| respect (n): a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something as a result of their abilities, qualities, or achievements |
MERCY SIGHED AS another paper ball was thrown at her head. This had been going on for about twenty minutes now, and she was quickly losing the little bit of patience that she had left. She dropped her notebook and pencil on the bed with flamboyance, raising her eyebrows and crossing her arms as she stared at the girl across from her.
"Is that seriously necessary?" She asked in obvious annoyance, but her friend only crumbled up yet another piece of paper to throw her way. Before the ball could hit her, Mercy raised a hand and the paper fell to the ground instantly with the help of some magic.
Her friend grinned sideways. "Yes," she answered. "This is boring."
"It's school, Mavis," Mercy reminded her. "It's supposed to be boring."
Her friend, Mavis, shrugged and rolled her eyes. The girl hated school as much as Mercy did, which was saying something considering that the Mikaelson wolf despised the incessant and repetitive teachings. She had already learned most usual materials that humans were taught at her age, but because of her dad and his constant knowledge over quite literally everything that's happened throughout history, her school level had been advanced considerably more than the average girl. And with Mavis being her close friend and one of the most successful wolf soldiers, even as a teenager, the girl decided to join Mercy in her jail cell of homework and papers. Mercy appreciated the gesture more than she let on, even if she would never admit it.
"Hey, I have an idea," Mavis pushed away her notebook that hadn't been written in at all over the thirty minutes they've been sitting there. She leaned forward on the bed they sat on, placing her chin on her closed fist and batting her eyelashes innocently at Mercy. "Let's go to Don's tonight."
Mercy scoffed, picking her pencil back up and scribbling some notes on the paper. "Yeah, right," she began sarcastically. "Look how well that turned out last time."
"Hey, it's not my fault that your dad caught onto us! I was the perfect partner in crime until I got sick that one night and puked all over his shoes," Mavis reminded her, making Mercy sigh. She had a point. Despite the singular instance in which Mavis got sick from drinking too much, she was usually pretty level-headed when she and Mercy went out to cause trouble. "Besides, I can tell you want to get away."
Mercy sent her friend a half smile. Mavis Sakamoto was truly an angel sent by God, and always knew when the Mikaelson girl was upset or frustrated, especially when it concerned her father. She'd only known the girl for two years, but it felt like she's been friends with her for forever. Mavis filled the hole that Hope had left in Mercy's heart, and the two girls got along together like two peas in a pod.
Not to mention, Mavis was incredibly loyal, and always knew how to hype Mercy up whenever the girl was feeling doubtful or insecure about her place in the werewolf community. She encouraged the younger of the two to claim her queenly rights and not to let anybody take it from her. Mercy wasn't so sure, but the girl—who was only older by a year—was adamant that Mercy was perfect for the job, and that she shouldn't worry about what the wolves thought.
It was hard, but Mavis was always there to make things just a little bit easier.
Mercy sighed, discarding her homework completely as she focused on her friend. "I don't know," she mumbled toward the sheets of the bed, fiddling with her fingers in her lap. "I kind of have to talk to my dad about something anyway, and I feel like I should confront him tonight."
"Oh, really?" Mavis was surprised, straightening her back as her face turned serious. "What are you going to talk to him about? Are you going to bring up the reason you've been avoiding him?"
Mercy sent a look to the girl that said No shit, Sherlock, causing Mavis to raise her hands in surrender. "I mean, yea," she said as if it were the most perceptible thing in the world. "I feel bad about doing it, but I think if he knew why, he wouldn't be so on my back about everything. Maybe he'd even let me lead a tour out by the perimeter."
"Let you?" Mavis laughed, shaking her head ruefully. "If there's one thing I know about you, Mercy Mikaelson, it's that you don't follow anybody's rules but your own." Mercy couldn't help but smirk slightly to herself, knowing that the words were absolutely true. "Besides, it's not like he can take your title away. It's yours. Not his. You don't need his permission to rule over your own people and decide what's best for them. He can give advice, sure, but he shouldn't be the one making the decisions."
Mercy bit her lip, still nervous about confronting her father considering all the baggage she was planning to unload on him. This conversation was long overdue, and Mercy could feel the tension already tightening her bones.
She loved her father; there was no question about how much love she held for him. But despite this bond, Klaus Mikaelson was still an incredibly difficult man to deal with, especially when she was the only daughter that he could properly get to know. He wouldn't be able to do the same with Hope, thanks to the Hollow, and so it felt—to Mercy anyway—that he was trying to be twice as protective over her than if he had both of his daughters in his life. It drove Mercy crazy if she was being honest.
