𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙋𝙏𝙀𝙍 𝙏𝙒𝙀𝙉𝙏𝙔 𝙁𝙊𝙐𝙍
ミ★ ( reign of wolves, act two ) ★彡

     Rhea was delighted to wake up to the smell of pastries the next morning. It was a welcomed smell as opposed to the stench of decaying bodies that she had grown accustomed to; it actually helped make her feel ready for the day ahead—she was in a good mood. She wants to kiss whoever organised it. When she walked downstairs, she found Hayley munching on an array of fruit and other breakfast food in the courtyard. Rhea didn't hesitate to reach for a chocolate croissant and put it in her mouth when Klaus came down the stairs.

     "I wonder which restaurant is missing a compelled chef." Hayley muttered to them both, assuming that Klaus was behind the breakfast feast. He always has had a thing for feasts in the past. It's his niche.

     Klaus looked confused, "It's certainly a card I've played in the past, but, I had no hand in this..." He gestured to the food on the table for emphasis.

     Hayley hummed as she looked up at Rhea, who had sat down in the middle of the table to be as close to the food as possible, "Well, then, I guess we have Elijah to thank?"

     Rhea also seemed confused, "I don't think it was him. I didn't notice him organise this—nor was there a reason for it to be organised." She said as she reached for a strawberry, "Though it is appreciated."

     "Rhea is right. This wasn't my doing..." Elijah said as he walked into the courtyard, pressing a kiss to Rhea's head before frowning at the breakfast spread on the table in front of them.

     Hayley frowned, "Then where did this all come from?"

     The silver lid on the platter suddenly began to rattle, which startled Hayley and Rhea so much that they jump in fright for a moment. Klaus looked uneasy and lifted the platter, which released two starlings that fly up toward the ceiling, causing the four of them to reflexively duck to avoid being hit. They all look puzzled and nervous as Rhea snapped, "What the hell was that?"

     Klaus reached for the invitation and opened it.

Dinner. Your Home. 8PM.

     "An invitation from our mother." Klaus frowned, looking up to give his brother a concerned look while Rhea spat out whatever food was in her mouth.

     "Yuck!"

     Rhea followed Elijah to Marcel's loft where he and Gia were sorting through books when they arrived to talk. Marcel looked up at the Original, "I wondered when you'd show up. Your pupil's waiting. It's not like you to shirk your responsibilities." He snarked.

     Rhea crossed her arms, knowing all about Marcel's activities and his plan for the newly turned vampire to be taught by Elijah. They had enough problems on their plate, they didn't need to worry about a fledgling vampire getting in the way, "She shouldn't be our burden to bear. You turned her, you teach her."

     Gia almost seemed hurt by Rhea's defensiveness while Marcel wasn't impressed, "Then why'd you come?

     "We're looking for a cooperative witch." Elijah explained.

     Marcel shrugged, "I don't know where Davina is, and given the fact that she's got your father on a leash, I wouldn't put her in the, uh, 'cooperative' category—"

     "—Not Davina." Elijah interrupted him before they got too far off in a tangent, "Perhaps another witch? On another leash?"

     Marcel looked amused as he asked, "What makes you think I got another witch?"

     "Well, unless you've suddenly gained the affinity for magic—I'd say the daylight ring on your new librarian would've had to of been created by another witch." Rhea pointed to Gia, who was trying—and failing—to pretend that she wasn't offended.

     Marcel smiled, "Good point." He responded to her, "My memory's a little shaky. Lucky for you, though, I know someone who can help! Gia?" Marcel gestured to Gia, who sighed and reluctantly walked over to him. Marcel put his arm around her and turned back to Elijah and Rhea, "Why don't you take Elijah and Rhea to meet our friend, Lenore?"

     Elijah sighed as he said, "If this is your idea of a joke, I can assure you I am not amused."

     Marcel looked at him, "Well, there's nothing funny about what's going on. Mikael's back, witches causing chaos. It just seems like you could use all the friends that you can get."

