Bring Me To Life | The Originals (1)

Dance Back From The Grave

The distant sound of chattering could be heard coming from the courtyard of the Abattoir as a group of vampires gathered together awaiting the arrival of their newfound King. The atmosphere was dampened, muted from the normal boisterous commotion that filled the compound and everyone could feel the sadness in the air from the loss of Davina.

The pain radiating from their former king, their friend was evident as he slowly ambled down the stairs to the ground floor, a bottle of bourbon dangling from his hand and a blank expression on his face. There was an aura surrounding Marcel that couldn't be denied. There was a weight on his shoulders, a burden of grief that hadn't been there before Davina's death.

Diego looked up from the conversation he was having when he heard footsteps descending the stairs and immediately stood up at the sight of Marcel, a small amount of relief fuelling him as he approached the other vampire. "Hey, Marcel, maybe you know what's going on. Klaus ordered us to meet here, and now he's a no-show."

"What do you want from me? It's a new regime. Get used to it." Marcel replied shortly, his voice hoarse with anguish as he slumped down into one of the vacant seats at an empty table and Diego shook his head slightly in dissatisfaction as he looked away from the distraught former king. It was unnerving to see Marcel, the man that every vampire in the French Quarter looked to for guidance and hope for a brighter future, looking so dejected.

"Dearest brethren, your attention, please." Klaus' accented voice reverberated throughout the courtyard, causing everyone to look over at the large entrance in slight annoyance. The hybrid stood with a pompous smirk on his lips, his hands clasped behind his back and next to him stood a familiar face that made the vampires pause. "No doubt, you're all surprised to see Thierry Vanchure, who's supposed to be rotting in the Garden for the crime of killing one of our own, and I personally decided to issue him with a pardon. I hope you'll all welcome home Thierry."

A joyous cheer erupted from the crowd of gathered vampires, all of them shock but pleased by the turn of events and Thierry grinned widely as Diego strolled forward to embrace him in a brotherly hug. "Welcome home, man."

Marcel ignored the guilty churn of his stomach as he turned his gaze away from the uniting pair, feeling responsible for leaving Thierry in the garden for so long after learning the truth from Klaus. It infuriated him how easily he fell for the hybrids manipulation, how he was manoeuvred like a chess piece by the sociopath who raised him. It irritated him how Klaus was smiling like an idiot next to him while he was sinking further into the darkness. "You're in a good mood. You should visit Mystic Falls more often."

"Well, as much as I might like to, I have pressing responsibilities here." Klaus replied with a wide grin on his lips, his mind going back to a forest in West Virginia and a beautiful blonde that made his pulse race with just one smile. It was a precious moment, one that he would hold on to, but it was only a moment and he had important things that needed his attention in the French Quarter.

A blank mask fell over his expression as he straightened his shoulders, creating a façade of emotionless and turned around to address the assembled crowd of vampires as he held his chin up high. "Now, as you all know, the witch Davina is no longer with us. Without Davina, we can no longer monitor the activity of our witch neighbours. However, since their Harvest failed, their magic will soon be gone forever. Until then, I say we keep them on their toes. Diego, I wonder if you might lead a rousting in the cauldron."

Diego grinned widely at the veiled order as he immediately set off to the side of the courtyard with a group of other vampires who wanted in on the rousting and began planning the attack for later that day when the witches would be less prepared for them.