Chapter Forty-Nine
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.
ORIGINALS
As she woke up, Blair felt completely fine – in fact, she felt energised, which was unusual. She always hated coming out of her visions because usually she felt terrible. Typically, she'd have a massive headache after coming out of a vision but this time, that was no headache. Blair reached out with her magic, she knew that she was in her and Elijah's room and this made her relax. She felt guilty because before she passed out from the vision, she could remember Raphael as he panicked and how he rushed back to the Abattoir. She sensed a presence beside her, one that she was intimately familiar with. Blair turned her head and saw Elijah on the bed, a concerned look on his chiselled face, dressed in a suit like always.
"Damn, you're hot," Blair muttered with a grin. In moments like this, she truly felt blessed that she got to wake up to him every day.
Elijah looked down at her with a grin, very much used by her behaviour. In fact, he relished in her compliments, his ego boosted every time. He reached down and kissed her forehead, "How are you feeling, dear?"
His voice did things to her, and she suppressed a shiver, "Good, really good,"
"That is because I gave you some of my blood," Elijah shared as he caressed her hair, he loved how her locks felt in his hand. He also relished how Blair would nuzzle into his hand whenever he would massage her scalp. When Raphael had rushed in with Blair in his arms, Elijah would not say he acted completely calm. Luckily, the Fae had managed to get out about Blair having a vision and this made Elijah relax – only slightly. He had fed Blair his blood immediately, worried about any injuries, as he knew having these visions took a toll on her depending on the type of vision she received.
"Thank you," Blair whispered lowly, filled with a rush of affection for the Vampire. She rolled over a bit so she could be closer to him and curled around him, like a cat. Elijah chuckled at her actions and moved closer to her as well as he wrapped his arms around her.
Blair breathed in Elijah's scent and found it to be comforting and soothing.
"How long before Klaus tries to break down our door?" Blair asked after a moment of silence.
"Give it ten more minutes," Elijah replied back. His brother was particularly anxious when Raphael had brought back Blair, wondering what she had seen in her vision. Raphael had not provided much information, if any at all, and had stated that he wanted to wait for Blair to wake up as he did not want to repeat things. Klaus had wanted to wake Blair up there and then but only Elijah's rage stopped him.
"How long was I out?" Blair asked as she closed her eyes. She could see light through the curtains of her room and wondered how long she'd been under.
"It's still morning, so you've been out eight hours," Elijah answered as he looked down at his watch. He had stayed by Blair's side and waited for her to wake up, he also did not want to risk Klaus coming into the room and attempting to wake her up before she was ready.
Blair hummed in response.
Both of them stayed in that position as long as they could, each one relishing time with each other. They had made up for lost time after Dahlia had been dealt with, and Blair had enjoyed every minute of it. Blair loved the passion of their relationship, but she also loved the calm moments like this, where they just laid in each other's arms and sat in silence, a comfortable silence. Just being in his presence calmed something within her and made her feel all was right.
With a heavy sigh, Blair pulled away, "We need to get this over with,"
Elijah hummed in agreement, though he was reluctant to move away from the bed. He stood up and watched as Blair got ready for the day with adoration in his dark eyes.
Once she'd showered and put on some new clothing, they headed into the living room. Having sensed them leave their room, the Mikaelson siblings, minus Freya were present, alongside Caroline, Raphael and Davina. Klaus was stood up by the window and Caroline sat near him. Rebekah and Raphael occupied one couch, with Davina and Kol on the other. Blair and Elijah sat down on the remaining couch and looked at Raphael, who appeared happy that Blair was okay.
"What did you see?" Klaus demanded the moment everyone was sat.
Caroline hit his arm and scoffed, "Klaus!"
Blair rolled her eyes, "Good morning to you too as well, I am okay, thank you for asking,"
Klaus scowled but continued to stare at her until she said something worthwhile.
"Did you say anything?" Blair asked Raphael, wanting to know if anything had been said about their encounter with Marie. She did not want to repeat anything that had already been said as it would be a waste of time.