All her life, she's loved the adventure, the rush of adrenaline, the euphoric high of getting into some kind of trouble. And all her life, her father had been trying to keep her out of said trouble, which would cause anybody like them to clash heads once in a while.
She was shaken out of her stupor as a hand fell onto her shoulder. Mercy glanced up to see that Mavis was staring at her with a soft expression, one that the usually abrasive girl only showed to her. While Mercy valued Mavis as a sort of replacement for her twin, Mavis was an only child, and she treasured Mercy as a sister that would connect them through many lifetimes.
Sometimes, Mavis's native culture came out—she was originally from a werewolf pack all the way in Japan—and she would say an old proverb that she learned in grade school. After being roughly translated to English, it said: As my sister, you are both my mirror, and my opposite.
Mercy found it quite fitting, not only for her relationship with Mavis, but sometimes, even with the distant childhood relationship to her real sister.
Shaking thoughts of Hope away, she focused back on Mavis, who was staring at her expectantly. Realizing that her friend had been speaking while Mercy was daydreaming, the Mikaelson wolf blinked a few times. "Wait... What did you say?"
Mavis rolled her eyes, standing up and hauling Mercy off the bed. "Just go already!" She pushed the girl out of the tent they were in, the open flap almost smacking Mercy straight in the face. "You're giving me bad juju!"
Mercy smirked without realizing. "You get bad juju every time it rains, Mavis," she said with a raised eyebrow, but her friend only waved the girl away.
"Shoo shoo, young caterpillar," she said over-dramatically, and Mercy couldn't help but giggle. "And don't come back until you've unloaded all your shit and have turned into a wonderful butterfly!"
Mercy scoffed, but she saluted her friend anyway, who nodded as if she were satisfied before closing the flap of the tent. Mercy was left alone in the woods, and slowly, the smile slipped off of her face, and she sighed.
Walking along the trail that was as familiar to Mercy as the back of her hand, she thought about how she should start the conversation. Surely, if both Mavis and Jordyn were agreeing that she should talk to her father about her issues, then it must be done, at least to some extent. She couldn't let her problems with her dad go unresolved, especially when she could tell that he was confused by the sudden distance between the two.
The teenager drifted casually through the woods, spotting the settlement a few yards away. Her private tent was a little on the boundary of the community, but she preferred it this way. She needed a space separate from the wolves and her dad and Jordyn where she could simply think to herself and not have to worry about being interrupted. Though, she should've realized that the number of interruptions would rise after she introduced Mavis to the safe space.
She looked up to the night sky, seeing that the moon, a hanging crescent, had risen into the dark blue abyss. Their campsite was littered with torches stuck into the ground, so she was able to see when a group of small children ran past her, barely moving out of the way and avoiding getting run over.
"Sorry, Miss Mercy," a young girl said breathlessly, gesturing to the group of boys that were yelling boisterously. "They didn't mean to disturb you."
Mercy, recognizing the girl, smiled gently. "It's alright, Olive," she reassured, and the child—who couldn't be older than ten—looked up, shocked that Mercy knew who she was. "Why are you chasing after your brothers anyway?"
Olive was a young girl that had been orphaned after a brutal fire a few years back. She came to Mercy with her three brothers after Greta, one of the Alpha Advisors, found them abandoned on the side of the road when traveling to California. Olive had been severely skinny then—being only eight at the time—but now, it looked like she was filling into her clothes better, and her face had much more color in it than ever before.
The girl shrugged, coming to walk beside Mercy. "They're causing mischief again," she sighed, and Mercy couldn't help but smile. The young child reminded her of Hope; a lot of things reminded her of Hope actually, but Olive was almost an exact replica of how her sister acted when they were children. It was bittersweet.
Mercy smiled, bending down to pluck one of the small, white flowers from a nearby bush. She stood straight again, and turned to Olive, who was staring at her with quiet curiosity. "Well, we wolves have a knack for mischief," she commented ruefully, bending down slightly to place the flower in the girl's hair, right behind her ear. Olive blushed profusely, and Mercy sent her a quick wink. "I can't wait to see what kind of trouble you end up getting into. I'm sure it'll be much more interesting than anything your brothers could pull off."
Olive, looking a little more confident than she had before, sent her a blinding smile. "Thanks, Miss Mercy," she said, and despite the numerous times that the Mikaelson girl assured Olive that she could simply call her Mercy, the child was adamant about being polite.
