"Absolutely not!" Elijah said strongly after hearing his daughter's plan. She'd just told them all that she wanted to enter a domain where a bunch crazy and criminal witches were being kept without a way out.

Elena sighed. Her father's reaction was not exactly unexpected. Secretly, she had considered going through with her plan without telling him, but she immediately knew that would be a bad idea. That would be just the same as when she went off with her Uncle Nik without telling her father. "Okay, I knew this wasn't going to go over well."

"I should think not. You're talking about entering a place with no way out," Klaus said.

"And whose fault is it that there's no way out?" Kol asked his older brother. He might still be a little bitter about that whole thing. His brother had locked his friends in that house to make a point to him.

Elena looked between her two uncles. "Wait, what?"

Klaus sighed. "I may have employed the witch who sealed everyone in the Fauline Cottage,"

"Of course, you're the reason for this," Mikael said as he glared at his stepson. He'd arrived shortly before Elena had and demanded answers on what was going on with locating his daughter. It had been far too long since they'd arrived, and they were still no closer to finding Freya.

Elena shook her head. "Why is it always you?"

"What Kol failed to mention is that it was because of him that I had to do it. He and his little witch friends were plotting against me," Klaus said as he glared at his younger brother.

"I was trying to protect myself from you!" Kol snarled.

"And this all happened nearly a hundred years ago. It isn't as if I could anticipate that our sister would be locked inside," Klaus said.

"That's assuming she's inside. This is all just speculation," Jenna said.

"Exactly. Elena, you are suggesting a suicide mission with no guarantee that Freya is even there," Elijah said.

"It's pretty good speculation. Davina says that it's one of the few places that hides witches. The place is magically cloaked. It never made much sense that I was able to locate Freya to New Orleans, but I couldn't pinpoint her exact location. It makes sense if it's the location, not the witch that is being cloaked," Elena reasoned.

"Let's say your right. If Freya's inside, Dahlia probably is too. You would be giving her exactly what she wants. I want to save Freya too, but not at the expense of your life. I don't think she would want that either," Finn said.

Elena shook her head. "I don't think Dahlia's in there. From what we've gathered about her, she's the most powerful witch there is. If she was trapped in there, she would've gotten out by now, or she would've at least been able to kill everyone else inside."

"You don't know that though. You don't know anything for certain. You would be walking into the unknown with no way out and no way to defend yourself," Elijah said.

"That's not true. I can defend myself," Elena said.

"We know you're powerful, darling, but you don't know anything about the other witches inside. Most of them are there because they've done something awful to be put there. Many of them have probably lost their minds, and there are many of them compared to one of you." Kol said.

"And again, you don't know that Freya's inside," Jenna pointed out again.

"She won't know until she goes inside. She needs to do it," Mikael said.

"Shut up and stay out of this! This is a family discussion, and you stopped qualifying long ago," Elijah told his father angrily.

"We had an agreement. You will help me save Freya," Mikael said in a hard tone.

"Not at Elena's expense. We get it, Mikael, you want to save your daughter. Well, we want to protect ours," Jenna said as she put a hand on Elijah's arm.

Elena smiled at her aunt. That was the firs time she referred to her as her daughter. She knew her aunt loved her like a daughter, but it was really nice to hear her say that. "Guys, I know you're worried, but I can do this."

"Not without a plan, you can't. Elena, going inside without any idea of how you will get out is reckless. I know you want to save Freya, and I'm not saying you shouldn't. I'm just saying not today," Elijah said.

Elena considered her father's words. He did have a point. It wasn't smart to go in without a plan. It didn't help Freya if she got inside and couldn't get them out. "Okay, you're right. I guess I got ahead of myself."

Elijah sighed and smiled at his daughter. "It comes from a good place. I love your selflessness, even if I do wish you'd have a little more self-preservation. We will figure this out. It's just going to take time."

"It has been long enough! My daughter has been a prisoner for centuries! She doesn't deserve to be left that woman for another moment!" Mikael yelled.

Elena sighed and turned to her grandfather. "Mikael, I agree with you, but Dad's right too. If I can't figure out how to get her out, it won't matter if I get in. She'll still be a prisoner."

