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Natalia's P.O.V
The siblings and I sat down at the dinner table in order to to catch up, with the exception of Kol and Finn of course. Kol because I highly dislike him, and Finn because he hated me, I hated him, and well let's face it, he's spent the better part of his one thousand years rotting in a coffin so there's nothing really interesting to talk about. Oh well. Kol looked annoyed every time he tried to smooth talk me and I ignored him, but you can't turn someone who hates you into a friend overnight and with charm alone. Therefore, he seemingly gave up and made a swift exist about an hour after Finn had left. My three favorite siblings remained. Come to find out, just yesterday all of them besides Elijah were un-daggered, in a plan devised by the latter with a little help from two local vampire brothers, the Salvatores. Apparently, Nik and Rebekah had spent some time with the youngest one in the 1920s. When I laughed and asked how he managed to escape his siblings' wrath, Nik simply smirked and shared a knowing glance with the others.
"What?" I laughed, "Are you keeping secrets from me Nikalus?"
"You've also kept your fair share sweetheart, so if I am, I would say it's been warranted." He countered with a sly look.
My smile widened and I shook my head a bit, slowly getting lost in my own thoughts. Nik had always been quite sneaky, and it often got him into trouble when he was young. I thought back to when I met them. I had developed a close friendship with the Mikaelson family for the following ten years after my sister and I had first introduced ourselves. I was closest with Niklaus, we understood each other, we were alike. Both our fathers were hard on us. I never understood why my father acted the way he did, but I would drive myself mad trying to figure it out. I could assume that it was due to his tendency to drown himself in alcohol, but also because I had a habit of not listening and being untraditional, questioning him. I had also been in a very inappropriate relationship with the son of the local blacksmith.
I can honestly say that it may be one of the greatest mistakes I ever made, and that I had a severe lack of judgment. You see, my sister had recently given birth a year prior, though the child was not exactly born out of wedlock. She had been married, however her husband fled last minute before the child was born. It seemed that he did not want the kind of life which was fast approaching him, and he did not love her. To uphold our family's image, our mother and father told anyone who asked that he left to secure a better work opportunity. Yet people tend to talk, and whispers of a bastard child spread anyways. Some villagers ignored us, and though our father was upset, he came to accept it. After all, it was not Adrianna's fault, and he had enough common sense to blame her husband. While my sister was not the most well behaved, she was the most mindful, courteous, and did everything she was told.
My relationship with Julian was a bit more complicated. He had told me that he cared for me and I knew that he did, but not in the same way that I had cared for him. He was a few years older than me, and I believe he simply had a certain vision of where he'd end up and with who. Unfortunately, that vision did not include me. Even after he ended our relationship, I was naive enough to think that there was still chance he would choose me. When I found out I was pregnant, I thought I would be okay, just as my sister was. However, I was not as fortunate.
Flashback (New World, Late 10th Century)
I groan and shut my eyes as another wave of nausea washes over my body. I had been throwing up and feeling horribly ill, I was not entirely sure what was wrong. My eyes looked up as the door slowly creeped open, and my mother walked into the candlelit room, giving me an almost pitiful look.
She seemed hesitant but spoke as she came closer to me, "Natalia, I must ask you, have you and Julian been...together?"
I gulped and slowly nodded, it was against my better judgment to lie, she is the only person in the world who I had never kept a secret from. My mother sighs while shaking her head, an impassive and distant look on her face. She sat next to me on the bed, and pressed her hand against my stomach, which immediately frightened me as I know there was only one reason for her to do so. You see, she was a witch. Not a very powerful one of course, she mostly stuck to herbs, but she was still able to sense things. The gene never passed down to me.
She closed her eyes for no more than a few seconds before they snapped open once again. She opened her mouth and her words came out as a whisper, "My daughter, you are with child."
I froze, my mouth agape for a moment before I felt tears start to form and run down my cheeks, "No...no, no please tell me this is a mistake!" I sobbed and crawled into her lap as she cradled me.
"It is going to be alright," she assured me while running her fingers through my hair.
But I knew better. Adrianna was my father's favorite, the moment her daughter was born he welcomed her with open arms. After all, what happened to Adrianna was never her fault, she had done everything right. For me this was a nightmare.
Present day
At that time, Julian had just begun courting someone else, someone who would go on to become his wife. I decided to tell him regardless, but he denied our child and stated that it was better if we had nothing to do with each other. I called him a coward and told him that he could not simply abandon me, though this did not stop him from walking away. He had a life of his own, and evidently I was not meant to be apart of it in the long run. I still remember being treated like an outsider when everyone else found out.
Flashback (New World, Late 10th Century)
I was just about three months pregnant, standing in our family room while holding my mothers hand. I could no longer hide my pregnancy from my father, and so we had decided to tell him. I felt ready to simply blurt out the news once he walked through the door, however when he actually appeared only a few moments later, I immediately tensed. There was a faint smell of alcohol and fish on him, he often liked to fish. I suddenly wished for at least one of my brothers to be in the room, but unfortunately my mother and I had devised a plan to speak with my father alone, so as to not cause a potential argument between them. I caught my mother's eye and she then gave me a slight nod.
I looked back towards him, "Father..." I started with a small voice.
