The Mikaelson's get to chat a bit before emotions and shit get in the way. Surprisingly, their part of the chapter didn't take up as much as I thought. Big note at the bottom.

TW: Discussion of past suicidal plan/thoughts. Toward the bottom of the chapter.

-33-

Elijah

Their battle would begin the following night after sundown.

The door clicked shut behind Mark as he took his leave to deal with logistical issues between Shade and Tumaini, who they'd just learned were Vera's people. Witches who worship deities for their magical abilities.

The tentative plan worked over everyone's minds in the ensuing silence. There were things they needed to corroborate with the Alexanders to ensure everything would go to plan.

Elijah twirled the pen he'd snagged from the kitchen counter. He'd been running over the merits of stabbing Mark's eyes out with it when he saw it sitting there. Ultimately he decided against it. For now.

It was still a temptation, Elijah didn't trust the man. He was shifty, and his attempts at humor were shallow, childish, and altogether too forced to be real. Elijah wondered if Isolde would listen to him when he told her Marcus wasn't what she thought him to be. She'd spent two thousand years with this man in her life, and she seemed close with him in a way that spoke to familial attachment. Elijah hoped she wouldn't write off his concern.

It would be problematic if Isolde didn't believe his warnings. Because regardless of her wishes, Elijah would be finding a way to rid them of Mark Antony. He would deal with the fallout of Isolde's ire afterwards.

The man couldn't be trusted, and Elijah wanted him away from Isolde.

Better to beg forgiveness than ask for permission.

He would be consulting with his brothers on the matter, after his family spent some time talking about their own issues.

"We all need to talk." Freya broke the silence and mirroring Elijah's thoughts, she reached into a bag she'd draped over her chair and produced a bundle of sage, proceeding to light it and fan the smoke. A silencing spell. "I've been with you all for just one day and it's clear there's a lot going on I could never understand because I've not been among you. This family is a mess; we are a mess. This bit of alone time is a good opportunity to air some grievances and begin to heal."

Klaus and Kol both scoffed and rolled their eyes, Klaus leaning back in his seat, Kol leaned forward on his elbows. Elijah knew this had to happen, but he wasn't looking forward to it.

They were all across from each other. No one sat at the heads of the tables and the positions in and of themselves made Elijah think about how they seemed to be on equal footing for once without someone trying to gain the upper hand.

At least for now.

It was Kol who spoke first. "This coming from the long lost eldest who got murdery within the first couple hours of our acquaintance."

"I am aware that my rash action against our mother was unacceptable. I'm unsure what came over me in the moment and all I can say for myself is that I am sorry for the pain I've caused. I look forward to earning everyone's trust."

"Not all of us cared that you killed Esther, for the record," Klaus quipped from his seat with a sly half smile, "I'm quite pleased she no longer plagues us. The action has me warming to you, Freya."

"You're not the only one in this family, Nik, despite your best efforts to make it so," Rebekah didn't even pause when Niklaus' smile turned into a threatening glare, "and while I held no love for the way mother treated us, in the end she was still our mother and she loved us." Rebekah threw out with her own glare at the hybrid.

"She ruined us, Rebekah." Kol snapped with narrowed eyes, the fingers of his left hand tapping on the wood of the table. Elijah would have to keep an eye on Kol– he was prone to lashing out almost as badly as Klaus. "Each of us differently from the time we were children and then as adults she killed us and turned us into vampires. Then, a thousand years later, she tried to kill us again."

Rebekah fixed him with a glare. "Yes Kol, I was there."

"Nevertheless mother loved all her children," Finn spoke up for the first time that night, his face betrayed nothing of the emotions Elijah knew were roiling inside of him, "to the point of insanity. Say what you will about being vampires, in favor or not, it was the darkest of magics she used to create us; dark magic warps the mind and she'd been practicing since Dahlia took Freya," he looked over to his eldest sibling, who was staring at him with wide eyes, "mother was developing a way to take on Dahlia to retrieve you. Then Henrik died and she chose to make us immortal to spare herself the pain of losing another child. She was going to resume after she made us our daylight rings but… Niklaus killed her before she could finish."

