Y/N and Elijah had been together for a year. They'd done so much together and they'd loved every minute of it.
But one full moon, Niklaus and Henrik snuck out to watch the men turn into beasts. That was forbidden. Henrik paid the price.
They had been walking around the village with Elijah, holding hands and talking happily when she heard a loud yell.
Y/N turned her head in the direction of the sound.
"Mother!" Niklaus' voice rang through the air.
Niklaus came from the trees, carrying a body in his arms. She recognized him everywhere.
"Henrik!" Rebekah yelled. Niklaus called his mother again and she came running from the small house.
"No, no!! What happened?" Esther cried as she ran to her son. Y/N covered her mouth with her hand as she saw Henrik.
Niklaus cried, "The wolves! I am sorry, I'm so sorry!"
Y/N ran from Elijah's arms and up to Henrik's body. She and him had been close since she and Elijah had gotten together.
Esther turned to Ayana, another witch in the village, and said, "We must save him. Please, there must be a way!"
Ayana shook her head, "The spirits will not give us a way, Esther. Your boy is gone."
Y/N kneeled next to his body, grabbing his hand and saying, "May you be with the kind spirits now, my friend."
Y/N's family had been killed by werewolves when she was only three and was taken in by another witch, Astrid. When her mother, father, and older brother were lost, the woman had taught her the ways of the spirits and how to connect with them.
She never knew her family, not even who they were, what they were called.
Esther clutched her son's body and cried out. Elijah stared at the body of his littlest brother and took a breath, trying to keep his control.
He placed a hand on Y/N's and helped her stand. She dug her face in his neck and Elijah held her to him.
Later that day, Y/N had taken a walk to clear her head. Henrik was a good friend and would have soon enough been her brother as well.
But with him gone, everything had changed.
Though, Y/N had news for Elijah. She was to bare his child. She didn't know how to tell him. He was already going through a lot after his brother died earlier just that day.
What would she say?
She heard a noise behind her and turned quickly. Elijah stood near a tree and spoke, "Forgive me. I did not mean to scare you."
Y/N shook her head, "It's okay, Elijah."
He walked over to her and said, "I'm sorry about Henrik. I know he meant a lot to you."
She told him, "He was your brother. He meant a lot to you as well and I'm sorry he's gone."
Elijah swallowed the lump in his throat and nodded. He pulled her close and placed a kiss on her lips.
"I love you, Y/N." He said.
She smiled and responded, "I love you, too."
She gazed into his eyes and took a breath as she began, "Elijah, I need to tell you something."
He searched her eyes and asked, "Yes?"
Y/N began, "I-"
"Son." Someone interrupted. You both looked over and saw Mikael. He put his hands behind his back and told him, "Return home. We are to have a family dinner and you are required to attend."
Elijah nodded and told him, "Yes, father."
Mikael turned and left and Elijah turned back to her. "What was it you needed to tell me?"
Y/N sighed and brushed a strand of hair behind his ear and told him, "It's nothing. We can discuss it later. Now, go to your family."
Elijah asked, "Are you sure?"
She nodded and told him, "I'm sure. Go, Elijah."
He nodded and kissed her before turning and returning home. Y/N sighed and headed back to the village and to her own home.
~
It was the dead of night. Some in the village were still awake, talking with each other and some eating together.
Y/N sat at home, gazing at the moon from her window. There was a scream and she jumped. There were cries from over the village and you got out of your bed, fear striking you.
Astrid rushed into Y/N's room. Y/N panicked and asked, "What's going on?!"
Astrid kept as calm as her nerves would allow and told her, "There are beasts in the village."
Y/N furrowed her brow, "The werewolves? Why would they come here and attack us?"
Astrid shook her head, "Not the wolves, my dear. Something else. An abomination to nature. You must go. Run and make sure you are not found. You must not be caught by these beasts."
"What about Elijah!" You exclaimed.
Astrid shook her head, "I'm sure he'll be okay. Go, now. Before it is too late."
As she said this, Astrid made her way to the window and showed Y/N the way out.
Y/N cried and ran up to her. She gave her a hug and said, "I love you, Mother." Astrid let a tear drip down her face.
Y/N never called her mother before, knowing she wasn't her real one. But Astrid has been there for her for so long that she was.
She cried, "I love you, too, my darling."
She let go of Y/N and ushered her to the window. She moved as quickly as she could with a dress on and got out.
Y/N hovered by the window and put a hand on her stomach. Astrid told her, "Take good care of the little one."
There was a crash and Astrid pushed Y/N away. "Go!" Y/N cried and ran, getting as far away as possible.
