It was kind of a piece of cake.
She wasn't sure where that expression came from. Cutting cake was rather difficult if one wanted a nice slice, and pieces of cake didn't tend to be perfect. So why did it mean that something would be easy?
Amaris abandoned her quest to determine the origin of the expression. She went to bed that night, managing to sleep peacefully knowing that Klaus wasn't in the house to hurt her. In the morning, she showered, and had a plentiful breakfast, before walking into the courtyard and finding Kol and Davina were working on a spell.
She didn't dare interrupt while they were chanting, but she moved closer curiously, peering over their shoulders.
"It's finished," said Davina, after they'd dipped a creepy straw poppet into a cauldron filled with a foul-smelling liquid. "But I'm afraid it's not enough to protect Cami's body from Esther's magic."
"What's wrong with Cami?" asked Amaris curiously, making her presence known.
They both flinched. "Sorry," she said quickly. "Didn't mean to scare you."
"Sure you're not part vampire, sister?" asked Kol teasingly.
She cracked a smile. "Not to my knowledge. What does your mother have to do with Cami?"
He sighed, "Well, seems like my mother wants to use Cami's body as a vessel, to jump Rebekah into. She's got this mad plan to make my siblings take human bodies. It's fine and dandy for me, I love being a witch again. The others, though, not as willing."
"If we don't find a way to protect Cami," explained Davina, "Esther could jump Rebekah into her body when she least expects it. We need to get those marks off of her back." She shook her head. "This is so complicated."
"I might know a way to distract you from your troubled mind," said Kol flirtatiously, winking at Davina.
Suddenly Marcel entered the room. "You can take this seriously," he said loudly, "or I can lock you in a coffin like your brother Finn, if you prefer."
"I'm sorry, what?" said Amaris. "Finn is in a coffin?"
Apparently so, because Kol went straight to answering Marcel's question. "No, no," said Kol, "I'd prefer you to bugger off, because this spell needs time to cook in peace."
"Cami doesn't have time. Esther can jump anybody into her body right now."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, but she's not going to jump anybody. She's going to jump Rebekah, who just happens to be miles away. But, fair dues, Marcel, I think I'd be a bit testy, too, if my old ex was about to jump into my new ex. I think that would be a bit, uh..."
"...awkward?" offered Cami as she entered the room.
Kol shrugged. "I was going to say kinky, but..."
Amaris had found this funny. Marcel had not. He sped to Kol, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt, but Cami quickly intervened. "I appreciate the chivalry, Marcel, but he'll have an easier time protecting me if he's alive."
Marcel scowled. "Keep working," he told Kol. He gestured for Cami to follow him. "Come on, let's get you some breakfast."
Amaris, not wanting to disturb the spell progress, and not thinking she was invited to dine with Cami, tiptoed into the ballroom, where she found herself going through a hallway to reveal a coffin that was propped up against the wall. Looking around quickly, she popped it open. Finn's unconscious host body fell onto her, and she picked him up, carrying him to a nearby chair.
"Hey," she said, waving her hand at his dazed face. "Hey... stay here!"
She ducked back into the kitchen. Marcel and Cami didn't suspect a thing as she gathered some food and water bottles and skipped the other room.
"Here," she said, offering him the water. "If you need to go to the bathroom, tell me, I'll take you and stand guard, but you have to come back here after."
He just stared at her, but didn't object as she started pouring the water into his mouth once she saw he wasn't strong enough to pick it up.
"Eat something," she offered, pushing a plate of toast and eggs to him, along with a fork.
Finn began to eat, reluctantly, the manacles clattering against the table as he picked up the plate and brought it to his lap. "You are quite unlike our other siblings," he observed.
"Didn't grow up with you guys," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "Hard to be like them when I haven't had to live with them for very long. I guess observing you all from the Other Side didn't allow me to learn any mannerisms."
He pushed several bits of egg into his mouth, chewing quickly and sighing in relief. Had Klaus really left him starved in that coffin all night?
"You know what they did to me, then," he said.