"Well we can't blame the dark arts for mother being a who-"

"Do not finish that statement, Nik." Rebekah snapped in the most cutting, rage filled tone Elijah had ever heard from her. "Mind your tongue."

"I agree, Niklaus, there's no need for that." Elijah said, eyes drifting over to his closest sibling in time to catch his gaze. Niklaus huffed and rolled his eyes, sagging back into his chair, muttering about needing a drink.

"We do not know why mother stepped away from father–" Rebekah began but Finn cut her off.

"I may know."

"Of course you do." Kol scoffed, but there was no heat behind it as he waved his hand to signal that Finn proceed.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on Finn as he spoke. "She was in love with someone else before she met father. Ragnar. Someone far worse than Mikael. Dahlia killed him. I can only surmise that father never had her loyalty like her former lover did."

"And how did you come by this information? Did you and Esther have a story swapping bonfire recently whilst the rest of us were occupied?" Niklaus quipped, leaning forward with a sarcastic frown.

Finn just leveled a look at the hybrid and shook his head with an eyeroll. "Isolde."

"Pardon?" Elijah asked, not having expected Isolde's name to be dropped into this conversation about Esther and Mikael.

"Part of the reason mother hated her was because Dahlia killed Ragnar and Isolde took the blame for it."

"Why would she do that?" Freya cut in, confusion written over her features.

"Because Ragnar tried to rape Dahlia and Isolde had just made it to the scene in time to see what was happening and watch Dahlia kill the man. Mother arrived a few seconds later and Isolde said mother was distraught. Dahlia was traumatized. Mother was screaming at her, blaming her. Isolde stepped in– took the blame to keep the sisters' relationship from falling apart."

"Jesus." Kol whispered, dragging a hand down his face. "This family was a mess long before our generation."

"What is Dahlia like?" Rebekah shifted the subject away from Isolde, and Elijah was glad for it.

Isolde, while family now, was still more of a topic to be discussed among the brothers. This conversation was supposed to be about his siblings.

"She is the Devil." Freya answered, rage clear in the way she spat the words. The eldest had been sitting back with her legs crossed and arms folded and now she leaned forward to rest her arms on the table like Kol. Tears gathering, anger morphing into pain in a way that twisted Elijah's heart. "She's cruel in ways that would make even you all shudder. She tortured me. Forced me to connect my magic to hers so she could gain more power. She wanted to live forever to take all of our children, so she created a spell to do that. We sleep a hundred years and wake only one. Over and over the cycle repeats. I tried and tried to escape her and was only successful in the last century." A tear rolled down Freya's cheek and Finn reached over to place a hand on her arm, her opposite hand gripped his immediately. "If I don't stop her when she comes–or find her myself–she will not stop until we are all dead."

"So we kill her. As you claimed; with the right ingredients you can do so. I'm sure the Alexanders can find her and they seem happy to help us with… well, everything. When we finish in New Orleans we'll gather what is needed and see it done." Elijah said, twirling the pen he was still gripping.

"Shouldn't be too much trouble to add it to the myriad and momentous tasks that are piling onto our honey do lists." Kol stated offhandedly.

Niklaus flashed an amused grin at the youngest brother. Elijah wanted to be annoyed, but he couldn't control the smile at the accuracy of Kol's statement.

"I'd like to address the thousand years of infighting, since we're having this… amicable discussion." Elijah cut in as Niklaus opened his mouth. The gods only knew what was about to come out of it.

"That's because we all make each other miserable." Kol quipped with an eye roll.

Rebekah picked up where Kol stopped; "Because Nik's an incorrigible backstabbing narcissist who doesn't care about anyone but himself."

The growl that ripped through the room caused what little tension there had been to rise to an almost stifling level as everyone tensed. Each head turned to look between Niklaus, who's eyes had changed as the wolf pushed toward the surface, and Rebekah, who showed no signs of backing down or taking back her comment.

