empty bottles: k.m.(under construction)

royal prisoner - chapter 34

Elijah, Astrid and Klaus congregated just outside the baby's nursery whilst Hayley held her daughter on a rocking chair next to the crib. Klaus stood with his arms folded having heard the news and was just as tense as Astrid who sat on Hayley's bed with her head in her hands.

Elijah and Hayley had chained up Genevieve in the tomb and questioned her. The witch had revealed that it was in fact Esther's decree that the baby was consecrated among her ancestors. The husband and wife were also informed of Genevieve's demise at Hayley's hands, who stabbed the same ritual knife that was going to be used for her daughter through the witches abdomen.

Astrid rubbed her face and sighed, feeling defeated. 'She'll never give up, will she?'

The hybrid looked up at Klaus, their faces now clean of blood and her expression made him break in two, 'We should have felt our mother's hand in this. We should have known she would not be bound by anything as obvious as death. And now she has control of the witches. They will never stop.'

Elijah shook his head, not able to make eye contact with anyone, 'No.'

'Nor would I expect the Guerrera wolves to back down. Hayley and the child are wolf royalty, and as such, they are a threat to Francesca's claim to the leadership.'

'I knew it. I should've done something.' Astrid regretted her choices, 'I knew Francesca wasn't to be trusted but I let her go. Marcel and I took out most of her family before, I'll do it again if it means they're safe.'

She looked up at the brothers with tears in her eyes, 'If I had taken her out before now-' she welled up, 'The baby would be s-safe.. from her at least... none of th-this would've happened'

Astrid began to cry, letting out all the guilt she felt as Klaus sat beside her, both brothers placed a comforting hand on her shoulders as Elijah gave her a brotherly hug. Hayley listened in to the conversation as Astrid cried into Elijah's shoulder. 'This was never you, sweetheart. You done everything you could' Klaus felt entirely guilty.

'They will never be safe.' he carried on before he paused for a moment and looked at Elijah, 'What was it you said to me earlier? That I have made enemies every day of my miserable life? Well, the worst of them are within these borders, brother.'

Klaus looked at Astrid as he carried on, 'I have brought into the world another weapon they can use against me.'

'Then we will arm ourselves! Brother, we have fought every adversary in this town, and we have won. And we'll fight them again, no matter who they are! We will make this home a fortress.' Elijah protested and Astrid sat up, 'She's a baby, 'Lijah.' and Klaus agreed with his wife, 'I will not have her live her life as a prisoner.'

'Then we leave here, together. All of us.'

'Wherever we go, however far we run, those who seek power and revenge will hunt us! They will hunt her. She has inherited all of our enemies with none of our defenses.'

'We're stuck. Entirely lost' Astrid shook her head in disbelief. 'So, whether we stay, or we leave-- we condemn her.' Elijah couldn't process what was happening. The three immortals looked between each other all grief stricken and broken hearted. The sun had hidden from them that day, dark clouds had arrived like a warning sign.

'There's a third option' Hayley appeared in the doorway with a sleeping baby in her arms and they all looked around. The wolf mother looked absolutely distraught, the sweat had dried into her hair and she looked sunken in. 'I grew up in a warzone. My parents thought they could protect me. But, in the end, they were slaughtered, and I spent my childhood alone and unloved.'

She looked down at her daughter with a smile, trying to hold back tears, 'I made a promise, to my baby, and to myself, that she would not grow up like I did. That she would grow up safe, and loved. And yet, here she is, on her first day in this world, with a grandmother who is bent on sacrificing her-- and a-a mother who has to drink the blood of her own baby to survive transitioning into a hybrid. And I'm the one who loves her the most.' She was crying by now, holding her daughters hand before looking up at them.