Forever Original | Alaric Saltzman

Chapter 42

Hilda stepped back uncertainly, only to collide with something.

When she whipped around, Dahlia was behind her. "No need to run, my child," she said calmly. "I simply want to say a few things."

"Whatever you say isn't going to keep me from tearing you limb from limb," Hilda snarled immediately.

Dahlia chuckled. "You have that same fire as that man who fathered you. I hear you and your twin brother... Kol, is it? Ran with witches since you were turned."

"Are we here to pretend our family is normal, and this is a casual meeting at a supermarket?" said Hilda irritably. "What do you want?"

"My dear, is talking really so wrong? Walk with me." Dahlia did not wait for her, and began to move down the street. Hilda could have easily sped away, but she was too curious. Besides, if there was a way she could subdue her... Dahlia may not be able to die, but even when Klaus had snapped Freya's neck, it took awhile for her to return.

"I wouldn't try that, if I were you," said the older witch. "I can just as easily snap yours."

Hilda made a face, and started to walk with her. She thought of the most disgusting scene she could think of— a cluster of headless bodies created by she and Kol when they were angered by some villagers. Dahlia made no comment. Had she decided not to see into Hilda's mind? Or perhaps, she couldn't actually see into her mind, and had only assumed what Hilda had been thinking.

The Original walked behind her aunt, before finally reaching her side. Dahlia kept her hands tucked in her pockets, and stared forward as though she was seeing something that Hilda could not. "You were a powerful witch," said Dahlia. "I know very well that you and your brother were prodigies. You more than him. You were born first. The second-born Mikaelson female. The middle of three sisters born to mine. Had you a proper chance to hone into that power... had you not lost it... you could have been great. But never as great as Freya or Hope. Firstborns are just a tad more powerful. I am superior to Esther. Freya is superior to you and the rest of your siblings. Hope, more so. A rare breed, that child. She needs to be trained."

"Not by you," said Hilda scathingly. "Freya and I can train her just fine."

"Neither you nor Freya will know well how to deal with a witch that powerful."

"And you will? You and I aren't too different, from what I hear, Dahlia. Not a maternal bone in our bodies."

Dahlia chuckled. "That, is a lie. A blatant lie. You know as well as I do that you possess several maternal bones. Otherwise, you would not fight to protect your niece. But you are correct in saying we are not so different. We want the best for that child, do we not? Hope will be prone to the temper that you and your two brothers exhibit more often than anyone. Why, Freya was bad enough, in her teen years. Can you imagine what that child will amount to? That rage stemming from her wolf nature. The prickling at her fingertips from all the magic coursing through her veins. Strength like no other due to her vampiric side. She will bring chaos to any place she calls home. She will have difficulty making friends. She will rise above all witches and wolves and be hated. Do you want that for her?"

"I want her to be safe and healthy," Hilda murmured. "Which won't happen if you take her. She deserves freedom, not slavery. She's an innocent child. Freya made it quite clear how you ruined her. I don't want that for my niece. It was bad enough for us with a father like Mikael. Hope must remain with us."

Dahlia raised her slender fingers, examining them as though they were more interesting than what Hilda was saying. "You and Kol were a handful for Esther," she continued, acting like she hadn't heard her. "You were both good pupils, but easily angered. My sister was not equipped to teach twins. There is a special thing, in twins. This... excess of power appears. And it often manifests, either in both twins or in one... as mental illness. From what I hear, you both suffer in that manner. This pattern does not only appear in our line. Do you understand?"