She assented. "The Hunters daggered you all, Klaus left you stuck in a coffin for nine hundred years. You woke up, wanted to help your mother kill all vampires, but a human stabbed you with the white oak stake just after you were unlinked."
"Someone did her homework."
"More like, witnessed the whole thing. It's like I've been an audience member for a really awful and violent reality show."
"I imagine, then, that you didn't come here to learn about me."
"A part of me did," she said. "But I want to give you a chance to get to know me, because you never met me before this. Meanwhile, I got to see all of you fall in love at one point or another, I saw the brief moments when you truly cared for one another..." She leaned back in her chair. "I'm an open book. Ask me anything you want to know."
"I'm trying to make sense of the timeline in my head," he murmured. "I remember... I remember when we went to the New World. How we settled down. Elijah's birth. I remember my parents beginning to bicker more often. I recall Mikael would go to battle more often. I remember when my mother would sneak away to see her lover, but of course, I did not understand what she was doing, I only knew she'd leave for some time, come back happier. Mikael..." he shook his head, "What battle was it, in which he met your mother?"
"It... well, it doesn't have a name, but some rogue wolves were threatening the Paxon Wolf Pack, and my mother called in fighters from other villages for assistance, just in case. Mikael was one of the ones who showed up. According to her... he stayed a week longer than the other fighters, to help repair damages. During that week, well," she pointed at herself, "I was made, at some point. From what I've pieced together, the reason he never came back was because Esther told him she was pregnant with Klaus."
He wagged a finger. "I recall... something... I recall he arrived late in the night. I was awake, awaiting his return. I heard my parents whispering, as if annoyed at one another. Perhaps that could be because he remained longer than expected. Not long after, I recall my mother telling me that she was with child. That I was going to get another sibling. But Mikael... never spoke of the Paxons. Never spoke of Soyala."
Amaris snorted. "Don't imagine he would have. And since he clearly didn't know I existed, he wouldn't have gone back to check on me." She clasped her hands together. "My mother told me, based on what she found out, that we had a sibling before you. One that died, and that was why Mikael didn't feel connected to Esther. Why they each had an affair."
"Freya," said Finn quietly. "Yes, our sister."
"I wish I could have met her. And Henrik."
He hesitated, before saying, "My mother was barren," he said. "She learned of it when she married Mikael and began attempting to have children. She grew so desperate for a family that she begged one of the most powerful witches in history for help— her sister, Dahlia. Of course, Dahlia's price was high. She agreed to make my mother fertile, but in exchange, she sought the first-born as a sacrifice. Having no other choice, our mother gave away our beloved Freya. She did not die of plague."
Amaris's mouth dropped open. "Wait... but why... why would she..."
He continued, "It's why it is a blessing that Klaus's child died. Dahlia placed a curse on our bloodline... those of us born from Esther. She demanded the first-born of every generation. Had Niklaus's child lived, she would have paid the price. And, if anyone had tried to protect her, Dahlia would come and destroy us all."
"Wait... the way you're talking, it sounds like she's still alive."
"I would think she is."
"Wouldn't that mean Freya might be alive?"
"I hope so. One day, I will find her."
"And what about Mikael? Do you know where he is?"
"Not currently," he said. "Amaris, there is something you must understand. Our father is a monster."
"I know that," she replied. "I just want to see him. I want to give him a chance to decide if he wants to know me, too."
"He is not a good man. After he lost Freya, he changed. No matter how much he cared for your mother, I do not think it would go well for you. He despises werewolves."
"Well, he has a werewolf for a daughter," she said sharply. "Maybe it'll make him piss his pants but it's the truth."
"And what if your mother was dishonest? What if she stated you were Mikael's child, but you are not?"
"She wouldn't have done that! I harassed her for ages to tell me his name, she wouldn't have lied to me. You didn't see the way she spoke about him, Finn. She spoke so highly of him, once she began to tell me more. She hid it all from me before because she was scared your mother would hurt me if I showed my face. But she loved Mikael. More than she loved the man who raised me. Had he not been married, I'm sure she would have gone with me to find him. Plus, she gave me such specific information— how couldn't he be my father?"
"I could confirm it, with a spell. If we share blood, I will know it."
