AN: Thank you to everyone that has read and reviewed and followed and favorited this story. I am glad you are enjoying this story. I corrected a mistake in the first chapter which said that Finn was present, but he stayed behind. This chapter is a bit longer but it is due to conversation. Again thank you for all your love and encouragement. Stay safe and be good people!
Chapter 6
The sentry saw the large raven flying overhead, wings extended, flapping with grace and strength, but closer to the ground than he would have expected. The bird seemed to keep pace with the figure that he now saw walking towards the village.
Security was tightened around the village and other smaller villages nearby and paths and trails surrounding and leading to and from the village due to sightings of wolves from the MacAskill-Lockwood clan. They had taken their wolf forms as a way of keeping their identities secret. Argyll, upon hearing of the disturbances, sent out a small scouting party to investigate. They were able to track the wolves back to their hiding place and discovered the small band of wolves were MacAskill-Lockwoods and MacIvors.
Elijah advised the men not to attack unless provoked, but to spy and report back. He did not want to instigate more bloodshed than necessary, however he did add extra men to several of the lookout posts to ensure safety of the villagers and other nearby clans.
The sentry sent a signal of an approaching stranger. Kol was on his way to go riding after being chastised by Elijah (apparently he was getting a little too friendly with some of the young maidens). He needed to get away before he did something stupid. Kol, also having seen the bird, curiously looked out towards the horizon after hearing the whistle, jumping on his horse he rode out to meet the lone walker. He knew that gait and that posture, there was no other person he knew that walked or held themselves like his brother.
Klaus saw the rider coming his way, he knew it was Kol. He stopped walking allowing Kol to ride up on him. With a smile Kllaus looked up to see a smiling Kol extend his hand. He took it hostling himself up on the horse behind his brother. Kol turned the horse around and urged him on. Anthus followed.
XX
"Brother you look well, better than well really. I am glad you are with us, if you taried much longer Elijah would have burned the forest down. I told him that the witch would not harm you, but it would take some time for your healing," Rebekah said as she hugged her favorite brother. She couldn't keep her hands off of him touching him and fussing over him. She would not admit it but Elijah did have her starting to think that taking him to the witch was a mistake. None of them thought it would take so long for him to come back to them.
Klaus hugged her and kissed her forehead. "Dear sister, I am alive and well. You can stop fussing," he smiled at her. He noticed her belly had grown since he was gone and this brought to mind his dear wife.
Rebekah saw the strange look on her brother's face, she watched him and was curious as to where that look came from. "Brother why is your countenance thus?" There seemed to be a longing in his eyes, she thought and this made her very curious as to what happened with him and the witch.
"Her name is Bonnie. And I am just very happy that you are well. Your babe is growing." Klaus replied, surprising everyone with the information that he had given concerning the witch.
They all looked at him as if he was a troll or some otherworldly creature and not their brother. All eyes were on him the instant he said her name was Bonnie. "She has a name?" Rebekah's eyes lit up, she didn't know the witch had a name.
"She does indeed, sister." Klaus confirmed with a smile.
"What has she done to you, brother? You are not yourself." Elijah was suspicious of the witch. He had heard stories of witches casting spells and bewitching men. He continued to contemplate his brother.
Marcellus, Kol and Argyll looked at each other with smirks on their faces as they listened to the exchange, but they stayed quiet.
"I am myself. Would you have me be in Valhalla?" Klaus was amused at Elijah's distrust of Bonnie, of course he had every reason and if the roles were reversed Klaus would be acting the same way. But Klaus knew that it was for naught, his love was not some evil crone or siren, although she had bewitched him completely.
"Of course not brother, but we can not trust this witch that very little is known. She could have sinister motives, to which, yet have been uncovered." Elijah countered, wondering if Klaus' gratitude caused him to be more trusting then he would usually be.
"Elijah, enough brother, she is no threat to us," Klaus chuckled.
"Niklaus, this is no laughing matter. The crone could be plotting with the MacAskill-Lockwoods." Elijah insisted.
"She is no crone and she is not plotting against us. You'll be wise to keep your tongue. I will not have you speak ill of her again." The warning was subtle but everyone heard it, the humor was completely gone now. The edge of his low voice served to prove the sincerity of the words and each person's hairs on the back of their necks stood up.
