"Always and Forever."

────────── ⚜︎ ──────────

    CURSED. THAT'S WHAT HIS AUNT REBEKAH once called their family. "We are the strongest creatures in the world and yet we are damaged beyond repair. We live without hope, but we will never die. We are the definition of cursed, always and forever."

    Of course, she changed her mind once the two miracles that were Hope and Henrik came into the Original Family. They changed everything for them. They inspired one of the oldest families in the world to change, to be better, and to earn the right to raise them. Sure, they faced hardships early on, from the day they were born in fact. Death threats from a grandmother beyond the grave. Blood debts owed from a long lost great aunt. An ancient corrupt spirit feeding from their young new power. And eventually the loss of both their parents.

    The twins took a break from school after that, staying home for months while they recovered from their grief. They returned to the Salvatore School for the Young and Gifted later on in September to begin anew. They made some agreements as well, promising to go by Mikaelson from that day forward. To no longer hide who and what they were in the boarding school. Hope eased into school faster than he, she let herself be consumed with assignments and training. But everywhere Henrik turned, he saw the looks people gave them, he saw the way teachers were wary, but none of that compared to his newfound paranoia when it came to certain school regulations. Hope once told him that if you go looking for enemies that's all you'll ever find, but what if enemies were all there was?

        Eventually, Henrik chose to leave the school not a month later. And though Hope wasn't happy about it, she helped him. He'd been exploring the world little by little, with his family's blessing as well (Hope helped with that too). Of course, he couldn't go alone and the family refused for a fifteen-year-old to run off without supervision. Uncle Elijah took it upon himself to watch over Niklaus and Hayley's son. In the meantime, Freya was still in the country, and if their niece needed anything she would be there instantly.

        Henrik liked being in new places, immersing himself in different people and countries. He didn't have to face judgment over his family name, he didn't have to face grief every time he walked out of his bedroom, in truth he was actually quite content. He could be happier, he missed his sister often and wished she could join them once she finished her studies. Though Henrik had a hunch that she'd stick around that damn school even when she's done. She liked conflict and helping lost supernaturals, it let her avoid certain things like grief and talking about it.

        But the day has come for Henrik to go back home. His sister was missing. More than missing, she was completely erased from their families' minds. He needed to get to the bottom of this immediately and he wasted no time in hopping on a plane and heading to Louisiana.

        Elijah certainly tried his best to talk it over with him, but Henrik just kept saying to wait until the whole family was together. That way he'd know what they don't and he wouldn't have to repeat himself twice.

    He tried not to think about how it felt to be back in the family compound as he quickly made his way home and was met with his aunt in the main room.

        "Aunt Freya," He noticed her, letting his bag drop to the floor, and went to hug her quickly. She was warm and soft and smelled of sage.

        "Hello, Henrik." He could feel her smile through the hug, and he couldn't help but smile at being in the presence of someone who could possibly make sense of this chaos. Aunt Freya always had her head screwed on right, she was calm under pressure and she would help him. Why wouldn't she?

        They let go and she went to greet Elijah, "Brother," she grinned, going in for a quick hug.

        When they finally released Henrik took a look around the compound, seeing it empty, "Are they not here yet? Where is everyone?"

        "Keelin took Nik for a quick run at Rousseau's so that you'd have your favorite meal once you arrived. But you got here earlier than planned. Rebekah and Marcel are almost here and Kol should be arriving within an hour or so."

        Henrik nodded, getting his thoughts in place, he'd wait for them to arrive before delving into the problem at hand.

        "And how are you?" She asked him, which made him stop his process. He saw the way her eyes were aimed at him, Elijah's too. They were sad and worried. Searching for something in his expression, like they were waiting for him to do something.

        Henrik licked his lips before releasing a sigh, "What did Aunt Rebekah say?" He knew it couldn't have been Elijah, they'd been joined at the hip since they left Madrid.

        Freya glanced between her nephew and her brother before she dropped most of her careful act, knowing it was no use around him. "She's concerned. She said you were going on about a sister, your sister and we were hoping with all of us together you could talk more about this." Every word out of her mouth was still chosen carefully. He could tell. Like if she said the wrong thing he'd explode.

