Chapter Forty-Three
Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Diaries or the Originals, but I do own my OCs.
Summary: Blair has been on the run for 400 years, trying to escape her past. She never stays in once place long enough, but she finds herself drawn to New Orleans and it is there that she meets the Originals. She soon finds herself drawn into their drama and ends up connecting with the Noble Original, Elijah Mikaelson. Slowburn.
ORGINALS
Blair was back in the plantation house, as she needed to be far away from the Abattoir when this happened. She had told Klaus that she wanted to discuss something important with him and then led him away. He had been extremely suspicious, and reluctant to leave Hope, especially since Dahlia was just on the horizon, but he had eventually agreed when Elijah promised he would stay with Hope.
"Caroline turned down the offer," Blair told him when they entered the plantation house. The ride there had mostly been silent, both having other things on their mind.
Klaus frowned, "I thought as much when Caroline began screaming about boundaries," His partner had not been happy, but calmed down a touch when he explained his side of the situation. Looking back, he should have explained it to Caroline first, but he cannot change the past. He wasn't happy that Caroline has refused, but he had to respect her wishes on this matter. He would take this time to convince her to see his point of view on things.
"Definitely a spitfire," Blair grinned, finding the whole situation amusing. There were horror stories about Klaus, how he had slaughtered people who even looked at him wrong. Stories of how he had demolished villages, murdered on a whim, only for him to now be at the command of a baby Vampire. If his enemies could see him now, they'd be shocked. Blair thought that Katherine would find this whole situation amusing.
Klaus grumbled under his breath, it was so quiet that Blair didn't catch it.
Blair was tempted to ask more about the perky blonde but decided against it. Instead, she focused on the reason why she called him out here, "Klaus, I am going to need you to listen before you react, can you promise me that?"
"That never bodes well," Klaus said with a suspicious look, people only ever said that to him when they had bad news. He did not want to hear bad news, especially not right now.
Inwardly, Blair agreed with him, "Do you promise?" She would not move on from this until she got his word. If he refused, she would have to use one of her favours. She had planned to use them at a later date, but this was important.
Klaus levelled her a blank expression before he slowly nodded his head.
Blair used her magic and a book appeared in front of her, it was the book that she had tied Mikael to. She had kept an eye on it, keeping up the barriers around it to make sure no one discovered it. Only Davina and her knew its location. But this needed to be dealt with, especially since Freya was in the Abattoir as well. "When Marcel was killed, Davina did something stupid. I should have been keeping a closer eye on her, but I thought she needed space," It was something she regretted, but she couldn't change the past, only clean up the mess.
At the mention of Marcel, his protégé, his expression turned dark. "What did she do?"
"It's not all her fault," Blair immediately cut in with a glare, "she was grieving, as you all were. She wanted to talk to him one last time, but someone else stepped in and took advantage of the link Davina opened. Luckily, nothing happened, but I trapped that entity before they came back to life," Looking down at the book, Blair felt Mikael's energy, it was seething being near Klaus, and demanded to be let out. Blair ignored the voice and instead focused on Klaus.
Klaus looked down at the book, an unreadable expression on his face, "Who is in that book?"
"Do you promise not to retaliate against Davina?" Blair asked with an arched brow.
"Tell me!" Klaus yelled at her.
"Not before you promise!" Blair yelled back as her eyes flashed purple.
Inhaling sharply, Klaus closed his eyes for a moment before he opened them once more, "I promise that I will not enact any revenge upon the baby fledging, or anyone else involved. Now tell me, who is in that book?" Klaus was seething and it took him considerable strength to even speak, as he knew the Fae would not budge until he made this promise.
Taking a moment to assess him, Blair nodded her head, "It's Mikael,"
The response was immediate. Klaus flung himself at Blair, or more specifically the book, only to be stopped when he was met with a barrier spell that would not allow him anywhere near her. He glared at her, his eyes lit with a golden colour, showing his Hybrid features. When he could not get to the book, Klaus flung himself at the nearby furniture and tore it to pieces, needing something to let his anger out on. He roared in anger and destroyed everything in his path, the mere mention of the bastard who raised him grated his nerves.
