Forever Original | Alaric Saltzman

Chapter 34

Truth be told, Klaus was terrified at the prospect of waking Hilda up.

"Klaus, seriously?" snapped Hayley. "You already confined me to the Compound and now you won't do the one simple thing I asked of you?"

Klaus held up his finger. "Do not chastise me for this! You are confined here because a queen does not run. Must I remind you that you are getting married tonight? Camille and Elijah are already on the way with Hope."

"Okay, fine, I get it, but I asked you to wake her up. It's been a month and a half, Rebekah already did a spell to ease her mind— I want her to be at the wedding! Is that so wrong of me? I like your sisters. And Rebekah already said she can't be there because she's helping someone out with something and I just want someone there. Please."

The Original hybrid growled and rubbed his face. "She'll bloody murder me," he sneered lowly. "She'll do it right in front of everyone, ruining your ceremony."

Hayley scoffed. "And whose fault is that? You daggered her! Rebekah had no right to eavesdrop on a private conversation she had with Alaric."

"Rebekah had every right to listen in!" he snapped. "You do not know our family all that well, Hayley. You think Hilda is a proper angel for raising our daughter but she and Kol are the worst of the lot— they switch around and stab others in the back as long as it won't inconvenience them."

"Shut up!" Hayley growled, her eyes flashing amber. "Hear me out! No, I don't know the twins the way you do, but if there's one thing I'm certain of, it's the fact that Hilda is changing. She spent months protecting our daughter and she didn't like kids when she started that out. Now, she's sweet and gentle with her. You and your sister clearly don't get along very well but you know what, Klaus? She's here. Granted, daggered in the dungeons below, but she's in New Orleans. You and I both know she would rather be in Mystic Falls. She pushed aside her own happiness for you and for Hope, again. Do you not see the look on her face every time she's around us? She wants to feel resentful but the guilt of that eats her alive."

"Did you not see how Kol reacted when he found out she was daggered?" Klaus exclaimed. "He pulled a bloody 'prank' and Rebekah ended up in the body of some witch in an asylum! We've got enough problems with our other sister roaming around with Finn."

"Do you blame him? You daggered his twin. They got to see each other once before she went to another state to protect Hope. Does that mean nothing to you? I didn't see her right after she lost him but she lost a part of herself that day. And it was just coming back now that he returned and you went and took Kol's favorite sister away from him. Then, you left him to die with hungry vampires who were trapped in here. What would have happened if they would have killed him and she woke up to find him dead? Obviously, he retaliated by taking your favorite sister from you. I would have done the exact same thing!"

Klaus made to retort, but Hayley held her hand up. "Speaking of that, I am so sick of you calling 'favorites.' They're all your siblings and don't you realize how hurt Hilda feels when you continuously remind her that she's not your favorite anything? She sacrificed a life with someone she liked for you. Someone she doesn't even trust. She was just opening up. She told me about what almost happened to her. She's been traumatized for centuries and you haven't helped her one bit. And just when she's getting back in her comfort zone, you ruin it."

Klaus turned away from her. "Fine," he murmured lowly. "You go wake her. If she catches sight of me too soon, she'll leave that white dress of yours covered in my blood."

Hayley was more than happy to trot downstairs and find the coffin where Hilda lay, in a state of desiccation. She opened the lid and removed the dagger, reaching into the cooler behind her for a blood bag. She opened it and pressed it against Hilda's lips.