Raphael shook his head, "I thought it better to wait," This was despite Klaus breathing down his neck for details. It was only Rebekah and her hormones that kept Klaus away as long as he did, otherwise the Hybrid would have had his neck for hiding things.
"So, what happened?" Kol asked, finding it amusing how worked up Klaus was getting when no one answered his question.
Blair looked at Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah, "Do you remember when I said the Queen of the Fae would make her move?"
Elijah nodded his head, "Yes," It had been the first time he ever met the female Fae, it was not an encounter he would ever forget.
Klaus and Rebekah also nodded their heads. It was information Klaus had not forgotten about and wondered when this information would come into play once more. It was yet another threat to his daughter's safety and wellbeing, and something he took very seriously.
"Well, it's happening," Blair explained with a sigh, "Now that the war is over, Maeve will take her chance to try and get Hope," As it was Hope's destiny to destroy the Witches, the Queen would want this to mould Hope into her own personal weapon.
"Let them come, we will kill every creature that is sent," Klaus declared as he crossed his arms over his chest.
Kol perked up at this, the thought of taking down the Fae enticed him. "Sounds like fun," The grin on his face was filled with mischief. He briefly thought about tasting their mouth-watering blood, but a slight pain in his head stopped those thoughts in their tracks. Not only had Blair taken the memory of feasting on Fae blood, but she'd also made it painful if he ever thought about munching on one of her kind.
Raphael sighed and shook his head at the Wildest Original.
"How long do we have?" Elijah asked.
Blair thought on this for a moment and thought back to her vision. "Two days maximum. Maeve would have sent her best soldier for this job. She would think she's waited long enough and will do whatever she can to get Hope,"
"But I thought you said you didn't run with them; how would you know her plan? As you've mentioned before, sometimes your visions do not show you everything," Rebekah pointed out as she thought back to a private conversation they'd had. She had been surprised that Blair had come back after she'd been kidnapped and stabbed multiple times by herself and Klaus. Rebekah had thought her stupid to return, not knowing that it was just the beginning of Blair being in their lives.
Blair fell silent and looked away. She debated on what to say, and how to say it.
Raphael winced and also stayed silent.
"Yes, you seem to know a lot, considering you've not been around them for over four hundred years," Klaus commented, as he levelled the Fae with a stern expression. He knew that Blair was hiding something, and had for some time, and his patience was beginning to run out.
Blair glared at the Hybrid, which was returned.
"Blair, we need to understand what's going on. If you can provide any information, it would be really useful," Davina asked and silently hoped that the Fae would shed some light on the situation. Any questions about the Fae Queen were always met with a blank stare and a sneer, not even Raphael would reveal much information.
Blair looked at her student/ward and saw Davina's pleading expression, and her resolve crumbled. She mentally cursed Davina in that moment, but knew there was no avoiding this moment any longer. She had put it off for as long as she could. With a deep sigh, Blair frowned, "Fine. The other day, I sensed a presence at the party and we went to investigate last night," Blair explained, as she ignored Klaus' heated eyes on her.
"Why didn't you say anything?" Caroline asked with a frown. She had been so wrapped up in her engagement to Klaus that she had not noticed anything amiss. It had been a great night, one that she would never forget. She had thought everyone else was having fun and had not noticed anyone acting weird or on guard.
"We didn't want to give half answers, we wanted to get all the information first," Raphael reassured as he sent Caroline an apologetic look. That party was a happy occasion, something that was needed after the whole Dahlia and Esther episode.
Caroline smiled back in thanks.
"What did you find?" Kol asked, curious to know the answer.
"Another Fae came to New Orleans; her name is Marie. She is the Queen's right hand," Blair explained with a sigh, knowing she needed to get this over with, "She gave us the warning that a Fae called Tumas would come for Hope,"
"And how can we trust this?" Klaus demanded.