     Rhea rolled her eyes at him and headed straight for the door with Elijah and Gia in tow.

     "So, you guys aren't talkers, huh?" Gia asked the couple as they made their way to see the witch, Lenore, in her shop that was located in Algiers. Gia had tried several times to make conversation with them but was unsuccessful when she would only get a blank stare from Elijah or a glare from Rhea. Like she was getting right then for speaking.

     "No problem. Last guy I hung out with, he wouldn't shut up, so... guess I'm due for a change—"

     "You know we're not 'hanging out' with you because we want to, right?" Rhea interrupted her and Gia blinked at her in surprise, "You're supposed to lead us to someone. So, let's just... do that, yeah? And with minimal talking."

     Elijah smirked at her in amusement as she continued to walk in front of her. Gia rushed to catch up to them, "You wanna walk in silence? Cool." She sighed in frustration, "But, you're going the wrong way."

Rhea, visibly annoyed, stopped in her tracks and turned back toward her with a glare. Elijah then let out a sigh of his own, "Marcel believes I can instruct you. First lesson—do your best not to waste our time." Elijah said to her with frustration.

Gia glared at him and turned in the opposite direction as she leads Elijah and Rhea toward Lenore's shop.

When they arrived there, Lenore was behind the front cashier's counter, where she was grinding herbs in a mortar and pestle, "Go away, I'm busy." The witch ordered while not looking up from her task.

"Yes, blatantly practicing magic, I see." Elijah responded while Rhea crossed her arms and leaned against him.

"Herbal remedies for a neighbour who lost her insurance." Lenore replied before looking up at them finally, "But, my guess is the Original and his soulmate ain't here to talk neighbourhood gossip."

"You're right." Rhea shrugged half-hazardously, "We have a favour to ask you."

"Quarter's crawling with witches, go ask one of them." Lenore refused.

Elijah sighed impatiently and looked around the shop, "We could—but, we don't typically ask favours of our enemies."

"So, you come across the river to bother me?" Lenore asked them.

Elijah began to wander through the aisles of shelves full of snacks, "It's unfortunate, isn't it? Bureaucracy has not been kind to your community. Those tax incentives on local businesses have been stalling for months. Of course, a persuasive person could potentially remove any red tape."

Lenore looked interested finally as she said, "I'm listening."

"A certain someone—let's say a witch—has a troublesome tendency of jumping into other bodies." He smiled politely, "When she does so again, I would like to know into whom she jumps." He dropped a coin into her coin jar near the register and looked at Lenore expectantly.

"Soul-branding." Lenore realised, "It's a sacrificial spell. I'm gonna need an item that's been spelled by the witch in question, and a python."

Elijah smiled triumphantly, "I shall retrieve the enchanted item. Our partner will take care of the python." He gestures towards Gia and grabbed onto Rhea's waist gently to leave the store but Gia stopped and looked at them incredulously.

"Ew, what?" She gagged.

"Second lesson of the day—acquisition through mind compulsion." Elijah explained patronisingly before he and Rhea finally left the store.

Gia was left behind with Lenore, looking flustered. After a moment, Gia rushed after them, "How the hell do I do mind compulsion?"

It was later in the evening and Elijah and Klaus were both wearing fancy suits and preparing for dinner with their mother in the dining room, "Are these outfits really necessary?" Klaus asked in annoyance.

"I think you both look handsome." Rhea said as she descended down the stairs in a black dress as she put in one of her earrings. Elijah stared at her adoringly as she walked toward him to press a kiss to his lips, "You, especially."

Klaus gagged at them and Elijah rolled his eyes as he snaked his arm around her waist to respond to him, "Appearance is a way of showing respect, Niklaus. Mother will be more likely to surrender her true intentions."

Klaus huffed, "Well, I doubt her guard will drop just 'cause I'm dressed like a bloody lawyer." He retorted and Rhea let out a light snort as she went to light some of the candles at the table.

"We need every advantage we can get, Niklaus." Elijah scolded him.

