Athens, Greece
June 9th, 2005
Niklaus Mikaelson considered himself blessed. He thanked every Norse god that he worshiped as a small child, and whatever other gods could possibly exist, for giving him the family that he had.
His partner, now fiancé, who accepted him and his faults, who knew what he was like at his worst moments, and despite what his brother did to him, gave him a second chance.
His brothers who, even if they caused him to have migraines every other day, which should be impossible for a vampire, loved his daughter to the ends of the universe and back. Who would burn the world down for her, and fell victim to her ruthless puppy dog eyes. Who supported him after everything that he had done to them, still loved him.
But most importantly, his daughter. The one who made him grow as a man, which was something he never imagined he would be capable of. The one who spent countless hours with him painting, the youngest having so much skill that it rivaled his own. The one who would make up dance routines to songs that he liked and spent days teaching her uncles and forcing them to perform with her. The one who spent time making songs that told the story of both of her fathers' love. How they met, how time forced them apart, and how they came back together.
He loved her for every single thing that she did. For breathing, for smiling, for laughing, for her terrible winks.
He loved how perfect she made his life.
Niklaus should have known that nothing can ever be truly perfect, and that nothing good lasts forever.
Athens, Greece
June 22, 2005
"Daddy it hurts!"
"Make it stop!"
"Shhhh little wolf, you're doing so well. It will be over soon. Don't fight it."
"Niklaus, you need to step back. I've got her, I promise. She might lash out if you stay here."
Athens, Greece
June 21, 2005
Ryden woke up with a smile plastered on her face.
It was her dad's birthday.
The excitement that coursed through her veins had her feeling as though nothing could ruin this day.
She got out of her bed and ran straight to the kitchen. The clock on the stove read 5:15 am, which was exactly an hour before her father got up for the day.
She spent the next hour making breakfast for her family. She made her father's favorite pancakes, chocolate chip, which he loved to top with whipped cream and strawberries, bacon, eggs, and started brewing coffee for the adults.
After everything was finished, the girl went to the fridge to get the strawberries and whipped cream to top off her father's pancakes, only to discover that the container that used to have strawberries in it, didn't.
Ryden knew that she wasn't supposed to go out alone.
She knew that her father would be upset. That was, if he found out.
The plan was clear in her mind. Run across the street to the little market that has the best strawberries in the world, get some whipped cream, and then get back before her parents and uncles wake up.
It was simple, and it was all going according to plan.
Until it wasn't.
Ryden was only four steps away from the door to her apartment complex when a hand covered her mouth, an arm wrapped around her waist, and someone tugged her into an alleyway. Her heart began beating so hard in her chest, she thought it was going to explode out of it, and tears began pooling in her eyes. This felt familiar.
Almost too familiar.
Ryden let out a scream, which was muffled by the hand on her mouth. That hand, however, didn't stop her magic from lashing out to protect her.
The man, and the woman who Ryden just noticed was there, were flung across the alleyway hitting the wall with a sickening crack.
Blood pooled around them, the thick crimson liquid staining the cement.
Ryden was in shock, but the shock did not last long. All of a sudden, Ryden felt a sharp pain in her leg. Almost like it was being broken. The shock wore off and reality set in.
She killed those people.
She killed two humans.
She triggered her curse.
Ryden felt like throwing up.
Just as she began panicking about triggering her curse though, she felt a headache coming on. But it was different than a normal headache, because she felt like someone was splitting her skull in two with a table knife. She could barely see because of the pain, and she vaguely remembers retching and throwing up, and someone running towards her before promptly passing out.
Numb.
Numbness was the only thing that Ryden felt.
When she opened her eyes, she saw a void. Deja vu was hitting Ryden like a bus. She felt like she had been here before. Slowly getting up, she noticed a figure out of the corner of her eye. She didn't feel panicked, she felt calm. Almost like she knew the figure wouldn't hurt her.
"Young Ryden, I have been waiting for you to show up again."
Niklaus Mikaelson was having the worst birthday of his entire existence. He woke up to the smell of pancakes and made his way into the kitchen. Lucien was still asleep, and he could tell that Finn and Kol were still in their rooms, as both doors were shut. Ryden was the only one left.
But she wasn't in the kitchen, her bedroom was empty, and her shoes, and key to the apartment, were gone.
Ryden was gone.
Nik's breathing picked up and just before he could yell for the others to wake up, he heard a scream and a crunch. Then the smell of blood followed.
He sped out of the house before he could even put on shoes.
"Where the fuck am I? Who the hell are you? What the fucking hell is going on?"
Three guesses who said that.
The figure simply chuckled before responding, a fond(?) smile(?) making its way onto their face.
"You, my dear Ryden, have not changed a bit."
With that said, the figure reached out and touched Ryden's head, sending her, once again, back into darkness.
AN/// Hello my beautiful reader! Here is a new chapter, later than I wanted to publish it, but.... better late than never? Also, I wanted to remind you that I edited the cast chapter, and the love interest for this story. Please go check that out if you have not already! Thank you so much for the love and support and I will hopefully get another chapter out within the next week!