Note: I feel like some of you have been getting bored. Let's do FSO but add a little… spark.

-36-

Isolde

"I'd like to speak with you when you return."

It was Finn who'd stopped her to say this just as Klaus was leading her out of the hotel and Isolde was riddled with anxieties over it. It sounded like Finn's version of 'we need to talk' and nothing good ever followed those words.

Isolde figured it had something to do with how she didn't answer his question about what she meant when she said that Marcus had nearly succeeded in getting rid of her.

It wasn't that she wouldn't tell him the truth if he wanted to know. Fact was, talking openly to Finn about wanting to end her existence as she knew it didn't seem right. Finn, who had been unable to live his life for so long. What would it feel like to him to hear her say she wished to give hers up? Would he find her cowardly?

The thought that he might hate her for it made her stomach roll and her heart sink.

In preparation for having to tell him regardless of how she felt about it, she fired off a text to Dainn and asked if he'd extend an offer for Finn to spar. Hopefully Finn would be in a better mood after having spent time with his grand uncle and their talk would go smoothly.

Of course, asking Dainn for this was manipulative of her. If he figured out her aims Finn could get even more angry with her.

But she did it anyway, because she knew that Finn would love spending time with the elder Viking and the same could be said for Dainn.

Hopefully Dainn wasn't one of the traitors in her ranks.

The thought of that had Isolde wanting to rip her hair out and scream. Things were getting ridiculous. Who could she trust, if Nailah and Mark were working against her?

Forgetting Mark; how could Nailah turn against her? They'd been friends for five thousand years. Since they were human. It had been Nailah and Samael who'd dedicated themselves for fifteen hundred years to search for her when she was entombed. What could Isolde have done to make it possible for Nailah to cross that lengthy bridge from friend to betrayer?

For the life of her she couldn't pinpoint a single moment, or even many little moments that could've led to it and it made her heart ache. If she didn't know Set wouldn't bother to lie about such things she wouldn't believe it. Not Nailah.

Unable to contain the flashes of memory, tears stung Isolde's eyes and her throat became sore as she tried to fight them off. She couldn't believe Nailah–once a small servant child wrapped in multiple blankets and tucked tightly against her mother during a sandstorm, ducking under the parapets of the royal home, holding Isolde's hand as they all hid away–could turn against her.

For what reason would she? After so long?

It wouldn't be the first time a friend became an enemy. But this hurt worse than all the others.

And worse yet, she's now dragged her bonds and their sisters into this mess.

Had she insisted on staying home the night of the Mikaelson ball, would their lives have turned out better without her and her family dragging them into their messes? Did she spoil the trajectory of the Mikaelson's lives with her presence? Why did the gods see fit to grant soul bonds to her and her family now, and why the Mikaelsons?

When the Gods send you a blessing, you don't ask why it was sent. Nephthys' words rang clearly in her head in response to her thoughts, as if to reprimand her for thinking so arrogantly.

It was not for her to question.

But she did question.

All these thoughts coalesced into this tight bubble of anxiety and fear that she could feel in her shoulders and chest. It was beginning to drive her mad.

The squelching sound of her hand plunging through the chest of an enemy brought her from her thoughts.

Chasing relief from that near overwhelming anxiety was why she was so happy to oblige Klaus' request. If Marcus intended for Klaus to make hybrids, Klaus wanted to do the opposite.

Blood fell freely from the werewolves mouth as the light in his eyes dimmed to blank nothingness. Isolde watched him fall with clinical detachment to the ground without her hand to hold his corpse up.

Klaus came up beside her, just as bloodsoaked as she. His eyes, in contrast to the dead man at her feet, were ablaze, racing over her as he turned to press against her. She allowed him to invade her space, his hands coming up to grasp her biceps as he led her backwards until they were stopped by a tree.

He pressed in closer, his cheek brushing lightly against hers as he leaned forward until his lips could just barely graze her ear when he spoke. "Covered in blood. Chest heaving. Heart racing and dozens dead around you," Klaus' voice was dark and it weakened her stance until she could hardly hold herself up, "is this not the natural balance? Are you not the apex predator?"

