So I had chapter nine all written out but found myself completely unsatisfied with it. Deleted the whole thing and started again, hope you are all satisfied with this!
Thank you Black Star for your continued reviews, I find your critique of my work very informative and helpful. (Even if it does force me to think harder..lol)
...Who Will Have Mercy On Your Soul?
She woke up, the feeling of anticipation in the air caused her to sharpen her senses, trying to feel for any danger. Nothing stood out of the ordinary, or for what passed for normal in the area anyway, so she shrugged and got out of bed. The rest of the morning passed with her constantly on the edge, some sixth sense telling her that something was up. She followed Esther, more silent than usual if that was even possible. She still played her little games of torment against Esther that morning, but all the while she was alert for something, anything, to happen.
To her surprise She was ordered to look for Esther's daughter Rebekah in the city and the surrounding countryside. She figured that for how long Esther had been searching for Rebekah that she would be nowhere near the city, and Esther knew this as well. The Cursed One thought that left two options, the first that Esther wanted to find some reason to punish her, the second that Esther really couldn't handle the sight of her anymore so was looking for any reason to get rid of her for the day.
As far as She was concerned the day was wasted on the fruitless search for a woman who was nowhere even close to New Orleans. Her frustration grew as she searched the city all day and found no trace of Rebekah. Finally admitting defeat in the city she headed to the roads leading out of the city, one in particular. Esther's spies had informed her that Klaus and Hayley had headed out of the city by way of this road, and She thought that they might just come back by the same road. She made her way down the road, keeping out of sight, and after a decent distance from the city she found a perch that she could see all incoming traffic. Hoping that She might see them returning and follow them, and if she was close enough when they reached the manor then she would be able to eavesdrop for any sign of Rebekah.
She considered it a waste of time to be walking all through the bayou looking for The Original. If it was Hayley she would be quite at home, and The Cursed One's search would have led her there. No, Rebekah would be nowhere near that place, not with her stylish clothes and fancy shoes.
Her patience paid off, for there coming down the road in a black vehicle was Klaus, and who should be with him but the very Original that She was looking for! She knew that Rebekah would not be coming back to the city unless if it was absolutely necessary, that meant that either she was tired of running, or they were making the move on Esther, tonight!
She smiled, Oh it is indeed Christmas!
She sped down from her perch and planted herself, arms crossed, on the road. She calmly watched as the car raced towards her. She could see the exact moment that Klaus caught sight of her, it was almost hilarious the look of surprise on his face. He slammed on the breaks and the car slid to a stop just a few inches from her.
"What the bloody hell?" She heard Rebekah exclaim.
"What is the meaning of this?" Klaus demanded, angrily getting out of the vehicle and slamming the door. "I would have thought that you would be at my mother's side, guarding her precious life."
"Well normally I would be." She said not moving back as he stomped towards her. "Except that my mistress has ordered me to find Rebekah, and what do I see but you are bringing her right towards me." She waved at Rebekah, who was still sitting in the vehicle, glaring at her. At the wave Rebekah got out of the vehicle and advanced towards The Cursed One angrily.
"Well mother didn't have to send her guard dog to fetch me!" She said "I was going to her anyways." Rebekah raised her chin to stare down her nose at The Cursed One then made her way back to the vehicle and got in.
"Best be on your way and let our dear mother know that Rebekah is on her way like a good girl." Klaus said, turning away from her as well.
"You are making your move against her tonight, aren't you?" She asked, even though she was already certain of the fact.
Klaus paused mid-walk and turned around slowly, a fierce expression on his face. His eyes glared at her, the ferocity in them would have frightened anyone who had good sense. "And what if we are? Are you going to run back to your master and tell her?"
"See this is the part where I remind you that she does not have quite enough control over me."
He blinked in surprise. "And here I thought that you were bound to some sort of obedience to the one holding the ring."
"But I am." She said, smirking. "I was ordered to find Rebekah and she is found, how have I disobeyed her?"
She watched as the smirk grew on his face.
"But you didn't stop our vehicle just to let us know that you had found Rebekah. No, something else is at play here." He outright smiled this time. "So come on, out with it." He said, gesturing at her to speak.
"Not only am I bound to serve whoever holds my ring, but I am also forced to protect that person. Should you go up against my mistress then you will have to fight me again, giving Esther enough time to fight back or escape."
"Well I don't suppose that you would just let me snap your neck so that we could be on our way?" Klaus asked, he seemed rather eager to do just that.
"If it meant killing my mistress then I would, but the thing is that just as the ring offers my mistress certain protections, it also gives me protection as well. Snapping my neck would be quite painful, but it will not work."
