Eternal ➳ N. Mikaelson [COMPLETED]

➳ 27: reigning pain in new orleans

KLAUS had set up a dinner table in the courtyard to celebrate his return to leadership over New Orleans and his repossession of the Abbatoir compound from Marcel. The vampire army, including Marcel and his closest friends, were seated around the table, and Klaus and Ingrid were seated at each end like King and Queen.

Klaus called for everyone's attention to give a speech by tapping his glass with his fork. "Let us begin with a toast to our shared gift: immortality. After a thousand years, one might expect life to be less keenly felt, for its beauties and its sorrows do diminish with time. But, as vampires, we feel more deeply than humans could possibly imagine." Klaus gestured toward a group of waiters and waitresses to have them join them at the table, one for each guest. "Insatiable need, exquisite pain..." The wait staff slit their wrists with knives, filling the cups with blood for the vampires, and Ingrid cringed slightly at the sight.

"Our victories, and our defeats." He continued on and raised his glass in a toast to the others "...To my city, my home again. May the blood never cease to flow..."

Marcel smiled and lifted his glass. "...and the party never end!" He toasted then looked over at Diego, hinting at him to continue on.

Diego nodded and raised his glass. "To New Orleans."

"To New Orleans!" Klaus repeated and everyone followed along, drinking from their glasses. All except Ingrid who frowned and smelled at her non-alcoholic cider. Klaus noticed this from across the table and chuckled, urging her to go on. She took a sip and wrinkled her nose causing him to smirk in amusement.

"I understand that some of you may have questions regarding the recent change in leadership, and I invited you here tonight to assure you that you are not defeated. No, my intentions moving forward are to celebrate what we have. What Marcel, in fact, took and built for this true community of vampires." Klaus explained to them, walking away from his chair and down to the end of the table where Ingrid sat. "As many of you know, my wife, Ingrid, is carrying my child. Consequently, I trust you will all pay her the appropriate respect." He remarked and placed a hand on her shoulder. "If not more respect than what I am owed. However, I understand that some of you are concerned by this vicious rumor that I intend to use the blood of our child to create hybrids. I assure you I do not."

They all turned to Ingrid, who raised an eyebrow and sat forward in her seat. "I understand the tension and the mistrust. However, I have no intention of siring hyrbids especially from the blood of my child. I am not a monster."

No one looked convinced and Klaus growled lowly, mildly frustrated. "It appears I will have to earn your trust. Very well. We'll eliminate the root of your anxiety. You see, how can we sire any hybrids if there are no more werewolves alive in the Bayou to turn?" Klaus questioned with a smirk and raised his glass. "So-- eat, drink, and be merry. And, tomorrow, I suggest you have yourselves a little wolf hunt. Go ahead, have fun. Kill them all!"

Ingrid was unpacking boxes in their new bedroom as Elijah paced the floor before her. "I implore you to talk Niklaus out of this deplorable wolf hunt."

"Elijah, I did not invite you here to speak on the wolf hunt. I invited you here because you told me you wanted to make amends." Ingrid reminded him while hanging up her clothing. "Do not make me regret this choice. But since you have brought up the topic of deplorable actions. Let's discuss yours. Tyler and Hayley blow through town and they pitch you the idea that Niklaus and I have intentions of creating a hybrid army at the expense of our daughter and not even a minute into the conversation, you decide to believe them over your own family. Your own brother."