        He didn't respond to what she said. And he tried his best to not sound like a brat, but instead, he grabbed his bags and said, "I'm going to wash up, please let me know when the rest arrive." And he quickly went up the stairs.

        Elijah sighed dejectedly as their nephew went up the stairs, his sister leaned against him in a hug, "I fear for him, the past few hours have not been kind. I've never seen him like this before. Not even after Hayley and Niklaus." He tells her.

        She squeezed his shoulder, trying her best to soothe his worries. "We'll all be together soon, then we can help him."

        "But do we help him realize this possible fictional sister he could be hallucinating or do we help him try to find her?"

        "That depends on Henrik."

    Henrik didn't go to his room first, instead, he went to the one beside it. To Hope's room. Before he even twisted the doorknob his heart was thumping against his chest. There was a small fear that for whatever reason, the room would be bare and empty. A sign that no one had ever lived there and Henrik would be forced to deal with some delusion that was violating his mind. He was glad that wasn't the case as the door opened and he saw the familiar desk, the blue patterned comforter on her bed, the paintings on the wall, and the rest of her art supplies in the corner. He unintentionally let out a loud breath of relief. And then he went to find what he came here for.

    Hope was doing him the favor of keeping something safe for him. In the only place they knew to look in. It was cloaked as a music box on her desk, the only people able to tell what it actually was were the two of them. He picked up the cold silver metal box and opened it to find letters and sketches they had done and passed when they were young. A few memorable ones, letters from their parents and uncle, Hope's favorite sketches, and most importantly a silver necklace with an ancient bronze ring with a lapis lazuli jewel in the middle.

    His father's old daylight ring before he broke the hybrid curse. Even after his Dad broke the curse, he would still wear it. Henrik wasn't surprised, after a thousand years it becomes almost a part of you and since his siblings still had to wear theirs he figured his father didn't want to break that link. Henrik used to wear it just as Hope wore their mother's necklace.

    It felt heavy in his hand, he could feel the power radiating from it and he remembered the day he took it off.

"Are you sure about this?"

"I'm sure."

"What if something happens? What if-"

    "Lots of 'what ifs', sis." He gulped before setting the ring down inside the box. "I killed someone. Sure, it was an asshole that kept bothering some girls down the street. But I still killed him. I called him out, I told him to leave 'em alone, to go fuck a power outlet. He just kept laughing, calling himself hot stuff and pushing my buttons. I know I promised myself to stop practicing magic but I just didn't care at the moment. And then I asked him if he still felt hot, and I made his blood boil. Before I knew it, he was on the ground writhing in pain and his skin turned beet red until his eyes sunk back from his skull. I thought I had it under control, I thought I could stop it at the last second but— then he just died. And then I felt it, I felt the new rush of power from triggering the wolf curse. That's when I knew, it doesn't matter if I promise not to practice. My anger, my emotions, it'll get the better of me and my magic will seep through. It's safer if I just put it away for now."

  "You stopped practicing for months, of course, it seeped through but if you just—"

    "I'm not doing magic again, Hope." He snapped at her. "Not after everything. Never again."

    And that very same night he put his magic away into the only thing he deemed safe enough to contain it. Something as old as the power inside him.

    Henrik let out a sigh, a little glad she wasn't here to say I told you so, and picked up the ring. In the center of his hand, he concentrated as he felt the pull of his magic coming through, recognizing its user. As he mumbled a few words, the ring levitated over his palm for a few seconds before falling back down lifeless. The power it had now gone and once again bestowed upon its original owner.

    Henrik tried his best to ignore the familiar feeling of magic in his body. In his own fingertips. He quickly looped the ring through its leather band and put it around his neck once again. He definitely missed having it back. But he didn't know how he felt about the magic coursing through his veins. He shrugged it off, reminding himself that it was just an end to a mean. Once he found her, it would go right back to where it was.

──────────  ☽  ──────────

        Once the whole family was united inside the Abattoir on the ground floor, Henrik got to his pressing matter at hand. There were quick greetings and hugs, especially for him. With every long hug, came a tug at his heartstrings. He and his sister were easily the most looked after and the most doted on of the family. (Other than little Nik now of course.) It felt strange that they were only focusing on him. God, he missed his sister.

