I finished with my bath and got out. I searched my wardrobe for something to wear, not really sure what was appropriate. The door opened and Rebekah stuck her head in.
"I bought you a dress for the evening." She held out a hanger with an elegant purple gown attached.
"What would I do without you?"
"Look terrible." She hung the dress up on my wardrobe. "So… can I ask who your mystery gift giver is?"
"He's just a friend. I went out with him last night, got a bit drunk."
"And he's sending you fancy gifts?"
"He knew that the big ceremony was today and he decided to send me something. I think he's fairly wealthy so it's probably not a big deal to him." Rebekah went over to where I had left the box and opened it.
"Well… judging by this he likes you a whole lot." I looked over. She showed me the box which contained a beautiful necklace, an orangey-red stone in a silver setting, tiny rubies and garnets studded around the edge.
"Okay he may have got the wrong impression." Rebekah fished a note from the box and held it up.
"My dear Elena," she began in a dramatic voice. "Wear this and think of me. L. You think he might have the wrong idea?"
"He's a nice guy, okay?" I came over, took the note from her and closed the box. "The gift was overkill but he's just being sweet. I like spending time with him." I put the box inside my bedside drawer. "Nothing else."
"If you say so." She raised an eyebrow and headed to the door. "I'll see you downstairs."
She left the room. I slipped on my dress. It was beautiful, made of silk and Grecian in style. I went to the girls' room to get the twins. They squealed in delight and reached for me as I entered. They weren't that old and they were already so big.
"Hello my precious angels." I picked them up and got them dressed. "Tonight is a very special night for all three of us…"
I cradled them close and headed downstairs to the courtyard. Fairylights had been strung up and there were candles dotted around giving everything an ethereal quality. A small platform had been constructed with a large chair in the centre. My wolf was sitting beside the chair, a few others were dotted around, sprawled on the staircase and along the balcony. A table was set beside it with a bowl and a large knife and a brazier was on the other side that Freya was feeding with wood. A bar had been set up at one side of the room and I spotted a large metal bathtub tucked away in the corner. A shudder ran through me at the thought of what I was going to have to do later.
I sat in the chair with the girls on my lap to watch the final preparations. The boys wandered in slowly, all dressed smartly in suits. Finn produced the bag with my blood and filled a bowl with it, mixing a little with champagne which was poured and placed on trays for the servers. I chewed my fingernail, nervous.
Elijah approached me and I looked up.
"How do you feel?"
"Nervous. Sick. Still mildly hungover. And I think the throne was overkill."
"We're just trying to do this right." He hesitated. "Finn said you wanted us to partake in the ceremony as well?"
"Well… it would probably help people who think you're trying to take control of the city."
"Is that what you think we're trying to do?"
"It crossed my mind…"
Elijah sighed and went over to the bowl. He carefully sliced open his hand and let his blood drip into it.
"Satisfied?"
I looked away. This was beginning to feel more and more like a bad idea. I toyed with Lilah's hair and relaxed into my chair. The wolf huffed and gave me a look.
"Yeah I know, they're all assholes." He licked my hand in agreement. "Maybe tonight I'll finally find out where you came from. That'd be nice."
Elijah, who had gone over to the bar, checked his watch and nodded to Kol, who was stood by the door. He opened the gates to the courtyard and gestured for the servers to come and stand by the door. It didn't take long for the first guest to arrive. Marcel swept into the courtyard with a big smile on his face. I couldn't help but smile back. I'd got fairly close with him during my stay at his compound and I hadn't seen him since my return. He collected a glass of the tainted champagne from one server and another carefully smeared a dot of blood on his forehead.
"Elena!" He came over and bowed before the platform. "And these must be the two little princesses? They're adorable."
"Thank you. I have to say I was a little surprised to hear that you agreed to this. After all, you always say that this is your city."
