We'll Go Down In History

Chapter 41

Lizzie's pov 

"Kill my wife, and I swear to you," Klaus snarls, "You will never know a moment of peace in your life ever again. Every waking second will be filled with new horrors and excruciating agony that will set your mind on-"

"I have already spent the past fourteen years in unimaginable pain, Niklaus!" Elijah yells. "Because unlike you, our sister's death meant something to me!"

 His voice cracks, and Hayley chooses this moment to make an attempt at an escape.

"Let go of me, you crazy son of a bitch!" she screams. "You think you can try to hurt my daughter and get away with it?"

She uses all of her strength to try and pull away, but fails in doing so.

"What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean?" Klaus says to Elijah. "You don't think Rebekah's death utterly destroyed me? Especially knowing that it was my fault-" Klaus chokes up on his own words.

"I loved Rebekah. Despite everything I did to her, despite the fact that I never deserved her, she always remained by my side!" Klaus says. "Out of the three of us, only she stuck to the vow of always and forever, till the very end. Her death caused me more pain than anything I had ever felt in my entire life before- And I refuse to let you inflict that kind of pain on me again!" he roars, charging towards Elijah and holding him off so that Hayley can try to escape once more.

Hayley's wrist breaks with a sickening crunch, but Elijah has lost his grip on her, now. She stumbles to the side, where Freya catches her.

Elijah punches Klaus across the face so hard that the hybrid goes flying across half the length of the courtyard.

"I know it was my fault, Elijah! I've always known that, and I've spent every second of my life since her death to try and live up to the sacrifice that she made for us!" Klaus shouts, using his werewolf strength to leap off the ground and land behind Elijah.

Elijah whirls around on the spot, and the two brothers begin to fight. Each of their attacks are precisely measured and calculated. They know each other so well that they both anticipate the other's move before it even happens.

"Unlike you, I have accepted the fact I could have saved her. I should have been the one to die instead of her, and I have put myself through so much mental torture in more ways that you will ever know- but you?" Klaus laughs. "Even after all this time, you still wear the noble mask over your face to hide the monster within. You have somehow completely erased from your mind, the fact that you were responsible for her death as well!"

"You left us, all because I refused to stop chasing after your precious Katerina," Klaus breathes. 

"But I'll admit, I now understand why you held onto her so dearly. After one thousand years, she was the only one out of your long list of lovers to have not been killed because of you. She was your last chance at redemption, to prove to yourself that not everyone who dares to care for Elijah Mikaelson ends up in a ditch somewhere. Saving her would mean saving yourself."

He pauses for a moment, then shrugs. "Then again, perhaps I'm just overthinking things. Maybe it's just the fact that Katherine is actually quite a fun person to be around."

At these words, Katherine Pierce comes sauntering out of the Abattoir. From the way she walks, I can't help but wonder if she's drunk.

Elijah stares at Katherine. "What is this?" he murmurs.

"Two hundred members of the Strix have gathered at the borders of my city. Order them to leave," Klaus demands.

"Or what?" Elijah asks. "You have just killed off the only leverage you had against me," he says, nodding towards Aya's body.

"The only leverage? So you mean to say that Katherine's life means nothing to you anymore? Me threatening to kill her won't affect your choices in the slightest?" Klaus says skeptically, placing an arm around Katherine's shoulder when she walks up to him.

"What sort of idiot do you take me for, Niklaus? Do you honestly expect me to believe you kept Katerina alive all this time? To believe that you let the woman who would give anything to see you suffer, reside in the same home as your daughter?" Elijah laughs. "I don't know what kind of sorcery is at play here, but all I know is that Katerina Petrova is gone. She has been dead for a long time, now."

Klaus growls in frustration. He shoves Katherine aside, and marches towards his brother.

"You've been defeated, Elijah! Your forces can't enter New Orleans, meaning you're all alone here. In respect to Rebekah's name, I am offering you one last chance of peace. Take your vampires and witches, and travel all the way to the far side of the world. Make sure I don't hear even a whisper of your presence ever again for the rest of our immortal lives, and I will allow you to all leave without letting a massacre occur."

"How polite of you to offer me such a choice," Elijah says. "But I don't think I'll be going anywhere, Niklaus."

He sits himself down at the edge of the fountain in the middle of the courtyard.

"You see, I have some precious cargo coming in from Italy. And with this 'cargo', all two hundred and twenty eight of my forces will be able to walk into New Orleans without being affected by any of the defensive spells you've had your witches put up," Elijah speaks.

"You didn't really think I came here without having a backup plan, did you? You were the one who taught me, after all, that one must always have a Plan B at the ready," he adds.

"I don't care if you have a million other plans ready to be set into motion, Elijah. The barrier spells are fueled by the ancestral magic running within New Orleans's soil. The enchantments have been linked to the French Quarter witches. Not even the most powerful witch in the history of the world could dream of penetrating the barriers that surround my city," Klaus says.

Elijah smiles. "Who said anything about 'penetrating' it, Niklaus?"

A thundering sound is heard, and for a split second, I wonder if it's actually the weather that's making this noise.

But then I turn my head towards the Compound's gates. In the distance, a huge crowd is marching towards us. Glinting weapons are visible under the moon's rays, and even from here, I can feel the ancient power that this group of supernaturals holds.

"What is that?" Klaus murmurs.

"That," Elijah says, "Would be Plan B."