Enigmatic Returns: A Klaus Mikaelson Love Story {2}

Chapter 13: A King Without an Heir

~Elijah POV~

"Niklaus is doing a trick that I can only assume he learnt from Fiore, running away from any chance of happiness" Elijah told his sister Rebekah over the phone as he relayed to her what had transpired.

"And so what? That child if it even is his will be much better off without him" Rebekah said in exasperation.

"He is not better off without that child, he needs it. We need it." Elijah said confidently. "We just lost the last person that cared about us all, the last person that he really cared about"

"And you think Fiore would approve of this illegitimate child of his?"

"Fiore is gone Rebekah" Elijah said thinking sadly about his mistake.

"Elijah" Rebekah started. "Silas is yet to have made his move. Fiore is not dead"

"Not even Niklaus wants that to be true more than I, but Fiore would not have asked for my assistance if her death was not imminent."

"Oh darling kind Elijah" Rebekah sighed. "Niklaus has only ever brought us pain. At what point in your immortal life will you stop looking for his redemption?"

"When I believe there is none left to find. I owe him that much. I owe her even more."

~Klaus POV~

"Hey, where'd you run off to?" Marcel greeted when I came back into his courtyard, but thanks to Elijah I was in no mood for his jubilations. When I didn't answer he spoke again, clearly a quick learner. "You're in a mood, tell me how can I help?"

"You can help by telling me what it is you have over the witches"

"So we're back to that again?"

"I guess we are" I said shrugging my shoulders.

"Sorry Klaus" he said shaking his head. "I owe you and her everything I got, but I can't give you this one. It's my business. I control the witches in my town. Let's— "

"Did you say your town?" I said cutting him off. "Because when I left this town, you were a pathetic little scrapper still trembling in fear of the lashes of the whips of those that would keep you down. Now look of you, master of the domain, prince of the city. How?"

"Are you jealous?" he asked laughing. "I get it, three hundred years ago you helped build this backwater colony into something. You started it but then you ran, I'm the one that saw it through. Vampires rule this city, the locals know their place, I got rid of the werewolves, I know how to keep the witches in line. You wanna stay in town, pass on through, great. What's mine is yours, but it is mine. It's my home, it's my family and it's my rules."

"They die. Mercy is for the weak, another lesson you taught me. And I'm not prince of the quarter, I'M THE KING! Show me some respect. You know, she always knew exactly what to say to take you down a peg. I can do the same."

"Oh really now?" I said laughing at him. I casually walked over to one of his men and bit him. "Your friend will be dead by the weekend. Does that mean I've broken one of your precious rules? Oh dear, yet I can't be killed as unlike you I am immortal. And here I thought you could take me down a peg" I threw down his friend, his blood still dripping from my mouth. I wiped it off and smiled at the crowd that had now gathered around us. I walked onto the street, pushing random people out of my way until I came across the bartender.

"I guess you were brave." I looked at her name tag and read it out aloud. "Camille. That's a French name."

"it's a name for grandmas, please, call me Cami." She said looking at the painter in front of us.

"Do you paint?" I asked her.

"No, but I can admire. They all have a story."

"What's his?"

"He's... angry." She said staring at him intently. "he doesn't feel safe and he feels helpless because of it. He wishes he could control his demons, but they control him. He's lost. He's... alone."

"I have a friend; she'd like you very much." I said smiling sadly at her. "She's quite partial to blondes."

"You have a friend?" She sniggered.

"You sound surprised"

"Sorry it's just that you don't seem like the type of person to have friends. This friend of yours, can I meet her?"

"You'd have to find her first" I said grimacing. "On second thought, maybe you wouldn't get along as I had hoped. She prefers her blondes damaged"

I left her and walked back to the deserted street where I had seen Elijah before. I sat down on the bench and looked at the lamppost beside me.

"Here to give me another talk on the joys of fatherhood?" I asked my brother as he sat down beside me.

"No" he said shaking his head.

"I forgot how much I liked this town. How much she liked this town." I said chuckling sadly.

"I didn't" he said smiling. "The time we spent here, this was the time when our family was truly happy. But that's not what's on your mind."

"For a thousand years, I lived in fear. Any time I settled anywhere, our father would hunt me down and... chase me off. He made me feel powerless, and I hated it. This town was my home once, and in my absence, Marcel has gotten everything that I ever wanted. Power, loyalty, family. I made him in my image and he has bettered me. I want what he has. I want to be king. It would've been bearable if Fiore were here with me. She was the last person I had to my name and now—" I sighed and left my sentence unfinished and started again. "I want this to be a home for her. I want her to return and live as the queen she was always destined to be"

"What of Hayley and the baby?" He asked with an eyebrow raised.

"I didn't give her enough credit. She is kind and forgiving and loving. She would love that child as if it were her own. Besides what is a king without an heir?" I said smiling up at him.

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"I have followed your orders. I healed his friend." I told Elijah as I walked into our former home.

"Good." He said smiling at me. "I learnt that in addition to the secret weapon he uses to control the witches, Marcel has assembled a small army of vampires. Working together, we can destroy them from the inside."

"I like it, I like it. Find his weakness and take him down from the inside." I walked towards him, smiling back, if only he knew what I was about to do. "But the thing is Elijah, thanks to that plan of yours, I realised that I also have a massive vulnerability that Marcel can exploit."

"Which is?

"You" I pushed the dagger into Elijah's chest and he groaned in pain. "Forgive me, my brother. There is no power in love. Mercy makes you weak. Family makes you weak. The loss of Fiore has taught me that much. If I am going to win this war, I have to do it alone."

A/N: I hope you enjoyed reading it! Please don't forget to comment, vote and follow me! X