Blair met his gaze unflinchingly, "Because then I had a vision confirming this. I saw Tumas come for Hope,"
Klaus let out a loud curse and began pacing near Caroline. No matter what she said, there was no calming down the Hybrid when he was like this. He had thought the threat to his child was now gone, and now they had to contend with this. Elijah's and Kol's expressions darkened at the thought of someone coming to kidnap their niece. Rebekah had a very similar reaction to Klaus and it was to curse loudly, but she leaned into Raphael more for comfort while rubbing her protruding stomach.
"Did you see anything else?" Davina asked curiously. She now wished she had come along after Blair and Raphael offered her.
"I saw a few different outcomes," Blair answered with a frown as she thought back to the detailed visions, "When I see different outcomes, it usually means that the future is undecided like a decision hasn't been made yet. From what I can see, there is a possibility of the Queen coming to New Orleans if I send to a challenge,"
Elijah frowned, "What is that?"
"It means a direct challenge to the current Queen's ruling," Raphael explained when he saw confused expressions around the room, "only certain Fae have a right to issue a Royal Challenge and Blair is one of them. If Blair issues it, she and the Queen would fight it out and whoever wins would rule over Fae kind," He looked over to the female Fae to make sure he got that right and was happy when Blair nodded her head.
"Well, that seems to settle it. Call the challenge and be done with her once and for all," Klaus said with a wave of his hand.
Blair rolled her eyes at his attitude, "It's not that simple. I wouldn't put it past Maeve to pull some sort of trick, we need to tread carefully," She did not doubt for a moment that Maeve had something planned up her sleeves, as there was no way she would relinquish her power so easily, even if she called the Royal Challenge.
Klaus fell silent but understood her words.
Elijah looked down at his mate and frowned, "Raphael mentioned you being one of the people who could issue a challenge, why is that?" Even Blair had not divulged her past to him and he had pushed at times, curious to know more about the woman he loved. Blair had always come back with that she was not ready to speak about it, and he was not missing his chance.
Blair's lips thinned and she looked pained, "Only people of royal blood can issue a challenge. I can do that because Maeve is my mother," It physically pained her to admit this and she nearly threw up in her mouth.
Silence was her answer.
Everyone stared at Blair with different reactions, most of them being shocked. Klaus' reaction contained more calculated intrigue as he glared down at Fae, whereas Raphael looked as pained as her. He had known due to them growing up together. Kol and Davina blinked slowly as they processed this and Caroline did not see what the big issue was. Elijah and Rebekah looked worried, as they could see how much this pained Blair to admit.
"But that means your mother…" Davina said slowly.
"Had me kicked out of the Forest and allowed me to get hunted down for four hundred years. Yes, yes, she did," Blair scowled darkly. It was something she had never forgiven Maeve for and she refused to even entertain the thought. The betrayal and hurt she felt that day she was cast aside was something she'd never forget. She had thought her mother would help her, but she'd been cast aside and berated for leaving the Forest.
Anger shone in Elijah's eyes, his blood bubbled with resentment towards a mother he had never met. However, if he ever had the displeasure of meeting her, he would make her sorry for putting her daughter through such a horrible experience. He had seen the scars on her body that the Hunter had left, and there were times were Blair was still restless, where she wanted to flee. The instinct to flee at the first sign of danger was still deeply embedded within her. She also still suffered from nightmares, that would sometimes get worse at certain parts of the year.
"How could she do something like that?" Caroline whispered sadly,
"Because all she cares for is power," Blair answered easily, her tone unwavering, "My mother has always craved more power. She did not care for anything else, seeing it at as a weakness. She only had me to continue on her line." Before she had been born, many of the people within the Forest had doubted Maeve's rule as she had not produced an heir, and people had still compared her to Tatiana. The one thing Tatiana had not been able to do was give birth to continue on her line, and when she was killed by Klaus, that was the only area Maeve could outdo her sister.
"How is it that none of us has had an easy childhood," Rebekah muttered lowly, but everyone heard and no one disagreed.
After a few moments of silence, Klaus looked to the Fae, "Tell us how the Royal Challenge would work?" He needed more information to plan the Queen's demise. He needed to know as much as possible. He trusted that Blair knew a lot more than anyone else, he and his siblings knew their mother and her schemes the best as they had been victims of her schemes many of times.
