Then,
Hayley was walking in the forest, one she knew like the back of her hand. She would stop to graze a flower or pick up a beautiful, smooth stone before continuing her walk. She woke up early that morning, but her mother was up first. There was a clay plate with sunflower seeds and wild berries on the windowsill next to her cot. Hayley never failed to eat them in the morning. It had been the first time in weeks that her mother had made her something to eat.
"Mother, would you braid my hair, please?"
As Hayley's words left her mouth, she was already sitting on a round wood log before her mother. She waited for her to tell her that she had chores to do, things that were more important than braiding her hair.
Instead, she found out her mother had chosen yellow and orange flowers for her braids. Her dark brown hair was soon styled into an intricate web of braids, the yellow flowers complementing her beautiful green and brown eyes.
"Go now, the sun is already up and shining," her mother urged her, without knowing that she was meeting with her father.
Hayley sometimes felt guilty for meeting her father. He had hurt them both, but her mother had suffered the most from his temperament. But despite her, a sparkle of joy filled her as she pulled dark breeches up her long legs. She chose a dark green tunic, one that her mother had embroidered herself. Her quiver was thrown off her shoulder, and she picked up her bow from behind the door. She had to run if she wanted to spend the whole day with her father.
Every time she ran in the forest, she felt free. She was just a girl in a man's clothes with no expectations from the outside world. She would stop from time to time to pick a beautiful flower that she would turn into a beautiful dye. It would grace her hair or her lips, and when she allowed her to, her mother's green eyes.
As she neared the lake, she took a sharp turn to her right. This was the deepest part of the forest. Beyond the lake, it was the Deep Waters village territory and no one dared to trespass.
"You are late," a voice called from one of the trees, and she smiled shyly as she recognized it.
"Mother took longer than I expected with my braids," Hayley said to her father as he jumped down the rock he was on.
It would always amaze her how strong and agile he was. She could never compare. Even as her aim never missed and as her feet never stumbled, her father was better at everything.
"She made quite a wonder of you," he said, and she blushed. She didn't see her father as much as she wanted, but every moment was precious. "My beautiful daughter, such a wondrous creature, daughter of the moon and the sun."
The familiarity of the words hit her, and her eyes filled with tears. But she would never let anyone see her cry. She looked away for a moment, gathering herself. She understood why he called her daughter of the moon, but never the last part. She always assumed he was talking about her mother when he referred to the sun.
"Come, I've already smelled a deer," her father said, pulling her out of her thoughts.
Despite him having smelled the deer, it was up to Hayley to hunt it. She followed its tracks, and it took her more than usual, but she finally found it. Her hands didn't quiver as her arrow went straight into his heart. Her father put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a proud smile. It was all she needed to feel better about killing an innocent creature. The deer was quite big, and she wasn't sure how she would carry it back home. They always hunted smaller prey together, wild boars and rabbits. He always hunted the deer, skinned them, and salted the meat before he brought them to her.
"You will not carry it home, Andrea," her father said, using her real name. "I will take it with me, and I'll bring it to you a day before the full moon."
She knew what it meant. She wouldn't see her father for ten days, and she would have to wait at least a week before seeing him again. It was the hold the moon had over him. Soon, he would not be her loving father anymore. But a beast that lashed out and destroyed everything in his path. She knew it all too well. It was the reason her mother didn't want to trigger her curse. Not because she didn't want to kill someone. There were enough bad men for her to choose from. Mikael was one of them. But she didn't want to become restless and angry. It was all for Hayley, so that her daughter could live a normal life. Victoria didn't expect the toll it took on her, or how distant she became with her daughter, always gazing in the distance.
"Come, we will find rabbits for you," her father said, walking before her.
A few more arrows were shot, all hitting their targets. White and brown rabbits were thrown in a satchel. As she bent to pick the last one, its blood dripped on her beautiful tunic. It was one her mother worked hard on. She didn't want her to see it bloodied. She knew she shouldn't have worn it, but she wanted to show her father that they were well off, and he didn't have to worry about them. The truth was that autumn was close, and along with it, cold nights and hard days. Hayley hated this time of the year. Cutting wood was something she despised. But her mother was tired from growing their food and skinning the animals. She had to do it for her.
"The sun is still high, but you should go home now," Andrew told her as he put the satchel over her head to rest on her shoulder.
It was quite heavy, but she could still carry it. Her father looked at her tunic, and he quickly removed his. It was immaculate, proving he had many years over her.
"Put this on, and wash that one in the lake; don't let your mother see you like this," he said, unaware that those thoughts had already crossed Hayley's mind.
"I will," she told him, her lip quivering.
"Don't forget to cover your mark," he added, pulling her tunic over her shoulder where it had slid off.
"Don't worry, I will," she answered firmly and dared to take his hand.
They never touched much, her father unable to display such form of affection.
"My beautiful Andrea, never forget how noble you are."
With a hug that he returned stiffly, her father stepped away and put the deer over his shoulder with the agility only a wolf possessed.
Noble, she thought. Not a beast. A noble wolf.
She didn't move until her father was far away and out of her sight. Taking a deep breath and squaring her shoulders, she walked towards the lake.
Fortunately, no one was there. It was early in the afternoon, with the sun barely peeking from the trees and not a cloud to be seen. She stepped between the two stones near the lake, and she removed her tunic. Her sleeping shirt she hadn't removed was intact. The blood did not seep through the tunic. She quickly put on the brown tunic on, and she smelled it. Sandalwood and lavender. He smelled like her mother, as if even far away, they were still holding eachother so tightly their smells mixed. She had to make sure her mother never saw this tunic, or else she would know.
As she rubbed the bloodied fabric on a stone, she realized she would need more than that to get it off. She looked around, and she spotted a discarded piece of soap. As she kept washing her tunic, she heard voices coming her way. She should have expected it. It was hot in the afternoon, and people would come to swim in the lake. She rubbed harder, but the blood barely came off. Even as she had spent the last few years rubbing her clothes clean from her own blood, she couldn't make it go away. It must be the fabric, she thought; it was too thick. Thinking of any other way to clean it, she didn't notice that the Mikaelsons were only a few feet away from her. All six siblings were there. Rebekah ignored her, preferring to pester Kol. Henrick was following Rebekah. Finn walked to the side of the lake, where he started picking certain herbs for his mother's potions. Only Niklaus and Elijah stood still, side by side, admiring the girl from afar.
Niklaus was interested in her for very different reasons. He felt an inkling for her—one he didn't even feel for his own family. It was as if she was the moon herself. He looked at his brother and found a very different look. One he used to give to Tatia before he found out she was more eager to go back and forth between them than settle with one.
No, Niklaus thought, it's more than that. It's different, stronger.
As he did with Tatia, Niklaus planned to make it an affair between the two brothers. Only when he looked at them did he know he wouldn't be able to do it. Even if he tried. Because the girl was looking at them now, and she only had eyes for Elijah.
"Look, isn't it the brave and wild Hayley?" Niklaus started with a mocking grin.
"Niklaus, if you would please keep your words to yourself, I would be extremely grateful," Elijah interrupted him.
Elijah couldn't tear his eyes from her. He was truly mesmerized. She was there before him, Mikael was away, his siblings were distracted, and Niklaus would keep to himself if he wanted Elijah to keep training him. He could talk to her, finally. But as he took a step towards her, he noticed the tunic she was wearing. It was that of a man. He felt betrayed when he had no reason to do so. Not once did he approach her or make any attempt at wooing her. But what if she wasn't wearing another man's clothes but her own?
He would talk to her, he decided. He would see if she had given her affections to another man. If she had indeed, he could only blame himself for being too late.