Chapter 001: Only Human
"Rory, I'm going to pick some more mushrooms," Sienna announced from the stove, turning to face her little brother. "Stir the pot every so often while I'm gone. I won't take long."
Rory, a petite boy of only 10 years, looked up from the small wooden toys he was playing with, concern sweeping across his chubby face. "But – " he protested quickly. "What if father comes home while you're gone?"
"I'll only be a few minutes," she promised, ruffling his dark hair reassuringly. "And if you need me, just yell. I'm not going far."
Rory stood up, abandoning his small wooden men on the floor. "Can I come with you?" he asked, eyes darting nervously out the window.
"No," Sienna replied with a gentle firmness, grabbing her basket by the door. "Someone needs to keep stirring supper so it won't burn."
Rory nodded slowly, moving to stand near the cooking pot. Sienna gave him a quick kiss on the top of the head, smiling reassuringly as she left. "Don't worry. Father's been gone for so long. I don't think he'll be back in the next few minutes."
Sienna walked out of their house, taking quick steps towards the woods south of their home where the mushrooms grow. Logic would dictate she was right – Mother and Father have been gone for weeks – it would be unnaturally bad luck if they came back in the few minutes that she was gone. However, she couldn't deny the tense feeling in her gut, an anxious anticipation that they would be home soon.
Their absence has given new life to both of them. Rory, usually skittish and fearful, has been enjoying the luxuries of childhood without their father's constant harassment or their mother's pointed aversion. He seems happy and free, now only hiding for their games. His nights have been free of tears and terror-induced trembling, and his days filled with curiosity, adventure and laughter.
Likewise, Sienna – now nearly healed from the last violent beating she endured on her brother's behalf – feels as if a veil has been lifted. For the first time in her life, she realizes that life can be joyful and loving, not just a constant battle. That their parents were the problem – not them.
It was the third day of their absence when she heard Rory laugh, and it was only then that she realized she hadn't heard that sound in years. It broke her heart to realize this, and it broke again when she wondered if she would ever hear it again once they returned. With each passing day, the confidence and resolution to leave and start a new life with Rory grew stronger. But she knew the dangers of the forest, the distance between themselves and the nearest village, and worst of all, she knew their father's pride and wrath would not let them escape. He would hunt them down, if need be. Would that be worse? Could it be worse than what they already endure?
Sienna bent down to pluck mushrooms from a small cluster on the damp forest floor. She pushed her negative thoughts away – for now, she would enjoy this time with Rory. Later, she will prepare for the next battle with her father.
She stepped over a large, protruding tree root carefully, she bent down to pick a few more that grew alongside the base of the tree.
MIKAELSONS
Klaus, Elijah, Rebekah and Kol stood together in the dense, seemingly never-ending forest, frustrated, exhausted, and most of all… hungry.
"I told you we should've asked for directions before we killed that guy yesterday," Rebekah complained. Of all her siblings, she was by far the most fed up with their recent woodsy travel. They'd started off strong, but one wrong turn became several wrong turns until eventually they were walking in circles. In the last week, the only thing they've had to eat was a single traveling merchant – and split four ways, he was less than filling.
"Wait – do you smell that?" Klaus asked, his nose pointed upward. It was faint, but he could smell something – or rather, someone – absolutely delectable. Their smell was carried with the wind, making it difficult to pinpoint which direction it was coming from.
"Dibs," Kol announced selfishly, picking up the scent himself.
"Not if I find them first," Klaus challenged eagerly.
"No, we're all hungry," Elijah chastised. "We will share whomever that is until – " but they were already gone. He sighed, annoyed.
Kol and Klaus zipped through the trees in different directions, hastily searching for their prey. It was Kol who found her first – a beautiful ginger woman, maybe 17 or 18 years of age, picking mushrooms at the base of a tree. He grinned – young women were his favorite. Their blood was always sweeter.
In a split-second flash, he grabbed her by the neck and hoisted her up, slamming her back into the tree behind her. She gasped in surprise, eyes wide in horror as Kol's eyes went dark and his fangs slipped downward. He leaned into her neck, then broke apart from her suddenly at the white-hot pain in his groin.
She kneed him in the dick!