"I care a great deal about each of you, Rebekah. I protect you all. Each of you. To the best of my abilities. If you disagree with my methods, fine. I never claimed to be a bastion of temperance but I will not stand idly by whilst the rest of you bring chaos and certain death to our doorstep time and time again."

Anger clouded Kol's gaze and he grit his teeth. "You daggered us contingent upon your whims, Nik, not for some ludicrous survival methodology you seem to be the only one to comprehend."

"And you killed everyone we even attempted to love outside this family because you were afraid we would leave you. You couldn't, and still can't, stand to lose our absolute loyalty. That's why you tried throwing me under the bus with Theon earlier. You're trying to destroy my bond relationship in the only way you can because you can't kill Theon like you did the others, and you have no real reason to because he's better than all of them combined."

"Oh your precious Theon isn't so innocent, Rebekah." Klaus snarled and Elijah fought the urge to rub his temples as he braced for this talk to become bloody. He glanced at the liquor cabinet, considering whether he should or not. "He's a lech far worse than the others were and if I could kill him too then I would have already done so."

"So you say–" Rebekah matched Niklaus' tone and her face said everything she thought about where he can shove his opinion, "-you have no leg to stand on with such accusations, especially because you've not even once tried to get to know him," she hissed, "the only times you've spoken to him were almost entirely about his sister– not yours."

"My have you grown bold lately," Niklaus growled with narrowed eyes and slowly rose, bracing his hands on the dark wood of the table, "all I've ever done is look out for you and save you from treachery you couldn't see coming."

"No, Nik." Rebekah's face was red, and tears were in her eyes when she too rose to mirror Niklaus. "I've loved you through everything and you did nothing but control my life and make my choices for me. You've been a tyrant. You have denied my every freedom, my attempts at happiness and love. And you will not do it again. Not ever again."

"If I am this evil monster you abhor then go. Run off to have your life with whomever suits your fancy and don't come to me when they destroy what's left of you." Klaus thundered, the veins of his neck and forehead popping out as he swept an arm toward the door.

"You would never allow that," Kol chimed in, and Rebekah released a breath as though she'd been holding it for several minutes when Niklaus' gaze whirled to the youngest brother, "oh for a few months, perhaps a couple of years, but you'd find a way to drag us back. We're trauma bonded, after all, nasty ingredients that can't help trying to fit back together each time we break apart despite being a volatile mix that explodes spectacularly every time." Kol sighed and threw his head back. "I do so enjoy our reunions."

Niklaus was struck silent, mouth opening and closing a few times before he sagged and lowered himself back into the chair.

The tension that had been thick in the air began to wane and Finn seemed to see this as an opportunity to bring up another difficult topic.

"You've given no real reason as to why I laid daggered in a box for nine hundred years. You had no intention of removing the dagger. I would still be there if circumstances hadn't changed and Elijah hadn't had enough. I want to know why."

Everyone paused when Finn spoke. Kol and Rebekah froze and then looked down. Elijah knew they were sorting through their guilt for not fighting for Finn's release, just like Elijah himself was struggling with it. He should have tried, but it took him nine hundred years to do so.

Finn's single century of life was enough for the eldest brother to grow pretentious and dull. He'd annoyed them all. Forever moaning about how they should be more careful, more discerning about the lives of the people they were harming. Killing, in most cases.

Finn was in control of himself from the moment he became a vampire, never struggling the way the rest of them did. Elijah decided long ago Finn's natural control might've had something to do with how strict Finn had been about his morals and the way he'd led his life before they were turned. He'd always been disciplined in a way none of the others had been.

It paved the way for jealousy and resentment to fester. None of them detested Finn's easy time of transition into their new way of life more than Niklaus, who'd had it the worst.

In the end, Finn was left in that box not because he was dull, but because he was a reminder of everything the rest of them were not.

Niklaus swallowed several times, looking away from Finn's hard stare.