"Once I issue it, Maeve has twenty-four hours to respond to it, if not or if she ignores it, she automatically gives up her throne," Blair explained, "We meet in a location both agreed on, and then we fight. Whoever is the winner, becomes the Queen," Anyone from with royal blood can issue the challenge, and Blair had been alive for one. It was her grandmother who issued the challenge against Maeve, and while she did not see the fight itself, she heard about it from the whispers. Maeve had killed her mother for the throne – poisoned.
Slowly, Klaus and Elijah nodded their heads, taking this in.
"I am allowed a second to fight alongside me, but they can only be Fae," Blair explained further before she looked to Raphael.
Raphael sat up straighter, "M-me?"
"You're the only other Fae here," Blair rolled her eyes playfully, "And I trust you to watch my back,"
Raphael smiled at her, her words made him happy. To gain Blair's trust was not a light thing to do, and he did not plan to betray that in any way.
"And there can be no outside interference, if there is, the win goes to the other side," Blair warned as she shot everyone in the room a warning look. Especially towards Elijah, Klaus and Kol. She suspected that would not be able to stop themselves unless warned.
Kol shot her an innocent look, whereas Elijah and Klaus smirked.
"So, what's stopping you from calling it now?" Caroline questioned.
"If I call it now, Tumas will definitely be her second. But if we wait, and deal with him, that takes down a very big annoyance," Blair answered back easily, her own thoughts calculating the best moves. There was no other Fae that would make Blair pause for thought if they became Maeve's second, she was confident Raphael could deal with them while she fought her bitch of a mother.
Raphael nodded his head, "Tumas is the best fighter in the Forest and the Queen's guard. He's fast, great with a sword and can resist some magic. He trained all of the soldiers there," It also did not help that Tumas was extremely loyal to the Queen to a fault. One of the reasons people feared the Queen was because of Tumas, if he was out of the way, it would leave her in a weaker position.
"He will definitely come?" Elijah asked, just to make sure.
"In two days," Blair replied back confidently.
Raphael winced at the sudden thought, "Blair, what about the Queen's power?"
Blair frowned at the statement.
"What about it?" Davina asked, confused.
"Maeve has the power to control someone's mind." Blair answered as thought about this, "Not all Fae do, but some have an additional power. Mine is seeing the future, and Maeve's is to turn other Fae into her own personal puppets. Raphael was under her control when he first arrived in New Orleans, but I broke through it," Blair would admit that Maeve's power was the aspect that gave her pause. She had been lucky to get away from the control as she had been banished from the Forest. She had built up her mind's shields for a long time but she did not know how they'd fair against her mother's power. Though, when she still lived in the Forest, Maeve had not used her power too much, now it seemed as though she had nearly everyone in the Forest under her control – to her knowledge anyway.
Klaus looked to Raphael, "Have you been holding out?"
Rebekah glared at her brother, unimpressed.
"No, no powers for me," Raphael answered with ease.
"What's the drawback?" Elijah asked, curious. He had seen what Blair's drawback was, she would be knocked out after her vision. It left her vulnerable, and sometimes the visions came on as if they had a mind of their own. He had remembered Blair mentioning something like this before when they'd be cuddling with one another.
Blair stared at her mate, impressed he had picked up on that, "Maeve can only use that power once on someone. Once the control is broken, that person becomes immune to it. Also, her control only works on Fae, it doesn't work on anyone else."
"So, I am immune," Raphael sighed in relief.
Blair answered him by nodding her head. Raphael would be safe from Maeve's power, and this is why he would be the best choice to be her second. There was no way for Maeve to control him and have him stab her in the back, apparently, a move Maeve had used in the last Royal Challenge against her grandmother.
"Tell me more of Tumas," Klaus demanded, a thoughtful expression on his face.
Blair and Raphael did their best to inform the family of the next threat that would come.
