Eisa was ready to die.
Finn's 'funeral' left her wanting to charge right into Lucien's penthouse, attack him, and leave herself equally deceased. She'd gripped Freya and Elijah's hands tightly throughout, listening to the kind words that came from her siblings' mouths to honor their brother. When it was her turn, she'd had to choke out the best eulogy she could give, which really was only her promising that they would see each other again.
"Sister," said Elijah, coming to her side after they'd returned to the Compound. He offered her some tea, and she shook her head.
"I really don't need anything right now," she managed. "Please, stop offering."
Klaus chose to change the subject. "Shall we discuss the matter at hand?"
"Yes, anything," said Eisa, rubbing her forehead.
"Lucien did all of this to become like his maker," said Klaus. "And yet, my bite cannot kill an Original. What are we up against here?"
Kol winced. "I don't know. Unless we know what was in that extra vial that was added, it will be impossible to tell what this spell did to alter his bite."
"I might know what's in it," said Hayley as she walked in. Eisa refrained from looking at her. "Klaus and I found Lucien's R & D lab full of werewolves. He's harvesting venom, but not to find a cure. He's trying to create a more lethal strain."
"That's what he added, then," mused Freya. "He kept boasting about having something that would make him better than an Original."
Hayley continued, "Klaus is descended from one of the seven original wolf bloodlines. I'm descended from another. Lucien's venom... is derived from all seven packs."
Klaus's eyes widened. "Giving him a bite that not even I can cure."
"That's what we need, then," said Rebekah. "The seven different strains of venom. Along with Eisa's blood, and Freya's blood. That may be the cure."
"Or perhaps," offered Elijah, "his blood is the cure. Niklaus's blood is the cure for his bite."
"I don't think it's that simple," said Kol. "There is much we don't know about the logistics of a wolf bite and its cure. We thought that Nik's blood could cure any wolf bite. But this proves that not all strains of venom are the same. Nik was born to a witch and a wolf. He never tapped into his witch side, and only triggered his curse after becoming a vampire. He was born a wolf, and thus, as the Original hybrid, his blood can be the cure. But this combination of strains, and the fact that Lucien is not a wolf... his blood cannot carry the cure. His blood may be part of the equation, but it's unlikely to be the solution."
"Kol's right," said Eisa weakly, causing them all to look her way. "I don't think Lucien's blood is the cure. Isela has the venom, and she can study it. But we will need the seven individual strains and his blood to understand it better. Only then can a cure be forged."
"We will find a solution, Sister," said Freya, taking her hand. "We will keep this from hurting anyone else."
"This is all my fault," Eisa said, holding her temples and sniffling. "I was too impulsive, I killed Aurora, and I angered Lucien. And Finn... I'd just been telling him that I was afraid to die because I didn't know what would be waiting for me on the other side. He gave his life for me. Just like Aya did."
"This is not your fault, Eisa," Rebekah told her. "He made a choice."
"He valued my life more than his!" snapped Eisa. "For no good reason! He's hardly gotten to live, and he's died twice. I've walked around, doing only cruel things for centuries. You heard what he said— 'they lose a brother instead of a sister and a mother.' He thought my life mattered more just because I fall under two categories. He felt obligated to spare you all what he thought would be double the grief, when really—" her voice broke, "it would have been better for me to die."
"Eisa, don't say that," Elijah told her. "Our brother did what you would have done for him. Because he loved you. Because you were his best friend for decades."
Eisa shook her head, getting up and leaving the room before they could keep trying to convince her otherwise.
She stayed up all night, looking through grimoires and trying to find a solution. In the other room, Isela and Freya were working tirelessly in a similar manner, not sure how they could even hope to put Lucien down.
"Hey."
Eisa looked up numbly as Cami entered the room with some chocolate. "They sent you in here?" muttered Eisa. "Really? I could kill you easily."
"But you won't," said Cami confidently. "Because I think what you need is to rant. Not to be asked over and over how you are, because no words can truly explain that in the succinct manner people are wondering about. You need to be heard, not bombarded with questions."
Eisa shrugged, taking the chocolate and shoving it into her mouth. "It always hits me hardest... sadness. Out of every emotion, sadness always lands me in a state that I... I can't get out of easily. Anger is natural. I'm used to it. But sadness? Misery? My vampirism, my heightened emotions, it takes a toll on me, and sadness has never failed to ruin me.
"In the past week and a half, two people have sacrificed their lives for me. People I was close to. People I loved. And I look at myself in the mirror, and all I can wonder is why they thought I was worth it. Aya was blindly devoted to me. She adored me and I didn't give her the love she deserved. Finn used to hate our siblings, and because I pressured him, he came to be more understanding, and now, he died, because he'd died before and he wasn't afraid. Why? I want to know why this had to happen. Why I was stupid enough to let my guard down with Lucien."
