1942 — Kraków, Poland
By Monday morning, five children had joined the Cumming's household. It was two boys and three girls, all of them small and less than ten years-old. Nikolas, a boy of fourteen who had lost his father two days before he was taken by Gianni. He was small and blonde, with bright blue eyes and always followed Eleanor around the house. That small boy reminded the young vampire of Klaus. The gentle innocence, the fright, the eyes hardened by what had happened to him. It was as if she was seeing Klaus as a child.
Tibor was a boy of nine who held a hard face full of hate. It was as if anger and war ran through his veins and hardened every orifice. His eyes were always glaring, his mouth was always set in a straight line, and his hands were closed into fists. Eleanor had never seen him smile ever since he arrived at the house.
Veronika was the youngest girl. She was five five, with scratches all around her face and appearing like a skeleton. She was too skinny, unhealthy, and Eleanor was afraid that she would die at any moment. Whenever she gave her something, she would put a bit of her blood so the young girl could survive and get stronger, cure whatever disease was eating her alive.
Svatava, who was seven, was smaller than the other two girls. She always had her arms crossed, as if she were holding herself together. Afraid that she would fall apart at any moment. Her eyes were a soft brown that reminded Eleanor so much of the sand by the beach in Hastings. They were soft and gentle, at any moment lost by the stormy sea she had seen.
Mahulena, the oldest of the children, was eleven. As the youngest, and who was overworked at the labour camp and had seen her mother and younger sister be killed in front of her, she still held a grin. It surprised Eleanor whenever the girl would grin, so brightly as if she had not been in the front lines of war. Out of all the children she had saved, Mahulena was the one that smiled the strongest.
Eleanor stood in front of the oven, preparing a meal for the children. Each time a child would come into her home, she would fill their bellies with everything she had learned over the years. Food after food, delicacies that were strange and missed by little mouths. Each day, she would make something different, or make what the children wanted a repeat of. She didn't mind cooking or baking all day, because she loved seeing the smiles on the children's face. Eleanor Fraser couldn't have children, but she could vicariously live her dream by saving those that needed to be save.
"They're late," Thomas said as he walked into the kitchen. "Two hours late, Eleanor."
"They must have gotten stuck," she said as she quickly glanced over at him. "The Germans must have stopped them at the train station and want to see their papers. They're curious of every foreigner that comes through where they overtook."
"They have fake papers," Thomas muttered, frowning.
"From the US," she reminded him. She laid the wooden spoon on the counter, cleaned her hands on her apron, and moved over to him. With a gentle smile, she laid a hand on his arm. "They're also vampires. If anything happens, they will compel them. They are older than us, Thomas, they know what to do if they get caught. They have, after all, been doing this for a long time."
Benedikt and Irene Nakov were a couple that were both born before 1230. Irene was the daughter of Maria Petraliphaina and Theodore of Epirus, the rulers of Epirus, Thessaly, and Thessalonica, and most of Macedonia and western Thrace. In 1230, Irene and her family were captured by troops of Tsar Ivan Asen II of Bulgaria and were taken to Tarnovo, where Irene grew up. She became known for her beauty, for the difference between the Greek beauty and the many women the tsar had been with.
Benedikt Nakov was a soldier for Tsar Ivan's army, first in command of the man's army—the right hand man. He met Irene when he was returning from war, helmet under his arm and sword in his hand, blood covering every inch of him. When they told her their story, Benedikt said it was love at first sight; when he laid eyes on the beauty that watched him from the side of the tsar, and all-knowing smirk, and dark eyes that seemed to know every little secret he had hidden since he was born.
The Nakov's met the three vampires one afternoon in Germany, when there was a sudden rally for the National Socialist German Worker's Party. The Nakov's were one of the few that were openly refusing to join the party, or take any part in its agenda. Eleanor made a comment about the men in uniform being complete idiots for following false words, and Irene—who happened to be standing besides them—agreed, and their friendship only grew since then.
"Do you think they will even come soon?" Thomas asked with a sigh. He leaned against the counter, shaking his head.
Eleanor turned to him and stared. He wore dress pants and a shirt, his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His eyes stared down at a newspaper in his hands, shifting between every word so he could carefully read. She admired that side of him, when he was dressed so simply instead of wearing his uniform. It was attractive. An elegance that only he could muster.