And with that, the girl burst into a run after her brothers, who were currently hassling Jade, the woman Mercy had ran into earlier in the day. The Queen of Alphas watched the scene with a peaceful smile.
Despite all the ups and downs, she couldn't be prouder for all the progress that had been made in protecting the wolves. They were safe here, and Mercy was incredibly happy that she had been partly responsible for making it happen.
But, she still had a few grievances, and that's what caused her smile to vanish.
She knew she shouldn't be out too late, lest her father get worried, so she moved fast. She knew he wouldn't be back at Jordyn's cabin yet, especially with all the hubbub around the perimeter's safety checks earlier. He was more than likely still discussing strategy or planning with Manuel and Turner, so Mercy headed in the direction of the Alpha Advisors building.
All of the Alphas that had revoked their titles still held some status within the werewolf community. Only, instead of being Alphas, they were now advisors to Mercy's training, not only with battle tactics, but also with diplomatic teachings. They were always there if Mercy needed advice on some kind of issue that the wolves were facing, and their knowledge had helped her on more than one occasion.
Which was why the problem with her father was so infuriating. Like what Mavis said earlier, Klaus had every right to offer Mercy advice, especially considering how much he knew from his centuries of living, but he was overstepping boundaries that even her Advisors knew to be wary of. It made her fume.
Wolves were incredibly territorial creatures, and Mercy felt these instincts ten times more thanks to the First Powers being channeled through her. As a result, she was specifically protective of what she called hers. The Advisors knew to back off because they wouldn't risk Mercy challenging them, knowing that she would win despite her young age.
But Klaus had been a vampire much longer than a wolf, and it was obvious that he didn't understand where Mercy was willing to draw the line.
Trying to remain calm even as her thoughts raced, Mercy entered the largest house of the community, unconsciously walking in on what sounded like a serious discussion.
She immediately saw her father, bent over a table and discussing lowly with Manuel and another Alpha Advisor, Dane Hollow. He had been the most recent of the Alphas to revoke his status and join Mercy's pack; he'd only joined the pack about a month ago. He was a relatively quiet man, but he had a kind face, even if it was disrupted by a jagged scar that ran grotesquely across his cheek.
He was the first to notice Mercy's presence, and, being the most formal out of the three, he immediately descended into a crouch on one knee, lowering his head as a sign of respect. Mercy, feeling awkward, only nodded as the others turned toward her.
"Your grace," Dane greeted, and Mercy smiled, trying to ease the tension in her body.
"Dane, it's nice to see you again," she paused, tilting her head. "You know, when you're not making intense eye contact with the floor. Should I leave you two alone?"
Dane looked up and smiled at Mercy. The two had a playful sort of banter, whenever Dane actually spoke up and talked to her. Like she said, he was usually a silent person, so she wasn't surprised when he stood up without another word, returning to a casual stance.
"Mercy, is something wrong?" Manuel asked, wondering why the girl was there. He raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms a second later. "Aren't you supposed to be doing homework?"
She waved her hands as if that were an irrelevant matter, and it kind of was. "Never mind homework," she replied, her face growing serious. "I—uh, actually wanted to talk to my dad for a moment."
Klaus had been staring at her already, so when her eyes shot to him to garner his reaction, she immediately saw that he was surprised. Obviously, he had noticed the cold shoulder she'd been giving him, and it wasn't often that Mercy liked to talk about her emotions with anyone, let alone her father.
But, Klaus didn't hesitate for a second. He nodded at Manuel and Dane silently before following Mercy out of the hut and into the fresh air of the forest. She took a deep breath, turning to her dad, who looked at her curiously. "Mercy," he said, shifting uncomfortably. It was a strange sight; Mercy hardly ever saw her father uncomfortable. "Is something the matter?"
Mercy frowned, looking to the ground. "No... I mean, well yes, but—" She cut herself off, looking away from his face. After staring at the tree line for a long moment, she turned toward her father again. She wore a hesitant smile, jerking her head to the side. "Walk with me?"
He nodded, and the two lapsed into silence, the only sound being the small chittering of the insects around them. It was nice; she hadn't realized how long it had been since it was just her and her dad, alone. With all the business with training and the perimeter getting more action than usual, she hadn't been able to get a second alone with her father, not that she minded. She was purposely avoiding him, after all.
They were farther away from the middle of the settlement, the sounds of children laughing and the smell of smoke from the bonfires getting distant as they walked through the dark woods. Neither of them needed any additional light to see; having intensified senses were useful in that way.
