a shake of his head, looking up from the grave long enough to add."All that matters is that we remain ahead of father. Together."
"I suppose I have nothing better to do but to join you."
Rebekah let out a gasp, and they all turned to see Kol ambling towards them, thankfully having wiped the blood from himself. They'd thought he'd run off after the discovery of their mother and the threat of their father. But here he was, a silent relief, returning to them. It seemed down to Ella considering she was beside her uncle, holding his hand with the biggest grin on her face.
"Brother!"
Kol's shoulder length dark hair tied back a little matted with blood but, Ella seemed far too pleased with herself to notice. Even if she did, she was still too pleased with herself to care given the skip in her step.
"I found uncle Kol!"Ella sang, swinging their joined hands, brown eyes playful as she turned and looked up at her uncle, shaking her head."He was playing hide and seek."
Kol held out his arms, feigning upset as he sighed."I lost."
Ella gave a triumphant laugh, running ahead, pulling Kol with her in the direction of their family. As her laughter rid of the heavy silence that had befallen them, Elijah, Rebekah, Klaus, and Finn were unable to stop themselves from fondly watching the now eternal six-year-old. Rebekah's lips curved up into a small smile, Klaus copying her a moment after as Ella reached them.
"It seems like you'll be needing my mirthful presence, all things considered."
Giving a pointed look, he nodded down at the freshly dug grave, his smile falling fleetingly and his expression indifferent, as if he didn't know what to make of Esther's demise. He'd never been close with his mother; she'd always overlooked him but, despite that, she was his mother.
"Kol!"Rebekah happily muttered, an emotional smile curving at her lips as she realized that her siblings were now all in one place."We thought you left."
"I admit, I did ponder it but couldn't bring myself to go through with it when I came across our little precious saying goodbye to our fallen."Kol confessed reaching out with his hand, offering Ella's hand that was still embraced in his own to Elijah, nodding to his brother when he accepted."I then thought of how miserable you all would be without me and how bored I would be without teasing you, so I returned."
As Ella ambled over to her father, Rebekah used Kol's open arms to her advantage and lunged at her brother, pulling him into a far too tight hug. Her brother huffed out a groan, a mix between annoyed and hurt because, apparently, his sister had forgotten about her newfound strength. Kol looked to his brothers for help but, instead of running to his rescue as he'd expected, his brothers turned and gave him smiles, Klaus patting his shoulder as praise for returning to his family.
"A little help here. Anyone?"Kol's voice was muffled due to the blond hair that was sprawled across his face as his sister buried his face in his shoulder."Given how we are now running for our lives, Nik, it's the least you could do."
A glower was his response and, while Kol attempted to peel his sister off of him without making her upset, Elijah had taken his daughter off to the side.
"Come."Elijah mumbled, kneeling down in front of Ella, picking up the fur he had taken from their family hut."You must wrap up; it's getting cold."
Elijah knelt down in front of his daughter, eyes skimming over the stained blood on her clothing, trying his best to avoid bringing attention o it. She hadn't spoken about what Mikael and Esther had turned them into or draining a handful of their neighbors. Instead, she let her father guide her and, if he told her that it was needed to happen, then she trusted him, just as she trusted her aunts and uncles.
"We are leaving soon."Elijah quietly reminded his daughter, doing his best to wrap the fur around her so that she wouldn't be cold on their journey."Did you say goodbye?"
"Yes, i said goodbye for you, too."Ella said as her father got to his feet, reaching out with her arms as a silent demand to be lifted up."And everyone else."
"That was thoughtful of you."Elijah made a show of being unsure on lifting her up before he quickly swooped down and lifted Ella off of her feet."I'm sure they will appreciate it."
Ella happily sighed, smiling softly at her father, an arm wrapping around him to steady herself while she raised her other to show him two flowers. Elijah looked at the flowers she held, the familiar red and blue petals still as lively as they were when his brother had suggested the location they could build the monuments. The flowers were still vibrant as ever, even six years later, as if Ellie and Henrik were with them whenever they would visit.
Ayana had done a spell of sorts, a magical touch she said, to keep them filled with life. Even when Ella accidentally pulled one from the ground as a baby, the flower hadn't withered.