"I don't have a good reason to give you," Klaus admitted, and that admittance shocked the room, each of them reeling back like they'd been burned, but the next words were what caused them all to drop their jaws, "you didn't deserve it. No words could begin to repair the damage that I've done but you have my deepest apologies for how I have wronged you."

Niklaus didn't linger to hear Finn's response. He fled as soon as the words were out of his mouth.

Rebekah was looking down at the table when she spoke, so softly that it tugged at Elijah's chest. "We are some of the strongest creatures in the world, and yet, we are damaged beyond repair. We live without hope, but we will never die. We are the definition of "cursed." Always and forever."

"There is hope, sister," Finn said, looking toward the doorway where Niklaus had run off with an unreadable expression, "it's small, and fragile. But it's there."

Isolde

Isolde swept into the dark, dusty attic and pulled Vera into a fierce hug. Emeric came up behind them and grabbed them both, Theo coming in swiftly from the side and wiggling himself into the Alexander pile.

"Are you okay?" Emeric asked, voice muffled as he tried to blow Isolde's hair out of his mouth.

"I'm fine, they just hit me real hard in the chest when I let them snag me and I've been keeping it from healing so I wouldn't be suspicious." Vera answered as they broke apart, she waved toward the girl who was a little wide eyed in the corner. "Family, this is Davina Claire. Davina, these are my brothers and my sister I told you all about."

"Nice to meet you. I've uh… I've never met deities or royalty. I-I'm not sure how to act." Davina's cheeks were red and she was looking at her feet.

Adorable. Isolde wanted to adopt her immediately.

"That's okay, sweetheart, we're not any better than anyone else. No need for pretense," Isolde stepped over to the girl, offering a hand. Davina took it. "Isolde, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Theon slung an arm around Vera and leaned around to look at the young witch. "Theon- or Theo, doesn't matter. I'm Vera's better half." He punctuated this by poking his twin in the face, she sneered and smacked his hand away.

"Emeric," Emeric came forward offering his hand as Isolde stepped away from the girl, "I'm the big brother who has to wrangle these lunatics."

Davina slid her hand into his and looked up at Emeric with wide eyes and they both just stopped.

Vera gasped and her jaw dropped wide open. She recovered faster than Emeric and Davina, her smile stretching across her face as she clapped her hands together excitedly.

"A child bond! I knew I felt more attached to her than I should." She swiveled to look between Isolde and Theo, pointing at Davina happily. "She's our bond-niece!"

"And again the family expands." Isolde said under her breath, smiling gently between Emeric and Davina, who were pulling away from each other. Davina with wide eyed uncertainty and Emeric with a soft smile. He'd always liked kids, just never had interest in having more than the two he'd had. "I changed my mind, you can call me Auntie Sol. Welcome to the family, dear."

"Just like that?" Davina looked around in confusion. "I've heard of bonds but… a magic connection and just 'poof' here's a pre-made family?"

"Unless you don't want us," Theon gave his best pout and Davina fought a smile, "though we'd be distraught. It's not often we get new family members. Well– more often lately than ever before but you get the point."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Davina. Ignore them, they're a bunch of five thousand year old hooligans," Emeric waved at his siblings dismissively, "you're not required to join the family if you don't want to. But you are welcomed and we do hope you'll join us– our doors are open for you."

"My mom tried to sacrifice me and my dad ran off when I was little. Marcel's been like a pseudo dad but he's been using me to control the witches. All my family has ever done is hurt me but…" she looked at Vera, who nodded at her encouragingly, "Master Vera–

Vera waved a hand. "Oh, it's Auntie V or just Vera now, dear. No need for all that anymore."

"But Vera, she may not want us," Theo reminded her, poking her face again. Vera batted him away and wrapped an arm around his middle to hold him in a side-hug. Theo relaxed minutely.

