Mother Gothel returns earlier than expected in Rapunzel's journey.

"If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?" - Excerpt from Alice in Wonderland

There was something distinctly different about the family that Kol had spent the night before with. The camaraderie, the love, everything about them was just so different. Brunhilde and Alis did not cower in front of their father. There was a sense of living care between the mother and the father. And the boy was not treated as though he was some nuisance.

And the magic. Brunhilde and Alis used magic as though it was an extension of their bodies. They floated things over to their family memories. They played with their brother with magic and their father loved their magic. Their father appreciated their magic and encouraged them to understand their limitations.

Everything about that family was just so different from everything that Kol had learned about magic. Magic was something to be embraced in that family when it was something that needed to be hidden because Father did not possess it.

Father…

The very thought of Kol's father had fear pooling in his stomach. He wanted nothing more than for the ground to swallow that man whole. Father was the one that drove Nik away and was keeping him away. At the thought of his brother, Kol could not help but send up some prayer to the gods if they were listening.

He prayed that Nik survived. Yes, there was glory to be found if one was felled in battle, but Kol wished that his brother avoided that fate. Let others go to Valhalla and allow Nik more time with them. Protecting them from the anger of their father.

It was selfish to want that, but for as long as Kol was alive Nik had been there protecting them. Taking Father's ire and directing towards himself willingly or unwillingly. Now that he was gone, there was so much that was going undone that Nik used to do.

The air in the house weighed with unbidden words. The air was heavy and thin all at the same time as though all they needed was one thing, one word misspoken and then the tension would erupt into violence. And who that violence would be directed at is what made Kol antsy.

Usually it was Niklaus that took the fall. It was Niklaus that took on the anger of their father and shielded them from the worst of it. And as much as Kol hated seeing his brother hurt, he was also glad that he was being protected from the pain of their father's fists. Now they were without that shield and Kol was afraid that he or maybe poor Hen would be the target of his anger.

Rebekah was also on edge about the way her eyes darted all across the room wondering where the next will come from. The only person who did not seem to mind the tension or really feel it at all was Finn. But Finn had long solidified himself as the golden child in their family and so none of the inevitable violence would ever touch him. He would egg it on in fact if he could.

"Kol."

He turned and looked down at the face of his younger brother. Henrik was a bright child with eyes that shone with such youthful innocence one could not help but think of the moment when that light would be snuffed out. Everything about Henrik about helping others and doing good things.

Kol wondered sometimes how he was the progeny of Mikael and not Baldr himself.

"What are you thinking so hard about? I had to call you more than once," Henrik said. They were by the falls, their feet dipped in the water and a pleasant heat surrounding them. It was spring slowly growing into summer. The heat was growing more and more present and the wolf village was coming alive. Across from the falls some of the wolf women were washing clothes.

There was an unspoken treaty between the two groups when it came to the falls. Everyone could use it but stay on your side of the falls and there would be no issue.

Kol shook his head. "I was thinking about Nik and how he is doing," Kol said. Henrik seemed to almost deflate at those words and Kol scrambled to think of something to save the conversation. "He is probably bringing glory to our family name if I know him," Kol said with a small laugh. "You have seen his swordplay before. You know that nothing will harm him."

That brightened his brother's mood and Henrik nodded his head and a happy smile appeared on his face. "He will bring back untold riches. More than Caroline has I am sure."

Treasures. The very thing that was keeping Caroline tethered to Mikael. Kol knew for a fact if it was not for the treasures that Caroline appeared with there would be no reason for Caroline to be as close to their family as she was. Mikael hated witches. He barely tolerated what mother did and forbade Kol from practicing, but Mother hated Caroline for some reason and so they were at a stalemate.

Ayana took care of the girl, but she was always in Mikael's purview, always within reach of the man that wanted the gold and silk and jewels that she possessed. It was something that all the Mikalesons knew and Caroline did not. But what did it change? Nothing.

Rustling of the bushes could be heard as someone from their village came up behind them. Brunhilde and Aldis appeared each with a basket of washing needing to be done. Kol popped up, a bright smile on his lips. He waved the two girls over and pulled Henrik up as they neared.