        He especially missed her now once he had everyone's attention as he stood in front of them. She was better at talking for the both of them, his sharp tongue often got him in trouble. Kol sat in one of the armchairs to the left, and Freya and Keelin, who had placed baby Nik down for a nap, sat together on the sofa to the left as well. Rebekah sat next to them on the right side of the couch, with Marcel standing next to her, his hand on her shoulder in comfort. And then there was Elijah on the final armchair to the right. Elijah was usually more gentle, more careful with Henrik, but the frown on his face seemed almost inquisitive. He knew he didn't believe him, so he had to find a way to convince him and the rest of their family as well. He knew that if he got to Elijah, the rest would follow. Henrik had their full attention, and he wouldn't lie— it was a bit intimidating.

    "I'd like to say thank you to all of you for dropping everything and rushing down here when I asked." He started off and immediately felt like he was a child once more, though compared to the vampires and witch in the room, he was.

    "We're family, it's what we do." Rebekah gave him a smile with an encouraging nod.

        "Right, so I guess I'll just go right into it. None of you can remember Hope Mikaelson, my sister, and your niece. It's like she's just been erased from your minds. I don't know why, but I know she's real and she's in trouble." He paused, before reluctantly adding, "And I need your help." He won't admit that it was a difficult thing to ask. Henrik hated asking for help. He waited for a response, for someone to either agree to help or to ask if he's had enough sleep. (The answer was no.) But with no one daring to go first, he kept talking. They could tell the boy hadn't slept from the bags under his eyes and the vampires in the room could hear the small growls of his empty stomach. Keelin had brought his favorite pasta from Rousseau's but he hadn't taken a bite of it, the stress and worry was affecting his appetite. And it wasn't helping his emotions either. "You probably want proof, so, here we go." With a quick pull, he unlocked his phone to find his photos and showed them the last family picture they all took together.

        It was a few days after Nik's birth. They were in the compound surrounding the tiny child in both his mother's arms. Hope had been wearing his jumper, the same one Aunt Rebekah gave him last Christmas.

        "Mate, I want to believe you, but it's a picture. You know these can easily be altered." Uncle Kol tried his best to be delicate, but it still caused Henrik to lose his temper rather quickly. "Someone could have put these there when they—"

        The tribrid started fidgeting and cut him off as he turned, "All right, all right," he muttered quickly before bolting to the entrance of the dining room, he grabbed as many hanging picture frames as he could find as well as any that had been placed around the room. When he came back he dumped them on the coffee table in front of them. "Our first Christmas together, back when Auntie Bex had that nasty stake curse from the Strix. See? There's Mom holding me, and Dad holding Hope. Two babies." He passed it to Freya and pulled out another more recent photo, "A couple of months after we turned fifteen, Rebekah, look around her neck. That's your necklace. The family crest. You showed it to us when you had two more made when we were seven. You told us it was to always keep you close." He gave it to her and pulled out yet another framed picture, this time just a portrait of Hope. He couldn't recall when, but it was one of the most recent ones. "Do you know her, do you recognize her?" He pressed, obviously desperate at this point for just one hint, one sliver of remembrance, one sliver of hope. "Anything?"

        "Where—" Keelin stopped herself, "Where did you get these? How—"

        "They've been hanging in the dining room like they always have." Henrik looked at her in confusion, "There are plenty more in almost every room in this place. How have either of you not noticed them?" He asked his aunts as they simply looked at each other wondering the same question. Elijah took the portrait of Hope to see for himself, he stared at it like a mystery he couldn't solve. Even when they saw the photos, it was like it was difficult for them to concentrate on it. Like something didn't want them to. Unbeknownst to the tribrid, every passing idea that went through his head made him more worried and frustrated. He wanted to scream. This shouldn't be so hard, why is it so hard? Why is everything so hard?

        Marcel carefully raised his hand to steady him from afar. He was the first one to notice just how off Henrik had gotten. It scared him, it scared them all. "Henrik, kid, take a breath, your heart is pounding."