Davina didn't seem to know what to say. She pushed a lock of hair behind her ear and looked around the room, anywhere but at the four gods. "Vera's been helping me stabilize the magic inside me. She's been nicer to me than anyone ever has been and if feels like we're meant to be close, I don't know how to explain it. And despite everything… I still want a family, one that won't try to kill me or abandon me." She looked up at Emeric with a frown. "It would be weird to just jump into this, wouldn't it? You guys are like, the most powerful beings on the planet."

Every Alexander shrugged, pretending their hearts weren't breaking for the girl, as Theon conjured up a round table in the center of the room.

Davina jumped back as it appeared and knocked into Emeric. He put a hand on her shoulder and chuckled when she squealed, directing her to a chair beside the one Isolde was taking.

"By human standards it would be absolutely bat shit." Theo said, taking his own chair and scooting it closer to Vera, where she was settling in beside him, so they could touch shoulders.

The two probably would have physical connection for a few hours before they felt better about being apart. Isolde did her best to ignore the pang of sadness and jealousy.

Anubis' loss was never more painful than times like these. Not that she begrudged the twins their bond, of course not. She just missed Bis.

"By our standards, not at all," Vera continued, leaning her head on Theon's shoulder, "we don't really have the same hang ups as mortals do. And we don't do things by halves. Recently, Isolde found four soul bonds, Theon and I have found one each as well, and now Emeric makes all four of us in a matter of a week."

"That means there's trouble brewing," Isolde interjected, looking between Emeric and Davina, "war, most likely. Perhaps Apophis, soon, if Set lingering around is any indication. The last time our family expanded rapidly we experienced decades of pandemonium that ended with me in a tomb."

"So you've felt it too. The electricity in the air. And Set's lingering chaos." Emeric's deep voice rumbled and he looked between each of them before landing on Davina. "I don't know how much Vera has shared with you. We're in New Orleans for a few days to clean up the mess this city has become. This talk between the four of us right now is for us to speak about changes that have occurred in our kingdoms. I hate to have you make a decision now, little one, but this is a serious war-council. In a time of peace you would've had time. But we are heading straight into wartime, and that requires a shift in protocol."

He laid a hand on Davina's shoulder and made eye contact with her. His expression was open, and gentle. Very 'big brother' mode. "I need to know if you want to be with us or if you do not. We will provide everything you need, your life will be set, and when we leave this city you'll not have to hear from us again if you don't. Either way, you will be provided for."

"God, you said you weren't any better than anyone else but you're talking about family loyalty, war councils, a dangerous god, and purging a city." Davina's brows pinched before she released a shaky laugh. "You're all insane." She ran a hand down her face and laughed incredulously. "Apparently, I'm crazy too, because I want in. I can't explain it, it just feels right."

A cheer went up from the twins. Isolde patted the girl on the head with a kind smile. Emeric smiled, too, pulling away before his face grew serious.

"We're going to have to keep the bond quiet until we leave the city. I don't want anyone with a grudge to take a swipe at Davina."

"We'll tell the Mikaelsons, Gaius, and Marcus only, then?" Theon asked.

"No–" Isolde began sharply, before turning to the newest Alexander, "Davina, dear, you're underage and I hate to cut our first time meeting each other short but we're not going to involve you in a war council."

The girl's face pinched tightly and she glared. "I've been dealing with all kinds of crazy things for a long time… I can handle it."

"It's not about what you can handle, Davina, it's about keeping you out of adult issues," Emeric stated, "you deserve to live your youth worry free outside of who you're taking to a school dance or what your grade in chemistry is. From what you've said, you haven't had the opportunity to do so. You're in? That means that we will protect your right to your childhood and your young adult years. We're not involving you in this. I am not involving you in this."

"Oh my god, two minutes into this family and I'm back to being treated like a kid," she huffed and folded her arms over her chest, Emeric smiled at the petulance. It wouldn't move him, he'd dealt with that for five thousand years.

"I'll dampen the sound in the corner of the room where your easel is set up," Vera offered, "I know it sucks because you want to be involved."

Davina opened and closed her mouth, then she took a deep breath. "Actually I really want to go back to school. Have a normal life."