"Mikael! Of all people to bring back!" Klaus roared out, "It's bad enough I have to deal with one murderous family member, but now Mikael as well!"
Blair watched this happen from the safety of her barrier. Using her magic, Klaus would not be able to leave the plantation house, he would be contained here. This was why she chose this place, as it was far away to not attract attention, and it was away from people who may get in the way and try and calm him down. She had expected this kind of reaction and was fully prepared to deal with the consequences. Blair said nothing as she let him get this out of his system. She knew that nothing she said would make a difference and just waited for him to come down.
Eventually, once all the furniture was destroyed, and the walls had plenty of holes in them, Klaus calmed down enough were his eyes were no longer glowing menacingly. "Have you done this as a form of revenge?" Klaus hissed out, his shoulders tense with anger.
Rolling her eyes at his dramatics, Blair answered him, "No, I brought this up because I think we can use him to deal with Dahlia,"
Turning to face her, Klaus levelled her with a look and silently demanded for her to explain.
Sighing deeply, Blair held up the book, watching as Klaus' eyes never left the book, "We are missing one of the ingredients – ashes of Dahlia's oppressors. I had a chat with your mother the other day and she mentioned how the Vikings held them hostage, and enslaved Dahlia for her magic. And what is your father?"
Slowly, it dawned on Klaus what her plan was, his posture relaxing ever so slightly.
"We kill Mikael and use his ashes," Blair said with a wicked grin, "quite poetic, no?" It was definitely serving some justice and Blair couldn't help but see the irony in this. Esther betrayed Dahlia and left her for Mikael and they would be using his ashes in the spell.
A nefarious smirk flashed on Klaus' face. "You, little Fae, are devious,"
"Thank you," Blair grinned wider, "Now, are you up for some patricide?"
"We don't have any white oak," Klaus frowned as he realised, they were missing a key component.
For a moment, Blair said nothing, but then she snapped her fingers and a white oak stake appeared in her hands. The moment Klaus saw the weapon, he looked at her with narrowed eyes. He had searched for the weapon for a while, along with his daggers but could not find them. He was aware Rebekah took them, and had thought she had found a very good hiding place. It seemed as though he was right, as he suspected Rebekah had gone to the Fae and asked for help in hiding them.
"Before you say anything, I have this and the daggers hidden for a reason," Blair stated calmly. She knew that it was going to come out eventually and wanted to get it over with. Another reason why she had picked somewhere far away from his siblings was, "They are hidden in a place only I have access to."
"And what makes you think I won't kill you for this?" Klaus hissed out.
Blair met his gaze without fear, "Your relationship with your siblings has improved massively. You really want to put that in jeopardy?"
Klaus fell silent as he thought over her words. The Fae wasn't wrong when she said their relationship had improved. Kol no longer attempted to plot against him, though he was still annoying by getting in his way. There were countless times when Kol had tripped him up, hit him or stabbed him with a knife in retaliation but nothing filled with malice. Rebekah was happy and wasn't whining, nor was she making any threats against him. She had voluntarily stayed with them, even though she had the opportunity to leave and be free multiple times. Elijah appeared much happier as well, at ease with his family, that not even the small disputes between him got in the way. While it was nothing like when they were human, there were times when it was actually peaceful. Klaus soon realised that he had not made any threats to dagger any of his siblings either, something he was sure his siblings had noticed as well.
"You've never had to experience what they have. They've lost time and resented you for it." Blair said calmly, she could see that she was getting through to him, "These daggers will always hang over their heads, just waiting for them to be used. But with them gone, they don't have to worry about that and they can relax – and maybe even trust you,"
"And what happens if you decide to use them?" Klaus glared at her accusingly.
Blair stared at him blankly, "Then you're all screwed," If she wanted, she could have used these daggers ages ago, but she hadn't. She was invested in this family and wanted them to succeed. As much as she didn't want to admit it, they had grown on her, even Klaus. Also, Blair wanted to be on the winning side when it came to war, and they always seemed to come out on top in the end.
Klaus tensed at her words.
