Chapter 32

Sleeping Beauty

"I am sorry, monsieur's, but there is nothing I can do", a serious looking witch said.

Klaus, Elijah, Kol and Rebekah were all standing still looking at her.

"Is she…dead?" Elijah managed to ask.

The witch shook her head.

"No, but she is broken. I do not know if she will ever wake up."

"What do you mean broken?" Klaus asked.

The witch gave him an accusative look.

"She is not human, she is a creature born from light and energy. Now it is all gone. There is no light left in her. The misery of this world has drained her."

There was a long silence before Elijah spoke.

"There must be a way to help her."

"No, I am afraid not. Waiting is all you can do. Perhaps she will wake up someday, perhaps not."

"But how long will her body last without food and water?" Elijah asked.

"Her body is simply a shell, it will not die."

They all looked at Annabelle who was lying motionlessly on the bed. She looked so peaceful, like she would be just sleeping. But her heartbeat had slowed down and she was barely breathing.

"Thank you Marie", Rebekah said to the witch.

She nodded.

"I will pray for her", she said before she left.

No one said anything. There simply was nothing to say.

...

I felt very strange when I opened my eyes. There was something wrong with my body. I didn't know where I was. The room was dark but there were some candles burning. I tried to move my hand but I couldn't. I was scared. I couldn't understand what was going on. I continued trying until I finally managed to move my finger. It was a start. I had no idea how long it took, but finally I was able to move my hand. Then my other hand and finally my legs.

I had to try over and over again before I managed to stand up. My legs didn't hold me so I fell on the floor. I leaned to the bed and tried to get up. Finally I succeeded. What was I wearing? Some kind of white nightgown. I could see flowers and candles all over the room. And there were some flowers on the canopy bed as well. The whole room looked like…a burial chamber.

Shivers went down my spine. What was going on? I tried very hard to remember what had happened. Klaus and Kol… I remembered that they were fighting. But then what? How did I end up here? And where was I?

I leaned to the wall and tried to get to the door. I could barely stand and my whole body was shaking. I had to take very short steps but finally I reached the door. Thankfully it wasn't locked. I opened it and moved slowly to the hallway. It was dark. Then I saw a light. Someone approached me carrying a candle. I blinked my eyes but I couldn't see who this person was. Then I heard a woman's voice.

"What are you doing?" she asked angrily. "No one is allowed to go there, if master will find out…"

Then she stopped and looked at me. She gasped in shock.

"Oh my lord… Master! Someone get master here!" she started to shout.

That startled me and I tried to back away. Unfortunately my legs didn't want to co-operate so I fell down again. The woman was fussing over me.

"You poor, poor thing. Master will be so happy."

I couldn't understand what she was talking about.

"Annabelle?"

I looked up and saw Elijah. He seemed shocked.

"Is that really you?"

I couldn't really understand his question. I tried to get up but I couldn't. Elijah was next to me immediately. He lifted me in his arms and started to carry me somewhere. I hoped he wouldn't take me back in that room. For some reason I didn't want to go there again.

"I never stopped believing", he murmured. "I knew someday you would find your way back."

What was he talking about? He carried me to a big bedroom and placed me carefully on the bed. I didn't want to lie down so he helped me to sit. I felt very confused.

"Are you hungry?" he asked.

I thought about it for few seconds and nodded. I was very hungry, like I had been starving.

"I will be right back", Elijah said and went to the hallway. I heard him ordering someone to prepare a meal as quickly as possible and bring what ever they could find from the kitchen. I tried to understand what was happening. When Elijah came back I asked him where were we.

"We are in England", he replied.

England? I remembered being in France. Why didn't I remember anything about coming here?

"How are you feeling?" Elijah asked.

Confused. He nodded.

"I can believe that. Do you remember anything about what happened?"

I hesitated and told him that I remembered being in Rebekah's house.

"Nothing after that?"

I shook my head. I asked him was Klaus here. Elijah looked uncomfortable.

"No, he is not here."

I stared at him. Where was he then?

"Perhaps we should talk about that later", Elijah said gently. "I know you must have a lot of questions and I promise to explain you everything but first I want you to eat."

I was starting to be afraid. Had something happened to Klaus? I asked Elijah to tell me where he was. He was quiet for a moment.

"There is no easy way to say this. The truth is that Niklaus has…changed a lot since the last time you saw him."

What did he mean?

"I really think we should talk about this later…"

I took Elijah's hand and looked into his eyes. I really needed to know what was going on. Elijah looked very serious.

"After losing you, he lost all what was left of his humanity. He tried for decades to find a way to bring you back but now… he is a true monster. There is nothing else left in him."

I couldn't do anything but stare at him. For decades? I was afraid to ask but I had to know. How long had I slept? Elijah was quiet for a moment before he answered.

"Almost a century."