"What else do you want?" Emeric asked, curiosity dusting his features.

Isolde smiled and looked off to the side. She knew right away that Davina was going to get every single thing she wanted. Emeric was bad about spoiling kids. Always had been.

This thought also had guilt gnawing at her as Davina started to softly tell Emeric all the things she'd been missing, things that all children needed and wanted.

Isolde had the sudden realization that she'd never asked the Mikaelsons what they wanted.

She'd assumed based on their behavior but she hadn't asked. And to be fair, they didn't ask her either. Finn asked if she was alright with the situation, that day at The Grill, but none of them asked what she wanted. They were all trying to figure each other out but doing so meant they needed to have uncomfortable conversations and they had been avoiding it.

That was something that needed to be rectified immediately. Tonight.

Davina got up and walked over to where she had a whole set up for painting and Vera gave a thumbs up to indicate that she'd solidified a barrier that kept the girls' area quiet.

Isolde breathed, vowing to deal with Mikaelson and relationship issues later.

Right now, she has family issues to deal with. Questions that gnawed at her for decades. A thought that popped into her mind earlier when Marcus was acting out.

She reached into her pants pocket and pulled her phone out, "I had an epiphany earlier and I really hope it's wrong. By the gods I hope that I am wrong but…"

"Are you doubting the Mikaelsons?" Emeric asked, eyes pinning his sister with barely restrained hostility. As though he was ready to leap from his chair and commit genocide against the vampire speices.

"No," she shook her head, "the Romans."

"What?!" The other three Alexanders exclaimed, faces all scrunching with varying degrees of disbelief.

"After all this time, you doubt them now," Vera asked, incredulous, "Why? What happened?"

"Bear with me." Isolde scrolled through her phone for a few more seconds and laid it flat on the table, music starting to play. "Have any of you heard this song?"

They all listened with rapt attention to the words, each slowly developing a frown that kept deepening until it finished and Isolde held up a hand playing another song. "What about this one?"

They did the same for that one and each of them looked at her with confusion written across their faces as he put her phone back in her pocket.

"Thoughts?"

"The first song was utterly devastating, Sol, did you write that?" Emeric asked, voice gruff and Isolde met his eyes to nod. He left his chair and took Davina's vacant seat, pulling Isolde into his chest. A deep rumble preceded his voice, still gruff and betraying his sadness in a way he only allowed when he was with his family. "Is that how you feel?"

The twins' eyes were glossy as Isolde pulled herself out of Emeric's embrace. "Yes, or well.. I did. I've been doing better lately. The second song?"

They all shook their heads.

"No, but I heard a lot of mother's quotes in it," Theon admitted, "are you implying that you sent these songs to us and we didn't get them?"

Instead of answering, Isolde asked another question. "How many letters did each of you receive from me before the internet became a thing? How many emails per month do you get from me?"

Emeric shook his head with a shrug. "I got a couple letters a year back then, and maybe two emails a month now?"

"Same for us," Vera agreed, turning concerned eyes onto her elder sister, "we worried about your isolation for decades but we thought that was what you wanted. Are you telling us that wasn't the case?"

Isolde felt the emotional turmoil roil over her like a truck and her chest tightened.

Her throat grew sore and she tried very hard to keep the tears at bay as she geared up to respond to her siblings.

"I wrote each of you letters every week. I write emails twice a week. I came to Mystic Falls to be close without being overbearing. I've been reaching out for decades and I thought you all wanted nothing to do with me." Isolde couldn't stop the sobs from wrenching through her and she pushed her hands out to stop her siblings from advancing as they tried to close in around her. "Last week, when you were all supposed to be here for a family week. Before everything. It was a goodbye. I just wanted to see you all one last time. I was planning to reabsorb."

She wanted to be alone, yes, but not isolated. She never wanted that. Her family barely responding to her. Barely visiting. That was like being back in the tomb. She felt like she might as well have still been in that dark, endless maze.