"They should be coming soon," she said with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, love." She laid her hand on his arm and a kiss on his cheek. "Now, why don't you grab the children? Dinner's ready."
At that moment, there was a knock on the front door. Thomas and Eleanor glanced at each other before turning to the door. The pair moved toward it, seeing Gianni slowly opening the front door to reveal five men. Five German officers stood in their front door, with hard eyes and craggy faces. The man in the centre seemed to be in command, he stood straighter and ruder than the others.
"Shütze Cummings," he said to Gianni. "Is Hauptmann Cummings here?"
Gianni glanced back. "Why are you looking for my uncle?" Both Thomas and Gianni were too young to appear as father and son, so they decided to base their relationship as uncle and nephew. "Is something wrong?"
"Two people at the station were looking for him," the commander said. "They came from England."
Thomas stepped forward at that moment and ran a hand through his chin. "From England?" he asked. "Were their names Irene and Benedikt?"
"Yes."
Thomas sighed and shook his head. "They are fine," he said. "They are German spies who come to tell me their findings so I can write them to the Fuhrer. Bring them here immediately."
Not even fifteen minutes later, Irene and Benedikt Nakov stood in their living room with bright smiles and wide arms. Irene hugged Eleanor, both laughing. Irene was a beautiful woman of forever forty-three. She was had big brown eyes, plump lips, and long dark hair that she always kept neatly tied in the back with a shimmery hairpin.
"My, Eleanor," Irene breathed, pulling away from the hug. "Did you dye your hair? It's darker!"
"I needed a change," she responded with a smile. The truth was that she hated her golden hair for a while, having it remind her of her past with the Mikaelson's. It reminded her of the times Klaus would push the strands behind her ear, the times he would pull her air as he growled nothings into her ear.
"It looks good," Irene said, grabbing a strand of hair between her fingers. "Absolutely lovely!"
"Thank you," Eleanor said. She took a step back and glanced at the other man. He was tall, with always a smile and glimmering dark eyes that could be black until the were seen in the sunlight. "Benedikt, how are you?"
"Could have been better," he answered with a laugh. "If those Germans hadn't stopped us, we could have already been gone by now."
"I apologise," Thomas sighed, shaking his head. "That shouldn't have happened."
"Don't apologise, Thomas," Benedikt laughed, laying a hand on his shoulder. "It wasn't you who began this war."
"But, I am in their military," Thomas frowned. "I have killed innocent man."
Benedikt laid his other hand on Thomas's other shoulder. "It's a sacrifice we must make to save more," he said, his accent rough against their ears. "Irene and I have done this so many times. Each time is more painful than the last—seeing the eyes that once held so many lives slowly fall as their soul escapes their body. I have seen it many times, have made it happen many times, and I push it into the back of my mind as I remember that I am here to save more than those I have killed."
"Yes," Irene nodded, taking a stand by her husband. "You can say that this is our penance for the murders we have committed."
"Enough about this sad talk," Benedikt laughed, glancing around the room. "Where's Gianni?"
"Upstairs with the children," Eleanor said with a small smile. "They just love him."
"He is lovely with children," Irene said with a dreamy tone. "He would have been an amazing father."
Eleanor nodded, immediately feeling the guilt she had been holding back for so many years come up her throat. She never thought twice about feeding him her blood, until those little moments in which he showed so much hope for a part of humanity that didn't care about him. It was those moments where Eleanor thought that she made a huge mistake, that her life was a series of miscalculations after the other
The first miscalculation in Eleanor Fraser's life was being born. Her mother was a whore and she didn't know who her father one. No one had told her who her father was, not even the letters her mother had written to the orphanage with the bag of golds that were used for her upkeep.
The second miscalculation in Eleanor's life was the night Sister Wilhelma had given her to Thure Lindhart. It was a night she had longed to forget, which she had, but only for a while. There were times were it would come back to her mind, as if the memory didn't want to be forgotten. It was those thoughts that kept the murderous side of her intact, the side that wanted revenge for every little wrong thing that had happened to her.
