VENGEFUL QUEEN • N. MIKAELSON [3]

Chapter 3

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His talk with Elijah darkened his mood drastically, Klaus decided to go straight to the source, Marcel. Confrontation with Marcel didn't exactly go as planned, so he walked it off.

Out in the street he navigated through crowds of people. He stopped to see a band of musicians, then noticed a man painting a large canvas. He noticed the bartender from earlier standing and watching the man paint, too, and approached her. She noticed him once he's standing next to her.

"The hundred dollar guy." the bartender greeted.

"The brave bartender." Klaus greeted back. He looked at her name tag. "Camille. That's a French name."

"It's a grandma's name. Call me Cami." She smiled. "Amazing, isn't he?" she said nodding her head to the painter in front of them. They observed the painter once more.

"Do you paint?" Klaus asked.

"No, but I admire. Every artist has a story, you know."

"And what do you suppose his story is?"

Cami thought for a moment. "He's...angry. Dark. Doesn't feel safe and doesn't know what to do about it. He wishes he could control his demons instead of having his demons control him. He's lost. Alone." Cami answered, unknowingly describing Klaus as she did so. Her words hit right home. Klaus' eyes were glistening. He teared his eyes away from the painter, smiling ruefully to himself.

"Or maybe he just drank too much tonight. Sorry. Overzealous Psych major." Cami chuckled turning to Klaus.

"No. I think you were probably right the first time." Klaus shook his head and smiled. Cami smiled back at him, then glanced back at the painting.

"So, do you—" She looked round but Klaus was gone "--paint?"

Klaus walked down a deserted street and sat down on a bench. A bench he told Machae was his favourite place to think. His mind went back to the woman he undeniably missed. After a minute, Elijah arrived and sat beside him.

"Are you here to give me another pep talk on the joys of fatherhood?"

"I've said all I needed to say." Elijah simply said.

"I forgot how much I liked this town." Klaus mumbled, his eyes looking around the street they were in.

"I didn't forget. All the centuries we've spent together, and yet I can count on one hand the number of times that our family has been truly happy. I hated leaving here." Elijah told him.

"As did I."

Elijah looked at his brother who was deep in thought. "What is on your mind, brother?"

"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." He said angrily.