She covered her face, muffling a whimper. "And then I look at myself again, and I just think, it is my fault, no matter what anyone says. I've never let it bother me when people slut shamed me, because I was proud of my body, proud of what I did. I seduced and got information and it saved my family. The people I hurt would have died anyway, and I would justify it by saying that I... I gave them pleasure before they were killed. It was a good way to die, unaware, mid-climax. But I got too attached this time. I was supposed to be keeping an eye on him, and instead I used him to distract myself from Hayley, because I felt so hurt. I'm just a..."
"Don't say that," said Cami, cutting her off. "Don't call yourself that word. You had every right to do whatever you wanted with your body, and you are damn right about being proud of it, because you are good looking, and you did what you thought was right to protect your siblings. A lot of people don't have the balls to do something like that. You were hurting, and he was there and available and I bet that he made you feel better."
Eisa sniffled, gulping hard enough for Cami to notice it. She nodded. "He was a good person to talk to," she whispered. "He didn't give advice because I asked him not to. But he listened. I always thought that he just did it for the sex. I started getting more comfortable, and I'd tell him a lot. He started telling me things, too, about his frustrations. Neither of us ever let slip our true intentions, which I guess makes us matched in wits."
"You started to trust him, and he broke that trust," said Cami. "That's not your fault. It doesn't make you what people say."
The Original wiped her eyes. "He killed my brother. And I want to hate him. But I just end up hating myself, because I think I should have done more to rescue him, Tristan, and Aurora from the compulsion. I should have checked up on them and on Aya, and apologized. Their anger grew for centuries because the rest of us stayed silent."
"You can't change the past, Eisa," said Cami. "And though you can try to change his mind in the future, what's done is done, and we all have to accept it and find out how to move on and fix this before he causes some real damage to people who don't deserve it."
Eisa suddenly straightened up. "Change his mind," she mumbled. "Change... his mind."
Cami held up her hands. "Hold on, I'm not encouraging that. None of us should leave this house until we have a solution."
"That's the solution!" she said. "We have to disrupt his body. His mind. Tristan had medication that worked on Aurora. The Ancestors have a hold on Lucien, but even medicine and herbs can affect witches and cut off their connection with magic, temporarily. We need his blood so that we can find out how to defeat him. I could go and talk to him, knock him out with something, get his blood, and be out of there before he comes to."
Cami tried to follow after her as she rushed out of her room. "Eisa, you don't know if it'll work!"
Eisa ignored her, and stopped in front of Freya and Isela. "I need you to make the strongest sedative you can possibly muster up." She brought out her phone. "I'll call one of my lieutenants to bring me some pills we can crush into it. It won't work for long, but I need Lucien to be disoriented long enough for me to get his blood and get out."
"This is insane," said Cami, pleading with Eisa as she made her way back to her room to get dressed. "He's not going to believe you're there in peace, Eisa, he just killed your brother! He'll know something is up, and then he'll bite you, and you'll be the next one that gets cremated!"
"If I'm the next one that dies, so be it," said Eisa, putting on a more modest outfit than what Lucien might expect. "At least I will have died trying to fix this."
Once the sedative was ready, she took two syringes, hiding both magically with Isela's help. When her lieutenant arrived, she made the combined sedative, and left before anyone could try to stop her.
Lucien was in his penthouse, drinking.
"Come to submit so soon?" he asked when he saw her. "Oh, dear, I can still see the tears plastered on your face. Perhaps you've come to try to kill me? Fair warning, it won't end well for you."
"What will it take?" she demanded, slamming the door shut behind her and going to stand beside him. "What will it take for you to let the rest of them live? What do I have to do?"
"In all honesty, love, there really isn't much you can do to get me to spare them," said Lucien, walking up to her and making her gulp. "You came in here all afraid, and yet, you expect me to believe that you're not trying to kill me?"
He slammed her facefirst into the nearest wall, hands roaming over her body and trying to feel for a concealed weapon. Eisa kept from smirking, knowing the syringes were in her pocket, completely invisible and untouchable to anyone who wasn't her.
"You really came unarmed," he said, mildly impressed. "Brave, and foolish."
"I won't watch another one of my siblings die," said Eisa, turning around and allowing him to keep her pinned, and unable to move away. "What do I have to do? I'll kill your other enemies, I'll bring you someone to feed on, I'll get you any magical object you've always wanted. You've already proven to be our superior, even if we will hate acknowledging it. Lucien, please."