"You always did excel in diplomacy. Just know, if she tries anything, I'll tear her new body to pieces." Klaus said back.

"What's new?" Rhea rolled her eyes as she fixed up any final touches at the table when a man entered the compound laughing dramatically at their conversation.

"You two haven't changed a bit!" He exclaimed before he looked at Elijah, "Linens and silk to disguise your pathetic self-loathing." Rhea glared at the man and went to stand protectively in front of him, slightly lunging if Elijah hadn't grabbed onto her to stop her. The man then turned to Klaus, "And you—despite the arrogant façade, you're still the same paranoid little boy, full of hate and fear."

Klaus' face turns from amused to offended while Elijah looked at him in confusion, "Who the hell are you?" Rhea snapped, "This is a private dinner."

"And how could I forget Elijah's precious soulmate? Constantly conflicted between the light and dark sides, unfortunately being influenced by the vile habits of Niklaus and Elijah Mikaelson." He sneered and she glared at him.

"You know so much about us, but, we know so little about you." Elijah spoke, "So, we'll ask again, who are you?"

The man feigned offence, "Oh, you mean you don't recognise me? So much for the unbreakable bonds of family, huh? Always and forever indeed."

Klaus began to scowl when he realised what was going on, but both Elijah and Rhea remained confused and on edge, "It's been a long time, Finn."

Finn smirked and spread his arms out wide in the typical Mikaelson stance, "Now that the introductions are out of the way, let's eat!" They begrudgingly walked over toward the table and sat down, Elijah poured his soulmate a glass of wine first before pouring one for Finn, which he immediately wafted underneath his nose, "What an aromatic Bordeaux." Finn complimented politely.

     "Well, it was a challenge for Rhea to find a good pairing after I asked her what wine went well with treachery." Klaus retorted and Rhea laughed into her glass, "I suppose there's nothing that really goes well with your bitterness, but, this will do."

     "Don't pout, brother. Tonight is meant to be a happy occasion!" Finn responded and he then whispered something in one of the servers' ears, which made Klaus suspicious.

     "And what exactly are we celebrating?" Rhea asked him.

     Finn grinned happily as he answered her, "Why, my return, of course! Remember, I spent nine hundred years—" he looks at Klaus for confirmation, "—lying daggered in a box? I'm rather enjoying this new body. Strolling about your lovely city that, uh, you've made your home. But, do tell me—what'd I miss? Regale me with your contributions to society! Medicine? Philosophy? Art?" Klaus rolls his eyes, already tired of this conversation, "Or, have you two merely cut a path of destruction across time?"

     "The last time we met, you were helping our mother try to annihilate the lot of us!" Klaus reminded his older brother, "Let's not throw stones in glass houses."

     Elijah then noticed that the caterers were placing another two plates, glasses, and sets of silverware at the table and becomes confused, "Are we expecting another guest?"

     Finn gestured at the other end of the table, "Mother will sit at the head. And, as for the seat across from me, that's reserved for another of our clan. Care to wager an educated guess? How about a paranoid one?"

     Rhea swallowed thickly in realisation, "Kol." Finn grinned at her, letting her know she was right.

     Klaus shook his head in denial, not believing for a second that Kol would side with their mother, "Well, there's no way Kol would listen to anything other than his ego."

     Finn shrugged, "And yet, our mother has made such a compelling argument that even he, the wildest of us Mikaelsons, has seen the error of his ways and accepted his new form with vigor! Change, dear brothers and sister, is inevitable." Rhea grimaced at the way he referred to her as his sister. She often found it endearing whenever Klaus, Rebekah or Kol did it—but, there was something about the way that Finn said it that made her skin crawl.

     Klaus stared at him incredulously, "You would dare face us as a mortal? The only thing inevitable is your death." He snarled before he flung a knife at Finn, but he easily deflected it with magic, causing the knife to instead embed itself into the chair at the head of the table.