"Bitch!" he hissed, his groin crippling him in pure agony. "I'll fucking kill you!"
Sienna scoffed, unphased by the threat. "Get in line, little boy," she barked back, picking up her basket of mushrooms and turning to leave. He'd surprised her, and even she had to admit to the fear that coursed through her body when she first looked at his hungry, demonic face. But she'd been fighting a much scarier monster her whole life – her father. Fear was no longer paralyzing to her – it was empowering.
And now, looking at this young man, curled into the fetal position on the forest floor, holding his gentles tightly in distress, she knew she had nothing to fear. She could handle him if he acted up again.
She looked into her mushroom basket, auditing her haul. There was enough for dinner. She turned to leave, stepping carefully over the thick tree root again, towards home.
Kol growled, rage complimenting his insatiable hunger. He couldn't believe her audacity. Little boy, his fury rolled in the insult. Who the hell does she think she is? In a flash, he appeared behind her, wrapping one arm around her torso, his other hand on her neck. Her thick mane of red-orange curls created a curtain between his fangs and her neck. He twisted her head sideways, forcing her to bend against him.
"Little girl," he moaned into her ear, "You have no idea who – fuck!"
Sienna couldn't deny his strength. She struggled against his grip, then tried to spin and slide out of it, but he had her locked tight. Without a moment of hesitation, she brought her elbow forward, then cranked it back and hard as she could. It collided with his ribcage – hard. So hard in fact, she felt her own bone crack on impact. His grip loosened for only a brief second, but it was enough for Sienna to drop to the ground, out of his grip.
He recovered quickly, diving down onto her, pushing her into the wet dirt with intense speed and force. Sienna used his own momentum against him and rolled backward as he lunged, pushing him off of her with her legs. He flew right over the top of her and crashed head-first into the tree behind them. The impact made a jarring crack noise. For a moment she thought he had broken his head or neck on impact, but it was the tree. The large red oak now had a sizable split down the center of the trunk.
Sienna stood slowly, the pain in her elbow hot and pulsing. It had felt like she'd elbowed a rock wall, and she could feel blood dripping down her swelling arm.
It was her fresh blood that alerted the other Mikaelsons. Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah appeared in a split second, surprised at the sight in front of them – Kol on the ground, the woman standing confidently above him.
"Enough," Sienna said, her tone commanding. "I have plenty of my own monsters to fight. I don't need anymore."
Kol stood slowly, his head pounding, fury coursing through his veins. When he turned, his eyes connected with his siblings, all observing him with interest peaked. Elijah looked confused, and Rebekah held a hand over her mouth, stifling a laugh. Klaus shamelessly broke into a loud fit of laughter, holding his gut as he rolled in the hilarity of the situation. Kol fumed. "Shut it!" he warned.
Sienna only realized the others were standing there when Klaus started laughing. She eyed them suspiciously, trying to decide if they were there to stop their friend or help him.
In the moment of her split attention, Kol blurred forward once more, this time his hand around her throat, lifting her slightly from the ground. However, unlike most women in this situation, she didn't falter, squirm or scream. She looked down at him without fear, seemingly holding her own breath so he could not steal it in his vice grip.
"I have to admit, love, you're the strongest human I've ever met," Kol spoke, still seething. "I'm going to enjoy draining you."
Sienna smirked, a reaction none of the Mikaelsons were expecting. The moment he grabbed her, it was over. She'd been in this position many times – hanging by her neck at the hands of her abuser – and she knew she was far from powerless at this angle. Sienna swung her legs up, wrapping them around his neck, and in a smooth, fluid motion, she thrust one leg and pulled the other, snapping his neck.
They both fell, but this time Kol remained unconscious.
Sienna coughed, struggling to take in the air she'd been denied. She felt undeniably light-headed, and her elbow was still screaming in pain, but she forced herself to focus on the onlooking trio with strength and conviction in her eyes.
Klaus' laughter subsided, and Rebekah's face twisted in concern. Elijah, stoic and unreadable, took a single step forward.
"What is your name?" he asked, his voice direct but kind.
"Sienna," she replied quickly, confidently. She was slightly more petite than Rebekah, with a wild, messy mane of long, curly orange-red hair. It framed her pale, freckled face and complemented sharply with her large honey-amber eyes. She squared her shoulders at them and stood straighter, trying to look bigger than she was. "Take your friend and go. You're not welcome here."
