You hung the moon.
Tristan de Martel was very displeased. First, his sister Aurora lost control and killed the monk who delivered his message, whereas he had so hoped her extended stay in the monastery would cure her episode. Second, Lucien had informed him his mission was not going as expected. Indeed, Strix's usual strategy of planting a serial killer in the city they planned to invade was about to come to a sudden end. On top of that, Lucien had not yet managed to uncover the relationships between the Klaus, Elijah, and Eglantine trio. The leader of the Strix was sure Klaus and Elijah would stick together against them. The real problem lay within the free spirit of Eglantine, as he needed her on his side to enact his plan against the Originals. Tristan dearly hoped either the prophecy news would ensure her joining his side to ensure her own survival or he could play on deep-buried feelings. Indeed, Tristan was sure his wife had not been as indifferent to him as she might have shown. Their history looked like a millennia-long retelling of Pride and prejudice. Their marriage started wrong as they had both been blinded by the stories they had heard about one another and because of the biases inherent to their era about men's and women's roles in society. An age when marriages made out of love were frowned upon. Both of them were too prideful to admit it. Tristan was sure Eglantine had feelings under the mask of coldness she always wore, just as Tristan could be cruel to those who deserved it and caring for his loved ones. Back to his mission to ensure Elijah's sireline survival and enact his vengeance against the Original family, Tristan was forced to leave it to Lucien for now, and he hated the idea. He would rather die than admit it, but Lucien knew his wife better than he did.
Nine thousand and five hundred miles away, Lucien Castle was also less than pleased. His sire was in denial about his upcoming death. Lucien had to join forces with the man who stole the love of his life to ensure his own survival. Into the bargain, he was now in the middle of the de Martel's heartache. He could only hope it would all be worth it in the end. Just as the Mikaelsons had sworn the always and forever oath, their first sires swore an oath of vengeance against the family who ruined their lives. The three of them had spent nine hundred years searching for a way to kill the Mikaelsons siblings, only to discover that their death would sign the Trinity's death warrant. So, they had to switch tactics and find a way to lock them away forever. In the end, maybe the whole sireline thing was a blessing in disguise. Indeed, locking away the Mikaelsons would stop them from going on with their lives, just as Aurora, Tristan, and himself for over a century. The only problem in their plan was Eglantine. Indeed, the self-proclaimed Queen knew everything going on in her city. So, Lucien believed she knew the location of the dark magic artifacts, including the weapon that could lock the Originals away forever. The other problem was sentimental, as Tristan would never end his wife should she choose to go against them. Lucien had to admit he would also have second thoughts about ending her life. Lucien knew that, for Tristan, he was nothing more than cannon fodder, here to lay the groundwork. By the way, Lucien had noticed a certain queen was not seen at the party he threw last night. It was about time he returned to the fun part of his mission and flushed her out.
After asking several vampires partying and patrolling the streets, Lucien finally found his target's current location, a club named Maison Bourbon. As he entered the crowded place, his heightened senses assaulted him with loud dance music and a mix of alcohol and sweat scent. As he finally located Eglantine feeling comfortable drinking at the bar, he couldn't help but compare her to Tristan. How could two people from the same social class have turned so differently? Lucien supposed it was because of Elijah's compulsion that Tristan had assumed his sire's style, language, and mannerisms, whereas Eglantine had been freed to be herself from the beginning. Thinking of this made Lucien even more eager to fulfill his mission. So, he cut across the packed dancefloor straight to Eglantine's spot.
« Lucien, » Eglantine greeted him happily before taking his arm and dragging him toward the dancefloor. « I seem to see your face in all of my favorite places lately, » she said
« I missed you the other night at my place, » Lucien replied, ignoring her barb.
« Well, I had business to attend to, » Eglantine replied, stressing the word « business » to ensure Lucien knew what she was talking about. Lucien opened his mouth to react when his dance partner's phone rang. It was Vincent. The police had found another corpse.
« Your serial killer did it again, didn't he? » Lucien inquired. Unbeknownst to Eglantine, Lucien had set up a plan to clear his name to Eglantone. He had compelled a man to slice his mouth open while Lucien was at the club with Eglantine. He was taken aback when Eglantine put her phone back in her purse and started dancing again. « You're not answering, » he asked.