"But I won't,"
Slowly, Klaus relaxed and realised that what the Fae had said was true. As much as he hated to admit it, he believed her words when she said she wouldn't. However, the cynical side of himself wondered if she was just biding her time before she stabbed them all in the back.
Seeing that he was still suspicious, Blair sighed, "I promise that I won't use these daggers," If she had her way, she'd have destroyed them, but Rebekah had asked to keep them away just in case.
"Break your word, and I will destroy you," Klaus warned.
Blair rolled her eyes but agreed nonetheless.
"Now, release Mikael," Klaus said as he stood straighter. He steeled himself for a fight against his old abuser. There had been several times he had faced Mikael head-on, and it was never a pleasant experience.
Wordlessly, Blair opened the book and cast a spell. Originally, Mikael had been tied to this book instead of Davina, and he had been a poltergeist. She had looked into ways to get rid of him permanently and hadn't come up with much. However, then she got the idea to use his ashes and set to work with a different plan. Instead of coming back as a ghost, Mikael would come back fully alive, but he wouldn't be for long. Once the book opened, the figure of Mikael appeared in the room. As soon as Mikael was back, he sprang into action and lunged at Klaus, murder in his eyes. However, before he could get too far, chains shot out from the book and wrapped themselves around Mikael's arms and feet.
"What is this magic?" Mikael hissed out in frustration. He turned his head and saw the Fae behind him, and his eyes narrowed when he recognised her. It was the Fae that trapped him in a book. He had been so close to coming back to the land of the living. The baby Witch had been so easy to trick and manipulate, if he had been allowed a few more days attached to her energy, he would have been brought back.
Klaus watched with a blank expression. He had been ready for an attack but hadn't expected Blair to intervene. He also didn't expect to see the blinding anger on his father's face when he saw the Fae.
"You're still tied to this book, you cannot go too far from it," Blair answered with a smirk. She enjoyed seeing the man in chains, kneeling down on the floor. It was fitting for him to be chained and humiliated.
"Bad luck, old man," Klaus taunted with a smirk.
Mikael snarled at him, "You boy, will die slowly and painfully,"
"Well, it certainly won't be by your hand," Klaus answered back, easily catching the white oak stake that Blair threw in his direction. He looked at her and watched as she slowly nodded her head at him.
Mikael tried to move but found he could not, he was trapped. Growling, he had no choice but to stay kneeled before his wife's affair child, something he deeply detested. "You must be weak if you need help from a Fae,"
"I am a Hybrid, I am one of the most powerful creatures alive!" Klaus yelled back, already triggered by Mikael's words. Just seeing the man brought back all the painful memories. He remembered how Mikael used to beat him if he did something wrong, or if he disappointed him, which was often. He remembered the cruel words that used to be shouted at him constantly.
Mikael laughed at him cruelly.
Growling loudly, Klaus was about to say something, but he was cut off when Blair snapped her fingers. Instantly, Mikael's spine snapped in half, the sound echoing loudly in the house, but it was nothing on the scream that was pulled out from the man. Klaus watched with wide eyes, he had never seen his father like this before.
"Klaus, we've not got time for this, kill him and be done with it," Blair said impatiently.
Snapping out of it, Klaus gripped the white oak stake in his hand and lunged for his father. In the blink of an eye, Klaus had shoved the stake into Mikael's chest and watched in satisfaction as he gasped in pain before his body turned grey and his whole body burst into flame. Klaus jumped away in time so he was not affected by the flames. Both Klaus and Blair watched as the body burned and soon, there was nothing left, only ash and the white oak stake.
With a snap of her fingers, the stake disappeared once more, kept away from anyone who wanted to harm an Original. Blair also sent the book back, no longer needing it anymore. It was just a random book she had picked, and now it didn't need to be guarded anymore.
"Now, we only have one more ingredient to get," Klaus said as he stared down at the ashes. He was relieved that Mikael was dead once more, the thought of him running around the same world as his daughter did not sit well with him.
"I have already sorted that out," Blair said.
Klaus sent her a look, "Freya gave you her blood?"