"Is that so?" Klaus replied, a mischievous smile playing at his lips. He inhaled deeply, taking in her remarkably sweet aroma. Her blood smelled divine, and yet she, too, smelled of lavender, mint, and evergreen. A heavenly mix of scents.
He stepped forward, ahead of his siblings. Sienna read his body language clearly and lifted the hem of her dress. She pulled a small hunting knife from a strap on her calf and held it tightly. Klaus chuckled, his excitement steadily increasing with each beat of her loud, pounding heart.
"You see, Sienna," Klaus taunted, her name delicious on his lips, "You may have bested my little brother, but I am an entirely different beast."
Her eyes narrowed. He wanted her to fight back – he was excited to fight. She looked back at his companions. They seemed much less amused.
"So, you all mean to harm me?" she asked, her question pointed at the onlooking duo.
Elijah and Rebekah shared a look, their expression soft, almost apologetic. "Sorry love," Rebekah sighed. "We're really hungry."
Sienna considered her words. "And I suppose beef and mushroom stew isn't an acceptable alternative?" she asked. She had to try.
"Are you inviting us to dinner?" Klaus asked amused, now standing directly in front of her.
"I always prefer kindness to violence," she replied easily, "but I know that doesn't always work out."
Klaus' face fell. This was quickly becoming much less fun. "Afraid not, love," he replied coldly.
"Damn," Sienna sighed, her eyes flickering over all of Klaus' openings. Although he wasn't much older or larger than her other attacker, she could sense the power that radiated from him. He would be a far greater opponent, and she was starting at a disadvantage.
A frontal attack won't work – she could already tell. But waiting for him to make the first move could be deadly, too. Running obviously wasn't an option, either. She gripped the blade in her hand tightly, her mind flashing to Rory. She's been gone too long already. She couldn't die here. He still needed her.
Klaus took another step forward, now standing directly in front of her. He'd expected her to make a move before he got this close – but she seemed almost lost in thought. "May I ask a small favor?" she said, her voice quiet, meant only for Klaus.
He raised a brow, curious about her change in demeanor. "I will fight for my life with all I have, but if I lose… if you kill me…" she looked up at him with sincerity in her eyes. No fight, no fear, not even pleading, but rather with an earnest conviction. "Don't leave my body to be found. My little brother will find me, and he – well, he's been through enough."
Klaus paused before offering a short nod. Part of him didn't want to kill her anymore. But his throat burned for blood, his stomach empty and his body itching for it. He needed her – they all did.
He pushed her gently against the tree behind them, grabbing her chin gently. Her eyes met his, and for a moment, it felt as if time froze. He studied her young, beautiful face – the way her freckles danced heavily across her nose and cheeks, tapering to a soft dusting around her eyes. On her bottom lip, two freckles met, nearly resembling a chubby heart. Long red lashes framed her golden orbs, eyes that swam with focus and resolve. He pushed a few of her stray ringlets from her face, admiring the orange hue glowing from the way the sun hit her. She looked like a sunset.
"You are beautiful," he told her.
She smiled, and it was a beautiful smile – somehow sincere and mischievous at the same time. White teeth framed by plump, pale pink lips – naturally tattooed with a heart. He even noticed the ever-so-slight misalignment of her top canines.
"Wait!" Rebekah hollered at him. "Ask for directions before you – "
Crack.
Her go-to move, Sienna took his distraction as opportunity and slammed her knee into his groin. Unlike his brother, he didn't fall, but he did waiver, giving her the opportunity to plunge her dagger into his chest. He gasped, stunned, then excited.
She cursed – she missed his heart. Still blocked against the tree, she grabbed his head and slammed it into her own. Their skulls collided with a resounding crack, which she immediately followed by tackling him to the ground. The whole thing happened fast and smooth, the most fluid yet savage combination of attacks. She fought like a man, like she had the size and mass of someone much larger than her. And while she was strong, and her hits committed, she was still a small human woman. Klaus grinned. It hurt, but it was so much fun.