"It still is. But if this is what's needed to keep you three safe and it maintains peace between factions, I'm all for it." He smiled. "I'll try and talk to you properly later. When you're not busy." He produced a small gift. "For you."
He set it on the step at my feet and turned to Freya who was hovering behind me. He handed her a small object, went to the bowl and sliced his hand, letting the blood mix with Elijah's in the bowl. Freya took whatever he had given her and threw it into the brazier which flared up.
Things continued in much the same way. The courtyard slowly filled as more people arrived, forming a line in front of my platform to present a gift, contribute something to the fire and add their blood to the mix. Most of them didn't talk, just nodded to me. I was beginning to get the feeling that being queen was just going to be really boring.
I recognized some of the people, mainly the vampires who were pretty much all from Marcel's compound, and some of the witches. The witches seemed the most reluctant to talk to me, although many of them seemed interested in the twins.
After a while, Kol shuffled up to the platform, looking at his feet.
"I didn't get you a gift." He said. "But I got these for the girls."
He produced two soft plush animals and handed them over, not looking at me. I smiled slightly as the girls immediately grasped hold of them. One was a toy wolf, the other a fox. He looked away and headed off to add his own blood to the mixture.
The line thinned and eventually ended entirely. I settled down to people watch, enjoying the relaxed nature atmosphere. Given the tension between the witches and vampires it was a pleasant change.
The doors swung open and in strode Jackson. A whisper ran through the crowd at his arrival. He smirked slightly and came up to the platform.
"Elena."
"Jackson. I see my cure worked."
"It did indeed." He smiled. "The rest of the pack wasn't comfortable coming into vamp territory. I'm sure you understand."
"I do."
"But you kept your side of the deal so I figured we should join in the festivities." He produced several small vials of blood which he added to the bowl along with his own. It was fairly full by this point.
"I'm glad you're here. I was wondering if you could off your opinion on something."
"Yeah?" I pointed to the wolf at my side. "He's been following me around since before I gave birth. I don't think he's a werewolf because he bit Kol and he's fine."
"I honestly have no idea… My pack was the only one stuck in wolf form and normal wolves aren't known for being super friendly to humans."
"He's definitely not normal…"
"I wish I could offer more help."
"It's fine. Thanks for coming."
He went off and mingled with the crowd, seeming to enjoy the stares people were giving him. I looked over at my wolf, feeling a little more unsettled by his presence than before. Who was he?
The clock struck quarter to twelve and Elijah stepped onto the platform.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we're nearing the time when we have to conclude our ritual. If anyone has yet to add to the spell, please could you do it now?"
The last few people came forward and added to the mix. Freya took the basin of blood, extinguished the brazier and raked the hot ashes into the mixture. Kol and Finn retrieved the bathtub from the side of the room and brought it into the middle. Elijah and Rebekah came over to me.
"Tonight we have gathered here to swear allegiance to Elena Gilbert. We have all offered a sacrifice of blood and received in return. We have all agreed to this of our own free will, to protect, to serve and care for Elena and her children as our new queen. If anyone objects to this, now is the time to speak."
No one spoke. Part of me silently wished someone would. Rebekah took the twins and Elijah offered me his hand. I took it, somewhat reluctantly, and he led me over to the tub. He unzipped my dress, letting it pool at my feet. The urge to throw up rose inside of me as everyone gathered around, staring at me. I climbed into the tub. Freya approached with the basin.
"A fény alatt a hold, ajánljuk az áldozat és megpecsételjük esküt. Mi ezt a nőt, hogy legyen a királyné megkent vér és tűz. Legyen minden jelen köteles őt most, amíg a halál. Hadd legyen a családja, az ő szolgái, az ő katonái, a barátai. Hadd séta mellé a sötétségben és a fény."
I closed my eyes, tensing as I waited for the inevitable.
"Vámpírok, boszorkányok és vérfarkasok, minden itt összegyűlt alatt egyesülve egy nő. Hagyja, hogy a királynő elmossa egykori élet és elfogadni ezt az új. A vér eggyé válik."
