Mikealson

King of New Orleans

[Klaus has set up a dinner table is set up in the courtyard to celebrate his return to leadership over New Orleans and his repossession of the Abbatoir compound from Marcel. The vampire army, including Marcel and his closest friends, are seated around the table, and Klaus and Hayley are seated at each end. Klaus calls for everyone's attention to give a speech by tapping his glass with his fork]

Klaus: Let us begin with a toast to our shared gift: immortality. After a thousand years, one might expect life to be less keenly felt, for its beauties and its sorrows do diminish with time. But, as vampires, we feel more deeply than humans could possibly imagine.

[Klaus gestures toward a group of waiters and waitresses to have them join them at the table, one for each guest]

Klaus: Insatiable need, exquisite pain...

[The servants slit their wrists with knives, filling the cups with blood for the vampires]

Klaus: Our victories, and our defeats.

[He looks at Marcel, who flashes back to a memory from earlier]

FLASHBACK-- THE GARDEN

[Some time before the dinner, Rebekah and Marcel have met in the Garden to discuss Klaus' recent return to power]

REBEKAH: You can't afford your wounded pride. With Klaus in control of your empire, you need to give him what he craves most: loyalty. Or, at least, the illusion of it.

MARCEL: I ambushed him, tried to bury him alive. He's not gonna trust me.

REBEKAH: He will, because he wants your allegiance. Speaking from my experience, I know that if you play the part, all is forgiven. But, if you give him any reason to doubt you, he will strike back.

[Rebekah takes Marcel's hand in her own]

REBEKAH: Make me a promise, Marcel. You will do whatever it takes to stay alive.

PRESENT DAY-- MIKAELSON COMPOUND

Klaus: [raises his glass in a toast to the others]...To my city, my home again. May the blood never cease to flow...

MARCEL: [lifts his glass] ...and the party never end!

[Marcel looks over at Diego, who has his own flashback]

FLASHBACK-- THE PIT [Diego and Marcel are discussing their new arrangement]

DIEGO: I just don't get it, man. We would've stayed with you to the end.

MARCEL: Letting you do that would have been letting you die, and you're still my people. Now, just follow my lead. Trust me, it ain't over yet.

PRESENT DAY-- MIKAELSON COMPOUND

DIEGO: [raises his glass] To New Orleans.

Klaus: [repeats] To New Orleans!

EVERYONE: New Orleans.

[Everyone at the table drinks]

Klaus: I understand that some of you may have questions regarding the recent change in leadership, and I invited you here tonight to assure you that you are not defeated. No, my intentions moving forward are to celebrate what we have. What Marcel, in fact, took and built for this true community of vampires.

DIEGO: What about her? [He points to Hayley at the far end of the table] The wolf.

Klaus: Had you'd let me finish, Diego, you would know that there is, of course, one further matter I would like to address. [He walks over to the other end of the table where Hayley sits] As many of you know, the girl is carrying my child. Consequently, I trust you will all pay her the appropriate respect. However, I understand that some of you are concerned by this vicious rumor that I intend to use the blood of our child to create hybrids. I assure you I do not.