Blair shook her head, "It's the blood of your mother. She chose Mikael over her sister and magic. Esther is the one who betrayed Dahlia,"
Klaus scoffed, somehow this did not surprise him.
"I've asked Kol and Davina to retrieve Esther's body. With some magic, we've restored it so we can take some blood." Blair explained to the Hybrid. It had not been an easy task for Kol and Davina, as they had to step foot into the Witch's graveyard. Luckily, they had been undetected and had stolen Esther's body with little fuss. She then had Kol and Davina untie Esther to the Witches of New Orleans, so they could not draw on her power when they eventually killed her again.
"Have I ever told you that you're my favourite in-law?" Klaus grinned.
Blair rolled her eyes but even she could not help but smirk in response. Without another word, Blair used her magic and scooped up all of Mikael's ashes before putting them into a vial she had brought with her.
ORIGINALS
Blair worked in one of the workshops, with Raphael beside her. She checked over the wards of the house, as well as the protective barriers. She wanted to make sure they were adequate for the job ahead, and that was keeping Dahlia out. This was her home, and she was going to defend it with all her power because she quite liked living there. Blair had not had a home for four hundred years, and even the one before that was questionable at best. She refused to be driven out of her new home, or have anyone destroy what had been built.
"It's weird, I've never imagined we'd be here," Raphael said suddenly.
Looking up from her work, she sent him a curious expression.
"Both of us, being in relationships with Original Vampires, and being out of the Forest," Raphael explained further when he saw the female Fae's face.
"Ah," Blair said, nodding her head in understanding, "It is quite mad, I always intended to leave the city after a few days but never did," She wouldn't lie and say she hadn't thought about what her life would have been like if she hadn't stayed in New Orleans. In the beginning, Blair had plenty of opportunity to leave the city and never look back, but that would also mean she would still have the issue of the Hunter, and no freedom. She could have also decided to protect Hayley while she was pregnant from afar, but Blair knew that wouldn't work as Klaus and Elijah would have noticed something was amiss. They would have sensed her, especially Klaus with his Hybrid senses, which were more acute than a Vampire and a Werewolf.
"Things would have played out differently," Raphael said with a frown. He would have still been under the control of Maeve, and he would have continued to try and kidnap Hayley. It would have been very likely he would have been killed by one of the Originals, which one he was unsure about.
Blair hummed in agreement.
Raphael looked thoughtful, "Did you ever miss the Forest?"
For a moment, Blair said nothing. In her time away, she'd had plenty of time to ponder this thought, and the answer was always the same, "No,"
"How come?" Raphael asked, genuinely curious. The Forest was their home, they had grown up there. He certainly missed it at times, he would have missed it more if it weren't for Maeve.
"We were always trapped there," Blair said with a frown, thinking back, "I know they always said it was for our protection, but it was always the same. The same routine, the same jobs. There was nothing new and it was stifling." The gate to the Forest had been locked shut when all Fae were ordered to return, their numbers too low and they were at risk of becoming extinct. This was a long time before Blair and Raphael were born, but they had grown up in the shadow of fear, the fear of leaving the safety of the Forest. As children, they were always taught to never venture out of the Forest and how dangerous the outside world was, and that had fuelled Blair's curiosity. However, that also led her into the trap of the Hunter.
"It would be nice to see it again," Raphael sighed deeply. He did miss his home, his parents and old friends.
Blair said nothing.
Not wanting to talk anymore about her old home, Blair changed the topic, "How is Rebekah doing?"
Sensing the abrupt change of topic, Raphael did not question it, "She's good, a bit stressed though. She's been quite up and down for a few weeks now," He had noticed that Rebekah had become quite emotional as of late, going from one extreme to another. She was also gorging on blood a bit more than usual, but Raphael did not voice his concern. He was sure that it was just down to stress.
Blair nodded her head. She wanted to ask more, but she could see that she would just be stressing him out. Blair had noticed a change in Rebekah, but she couldn't pinpoint what exactly. She thought that Raphael may have the answer, but he seemed just as confused.