Isolde found it quite difficult to respond to him while he was so undeniably attractive. She wanted nothing more than to indulge in his body right here on what remained of their battlefield.

But they weren't there in their bond. Or at least, he hadn't said he was interested in such a relationship. So she fought through the haze of lust and attraction to find the words to speak to him. To ask the question she needed to ask.

"What is it you want from me, Klaus?"

Klaus pulled back, looking at her with all that fire and fury in his eyes that made the blue pop strikingly. His hands slid slowly up her arms, over her shoulders, and settled gently around her throat, his thumbs smearing the spatter of drying blood over her cheeks.

"I want you to help me make my enemies fall, begging for mercy ungranted. I want you to help me keep my family safe and together. I want you to stop being afraid of what you are and bloody well accept it."

Isolde's heart was thumping wildly in her chest. "And what is it you think I am?"

Klaus smiled salaciously, he shifted just so and if she had questioned whether Klaus was attracted to her at all the bulge that pressed into her abdomen cleared that up immediately.

"You are my mate. Mine," his tone was a near deadly growl and Isolde released a breath she didn't know she was holding as Klaus laid his verbal claim, "and no mate of mine shall continue to fear herself to the point of her own detriment. No mate of mine shall continue to apologize for the decisions she has made. You are a goddess, an empress, and you have to stop apologizing. It is weakening you."

Klaus read her just as easily as she read him. She couldn't even respond.

"Stop apologizing," one hand slid from her neck to the back of her head, gripping a handful of her hair and tilting her head back, "and take what you want."

Isolde didn't think he could've been more direct than that. So she took what she wanted. His growl of approval vibrated through her as she surged up and captured his lips with hers..

His hand tightened in her hair and she hissed. Klaus took the opening as an opportunity to deepen the kiss between them, tongue and teeth and desperation in his that rivaled her own. Her hands slid up his chest and Klaus growled in approval, lightly rutting his lower body against her teasingly, accentuated by the smirk she felt grow on his face as she whimpered at the lack of contact where she wanted it most.

Isolde was seconds from wrapping her legs around his hips and lifting herself up for better leverage when she felt the danger approach. She spun them both around, taking a stake to the back just in time to save Klaus from it.

A man stood a tight smug smile upon his face behind them, a white oak stake in hand. He was physically about three decades older than the last time she'd seen him but Mikael was unmistakable.

Her rage simmered underneath a calm façade, one wrong word away from displaying itself.

The monster's hackles rose. Words, once more, were clear. Clearer than they had been the last time the monster spoke. Kill Mikael. His request reverberated up and down her spine.

"Hello Niklaus."

Klaus checked her over, reaching around to pull the stake out of her back, keenly aware of Mikael. His eyes never left his father as he reached around Isolde to pull the stake out of her back. All romance was gone and as his torso pressed against her, all she could feel was the comfort that she'd saved him from the stake.

Klaus gripped the stake, lightly pushing Isolde back so he could come to stand beside her, slightly turned as if to shield her from Mikael.

"Mikael. Couldn't stay dead, could you?"

"You've made powerful allies," Mikael glanced at Isolde with disapproval written all over his face, "and with that comes powerful enemies. It is yet to be seen which is stronger."

"I am." Isolde stated with calm assertiveness in her voice and a curious detachment in her expression. She stood tall, regal. "Your children are."

Mikael scoffed behind tight lips. "From what I've witnessed beyond the veil you and yours appear to be as weak and disjointed as my abominable children. The right enemy and you will fall. That enemy may be the one you fight now."

"Abominable. There's that word again. You and Esther, both fond of dropping a label and a death sentence upon your children out of your own perceived righteousness." Isolde rolled her eyes, ignoring Mikael to turn to Klaus. "He must've been a joy to grow up with."

Klaus' lips twitched at her humor. "Oh I wouldn't say that. Never been fond of child abuse, myself."

The monster growled low inside of her, repeating its earlier request. Kill him.

I would love to. But if I do it before Klaus says his piece he may resent me for it. She told the monster, which did nothing but agitate it further.