"Brunhilde. Aldis. Nice to see you. This is my little brother Henrik," Kol said with a playful ruffle of his brother's head. The twins smiled, their faces mirrors for one another. Brunhilde had her hair in plaits while Aldis allowed her hair to flow down in waves around her waist. "You welcomed me into your home and family and it is only natural that I show you some of mine."

Aldis smiled and crouched down so that she could be eye to eye with Henrik. "Hello Henrik. Do you like magic?"

Henrik's eyes widened and he nodded his head. Aldis grin became even wider and she snapped her fingers. Clovers rose from the ground and floated up towards Aldis's hands. Each three leafed speck of green coalesced together to make some many leafed clover that she presented to Henrik who gasped.

"In the Old World, they say that four leafed clovers are special. So this one must be especially special, don't you think?" Aldis said as Henrik took the object from her hands. The many leafed clover was a bright green as though it was a new shoot that Aldis had picked from the ground. Henrik pressed the clover against his chest.

"Thank you. I will press it and preserve it forever," Henrik said with such seriousness that it made everyone laugh. Kol patted his brother's head once again.

"You mentioned that you had a sister," Brunhilde said as dropped her hands into the basket to pull the clothes and began to sort them. "Where is she?"

"Mother was called away to tend to a woman giving birth. Our medicine woman is gone and so all her calls have fallen on our mother. Rebekah is with her helping," Kol said. It did not bother him that his mother took Rebekah despite his obvious talent for the craft. What bothered him was the fact that his mother wanted to bring him along but could not because his father would throw a fit if he saw Kol doing something that he deemed women's work.

"Ah, yes Ayana is gone," Brunhilde said with a nod of her head. "I have heard tale of her prowess and abilities. I was hoping that I could learn something from her grimoire, should she allow me to see it."

"You may not be able to see her grimoire, but she has an apprentice who is right over there. Caroline!"

The girl was trudging over with her own washing. A snake wrapped around her neck and dangling over her chest as some sort of necklace and wrapped around her wrist as some sort of bracelet.

Caroline picked up her head and even from this distance, warmth and recognition brightened her face. She walked over to Kol and the twins and dropped her washing at her feet when she reached them.

"I hate washing clothes," Caroline said in way of greeting. She looked at both Brunhilde and Aldis with a wide smile. "Nice to meet you both. I am Caroline, I live with Ayana, our medicine woman and witch."

"Kol was just telling us that Ayana had an apprentice. I thought it would have been her daughter," Aldis said, peering closer at Caroline. She shook her head with a laugh.

"Everyone says that, but Astrid lives elsewhere with her own family. No, I was… foisted on Ayana at a young age when I first made my way to this town," Caroline said.

"Ah, I see. What have you been learning with Ayana? I have started to learn some healing magic and would love to hear your thoughts," Brunhilde said.

Caroline's eyes widened as the girl went off about magic and its various applications. Her eyes darted over to Kol and she raised her hands in front of her chest as Brunhilde got closer. The fervor in her eyes was something that Kol envied.

He wished he could be so outwardly passionate about something like that. But if it was not one of the approved topics that Mikael liked. Kol wanted to like Brunhilde at this moment. He wanted to dive deep into a topic and immerse himself in it. He wanted to learn magic from all the best minds and while learning from Caroline has been a boon he wished somedays that he could just approach Ayana in the light of day and ask.

Speaking to an expert was a privilege that Kol desperately wanted.

Caroline sent another pleading look in his direction as she was battered with questions. Kol smiled and nodded his head. He walked over and grabbed Brunhilde with a gentle hand to the shoulder.

"Caroline still has a lot left to learn and Caroline specializes in more… offensive magicks."

"Oh," Brunhilde said with a droop to her shoulders. "My magic has focused on healing since I was a child."

"At least you can charm some with good health. I can do nothing but bless the land for harvests," Aldis whined.

Caroline smiled. "Harvest is just as important as healing." Though she was smiling, Kol could see the darkness in his friend's eye. Caroline hated that her specialization in magic was nothing more than curses. She could do nothing that could help anyone all she could do was harm.