        He let the picture he was holding fall to the table, ignoring the sound of cracks it made. "I don't need to take a breath or a break," His chest was heavy, and the vampires in the room could hear his heart rate increase by the second. His voice got angry as he finished yelling, "I need to find out what the hell happened!" They wouldn't tell him this for a few years, but that was the day they noticed just how similar he was to Klaus in his anger. They didn't want him to only have that to compare himself to his father, especially when he tended to ignore all the good things they had in common already.

It didn't take long for his pleas to aim at each and every one of them, trying desperately to trigger some type of memory in them. "Marcel you saved her life the day we were born." The vampire didn't expect the sudden information, the emotion and gratefulness behind the tribrid's eyes shined in his words. He stood silently as Henrik went on. "The witches left me to die in my mother's womb while they went off to kill the firstborn, and you saved her. After that, it didn't matter if you were fighting my father or Elijah, you never held any ill will against us. She loves you." He turned to his aunt, "Auntie Bex," her eyebrows creased, and she almost replicated the same sad smile Henrik was giving her. "you kept us both safe for the first months of our lives. And I assure you, that we both remember that time. You were the only person our parents trusted to do so." He turned towards his uncle, "Kol, almost ten years ago when you asked to save Davina from the Hollow, I wasn't the only one in the room. She was the first one to say yes and I followed her lead." He was desperately trying to trigger any memory, any inkling of their niece they may have. "Elijah, she was the firstborn. No one even knew I was in there, they all thought it was just one baby. And you were the first one to want her. You fought for her when the witches took her, when Dahlia came for her, when the Hollow came after us. And while you were blaming yourself for my mother's—" Henrik stopped himself, he couldn't finish that sentence. "You were blaming yourself, and so was I, and so was Hope." He gulped, "But she forgave you in the end, and if it hadn't been for her I wouldn't have either."

        No one dared to say a word after he finished speaking. They could see it in his eyes, the determination to make them see past whatever was blocking their memories. Still, some were more doubtful than others. Kol was worried for his nephew, from the bags under his eyes to the shaggy clothes and unkempt hair. He was distressed at this point. "How do you know this isn't some trick? Some witch casting illusions and fake memories of a beloved sister to make you go mad when you realize no one knows her?"

        Henrik sighed, his hands running up his face and through his hair. He was tired, he couldn't sleep on the plane. Instead, he wrote any and all spells he knew that involved memory erasing. He wrote down the first few days she didn't call him, to track when she could've disappeared. But mostly, he wrote every single thing he knew about Hope. There was a part of him that was scared, that he would start to forget about her too. He grabbed a chair to join them at the coffee table, sighing in frustration, "Okay, how about this?" he started, his hands in his head, leaning down, "You knew Elijah and I were in Madrid, you knew exactly where we were staying and that's because we tell you. And yet you also knew if I was having good days or bad days. You called to check in on me a few days after my bad ones." He said, "Yet, I never once told any of you. I barely called you every few months. And it wasn't Elijah, he promised me he wouldn't. And we all know how seriously he takes that. So, how would you have possibly known?" He finally raised his head towards them, waiting for their answer.

        When none of them did, he looked at each of them and saw how one by one their faces fell. No one could come up with a real explanation. It was true, Henrik barely spoke to them about how he was doing, his phone calls and photos were surface-based. Purely meant to let them know he was okay and not out of control. Elijah only ever spoke of trivial matters, their brother was going through his own ordeals at the time as well. It was true, Elijah only ever spoke of Henrik in a comforting manner, that he was doing better and said nothing else. And yet they recalled knowing about the days he spent grieving his parents, his mother especially. The full week he spent as a wolf entirely. And the days he finally felt better, more like himself and for lack of a better word: more hopeful. And they didn't have a clue as to how.

        "You knew because, although I told her not to, she calls Aunt Freya after we talk to let you know how I'm doing. She calls Aunt Bex or Marcel afterward, depending on who answers, and then she calls Kol." He reaches down to grab another photo frame, this time of him and his sister when she was visiting him in Europe. "Her name is Hope Andrea Mikaelson. She's my sister and my best friend. There are dozens of photos of us in this house, more on my phone. Memories left and right, and before you say anything, remember that you can get in my head and see them for yourselves. Now, are you going to help me or not?"