"I'm not taking those manacles off of you."
He sighed. "It was worth a try. Amaris, I personally have no doubt you are my sister. Your face... every part of you bears a resemblance to one of our siblings. Your eyes and hair, dark like Elijah, Kol, Henrik, and I imagine, your mother. Your lips... like Rebekah's, almost exactly. Your nose, Elijah's nose. Your eyebrows, Kol's eyebrows. I do not know how your mother must have smiled, but the smile is all Mikael's. Out of all of us, you bear the greatest resemblance to Elijah, I would say. Perhaps Niklaus will be more inclined to let you be at peace when he sees it's the truth."
They both flinched when Marcel suddenly entered the room. "Come on, now," said Marcel, almost disappointed. "You had to be as stubborn as Rebekah, too?"
"I just wanted to talk to him," said Amaris. "Besides, keeping him locked in a coffin would just kill him. He needed food, he needs to go to the bathroom—"
"Let me handle him," said Marcel. "How about you go talk to your other brother? He's getting too close to Davina. Besides, Cami wants a moment alone with Finn, against my wishes."
Amaris just got to her feet silently and left. She couldn't find Kol and Davina at first, until she located them, rummaging around in one of the rooms.
"Hey," she said, startling him again.
"Bloody hell," he said. "You like to scare people, don't you?"
"What are you looking for?"
"Something."
Okay, so he clearly didn't trust her enough. She'd have to work on that.
"Ah, that Mikael," said Kol, standing up when he saw Amaris was still there. "Who would've thought our father was just as much of an adulterer as our mothers?"
"I mean, technically, mother didn't know she was sleeping with a married man," said Amaris reasonably. "She lied about it, but..." she trailed off. "Finn says there's some spell that can be done to check I'm your sister? To get Klaus off my back."
"Well, we could do a spell, but I doubt it would get Nik to leave you alone. He's a bit of an arse with strangers."
"I noticed," she murmured, gesturing to her neck to remind him that Klaus had choked her the other night.
He chuckled. "He'll revert to choking when there's a lack of daggers."
She cracked a smile. "I was joking that he'll be trying to find a dagger that'll work on me, just so he can put me down whenever he wants."
He laughed heartily this time. "It's always daggers, with Nik. Just watch your back. Elijah often holds us down when he stabs it in. And Bex often rats us out and gives them reason to."
Amaris frowned. "I heard about that... saw it several times... I'm sorry. It was cruel of them to do that. You didn't deserve that."
"That's one thing you ought to learn. Nik, Elijah, Rebekah... they're the main trio. Finn and I? Always excluded."
She winced. "Not... looking forward to that part. Being here... potentially getting accepted as a sibling... just to be the odd one out all the time. Elijah may believe me but he doesn't seem to like me. Rebekah hasn't contacted me, but I would think she'd been told about me..."
"Rebekah's fickle, that one." He gave her a significant look. "I always wondered what it'd be like to have an older sister. But... you're rather short. And you hardly look older than me."
She rolled her eyes playfully. "That's because we're only months apart in age, at most. Hardly a year, I imagine. I didn't expect you to look like this when I first met you."
"Touché." He patted her shoulder. "You're fitting right in. As strange as it is, knowing I have another half-sibling who's a wolf... you're more like us than you think. What bothers you about being known as a Mikaelson? You're more fit for that surname than Nik, if I'm being honest."
"It's like I said... I was a Paxon my whole life. That name means more to me. Our pack didn't go by the names of the fathers or mothers. In fact, I was the only one with a surname because my mother and I were from the main bloodline. The others went by different traditions once they began mixing with Vikings, but that wasn't a practice for us. Besides, I haven't met Mikael, I can't be flinging around the name 'Mikaelson' when I don't... really have an understanding of what it means."
"Ah," he deduced, "you want to see Mikael for yourself, determine if you'd actually be proud to be his daughter, or not."
"I haven't heard good things about him."
"Well, to be blunt with you, Ris— can I call you Ris—?"
"Sure."
