FROSTBITE • mikaelson mate

prologue: snow and ash

PROLOGUE
snow and ash

Henrik Mikaelson opened his eyes.

The sky was white and small speckles of ash cascaded down onto him. It reminded him of something, but when he reached for the memory, his mind became foggy. Henrik blinked, realising it wasn't ash falling on him, it was snow.

He knew he should move, the snow fell fast and he risked being buried beneath it, but he couldn't bring himself to. Henrik didn't know where or when he was. All he knew was that minutes ago he had been dead and now he was alive.

Confusion clouded his brain as he recalled his last memory- the wolf. He flinched at the vivid picture his mind conjoined up of his last moments on earth, or at least what were supposed to be his last moments. He wanted to sit up, to look for Niklaus, who had screamed as the wolf lunged at him, but he couldn't find it in himself to move. Henrik was breathing again, and he didn't know why.

It was only when he heard a small pained cough did he move. Henrik sat up and looked around for the source of the noise. He was in a forest, the trees bare of leaves and the ground covered in a white blanket of snow. He heard the cough again and his eyes landed on a small figure rolled into a ball underneath on of the trees.

Henrik frowned and grunted as he managed to stand. He made his was over to the figure- a little girl. She was wearing only a nightgown, not suitable clothing for the current weather, and her eyes were shut. She held her knees to her chest as she shivered and Henrik bent down and gently touched her shoulder.

The girls eyes flew open and met his. It was in this moment that Henrik knew that she was special, that he needed to protect her.

She was freezing so Henrik relied on his mother's teachings and muttered a spell, hoping it would warm her. He was only just coming into his abilities as a witch and was now wishing he'd listened more to his mother's lessons. He gently lifted her into his arms and muttered the spell over and over again as she blinked up at him with adoration.

Henrik didn't know how long they spent like that but eventually the girl opened her mouth and asked, "Are you an angel?"

Henrik felt taken aback by this and replied, "My name is Henrik."

"I'm Morgana. Everyone thinks my name is Morgan but it's Morgana" She said, putting emphasis on the a.

"Hello Morgana." Henrik said with a soft smile. "Where is your home? I can take you there."

She shook her head. "Have no home. Where did you come from? I thought I was all alone."

"I'm not sure." He replied with a frown, "Why don't you have a home?"

Morgana pouted her lips in thought before cuddling into him, not answering his question.

Henrik knew he needed to take her somewhere but he didn't know where they were. He carried her through the woods for hours, muttering the spell to keep them both warm. It wasn't until Henrik reached a house that he collapsed, Morgana falling with him.

Voices sounded from around them but Henrik didn't know what they were saying. He just gripped Morgana tightly to him as darkness overcame him.