──────────  ⚜︎  ──────────

With everyone now in the dining room, he had his notes displayed on the table for everyone to see. Freya helped filter out the ones that couldn't work and added her own ideas to the list. Kol looked them over too, impressed with how much his nephew had put together. Pretty soon, everyone had a clear job to add to the search. Kol would go back to California to bring Davina up to speed after he confirmed that there was no dark object that involved such long-term memory erasing. There, she'd test out spells and other sources that could lead to where Hope could have disappeared or what caused her existence to be driven out.

        "Okay, Aunt Freya could you ask Vincent for help too? Maybe he's heard of something like this before. I'm going to need you to stay in New Orleans with your witch circle to try out some memory restoration spells or if by any luck she makes her way home." With a quick nod of her head, she stood to gather her things and headed out the door.

        Then there were Rebekah, Marcel, and Elijah, "Marcel and Aunt Rebekah, this is a long shot but in Rome, they have witches who've practiced damnatio memoriae quite a few times. It's a type of ritual where criminals would be ridden off to never be remembered and last I checked, not everyone likes tribrids. I'm going to need you to find whatever you can about their practices and if you see anything that involves our name—"

        "We'll know exactly who to call." Rebekah nods.

        He nodded and looked to Uncle Elijah, "Though the Romans have had the most practice and people doomed, the people to first create it were the ancient Egyptians. I know you have old contacts in Egypt, specifically your witch contacts. They could be of help. Let me know if you hear anything like what's happening right now."

        Aunt Rebekah hadn't left yet, she was holding onto Henrik's shoulder in comfort. "I really do hope this works, little one."

        He gulped silently and looked at her. Hearing her say hope, even if she used it as the word and not the name, made him smile. "It will. It has too." He sighed like he had the world on his shoulders, and it felt like it.

        She cupped his chin to smile down at him and lowered her head to face him, "Keep yourself out of trouble, Rikkie. And know that your family will always be there for you." She gave him a tender kiss on his forehead, then turned to leave but turned back around when she felt his hand wrapped around her wrist.

        His eyes only met hers for a second before drifting down to the pretty blue floral designs on her shirt. He was on the verge of tears but he held them back. At that moment he needed her. He needed them. He needed the promise, the vow, that his family was here with him and ready to help.

        "Always and forever." She said to him and quickly wrapped her arms around him. They stayed that way for a little while until she eventually left with Marcel to catch the next flight to Rome.

────────── ☽ ──────────

        Elijah was by the compound entrance, his bag carried out and waiting for him in the town car he would take to the jet. He was finishing saying his goodbyes to Freya whilst Henrik hung in the back. Elijah wouldn't leave him without knowing he'd be safe, but since he'd be staying with Aunt Freya in the Abattoir, he wanted to be of service and help find anything about Hope's disappearance. It was mind-boggling. He'd been next to Elijah for the past two years. Either bickering or laughing, Elijah dragging him away from whatever partially-illegal activities he had been up to. Apparently, he learned far too much from stopping Uncle Kol's mischievous outings that he was now an expert in it. But what he'll miss the most would be the quiet afternoons spent reading and sharing tea where he could hear his uncle tell stories of his parents. Hearing about them through Elijah's eyes was always different. Perhaps it was because Elijah still blamed himself the way Henrik did, they had that in common.

        Freya left the room to give them privacy and Henrik walked toward his uncle.

        Neither of them knew how to start a goodbye, they hadn't done one in so long. "I'm annoyed." Henrik said suddenly, "Egypt was three stops after Greece and now you're just going to skip on over to it." His words were amusing, but his tone sad.

        Elijah let out a small smile, "My apologies, it was never my intention. We can still go once this business is done and she's found."

        Henrik's eyes widened slightly, he tried to hide it but knew it was useless to vampires, "So you believe me?" He had still been paranoid enough to think the rest of them hadn't believed him. But it wasn't their fault, even with all the evidence there, it was like something was blocking them, stopping them from focusing on Hope.