Thick cold liquid was tipped over my head. I grimaced and resisted the urge to cry out. It was cold and slimy and just so unpleasant. For the girls, for the girls...
I opened my eyes. Several of the vampires that had gathered had their fangs out, eyeing me with desire. It was probably a good idea to finish the ceremony quickly before their hunger got the better of them.
"A pecsét a paktum, hagyja, hogy a királynő inni a vér, és megteszi a közösség magát." Freya intoned. She held out a small crystal glass. I took it and bit my lip, unsure if i could do it. Yes i'd drunk blood before but that was different, i wasn't myself at the time. I took a deep breath, gagging as the coppery scent reached my nose. I tried not to think about it, lifting the glass to my lips. I tipped it back, trying to pour as much down my throat as i could without tasting it.
The flavour coated my throat and i paused, my breathing becoming ragged as i struggled to keep it down. I sought out familiar faces in the hall, watching me intently. Kol, looking the other way. Finn, his eyes sad. I forced myself to drain every single drop of liquid from that cup and when it was empty, i dropped it, doubling over as i surpressed my retching.
"Elena Gilbert," said Elijah. I lifted my head. There was more? "We stand here as the representatives of the supernatural factions of New Orleans."
There were four of them lined up. Elijah, Marcel, Jackson and a witch I didn't recognize.
"Do you promise to protect us as we protect you?" The witch asked. "To defend us as a queen should?"
"I promise." My voice was hushed, barely audible
"Do you promise to care for us as we care for you?" Jackson asked. "As not only a queen but as our family?"
"I promise." My voice grew louder.
"Do you promise to serve our community and our people as we serve you and yours?" Elijah asked.
"I promise."
"Do you promise to lay down your life for your people as we would for you?"
"I... I promise."
I felt a sharp stab of pain at my throat. My hand went to my neck and i felt fresh blood flowing through. I choked, blood on my tongue and running down my throat. I twisted slightly and saw Kol, knife in his hand. My eyes rolled back in my head and my body went limp. Darkness engulfed me.
When i woke up, the party was still going on. I'd been laid out on the platform, my wolf beside me. I was still naked but thankfully someone had carefully lain a sheet over me. I sat up, looking around. The twins were gone and i assumed that they'd been put to bed. Finn was sitting nearby.
"I thought you said i didn't need to get stabbed?" I demanded.
"Technically speaking, you didn't get stabbed."
"Technically speaking, if i stake you in the heart i've not killed you but you'll still die and it'll still fucking hurt."
"I'm sorry. I didn't know that that was part of it. Kol gave Freya the spell and he wouldn't let her say anything. They didn't want you to panic."
"You mean about having my throat slit open?" I glared out at the dance floor. "Is this thing almost over? I need to shower."
"Almost." He kissed my cheek. "You want a drink?"
"No thanks."
He got up and wandered off to talk with Freya. I rested my head on my arms. The wolf whined.
"You're right. I can't trust any of them it seems."
I stayed where i was sitting, wrapped in my sheet while the party continued. The clock struck and Elijah came up onto the platform once again. He cleared his throat and the room fell silent.
"Ladies and gentlemen. The night's festivities are coming to an end and i wanted to thank all of you for joining us and showing your support of Elena. And now, i would like to officially present to all of you," He offered his hand to me. I took it and he helped me up. "Elena Gilbert, Queen of New Orleans." There was a round of applause. "This is a very special moment for all of us. And i think it's also the perfect moment for me to ask Elena a very important question."
"If you're going to ask me to die for you again and slit my throat, you can forget it." A few people laughed. I noticed Kol standing near the platform, watching Elijah intently, with a look of pain on his face.
"Elena Gilbert." Elijah said. "You are beautiful, smart, fierce and... i love everything about you." He took something from his pocket and got down on one knee. "Will you marry me?"