He cupped her face. "Sadly, I don't believe you just yet. I don't believe that I so easily manipulated you into serving me. You came to me because you were so in love with Hayley Marshall, that you needed to try and forget her. Why give in so easily?"
"I already told you," said Eisa, making herself cry. "She cut it off completely, even though her husband is dead. I should have her, and I don't, and it makes me miserable, so forgive me for clinging to the one stable thing I've had in the past weeks, even if it's a monster who just killed my older brother."
Lucien raised his brows, and curled his lips into a smirk. "Well, perhaps I can't make you fall in love with me, but it would be quite nice to have one of the Originals at my side, subservient and always willing to get on her knees for me."
Eisa gulped, and he moved his lips to her neck, inhaling and making her whimper. "Don't bite me, please," she whimpered, slowly reaching for the syringe under the ruse of grabbing his belt. "I know you like to bite, but don't..."
In response, he slid his tongue over her pulsating carotid, and seized her waist, making it harder for her to reach into her pocket. She knew she'd need to drag it out more. She forced a moan, and Lucien turned her back around, pressing her face into the wall so he could grind into her, causing her eyes to widen when she felt the syringe being pressed hard into the wall. If he put any more pressure on her body, it would break, and she'd be left without a sedative.
"Lucien, that hurts," she said, forcefully pushing her hips back, and praying he wouldn't slam his forward to prove a point.
"Sorry, love," he said, sounding sincere. "I forgot that my new strength is more than what you're used to. Must be erotic, eh? Finally, you can be in bed with someone who is completely dominant."
"You know that's not really my thing," she said, managing to get the syringe out quickly before starting to undo her pants as a cover.
"With women, love, you and I prefer love to be in charge. It's one of the things I liked about you, when you put on a show for me with Alexis. It's so... mmm, satisfying, seeing you taking control that way. But those were the thoughts of a weaker man. Now... I won't take so kindly to you trying to gain the upper hand." He whispered something very dirty in her ear, making her face heat up, glad that no one else could hear what he said.
"I'm scared," she told him, which she was. "If you forget yourself, you could kill me."
"Then you best hope I don't get too into it. Get on your knees, now."
She did as told, holding the syringe tightly in her hand as he started to unbuckle his belt. Just as his pants came down, she slammed the needle into his thigh, inserting the sedative into his body.
Instantly, his hand came around her throat, and he slammed her back so forcefully, her head made a hole in the wall. "Little bitch," he growled. "I knew you were up to something." His eyes started to glow red, and he bared his fangs, but before he could bite her, he stopped, staggering back like he was dizzy. He grunted in fear, putting a hand on his mouth, and feeling that his fangs had retreated.
At lightning speed, Eisa pulled her own pants back up, grabbed the other syringe, and extracted his blood just as he toppled down, holding his head and groaning. She took the time to slam her heel into his face, making his mouth start to bleed.
"I may not be able to survive a fight with you yet," she snarled, "but I will be the one who delivers you to Hell. Mark my fucking words."
She sped away, both syringes in hand, and didn't stop moving until she got back to the Compound, where she collapsed in front of Freya and Isela, handing them the blood.
"Are you alright?" asked Freya worriedly.
"He's not gonna be happy when he realizes what I did," said Eisa. "Hurry, Freya, hurry. Do whatever you can to take him down— another sedative, if need be. I need to run an idea through Vincent."
"Vincent?" asked Isela. "But if he leaves the St. James, the Ancestors could make him kill us instead of help us."
"I'll call him, and he won't need to leave unless he thinks it's a good idea."
She didn't make it to her room before Hayley cut her off and shoved her into the library.
"Are you crazy?" the hybrid snapped. "I come up to ask how I can help and they tell me that you went to confront Lucien?"
"We needed his blood to try and find a cure and a solution to this madness," said Eisa, glaring at her. "Didn't think I needed to hear the opinions of others when what I was doing was the right thing anyway."
"Let me stop you there," said Hayley. "You didn't think to hear our opinions because you knew that you were being reckless and we wouldn't allow it."
"So what if that was the reason?" snapped Eisa. "It doesn't matter! I got the blood, and now I need to brainstorm, so can you please move out of the way and let me do what I need to do?"
"Eisa, I know that you get like this— impulsive and angry and it's good, sometimes, because you're able to push through it, but right now, you're hurting a lot, and if you're not more careful, you're gonna get yourself killed—"
"Maybe I want to die," the Original shot back. "Maybe, after a thousand years, I'm sick of all the problems and the fighting and the pain that never goes away. If I could turn off my humanity, this would be a whole lot easier, but it isn't."