"Ris it is then. Your mother must have meant something to him if he slept with her, because from what I've heard, Esther and Mikael could hardly sleep in the same spot on the floor in those days. It wasn't until after Niklaus was born that they began ah..." he made a motion that caused Amaris to scrunch up her nose, "more frequently, and it led to me, Bex, and Henrik. Given what an arse he was to us, growing up, I imagine your mother saw something good in him. He showed it to her, or she wouldn't have loved him."
She half-smiled. "Thanks, Kol. I'll let you get back to... whatever it is that you're looking for."
She went down for a lonely lunch, listening to Davina and Kol still tearing apart the rooms upstairs. Nobody told them to stop. After all, it was technically Kol's house.
In the evening, she returned to the courtyard to find that there was a slight update— apparently, Klaus and Rebekah were on their way back to New Orleans with some plan to trick Esther. All they required was for Kol to work some magic for them. Rebekah had planned to turn their mother into a vampire, getting close first by tricking her into believing that she was going to accept a new body.
"I'd be happy to help," said Kol pleasantly.
"In exchange for what?" asked Marcel. "From all the sneaking around today, you're clearly in need of something."
Kol raised a brow, "If you want me to find a new body for Rebekah, I want the Fauline diamond you stole from me back in 1914."
Marcel laughed. "And what do you plan to do with it?"
"Does it matter?"
"Well, it would matter to Klaus."
Kol smirked. "You see, I could fib here, but I want to be on the up about it. I need a weapon I can use to protect myself against Klaus, and the diamond helps me make it. It's not to kill him! It's simply a matter of self-defense. Only to be used out of absolute necessity. It's a fair trade, Marcel. We get free of my whackadoodle mum, I acquire the means by which to defend myself against a volatile brother, should the need arise, and, uh, if all goes well, perhaps you'll let me near Davina without bodily harm."
Marcel looked at Amaris, who shrugged, not sure if she was allowed to voice an opinion here. "So," said Kol, "should I call him back, or should you?"
The vampire handed him his phone. "You."
Kol made a face. "Figured as much." He pointed a finger at Amaris. "Get ready to meet Bex. She's going to adore you. She's always wanted a sister to bother, and now... well, you're not going to get a single moment of peace."
"Actually," said Marcel, "Klaus was asking if Amaris could guard Finn throughout this whole thing. Considering she's probably the only one Finn won't try and kill on contact."
Amaris tried not to be shocked that Marcel had probably told Klaus about the fact she'd been chatting with Finn. "Okay," she said. "So I just... sit with him?"
"Keep him from escaping," said Marcel. "Distract him."
She just sighed. "Alright. I'll be in the room with him."
Finn had been shoved back in the coffin after his conversation with Cami. Feeling bad for him, Amaris took him out, and led him to the bathroom, waiting for him outside and downloading games on her phone. He emerged looking less sick, at least, but not at all satisfied.
"How did you find Kol?" he inquired.
"He's nice," she said. "I don't really have a problem with any of you. Elijah didn't talk to me but he seems cool... I was eager to admit to who I was in front of him because I knew he wouldn't let Klaus hurt me. But ah... I did kind of expect he'd talk to me nonstop the first night I was there. Instead he kind of just shooed me into a room. I imagine that has something to do with whatever your mother did to him."
"She was trying to make him see reason."
"By torturing him?"
"By bringing forth memories he repressed."
"Mothers shouldn't do that to their children."
"My mother loves us. She even cared enough to bring you back, because she knew what it would mean to all of us to have another sibling."
She shook her head. "Look, as much as I appreciate that she brought me back, that doesn't feel like something a mother does when she loves her kids. Torturing them to 'make them see reason' sounds... awful. Nobody here is a good person. All of us have killed. Me? I'm a bitch to almost everybody, I can admit that. Doesn't make it right for someone to torture me, then they'd be just as bad as me. The last thing I want to do is bash your mother, because she is, at the end of the day, your mom and the reason all of you exist in the first place. But that's not right."
Finn glared at her, and she feared she'd made a mistake in talking about Esther at all. She just looked away. "Sorry," she muttered.
He leaned forward, looking into her eyes. "You have no reason to like my mother, or to respect her, but you do not understand anything about what she's done. What she's sacrificed for all of us. I suggest you don't speak to me about her again."