"We had a deal," Mikael insisted.

"Yes, and that deal involved doing things my way. My daughter is not going into that house just to be trapped," Elijah said as he glared at his father.

"This will happen. I just need to figure out how to get in and out. I'm going to go through Esther's grimoire and then I'm going to talk to Marcel, see if he has any ideas," Elena said.

"Fine," Mikael said grudgingly.

Elena nodded before heading out of the room.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Elena was sitting outside a small café with Marcel. She'd asked him about getting into the Fauline Cottage. If there was any loophole in getting out, he would know. She'd asked to meet in a public place because she didn't trust the vampires under his command. She barely trusted him. A public place might not be the best idea either with a bunch of humans around, but she doubted anyone would take them seriously even if they did overhear.

"You want my advice. Stay away from the Fauline Cottage," Marcel said matter-of-factly.

Elena rolled her eyes. "Oh, that's great advice, Marcel. I never considered that. I don't have that option. I have to get inside."

"Why?" Marcel asked. She had yet to tell him why she had to get into that house. In fact, there were many things he was certain she hadn't told him.

Elena was hesitant, but she eventually decided to tell him. She couldn't expect him to help her if she didn't give him some trust. She told him everything about Freya and Dahlia and Dahlia's deal with Esther.

Marcel took the information in. He wasn't expecting to hear something like that. He knew Elena and the rest of the Mikaelson's had secrets, but he didn't think this was it. "So, this is why you all came to New Orleans. You were looking for your aunt."

"Yes. I tracked Freya here, but I couldn't figure out where exactly she was. After talking to Davina about it, she suggested the Fauline Cottage," Elena explained.

"Because the same spell that keeps people inside keeps anyone from detecting the magic that's used inside. It makes sense. It's definitely possible that she's inside, but it's hardly a guarantee," Marcel said.

"I know, but it's the best lead I have. I need to get inside, but I need a way out," Elena said.

"I don't know how to get you out. That barrier has been up for almost a hundred years. Your uncle used a powerful witch to get it done. I don't know how to undo it. Only another witch could do it. Ironically, I think the only one powerful enough to do it would be you," Marcel said.

"Well, I have the power, but I don't have the experience. I don't know how to do it. Do you know any witches that might? Any that I might be able to trust?" Elena asked.

Marcel thought about it for a minute. "Let me look into it. I don't really trust any of the witches, but I'll see if I can find one that that's a little more trustworthy than the rest. I think you should try to figure it out for yourself though."

"Thanks," Elena said before standing up. She was barely on her feet for a second before she noticed something coming right at her. Before she could even register what was happening, the object was imbedded in her chest.

"Elena!" Marcel exclaimed before rushing to her side. He caught her just before she hit the ground. There was a wooden stake in her chest. There was no doubt that it hit her heart.

Elena's face started to turn grey. Her veins started to pop out. She could see it on her hand. Then it stopped, and her skin color went back to normal. She pulled the stake out of her chest, which hurt like a son of a bitch, but as soon as it was out, the wound started to heal.

Marcel watched in amazement at what transpired in a matter of seconds. He thought she was dead for a second, but then she just healed like it was nothing. He'd never even seen an Original bounce back that quickly.

"Okay, that was a theory I never had any intention of testing," Elena said before she started to get up.

Marcel helped her to her feet. "Are you okay?"

Elena wobbled a little on her feet. "Yeah, I'm a little weak though. I could use some blood."

Marcel went to bite his wrist. There were humans around, but he'd worry about compelling them later.

"No, human blood. I'd also like to find the witch that just tried to murder me," Elena said as she surveyed the crowd. She didn't see anyone that stood out though. She knew it had to be a witch because the person used telekinesis.

"I'll find out who it was, I promise. First, let me take you home," Marcel said.

"You may want to compel the humans first. We're attracting a crowd, and I'm too weak to do it myself," Elena said. She looked around and saw many humans looking right at her and murmuring like she was a medical miracle.

"Okay, sit down. I'll handle it," Marcel said before helping her back into her chair. He then went to deal with the humans.