"You whine about abuse," Mikael spat and Isolde could see the saliva shoot from his mouth as his eyes narrowed dangerously, a threat, "you wallow in self-hatred and fear. Both of you. Two pathetic creatures, clinging together, afraid of all around you. It is what keeps you," he nodded to Isolde, "from becoming truly great, and you," he turned back to Klaus, "from realizing your potential. You should be weary of him, Lady Isuelt. Betrayal is in his nature."

Isolde had to fight not to acknowledge the tears that had gathered in Klaus' eyes. One rolling down his cheek, a faint tremor running through his body. It crushed her heart to see him in this pain. Worse yet, it was caused by the man who raised him. She understood. Truly. Set hadn't been any better than Mikael. And with Osiris' death, Emeric, Bis, and herself had been raised by a man that hated their existence as much, if not more so, than Mikael hated Klaus.

Isolde waited for Klaus to rebut. He always had something to say. Always had some quips.

But he was silent. Afraid. Enraged. Out of the corner of her eye she saw his jaw jump as another tear slid in the trail of the last.

Isolde knew what it was like to be faced with your tormentor. Your abuser. That crippling fear that left you unable to move. Breathe, even. She shifted, touching the tips of his fingers with hers to help ground him as best she could while they were faced with Mikael, and then she stepped in, unable to take another second of Mikael's verbal abuse.

"I do not see what you do," Isolde began after a momentary pause, "your fog of hatred leaves you blind. I do not see weakness, when I look at Klaus. I see an enduring strength more profound than I have seen in anyone, man or deity, in all my years. I see every bit of a man who is loyal to those who have earned it. A protector. Family oriented. These attributes in Klaus are continually proven through pain and hardship. Whereas your claim to strength comes from…. chasing your children around the world with intent to murder them because your own pride was wounded through yours and Esther's reckless decision making."

"You dare," Mikael gripped the white oak stake tighter as he hissed at her, "you–"

"ENOUGH," Klaus shouted, veins straining in his forehead and neck, interrupting whatever Mikael was about to say, his fingers wrapping over hers and pulling her back, out of the way, "I've had enough."

And then Klaus was on Mikael. The monster paced nervously inside, growling and spitting and howling at Isolde to move to do something, kill Mikael.

If Klaus needs me to step in, I will. She told it.

Klaus got Mikael with a mean uppercut that sent the elder man flying into a tree. Mikael spat blood when he righted himself just a second before Klaus was on him with his own stake in hand, swinging back when Mikael took a swipe with the white oak stake.

"Did you know that Freya is alive? Reunited with us just a few days ago," Klaus stated, taking a punch to the gut and sweeping Mikael's leg in retaliation, Mikael righted himself just before he hit the ground. "Mother's sins run deeper than just me."

Mikael pushed Klaus back with an elbow in the hybrid's face. "You lie," he spat viciously.

"Neither of you ever told us about Dahlia," Klaus growled, kicking Mikael in the stomach and knocking him back as he approached. The fight faded out of Mikael and he relaxed his stance, face morphing into keen curiosity as Klaus continued to catch him up. "It seems that in order to have children, mother had to agree to sacrifice her first born and all the firstborns in the family so long as the bloodline continued. She took Freya. Has had her all this time."

"If this is true, take me to her." Mikael growled, a menacing look upon his features. "Take me to my daughter."

Klaus laughed, the sound bitter, stance relaxing. "So for her you would relinquish the thousand year fight. For lovely Freya, the daughter you barely know." Klaus sped forward, pushing Mikael against a tree and somehow manipulating the white oak stake out of the elders grip, Klaus raising it to Mikael's chest. "But there was a time when you knew me as your son! A time before all the disappointments, the revelations of betrayal. There were moments where all you had to do was be my father! And even then, you despised me, didn't you? I want to know why."

Isolde's heart broke when Klaus' voice cracked on the last word. Why?

"I don't know," Mikael said with no inflection to his voice, nothing that gave even a hint that he ever cared, "I just did."

Mikael moved, wrenching out of Klaus' hold. The two circled each other, waiting for the opportunity to lunge. Klaus eyes were glassy, his adams apple bobbed. "Thank you for hating me," he hissed, as Mikael lunged first.