     "Oh!" Finn said as he removed the knife from the chair and holds it aloft, "I suppose the honor of carving should go to the oldest. We have much to discuss."

     Rhea let out a groan as the night dragged on. It felt like a hostage situation and Finn was clearly enjoying himself as he ate their food and drank their wine, casually hashing up things from the past, trying to find a weak spot in their bond.

     "I'm rather enjoying my evening." Finn smiled.

     "At least someone is." Rhea muttered to herself.

     "I'd rather enjoy you getting to the point." Klaus hugged in frustration.

     "I had nine hundred years to learn to be patient. Although, I am curious why you kept me daggered in a box for so long." Finn asked the Original hybrid with accusing eyes.

     "You were daggered for being an ever-simpering sycophant." Klaus responded with a lip curl, "Did mother bring you back from the dead so you could wash her knickers?"

     Rhea snorted and Klaus smirked in amusement that someone found him funny but Finn lost his temper almost immediately, "She raised me because I was treated unfairly! Cheated of all but the smallest portion of my life!" Finn yelled furiously before he turned to Elijah, looking upset, "Elijah, I can understand such cruelty coming from him—" He pointed to Klaus, "But, I always thought of you as being the compassionate one! The fates blessed you because of that with a soulmate! But, what did I do to deserve you turning your back on me? Were you afraid of Niklaus? Are you still?"

     Elijah was unamused by Finn's words, "Don't bring her into this." He warned him. He can withstand insults and taunts headed his way, but he won't accept Finn mentioning the woman he loves.

     "Or perhaps jealousy is what kept me locked in a box? You coveted the duties of the eldest brother, in which case you had near-on a millennium to fix the problems of this family, and instead, produced nine centuries of failure." Finn continued. He then realised his anger had gotten the best of him and pinches the bridge of his nose with his thumb to stops himself from further exposing his feelings to his brothers and future sister-in-law.

     After a moment, Elijah broke his silence, "You might reside—somewhat parasitically, I might add—in another body, but I assure you, in nine hundred years, your tedious sentiments remain quite the same. You see, Finn, like father, you've always despised our supernatural existence. Father, of course, slaughtered and consumed his own, whereas you became pretentious and dull... much like this meal. I will not ask you again—where is mother?"

     Klaus almost giggled at Elijah's insults when suddenly, Cassie arrived, "Oh, my darling son." She said to Elijah and Finn immediately rushed to his feet to greet her as she sarcastically added, "I've missed you, too." Esther had sat down in the seat that Finn had organised for her and her eyes landed on the ring that resided on Rhea's finger, "Congratulations on the engagement."

     "Feel free to skip the wedding." Rhea smiled sarcastically as she placed a forkful of food into her mouth.

Klaus chuckled at her before glaring at his mother, "Why don't you say what you came here to say, so this wretched night can end?"

"It pains me that you and Elijah look at me with such disdain. I wish you could see that my every action has been to protect you!" Esther snapped.

Klaus' eyes widened in disbelief, "You actually believe that, don't you? I knew you were a liar, but now I see you're utterly delusional." He stated incredulously.

"If you can forget the hatred that you cling to and remember all the times I've mended and healed you." Klaus laughed sarcastically, but Esther turned to Elijah, "Elijah, do you recall the day Niklaus challenged your father to a duel? Did I leave your brother to die alone? What did I say, when you came to me and asked me to help him?"

Elijah sighed, "That you would rather die than to see any of your children suffer."

A look of horror appeared on Klaus' face and he came to a sudden realisation, remembering what she was actually referring to, "The necklace." He glared at her furiously, "It wasn't spelled to protect me. It made me weak."

"I sought to protect you from yourself!" Esther snapped, "If you had killed your father in that duel, or anyone else in the course of your life, you would have activated your curse!"

"You took him away from his real identity." Rhea reminded her with narrowed eyes, "That's not protection—that's shame."

Klaus angrily slammed his hand down on the table, "You ruined me! You left me to suffer at the hands of a father who valued only strength!"