A distant scream filled the air and Y/N cried, tripping over the dress. But she knew she had to keep moving.
She stood on shaky legs and ran as far as they would allow her.
~
Y/N woke the next morning by a stream, propped against a tree. She looked around and wondered how she got there.
Then memories of the night before rushed into her mind. She cried, remembering the screams of the village, the screams of her mother, the fear for her Elijah and child.
She had hoped it was all a dream.
But it wasn't.
Y/N stood from the ground and washed her face in the stream. She took in a breath and stood up.
She'd known the woods like the back of her hand. But she had run so far that she was in unfamiliar territory.
She remembered what her birth mother used to sing to her all those years ago as a little girl, 'Follow the brightest star in the sky, or follow the everlasting stream. Then you will know, in your heart, where to go, when you are lost in a dream.'
Y/N sighed and began walking, following the stream. Everything told her not to go back, that only danger lies there.
But she had to know if there was a chance Astrid had survived. She had to know if Elijah was okay.
Y/N walked for hours. Her feet ached and her stomach growled. Soon enough, she came by an apple tree.
She examined it closely, trying to make sure it wasn't poisonous. She brought an apple to her nose and took a whiff.
The smell was light and sweet. She then took a small bite from the apple and found a sweet taste.
She confirmed it to be safe to eat and picked a few. As she walked, she ate her apples and stayed by the stream. She came across a familiar path and knew she was close. About a ten minute walk from there.
Her little home came in sight. A fire must have been burning because there was smoke rising from the house.
Y/N rushed over and crawled through the window again, still not knowing if it was safe to go around the front.
She looked around, looking for Astrid. She couldn't find her anywhere so she went to look somewhere in the village.
She put a long coat on, one that covered her face so she wasn't seen. Before she made her way from the house, she saw a large fire in the center of the village.
The other residents gathered around as people threw bodies of the dead from last night into the fire.
Her eyes scanned the bodies of people she knew. Tears pricked at her eyes as she tried to force them down.
It wasn't until she saw a necklace lying to the side of one, still fastened around the neck of the woman, that she cried out.
"Astrid!" She yelled, running over to her. People stepped aside and let her get to the body. Y/N dropped to her knees as tears streamed down her face.
"No, no, no." She said. Y/N grabbed her hand and held it to her heart. Astrid gasped and her tears slowed. People around them muttered and Y/N watched closely.
Astrid gasped for air and her breath slowed when she saw Y/N. She spoke in a broken, gasping voice, "M-M-M..."
You said, "Ssh, it's okay."
"M-Mikaelson." She stuttered.
Y/N's eyes furrowed her brows as confusion settled in. But the confusion subsided and pain overtook her as Astrid's eyes closed.
"Mother?" She asked. No response. "Mother?!" Y/N yelled.
She cried again, tears streaming freely. The residents left her to mourn as they tended to the other bodies, tossing them in the fire.
After some time, Y/N's tears came to a halt, too exhausted to continue crying.
She grabbed the necklace and took it from around Astrid's neck, not touching the charm. Y/N stared at the silver snake swallowing its tail that hung from the string.
She placed the charm in her hand and it moved. Out of surprise, Y/N dropped the pendant to the ground.
She looked at it carefully before picking it up again. The snake removed its tail from its mouth and slithered to her.
Y/N smiled, remembering how Astrid loved snakes. The snakes tongue darted out of its mouth. Slowly, the snake began to slither up her arm and up to her shoulder.
It perched there and curled up again, opening its mouth. The snake's mouth then closed around its tail and the snake stopped moving once again.
A string grew from the pendant and around Y/N's neck. The string adjusted to her neck and the pendant fell from her shoulder, hanging from the bottom of the string.
Y/N smile again. Astrid would make a necklace like this. She wondered what the necklace did.
But the smile didn't last long. Y/N knew that she probably wasn't safe here. She hadn't seen any of the Mikaelsons since she returned and she feared it might have been because they were caught by the beasts.
Maybe that's what Astrid was trying to tell her.
Y/N kept her mind from it. She traveled to her house and looked around. Taking a breath, Y/N grabbed her hand-stitched bag and grabbed handful of her belongings.
She packed clothes, food, and sentimentalities. She took one last look at the house before turning and leaving.
She set off before nightfall and headed down the stream to find a new home.
As the moon rose in the sky, Y/N took a break from her walking and watched the moon. She smiled at how the full moon looked.
Wait, she thought, The wolves change on full moons. Y/N panicked as she heard the sound of rustling leaves.