Just then, Blair sensed another magical presence walking towards the room. Freya walked into the room, her whole posture tense and anger in her eyes. The moment Raphael saw the Mikaelson Witch, he stood straighter, and his form tensed. He was ready for a battle, sensing that Freya hadn't come with peaceful intentions, she looked to be on a warpath. Blair remained the picture of calm, but Raphael could see the anticipation in her knowing eyes – she had been expecting this visit to happen.
"Let me in the Garden," Freya demanded.
"No," Blair replied back.
Freya sent her a scathing look, "My mother is in there, I have a right to see her," Earlier that day, she had attempted to find her mother. It had been extremely hard to find her, and she had listened to some rumours that the Witches had muttered. They were talking about the fall of Esther and how she had been turned into a Vampire, after commandeering the Harvest. There were whispers of a place where magic was void and how unnatural it was – and that was Esther's prison.
"And she also has other children, who have decided her fate as well," Blair reminded her calmly.
Freya remained unmoved, "Drop your barrier spell," As much as she hated to admit it, she could not undo the spell the Fae had cast. She had tried to enter the Garden but was unsuccessful. She had been thrown back and then the barrier vibrated, as though it was laughing at her.
"She already said no," Raphael said sternly, "Leave it alone,"
Gaze cutting to the male, Freya hissed at him, "Stay out of this, Fae,"
The tone made Blair's eyes narrow. With a snap of her fingers, Freya was flung to the nearby wall and was stuck in place. Freya let out a pained cry when she was thrown back without warning, her head connecting to the brick wall with a loud thud. Spots danced in her vision, and she fought to stay conscious. She tried to move but found that she couldn't, it was like her body would not listen to her commands.
"Speak to him like that again, and I will tear out your tongue," Blair hissed lowly, her eyes ablaze in anger. She did not care if people spoke ill about her, but the moment they started to talk negatively towards the people she cared about, they would live to regret it, if they lived at all.
Freya stared at her defiantly.
Deciding that this had gone on long enough, Blair walked over to the Witch, satisfied when she tried to squirm away. "I do not give a shit about your biased feelings towards the Fae, it is the least of my concerns. But if you annoy me, I will kill you,"
"You need me," Freya said lowly.
Raphael shook his head, "No, actually we don't. The blood we need isn't yours, but your mother," He hadn't moved since Blair had decided to put Freya in her place, taking some satisfaction in it. He hadn't told Blair about all the snide remarks that Freya had sent his way whenever they crossed paths in the hallway, but he was sure she had found out about it.
"You're wrong," Freya said, "You're just trying to turn people against me," She had noticed that her siblings were cold to her, and she believed it was down to the two Fae in front of her.
Blair rolled her eyes, "Why can people never accept the truth? Just get it through your head that you're expendable. You aren't essential at all, you're basically useless," Blair saw no role for Freya at this point, her magic was weak, her blood was not the key and her attitude was a problem. She had watched as Freya had tried to assert herself as the eldest, ordering around Kol and Rebekah as though they owed her respect. Kol was inches away from snapping Freya's neck, not liking when anyone tried to reign him in.
"Your kind are liars, you're deceiving everyone. I bet when Dahlia comes, you and him will run away," Freya stated, as though she pointed out a fact.
"Kind of hard to do when we're in relationships," Raphael commented as he placed a hand on his chin. Even if he wasn't in a relationship with Rebekah, he would have stayed to make sure Hope was protected and made it out unscathed.
Freya sneered, as though she was disgusted with this fact. She could not understand what her siblings saw in them. She had tried to talk some sense into Elijah and Rebekah, but they rebuked her and threatened to kill her if she did anything like that again. Elijah had been particularly vicious and Rebekah had ignored her since that incident.
"There is no use talking sense into her, she's just like her mother," Blair sighed dramatically.
This caught Freya's attention, "Excuse me?"
"Your mother, Esther, has similar views," Raphael explained, also sighing dramatically, "It's quite scary how similar you and your mother are,"
Freya's eye twitched at the comparison to her mother, and she silently fumed. She tried to wriggle free so she could retaliate, but she could not move at all.
Blair smirked, "Like mother like daughter, I suppose,"
"If you dare say another word, I will kill you," Freya retorted, completely serious with her threat.
