Author's note: So, I decided to begin yet another story! Sometimes when inspiration strikes, you just have to go for it! This is a slight AU based on William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, which is probably my second-favorite play of his (my favorite being Much Ado About Nothing).
I was originally going to hold off on posting this, but in honor of Pi Day, I wanted to tap into the mathe-magical feeling in the air!
This takes place in an alternate universe, the exact details of which will be revealed as the story progresses. For now, it's enough to know that Bonnie Bennett and Freya Mikaelson entered a union to represent the two most powerful witch families as joint-heads of a council. The cure to vampirism was given to Kol by Freya as a gift and a means to secure his loyalty, since he yearned to be a human witch again.
In this story, the roles of the fairies will be played by the witches, and the main humans by vampires (except for the Mechanicals). Here is our cast of characters:
Hermia – Elena
Lysander – Damon
Demetrius – Stefan
Helena – Caroline
Puck – Kol (as a human witch)
Oberon – Freya
Titania – Bonnie
Nick Bottom – Enzo
Fairy who encounters Puck to help him with some mischief – the lovely Davina
The Mechanicals – Hybrids who broke the sire bond to Klaus
Theseus – Marcel
Hippolyta – Rebekah
I think my very favorite casting is Kol as Puck, and I'm anticipating having a lot of fun with that one! :D
I also want to emphasize that this is a loose adaptation. The story doesn't follow the play exactly, but there will be distinct similarities.
As a result, familiarity with the play is absolutely not required! :)
And now, on with the show!
Midsummer Night, miracles are said to happen – the very air is swept with magic as fairies bless every molecule with pixie dust. At least so the urban legend goes. As such, Elena and her friends saw fit to gather together in the forest by the waterfall for which their town was named, rumored to carry enchantments in its waters. Within hours, it would be her birthday.
Birthdays were a time of magic. Until very recently, Elena spent each year waiting for the Earth to complete its revolution about the Sun, marking it her special day – a day of new beginnings, new hopes, new dreams.
But lately, her heart had given to despair, and she felt never further from the life she dreamt of having. Two years ago, her parents passed away in a tragic car accident; and a few months ago, so did she. Like many of her closest friends, Elena was a vampire now. It was not a life that she chose for herself, but one that she had accepted with grace.
It would have been tolerable, too, but transition forced her to confront feelings that she had long buried – ones she could no longer ignore but had to. Her on-off boyfriend, Stefan, had saved her from the accident that took her parents' lives, and she was the only one who could quiet his bloodlust when the urge became too much. For those reasons alone, Elena despaired that she could never leave him.
If only she hadn't fallen in love with his brother.
A brief smile flittered on her lips when she thought of him – Damon, who brought cheer back into her life – joy that she thought no longer existed within her.
When she was with him, it felt unpredictable – like anything was possible. She felt free.
And how she longed for the freedom to pursue her heart's desire, but she feared the consequences – the people she would hurt. Stefan could lose control. And she owed him. She owed him so much.
But she had to try.
A few days ago, her friend Bonnie – the current Co-Queen of the Witches – half of the esteemed Bennett-Mikaelson Witches Council – whispered a secret into her eager ear. She told her of a spell to seek her heart's true happiness – to move the very cosmos and create a path to true love.
A twin flame spell.
Bonnie had gathered all the ingredients for her birthday. All Elena would have to do is light the candles and set it adrift in the river by the waterfalls after the midnight hour, when Midsummer night would lull away to sleep, and the Sun would return to its position at the time of her birth.
When her cosmic voice was at its loudest.
Resolved, she placed the boat-shaped box on the grass before the water and lit her two sticks of incense, to represent the Air element. The two branches of mistletoe would represent the Earth, while the candles at the center would be the Fire. Finally, the river through which she would release the sail would be the Water. And thus, the spell would be complete.
Elena concentrated on her intention, when a hand reached out to touch her shoulder, causing her to jump, startled.