Her hands were batted out of the way and she was swept into a crushing hold. Emeric was trembling, his arms so tight around her. A hand was sliding down the back of her head, and she knew it was Theon because that's what she did to him when he needed to calm down. Vera's hands were gripping hers, Vera's hands were always soft.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry we didn't force our way in as soon as we grew concerned," Vera choked through thick tears, "don't leave me. Don't leave us, Sol. Please."

WWII had brought back memories of the way she'd been when she left the tomb. The holocuast– the survivors. They all looked like she had. Their eyes haunted. Their bodies emaciated. She knew the pain they'd suffered was different from her own, and she'd tried not to project her own experiences onto theirs but everything about the second world war had dredged up parts of her past that she'd wished had stayed buried and she had to get away from her station, from her obligations; from ruling because her mind was back in that tomb.

"You can't reabsorb." Emeric was holding her so tightly, like doing so would keep her on earth with them. His voice was thick with sorrow but the command ripped through his chest all the same. "You can't. Don't do that to us. We love you so much. We can't lose you. We can't do it. I can't, Amuent. Losing you would tear us apart."

"I'm not, I won't. I'm sorry," Isolde sobbed against her big brother, her voice muffled against his chest, "I thought you all hated me."

She'd never wanted to be cut off. She had just wanted space.

"Never, Sol, we could never." Theon whispered his cheek dropping to the top of her head. "We've been so worried about you. We should've made a nuisance of ourselves. We should've come by unannounced and dragged you to New York."

"I should never have prioritized Cairo's daily operations over you," Emeric said, loosening his grip on her, "my schedule would fill so quickly that dates I had blocked off to fly to Virginia would get booked out for other things before I realized."

"I think it was all by design – my gut is telling me Marcus and Gaius have been running a two thousand year con and they're either gearing up for their betrayal as we speak, which makes the most sense to me because Marcus is trying to convince me that Mustafa and his legion have turned against me, or they're trying to do damage control now because their jig is about to be up," Isolde pushed out through grit teeth when the tears started to slow. She pulled back from Emeric enough to meet his burning red gaze, "your bond with Davina just now. It's more intense than you remember with Gaius, isn't it?"

Emeric nodded slowly and Isolde twitched a finger, a shadow slamming up to wrench her brother's head to the side. Emeric grunted, and Davina jumped and gasped, whirling around with wide eyes and clenching the side of her neck.

"Isolde!" Vera scolded, releasing Isolde's hands, even as Theon laughed, some of the tension easing away.

"What the hell?" She stepped out of the corner and walked straight up to Emeric who had already snapped his neck back into place. "Are you okay?"

Emeric growled at Isolde. "Apologize to her."

Isolde turned a sheepish look to the youngest in the room, wiping a few lingering tears off her face. "I had to prove a point and I'm sorry it was at your expense."

"Did you?" Davina asked, crossing her arms and turning like she could shield Emeric from Isolde. The move was so adorable Isolde fought to keep the smile off her face. "Prove it, I mean."

"I did," Isolde answered with a nod, "the bond connects you. Your pain and Emeric's pain are shared. It's best to learn something like this in a controlled environment. In a life or death situation, now that Emeric knows, there will be no confusion as to where the pain comes from. Again, I apologize. My theory is that it has to be unanticipated pain. If I had warned either of you it wouldn't have worked."

Davina's eyes narrowed, she turned to look at Emeric who was looking at her with raised brows. Trying to figure her out, to understand her. Then Davina turned back to Isolde. "Okay, I'm anticipating it. Do it again."

Emeric barked a laugh while the rest of them were stunned. "I like this kid." He stood, stepping so he was side-by-side with Davina and put a hand on her shoulder, patting it gently, nodding to his sister. "Go ahead, Sol."

Again, the shadow moved and broke Emeric's neck.

"No pain," Davina shook her head, watching as Emeric popped his neck back into place, "I can't believe you just took that like it was nothing."

