◤ 𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 𝖊𝖑𝖊𝖛𝖊𝖓: ❛ merciless
beings ❜ ◢

✧

MORE THAN A DECADE HAD PASSED SINCE SHE HAD LAST SEEN THE MIKAELSON FAMILY. For over ten years, she had run all throughout Europe, making sure to be quiet, to never stay anywhere for too long, and to protect Magnus and herself from the family she had robbed.

Elijah had only guaranteed their leave, but he did not guarantee their lives, so Marisol did everything in her power to keep herself and Magnus alive and thriving. He was a charming teenager now, courting a young woman named Lilith White who was a beauty around the small village. Marisol was happy for them, of course, though she did not know how it would turn out.

Technically, Niklaus knew nothing of Magnus' existence, unless Elijah told him. And no one in the family knew his name, only hers, unless Katerina was caught and gave up the names of not only Magnus but her entire family. For over a decade, she had thought about Katerina and wondered of her fate, but there was no way of knowing, so she tried to keep her mind off of her old friend.

She hoped that Katerina got away and was now living a good life, perhaps with Trevor and Rose, for Trevor could never truly leave his friend and Rose would never stray too far from Trevor even if she did not agree with his methods all the time. But she had no confirmation to that, and no way of finding out, so she tried not to torture herself with questions that could have no answers.

All she knew was that she and Magnus were alive, and that he was thriving while she watched carefully over him. Marisol did not mind only being his protector and having no real life of her own. She had a slice of life and it ended with their being runaways, with the man she thought loved her only truly going after her to sacrifice her. So, she never did anything for herself anymore, and instead dedicated her entire being to Magnus.

But Magnus liked this village they were staying in, he had Lilith and he had other friends. No one knew that they were supernatural, and they made sure to keep quiet about it. Although he liked it, Marisol knew that they could not stay. Or, at least, she could not. She always dreaded the day Magnus would grow up and be able to live without her, and now he was a grown man, seventeen, and Lilith's family was accepting him.

If he chose to, when the time came for her to leave, he could stay here and she would never see him again. Marisol had made a habit of never returning to the towns she left, just in case, and even if Magnus stayed, she could not do differently. If she came back, someone could follow her, and that would be the end of him and she would never forgive herself if anything happened to him.

Because technically, Magnus was not a runaway like she was. He could live a normal life while she could not, and he could stay in one town and have a family, grow old, and die with children and a wife around him. Marisol would always have to stay on the run, she could never know this free, normal life he was able to have, but she did not find herself envious of him.

Magnus had everything that Marisol wanted, and she was proud of him. Because when she was seventeen, she was already away from her home village, raising him. When she was seventeen, she had already separated from her family, and she already knew she could not have a normal life for there was a child in her arms and a beast inside her. Magnus did not have this beast, and there was no child to make him a pariah, so he was free.

Oh, Ophelia would be so proud of him. She just knew it. If only she could write to her sister, so her, and tell her of how Magnus has grown, but it had been seventeen years since she had last seen her sister, and more than that since she had last seen anyone else in her family. Because by seventeen, she had left them, and she was alone. At seventeen, it was already her and Magnus against the world.

Yet, Magnus was now exploring the concept of a family, of a normal life, and if he chose to keep it, it would mean Marisol would be truly alone with no family anymore. She would not hate Magnus if she chose to leave her, because this was his life, and he got to have everything she couldn't, but her heart would ache every night and she would weep for him. Her little nephew who wasn't so little anymore and who could said goodbye to her.

Yes, he was a beautiful man, with golden curls in his hair like Circe had, and eyes just like Ophelia's. He was everything Marisol ever wanted him to be; he was grown and he was happy. It was a beautiful sight.

The town they had been for months now adored Magnus. Not so much Marisol, for it was easy to decipher that this was her child and of course there was no ring on her finger or any other man in their house, but Marisol held her head up high to the looks she received. It was not the first time someone had looked at her this way, or had called her a scarlet woman, a whore, and she was sure it would not be the last.

She had made no mistake, she was no whore, but they did not care to hear this and she had little reason to tell him that this was not her son, but her nephew. It wasn't like anyone would believe her words at all, so what point would there be in fighting? Magnus knew the truth and Magnus loved her so she did not need anyone else to believe her.

Like she had always done for the over seventeen years since she had left her home, she started back home after a long day of work. It was much easier now since Magnus could work and brought him his own salary, which was much more than the low work that Marisol did paid. Finally, there was some money for little niceties she couldn't dream of affording years ago, but still, instead of allowing herself to keep the money, she left it to Magnus for courting Lilith.

A little necklace now, or a bracelet, even flowers, and in the future a ring. Everyone knew where the courtship would lead, and even though Marisol did not want to leave her nephew behind or believe that he would choose this chance of a normal life over her, she had to admit that he was most likely saving up for that one item.