Kol nodded his head. "Aldis and Brunhilde have come here from the Old World. They say that there is a new faith spreading."

The girl settled by the bank and began their washing. Brunhilde and Aldis chattering about the Old World with Henrik and Kol paying rapt attention. Caroline's mind seemed to be elsewhere but she continued to listen.

There is someone in the house.

Caroline knew that the moment that she reached the river. The snakes were whispering amongst one another about it. She knew that someone was inside of her home. She knew that someone was waiting for her inside the cottage that she shared with Ayana. She opened the door slowly.

Whoever was inside was going to be in for a large surprise when they were hit with her magic.

The door creaked open. The magic inside of her was rumbling waiting and ready to jump out of her skin and attack someone. She had the aneurysm ready to cause trouble. But when she opened the door fully standing there was none other than Ayana herself.

Her cloak was dusty and her boots had seen better days but she was right there in front of Caroline. The relief that she felt at the sight of her mentor poured through her like water tumbling off the side of a cliff.

Caroline dropped her carefully washed clothing and rushed forward to embrace Ayana. Ayana laughed at her exuberance and wrapped her arms around her apprentice. For the first time it felt as though Caroline could breathe.

For so long Caroline had been carrying the weight of the protection of these people, her village for so long and now… now she could finally breathe once more. The world had been taken off her shoulders and could now return back to the person it belonged to.

Responsibility was a heavy burden to bear and Caroline was glad that she could no longer bear the weight of it alone. Caroline pulled away and the snakes on her neck and wrist hissed in welcome to her teacher.

"You have grown your hair out," Ayana said looking over Caroline. She nodded her head in agreement. "But that matters not. Tell me of the goings on of the village in my absence."

"There was an attack. The creature or witch or whatever you have been pursuing has found its way here. And it killed Yngvar's daughter," Caroline said. "She was turned into a draugr but I was able to kill it so that she could move on."

Ayana's face was twisted with emotion. Her brows were drawn down and there was a frown on her lips but she did not look sad. No, she looked angry, but also pitying. She nodded her head as Caroline recounted everything that had happened since Ayana had left her. When she was done, Ayana looked down at her hands.

"If only I had been faster…" she muttered under her breath. Caroline shook her head.

"There was no way for you to know," caroline siad taking the more wisened hands of her mentor in her hands. "Whoever is doing this is a mastermind of trickery and deception. They are the yolk of Loki and someone that we should not underestimate. We did not know the lengths that they would go to in order to get power, but now we do and now we know what to expect from them."

Ayana sucked in a breath and closed her eyes for a moment. When she got like this, that was how Caroline knew that she was thinking. She was thinking long and hard about something. Caroline knew that she was probably going to talk everything over with her trusted friend and former student Esther, but Caroline wished that Ayana would confide in her.

Caroline was her student now. Not Esther. And what did Esther possess that Caroline could not gain through diligence and hard work?

"I think I have my suspicions… but first we must go somewhere." Ayana rose from her chair and nodded her head. "Come now."

"Now?" Caroline scrambled to follow after Ayana, who was taking long strides toward the door.

"Yes. Unless you would like to travel under the cover of darkness?" Ayana said.

Caroline was not afraid of the dark. But there was a difference between the darkness of the Mystic Falls that she grew up in and the darkness of the past. This darkness was all consuming with no light to guide anyone. Caroline knew in Mystic Falls at least she was not in total darkness. Here, there was only the light of the moon to guide you.

"Coming!"

They travel fast. The sun was still high in the sky as they made their way to the falls and then cross to the other side. A hush fell over Caroline's mind as they entered the territory of the wolf village. There was always an unspoken agreement that men and women from either side of the village would not cross the line.

Everyone had their place.

But now they were crossing into the wolf's territory. The butterflies of thought that were aroused in her mind quickly transferred to her stomach. This nervous energy made her stomach feel empty and as though she needed some food to eat and Caroline had already had lunch.

Caroline kept fiddling with her hands as she shot looks to Ayana. She had to understand that they were breaking some rule, right? She knew what she was doing, right? The energy made Caroline search the forest for some native who was going to do them harm. As though one was just waiting just beyond the bushes in order to jump out at them.