"So then what do you propose?" He asked, clearly growing impatient.
"I don't need to know the full details of your plan, and the less I know the better as it will be less compulsion for me to protect her. But when you do act do it fast, the ring compels me but it can be fought off for a single moment. I can give you that moment, but that is all I can give you."
He looked at her for a moment, his eyes calculating, he seemed to come to some sort of conclusion.
"I assume that if Rebekah or I were to successfully kill our mother than the ring would come to one of us." At her nod he continued. "Why are you so willing to trade one monster for another?"
"Let's just say that I have my reasons." She said, not turning her gaze away from his penetrating look.
He shook his head. "Not good enough, if we are going to trust you in this fight against Esther I need something a little more definite than that."
She took a breath, trying to figure out just what to tell him. "I know what kind of a monster you and your family are." She said, looking at Rebekah to include her in the category of monster. "And let's face it I am no saint either, but I hold a special hatred towards witches in particular. Witches, so proud, so self-righteous in their service of nature, all about balance to this nature, oh but they are unmatched in their cruelty towards those they hold power over. I would serve the devil himself if it meant being free of Esther or any other witch! If my word is not enough for you, trust in my hatred, trust in my rage!"
During her speech to him She advanced towards him until she was right in front of him, looking him directly in his eyes. He could see her sincerity, and her hatred for his mother. His smile grew. "Well then." He said, glancing at Rebekah before opening the vehicle door for her. "Shall we be on our way?"
Without hesitation She got into the vehicle, smiling at Rebekah's exclamation.
"Nik you can't be serious!"
Needless to say it was quite enjoyable to watch the two siblings squabble over her riding in the car with them, and her continued part in the plan. She only hoped that by time they reached where Rebekah and her would be let out that Rebekah would be more amiable to working alongside her.
By the time they reached the lycée Rebekah wasn't any more happy about her new partner in crime than before, but she was satisfied enough with Klaus' arguments that she was willing enough to work with her.
When She and Rebekah entered the lycée The Cursed One stayed at the door, content to watch Rebekah, Kol, and Esther converse. Kol seemed nervous to see her there, and She wondered if he was in on the plot. If he was then he would have no way of knowing her involvement, unless Klaus had chosen to trust him, which knowing Klaus that was not likely to happen.
When Kol distracted his mother so that Rebekah could put her blood into the wine She knew that he was for sure working against Esther. Rebekah threw her a wary glance, uncertain if the ring would force The Cursed One to divulge that to Esther. She nearly smiled at that, but there was the loophole. They were making no actual threats to Esther's person, and vampire blood was certainly no poison.
When Esther and her children took their positions for the ceremony She positioned herself close one of the crypts that was closest to the 'alter'. Esther might have thought that she made this move to be able to protect her mistress better, but The Cursed One wanted a better angle to watch,
She heard Klaus approaching fast, but She made no sign of the fact that she had heard him, lest it give Esther some sort of warning.. When he came down to the ground She knew that he could see her, but he did not even give her the slightest bit of attention.
The ring, picking up on the looming danger, was sending a hum of warning to protect. However The Cursed One could see that Kol was no danger to his mother, and Rebekah was making no move to attack. Klaus was the wild card, She knew that out of anyone there he would make the move to attack, but for now he was holding his distance. She moved closer to Esther, just to keep up the appearance to protect her mistress.
As the scene before her played out Esther's certainty in her plan, and her control over The Cursed One, almost made her think that Esther would get away with it, but She had seen the look in Klaus' eye. Him sacrificing himself for his sister was not the only plan in play tonight.
Her focus was so much on Klaus that Kol's shout of "now!" didn't even draw her attention away. She saw the decision to move cross his face, saw his muscles bunching up in preparation for movement, saw him start to speed towards Esther, and She did nothing.
Oh the ring was essentially screaming at her to save her mistress, its compulsion firing up, and she knew that she had the time to save Esther if she acted now. But She knew that all she had to do was delay, just delay for the slightest instant, and She was right.
The knife plunged into Esther's neck and withdrew. The amount of compulsion the ring was sending was agonizing, but She was able to handle it, barely.
It was done, She was free from Esther. Of course that meant that now she belonged to Klaus, who Keira had fought, taunted, mocked, and threatened, but for now it was enough that Esther was dying, soaked in her own blood.
Klaus was occupied with his sister so She took advantage of his distracted state and stalked closer to her dying mistress. The pain at this point was agonizing, it was only thanks to the years of agony she had suffered previously that She was able to keep focused. Her head felt like it was being crushed, and her body shook with the pain that was ripping through it. This was the first master She had had in a long time that had died a slower death. Most had died instantly, She had almost forgotten the level of pain the slow death of a master would cause her. Almost, but not completely forgotten it, she had remembered the pain, but deemed the pain worth it just so that She could look her mistress in the eye as Esther died. She could see the surprise in her mistress' eyes, and the fear as The Cursed One filled her vision.
