Forever Original | Alaric Saltzman

Chapter 1

When Henrik was born, Hilda had been quite happy to have a baby brother, and she and Rebekah had spent quite a bit of time with Esther to tend to him. It was then that the girls began to learn about herbs and magic. Hilda and Kol had developed a particular interest in the spells, while Rebekah had fixated on remedies. The twins had realized soon after that they were prodigies. They learned spells without their mother's help, and progressively began to spend less time training with Mikael and their brothers, and more time with their mother, asking to be taught more complicated rituals.

Hilda and Kol grew to resent Mikael when they reached their teen years and quite rarely joined him to train unless their siblings were joining them. Their father was insufferable. He criticized them for preferring magic to being warriors. He was excessively disappointed in Hilda for failing to meet his expectations of the perfect daughter. He believed that magic was weak, and in those minimal moments when they chose to spar with him, he acted violently, and left them bruised and battered. The twins eventually began to hate Mikael, watching how he tormented Klaus and was cruel to Elijah and Rebekah for defending him. When they learned that Klaus wasn't Mikael's son, they had stood by their brother, and Mikael had struck them each so hard in the face, that their cheeks were cut open. The twins never again spoke in a civil manner to their father.

It became worse for them when they were turned. The last thing that Hilda and Kol had wanted was to be vampires. They were struggling with grief at the loss of their youngest brother, and were dealing with Mikael's abuse when simply trying to defend Klaus. Their transition had meant the loss of their magical powers. It was as though a switch had flipped on their brains, and they became insatiably violent. Murder and blood seemed to be the only way to give them the rush that magic had granted them. Losing their powers felt like they'd lost a part of their soul.

Craving more magic despite not being able to perform it, the twins ventured to Europe to continue learning about spells even if it would yield no benefit. However, they were soon informed that Mikael had killed Esther. Already furious at their father for forcing them to transition and having been so abusive, they fled with their siblings. Though the twins agreed with their eldest brother Finn that they should split up, they had remained together and had resided together in the castle of the Count de Martel.

"There," Lucien had told them, leading them into the grand interior of the castle once Rebekah had pleaded for them to go through with the charade, now dressed in the finest clothes that had previously belonged to true nobles. "See the Count de Martel? You address him as "Your Grace." All the other nobles as 'my lord.' And, when you speak to the Count, you should speak of hunting. He loves his horse and his hounds."

Lucien turned toward Rebekah and Hilda, who were standing on either side of Kol. "And, bow deep, Ladies Hilda and Rebekah. The Count relishes a... healthy cleavage."

Hilda scowled. "Filthy bastard- he's our father's age. I won't do it."

"Then don't, sister," said Kol, following the lead of their three brothers and gazing up at the ceiling in wonder. "I'd rather that old fool doesn't look at my sisters in that manner."

Lucien seemed to become more worried that they wouldn't successfully fool the entire court. "For God's sake, all of you, stop looking up!" He moved toward Kol and Hilda, pushing back a stray hair that'd fallen from where Kol had tied back his hair.

Kol cast him a sickening smile. "Touch me again," he whispered in a deadly voice, "and I'll tear your arm straight off."

Hilda giggled. "Come now, brother, you mean 'arm,' singular. The other is for me to tear off!"

"Behave, twins, or I'll bury you in the ground to rot!" hissed Finn in annoyance as he looked back at them. Hilda playfully curtsied as Kol smirked toward the increasingly nervous Lucien.