"My apologies Niklaus, I did not mean any disrespect," Elijah offered contritely, "We are certainly indebted to the witch...uh...Bonnie for her assistance in your recovery."
Changing the subject to lessen the tension that now clung in the room, Kol queried, " So why does the raven follow you, brother?" Everyone laughed.
Klaus smiled looking at the bird. "This is Anthus and he is a gift from my wi...uh...Bonnie." Klaus corrected himself. The bird in question was sitting on the back of a chair next to Klaus. He did not move far from Klaus and he watched with keen eyes each person's movement as if anticipating where a secret attack would come from. As Klaus spoke of the bird he stroked his feathers lovingly.
"He is beautiful Nik, may I touch him?" Rebehak asked in awe of the bird. Rebakah had taken a seat across from Klaus on the other side of the long table.
"Anthus away to Rebekah if you will," Klaus said to the bird.
Everyone watched as the huge raven took flight flying towards Rebekah. He flew towards her, settled on the table and just as she was about to pet him he flew away from her, flying to the other side of the room. She looked shocked and appalled while the men in the room laughed.
"I wager, dear sister, he will not suffer you to coddle him," Kol laughed.
But as soon as he said it, Anthus swooped back around and cawed lowly once and settled down again on the table in front of Rebekah. She was hesitant to reach out, he knew this so he bowed his head.
A smile so bright covered her face and this brought happiness to all the men in the room especially Klaus. It seemed that the bird had a playful nature when it came to the fairer sex. Anthus allowed her to stroke his black shiny feathers and it appeared that the bird took a liking to her.
The men continued to drink and discuss politics as Rebekah took her leave, with Marcellus walking her back to her longhouse. When he had returned the conversation was on the concerns of an uprising.
"The bastards are lurking around to find a weak spot." Argyll said vehemently. "We should have killed them all!"
Klaus listened as he was told of all that had been happening while he was convalescing. "Is it just MacAskill-Lockwoods or all the other clans they had allied with them?" Klaus asked thinking things over.
"The alliance they once had is weakened with the other clans preferring now to stay out of any fighting. So it is just them and a few of Sheamus-Tyler's friends that persist." Argyll clarified.
Klaus looked at Elijah, "What say you brother?" Klaus knew that Elijah was an expert tactician and strategist.
Elijah sighed heavily. "I fear that more bloodshed will spill before this is over. Although they have been defeated and cannot stand against us they will seek retribution. Sigurd's pride will demand it.
Argyll angrily hits the table with his fist. "He has no right to demand anything. Where was his pride, his honor when he allowed his bastard of a son to ambush my Connor without provocation?"
"He is without honor when he sits and allows his men and nephews to continue to stir up this unrest. This benefits no one if the English decide to invade."
They all pondered on Argyll's words, but said nothing.
XX
Later in his longhouse, a tired Klaus sat near the fire with Marcellus and Elijah drinking ale.
"Father has sent word, he desires our return and that includes Rebekah. With Connor dead and a babe on the way, he wants her with her family." Elijah imparts wearily.
"I suspect mother has something to do with that request as well," Klaus says. Thinking about his absence, he asks, " Did you send word of my battle injury?"
"No, but I suspect that she has eyes and ears that reach far and wide," Elijah replied. Klaus smiled, agreeing with Elijah.
"Marcellus you are quiet. What ails you? Or would I be correct in thinking that my dear sister has your tongue as well as your heart in her hands?" Klaus asked.
Marcellus has been in love with Rebekah for as long as anyone could remember and truth be told she was just as smitten, but they were bound by duty to be apart.
Mikael had arranged the marriage to Connor MacDougall before discovering the two were taken with each other, a man of his word, he would not break the agreement. Both Rebekah and Marcellus would not dishonor their names or the names of their fathers so they made their peace with the hand fate had given them.
Marcellus smiled a bright and warm smile thinking of his love, "Brother, tis true Rebekah still commands my heart, but I would not disgrace my love for her seeking reciprocation so soon after the death of her noble and good husband."
"You are a good man and I lift my cup to you," Klaus lifted his cup as did Elijah, then they both drank. "So, pray tell what lies so heavily on your mind to cause you to stand there brooding?" Klaus questioned.
"Something nags at me, Sigurd lost many men and his only heir. Why now?"
