Red Queen ▻ The Originals [1]

28

FRENCH QUARTER, 1919

Two men entered the courtyard and joined Elijah, Ophelia, and a police officer, who were seated at a table together, "Gentlemen," Ophelia greeted the men as she stood up from his seat, "Make yourselves at home. Mayor O'Connell appears to be running late, but there's much to discuss, so I shall begin."

The two men weirdly looked at Ophelia for a moment before taking a seat, "One moment, please, Ophelia," Klaus suddenly spoke up as he made his way down the stairs, "You know how much I enjoy these illicit, little gatherings."

"Do not be troubled," Elijah assured the two men, "Despite my brother's reputation, I can assure you, we've invited you here to broker in peace. You have my word."

"And, lucky for you, my brother always keeps his word," Klaus grinned before pointing at both men, "You two are from the Guerrera crime family, a brutish pack of thieves and killers. And that's nothing compared to what you become on a full moon, is it?"

"Yes, yes, yes," Ophelia spoke up as she used her hand to push Klaus back in warning, "Of course, a bite from your kind would not be lethal to neither an Original nor I since I am one of your kind. A conflict between us would not end well for you at all." She explained to him before gesturing her hand toward Elijah, waiting for him to finish.

"Let's state our proposal here. My brother, Ophelia, and I control the ports of the city, but with Prohibition soon to be the law of the land, there'll be a certain uptick in the kind of federal presence we prefer to avoid. Therefore, We'd like to suggest a system whereby--under our supervision, of course, the Guerrera family can traffic alcohol into the city of New Orleans for a profit. We would still be in charge, but our rule would remain a secret." Elijah explained.

Ophelia frowned when she felt the presence of another witch. She turned her head to see Papa Tunde walking into the room with his sons following behind him, "This all sounds very good, but tell me, how will it benefit the witches?" Papa Tunde asked curiously.

"I am sorry. This is a private meeting." Elijah told him as he stood up from his chair.

"Yes, for kings..." Papa Tunde paused as he gestured to Ophelia, "And queen of the city. But I, too, am a king, and I have rules." He informed them.

"I'm impressed. You're either quite ambitious or quite mad," Klaus commented, "What's your name, mate?"

"I am Alphonse Bellatunde Delgado," He introduced himself to the group, "Papa Tunde to my followers, and I come to ask that the witches be granted fair tribute for allowing your existence in our city."

"Are you suggesting that you speak for the French Quarter witches?" Ophelia asked curiously, not remembering ever being informed of it.

"I do now," Papa Tunde replied with a smile on his face, "And I expect our future negotiations to go very smoothly. As a guarantee, I brought a gift. I await our next gathering."

His twins placed a medium-sized leather case onto their table before they left with Papa Tunde. Everyone else gathered around and watched as Ophelia cautiously lifted the lid on the case. Inside was the severed head of Mayor O'Connell, whose forehead had a magical symbol carved into it, causing Ophelia to quietly gasp as she covered her mouth with her hand.

Klaus wrapped an arm around Ophelia's waist, protectively pulling her closer to him as he stared down at the head alongside her. After a moment, they both looked up at each other, "Well, I suppose we'll need a new mayor." He commented.