ORIGINALS
Two days later
It was dark and most of New Orleans was awake in celebration, a mortal celebration, that some of the supernatural community joined in. Others turned in, but all except a small group were oblivious to what was to come that night. A shadow darted in the night, the figure too quick to be seen by mortals, and some Vampires. The only indication that the figure had even passed by was the ever-so-slight movement left behind by the wind. After the shadow had darted around the city, it eventually landed outside the Compound.
The shadow stood up straight, a hand on his sword. Tumas stared at the house with a blank expression. His long auburn hair was tied back in a ponytail, and his brown eyes scanned the area around him. He could not sense another presence around him, which made him suspicious. With his guard on high alert, he tried to step into the Compound, only to feel resistance. Tumas frowned when he felt the high-level magic, and his eyes narrowed as he thought about his next move.
"Did you really think it would be that easy?"
Tumas jumped when he heard the feminine voice, and he turned to face the voice and unsheathed his sword.
Blair stood near him with a smirk on her face, and her arms crossed over her chest.
"Eloise," Tumas said, his brows arched.
"It's Blair now," Blair cut in with a bored expression, she'd already explained it multiple times and it grated on her nerves.
Tumas scanned the area, "Where is the child?" He could not sense the child's presence nearby and this irritated him. He had scouted the area beforehand and had sensed Klaus's baby to this location, only to come up short.
"Safe, where Maeve cannot touch her," Blair answered bluntly.
Tumas' grip on his sword tightened, "That is Queen Maeve to you," His tone was low and deadly, a silent warning.
Blair scoffed, not caring for the warning, "She's not my Queen," She had not been her Queen or her mother for the past four hundred years, she refused to acknowledge that woman as anything more than a nuisance.
"You dare disrespect Queen Maeve in front of me?" Tumas growled, "You must have a death wish,"
"Well no one has accused me of being smart," Blair grinned.
Without hesitation, Tumas charged at her and swung his sword. Blair jumped back and avoided the blade at the last second. With a wave of her hand, she sent magic in his direction and pushed him back slightly. She rolled her eyes in annoyance, Tumas could resist some magic. Quick to recover, Tumas lunged for Blair once more. However, before Tumas could strike again, another sword intercepted his, causing Tumas' eyes to turn to Raphael, who stared down at the Fae general with a determined expression.
"Traitor," Tumas hissed lowly before he jumped back.
"Hello, General," Raphael replied back with a slight grin. Usually, to be called a traitor by a man he had once respected would hurt, but now he felt pride.
"You picked her side," Tumas accused.
Raphael nodded his head, "It was an easy choice, once I got my own mind back," Raphael hissed lowly as his gaze narrowed. He would never forgive the Queen for everything she had put him through. She had taken away his freedom – took away his free will and thoughts. He had been her puppet and forced to do things in her name that haunted him.
Tumas said nothing, but the fury on his face was enough.
"You get one chance, Tumas, and one only." Blair said, her head held high, "You can leave now, and tell your Queen that this is a hopeless mission and you will not get this child. Or we will kill you and I call the Royal Challenge,"
Tumas tensed at her words, a flicker of shock that soon morphed into anger, "How dare you challenge the Queen's rule?"
"She is a monster," Blair bit back harshly, "and when I see her, I will kill her,"
Incited by her words, Tumas charged at Blair and swung his sword. Raphael cut in but was pushed back by the sheer strength of the General. Blair's eyes turned purple as she summoned water to her hands and attacked him with water whips, trying to break past his defence, which was hard to do as there were no holes in his defence. But she didn't need to defeat him now, just play with him.
"Having trouble, love?" Said another voice.
Tumas' whole body froze when he heard the voice of Klaus Mikaelson. He turned his head to look at the Hybrid, pure hate and venom in his brown eyes.
Blair snorted, "Of course, you couldn't help yourself,"
Klaus smirked from his position, a few feet away.
"You associate freely with this monster," Tumas growled in hatred.
"Do I know you?" Klaus asked with an arched brown.
