FROSTBITE • mikaelson mate

chapter six: heartache

CHAPTER SIX
heartache

Sat on the opposite sofa, I looked between the two Mikaelson brothers, waiting for them to begin their explanation. Both of them watched me intensly and it took everything not to squirm. Seeing as neither of them seemed to be in a hurry to speak, I let out an impatient sigh.

"So what exactly does it mean to be a mate?" I asked, looking down and feeling my cheeks heat.

"Mates are fated and instinctively protect and love each other," Henrik began slowly, "Mates are evenly matched and contrary to popular belief, they don't share souls, they complement each others."

"Why am I your mate?" I asked, still avoiding eye contact.

"It's not exactly known why mates exist, other than for breeding purposes," Henrik said and I felt my cheeks flush even redder, "So I'm afraid the only answer I have for you is that you are perfect for us and we for you."

"Why do I have two mates? Shouldn't I only have one?" I frowned.

"You have seven mates." Elijah corrected me and I looked up at him with wide eyes.

"SEVEN?" I said a little too loudly, unsure if I'd heard him correctly.

Elijah nodded and I tried to process this new information. I'd guessed that I possibly had more than two mates based on what Rose had said about me being the 'Original Mate' but I could never have guessed it was seven.

Seven mates seemed like way to much responsibility.

"How do you know?"

"Before I was even born, a witch propheciced that our mother would birth seven children," Elijah began and I winced slightly at the thought for giving birth to that many babies, "The witch foretold that these seven children would all share a mate that would one day save them."

The room fell into silence as my mind raced with more and more questions. It was going to take a dedicated week to get every single one of them answered. For now, I decided to go with the ones that had been nagging at me.

"Who are my mates?" I asked. Henrik hadn't told my all of his siblings names.

"Myself and Elijah, obviously," He began, "Aswell as Klaus, Finn, Kol, Rebekah and—."

"Rebekah? Your sister?" I asked, slightly taken aback. Henrik (and Elijah as of a few hours ago) were the only people I had ever been attracted to so I'd never once thought to question my sexuality.

Henrik grinned, seeming to understand where my thoughts had taken me, "Yes, our sister."

I hastened to change the subject before I accidentally revealed to Elijah that I was a virgin who read books instead of experimenting during my teenage years. Henrik, of course, already knew this.

"Trevor knew who I am to you when he kidnapped me. How could he have possibly known?"

"My brother Klaus had a witch to show him a vision of you. He used to paint you religiously. It is highly likely that Trevor had seen one of these paintings before we burnt them all." Elijah explained and I couldn't help but flinch.

"You burnt them?" I said, horrified and concerned about their reasons for doing so.

"Word had gotten out about Klaus having a mate and our enemies sought to hunt you down. We burnt them to protect you." Elijah said and I relaxed, happy that they hadn't hated me for some unknown reason.

"Where is Klaus?" I asked, my heart already aching to meet the man that had painted me before he even knew me. Elijah and Henrik exchange a look and worry corsed through me. "What is it?"

"Klaus is in the States but it is imperative that we avoid him." Elijah said sternly and I felt my heart crack slightly, "He has become a volatile and possessive man. I don't trust him not to take you away from us."

"What about my other mates?" I asked tentatively.

"Rebekah, Kol and Finn are currently... indesposed." Elijah said, and for the first time I watched him struggle to find the words.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked coldly.

"They angered Klaus long ago so he daggered them and dumped their coffins in the ocean." He said and I inhaled sharply as tears began to flood my eyes.

"They're dead?" I whispered, my heart breaking.

"No, that was a poor choice of wording," Elijah confirmed and I felt a weight lift off my chest. "As we are Originals, the daggers simply put us in a state of unconsciousness until it is removed."

"So can we find them an undagger them?" I asked hopefully.

Elijah and Henrik exchange another look.

"I have searched for them for decades and have so far been unsuccessful. The ocean is a vast place and Klaus has hidden them well. I fear I may never find them." The vampire said mournfully.

I couldn't describe the unbearable feeling that rooted in my chest at that news.

"You said I had seven mates, what about the other one?" I asked almost desperately and Henrik lay a hand on my knee.

"Freya unfortunately passed away when she was a child" He revealed slowly and suddenly I felt angry. Henrik was alive again. Why not Freya?

"Henrik was resurrected. Why wasn't Freya?" I asked them accusingly.

"The day that you were dying from frostbite," The vampire began and I shot Henrik a look for telling Elijah about it before asking me, "None of us were in a position to save you and fate knew it wasn't you're time, so it brought back Henrik to save you. I'm not sure why it chose Henrik and not Freya."

I bit my lip. All of this was becoming too much for me to take.

"Excuse me," I muttered before running out of the room.

Originally published: January 10th 2023