« No, tonight, I am taking a night off, » she replied.
« Well, in that case, why don't we take it to my place? » Lucien asked seductively. In truth, he rather thought about showing Alexis' visions to Eglantine. Since the Originals listened to her, she could help them take the threat seriously.
« Why? It's almost midnight, meaning it's buffet, » she replied, the veins around her eyes coming into view. As midnight strikes, Lucien and Eglantine sink their teeth into the nightclubbers' throats. Eglantine glanced at Lucien and saw that he was focused on feeding on some random girl; she quickly vamped out of the club. As soon as Lucien felt the familiar draft, he raised his head back from the neck of the party girl he was feeding on, only to notice Eglantine had flown. Lucien mentally swore as he was sure he had her, but it seemed she had him, too.
Eglantine was rushing through the French Quarter toward where Vincent had texted her. She noticed a gathering of police cars and bystanders drawn there by morbid curiosity. Watching from the shadows, Eglantine saw Detective Kinney pushing back a journalist behind the tap. She smiled fakely at the Detective, hoping her charms would do the trick. Unfortunately for her, the police officer seemed unaffected by it. Kinney stared at her suspiciously as she walked away. Eglantine kept watching her as a devilish idea popped into her mind. Indeed, Eglantine knew Lucien all too well. Firstly, the journalist looked like a top model and had a brilliant career. « Typically Lucien's type, » Eglantine thought. Secondly, Lucien was not one to stay in the shadows, so he would want humans to know that a serial killer was striking in their city. The Queen of New Orleans got it right when the reporter headed straight to Canal Street. Eglantine smugged as she just had to wait for tomorrow's newspaper.
Eglantine walked inside the Mikaelson Compound in the middle of another brotherly squabble.
« The pack is almost wiped out because you abandoned them to poachers hired by Kingmaker Land Development, » Jackson yelled at Klaus. « Well, isn't the Queen of New Orleans herself coming along just at the right time? Kingmaker Land Development. Does that ring a bell? The CEO is Lucien Castle. According to Elijah, you two are like best pals spending their eternity playing cheap tricks on each other, » the alpha's eyes had turned golden as he was towering over Eglantine.
« One, you don't touch me, » Eglantine started as she gently gestured for him to move backward. Two, while I don't particularly appreciate werewolves, I did appreciate Hayley. So, had I known Lucien was slaughtering werewolves in the Bayou, I would have stepped in, » Eglantine replied.
« Well, funny you're mentioning him because I chatted with our good friend Lucien, and he showed me a sinister prophetic vision about our family's downfall. A sinister prophecy not to be advised to sensitive hearts, » Klaus said, visibly unaffected by Hayley's fate.
« I suppose you barged in with something to tell. So, please, do tell us, » Klaus invited.
« I will have the proof that Lucien is the jaw carver killer by the morning, » Eglantine informed them. Then, I'll deal with him, » she continued.
« What? You're going to say that killing people is not right and give him a tap of his hand, » Elijah retorted. « I'd rather suggest, dear Eglantine, you leave Lucien to me, » he continued, brooking no argument before leaving the Compound with Jackson, leaving Klaus and Eglantine stunned by how Elijah had talked to them.
Lord Tristan de Martel sat comfortably in his car toward the mountain where the monastery Aurora was secluded in stood. As the car advanced on the dusty roads, Tristan began to doubt whether letting Lucien handle Eglantine was right. Of course, Lucien and Tristan still loathed each other, but a common ground could bring enemies together. For the moment, the common ground was revenge against the Originals for stealing a century of their lives. Still, Tristan was aware of Lucien and Eglantine's centuries-long friendship made of various cheap tricks. First, Tristan dreaded that one low blow would end with their plan against the Mikaelsons collapsing. Second, he dreaded that Eglantine and Lucien may have been lovers. Even if he held no proof of it, it was a feeling that would not leave him. Indeed, Lucien made a habit of taking what was his. Over the centuries, Aurora had run several times to Lucien after Tristan had tried to cure her excentric predispositions. Plus, Tristan was envious of the relationship Lucien had with Eglantine, whatever it was, as it was a relationship he had himself with his wife. His phone buzzing interrupted his thoughts. Aya. While Lucien was conducting things in broad daylight, Tristan had sent Aya to find a way to get the Strix inside the Queen of New Orleans' close circle. Tristan knew that his estranged wife would not accept a formal invitation to be part of the Strix. As a thousand-year-old vampire, along with the large community she had brought together, she was too powerful to be intimidated. That's why Tristan had tasked Aya with finding another entrance into the vampire community.
