Black Castle 🖤 E. Mikaelson

Chapter One. A Heart & A Throne

Chapter One. A Heart & A Throne
ELIJAH
{I'd Rather See Your Star Explode by Slaves}

🖤
Kick me when I'm down
Keep me on the ground
There's no black and white when it comes to pain. All I gave up, it's still not enough
You're twisting my demons like there is no love. When push comes to shove that fine line gives up. I'm left with the feeling of chasing a rush
🖤

Elijah hadn't necessarily been on the bright side of things, the day of all days. His head stayed down as he sipped slowly on his bourbon. Silently reevaluating his existence.
His thoughts had roamed to Hayley; the love of his life, who had been out of town with his niece Hope, collecting various herbs for a spell his sister Freya, needed help with.
Elijah wasn't sure why he had been in a funk, but it felt like this sense of dread weighing down on his shoulders. He was positive that he would get over it, eventually. Because what he didn't need was any distractions regarding his personal life.
But that didn't stop his mind as it began to wander. To Niklaus, to Rebekah, even to Kol and Finn. He just wanted his family together, for the sake of Always and Forever.
And Elijah, being the one to always fix what is broken; deep within his mind, the part where he never dared venture, tried to creep up. And he pushed it away with another swig of his drink. He never really, truly considered that it was he who had been broken.
But Elijah was the noble one, no one ever dared to think that his mind was his own prison. And not one person had even thought about wanting to pick at it, not even Hayley. For Elijah, it was best to keep what hurt him most, hidden, and he was sure to keep it that way.
But still, something kept lurking to escape, and he wondered why. Of all days, why would it have been that one?
Apparently, Rebekah had been calling his name because once he heard the last mumble in the back of his mind, she appeared in his line of vision.
"Did you hear what I said, brother?" Her head tilted in confusion and her eyebrows furrowed.
"No, I was... thinking. I'm sorry Rebekah; you now have my undivided attention." He smiled lightly, as he tried to push all his personal thoughts back into its box without giving away that he was taking time out for himself to actually dwell on his life, and just where it was headed. He couldn't let Rebekah know that he felt as if his life were headed nowhere.
"Well you might want to come and take a look at this," She started her sentence as if she were nervous. Almost scared even. Scared of how he might react.
"What is it, and why are you making that face?" He narrowed his eyes momentarily, then he raised his eyebrows just a bit. No one ever came to Elijah when something was happening unless it was Niklaus who needed assistance for the millionth time. People wanted to avoid Elijah for the simple fact that he was understanding, to a fault. But wouldn't hesitate to rip someone's heart from their body. The man was truly terrifying, more than his younger brother. It didn't seem too problematic with how calm Rebekah was sounding, but it was still a concern because it seemed as if she wasn't believing what she was seeing for herself either. Which piqued his interest. His little sister's expressions were always easy to read.