"I'm a god of war, Davina. I can take quite a bit of pain." Emeric responded, smiling down at the teenager. "Doesn't mean you should have to experience it, too. I'll do my best to keep from getting hurt until we can figure out if there's anything that can be done to mitigate that so you're not suffering due to my injuries. Until then I can always text you when heading into battle. Then you should be able to anticipate my injuries and that could work as a temporary counter."

"I will look into it when I return to my throne," Theo vowed, pointing a thumb at the eldest, whispering conspiratorially to Davina, "gotta watch him, he likes to just bulldoze his way through everyone and everything without a care."

"We still have quite a bit of talking to do, dear, sorry to pull you out of your painting." Isolde gave Davina a small smile.

"Well if it helps with whatever is going on…" Davina waved a hand, grumbling something under her breath that Isolde assumed was sarcastic as she walked back into the corner.

They waited for her to pick up a brush before Vera began. "That never happened with Marcus or Gaius, I take it?"

"Never," Emeric admitted with a frown, "and we've taken blades for each other thousands of times," he glanced over to Isolde, pausing to choose his words carefully, "I'm… hesitant to say they've been plotting against us all this time, Sol."

Isolde shook her head, "Do you think I want to believe it? I wish I'd never thought about it, but now that I have I can't unthink it and it's making me question everything that's happened in the last two thousand years. My last purge happened because Marcus insisted all those things about the elders. I now have so few among my people who are older than him…."

"... what about Yasu?" Theon asked, running his hands down his face in exasperation.

"That's just it, Theo, my bond to her was just like with Mark." Isolde was shaking her head and she leaned sagged back in the chair. "And thinking about it, the circumstances were strange. I was getting ready to send him to Cairo because he was going off the walls, lashing out, treating Shade like they were his slaves. Then a few days later there's a child and Mark is behaving himself and this scared little girl needs me."

Isolde took a deep breath and looked around the table. "I have more mental clarity now than I have since before the tomb. Things I should've noticed are snapping into my awareness like they always should have. My bonds have given me a reason to work on myself and try to heal like I've never tried to before. I'm feeling stronger, happier, and healthier than I have in forty-five hundred years. As I said, I hope I'm wrong, but–" she shook her head with wide eyes, "I have a strong feeling that I'm unfortunately right."

"It's about damn time." A new, deeper, more rumbly baritone voice quipped from the closed door and it swung open. Emeric was out of his seat and shielding Davina, the three others immediately poised to defend before everybody sagged with an annoyed scowl as the man revealed himself.

"Father." Vera whispered like a prayer, stepping out of his way.

Set was a tall man, one arm missing at the elbow and so many scars littering a face that looked like an older, more stout version of Theon. He breezed past them all until he was in the center of the room. Power flowed off of him like waves crashing against a cliff in a hurricane. His dark eyes pinned each of them before he turned to face Isolde.

"Now get your shit together and banish that thing," he gestured vaguely at her torso, "so you can fully merge with Ra. I'd like to finally reabsorb and be with my wife, Amunet and I can't do that until you're whole."

This one got long. There was a lot to get through and I decided not to split it because I'm moving this upcoming weekend. I will be doing my best to find time to write but we'll likely see a couple slow weeks while my life settles. I'm just as stoked to get to the good part of the NOLA arc as the rest of y'all.

On Davina. Fifteen year old girls make dumb decisions. Joining the Alexanders is a good one, even if Davina just kinda like.. dives headfirst. But c'mon. The girl needs a parent. I hate how much she suffered in the show so I decided early on in FSO that she would be Emeric's daughter. I hate Marcel.

Klaus/Isolde interaction coming up next. Those of you who keep mentioning Bekah's own hypocrisy; it's coming. Stay tuned! Thank you all for your kudos/comments/follows. I would've given up on this story by now if it wasn't for your encouragement.

Fun Fact: Set has been around since before Pangea broke apart. So this dude is like 300 million years old. Only 5000 in a mortal body, though. So 300 million years… aware? Idk.