Klaus reeled back, just out of Mikael's range. And Isolde's entire being filled with something she couldn't identify as the words that ripped from Klaus' lips were those of a song she had written a few years back.

"For beating me down, for messing me up, for making me feel I'm not enough," Klaus seemed to have gained some traction now, and he was getting in more hits– disorienting Mikael.

How he'd come across this song, she'd no idea. She hadn't shared it with him.

Klaus swept Mikael's leg and slammed the older man down to the ground. "For showing no love," he choked out and Isolde could feel the pain in the way Klaus was reciting the lyric, "thank you for making me stronger than I thought I could ever be." Klaus pressed the white oak stake against Mikael's chest.

"I used to lose so much sleep over what you stole from me. But now the tables turned, I'm the lion, you're the sheep you turned my vulnerability on me like a weapon. Taking knives in the back really taught me a lesson."

And then, Mikael growled low. Menacingly. Klaus was flipped over, hand at Klaus' throat. The stake back in Mikael's possession.

"Trite words from such a little coward. You always were whining for daddy's attention and approval, weren't you?"

Isolde watched it descend to Klaus' chest.

And Isolde knew that Klaus wasn't going to get out of the hold in time.

So she moved.

She had Mikael by the throat several feet in the air before he'd noticed that she'd decided to enter the fight. She lifted both herself and Mikael with the void, moving closer until her face was mere inches from his as Klaus gasped for the air Mikael had withheld from him. "You are the biggest piece of trash I've ever had the displeasure of meeting, Mikael. If you had perhaps been kinder in this fight, I might've simply killed you. But instead you've been a terror. Tell my favorite person I said hello. I'm sure he'll enjoy using you as his new chew toy."

Isolde laid her palm upon Mikael's mouth, and watched with wicked delight. The monster prancing, delighted.

The veins in Mikael's body all began to darken as his nervous system turned to ash.

And then she let his lifeless husk fall to the ground at Klaus' feet. Isolde dropped down right after, only to be swept into Klaus' shaky embrace a second later.

Klaus' eyes were blown wider than she'd ever seen from him as he stepped back, both hands gripping her upper arms as he looked her over, cataloging if there were any injuries or damage that hadn't been there before. When he was finished, he dragged her into his embrace again, burying his nose in her hair. Isolde returned it fiercely, carding the fingers of one hand through his curls and rubbing gently at his back with the other.

"It's okay," she whispered, even though no one else was around to hear it, "he won't be back this time. He's gone."

"Can you be certain of this?" It came out like a growl but Isolde understood that it wasn't meant to be threatening. He was afraid of Mikael returning from the dead once more.

"His soul will never return, you have my word." Isolde kissed what was closest to her, which happened to be Klaus' collarbone. He tightened his grip in response. "I sent him to Anubis. My brother won't let him go. Mikael will have no rest in death. No peace. One look at him and Bis will know all he's done. He'll understand why I sent Mikael and he will do as I intended."

"And what is it that you intend?"

"... For Mikael to suffer," Isolde pulled back to look Klaus in his eyes with certainty in her expression, "I don't know how to put this more politely, so I won't sugar coat it. Bis is a very unkind person, Klaus. He's not even kind to our other siblings. He's only ever been good to me. So trust me when I say torturing Mikael will be like a fun Tuesday afternoon for him."

Klaus's expression turned inquisitive and he opened his mouth to speak, but a sharp stabbing pain in Isolde's chest caused her to reel back out of his arms, looking up at him with wide eyes as her hand pressed against the pain.

Isolde's and Klaus' phones both started ringing, which was a shock because of how far out in the bayou they were. Klaus picked his up.

"Our enemies are moving," Elijah sounded strained, and there was fighting in the background, "a group of witches just took Finn."

'Spark' being a code word for 'sparking a war.' Not Smut. lmao, sorry bbs. The song that Klaus quotes is 'Thank You For Hating Me' by Citizen Soldier.

This story has a theme song now. This Is Our War - Halocene

It really sets the tone for the war that is to come. The next 4-6 chapters will be the Battle of New Orleans.