"Got it," she said meekly.
She turned away, able to hear that Marcel, Davina, and Cami were all in the courtyard talking. She didn't hear Kol's voice anymore. Perhaps Klaus and Rebekah had already arrived, and taken him wherever he was needed. For quite awhile, it was all she could pay attention to, because Finn didn't seem too keen on talking to her anymore. She made a mental note to bite her tongue next time and just not say anything about Esther at all.
She sat up suddenly, sensing someone was watching them. She got to her feet, looking around and seeing no one.
But then, suddenly, a figure swooped in, making a beeline for Finn. She got in the way just in time, however, it left her being tackled to the ground.
"What have we here?" a man snarled above her, placing his hand around her throat and beginning to squeeze. Her vision blurred instantly, and as much as she tried to claw her way out, she couldn't.
When she recognized who he was, she started to fight harder. Because she knew he would just kill her.
"Father!" said Finn in surprise. "Let her go!"
She lifted her head just enough to bite into his hand, thinking it would force him to let her go. He did, but only to smack her, causing her to shriek. He lifted her off the ground, tossing her into a wall. He walked toward her with a menacing stance as she got to her feet, panting and holding her hands in surrender. "Wait," she said breathlessly. "Mikael— let me explain—"
He kicked her in the stomach, knocking her down. He reached for her, pulling her back up by her hair, observing her already bloody face. "Weakling," he sneered. He had just made a move to plunge his hand into her chest to rip out her heart when she burst out desperately, "I'm Soyala's daughter!"
She knew that if she said she was his daughter, he wouldn't believe her. But she also knew the mention of his lover was the only thing that would give him pause.
Mikael faltered, his mind drifting to a conversation he had earlier, with Esther. Who somehow, knew about his affair, after all this time of it being kept a secret. Who was this girl, and why did she know about it, too?
He elected not to kill her. He squeezed hard enough on the sides of her neck to knock her out, then picked her and Finn up and sped away.
When they arrived in the Lafayette Cemetery, everyone was gone. Klaus and Rebekah were nowhere to be seen. There were no traces of Kol. Even Esther was missing.
Mikael set them down in the Lycée at Finn's request. "Who is this?" he demanded, pointing down at the unconscious Amaris. "Why did your mother send me to fetch you, if this girl was there?"
"That is for her to explain to you, Father," said Finn. "It would not be fair if I told you. I must find my mother. Ignore the girl." He started to rummage through the supplies, seeing Mikael kept looking at Amaris, as if wanting to go into her mind to find out the truth, but also being hesitant to. Finn had never seen him look so nervous.
"I cannot find her," said Finn, annoyed when his attempts at a Locator Spell failed. "She tried to show them mercy... if they've harmed her—"
Mikael interrupted, "Esther's mistake was believing there was anything left of your siblings to save." He patted his shoulder. "Together, my son, we can finally destroy them."
"I'm happy to hear you say this, Father," said Finn. "Such a powerful man... I could use your strength." He glanced down at Amaris. She was going to have to forgive him for this. It mattered more to him that he located Esther, now.
When Amaris awoke, she could only hear Finn's quiet chants. She groaned, sitting up and blinking several times before her vision cleared.
She turned her head to the side, and nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw what was laying next to her.
Mikael, spread-eagle on the floor in a circle of chalk and candles, desiccated and with a strange symbol carved on his forehead.
"Finn," she said softly, seeing her brother walking over to her. "What did you do to him?"
"I am channeling his power," Finn said. "You will get to speak to him soon. But in the meantime, you will stay here. I cannot allow you to warn our siblings. Are we going to do this the easy way, or the hard way?"
She winced. "What's the hard way?"
"I put you to sleep to keep you quiet and out of the way."
"And the easy way?"
"You stay conscious, keep me company, but do not meddle in what I'm doing. And you don't contact anybody. What'll it be?"
"Easy way," she murmured softly.
She was no witch, but judging by the amount of spellmaking materials Finn had out, he was planning something sinister.
Her only chance of stopping him was staying awake to figure out what it was.