The third miscalculation in Eleanor's life was meeting the Mikaelson's, especially Klaus. It was at that moment that the huge miscalculations became part of her timeline, part of her. Becoming a vampire, travelling the world, murdering for pleasure, Klaus. Klaus. Klaus. She hated what he had done to her, the kisses and the touches and the smiles and the smirks and little moments they had shared. She considered that the biggest miscalculation in her life.
"I'm going to go get Gianni," Eleanor said, giving a smile to each vampire in the room, "and the children. They're bound to be hungry. Please, make yourselves at home."
She moved carefully upstairs, her hands holding tightly to the banister. There were soft voices coming from the rooms she had given the children, little giggles and the careful ushering of their names between each child. They spoke about the times before the war, about their families, happiness that was so hard for them to reach in their time of peril. Eleanor couldn't help but smile as she heard their voices, as she came closer to the bedroom the girls shared. She knocked on the door and slowly opened the door. They were all on the floor, playing with the dolls Thomas had given them when they arrived.
"What are you guys doing?" she asked as she leaned against the doorway with a small smile.
"Playing!"Svatava giggled, covering her mouth.
"Well," smiled Eleanor, "how about continuing to play more later? Dinner's ready, and there are a couple of people that would like to meet you."
At that moment, their smiles fell. Mahulena stood and stared at the vampire with fright. "Are they here to take us back?" she asked, her voice quivering.
"No, no, no!" Eleanor quickly said, kneeling in front of her. She laid her hands on the girl's shoulders and gave her a small smile. "You will never go back to that place, okay? Never. These people are just like us, they help." She glanced around at the girls, giving them a warm smile each. "They will be taking you far away from here, where you can all be happy and not worry about what is happening here. You can go to school and learn, and play outside with other children, and laugh out loud, and not worry about what's happening here."
"What about my mama?" little Veronika asked, hugging the doll closer to her. "Papa?"
Eleanor frowned. How could she tell the girl that her family was dead? She couldn't, so she smiled and laid a kiss on her forehead. "Your mama and papa will soon be there, and you can all live happily ever after where you no longer have to suffer."
"Will we get food?" Ania asked. Ever since the other girls had arrived, they had all become such good friends.
"Of course you will!" Eleanor chuckled. "You will get much more food than you do here. Irene will bake you chocolate cakes, and sugar cookies, and the best scones you will ever taste!" She stood and looked down at all the girls. "Now, go on, then. Go downstairs. Your dinner will get cold."
As soon as the girls ran down the stairs, Eleanor made her way to the room that belonged to the boys. When she opened the door, she saw the boys and Gianni playing around the room with their arms spread wide and laughs at the tip of their tongues. They ran around the room playing air-planes, jumping from bed to bed, over toys, slamming into Gianni and making him fall back with all three boys falling on top of him.
"We got you!" Patryk giggled.
"It's your turn to catch us, Jaime!" Piotr said, a wide grin on his lips. "You have to catch us!"
"Oh, I will!" Gianni laughed. He made a loud noise and stood, the boys yelling and immediately running around the room to avoid being caught.
Eleanor smiled, mostly as she stared at Gianni. He was gentle with children, kind, always a smile on his lips as he protected them from the harm in the world. She wondered if that was him doing his penance for dying so early in life, for killing to control his thirst. Maybe, he was doing the same penance as her for the same reason—for murdering the innocent and enjoying it.
"Dinner's ready," Eleanor said. The boys stopped playing, all of them breathless from their laughter and games.
"Come on!" Gianni said with a grin as he stared down at each boy. "Let's get some food!" The boys cheered and ran by Eleanor so they could go downstairs. Gianni walked up to her, the smile on his lips immediately falling. "Nikolas is still not playing," he told her, glancing back to the window. "He's been sitting there all day."
Eleanor followed his eyes, seeing the young boy with war in his eyes staring out the window. "He has been like that since he arrived," she said with a sigh.
"I've tried speaking to him," Gianni said, giving another glance at the boy. "He doesn't say anything. He only stares at me, then go backs to staring out the window."
