Glass Slippers and Wicked Sisters

Diamonds and Dancing

(Elsewhere in the kingdom...)

Candles flickered, casting light in the windows of the huts lining the road. Tiny shrubs grew along the walls while flowering vines creeped along the outside of the houses, their purple and blue buds in full bloom. The coven of witches belonging to the village made their homes outside the Bennett manor.

Even after the death of Abigail and Kol's charm convincing them it was Bonnie who pulled the fatal trigger, some of the women still had a mistrust of the vampire who currently ruled over them. Genevieve, one of the leaders, had faithfully followed Abigail and the rest of the Bennett family up to Sheila, Abigail's mother.

Unfortunately an accident occurred, causing Sheila's disappearance before her granddaughter was born. Abigail and her husband searched everywhere for the missing woman but she was never found. Some have speculated Sheila was using magic that made her disappear, a new spell gone horribly wrong or so they thought.

The entire coven mourned her, even erecting a statue of her likeness in the manor gardens. Although, whenever Genevieve or another leader were summoned to meet with Kol, they noticed the gardens, once full of life and much larger, were now considerably smaller with almost nothing growing there except for purple roses. The flowers covered the statue, their spiky vines creeping everywhere.

Genevieve knew in that moment, her trust with this vampire and his family was as a fraying knot. It would be no time at all until it broke entirely. However, to save from being tortured or slaughtered by his werewolf soldiers, she'd keep certain things in Kol's favor.

Certain things she would not.

It was on that particular day he visited her, along with his second-in-command. Jackson, was it? Genevieve never bothered to remember any names as long as they left her and her people in peace. The witch had been washing some dishes when she heard horses outside along with the fearful murmurs emitting from the townspeople.

An annoyed sigh escaped her lips while she put the rag and plate down in the washbowl. What was it this time?

Genevieve hoped there was a good reason for the vampire to show up unannounced. From the neighing she heard, it sounded like he'd brought a few more soldiers than usual, which was never a good sign.

Opening the door, she was met with a large black stallion standing in front of her dwelling, snorting and pawing the ground. Kol was atop the horse dressed in black riding gear complete with a cape draped around his shoulders, a silver Gaelic-styled "M" pinning the two ends together just below his neck.

A black wide-brimmed hat with a silver plume sticking out and black gloves completed the look.

Jackson, riding his chestnut horse along with ten soldiers with their horses and supplies, accompanied him. They were positioned further back from the young vampire. The looks the werewolves were giving the witches who stood outside made Genevieve uneasy, her eyes flickering from them to rest on the cold brown ones that were at the moment appearing sincere.

She knew Kol was up to something.
What it was, she'd hope to find out.

Taking off his hat and bowing his head politely, Kol lifted his face as he wore a smile, making eye contact with the witch before him. He observed the nod of Genevieve's head as she curtseyed and looked him in the eye as well. Kol was first to break his stare by dismounting and walking over to her, stopping so he was face to face.