"I kept you from becoming a beast for as long as I possibly could!" Esther said guiltily.

He then slammed his hand against the table once again before he rose to his feet, "Oh, you lied to me! To hide your own transgressions because of your own fear! My whole life, I sought the approval I was denied by the man I thought was my father! You turned me into the weakling he hated." Klaus shouted. Elijah rose to his feet and paced. around anxiously, Rhea stayed sitting while Esther gulped and looks guilty under Klaus' furious glare, unable to look him in the eyes, "Look at me! You rant and you rave about the monster I have become, but you, mother—you are the author of everything I am."

Esther began to look flustered, and suddenly began gasping for breath. Finn looked mildly alarmed as Esther fainted and slumps over in her seat. Elijah managed to catch her before her head hit the table, and he looks at his family in shock.

"She's gone." He said in disbelief.

Elijah then went to attack Finn, but he used his magic to push Elijah away, which throws him over the table and into the nearby wall, causing Rhea to stand on her feet as a reflex.

Klaus sped toward Finn and grabbed him by the lapels, "Where is she?" He shouted furiously.

Finn only blew on his fingers rubbed them together, using a muscle-seizing spell. Klaus and Rhea fell to the floor in pain before passing out while Finn adjusted his jacket and looks around frantically.

     When Klaus, Rhea and Elijah recovered from Finn's attack, they sadly found out that Finn had managed to flee the compound. Angry and concerned about Esther and Finn's motives, Klaus and Elijah decide to question Cassie, who was absolutely terrified and confused about what had just happened to her.

     "Where is our mother?" Klaus questioned her furiously.

     Cassie was so terrified at this point that she was almost in tears as she asked, "Where am I? What's happening?"

     Klaus lost his temper and grabbed Cassie in a choke-hold, and she struggled against his grip as she desperately gasped for breath, "Klaus, let her go. She doesn't know anything." Rhea tried as she ran a hand down her face.

     Elijah stepped in also, placing a hand on his shoulder when he didn't move, "Leave her. She's a puppet. Niklaus, look at her! She has absolutely no idea."

     Klaus reluctantly let go of her, which only made Cassie more scared and overwhelmed as she began to cry, "What are you talking about? Who are you?"

     "Shut up!" Klaus snapped, "Stop talking right now!" Cassie gulped nervously and stopped talking. Elijah patted Klaus on the shoulder comfortingly before Klaus begins to pace around, "Our mother orchestrated this entire evening just to torture us, and then simply vanishes." He walked back to Cassie and looked at her, "Why?"

     Elijah looked horrified as he realised, "What if we are not the only minds she was hoping to poison tonight?"

     "Hayley." Rhea realised and called her number immediately. She picked up after a couple of rings, "Hayley, are you okay?"

     "Rhea? I'm at Lenore's shop—" The phone then cut off and they immediately rushed out of the house to go to Lenore's shop.

     "Why would she want Hayley?" Elijah asked them both.

     "To kill her? To punish us? To learn the truth about my child? For one of any number of reasons, all of which will be rendered moot when I send her screaming back to Hell." Klaus snarled.

     In Lenore's shop, Hayley and Esther were waiting for Elijah, Rhea and Klaus to arrive. "You know they'll come for me." Hayley said to her child's grandmother.

     Esther ignored what she said, "It's so lovely to finally meet you. Tell me, do my sons ever acknowledge the good you bring into their lives? After all, it was you who gave them hope."

     Hayley, not knowing if she meant 'hope' or her daughter, looked at her suspiciously while Esther smiled, "The promise of a child shows us all the possibilities of a future that could be. Children are meant to save us from the worst parts of who we are. A truth that makes my own circumstances all the more tragic, wouldn't you say?"

     Hayley rolled her eyes, "I don't pity you, Esther."

     Esther looked as though she was offended for a brief moment before shrugging it off, "It's a terrible thing, for a mother to fail her child. As you well know." She sees the starling necklace still laying over the cauldron and she picked it up so she could look at it closely while Hayley looked down at her feet with guilt, "But now, I offer you freedom. The gift of a new body. Freedom from being a hybrid."