"Oh don't worry mistress." She told her, tenderly caressing her face. "I can't hurt you." The relief in those dimming eyes at The Cursed Ones inability to cause further pain disappeared as She leaned down and whispered.
"Yet." She could see the confusion in Esther's eyes as the life finally drained out of her. With Esther's death the ring sent its final wave of agony, causing The Cursed One to collapse to her hands and knees next to Esther's body, before it finally bonded with Klaus.
She would have went to Klaus now that the ring had bonded to him, but he was still preoccupied with his sister. Instead she followed him back to the Mikaelson Manor
She wondered if with the rate she was going through Mikaelsons for masters, if she would be going through all of the Mikaelson's in the near future.
Waiting for the opportune moment she finally had a chance to catch Klaus alone, leaning on a balcony rail overlooking the city. Keira would have kneeled, She did not. Instead She walked up behind her new master and waited to be acknowledged.
He did not turn to face her but instead held up his hand as if to look at the ring on it. "You have already told me some of what this ring does for me, and my brother spoke with certainty of the control he has over your, but I think that there is a little more to this ring that I need to know about"
She came alongside him to lean her own weight against the rail, then she filled him in on what information was left.
"You are different than when you served my brother." He noted, turning to face her, but still leaning his weight against one arm propped up by the rail. "Darker, more of the monster and less of the woman I think."
"You are not wrong in that." She acknowledged, keeping her attention on the city.
"Tell me." He commanded. "Tell me why it feels like I am talking to a completely different person altogether."
Forced to obey she spoke.
"Keira served your brother, but when the ring went to Esther she did something to her that reminded her of the one I call The Master. He was the first master, and Keira had the misfortune of disobeying him. He tortured her, far past what she was able to endure. She broke, and I was created to protect what was left, to do what she could not bear to. The Cursed One they called me, and whatever he commanded I did. Where Keira would have hesitated I did not. Slaughter infants, massacre towns, kill kings in their beds, anything, as long as he commanded it. Maddened with pain and rage I turned it all on his enemies. Until one day his king banded together with witches, vampires, and werewolves to ally with the humans to bring down my master. They lost a lot of people fighting against my master and I, but in the end their numbers proved too much. I found out then that my torment did not end with his death, but merely passed to another, and another, then another for centuries. I would have been content to slip away in those early days if Keira had no more need of me, but the following masters have proven that in order to survive I was still needed. So I stayed to protect her, to give her the time to remake herself into what she once was. It took a long time, but eventually she emerged. Then we went to Esther, who reminded Keira of her darkest suffering, and I was needed once more. Depending on what type of master you are you might see Keira again soon."
"I think not." He said looking thoughtful. "I have need of the monster for what I have in mind, far more than Keira."
Not knowing what to say to that She just nodded her head. Normally masters preferred Keira's presence to hers, but She should have known that Klaus would not be her typical master in any way.
"Well, as lovely as our little chat is there is another matter that I must attend to." He said, clapping his hands together and rubbing them with excitement.
"Dare I ask just what that it that has you so excited?"
"Yes, I think that it is about time that my mother will be starting to wake up."
"Oh yes." She said, drawing the words out as if she was savoring them. A smile started to grow across her face, and it wasn't a nice smile at all. "Even though I know that you don't need a bodyguard can I ask you for a favor?"
"Ask away."
"I'd like to be there when you tell her."
His own evil smile spread across his face. "I think that can be arranged."
The first face Esther saw upon waking up was the face of the monster that she created, the second face was that of the monster that she had unleashed. The smiles that both wore when Klaus informed her of her new life did not bring any comfort to her in her new eternal existence.
The title today is also taken from lyrics to Jen Titus' Oh Death
I have never been to the New Orleans area so I am taking her meeting up with Klaus and Rebekah off of the scene were those two were driving in the car. I have not idea just how far away that road is from the city, but I was hoping that its not hundreds of miles away.
When writing Keira's speech to Klaus I realized that I was channeling Loki's "trust my rage" in The Dark World, was super excited about that!
Anyways by now you know the drill, please let me know what you think!
Oh one last thing to Black Star, some of the things that you have said in your reviews I have used for my inspiration for Keira's speech to Klaus on her creating the cursed one, I hope you don't mind, but I thought it was really good and thought to show some of my appreciation for your continued reviews!