"Hey," she heard the soft, melodic laugh of her favorite voice on the planet. "Why'd you sneak away, Scaredy-Cat?"
Elena turned around, playfully slapping him in the chest. Her expressively dark eyes met the bluest gaze she'd ever seen, and she allowed herself to get lost in it for a brief moment before answering. "I got a spell from Bonnie."
"What for?"
She smiled mysteriously, knowing that revealing the exact intention may have unexpected consequences, so she settled for a version of the truth. "Hopefully, my freedom to seek what I want."
"And what do you want?"
She grinned, affecting a wry tone. "Didn't you once tell me, oh wise and then-mysterious stranger, that I want a love that consumes me," she began imitating his swagger and flashing her eyes on the manner that she had affectionally named 'the eye thing.' "And passion, and adventure," she drew closer to him, laughing, "and even a little danger."
He grinned in response, taking her hand. Their manner always brought a sense of peace and fluttering butterflies at once within her. "I still want you to get everything you're looking for."
"Me, too," she whispered. "But you never told me what you wanted."
"I'll show you." Damon answered and drew her in for a kiss. It was the same every time, and yet it always felt as though magic coursed through their veins like never before – a mass of contradictions, both safe and exciting; familiar and novel; like home and brimming with enchantment.
Breathless, she pulled away, her next words belying those in her heart. "You can't kiss me anymore, Damon. It's not right. Stefan and I are going to get back together. I'm the only one who can help him."
He looked at her sadly, tracing gentle patterns on her cheek with his thumb. "No, it's right. Just not right now."
There was a charged of silence that passed between them as the meaning behind the words took root before Damon continued. "It's after midnight. Happy birthday, Elena."
"Oh! My spell!" With that, her mood visibly lightened. She took the matches out of her pocket, and lit the candles, wishing for her heart's true love now more than ever before.
"So, what was the spell?"
Against her better judgment, she acquiesced, entirely too excited about sharing her slight bout of rebellion. "It's a twin flame spell – a birthday gift from Bonnie. She said the spell is steeped in chaos, holding unintended consequences for the caster, but it would ultimately bring them to their one true love." Feeling a blush sneak upon her cheeks, she turned away, whispering, "whoever they may turn out to be."
"Chaos?" He laughed, crossing his ankles over his extended legs. "Well, the course of true love never did run smooth," he suddenly felt compelled to say, as if seized by an invisible, magical force.
Elena smiled impishly and squeezed his hand in hers. "And since your birthday was only four days ago, I think you just amplified the spell – and brought it upon yourself!"
"I hope so," his smile matched hers in mischief. "I like a little chaos."
As she set the boat adrift in the river, she and Damon watched the tiny flames disappear into the night, having never let go of each other's hands.
Elsewhere in Mystic Falls, the two Co-Queens of the Witches Council, Bonnie Bennet and Freya Mikaelson, prepared for the forthcoming wedding of the latter's sister. Rebekah Mikaelson and Marcel Gerard decided to get married in Mystic Falls, despite having spent nearly the entirety of their romance in New Orleans. Freya suspected that the vampiric King of the Big Easy acquiesced in softness for his lovely bride, allowing Freya and Bonnie to bless the union in the Mikaelson ancestral home.
It was set to happen within days, which made Freya entirely too nervous. They hired a troupe of actors to perform. The leader of the company, a vampire named Enzo St. John, had a playfully wicked gleam in his eyes when he boasted that they would write an original play about the Mikaelson family. Freya had been skeptical, but Bonnie hushed her, excited at the prospect. Sighing, she resigned that Rebekah would probably enjoy this as well, though there was something about this fellow that Freya could not quite trust.
Part of her wondered if perhaps the stress had made her overly paranoid, though she dismissed the thought when suddenly reminded of her family's propensity for getting into trouble. Although, she conceded, the largest magnet for said hijinks, Klaus, was currently away with Elijah, trying to find a way to keep the rest of their siblings safe from their parents once and for all.