Raphael rolled his eyes, having recovered from Tumas' strength, "Well, you did kill Tatiana, and he was her guard at the time,"
With a war cry, Tumas charged at Klaus with such speed it was nearly impossible to keep up with human eyes. Luckily, Klaus was a Hybrid and responded in kind – he jumped out of the way and watched with an amused expression as Tumas followed after him, fury on his face. However, before Tumas could even reach Klaus, another figure tackled him to the ground, standing over Tumas with a menacing expression. Elijah brushed off his suit and stood gracefully, not at all concerned about the Fae General below him. Tumas growled and attempted to swing his sword, only to find it much too heavy to budge. He looked and saw another foot on his blade, Kol stood over him with a grin on his face, the grin progressively turned feral as soon as he saw the frustration in the Fae's eyes.
"Your Queen was stupid if she thought you could win against all of us," Klaus smirked evilly. He could see that Tumas was a well-trained Fae General, as had been described by Raphael and Blair. However, his downfall had been his loyalty to Maeve. He blindly followed Maeve and would defend her honour, even to his detriment. He would not turn away to flee even when he was clearly outmatched and outmanoeuvred. He also had a temper, that would impair his decisions and a big trigger would have been the Hybrid himself. They had planned to drag this out a little longer, but Klaus had got bored and acted sooner than planned.
Tumas attempted to get up but found that he did not get far. With Elijah and Kol on either side of him, they physically pinned him to the floor by his shoulders using just their foot, their Vampire strength did not allow him to move. He tried to kick upwards, but pain radiated from his legs once Rebekah and Raphael appeared at his feet, Rebekah's heeled boots cut into him. Tumas' gaze darted around him as if he attempted to make up an escape plan, but there was nothing he could do. He was physically pinned, Kol had thrown his weapon far from his reach, and he was in a street surrounded by Vampires that would drain his blood within seconds.
The odds were not in his favour.
Tumas looked to Blair and glared, "You saw this," Despite not being around the younger Fae in over four hundred years, he had not forgotten about her powers. However, even he would admit he severely underestimated this job.
"I did," Blair nodded her head, she saw no reason to lie, "It doesn't work out so well for you,"
Defiance shone in Tumas' eyes and he sneered.
"So, who gets to kill him?" Kol asked with an eager expression. He itched to kill something, even though he could not drink from a Fae anymore. He wanted to see the General squirm and inflict as much pain as possible.
Elijah turned to face Raphael and then Blair, "Technically, it should go to either Raphael or Blair-"
"It's my turn," Rebekah cut in.
Elijah sent his sister an unimpressed look at the interruption.
"How'd you gather that?" Kol demanded.
"You and Blair killed Jackson and Hayley, it's my turn now," Rebekah declared as she returned Kol's glare with no intent of backing down. Due to her pregnancy, she'd been on the side-lines a bit more and it grated on her nerves. She wanted to kill something and this was the perfect opportunity.
"Shouldn't I have a say in this as well?" Klaus asked curiously.
"No," said the multiple voices of Rebekah, Kol and Elijah. As far as they were concerned, Klaus had killed enough people, and even more when they were daggered.
Klaus huffed, but there was amusement in his blue eyes.
"I think it's up to Blair who gets to kill him," Raphael suggested.
Rebekah looked at him, annoyed that he had not taken her side, "And why is that?"
"Well, this is her father," Raphael pointed out.
Rebekah frowned, "And? You don't see her fighting for the right," They all turned to look at the female Fae, who had her arms crossed over her chest, with an air of nonchalance around her.
Having sensed everyone look at her, Blair sighed deeply, "I honestly don't care, just get this done so we can move on," It did not bother her in the slightest that Tumas, the sperm donor, was going to die. He had never been a father figure to her and instead had served Maeve to the point any relationship between them never formed. He was never home, never spent time with her, unless she had a vision that would benefit Fae kind or Maeve. There had been a slight glimmer of hope that Tumas under the command of Maeve's mind control, but she had been slightly disappointed when she had not felt anything like she had with Raphael. Tumas was just loyal to a fault.
If Blair's words affected him, Tumas' gaze never wavered.
