Aventurine | Finn Mikaelson

Quail Eggs

Finn had never felt so unwelcome in his entire existence. The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife as he stood face to face with Aina's parents at their farm in rural Alabama. Aina's father glared at Finn with undisguised animosity, his blue eyes crackling with latent magic. Her mother, a petite woman stood beside him, her expression a mixture of confusion and disapproval as she brandished a pitchfork in Finn's direction.

They had arrived at the farm on September 30th, two hours after the sun had set. Aina had driven the car through the creaking gates of her parents' farm. She parked next to the large, red barn. Aina's parents were saying goodnight to the animals for the night in the barn when they arrived.

"Father, Mother, please, Finn is my friend. He's not like other vampires," she pleaded, her voice tinged with desperation as she attempted to defend his presence.

But her father was visibly unmoved. With a swift movement of his hand, he conjured a sharp wooden stake and aimed it directly at Finn's heart. Finn, however, made no move to defend himself, a resigned, pained expression on his face as he braced for impact. Facing their blatant hatred and animosity was more jarring than he was expecting. He had gotten too used to being treated with kindness and patience this past month. He heard Aina cry out in horror and he saw her trying to intervene, but she was too late. His clenched jaw closed tightly to hold in his scream when the stake pierced his chest, sending waves of excruciating pain through his body.

Finn felt his life force ebbing away but he knew, with a certainty that he would survive this ordeal for the stake was not made of white oak- his only weakness. Sure enough, his vision went black for what felt like only a few moments before he found himself gasping awake as the stake was pushed out of his heart by his body's healing abilities, rolling down onto his stomach. He heard Aina release a shaky sigh and her parents' yelled expletives.

When Finn opened his eyes, he found himself lying on the dirt ground. He pushed himself up, the stake rolling off his body to the ground with a dull thud. Finn absentmindedly raised a hand to his chest, covering the hole in his shirt, feeling his unsteady heartbeat. He needed to feed to restore his body to full functionality. He turned his eyes to his audience. He saw that Aina's eyes were filled with utter relief, her mother appeared stunned speechless, while her father's disbelieving expression shifted into one of deep thought.

Aina's father cleared his throat gruffly. "Well, well, it seems you're not like the others after all," he muttered, his tone begrudgingly impressed. But he had a strange look in his eye as he stared down at Finn. He glanced at his wife who was frowning, her knuckles turning white from how hard she was gripping her pitchfork. He raised an eyebrow. She scrunched her nose, scowling but eventually, she nodded slightly. His expression became stoic before he looked at Finn and he said, "Fine, vampire. You can stay. But under one condition," he declared his tone firm. Finn raised an eyebrow, curious to hear the terms the man had in mind.

"You will work the fields from dawn till dusk, sleep in the barn, and do whatever else I say. If you have a problem with that then I'll throw you off my property and ensure that it's warded against you."

"Don't make him sleep in the barn!" Aina protested, angrily, "He's not an animal! He can sleep in Hana's old room. She wouldn't mind!"

"The vampire will not be sleeping in my house," her father retorted, bluntly, "He will sleep in the barn or I will evict him entirely."

"I understand, sir," Finn stated, "I will do as you ask."

"Finn!" Aina exclaimed, appalled. He gave her a reassuring look and he said, "It's fine, I promise." Aina frowned but relented.