"I took one of mother's flowers and uncle Henrik's,"Ella said, showing her father the flower that had been scattered around her mother and uncle's monuments for years, able to withstand sleet, wind, and snow. She brought the petals to her nose and sniffed, smiling to herself before presenting the flower to her father."They will never wither, remember? I wanted to keep them with me while we're gone."
Elijah gazed at his daughter for a long moment, a familiar warmth surging through him as he recognized the vibrancy in her brown eyes, the child-like winsomeness that she carried with her. She was still so human and, because of that, the fright of their future Elijah had started to feel didn't seem to consume him.
"Then we shall protect them as if they were here themselves."Elijah promised, smiling softly as fingers brushing the petals fondly before he looked to his daughter."Yes?"
Ella gave a zestful nod, fingers curling into her father's tunic while her hand carefully gripped the flowers firmly."Yes."
The pair shared a fond smile, Ella's nose scrunching up and a squeal-like giggle leaving her when her father hugged her tight before he tilted his head up and gently pecked the top of her head. Ella hugged her father, as if sensing his need for comfort, her little arms wrapping around him. He remained frozen for a moment, unsure of how to react to being comforted because he was the one who gave comfort. Elijah quickly collected himself before he hugged her back, eyes shutting for a moment to linger.
"We'll be all right, daddy."Ella whispered, embracing him one last time before she pulled back, the winsome smile gracing her face once more."We have each-other, that is all we need. Just like you said and you are never wrong."
Elijah gave a small laugh, nodding in agreement before he murmured."That is right."
Ella smiled to herself as her father led them back to their family, setting her down on her feet so that she could stand beside her family. The child smiled softly at them, sensing how upset they were as they huddled together. They all circled Esther's grave, taking a moment to silently wish a final farewell, offering her aunt a comforting hug. Rebekah hugged her niece, petting her hair fondly as she quietly shed another tear for her mother.
"We'll be all right."Rebekah took a moment to look over her family before firmly promising."We have nobody but each-other now but I know that is all we need."
They remained silent, sharing looks now and then as they quietly nodded in agreement.
"We remain together, in spite of our differences, as a family, bound together by love and loyalty because, in the end, that is what matters. We stick together as one."Rebekah firmly stated what they had repeated to one another over the years either during their father's abusive tirades or merely an utterance of affection."Always and forever."
Rebekah outstretched her arms, blue eyes flickering over her siblings. Elijah's right hand reached out and took Klaus', his left taking hold of Ella's, offering each a small smile as he did so. Ella quickly made sure her mother's flower was gently embraced within their grip. Beside him, Ella squeezed his hand before she looked beside her where Kol stood. Her uncle made a show of rolling his eyes before he offered her a hand.
"I guess we should indulge your aunt's melodramatic moment."Kol playfully drawled though there was not much jest in his tone but he did give a small smile considering he refused to show the alarm he was also feeling concerning Mikael's wrath."We go together hand in hand us mischief makers."
Ella laughed, jumping up when Kol baited his hand, offering it before moving it before Ella could take it. She finally caught it, giving a huff of triumph and, as she had with her father, Ella placed Henrik's flower in her hand before taking Kol's, looking pleased as she did so.
Kol looked at the familiar flower, smile falling as he stared at it pensively, before he nodded to Ella."Very good, precious."
The pair shared a small smile before her uncle took Rebekah's but not before muttering about how dramatic they were being. Rebekah, eyes shining with both relief and a hint of sadness, smiled once more before offering her free hand to Finn.
Rebekah smiled in encouragement when Finn looked at the hand."Brother?"
Her eldest brother hesitated for a moment, taking a few seconds to ponder before he gave a headstrong nod. He held out his hands, thumb grazing his daylight ring before he took Rebekah's hand but hesitated once more until, finally, he let himself take Klaus', too.
The Mikaelson family nodded to one another, collectively glancing at each joined pair of hands they spoke in unison, repeating Rebekah's statement and, therefore, sealing their vow.
"Always and forever."
Thank you for reading!
I hope you all liked it, and I do hope to write in the present, but i'm still not sure which season I should start in, you can suggest which you'd prefer if you'd like. I also think the flashbacks are really important to the dynamics the family will have.
Anyway, if you enjoyed this chapter and you would like to see more of this story, please leave a review.