« I trust everything went well, Aya, » Tritan asked with an inch of threat in his voice, as he was in no mood for another failure.
« I may have found a way into Lestrange's close circle, » Tristan grimaced as Aya used his wife's maiden name. Sometimes, actions meant more than words. The Strix leader had felt heartache when he learned that his wife had reclaimed her maiden name just after becoming a vampire. As a human, he had offered her a tile, wealth, power, a good station in life, everything a woman from her rank could have hoped for, and then he had gifted her with immortality. Still, she never returned for him, even when he thought he was Elijah. « Marcel Gerard, the second-in-command. Turned by Klaus Mikaelson. After the Originals fled New Orleans with the tail between their legs ninety years ago, Marcel Gerad fell under the heel of Lestrange. Yet, he managed to shape his personality as he wanted and rose to the second-in-command position. He may be a potential recruit, » Aya explained. Tristan trusted his second-in-command's judgment, as she did not compliment lightly. After hanging up the phone, Tristan's mood lightened a bit as Aya's plans were always more reliable and less uncertain than Lucien's.
Niklaus Mikaelson emptied a glass of Bourbon in the library after he let Eglantine slump on the courtyard couch moments earlier. As he was mentally pestering Elijah, Klaus' supernatural hearing signaled that Cami had entered the Compound.
« Merely an hour after your lecture about boundaries, here you are in the middle of the night, » Klaus said as he sat in the armchair next to Eglantine, still moping around.
« I came by the front door while you came by a window like some creeper. Besides, it is a matter of life and death, » Cami replied, exasperated, taking her laptop out of her bag.
« I believe your old friend Lucien is torturing and murdering innocent people in the quarter, » she explained.
« I already told Eglantine over here that Lucien would never be so sloppy, » he pointed to Eglantine still wallowed on the couch. « By the way, you never told me about how you planned to foil Lucien before Elijah rudely interrupted you, » Klaus had turned around and was now facing Eglantine.
« Does that plan imply more dead bodies, » the blond therapist asked warily, as she was aware of two of the oldest killers in the room.
« No. It just implies knowing how to read a newspaper, » Eglantine answered, emptying her glass of Bourbon. « Lucien is still so predicable. He can't resist a brilliant career along with a low-cut neckline, » she developed after Klaus and Cami shot her an inquiring look. « Ugh, I think I need a drink, » Eglantine sighed as she rose from the depths of the couch. Both Klaus and Cami eyed her strangely as she held a half-empty glass of Bourbon. « A real drink. Lucien's peregrination held me off the buffet, » Eglantine felt she had to be precise.
After feeding on a dead drunk Californian tourist looking for a thrill, Eglantine de Lestange passed by the latest crime scene and spotted Camille O'Connell on her way to Rousseau. She wore a grim expression as she glanced at the police officers. As she unlocked the door, she took quick looks around. As she finally opened the door to slip in, the vampire flashed to the bartender's side and pushed the door wider, making the blond woman scream in surprise.
« Hey, it's just me. I didn't mean to scare you, » Eglantine smiled.
« Of course you did, » Cami looked up, aware that was one of the vampire's favorite tricks. « Anyway, what do you want? » Cami asked, not in the mood for the Queen's antics.
« It's a bar. So let's have a drink, » Eglantine asked joyfully as if none of this were affecting her. Cami suspected that after a thousand years of living in the violent supernatural world, some serial killer would not shake the almighty Queen of New Orleans.
A few moments later, Cami and Eglantine silently sat at the bar, sipping their drinks.