She turned briskly, fearing what may be behind the shadows. "Come out." She ordered in the best demanding voice she could do.
Another group of leaves rustled and twigs snapped. Y/N was growing fearful as she wondered what was moving around her.
"Who are you?" Y/N asked as she tried to find out what was watching her.
A voice spoke. A familiar voice. "Hello, daughter of Axel." He said.
Y/N turned and saw Mikael. She would have been even a little bit relieved if she hadn't been so scared and confused.
"Mikael? You're alive?" She asked. Mikael made a face, "Well, of course, I'm alive. Why wouldn't I be?"
Y/N suddenly felt embarrassed. "After what I saw, what I heard. The attack of the beasts last night...I didn't know who all had died. I saw none of you and thought you'd been lost as well."
He shook his head with a smirk, "Lost? Oh, heavens no. The 'beasts' that attacked last night were us."
"What?" Y/N asked in disbelief. "What happened?"
Mikael waved a hand and said, "That doesn't matter. None of it will in a moment. You'll be too busy not breathing to care."
Y/N stopped, "What?" She took a step back and put a hand on her stomach. The veins under Mikael's eyes came to the surface as his eyes went dark.
He gave a menacing smile as he showed off fangs.
What was he?
Y/N took a few steps back and said, "Mikael, please. Please don't do this."
He took taunting slow steps toward her and Y/N panicked.
Mikael ran up to her at an inhuman speed and before he could do anything, she blurted, "I bare Elijah's child!"
He stopped and took a step back. "What?" He spat. She spoke urgently, "I am with child and it belongs to Elijah."
Mikael thought to himself. "This better not be a trick because I remain unamused."
Y/N shook her head, "I swear on my life that this is no trick."
The veins crept away as the fangs disappeared. She took a deep breath and calmed herself.
"You aren't going to kill me?" She asked, still uncertain of Mikael's intentions.
He shook his head, "No. If you really do bare my son's child, killing you would not be in my best interest. I am not looking forward to the end of my bloodline."
Y/N placed a hand on her stomach and calmed herself again. Mikael suddenly rushed to her, standing in front of her in no time as he forced her head back. "What are you doing?!" Y/N panicked, struggling to get out of his hold.
Mikael spoke, "I'm doing you a favor. The magic that turned my family and me is linked in you as well." He grabbed something from a pocket. When she saw the clay container in his hand, she furrowed her brows, unsure of what was inside.
He held her head back, prying her mouth open as he forced the liquid in her mouth and made her swallow it. The taste of nickle invaded her senses as she were forced to drink. It was no question, this was blood.
Y/N tried to spit it out, but Mikael made sure there was no way of doing that. When she'd drank every drop of blood there was, he pulled back from her. She gasped for breath, coughing as she supported herself against a tree.
"Don't worry. You'll be fine." Mikael said. He straightened her up and placed his hands on her shoulders. He then snapped her neck, quick and painless, without blinking.
~
Y/N gasped awake, looking around frantically. Her necklace pulsed and it felt like the magic inside of it was moving throughout her body.
When it suddenly stopped, Y/N furrowed her brows. Though, her thoughts were interrupted by a burning in her throat.
She looked up in the sky and closed her eyes shut, the light hurting them. She had a headache worse than any before and her mouth hurt slightly.
In her pain, she yelled in frustration. Mikael appeared strangely in front of her, quicker than a flash of light it seemed. He was covered by a cloak, keeping his skin covered.
"What did you do to me?" She asked as she squinted her eyes to look at him. He only told her, "I've made you stronger. Oh, be more grateful. At least I didn't kill you."
Y/N gulped and asked, "Axel...earlier you called me the daughter of Axel. Why?"
He told you, "Because that's who your father was. Do you not know your own heritage?"
Y/N looked away, looking to the ground, which felt better on her eyes. She shook her head embarrassed. "I do not know who they are."
Mikael rolled his eyes, "Well, would you like to know?"
Y/N looked at him, not being able to tell why Mikael was doing any of this. "Why? Why would you do me the service of telling me?" She asked.
Mikael shrugged, "No one should have to live not knowing who their family is." Y/N waited for a moment, trying to see if he was lying. She finally nodded and said, "I want to know."
He turned to her, holding up a finger, "First...you need to feed." He sped away, leaving you breathlessly surprised, before coming back just the same. Though, this time, a woman screamed and shouted for Mikael to unhand her.
He tossed her down, throwing her to the ground in front of Y/N. She scooted away, hitting the back of a tree.