"Go downstairs," Eleanor nodded. "I'll speak to him." As soon as Gianni left the room, she moved closer to Nikolas. Even when she stood next to him, he didn't bother looking back at her. She let out a sigh and took a seat besides him, staring at the outside. "You're angry," she simply said. "I understand. I'm angry, too, Nikolas. Everything that's happening here is horrible, unnecessary, and you want to kill each person that has made your life become this. But, revenge isn't as satisfying as you think it will be. At first it is, but then it eats you up every waking moment."
"They deserve to die," he finally said, his voice low and broken. "They all deserve to die!"
"You want to know a small secret?" she asked, glancing at him. "Most don't know what happens behind those walls. They don't know how you were being treated; they are constantly lied to, fed lies as if it was some form of delicious cookie. The only ones that know are the people who work in those camps. Some of them don't want to do it, but they are told that it as either for them to kill or for their loved ones to be killed."
"Aren't you an Angel?" he asked, finally turning to her. "Aren't you supposed to help me kill them?"
Eleanor was surprised of his sudden words. Slowly, she shook her head and looked down. "Oh, Nikolas," she breathed, still shaking her head. "I'm no Angel, Nikolas. I'm a monster."
"But, you're a kind monster," the boy said, with eyes wide and a hint of wonder. "If you weren't a kind monster, you would have let me to die with my parents."
"Come," she said, still stunned by his words. "Dinner's getting cold."
They all sat around a table, the children pushing more food than they could into their mouths. They had to be told to slow down several times, by each person that sat around the table with them. To Eleanor, it felt as if she were having a family dinner during a holiday. It was the first time her dinner table was filled with so much people, with so much food, with so much merriment. Her eyes scanned to each people, seeing how the children got along well with Irene and Benedikt.
At the end of the dinner, Eleanor brought out a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting. It was a favourite of each child that had been in her home, something they always desired. So, she gave each two slices and smiled as they devoured the cake. By late at night, they were all packed and ready to leave. Each child held on to a toy, a small bag on their backs, and a hat covering their shaved heads.
Eleanor gave each child a kiss on the forehead, a big hug, and a piece of cake for them to eat while on their travel to America. She stood and glanced at each child with a big smile, covering the tears that threatened to fall. "Now," she breathed, "you all need to promise me to be very good for Irene and Benedikt."
"We promise," Ania said, nodding. There were tears in her eyes, fright.
"You will live a kind life," Thomas said to the children, smiling. "Big and happy, and long. Don't worry anymore, alright?"
"You will get more toys," Gianni said, kneeling in front of the boys. He had gotten close to them, just like he had with each child that passed through their home. "More books. A warm, soft bed for each of you. You can run on the streets and make a lot of friends. You will love it."
"Have you been there?" Tibor asked, his voice shaking.
"Not yet," Gianni said. He glanced back at Eleanor for a quick moment. "But, Eleanor has. She says it's wonderful over there. I believe you're going to have a grand time with Irene and Benedikt. Maybe, you will travel all around the world."
"And when you do," Eleanor joined, "you best write to us."
"Come on, then!" Benedikt laughed. "It's time to go. The last train to Prague leaves in an hour and we need to get there early."
"Be careful," Eleanor said, giving Irene a hug.
"Always," Irene smiled. "You best be careful, too, Eleanor."
"Of course," the young vampire smiled. "Now, best be going."
"We'll write as soon as we arrive," Benedikt said. "We might send a postcard, too."
"Do you have all the papers?" Thomas asked. "Everything you need."
Benedikt nodded. "Everything is set," he said. "Until we meet again, good friend."
"Yes," Thomas nodded, giving the man a quick hug. "We'll set the date through letters."
Eleanor watched each child follow Irene and Benedikt out of the house, a coat covering their thin bodies and keeping them warm. Nikolas was last, but soon stopped as he set one foot outside of the house. Slowly, he turned back to face the young vampire. "Will I ever see you again?" he asked, just low enough for her to hear.
"Who knows?" Eleanor smiled. "Maybe, in some time, I will visit."
Nikolas nodded. "Do," he said. "Thank you, kind monster." He ran out of the house, catching up to a waiting Benedikt and Irene.
"Kind monster?" Gianni asked with a snicker escaping his lips. "What is he talking about?"
Eleanor shrugged her shoulders, watching the children walk away. "He's going to be grand," she said as she closed the door. "Now, how many more children can the two of you get by Tuesday?"