"Why wait until now to retaliate?" Klaus questioned out loud but to no one in particular. He was following Marcellus' train of thought.
"It does not make sense while we are still here with our men," Elijah chimed in while also letting the wheels of his mind turn.
"Unless he was waiting for something…"
"What is the enemy of my enemy?" Klaus mused.
"My ally." Marcellus and Elijah said incredulously at the same time.
Klaus shot up. "We need to warn Argyll to reinforce his guards and send a party to the cliffs and coastlines westward to check for boats. The MacAskill-Lookwoods are in league with the English." Klaus stated.
They rushed out the longhouse towards Argyll's home to make him aware of what they had surmised. They found him in the great hall.
XX
"Now matter how desperate for vengenous no Scotsman, no highlander would accept the hand of the English. No!" Argyll roared as he looked at the men telling him of the worst kind of betrayal.
"And we are telling you that an alliance with them only makes sense and you need to be prepared for it and warn the other clans." Klaus heatedly retorted. Both men were in each other's face.
"It is something that I would do to reinforce my ranks, best my enemy that previously defeated my army and secure my clan's position to a higher status," Marcellus said while leaning against the wall, eating an apple, watching the exchange as were the other Mikaelson men and others from the clan including his other sons . Kol was next to him also leaning against the wall.
Argyll took a step back and turned to glare at Marcellus. "You are not of our blood, we have honor, we would not ally with our enemy no matter the cause, only traitorous mongrels would align with the likes of the English," he said without thought in his anger.
As soon as the words were out Kol was off the wall, knife in hand (alliance be damned) and ready to strike the older man. "You dare to disrespect our brother?" Elijah had a hold on him, keeping the young Mikaelson brother from mortally cutting the chieftain, but his eyes were cold and a small vein under his right eye twitched, but for duty, he would have allowed Kol to strike him down.
At the same time, Liam, a son of Argyll's, jumped up to defend his father causing Klaus to turn towards him with his hands elongated, claws showing, eyes glowing molten gold and fangs bared. He growled at the young man effectively halting his movement, but this action caused the other men to take aggressive countermeasures.
Everyone was at the ready, but no one moved, not willing to make the first move against an ally. It was a precarious situation indeed. The Mikaelsons no longer were held to any obligation of loyalty due to Connor's death plus Mikeal wanted Rebekah home, but they were still family and it would not please Mikael if they acted out of line. However if Mikael had heard what he said, it would have been his blade that pierced Argyll's throat, none of the Mikaelsons had a doubt.
It was Anthus that broke the silence and tense atmosphere by cawing loudly then flying around the room. He flew nose level in front of each man standing in the hall except for the Mikaelson brothers and Marcellus. He moved and cawed as if he was challenging each to see if they would stir, but the men stayed as still as statues afraid of the bird.
When no one moved, Anthus circled the room once more then he flew to Klaus gracefully landing on his shoulder.
Everyone in the village saw the bird following Klaus and knew he commanded it. The bird rarely left his side and when it did he flew close, watching from the heavens guarding his master.
Many of the villagers believed the bird was Hughinn or Muninn, ravens belonging to Odin and thus they gave the raven a wide berth to roam, not wanting to incur the wrath of Odin.
It was Rebekah who stealthily entered the room from the back without the men realizing it, that restored sense and reason. "My good father did not mean to disrespect. He speaks with grief and as one not acquainted with our history and thus when tempters flared he misspoke."
She continued talking as she walked to Kol placing a firm yet small hand on his chest, "In truth good father, Marcellus may not have been birthed from our own mother but he is very much our kin, a brother , a friend and most trusted for wise council." This action instantly defused Kol.
She then walked to Marcellus, continuing to speak. "Marcellus's father was a trusted and dear friend of our father and he saved our father's life. When he was murdered our father and mother raised Marcellus as their own in respect and honor of his father." She patted him on his arm and smiled at him. Then she returned to the table next to Klaus.
"So you see good father, he is more kinsmen, more family, more blood than you are currently."
Klaus smirked visibly, a slight upturn of Elijah's lip could be seen if one looked close enough and Kol laughed out loud. Rebekah had, in her own way, just put her father in law in his place.
Argyll's face was still hard but he looked somewhat ashamed and a bit contrite, but he said nothing, he just sat back down frowning.
"As I was saying….," continued Klaus.
XX