        Elijah reached forward and lightly motioned at the ring hanging around the tribrid's neck. His father's ring. "You took your magic back." He said, "I noticed it when we were all gathered together." The vampire clicked his tongue, his head moved slightly in thought, "I found myself recalling when you first put it away, when you triggered your wolf curse in London, weeks before your sixteenth birthday. There's this emptiness— this void where those memories should be. I know you didn't get back to the Kensington House alone, I know you were comforted by someone, but for the life of me," he paused to take what seemed like a difficult breath, "I haven't the faintest idea of who that person was."

        Henrik could feel his eyes stinging from holding back any wandering tears, "She was there," he nodded, "We were in this club, we were leaving but I had gone outside before her, and I- I killed that man and activated the curse." He tried saying it all fast, they were all familiar with that part of the story, but his voice quieted for the next, "The second I started yelling she came running out to get me. She held me and she told me it'd be okay. I believed her." He smiled faintly at the memory. He'd give anything to be there again because at least he knew where she'd be. He started shaking his head, "I always believe her." He scoffed happily, tears brimming. Henrik took a moment to clear his throat and look his uncle in the eye. "Thank you."

        Elijah only narrowed his eyes but before he could ask, Henrik had more to say.

        "Thank you for believing me." He gulped, and a single tear escaped, cascading down his cheek. Once it fell it wouldn't be the last. "And for staying with me for so long. For looking after me." Henrik said nodding, refusing to look down or up or anything else because he knew how much he needed to say it. "I know you promised my dad to look after me. And I'm glad you did, I don't know where I'd be if you weren't there." He couldn't hold it back anymore, his head tilting down as he tried to shove the tears out of his eyes with the sleeves of his sweater.

        "Henrik," Elijah held his cheek, checking on him before bringing him into a hug, "You are the very best of Niklaus and Hayley. The very best of all of us even if you don't believe me. When we find your sister, I'll be telling her the same thing."

        He could only nod in response, not trusting his voice just yet and hugging back just as tightly. They stayed like that for a few more minutes before releasing and the tribrid let out a cough, "Um, you should probably get going, you'll miss your flight."

        Elijah smiled softly, "Oh, I can just compel a new one,"

        That made Henrik laugh.

        And with hearing his nephew happy, Elijah could relax somewhat. Henrik hadn't cracked a smile since that phone call with Rebekah.

        "Can I um, can I still call you?" he asked Elijah sheepishly, "You know in case anything— in case anything happens?"

        "Of course, Henrik." Elijah told him, "This family will always be here for you."

        Henrik pulled him in for one more hug before he left.

──────────  ⚜︎  ──────────

    The compound grew quiet without the family running around, pretty soon it was just him and Aunt Freya combing around grimoires and notes. Keelin went to talk to the wolves, on a lead of some type of ability that alphas had where they could steal other's memories, though she couldn't tell you if it was specific to just werewolves or if it worked on others. The moon was up and soon it'd be midnight but Henrik was wide awake. He was ecstatic and still rambling about possibilities.

        "I've ruled out compulsion, sure if they took Marcel's power they could compel Elijah, Rebekah, and Kol but it's still impossible to compel you, Marcel, Keelin, and Vincent. It must be a spell or even a dark object. And even if Kol said there weren't any he heard of who's to say someone hasn't invented it? Still, my bets are on a witch, I remember hearing about how Davina did it once to Aunt Rebekah so it isn't impossible, but difficult. Not to mention it was something simple as to the location of where she was. And Davina had the power of three other witches hyped up from the Harvest ritual. So, it definitely takes mega-powerful magic to go through with it. The question is, why erase just her? Why let me keep my memories?"

        Freya had been watching him for a while now. She saw how committed he was to this, and she wanted to help, she knew there was something off about all this. But she couldn't tell if that was because this Hope was real or if she was a conjured figure for her nephew to obsess over. All she knew was that she worried about him. Freya approached him carefully with a question of her own, "You said she was in school the last time you talked to her?"

    "Yeah." Henrik knew where this was going, and tried focusing on his pages to avoid it as long as possible. There was something strange affecting not just their memory but almost like a blindspot to the obvious. How could they just walk past dozens of photos of his sister for weeks and not take notice? There was something else he was missing.

    "The Salvatore School?" His aunt asked.

