Empty Crown ⚜ Klaus Mikaelson

20. 𝙋𝙪𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙁𝙪𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧

"Tell him he's gonna leave Mystic Falls behind and never think twice about it." Alaric's voice drifted all the way from the second floor.

Imelda heard Elena's heart race as Damon began repeating the words told to him. Her hazel eyes were dulled as she kept her chin propped on her closed fist. Her other hand rested on the kitchen table, her fingers drumming softly.

Mikael sat across from her."You do not agree with this."

He found her at the Gilbert residence, arguing with Damon and Elena to let Jeremy have a choice. Alaric had seen both sides and in the end was the one to make the last call, to his surprise.

Rather than be at his apartment, resting after nearly dying for good, this was the last thing he wanted to be doing and he wanted his children to suffer through. Mikael admired that about Alaric Saltzman, the human was clearly the perfect father for his future daughter-in-law.

"I get it and I hate that I get it." She muttered, not hiding how she felt when speaking with Mikael. Over her words she heard Jeremy snoring softly and Elena crying. It was done and there was no going back. Imelda slammed her forehead onto the kitchen table.

~~~~~

"Alright." Imelda was in the middle of the woods just as the sun had risen steadily into the sky.

Last night had sucked greatly and so to deal with the suckiness, she convinced Mikael to train her in the woods. The training? Archery. Old fashioned and not with a crossbow, despite what Alaric tried to sell as the best thing ever.

"You are tense." Mikael stood with his arms folded against his chest. "Balance your weight, bend your elbows, breathe."

"You breathe." Imelda huffed. At her words she rolled her eyes. "Don't comment on that. Balance weight, bend and breathe." She muttered, drawing back the string and peering at the tree she was aiming to hit.

The bow was steady but the string seemed to tremble, the arrow slipping up and down ever so slightly. It had been a long morning but she wasn't ready to face civilization. Skipping another school day was fine.

Avoiding telling Bonnie her boyfriend was leaving for his safety, was not fine. Imelda was momentarily glad she wasn't Elena and wouldn't want to be her when the witch found out. Imelda shook her head and repeated his words once more, actually following through with it.

"Release." Mikael commanded, watching the arrow sail past the tree. He watched her offer a sheepish grin.

"Hey, silver lining, it uh, it didn't smack the ground." She pointed to the broken arrows five feet in front of her.

"No." Mikael offered a smile. "It smacked the ground beyond your target. Retrieve the arrow if it's not damage." He watched her nod before heading off, leaving him behind.

Had it been in his original time he would never allow her to wield such a weapon, fearing her safety. Now, he felt thankful to have someone interested in the forms of weaponry he first began with; not that his children had known such things.

Mikael supposed there was a great deal his children, save for his eldest, did not know or ever bother to learn or wonder about him. In the time spent with Imelda Fell, Mikael began to wonder just how better off his family would have been if both their eldest sister and Imelda were there.

"It didn't break!" Imelda called, easily finding the arrow that was stuck in another tree. "Just, landed in the wrong tree." She grumbled as shook her head at her horrible accuracy. If she could fire a gun, why the hell was she struggling with an arrow?