"What is it?" he questioned in an uninterested and unconcerned manner, a single glance was all he spared me, along with a questioning brow.
I took a short pause but continued, "I am with child."
He froze, his eyes snapped to mine and his face immediately contorted with anger, "You are what!" he snarled as he got closer to me, "You whore!" his voice boomed just as I saw his hand come up.
He was just about to hit me, my face flinching away, when my mother suddenly stepped in between us. He looks at her and slowly lowers his hand. No matter what he did and how he acted, he loved her, or so he claimed. I never understood how she loved him.
"I know you are angry with her, but do not take it out on the child," she spoke quietly but with strength.
"That child will have no part in this family, as soon as it is born, I want it out of this house and with another family who will raise it as their own. This embarrassment will not follow us throughout our lives!"
I paused, there were tears streaming down my face and my heart was beating all too quickly. Maybe giving my child away would be for the better, but I wanted a say, or rather, I needed a say.
"Fathe-" I started but was quickly cut off.
"Quiet!" he yelled, making my heart jump. He turned swiftly and walked away, going to the other room.
I spared one last look at my mother and quickly dashed out of the hut, her voice calling out after me but quickly fading as I got further away. I realized that although I did not originally intend to, I was heading towards the Mikaelson's home. I felt the need to be somewhere calm, somewhere safe. As I got closer, Rebekah saw me first.
She looked confused and I could see the concern forming on her face, "Natalia, what has happened?"
Worry filled her voice as we embraced immediately while Niklaus, Kol and Finn listened in behind her. I saw Nik take a few steps towards me along with Kol, yet Finn stayed planted in his spot. Elijah and Henrik appeared to be missing.
There was a pause as I held onto her forearms for stability. "Bekah, I am with child," I sobbed.
Rebekah looked shocked but composed herself quickly and tightly wrapped her arms around me, my eyes closing in comfort as I hugged her back even tighter. At least, that is until she is pulled away rather harshly by Finn, any warmth and safety that her body produced stripped away with her.
"Leave!" he sneered.
I was at a loss for words and my brows furrowed, yet he continued, his words laced with venom, "You are having a child out of wedlock, you should not be around our family!"
"No! Natalia, there is no reason for you to leave, enough of this nonsense Finn!" Nik pleaded as he took yet another step toward me. However, before he could reach me, Kol stopped him by putting a hand on his brother's chest.
He quickly glanced between us both, but his gaze landed on me, "I am sorry Natalia, but our father would not tolerate this. For your own well-being, it would be better if you left before he returns."
Rebekah made an animal like noise and looked appalled as she tried running back to me, but Finn had a tight grip on her arm, and she visibly winced from the pain of it. I looked away from them both, sparing Nik a quick glance before turning my head back to face Kol.
"We are friends," I stated as more tears began to form, "How can you just tell me to leave?" I shook my head and urged on, "You do not care about Mikael, so please tell me what I have done to make you treat me so?"
Kol had an unreadable expression on his face, but his eyes gave him away. They seemed so conflicted that I could not stare into them for much longer. It did not seem that he wanted to tell me to leave, yet he was.
"You must go," he urged in a tone which sounded almost pained.
His words were so hurtful in this moment, that I felt a brief physical pain run though my heart. I could still hear Rebekah pleading with Finn but I was not focused on their words. I nodded numbly and swiftly turned around, beginning to make my way home. I could hear Nik calling out after me, but he had not followed me, and I did not look back. I was certain Finn or Kol urged him not to, it was even possible that they were holding him back, but I knew it was for the better. Mikael would eventually find out, Finn would no doubt be the one to tell him, and it was entirely possible that he would hurt Nik if he had followed me. After all, he looked for any excuse to do so on a daily basis.
Present day
Though we had never been extremely close, Kol and I were still friends. We spoke and spent time together often, although his attitude was slightly intimidating to me back then. He would always bed women, and gave the impression that he cared more about himself than others. It took us a while to warm up to each other but we managed it eventually. I even liked him quite a bit at one point. Nevertheless, after that incident I had begun to resent him greatly. I never understood how he could tell me to leave in the way that he did. I refused to believe that he actually gave a damn what Mikael thought, and although he claimed it was for my own safety, I could not bring myself to agree. To make matters worse, he became extremely cold towards me after that day. If anything, it was one of the worst parts of the entire ordeal. I did not want to lose a friend, but I did anyways.
Elijah would also learn of the news eventually. He tried his best to communicate with me even though his father forbade it. Out of all his siblings, he was the most mature and would continue to converse with me throughout my pregnancy. He tried to explain that Finn was always one to follow the rules, and that Kol was simply not sure how to handle the situation. But I did not care. Elijah's stories and advise were probably what kept me sane during that time. He was a good man, and still is I'm sure. I always wondered what would have happened if he knew the truth about my sister.
You see, Adrianna had lied. She may have told her husband that she was pregnant, but she did not tell the father of her child. What nobody knew, was that even though she had been married, and she had been with her husband, it was not his child. The truth was that she had never told the actual father because she was terrified of what would happen.
His name was Elijah Mikaelson.
And my niece was Iannia Marie Mikaelson. Although that remained between us.
To this day, after one thousand years, I am the only person who has ever known.
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