The small place where she and Magnus lived was on the edge of the town. It was the only place available for them, and while it was quaint and not as nice as some other places they had lived, it was also not as bad as other places they had stayed. It was only the two of them, they didn't need much room, and this was fine enough for them.

She turned the knob on the door, walking into the main room, barely looking around as she turned to close the door behind her and take off her coat. It was only when she turned back around that her eyes widened, she stumbled back into the door, and she let out a gasp.

"Kol," she uttered, seeing the vampire who she had never imagined seeing again. That was a lie, she had nightmares about encountering an Original vampire again, dying by their hands, but she always imagined Elijah or Niklaus' face above her own as they ripped out her heart, not Kol.

The vampire gave her a sinister smile, his arm around Magnus' neck, keeping him in a chokehold. It was so easy for him to kill Magnus, and it wasn't like they had left on good terms either, so it was certainly a possibility. "Well, hello there, Marisol."

"How did you find me?" she uttered, her heart racing in fear. She knew that Kol could hear because he looked proud of himself, feeling more powerful because she feared him.

"Oh, you know, I came into town and, to my surprise, I heard that there was a woman named Marisol Bigora who had been living here for a few months. And, well, that certainly is not a common name, so I had to come and check out where you live, where I got to meet your lovely son," Kol smiled, easily recounting the story, "And, really, despite everything, this was the reason you didn't marry my brother?"

"Let Magnus go," Marisol pleaded with him.

Kol tutted at her, "I don't think you're in any place to be making demands. Magnus...what a lovely name. Shame, really."

"Please, Kol, don't hurt him. He has nothing to do with what happened," Marisol begged, "He's my entire life."

"I get that. You know, for Elijah, family is everything. Especially Niklaus, you know the man you betrayed? Honestly, I didn't think it was a big deal, but when Niklaus gets mad...he gets furious, and you and Katerina ignited a fire in him and I'm just trying not to get killed, so here we are," Kol concluded.

"I didn't betray Niklaus," Marisol shook her head, "I didn't help Katerina at all."

"You ran," Kol stated.

"Yes," Marisol nodded in confirmation, "Because Katerina told me about the ritual - the sacrifice. I'm not dumb, Kol, I know that Elijah was only with me because I'm a werewolf and that was needed for the ritual. Like you said, family means everything to him, so charming a young woman and luring her to death meant nothing."

Kol turned his head, "You really believe that? You expect me to believe that?"

"It's the truth," Marisol stood her ground, "So, please, let Magnus go. He did nothing, I'm the one who ran. I'm the one who Niklaus hates, I'm part of the reason the ritual didn't happen, so let him go, I'm begging you."

Kol eyed Magnus, who wasn't struggling in his arms but still looked so incredibly fearful. Kol traced his finger against Magnus' neck. "I don't know. Niklaus wants you alive so he can kill you himself, but honestly, what Niklaus doesn't know, doesn't hurt him, but I can't exactly let you both leave alive. My reputation would be damaged if word got out."

He then smiled, full teeth and no soul in his arms as he brought his hand which had once been trailing Magnus' neck to his chin, twisting until he broke the warlock's neck and Magnus slumped against him. "NO!" Marisol yelled, watching as Kol let go of his body and allowed for Magnus to fall straight to the ground.

"Be happy that it wasn't you," Kol said after a moment, watching Marisol rush to her nephew without care and cradle the dead man's head in her lap.

Through blurry eyes, Marisol looked at him. "I wish it was me," she whispered at him.

"Well, it's not like we can change that now, can we?" Kol asked sarcastically, though there was something in his eyes that Marisol couldn't quite place through all the tears she was shedding.

She heard him go to the door, but she didn't turn to look at him, her attention instead focused on her dead nephew. She didn't want to believe it; that the little boy she raised, the one with sunshine in his eyes, now had nothing in them. That he was limp against her and unmoving because he was dead.

"We could've been family, you know?" she heard Kol whisper, looking back at her.

She tensed, holding Magnus closer in her arms. "I could never be apart of family who has no mercy," she said coolly to him, not caring anymore for her own safety. He should kill her, he should've killed her instead of Magnus. It didn't matter what she said now because all he could hurt was her, and she wanted to die.

But he said nothing, and she heard the door quickly open and close, before hearing no footsteps at all, meaning he was far away from them.

She thought nothing of it, she just cried and held Magnus' lifeless body against her own.

✧

FOR THE FIRST time in seventeen years, Marisol returned home. To the village which she grew up in, to the village she saw lilies and other flowers grow in, to the village she had a happy life in. But she did not return as that happy girl, the one with a smile on her face and magic in her veins, she returned many years later with a dead body in her care and a heavy heart.

It was not her first experience with death. She had played the role of the executioner herself, but it was for the time she had seen someone she deeply cared about die. But that did not feel as though it was beginning to explain her feelings, the guilt and sorrow over the loss of her nephew, over her involvement in the matter.