    Henrik put his pencil down and lifted his head to finally look her in the eye. His previous thoughts paused for a moment as he spoke, "I'm considering other sources first." was all he said.

    "I know you don't like talking about it there, it's just that it makes sense to search the last place she was." Freya offered, but she also knew why he was avoiding talking about the school. What she wanted to know was if her nephew loathed that boarding school so much, then why did her niece stay? Were they fighting? Did she want to be there?

    Henrik sighed, putting his notebook away and standing up. "I have an idea. A very bad one." He said muffled as he ran his hands through his face and hair multiple times. "But I also want to be wrong for her sake. I don't know what'll happen if her heart is broken more than it already is because of them."

    "And what about the worst option? What if she's—"

    "She isn't," Henrik said immediately, snapping unintendedly. He grew serious and cold rather quickly, no longer twitching or bouncing his leg. Instead, his next words were calm and determined. "She's not. She's alive and I'm going to find her."

    Freya sighed, understanding his need to search out for missing family. She wished she could have more answers for him, offer him more help than she was able to. But there was a small part of her, that just kept nagging at her to ignore it. To ignore the evidence and the feeling of a void in her heart. "And if she isn't? What if she tried her best to make us forget so we wouldn't feel the pain of losing her? What then?" She asked.

    Henrik took a moment to think it over, and despite refusing to believe his sister was gone, he already had an answer lined up and ready to go. "Then I'll kill whoever was responsible for it."

    An hour had passed, and he was starting to get desperate. His Aunt Freya walked into the foyer where she saw him placing candles surrounding a map of the world on the coffee table. She stood in her tracks as he whipped out a switchblade and held his hand over the map. "You're doing magic again?"

    "Well you don't even know who to look for, I do." He tried to avoid sounding snippy, but at that point, he couldn't help it. Henrik didn't say anything more about his magic situation and hoped his aunt wouldn't either, he was wrong.

    "You wouldn't do magic even if your own life was at stake—" She said, muttering and crossing the room to drop her materials onto the other table.

    He was still concentrating on drawing the runes for the spell over the map, never once looking up. "That's because I have a great set of claws." He replied.

    "This is real. She's real if you're doing this." Freya whispered. With this act alone, it was confirmed. Henrik wouldn't dare touch his magic, let alone talk about it with most of them, but if he was willing to actually take it back then—

    He stopped, licked his lips, and stared at her. "She's my sister. I'd do anything for her. And right now who knows what the hell she's gotten herself into."

    He cut the center of his palm and let it drip onto the surface of the map, his hand healing quickly afterward.

    He waited for the familiar pull of magic, picturing Hope's face in his mind. But the blood didn't move, it just sat there and Henrik knew it wasn't possible but he swore the more he stared at it the more he was convinced it was mocking him. He did everything right. He came back home, he summoned the family, he told them the truth, he even took his magic back— but there was nothing. Not even a cloaking spell residue, just absolutely nothing.

    "It's not working, why isn't it working? Why is nothing working?!" He threw the map and the rest of the contents off the table as he felt a rush of energy go through his body and released. Several lights burst and sent sparks everywhere. He was heaving and could feel his eyes change, his anger coming through his wolf side. All Freya could do was stand there and watch him, knowing he needed to let out the frustration he was feeling. But Henrik was more than frustrated. He was livid. There was nothing. Nothing. Hope was gone, disappeared from their families' minds, and he's been ignoring the obvious ever since he found out. Not anymore.

    "I'm going." He declared. "The last place she was at was that stupid school, so I'm going there."

    He left the main room, heading towards the stairs to gather his things.

    "Back to the Salvatore School? Henrik, think about this, think about the last time you came from there." Freya pleaded to make him see sense but he kept walking up the stairs to his room. "When I mentioned it as an option, I meant that I should go or Rebekah or Elijah—"

    It was quick, he barely unpacked what he already brought, figuring he could do it later in the day. He just added a few more crystals, candles, and copies of grimoires to have at hand in a bigger carry-on. It wasn't long until he walked back down with his suitcase and duffle bag. He was still conversing with Aunt Freya by the time he walked out of his room and down the stairs. "Dad spent eight years slaughtering his old enemies to make sure no one went after his children. And though I'm sure he didn't get them all, the remaining ones know better than to go at it now after everything the others went through." He returned to the main room once more. "So, who else would be able to get the drop on my sister? Someone she trusted, someone who knows what makes her tick, and unfortunately the answer is that school."