     Hayley looked interested by her proposition, but tried to hide it as Esther continued her offer, "I have the ability to return to you all that you have lost, Hayley. To make it so that you could have a family of your own. More children of your own. Wouldn't that be nice?" She smiled.

     Rhea, Klaus and Elijah finally arrive and interrupt their conversation. When Klaus sees Hayley standing in front of Esther, he rushed toward her, "I assume you've had the misfortune of speaking to my mother?"

     Hayley nodded at him and Esther picked up a handful of an unidentified powdery substance and threw it towards Klaus, creating a magical barrier to keep him from coming any closer to her.

     "You hide behind your spells like a coward!" He snarled with annoyance.

     "I did not come here to wage war!" Esther said as she picked up another handful of the substance and threw it sideways toward Elijah and Rhea, who had just tried to run toward her from behind to catch her off-guard, preventing them from coming any closer as well.

     "Everything you do is an act of war." Elijah retorted.

     Rhea's jaw clenched as she said, "If you touch them, so help me—"

     "Hayley is free to go." Esther interrupted her, "I've spoken my piece, she knows why I'm here—I suggest she shares it with you also." She said before looking at her sons, "I've come to heal our family."

     "Well, that's a grand sentiment, coming from you." He snarled at her before he turned back to Rhea, "Take Hayley and go. Now."

     Rhea nodded and grabbed onto Hayley's wrist, the two of them turning to leave when Esther threateningly exploded a light bulb with magic near them, "My intent was never to harm! Only to heal, as I have already healed your brothers Finn and Kol. For you, I will undo everything that has been done, thereby giving you a new life!" Another light bulb explodes overhead, and Esther stared intensely at her two sons, "One without the vampire curse I inflicted upon you." Esther started waving her hand above a cauldron, and the earth begins to shake, rattling all of the inventory on the shelves of the store, "Ask Hayley to share with you my loving proposition."

     "You're a fool if you think we'll accept anything that you offer!" Klaus said angrily.

     "Oh, you are wrong, Niklaus!" Esther exclaimed as the earth continued to rumble below them as more light bulbs explode, and Esther held her arms open wide, "There will come a time, my darlings, that you will beg for it!"

     The glass in the windows shattered inward, and Klaus and Elijah raise their arms over their faces to shield them from the broken glass as Elijah ran to cover Rhea with his body against the glass. Esther lifted her arms over her head as hundreds of starlings burst their way through the windows and descend upon the store.

     And with that, Esther disappeared.

     "She wants to put us all in witches' bodies?" Rhea asked Hayley as they entered the courtyard, processing all that they've learned that evening from Esther.

     Hayley nodded, "She said if we were, it'd give us the chance to bring another baby into the world."

     Rhea scoffed, "I really hope that wasn't wasn't her only selling point." She turned her nose up at the idea, "Because I'm not buying it at all." She liked her body, and she liked everything about herself—including her immortality and her inability to have children. She had accepted all of that a long time ago.

     "Besides the offer of rebirth, what else did she say?" Elijah asked Hayley.

     Hayley shrugged, "I don't know. She rambled a lot. She blamed the two of you for what happened to Hope, to Rhea, and to me..."

     Klaus was instantly appalled by this response and stopped his pacing so he can stare Hayley in the eyes, "Well, I hope you're not thinking of taking her offer?" Hayley, looking guilty, couldn't bring herself to look at either of them, "HAYLEY! I'm talking to you!"

     Finally, overwhelmed and feeling defensive, Hayley stood to her feet and stared Klaus in the eyes, "What do you want me to say, Klaus? I lost my daughter. So, yeah, when your mother offers to wipe the slate clean, excuse me if I'm tempted."

     "But, you haven't lost Hope." Rhea reminded her, "Hope is still alive and you will be reunited with her."

     "Will I?" Hayley retorted, "Because until then, what else do I have?"