When they came to the village, Caroline was met with the sights of longhouses and men and women wearing the traditional garb of animal skins and richly dyed cloths. Some of the men were permitted beads and feathers in their head, though Caroline could not discern the significance of the action.

As they moved through the small village, Caroline saw that some bowed their heads in respect to Ayana. Had she done this before? How familiar was she with the natives of this land? The questions were bubbling up inside of her and added more butterflies of nervous energy to her stomach. There was so much that she did not know about Ayana and it made her feel small like she did when she was a child.

How much about the people who cared for her did she not know? Caroline wanted to act as a friend and support to these people and yet none of them would let her in. None of them would allow for themselves to bare their soul to her. But then why would they do that to her when she could not do the same?

The thought rose fast and hard. Caroline did not bare herself to others and so could not expect the same thing from the people that she wanted to befriend. How long did she allow that wall between her and Niklaus to grow? Why did she watch as Mikael abused his family when she had the power to do something?

Caroline could not be friends with people when she refused to help them with her inaction. This is something she now understood or was coming to understand.

Just as the thought rose in her mind, Caroline and Ayana stopped in front of one of the longhouses. Ayana turned to her and said, "be respectful" before entering the longhouse. Caroline steeled her nerves and entered the space with her.

Sitting there inside of the house was a man with feathers in his hair and eyes that seemed fathomless. His dark eyes stood out from the tanned skin of his face, but what caught Caroline by surprise was his smile. He seemed so… kind.

Caroline had nightmares when she found out about the wolves. Werewolves were real and they lived just across the falls from them. Men that lost control of their bodies and haunted people through the night. How could any young child sleep well after learning that?

Maybe there was a part of her, something small and childlike, that thought that the people of this village would be more… feral. But there was a kindness and gentleness about the people here. Children played, mothers gossiped, and they all smiled. They were people and this man was just like the rest of them.

The man nodded his head at Ayana and then peered closer at Caroline. "Your… student, yes?" he said in their tongue.

"Yes," Ayana said with a nod to her head. "I have come to speak with you about something." Ayana then launched into conversation with the chief in their language. Caroline could not follow, but there were gestures to herself and then Ayana.

"I have heard from the other communities that their shamans and like were going missing. I have no idea what has been happening with them," the shaman said with a hand to his chin. "I will ask around and see what they have been doing in response."

"I have spoken to some of the shamans and the chieftains in my travels. They said that any child gifted with magic is being caught and killed. It is horrible and I am trying to find out who would do such a thing. Our village was similarly attacked, but Caroline was able to fend them off."

The shaman looked at Caroline with those dark eyes of his. Caroline looked away, nervous to be under his gaze. He sucked in a deep breath from his nose.

"You smell like a witch… but there is something else. Something more," his eyes opened wider and though she saw the whites of his eyes, Caroline was still brought back to the darkness of his iris. She could not look away.

Ayana cut off her view of the man and shot him a look. "I would prefer to keep this student, Onangwatgo."

He laughed, big and boisterous. It made something in Caroline warm. She smiled.

"Fine. Keep this one. I will help you as much as I can. Just send me anything that you may discover," Onangwatgo said with a chuck of his chin. Ayana nodded her head and then rose from the house. Caroline felt something brush by her and for a moment she did not know what it was but she knew. It was magic. The shaman was attempting to see what she was through magic. She waved the magic away with a sigh.

"If I had any inkling of what I was I would have told you by now," Caroline said with a frown on her lips. Onangwatgo laughed.

"You cannot blame me for trying," he said. He pulled a pipe and begun the process of lighting it. "It is so rare that I find something new."

"I rather be normal."

"Don't we all."

Author's Note: Do I know where I am going with this story? Not in the slightest. Am I still writing? Yes. Hopefully, I'll figure it out at some point. I wanted some Native American rep in this story because I was scouring the TVD wiki and saw that at some point in the Originals there was a character named Inadu and she was the one who casted the werewolf curse. I decided to keep that bit of canon but I still refuse to watch the Originals. I will not subject myself to that torture.

I'm doing a rewatch of TVD and it was so much fun in the beginning when did it all go wrong?