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Blood trickled down her features, dripping into her eyes and eclipsing her vision with a red landscape. Her trembling fingers reached for the stakes in Marcel's hands, darting away with a hiss when the vervain coated stake burned her fingers.
Astrid could barely hear the audience's hysterical laughter now, instead the rattle of her uneven breaths as the two wooden stakes remained impaled within her.
One had been shoved through her chest, barely missing her heart- she could feel the splinters scratching and prodding the major organ, whilst the other was partly buried above her ear.
Niklaus, in a red rage, had managed to fling Mikael off the balcony and across the theatre before he'd managed to completely impale the stake.
Her fingers were trembling, features pale from blood loss as she swayed on her feet. She could here Mikael mocking Niklaus as he was thrown onto stage besides her, Mikael following.
Swiftly standing, Niklaus glanced desperately at Astrid, she was injured. Her beautiful honey blonde hair was stained red and matted with dried blood.
The wounds were attempting to heal around the stakes to no avail.
"Baby, it's okay." Astrid whispered hoarsely as she reached to gently stroke Marcel's cheeks.
He was unconscious, pinned to a wooden cross with stakes soaked in vervain in his hands.
As she clenched her teeth, Astrid began pulling the stakes from Marcel's hands, crying in agony as the vervain burned and scolded her hands.
"Mama will help you... I promise."
Her trembling fingers struggled to grasp the slippery wood, pain radiating through her before she was suddenly thrown against the stage backdrop.
She landed on the floor with a thud, head spinning as she heard Niklaus cry out.
At the sound of her husband's distress, Astrid somehow managed to will herself to crane her neck, fearing the worst. She was terrified she'd find Mikael stood above Nik, plunging the white oak stake into his chest.
It seemed Nik had tried to finish what she'd began, almost freeing one of Marcel's hands before Mikael slammed it back in.
Astrid's eyes watered as she tried to rise, only to find herself paralysed, weak from blood loss, weak from fear.
The evidently compelled audience were gleefully laughing and applauding, as if they were watching the drollest of comedies. It was sickening.
She could feel her eyes rolling back as a head of blonde darted across the stage, only for Mikael to spin around, pushing a stake through Rebekah's stomach.
Rebekah whimpered; wide, glassy eyes focused on Marcel as Klaus once again tried to attack Marcel.
Mikael may have been several hours older than Nik, but her husband was furious. "She's a fine creature, your wife." Mikael taunted.