Lamenting the sheer mess and goldmine for psychotherapists that her family was, Freya opted to distract herself with her latest endeavor – trying to figure out precisely what her Co-Queen was up to.
When the two entered the arrangement to lead the magical forces of the East Coast, Freya had been hesitant. She had spent nearly her entire life until that point the captive of a powerful witch – her aunt, Dahlia – and thus was automatically distrustful of powerful practitioners of their craft.
And yet, Bonnie's soft-yet-wise demeanor quickly won her over. Her sharp mind, her fiery spirit, her compassionate heart – by the end of their first month, Freya had been ready to call Bonnie her best friend, and perhaps one day, something more.
Lately, however, it felt like the Bennett witch had been hiding something. Her naturally suspicious nature was piqued, and without a second thought, she used the great power that being half the Counsel had granted her, and quickly whisked her brother, Kol, away from what she was certain was considerably less important.
Frustrated with his sister's bossy attitude, Kol took a stroll to clear his head. When she agreed to give him the cure for vampirism, thus allowing magic to run through his veins again, he didn't realize that it would come with the consequence of being her perpetual lapdog.
Ascending to become half of the Witches Council increased her power exponentially, allowing her to whisk him away while he was on his honeymoon because she needed a minion to spy on the Bennett witch, leaving him with all sorts of trouble, including the impending ire of Davina.
He'd find a way out of this mess. He always did.
With a mischievous grin, he sensed the familiar chaos of a twin flame spell in the distance. Set adrift in the mystical waters, it was powered by the birthdays of twin flames. Kol would have laughed at the irony if the same spell had not been so useful for his machinations.
So, Freya needed information from Bonnie? Fine. Then he would be well-suited to cast this distraction.
Closing his eyes, he allowed the magic within him to spring forth:
"As the spell had now been cast
I send forth a mighty blast
Across the town in Mystic Land
Let it all twin flames command
With its chaos to reveal
Love most powerful and real."
The two candles in the paper boat merged into one, their twin flames soaring into the sky, as all of Mystic Falls was suddenly coated with the breath of magic.
There, now everyone will be distracted, Kol cackled in utter delight. Perhaps now his annoying sister would shut up so he could actually enjoy being a witch again.
Watching from the hill above the waterfalls, Bonnie smiled as she saw the flames climb higher in the sky. The intention was now set, and the twin flame spell was spread throughout the town, she felt through the magical ether that surrounded Mystic Falls. She knew that a chaotic spirit like Kol Mikaelson wouldn't be able to resist such a tempting lure. It was impossible to predict the exact methods of the spell – it had hardly ever been straightforward.
But now all of Mystic Falls was set to be united with their twin flames, and it was bound to be an unforgettable journey.
And so, the show would begin.
And so, our show begins!
Midsummer is on June 21. Elena's canon birthday is on June 22. What a perfect fit!
Bonnie has a grandmaster plan here that goes way beyond just making sure her friends are happy. But what is it? :D
I originally told myself that I wouldn't post this yet, but since Chaotic Good is nearly finished, I decided to go for it. Only three chapters left there – one memory, the confrontation, and the epilogue. I'm nearly finished with the next chapter of CG, so it should be up very soon!
Big thanks to scarlett2112 for being so inspirational with her lovely AUs that I wanted to try one, too! She's currently writing a really fun adventure called Fortune & Glory, which everyone should absolutely read.
My friend from Ao3, the very talented Iconic Superheroes, is cross-posting her story, Shattered Perception. It's quite the mystery to unravel with unique, captivating premise. Delena, sharply off-canon in early S2.
Big thanks to the lovely and talented Ixilight (for being hilarious and always making fun of Klaus with me) and Taaroko (for the awesome idea-bouncing) for being my betas and consultants for this chapter (in different ways)!
Taaroko has a lot of amazing fics to read, so please check them out! :)
Happy Pi Day, everyone! May the math magic be with you! :D