WAR OF HEARTS ↠ KOL MIKAELSON [UNDER EDITING]

1:03

[ THE RISE: CHAPTER THREE ]

CADIZ, SPAIN, 1702

Rhea sighed as she glanced around the blood-soaked cottage. Bodies lay scattered across the floor, a gruesome testament to Kol's impulsive nature. She knew she had to clean up quickly before Niklaus and Elijah arrived. The last thing she wanted was for them to see this and deal with Kol.

"KOL!" Klaus's enraged voice thundered through the cottage. Rhea jumped, her heart racing as Klaus and Elijah entered, their disgust obvious as they took in the scene.

Elijah sighed, scanning the room. "All my efforts to keep us concealed, yet debauchery like this leads Father straight to us," he said, and Rhea's eyes widened in fear. Mikael had found them.

"Please, don't," Rhea begged, sensing what Klaus was about to do. Elijah offered her a look of sympathy, but Klaus didn't even glance in her direction. His mind was already set, and she knew it would break her heart.

"Kol! Show yourself! This is no time for games!" Klaus shouted. After a moment, Kol sauntered into the cottage, still feeding on a terrified woman. He dropped her lifeless body without a second thought, blood smearing his lips.

Kol grinned, raising his arms theatrically. "Come, come, brother. It's always time for games!" He moved toward Rhea, planting a loving kiss on her forehead—the only sign that any humanity remained in him.

"We must leave. Mikael is nearly upon us," Elijah said gravely, but Kol merely sat, propping his feet on the table as if oblivious to the danger.

"If Mikael were here, Niklaus would already be dead," Kol countered. Rhea sighed, knowing he was only making things worse.

"Kol..." she pleaded softly. His eyes softened, but the moment was short-lived.

"I barely escaped! Father left the head of my horse on a pike in the square!" Klaus snapped, his frustration palpable.

"He killed poor Theo? What a brute! But, then, Father's always hated you most, hasn't he? Surely he'll chase you and leave me and Rhea here. Maybe I'll become mayor... and marry her," Kol said, mocking Klaus, though his words about Rhea were sincere. His gaze lingered on her, filled with hope.

"Rebekah, Ares, and Finn are already aboard the ship," Elijah cut in. "We must stay together."

Kol stood, frustrated. "Rebekah does what she's told out of fear, Finn's in no position to argue given the dagger in his heart, and as for Ares, one word from his sister, and he'll stay. But the three of us? We'll take our chances here." He moved toward Rhea, but Elijah blocked his way.

Klaus quickly stepped in from the other side, trapping Kol. His eyes widened as he realized what they were planning.

"Rhea, leave," Kol commanded, his tone urgent. But she shook her head, stepping closer to the brothers.

"Elijah, Nik, please. You don't have to do this," Rhea said, her voice trembling with emotion. Tears welled in her eyes. Kol was reckless, yes, but not with her. She knew a side of him no one else saw. The thought of losing him crushed her.

The brothers avoided her gaze, knowing how much Kol meant to her, but they couldn't allow him to continue endangering them all.

"I'm sorry, love," Klaus said softly, pulling out a dagger. "But it's for his own good." Elijah held Kol down as Klaus prepared to plunge the dagger into his heart.

"No! You couldn't have done this without Rhea here? I swear to you, one day I won't be so easily subdued. And on that day, I'll make you both suffer—for daggering me and for taking me from Rhea!" Kol shouted, fury blazing in his eyes. He turned to Rhea, mouthing the words, "I love you."

Tears streamed down her face as she mouthed back, "I love you too." Then Klaus drove the dagger into Kol's chest. Kol's anguished screams as he desiccated echoed in Rhea's mind, a sound that would haunt her forever.

Rhea fell to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably. She didn't even notice when she was carried to the ship, her body numb with grief, until Ares shook her out of her daze.

END OF FLASHBACK

Rhea and Davina were huddled in the attic, working on the spell. Mikael paced impatiently, clearly unimpressed.

"How frustrating. Novices trying to decipher a master's work," Mikael sneered.

"A master? Esther was a psychotic bitch," Rhea shot back, rolling her eyes. "Now shut up before I send you back to hell myself."

Davina groaned, "It's just a simple de-linking spell!"

"Simple?" Mikael scoffed. "You're trying to sever the link between Klaus and every vampire he's sired!"

Rhea slammed her hand down on the table, turning to face Mikael. "No, we're trying to unlink Josh and Marcel. Do you even listen, or is your hearing as ancient as you are?"

"Watch your tongue, Monroe," Mikael warned.

"Enough, both of you!" Davina snapped. "We can fix this. We have Esther's grimoire. It's just a matter of time."

Mikael offered, "Perhaps I can help—"

"Nice try," Rhea interrupted. "We're not letting you out of our control. You're staying right where you are."

As Mikael simmered in frustration, Rhea's phone buzzed. It was a text from Kaleb: "Coffee? Now-ish?"

Rhea showed Davina the message, grinning. "Good excuse to get out of here. But I'm coming along incase he isn't who he says he is."

"Paranoid much?" Rhea teased as they left, Mikael's words of vengeance ringing in their ears.

▽▲▽▲▽

Kaleb had stood Rhea up, leaving her mildly disheartened, but she pushed the thought aside as more pressing matters came to the fore. She and Davina were about to meet Marcel.

She hadn't seen Marcel in a long time and knew that revealing her presence in town was a gamble. But if Klaus was going to hear she was back, it was best to make it clear she wasn't here for tea and biscuits.

She stayed hidden until Elijah cornered Davina, questioning her about the white oak stake.

Rhea stepped out. "Davina doesn't need you, Elijah. She's done listening to your bullshit. You and your family have ruled for too long. Now, it's your turn to be afraid."

"Rhea—" Elijah started, but Rhea cut him off, nodding to Davina. "Come on, let's go."

As they walked away, Rhea heard Elijah's final words. "They've had the stake all along."

Rhea smirked. The Mikaelsons would soon learn to fear what she and Davina held.