Hayley, to her surprise, started to cry. "Don't say that, Eisa," she whispered, covering her mouth. "Oh my god. This is my fault."
"What?" said Eisa in disbelief. "How the bloody hell is it your fault?"
"I-I should have been there for you when Aya died, just like you were trying to be there for me because Jackson had died the same day. And I just pushed you away, and I haven't even tried to help you... I didn't even say anything directly to you when Finn died, and now, you're on this path to destruction because you feel unworthy of their sacrifice, unworthy of any love. Eisa..."
"Stop," said Eisa when Hayley tried to hug her. "I really, really don't need this right now. I don't want you to feel bad just because you see me taking risks, Hayley. You have meant everything to me for years, and I have tried to push you away, I've tried to get over you, I've tried to do anything I could to make it all end, and I can't, and you just— you said it was over for real, and you meant that, so don't try to change what you said and make it seem like this is your fault to try and get me to be more careful.
"I don't want to be careful. I don't want to live if it means everyone that remains around me is going to die. I am a warrior, I have always been one, and I refuse to die anything less than a warrior's death. Finn and Aya died for me. I intend to die for the rest of you, if need be. I was the only one Lucien wouldn't have killed on contact. It had to be me, and I'm glad I did it. I'm still alive, so stop crying, and let me get on with my planning so I can try to save everyone else, please."
Hayley stepped away as Eisa stormed past her, and got right to calling Vincent.
Mikael had once told Klaus that his impulse was what kept him from truly being great. In Eisa's case, her impulse was what kept her running into the same problems she complained so much about.
Her plan made sense. It really did. And it had been a good thing that they had four witches able to help them, because otherwise, it never would have worked.
Eisa and Kol wrote the spell themselves— a similar version to the one Esther had intended to use on them years ago when she planned on stripping away their vampirism. In the meantime, Vincent, Davina, and Josh would go into the Ancestral well and tear it down from the inside.
It was up to Isela, channeling Klaus, to capture that magic and transfer it to Freya, who would use it to turn Lucien back into a regular vampire.
"This might not work," said Klaus as they gathered in the Lafayette Cemetery, to make an attempt. "Eisa, are you sure—"
"The Ancestors' magic is what made him," she said. "Vincent says that only that same magic can strip it all away. That release of power is the only thing strong enough to undo this."
"But you are acting as the bait," said Elijah. "How can you be sure he won't—?"
"I'm not sure," Eisa admitted. "But... we have to try. Cami and I already discussed what I want done if I die. Who I want to take over The Strix. I'm not scared anymore. This is what needs to be done. Elijah and Kol will hold him down while the spell goes into effect. I need to keep him distracted just long enough for this whole place to start crumbling down."
Lucien was dumb enough to come alone.
"I expected you to be backed by an army," Eisa mentioned, leaning back against the altar as he walked up to her.
"I expected the same thing from you," he said, gesturing to the empty space around her. "Do your siblings know you're here?"
"Yes," she said, so he wouldn't catch her in a lie. "You can imagine how displeased they were. But it was either hide in the Compound like a coward, or admit to you that I tricked you, and accept death. At least, this buys them some time to find a way to silence you for good. I would never have subjected them to the torment that would come from trying to protect me from you."
"The selfless martyr," he said knowingly. "Channeling your inner Finn, are you?"
"I'll be seeing you in Hell anyway, Lucien. I'd like to be there when you inevitably arrive."
He smirked, and sped to her, slamming her against the altar. "Any last words?"
The whole cemetery started to shake, and Lucien immediately put Eisa in a chokehold, looking around wildly. "What the bloody hell is this?"
She laughed weakly, trying to draw breath. "Your downfall."
He bit right into her shoulder, and she held back a yelp, slamming her foot down and digging her heel into his leg to free herself before yelling "NOW!" to signal for Elijah and Kol to come and hold him down.
It all happened so fast. And Eisa would, in hindsight, always remember this as one of the moments where she felt most badass.
Klaus had let her be the one to rip Lucien's heart out when it was all over. They'd gone to celebrate at the Compound, though Eisa had dismissed herself quite early, going to her room to look in the mirror, peeling her shirt away to reveal the bite, oozing and already starting to take full effect.
"Sister."
She looked up at Freya, who was staring, wide-eyed.
"I forgot to lock the bloody door," muttered Eisa. "Perfect."
"Why would you do this?" asked Freya, rushing to her side. "Why would you hide it from us?"
"So none of you would give me the look you're giving me now," said Eisa.
"I... I don't know what to say. There must be something I can do."