"Drink." He told her. The woman screamed again, but Mikael picked her up by the collar of her dress and looked her dead in the eyes. "You will not make a sound. Do you understand?"
The woman nodded and was thrown to the ground again. She silently cried and looked at her as she pleaded silently for her life.
Y/N looked at her, then back up at Mikael. "I cannot. I will not." She told him. He lifted the woman's head up, pushing her hair to the side and cutting her neck to let some of her blood drip onto her skin.
Blood began to spill from the wound and it called to Y/N. Her mouth watered as she tried to keep her control, and it disgusted her.
Mikael brought the woman closer and said through clenched teeth, "Drink."
Y/N tried shaking her head but she felt her control slipping away as she moved closer. The woman shook her head but Y/N didn't care.
She was focused on the blood.
She wanted it.
She craved it.
Y/N slowly crept forward and pressed a finger against the woman's neck. She brought the bloody finger to her mouth and sighed.
It was delicious.
Y/N rushed to her and bit down on her neck, bringing her blood in mouthfuls. The heartbeat of the woman sped up and Y/N could hear it getting louder.
The heartbeat began to slow and Y/N could feel the woman stop struggling. Slowly, the beat faded until there wasn't one anymore.
Y/N finished off the woman and pulled away. Her mouth was covered in blood and it began to drip onto her dress.
It was euphoric!
The feeling of power that she felt in her body was indescribable.
She felt stronger, but she also felt guilty. She had just taken a human life. You couldn't undo that.
The guilt subsided as pain shot to her gums. She opened her mouth and brought her hands to it as a piercing pain filled them.
Mikael smiled as he watched fangs pierce through her gums. Y/N stopped and felt them, immediately cutting her finger with how sharp they were.
She watched as the wound healed almost immediately after and wiped the blood from her finger.
"What am I?" She asked.
Mikael smiled maliciously, "Call yourself what you will."
Y/N's eyes widened and she sat back against the tree. Suddenly, her skin began to burn. The searing of her flesh brought her back to reality and she looked down to see a ray of sunshine beaming on her skin.
Mikael stood over her, blocking the sun. He then picked her up and, in a flash, they were in a small cave.
Mikael set her down and spoke, his voice echoing off the walls. "For every strength, there is weakness..."
Y/N stood and walked around the cave, finding it the only way to calm her nerves. Even a little bit. "The sun is our enemy."
Mikael glanced down at her and informed her, "Our neighbors who had opened their homes to us could now keep us out. The flowers at the base of the white oak tree burned, and prevented compulsion."
Y/N tilted her head, "Compulsion?"
"Mind manipulation." He clarified, "The spell that made us what we are decreed that the tree that gave us life could also take it away...so we burned it to the ground."
Y/N covered her mouth. She had so many memories of that tree. Village festivals, games with her neighbors, memories with Elijah. Now it was gone.
Y/N felt like she could cry. Like she could sit there and sob for hours.
Mikael could see the tears forming in her eyes and told her, "Emotions are heightened. Sadness turns to sorrow. Angry to rage."
A small burn in Y/N's throat reminded her that she was hungry. "Why do I still crave blood?"
He informed her, "Blood had made us reborn and it was blood that we crave above all else. You will be unable to control it for a long time."
Y/N looked down and asked, "And what of my child?"
Mikael simply told her, "If not for the necklace you wear now, your child would be dead. The necklace will protect you and your child for as long as you both wear it and live."
Y/N grabbed the necklace and examined it. Mikael glanced out of the cave and told her, "You will stay here until the sun goes down. You are not to come to the village, or I will strike you down myself. I will bring you meals as long as you do as I say. Disobey me, and I will tear you apart. Do you understand, girl?"
She nodded and Mikael began to leave. Y/N stopped him as she asked, "What about my family? You said you'd tell me-"
"You will know tomorrow. For now, I must return home." He told her.
"And Elijah? Is he alright?"
Mikael turned to her and nodded, "My son is fine."
"Will I see him again?" She asked, hopeful.
"If I so choose." He said. He then turned and left, rushing away and leaving Y/N on her own.
~
The next day, Mikael told her of her family as he had promised.
Her father was a warrior, one who had fought beside Mikael once and had fallen in battle. A survivor of their enemy had found her mother, Brenna, and her brother, Gunner, and slaughtered them.
Mikael was her father's friend, so when he saw this happening, he saved you and killed the man who had attacked her family.
"Axel was...my friend." Mikael had told Y/N. She understood as he told her this.
She now knew of her family. Now she wondered what it would have been like if they had lived.