With no further objections, Rebekah grinned and was about to rip out Tumas' heart when she was stopped as Raphael grabbed her arm. "What's bloody wrong now?" Rebekah hissed in irritation.
"Something has never made sense to me," Raphael said with a frown.
"Is this really the time to talk about your idiocy?" Kol snarked as he rolled his eyes.
Ignoring the Vampire, Blair looked to Raphael, curious to know what the hold-up was, "What do you mean?"
"The gate being open," Raphael explained as he looked up, "When you left Blair, you said the gate was open, but the gate was always locked. When we went into hiding, it was ordered to be locked, and only carefully selected Fae could leave…"
This hit Blair hard and her eyes widened. She had always thought it odd, for the exact reasons Raphael had explained. But due to being on the run, she had never thought deeper on the matter and had just cursed her bad luck.
"What are you suggesting?" Elijah asked with a frown.
"Was there foul play involved with you being banished?" Raphael asked as he looked down at Tumas. One of the few people who would know the answers was below them, immobilised and at their whim. He understood the importance of making sure Tumas died tonight, but he also wanted some answers. The Queen confided in Tumas, far more than she did any other Fae, so it would be easy to deduce that Tumas knew something about that day in question.
Tumas glared at Raphael and refused to answer.
With gritted teeth, Blair pulled over to iron blade and marched over. She placed the blade against his larynx, "Speak now, or I extract the answer from your mind – your choice," Her words were low and dangerous.
Tumas' whole body froze when he felt the iron so close to his skin and the burning itch appeared.
"Talk," Blair whispered as she dug the blade into his skin. "Why was the gate open?"
Tumas hissed in pain, "I will not betray the trust of my Queen," The moment the words left his lips, the knife dug further into his skin, and the pain intensified.
Blair's eyes glowed purple as she tore into Tumas' mind. Usually, she was more careful when she entered someone's mind, as the mind was a very delicate place, where one small move could result in brain damage, but she did not care. Raphael had lit the spark of interest and Blair would not leave until she got her answers. It took longer than anticipated, evidently, this information was something Tumas had not wanted people to find out, and for good reason. It was hidden away, and there were a few decades worth of memories to sort through. However, Blair found the answer, and it made her back away, her eyes wide in shock.
"Blair, what's wrong?" Elijah asked in concern.
"The Hunter knew where the Forest was," Blair muttered lowly, as she worked through the information she found, "He'd been trying to get a Fae for hundreds of years to hunt, and he discovered the jackpot when he found the Forest. But he couldn't get past the barrier… The Fae were preparing for war, but the Hunter promised he would leave them alone if the Queen sacrificed one of them for his hunt."
Raphael gasped at this information.
Tumas looked away and gritted his teeth.
Without anything needing to be said, Klaus took over Elijah, as the Noble Original walked over to his mate and took her hand in his. Blair clung to him as the revelations hit her hard. This information sent Blair reeling, as she thought back to that day, she had no idea the Fae were so close to going to war with the Hunter, there had been zero indication. Everyone went about their day as normal, there had been no tension. Maeve had been just as affectionate as she had always been – not at all, same with Tumas. There were no warning signs to suggest anything was wrong. Even in the weeks that led to that day, there was nothing.
"No," Raphael whispered in shock, his footing on Tumas loosened.
Having felt this, Tumas struck. With his foot, he knocked Rebekah and Raphael over into Kol and Klaus. Klaus made sure to catch his sister, more focused on making sure no harm came to her. Faster than anyone predicted, Tumas lunged for his sword and stabbed Kol in the abdomen when he tried to restrain the Fae. Before anyone could react, Tumas pulled out a smaller knife, made of iron and stabbed it into Raphael's neck.
"Raphael!" Rebekah screamed out.
"You bastard," Blair yelled out angrily, her eyes flickered purple as her magic pulsed.