Staring at her directly in the eyes, Blair arched a brow, "Do it then,"
Freya sneered at her, "It may not be now, but I will kill you. If I can't get to you, I'll just go to Davina instead, I've noticed you seem invested in her," She had watched Davina and Blair together, and it sickened her. A Witch should not be taught magic by a Fae, it was unnatural and went against everything Witches stood for. She would make Davina see sense soon enough, once the Fae was out of the way.
Raphael winced and stepped back.
Purple eyes snapped to life and Freya screamed in agony as she felt her arm twist in an unnatural direction. She looked and saw her bone sticking out of her arm, but her vision was blurred with the tears that ran down her face. Blair watched with a blank expression, her magic lashing out at the Witch's threat. She did not take kindly to people threatening what was hers. Davina had told her about the conversation she had with Freya, and Blair had been biding her time, plotting revenge. She had planned to humiliate Freya in front of everyone, but this new threat could not be ignored.
"If you go near Davina, I will drown you. I will personally hold your head down and watch as you struggle," Blair hissed dangerously low. She would make good on this threat and she knew Raphael would also help her, as he was quite fond of Davina as well.
For the first time in a while, Freya felt scared and it wasn't because of Dahlia. She stared into the Fae's eyes and knew she had overstepped. She knew she had messed up. She did not doubt that the Fae would make good on her threat and this made her throat nearly close in fear. The powerful magic that radiated from the female Fae was overwhelming – she had never felt anything that powerful. The more Freya was immersed in the magic, the more she regretted her actions.
Raphael placed a hand on Blair's shoulder, "As much as I would love to continue this, we're needed upstairs," Davina had just called out to him in his mind, informing him that they were all needed upstairs.
"Why?" Blair demanded as her gaze never left Freya.
"Dahlia's sent a message," Raphael said, catching both of the women's attention, "She sent a bouquet of black dahlias to the compound," Davina had explained that it was Caroline who had found them, and this had sent Klaus into a frenzy.
Saying nothing, Blair's eyes stopped glowing purple and she stepped away from Freya. Wordlessly, she walked out of the room, heading to the living room where they always convened. It was only when Blair was halfway across the house that she dropped the spell on Freya. The Witch winced as the pain in her arm came back in full force.
"I really wouldn't suggest crossing Blair," Raphael warned her.
Looking at him, she frowned, "And why do you care?"
"I don't," Raphael answered her truthfully, "I don't trust you and you haven't exactly been welcoming either. But I care about Rebekah. She was looking forward to having a sister, but she feels let down." He had listened to Rebekah complain about her sister, but he had also heard the pain in her voice. It bothered him how affected she was by this and he wished that Freya would buck up and fix this.
Freya fell silent at his words.
"Blair is not a forgiving person, if you cross her, you will regret it," Raphael explained, "She is also a powerful ally and friend. If she is loyal to you, then she will help." It's what he admired about her, and he sometimes wished he was more like her at times.
Freya shook her head, "I don't understand your angle, what are you playing for?"
In frustration, Raphael sighed deeply, "There is no angle and there is no game. I and Blair simply care about this family." It was frustrating that Freya could not accept they weren't playing games, there wasn't a scheme and they weren't the villains in this story. The sooner she accepted that the sooner her siblings would stop wanting to kill her.
"But that doesn't make sense," Freya frowned.
Honestly, Raphael felt like he was talking to a brick wall at this point, "I don't care if it doesn't make sense to you. I and Blair have had plenty of chances to leave and backstab them, but we haven't."
Freya looked at him with narrowed eyes, unsure of whether he was being honest. She had tried to enter his mind a few times, but she was blocked at every turn. She had tried to enter the minds of all her siblings, as well as Davina and Caroline, but something stopped her. There was a force protecting them and she suspected that it was the female Fae's magic at work.
"Believe me or you don't, I don't care," Raphael said before walking away, "But if you do anything to harm this family, I will kill you myself or help Blair with her threat," He left the room, silently annoyed. He had hoped that Freya would see sense but he was worried that would never happen. Freya was so far in denial that it was almost concerning, it would take something big to get her to change her mind.