« So, I suppose you did not come here just to kill time, » Cami suddenly broke the silence.
« Right, I wanted to warn you. We both know Lucien is the face carver killer, » Eglantine began.
« If you know it's him, then why have you still not stopped him, » Cami interrupted.
« Trust me, I have known Lucien for over a millennium, and preventing him from doing what he wants is far more complicated than you think. But, in the meantime, please do nothing. Do not try to get him. He may have held Klaus' interests, but he will not hesitate to kill you, » Eglantine resumed her warning. Cami was about to reply when the doorbell ringing interrupted her. The two women looked at the door to see who would arrive at his hour.
« Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt, but I saw the light and figured I could have a drink, » Detective Kinney said, always uncomfortable when the self-proclaimed Queen was there—an eternity of awkward silence followed, with Cami politely smiling at the Detective as he smiled back while suspiciously eying Eglantine.
« I've seen you two hanging around lately, » Kinney began. As none of the women replied, the Detective carried on, « Camille O'Connell, the psychology student, and Eglantine de Lestrange, the mysterious philanthropist with no past on record — the New Orleans Gatsby. » Eglantine decided to let it go as the Detective was no threat to her. « You know, I believe the money you're flaunting around may come from a considerable legacy, but that you're yielding a profit with less than legal activities and that the O'Connell has been covering it for years, » Kinney had turned to face Eglantine, who remained imperturbable.
« Whatever, » Eglantine sighed while rising from her seat and heading toward the door.
As morning rose upon New Orleans, Eglantine decided to pay her old friend Lucien a morning visit to confront him once and for all. When the elevator's doors opened inside Lucien's apartment, which occupied the entire floor, Eglantine tried stepping inside his apartment but was stopped dead by an invisible boundary. Both Lucien and Elijah turned their head toward Lucien's latest guest.
« Just a protection that prevents those from other sirelines from entering uninvited. Since you're my only friend… come in, » Lucien gestured for Eglantine to enter. Lucien was sitting on the couch drinking Bourbon with a nasty werewolf bite on his wrist. As for Elijah, he was roaming around the living room, touching various trinkets as if he owned the place. Elijah shot Eglantine a haughty look as she entered the apartment.
« What are you doing here? I recall telling you to leave Lucien to me, » the original vampire scowled at her. At first, Eglantine was quite taken aback by his harsh tone. Eglantine raised her eyebrows while looking at Elijah, unfazed by his words.
« Care to explain what happened? » Eglantine glanced at Lucien's bitten wrist; the various items spilled across the room. Elijah sipped the remnants of his glass, shot them one last glare, and left.
« That a nasty bite you have here, Lucien. I may be willing to convince Klaus to give you his blood in exchange for your promise not to cut any more people in my city, » Eglantine taunted her old friend. He may be a thousand-year-old vampire, but the werewolf venom still weakened him. Eglantine finally had the upper hand.
« Enough with the threats. I am only here to protect Nik and you, and this is what I get: a werewolf bite and unfounded accusations, » Lucien retorted. Eglantine was about to reply when Elijah cut her short.
« So, you said you are clashing with my sireline. Am I to understand that Lord Tristan de Martel is up to mischief again? » Elijah came with his agenda and royally ignored Eglantine.
Lucien smiled deep down as Elijah unconsciously drove Eglantine away from him. Indeed, the three of them had been together for no more than a few minutes, and Lucien all but noticed Elijah was constantly scowling at Eglantine as if she were a child or he was ignoring her. Lucien also saw it deeply annoyed her.
« So, if I follow your logic, your next target should be me? » Elijah kept going.
« If I kill you, then I would be giving away all those riches… and Eglantine, » Lucien decided to play along with Elijah, as he knew the Queen of New Orleans hated to be pushed back in the background.
« Glad to see I still mean something to someone, » Eglantine said. The day that had started pretty badly for Lucien, turned brighter as Elijah seemed oblivious to the female vampire's latest comment directed at him.
« Leave this city; no one needs you here. The white oak stake had been destroyed. We cannot be killed, » Elijah sat on the armchair when he threatened Lucien, who seemed unfazed.