"You're not going to believe it, because I barely believe it myself. But hurry and go, see for yourself." She inhaled deeply before sending him off, and with that, it captured his attention fully. He fixed the cuffs to his suit jacket and walked in the direction of the courtyard with malice. He didn't race to see what the commotion was about but he was curious by then so he did make it a rather quick trip.
As soon as he opened the double doors and stepped through while pulling his jacket forward, he stopped in front of the railing, touched it, and looked down. From where he was standing he stopped and stared. She had been faced the other way as she started walking into view, but it was as if she sensed him because she turned her head up and met his eyes, and a smile grew brightly on her face. But his face drew a blank, and his eyes widened incredulously.
He knew what it was like to see people come back from the dead, but this time it was odd and it was unbelievable. As far as he was concerned, he thought someone was playing some sick joke on him.
" I assure you, this isn't a sick joke." Niklaus appeared on the left side of him. Almost like he was reading his mind. "I thought the same thing when she waltzed in here acting as if she owned the place, it's her alright."
"Hello, Elijah... Niklaus." She had turned around completely by this time, keeping her hands together behind her back as if she was trying to keep a secret. Not even Elijah would know what that would be. He was still in disbelief, more like shock, and it happened to be the one thing his mind wasn't wrapping around. She greeted them both, but the way she greeted Niklaus, she wasn't greeting him at all. In fact, if her eyes were daggers, Niklaus would already be turned to stone, wrapped up in a coffin, and traveling down the Mississippi River. She contemplated the thought and would have loved to put the plan into action, but Elijah was standing there. He would have been sure to stop her. She would think of a plan to do something much similar to him down the line. When Elijah wasn't looking.
He was seeing her for the first time in one thousand years, and even now he couldn't bring her name to his lips. Because for one thousand years, Elijah killed himself every time he thought about her, about everything he could have done to stop her from dying. What did anyone expect from him? She was the love of his life, the one person anyone was sure to bring him to his knees. The love he had for the woman standing below, could only be described as a complete novel. Maybe a series of novels. He could go on for eternity if she hadn't passed away horrifically. He was told that she had her heart ripped out by vampire hunters, and then burned to ash like she was absolutely nothing. He had to erase her completely from his mind in order to get over that pain, and now it took seeing her feel that pain all over again. He ached deeply for that sense of dread to go away because hope would only be his downfall.
Then it dawned on him, he was told by Niklaus, of her demise.
Elijah didn't know what was going on, so he continued to stare at her. He was trying to figure out more ways than one on how her existence was possible and the theories he came up with would have made him out to be a madman.
He and Niklaus sped down the stairs and stood a safe ten feet away from her, still concerned that she was a figment of his imagination and that she wasn't really there. And if she was, then he would burst into tears while falling to his knees upon her return. Niklaus only thought of who would know where he put her. Not a single person came to his mind. After all, he too, forgot he shoved a dagger through her heart and left her to rot for a thousand years under her own castle.
As she started to make her way closer to him, she stopped merely two feet in front of him and then shot a disgusted look at Niklaus. That look wasn't familiar to Elijah because before, she adored her brother-in-law. He would think them to be kindred spirits. Them both being of wolf descent and all, and it was obvious something had changed. But what?
"Go take a long walk Niklaus, I'll deal with you later." She dismissed Niklaus as if he were a bad child getting punished by his strict parent. Niklaus had shifted on his feet as if the smart remark about to escape from his lips would make anything better. And that was why he kept it to himself. It was why Elijah clocked his brother with a questioning look. Something did happen.
Nothing parted from Niklaus' pouting lips though.
He glanced once at his brother, and then his sister, which Rebekah just nodded as some silent affirmation that she was going to let him in on what goes on between Arabella and Elijah. It was what they did. So he left without another word, but best to his belief, he was going to keep a close ear on what was being said.
Her eyes left Niklaus as they trailed along to his grand exit from the premises and focused back on Elijah, who by the looks of it was silently having a mental breakdown. His eyes welled up with tears, flickering ever the slightest to keep his emotions under control, his lips were quietly muttering words incoherently. But still, her name couldn't be spilled from his lips. After so many centuries, he continuously pushed her to the back of his mind and forced her there. But there she was, standing there, flesh and bone, emotions matching his own.
"Elijah," she whispered as she took another step towards him, but as she did, he mindlessly took a step back. And she didn't react to that, how could she expect him not to? He was seeing someone for the first time in a very long time, someone he loved, someone he married so long ago, she couldn't expect anything of him because that would have been wrong.