For Sienna, the world was spinning – headbutting him was a really bad idea, and tackling him probably wasn't the smartest move, but she didn't exactly have a lot of options. Sienna grabbed the dagger in his chest and ripped it out quickly, raising it to slam into his chest again.
He caught her hand mid-air, a wild, excited look on his face. His nose was bleeding where she hit him, and his shirt was ripped and soaked in his own blood from the knife. His hair tussled around his sharply chiseled face, dark blue eyes wide and his smile wider. He looked absolutely wild.
And to him, she looked the same – wild. Her forehead bled where she'd headbutted him, her neck already bruising in the shape of a hand, and her elbow bleeding to her dripping fingers. Her thick, fiery curls bounced in all directions, and housed sticks, leaves, and other forest-floor brush from her many falls. Her tan dress was covered in blotches of wet dirt, the bottom hem torn. Yes, she looked wild indeed, and she moved with the grace and power of an apex predator, like a lion or a tiger. Klaus liked her.
She didn't miss a beat as he restrained her hand, squeezing it so tightly that she dropped the knife. Mid-squeeze, she jabbed two fingers from her other hand into his eyes, pushing hard and fast until he threw her off seconds later.
She landed on the forest floor hard, sliding back several feet before coming to a stop. She looked up at her opponent, now bleeding from his eyes, but still smiling devilishly at her.
"Brother, perhaps we should – "
"No," he barked dismissively at Elijah. He was on top of her before she could even stand, holding both of her hands over her head with only one of his. He pinned her legs with his own – he'd seen what she could do with those when she took down Kol.
Sienna struggled against his grip. She could feel her wrists breaking slowly in his grip and fought the urge to scream. Looking at his face, she watched in a mixture of horror and amazement as his eyes – both of which she'd successfully crushed – regenerate and heal.
"I'm impressed," he told her, his vision clearing. He quite enjoyed watching her squirm under him, feeling her body – breasts rubbing against his torso, hips bucking against his – she was trying to throw him off but was only managing to turn him on.
His eyes darkened, the veins on his face contracting noticeably as his fangs sunk lower for his anticipated bite. She glared at him, not a trace of fear on her face. She turned her head and bit his arm – the only part of him she could reach – as hard as she could, drawing blood. She ignored the metallic taste in her mouth and ripped back and forth on his skin like an angry dog.
He laughed at the irony, barely noting the discomfort, and instead admiring her spirit to fight to the very end. With her head turned on his arm, he zeroed in on the vein in her neck, closing the distance between them.
"Sister!" a small voice cried in the distance. It was a child. "Sister, help! Father is back!"
Sienna immediately released Klaus' arm, his blood wet around her lips, her expression twisting in absolute horror as she looked in the direction of the child's voice. "Get off of me," she demanded, her voice cracking in panic. "Get off! Get off now!" she screamed, her struggling suddenly more erratic.
Klaus paused – he could almost taste her, and he was so hungry. But something fundamental had suddenly changed in her – she wasn't a warrior anymore, she was desperate.
"God damn it all, please!" she yelled, her scared eyes boring into his. "You can kill me later, okay? But right now, my little brother is facing a monster far worse than you. I have to help him." Tears filled her eyes. "Please."
"No, Father, don't – !" the child's voice echoed in the distance, followed by a loud crash. "SISTER!"
Perhaps it was the familiarity of the situation.
Perhaps it was that he had been excited to drink her brave blood, and it was now tainted with newfound fear.
Perhaps he was curious – who could possibly scare her, if not him? Surely a woman this brave has an interesting story.
Perhaps he held some level of respect for the only human who'd ever held their own in a direct fight with a vampire.
He couldn't be sure, but he found himself releasing her.
He wasn't even completely off of her before she scampered up, running towards the child's voice without looking back at them even once.
Elijah and Rebekah went to stand beside Klaus, watching her red hair disappear into the distance of the forest. "You're just going to let her go?" Rebekah asked, disbelievingly. "After all that?"
But Elijah was glad Klaus had let her go. He, too, felt the familiarity of the situation, and couldn't help but feel great respect for her strength and courage.
"The father would indeed be larger," Elijah remarked. "He would have more blood."
Klaus smiled cheekily at his brother, "Funny. I was thinking the same thing."