« You're wrong. Just ask Klaus, » Lucien just replied. As the two men continued their sparring match, Eglantine noticed Elijah had little to no faith in the prophecy, whereas she was willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. Of course, she couldn't voice those thoughts aloud as Elijah would likely try to persuade her otherwise.
An ocean and a continent away, Tristan was rereading an original edition of Pride and Prejudice. The Lord de Martel may be a political master, but he was less versed in the matter of the hearts, so he preferred to rely on Jane Austen. Indeed, he felt he and his wife could ally as business associates, but he would like them to be done as husband and wife. He thought they were still stuck to the part where Elizabeth disliked Darcy. He closed his book as Mrs. Austen gave him part of the answer he sought. Elizabeth fell for Darcy when she visited Pemberley, meaning when Darcy welcomed her into his life. Tristan had to show Eglantine the man he had become over the past millennia. Still, it was easier said than done. But, another way presented itself to him. Indeed, according to Lucien, Klaus and Elijah were keeping Eglantine in the dark about the prophecy that threatened every vampire's life, and Tristan could use that to his advantage.
When Eglantine walked inside the Compound, she was taken aback by Hayley's presence and her appearance. Indeed, the alpha had been missing all night long and was covered in dirt and blood. Once again, she had come to blows with Klaus as Hope walked in, as the toddler had just taken her first steps a few weeks ago.
« Sorry to interrupt, but I wish to know about the prophecy, » the Queen of New Orleans did not beat around the bush.
« Why? It is just an offhand prophecy, » Elijah sighed, wanting to cut this conversation, but the Queen had enough of his arrogant attitude.
« Why would I not want to know? Your survival, dear Elijah, only depends on your choices, contrary to all other vampires' lives, which rely partly on choices they did not make, » Eglantine was holding his look up.
« Well, as for me, I don't believe it for a second as the white oak stake had been destroyed, » Elijah retorted before leaving the Compound, not wanting to discuss it further, which infuriated Eglantine even more. Then she stormed out of the Mikaelsons' house as well.
The Queen of New Orleans vamp speeded through the French Quarter streets with a precise destination in mind. Since the Originals did not take the prophecy seriously, she had to go to the only other person in town who shared her worries. Sure, Lucien and she had different interests since they did not come from the same sireline, but she'd rather die than call Tristan.
As the Queen she was, Eglantine did not bother knocking and stormed inside Lucien's penthouse.
« Hello to you too. Please, make yourself at home, » her friend/business partner sarcastically greeted her.
« My dear Lucien, you look better, » Eglantine was intrigued by his miraculous recovery.
« Oh, this? The dog missed. The venom did not penetrate, » Lucien looked at his wrist. « Anyway, you did not come here to inquire about my well-being, » he replied.
« Of course not. Tell me about the prophecy. » Eglantine all but demanded.
« I wondered when you'd ask. Took you some time. Follow me, » Lucien replied. There, the Eglantine he knew was back. She would do as she wished, not bothering what other people might think. Lucien led her toward a giant bedroom, where a brunette wearing fancy clothes and jewels waited. « May I introduce you to my personal seer, the lovely Alexis, » Lucien said. Alexis threw her hair out of her neck.
« I suggest you drink my blood. So doing, I can show you what awaits the Mikaelsons, » the seer said as if she was trying to seduce the Queen. As soon as Eglantine sunk her teeth into Alexis' neck, tons of image fragments assailed her – haphazardly a table upside down with broken dishes, a portrait of Elijah stained with blood, and a shadow of a tall and muscular man. Eglantine had enough of it, so she got her fangs out of the woman's neck. Lucien was now intensely gazing at his thousand-year-old friend, waiting for her reaction.
« I gotta go, » was all Eglantine said before she vamp speeded out of the apartment, leaving Lucien waiting around.
A few moments after Eglantine dashed off, Lucien grabbed his phone, ready to tell Tristan about the latest development, as he would undoubtedly bother him soon enough. He couldn't dial the leader of the Strix's number as he honestly didn't know what to say. For the first time in a very long time, Lucien Castle couldn't tell what Eglantine de Lestrange would do.