The silence dragged on, and what seemed like forever, but was only minutes, her name spilled from his lips, but it was just above a whisper.
"Arabella."
Her eyes closed to the sweet sound of her name, and for a moment, just a moment, everything came rushing back. Every memory that she feared had been lost came sailing back; every caress, every hug, kiss, touch, everything. Like it had never left. Both that she could forget, but a reminder.
Even then, she took another step and he didn't budge. He blinked, he tilted his head ever so slightly as she came closer, trying to take in every little detail he missed in the last one thousand years.
Her hair was shorter. Possibly from chopping it off to fit in.
Her skin was brighter. Like she picked up a new routine. She knew it to be because of the vampire's blood that was fed to her by Mikael. And the dozens she maimed on the way to New Orleans, but that would be another topic for discussion, for another day.
Her eyes were bluer. As any man could see in through to her soul, and once there, Elijah drowned in them.
Her aura was dark. Like vengeance took refuge and refused to leave until it was satiated.
He saw the same woman from a thousand years ago. He saw his wife for the first time since then. Refreshed and new.
As she had been only inches from him now, she looked up to see his brown eyes piercing through hers, a thousand years lasted only seconds now when it compared to being in actual sight of Elijah. She hadn't been up to date with the times but from the time where she had been stuck, it was informal to leap into his arms and kiss him passionately in front of others unless he initiated it. Or if they were in secret. She was a Queen back then, acting like that was the act of a common girl. But from the looks of it, he really wanted to pull her close but something was holding him back.
The reason walked in seven seconds later.
"Hey, what's this I hear about an old fla-." Hayley turned her head to look for Elijah because what Niklaus just told her as he stormed past her, didn't make sense. So she decided to let Elijah explain it to her, because well, he was good at it. She stopped abruptly once she came in contact with Arabella and Elijah's closeness. On top of that, they were both on the verge of tears. Hayley calculated how Arabella looked at him before she even acknowledged Hayley and knew that she didn't like what she saw.
Almost immediately, Elijah stepped away from Arabella, but he did it slowly, just so it made it look like his intentions were innocent. Arabella raised an eyebrow at that. She didn't know why she thought Elijah wouldn't have moved on, that he would have still been alone after all this time. But it wasn't true, and Arabella could see it expressed on the woman's face. They were far more than aquatinted, the way they looked at each other was the same way Elijah and Arabella looked at each other.
They were in love. She knew that look, just like she knew how to breathe. So why did it feel like all the air had been sucked out of the courtyard?
"Uh, what's going on?" Hayley asked as she looked between Elijah, who looked away, and Rebekah who actually stood by quietly while watching everything unfold. And Arabella, the mysterious woman she's never seen before. "Elijah?"
The tone Hayley gave made something click on in Arabella's head, to remind her of who she was and how she didn't need to be questioned. So she gave Hayley an answer.
"My husband doesn't have to answer to you, whoever you are." Arabella informally interrupted, and almost as soon as she said that, Hayley's reaction made her head snap in Arabella's direction and then back at Elijah.
"Husband?! I don't think so sweetie," Hayley declared proudly as her eyes glowed a golden yellow.
Arabella wasn't affected, Hayley's eyes only changed, it wasn't anything special. So Arabella moved her eyes to look at Rebekah, and then back at Hayley, wondering if that was it. As if she was supposed to be terrified of what Hayley was showing her.
Somehow hearing Elijah belonging to someone else brought something out of Hayley that wasn't good. She was becoming defensive as she forced her wolf to break through. She seemed to be trying a little too hard to force it though.
Except, Arabella cracked a smile at her little threat. Which made her eyes glow a burnt orange, with the rims of her irises a deep red. The look on top of that was blood thirst and Hayley backed down immediately as she looked at her bewildered. To her, that wasn't normal.
By then Elijah had been between the both of them in case it got out of hand, and he snapped out of whatever trance he was in. But Hayley only snatched away from his hold on her forearm since he acted like he couldn't tell her anything. If anything, Hayley was being jealous and Arabella understood. If Arabella were Hayley, she would be jealous of Arabella too.
"Who the hell are you?" Hayley growled. She peered over Elijah's shoulder somehow believing that he was going to stop her from ripping out her throat.
"Arabella Sofia Bonavich-Mikaelson," Arabella stated proudly as she held her chin high. "Wife of Elijah Mikaelson, and the Original Werewolf."
Hayley froze, and then looked up at Elijah, she waited to see if Arabella had to be joking.
Elijah was serious about what Arabella said.
And Arabella's expression proved she meant every word.

*****
Word Count: 2,695

"You drew memories in my mind
I could never erase.
You painted colors in my heart
I could never replace."
~ perry poetry