Elijah tackled Tumas and wrestled him until he knocked his sword from his grasp. Klaus jumped into the fray, as well as Kol when he healed up. The Wild Original was pissed that he'd been stabbed and wanted revenge on the Fae. It was a struggle as Tumas was strong, but the three Vampires easily managed to pin him down once more, this time Elijah had his hand in Tumas' chest, his fingers clasped around his heart, and the other two pinned him to the floor, and made sure that he did not move an inch.
Rebekah held Raphael as she pulled out the iron knife and bit into her wrist. She needed him to drink her blood so he would heal.
Having seen that Raphael was fine, Blair marched over to Tumas and glared at him with hatred, "You die now," She hissed lowly, absolutely infuriated that Raphael had been harmed in the process.
"Long live the Queen," Tumas muttered with a grin.
Without a second thought, Elijah ripped Tumas' heart from his chest. He refused to take any more chances or have anyone else hurt. Tumas' body went lax and Elijah threw the heart a few feet away before he grabbed a handkerchief to wipe away the blood from his hand.
"How is he?" Blair asked as she looked over to the pregnant Vampire.
"Alive," Rebekah muttered lowly, as she petted Raphael's unconscious face. That was far too close, if she had not acted quickly, he would have died from iron poisoning.
Klaus walked over to his sister kneeled down beside her, and allowed her to rest her head on his shoulder. Rebekah clung to him tightly, she needed this reassurance after she nearly watched the man she loved be stabbed in the neck.
"What should we do with the body?" Kol asked.
"I have an idea," Blair grinned
Kol mimicked the grin, as he sensed he would like what was to come.
Elijah sighed and shook his head at their actions, "Let us take this inside." Without any effort, he picked up the dead body of Tumas and walked into the Compound with the rest of his family behind him. He imagined they would need more space and privacy for what was to come.
ORIGINALS
A few hours later
Maeve sat in her throne room with a bored expression. Her throne and the room were grand, filled with lovely plants and finery from around the world. Gold, diamonds and sapphires. All the stone glittered and the room illuminated in light magic. She stared down at her subjects, who all danced away. Maeve had thrown a ball in her own honour at her soon-to-be victory. She would have the child of Klaus Mikaelson and Hayley Marshall, as she'd sent her best warrior. Tumas would not fail her, unlike all her other subjects. Just the thought of one-upping her daughter made her giddy. She would teach Blair – Maeve sneered at the ridiculous name – not to mess with her or defy her. Her daughter's time away had taught her terrible manners and she planned to put her rowdy daughter in her place.
A timid cough snapped Maeve from her thoughts.
The Queen of the Fae looked down and saw one subject in front of her. She could not remember his name, as he was not important enough. The fact he'd interrupted her thoughts annoyed her, "Yes," Was her sharp reply.
"A present just arrived, it was addressed to you," The male Fae said as he bowed.
Maeve's green eyes lit up, Tumas must have succeeded in his job and had sent her a present to commemorate it. "Bring it to me, now,"
Another Fae came forward, with a black box in hand. It was medium-sized and had a white bow on top. Maeve frowned when she saw it, but did not say anything until the box was placed in front of her. For a moment, she wondered what Tumas had sent her, he usually sent her presents whenever he was on a mission to show how much he appreciated her. But he had never sent such a fancy box like this. It made her wonder what it was and it also excited her at the same time.
Maeve eagerly reached forward and plucked the top from the box and her eyes widened when she saw what was in it.
"Your majesty?" The male Fae inquired.
"How did this get in here?!" Maeve yelled out, her eyes alight in rage.
The male Fae remained where he was, "It had no name, it appeared at the gate of the Forest, inside it,"
Maeve's gaze snapped to the male in front of her, as her whole body shook in rage. "Get rid of this, immediately," She gritted her teeth as she stormed out of the room, she did not care as her subjects began to whisper to one another as to why she'd left the throne room in such a state.
The male Fae peered down and opened the box.
It was the severed and bloody head of Tumas, with a note beside it, also written in his blood. The Fae male quickly read the note and saw it read, 'I challenge you, Maeve, for the throne of the Fae. I eagerly await your response. From your loving daughter – Blair.'