For the second time in one day, Eglantine crashed inside the Mikealeson Compound. Only Klaus was within sight.
« Elijah? » she just asked. With a flick of the hand, the hybrid indicated the first floor without rising from his couch.
« Elijah. For once in your life, you will listen to me, » Eglantine started with a tone that left no place for discussion after she joined him on the first-floor balcony. « I've seen the prophecy myself, and I think it would be stupid of you not to, at least, give it some credit, » The original vampire opened his mouth to reply, but Eglantine didn't give him the time. « I mean, your sister is a witch. What harm could it do to at least double-check it? » the Queen of New Orleans said in one breath.
« I will when the time is right. Are you aware that if this prophecy is confirmed, every vampire would appear here? » Elijah said calmly. He offered Eglantine a drink as he continued. « You can't ignore that the person you have been avoiding for the past ten centuries would come here? ».
« I can deal with Tristan, » Eglantine replied confidently.
« Are you sure about that? » her sire cut her. With that, he left the balcony, and Eglantine meditated on his latest words.
Thousands of miles away, Tristan de Martel was pacing around the luxurious suite he was currently occupying. Lucien did not call him back to inform him about what was happening. Across the centuries, the leader of the Strix had done his best to keep his love affairs out of his business, and now all of this was crashing down. Indeed, the centerpiece of his plan was a wife he had not seen in a thousand years and who could as well love or hate him.
His eyes kept falling over a simple wooden box resting on the bottom of his empty suitcase as he was pacing around. He squatted and delicately opened it. Inside, on a velvety cushion, laid two golden rings. Those were the wedding rings they exchanged a thousand years ago. They were not as finely made as nowadays, but they were inside the finest gold available at the time.
Shortly after his sire's compulsion wore off in the early twelfth century, Tristan returned to the now-ruined de Martel castle. He had found the golden ring in a nook between two broken tiles that used to be his wife's chamber. Whether the ring got lost during the chaos that followed their transition or had Eglantine deliberately thrown it away, he did not know. Tristan quickly put back those memories of the past in their sheath.
He did not have control of the situation for the first time since he took over the Strix. The power was lying in the hands of someone who did not know she had it.
Eglantine emptied her glass as she pondered Elijah's words. She had a perfect view of Jackson and Hayley tenderly kissing each other from the balcony. As her sire's last words kept echoing in her mind, she was thrown back ten centuries ago.
It was a few weeks after their marriage, and to say that Eglantine de Martel was surprised by her husband's change of demeanor would be an understatement. It happened first during their wedding night. She had been told it was a painful predicament but a necessary evil to endure. On the contrary, Tristan had been a gentle lover and had taken his time to ensure she was comfortable before the real deed began. Over the next weeks, he had visited her chambers almost every night and had never been violent with her. He would always start by kissing her, even if, so she had learned, it was not biologically necessary for procreation. She would rather die than admit it, but she quite enjoyed the feelings of his lips upon hers.
During the first years after she transitioned into a vampire, as she was utterly alone, she wondered what her life with Tristan would have looked like if she had had children with him. Those thoughts led her to hate him as she had deprived her of that possibility. But, as the years passed, Eglantine realized that she believed she had wanted children because she had been taught to. Her hatred toward her husband on that motive vanished.
In the present day, the more she thought about it, the more she wondered if Elijah was not right. It was nearly impossible to predict how she would react when she would meet Tristan again. Would the Queen stay frozen in the middle of a room, or would she throw him across a room?
Tristan was sparring with his sister, Aurora. He dreaded the moment he would have to tell his beloved sister that he would leave for an undefined time. Despite the latest assertions, her outbreak was still not cured. On top of that, when Aurora was in this state, she was unpredictable, and Tristan couldn't afford to have two unpredictable women close to him while he enacted his plan against the Originals. Whereas her mental disorders drove Aurora's irresponsible reactions, Eglantine's decisions were calculated and followed a pattern, which, in a way, made her more dangerous than Aurora.
« Tell her I'll be back soon. I'll bring her a lovely little souvenir… from New Orleans. The leader of the Strix was now heading toward the most difficult game of chess he ever had to play.