    "Oh, Henrik," Freya sighed painfully, she could practically feel the anger and sadness radiating off him.

    "Here," He handed her a large vial of blood, "it's my blood. I know you can use your own, but one's own is faster and more accurate. I took some precautions to make sure the rest of you remember me, and remember to use it in case—" he couldn't get the words out, so he just rushed it as fast as possible. "In case I disappear too and you all forget me. There'll be too much to not ignore, so with any luck you come looking for me too." He waited for her to say something, but she was speechless.

    Aunt Freya always had something to say, always had a way of fixing things. After the Hollow forced the family to separate, Freya was the only one without a piece of the darkness. She could visit her siblings and not have to face the fear of putting her niece and nephew in danger. But she also had a duty to them, to teach them to protect themselves and each other. And now that his parents were gone, and most of the family left to find themselves or have fun, it was Aunt Freya who stayed. It was Aunt Freya who remained in the Abattoir and maintained their family home. They could always count on family to come help just like they could always count on Aunt Freya to be home for them. And right then, he could see it in her eyes, she was scared. Scared for her nephew. "Henrik, you don't have to do this. The last time you went to that school you were barely there a month before you asked us to pull you out. It sent you into such a bad place, completely different from how you were during the summer. You begged me not to go back. Rebekah or I can go, she knows the people who work there as well as I do. Let one of us handle the Salvatore School. You don't have to go." She protested.

    Henrik through his arms up in defense, yelling despite not wanting to start a fight, "You guys wouldn't even know where to go! I know where her room is, I know what her stuff looks like, I know where she spends her time and if I see something that could lead me to her then I'm going to follow it." He talked fast, trying to make her see reason. Funny enough, he knew there could be other ways to do this. He knew, but he couldn't see reason either— a rather occupational hazard for Mikaelson's.

    "I am sure that if she were here she wouldn't want you risking your own health for her. Think about what she would want for you."

        "No, see that's the thing." Henrik drew in a deep breath, he was agitated and his anger was slowly rising. There was nothing his aunt could say to change his mind. So, he had to say something that would change hers. "Uncle Kol's always been a wanderer, a soloist, he's best known for it. One day when Davina's gone, I expect him to go back to it. Aunt Rebekah and Marcel are out there building a life together. And so are you and Aunt Keelin here with little Nik. Now, I don't blame you for it, it's your lives, you deserve it. But, with Elijah off keeping an eye on me, there's no one around here to keep you all tied together, no one telling you that family sticks together. And my father isn't here to scare the rest of you into doing it either, or to come running in to help him with another catastrophe. Sure, you all drifted apart after the Hollow business because you had to, but then it just became easier that way." Freya had been looking at him carefully, letting him get all of this out but when he said those words, she couldn't meet his eyes. "A nasty little part of all of you thought so, and you hated to admit that being on your own felt good. God forbid anyone found out. You wanna know how I know that, Aunt Freya? Because I know how it feels. This past year I haven't been in the same room as her since our birthday. Not because I don't love her, not because I can't be around her but because I wanted to be by myself and she understood that. She respected it, she made sure all of you respected it, and she supported me. But when family is in trouble you drop everything to help them. That's what we were taught. Now, I don't know when and I sure as hell don't know how but I am getting her back. It's not about what she wants, it's about what she needs. And right now, she needs her family. So, I'm going out there to find her and bring her home."

────────── ☽ ──────────

henrik misses his sister, terribly so and the fact that he is the only person to remember her is not helping

henrik wears the family crest necklace as well as klaus's old daylight ring as a necklace, he's also not having a good time

i cried writing that scene between him and elijah

fun fact: the dividing headers i put alternate between the fleur de lis (which is kinda the mikaelson family symbol as well as show The Originals symbol and of course a New Orleans figure) and the crescent moon (to symbolize the Crescent Wolf Pack of New Orleans) so together it complements Hope and Henrik as showing recognition to both of their parents

no mundanes allowed
- polaroized