But it felt necessary to return. It didn't seem fair for Ophelia not to know after she had entrusted her child to Marisol's care all those years ago. It was far in the night when she arrived and she wasn't sure if Ophelia was awake, or even what house she lived in now. Her mind was not clear, it hadn't been since Kol had appeared and killed her beloved nephew, but she brought her hand to the old necklace Nathan had once given to her, to the necklace that Ophelia had enchanted. It could only be used once, and all she had to do was hold it tightly and think of Ophelia, calling to her, and Ophelia would appear.

So, when she was far into the forest, into the clearing where it all began seventeen years ago. Into the clearing which had once been stained with blood from her victim, she held into the old pendant and beckoned for her sister to hear.

She felt tears spring into her eyes again, as she collapsed to where Magnus' body lay. She felt it was only right to bring him here, to bury him here, and to notify Ophelia.

Hesitantly, she heard footsteps behind her, and then a voice call out, "Marisol?"

Looking around, she saw a woman with her hair up, lines on her face, but the same eyes Marisol had always remembered. "Ophelia," she breathed out the name of the woman, "I'm so sorry."

She saw her sister frown, stepping closer. "What? What happened?" Ophelia asked urgently.

"I failed you, sister," Marisol said plainly, "I couldn't protect him. I thought I could, I thought I was...but I failed. My past caught up with me and I failed and I'm so sorry. Ophelia, I am so sorry."

"No," Ophelia shook her head, but she took a step forward, her eyes darting to Magnus' body. "No, you're lying, it can't be."

"I'm so sorry, but it's true," Marisol told her, "He's dead. Magnus is dead."

"My boy," Ophelia said sadly, sinking into the ground beside his body, reaching out her hand to grab his cold one. Then, her eyes turned to Marisol, flashing in anger, "You killed him."

Marisol did not deny it. "I tried to save him. It's all my fault, I know, but it had been so long...I never thought he would get hurt."

"You killed him. My boy - my Magnus - is dead because of you," Ophelia declared angrily. Marisol nodded, tearing up again. Magnus was dead, her Magnus. This might be Ophelia's son, but she raised him. She had the memories, she was the one who knew him and who would mourn him forever. Magnus was apart of her life; Magnus was her life.

"I know, I know, I'm so sorry, sister, you have to believe me," Marisol told her earnestly.

Ophelia looked away from her. "My boy..." she whispered, "No. I can't have him dead."

And it happened all so quickly after that, the details muddying in her mind. Ophelia had brought her down to her knees with magic, and Marisol felt something burn inside her. Then, she saw Ophelia stand over Magnus' body, taking a branch to hand and drawing body, dripping it upon his body, all while chanting a spell.

She felt the world shake around her as Ophelia's chanting got louder, and then, she heard a large gasp for air from Magnus and saw his chest going up and down. She looked at her sister, asking, "What have you done?"

"Righting your wrongs," Ophelia said, "I will succeed where you have failed an ensure that Magnus never dies."

Then, as Magnus went to sit up, Ophelia took something from around her neck and brought it to his mouth, crushing it and covering his mouth for him to swallow whatever she had given him.

"No! You can't!" Marisol yelled in protest when she realized Ophelia's plan.

Ophelia smiled at her, a wicked grin that reminded her of Kol's, but where his had no soul, hers truly believed that she was doing the right thing. "I can, and I will make sure that you will pay for your failure forever as well."

She watched as Magnus' eyes went wide to meet Ophelia's and for her to grip his chin. "It's alright, sweetie, I will make sure you can never get hurt again," she whispered affectionately, and then in the same move as Kol, snapped his neck and Marisol, for the second time in a week, watched as her nephew died.

Same as last time, she cried out in protest, in denial of what was happening, and watching to reach forward to his body but found that she couldn't. That Ophelia's magic was binding her to the ground and away from Magnus.

Then, her sister stalked towards her, holding her face almost caring in her hands. "Dear sister, my Marisol, I curse you to live as long as the one who truly holds your heart. That way, you can know my pain of seeing the love of your life be dead before you, but the mercy I cannot have to die after them."

She felt herself burn, and blood drip from her nose, and then the world went black. The last thing she saw was the mercy gracing her sister's features as Ophelia leaned down to kiss her forehead.

authors note.
hi did i kill off magnus, the littlest boy ever, twice this chapter? yes, yes i did. but he is still alive so there you go.

if you want an explanation basically ophelia did a spell to bring magnus back to life and then she took a vile of vampire blood she had around her neck and crushed it into his mouth before snapping his neck again. so in the second act, which won't feature magnus much sadly (at least i don't think right now), magnus will be a vampire. and now we know how marisol got cursed and how she's lived five hundred years and can be in the originals!!! i'm so excited for act two!!