Eisa half-smiled. "I don't think there is, Freya. I don't wish to say my goodbyes. Just... if you want to help, put me to sleep, and let me drift away quietly. Calmly. I'll wake in Hell filled with satisfaction."
Freya suddenly had a look in her eyes, and grabbed Eisa's hand, dragging her to the other room, where the siblings were gathered.
"Stop," said Freya loudly, yanking Eisa's shirt back to reveal her bite. "Stop drinking."
Eisa was met with a chorus of protests, which made her cringe a bit. "This is exactly why I didn't want anyone to know," she said sourly.
"Calm down," said Freya, waving her hand around. "I may have an idea." She looked at Eisa. "You mentioned me putting you to sleep. And I realized that, if your soul cannot be placed in the pendant, then it ought to stay right where it is. What we need is time. Time to gather the venom of the different packs, and forge the cure. I suggest..." she looked at her brother, "we link your life to Elijah's and put you to sleep."
Elijah blinked. "And will that work?"
"It's practically our only option," said Freya. "Soon enough, Eisa will start to hallucinate, and she won't be strong enough to survive the spell. We must do this within the hour. Elijah, you remain linked to your sirelings, not to mention, your sirelings have always worked closely with Eisa's. An army will be devoted to protecting you and finding the cure so they can have Eisa back."
"This is it, then?" said Rebekah. "We just— we say goodbye to our sister until we find the means to heal her?"
"Don't get sad on me, Bex," said Eisa, though she found herself wanting to get sentimental too. She didn't think she'd be lucky enough to get to live after the bite had landed on her body.
"This is the only way," confirmed Freya. "Otherwise, we lose her for good."
"I will do it," said Elijah, getting to his feet.
"You, rest," said Freya, patting Eisa's shoulder. "I need to prepare Elijah for the spell."
Eisa nodded, and went to sit down, finding herself surprised when four people offered her a drink.
"I don't think I should," she said, half-smiling at her brothers, Cami, and Isela. "But thank you. I er... I'd really prefer if you all treated me normally, instead of like an object that's about to break."
"It may take us a decade to find the cure," said Klaus. "Can we not simply appreciate our last few moments with our sister? Speaking of which, who gets the grand goodbye first?"
"I'm not saying goodbyes," said Eisa. "I wasn't planning to even when I thought I would die. All I ask is that you keep Hope safe. So that when I come back, I can meet the smiley little girl who'll be just a bit bigger, and a whole lot smarter."
There were footsteps, and everyone got to their feet as Hayley stormed in. "Were you even going to tell me?" said Hayley indignantly, which seemed to be a signal for Cami, Isela, Kol, and Klaus to leave the room.
"I wasn't going to tell anyone," said Eisa flatly. "So, if it makes you feel any better—"
"It makes me feel worse." Hayley stopped right in front of her, and looked over Eisa's bite, shaking her head before sitting beside her. "How could you think of leaving without saying goodbye to anyone? Especially to your siblings?"
"I didn't want this," said Eisa, gesturing to her. "The five bloody stages of grief as they all scrambled to say every last word they never got to say to me before. It wouldn't have mattered. Now, I have a chance, so let's forget—"
"Last time, you kept it a secret when Klaus bit you, and I went and found you losing your mind in the Bayou."
Eisa remembered that. If she was recalling the moment correctly, it was one of the many times she'd tried to push Hayley away, before the hybrid (who, at the time, was only a wolf) caught feelings for her.
"Eisa."
She looked at Hayley, who had taken her hand. "I love you," she said, causing the Original to frown. "Just— let me finish. I love you, and I have tried so hard to get over you, and I can't. I thought that letting you go would be easier. That it was the right thing to do. And then I realized that I was willing to be miserable for the rest of my life instead of facing my fears and being with someone who never let me down, even when I was married to someone else. It's going to take some time to find this cure. I promise I will use that time to grieve, and to be ready to love you back the way you deserve to be loved, when you wake. We'll start fresh, and I will be the woman you deserve. I will be completely yours. I will wait for you, as long as it takes."
Eisa opened her mouth to speak, but Hayley cut her off with a kiss. The vampire closed her eyes, slowly bringing her hand up to cup the hybrid's face.
"I am so, so sorry," whispered Hayley when she pulled away, resting her forehead against Eisa's.
Those last few words had eased her mind when she went to sleep.
A/N: Definitely rushed but also kinda not?? Eisa knows more magic than Freya so I think this solution kinda made sense... obviously not very descriptive cause that was all unnecessary. I really love The Bloody Crown (3x22) but if there was no second jar of serum, and Kol wasn't controlled by the Ancestors, and Davina didn't die, that whole thing wouldn't have really happened. Hope you liked. Comment for more :)