"So..." She trailed off, suddenly uncertain with her decision to start this conversation tonight. Maybe she should've waited longer? But both Jordyn and Mavis were confident that this needed to happen soon, so she tried to push her uneasiness down. "Did the vampires give you any trouble?"
Klaus smirked, and she realized how similar they looked. She couldn't blame some of the werewolves for being nervous around Mercy; she was like a carbon copy of her father when he smirked like that.
"They were handled swiftly and without delay," he told her, not going into details. She didn't expect anything less. Her father never went into details about the people he killed, and she assumed it was because of the moment in her childhood when she had feared her father. She didn't think he ever got over the rejection she had shown him, and despite feeling guilty about it some days, Mercy couldn't take it back. She was only seven when she learned the true extent that her father would go to in order to get what he wanted, and she never forgot it since that day. She knew he blamed himself for the way she saw him, but it wasn't like she could change her perception. She would love him regardless, but it was moments like these when she remembered that her dad was much more insecure with his role as a father than she truly knew. "Why do you ask?"
She looked away from him, focusing on what they were talking about instead of memories long since passed. "Just curious," she mumbled, and an awkward silence filled the tension between the two of them. She knew he could feel it too, and it wasn't long before he stopped walking. She didn't notice at first until he spoke up.
"Mercy," he said her name like it was a prayer. The sound made her stop and turn toward him. Her father always had a way with making words seem more important than they were, and he said her name like it was the most crucial thing in the world. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"
Sweetheart. He called her that plenty of times too, especially in moments like this, where they both were much more vulnerable than they were used to. His face was open, and she could see the concern in his eyes, even in the dark.
She sighed, but she knew she couldn't back down now. "I didn't like the way you treated me earlier today," she blurted out, seeing his face contort into an unfamiliar expression. She couldn't take the words back now, so she continued, keeping her chin held high. "I know you only wanted to help, but completely disobeying my wishes in front of the wolves like that wasn't a good way to do it."
He shook his head, his gaze softening. "I didn't realize you felt this way," he said, and she scoffed, shaking her head.
"Yea, you haven't realized for a while now," she muttered, her tone growing bitter. Her father was quick to catch the shift in her tone, and his eyes narrowed.
"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked, but not unkindly. Mercy tried to remind herself to keep her temper in check, but it was difficult, especially when she'd been holding these thoughts back for so long now.
She shook her head wryly. "I mean that you've kind of been usurping my role with the werewolves for years now, and it's starting to get on my nerves," she confessed, raising her hands in exasperation. "I know you mean well, but this is still my pack. I should be the one leading it, not you."
He looked lost as to what to say, and she recognized that he must've truly not realized how his actions had been affecting Mercy. The thought made her pause, but she shook it away, focusing on trying to get all of her emotions out so that there wouldn't be so much weirdness between her and the man who stood across the trail.
It took a moment for him to reply, choosing his words carefully. "You know how I feel about the risks," he said quietly, reminding her of the times he would berate her for running off late at night or disappearing at weird hours during the day. She recognized this emotion from him as concern, and she knew that all the times he grew frustrated with her usually stemmed out of fear that something bad happened. She didn't blame him, but it was still annoying nonetheless. "I don't want you running headfirst into these fights. I couldn't stand you getting hurt."
Her eyes hardened, getting frustrated. She knew he was trying to be calm, but even she could tell that the topic at hand made him even more uncomfortable than he was at the start of this discussion. "That's not your decision to make," she said coldly, and she could see the switch in his body movement the second she said it.
Like wolves, it was easy for both Mercy and Klaus to get angry, and she could see this familiar annoyance bubbling up in his face. He took a step toward her, gesturing to himself. "As much as you want to deny it, I am your father—"
"Yes, my father, not my keeper," she shot back, stepping toward him as well. "And we both know that I'm older than I look, even if I don't act like it most of the time." She reminded him, watching as his expression faltered. They both remembered the ways that Mercy had struggled in the past, and how much more she knew about the world than the average fifteen year old. "I'm sick of you treating me like some shattered piece of glass when I'm stronger than steel. I can take care of myself!"
He threw his hands up into the air, as frustrated as her. "I'm just trying to help you!" His voice rose, and if she had been a few years younger, she would've flinched back at the noise. "At least save some broken remnants of your innocence!"
Her mouth dropped, and she scoffed once more, shaking her head. "My innocence?" She asked, rolling her eyes in bemusement. "Oh god, dad, that's long gone! And you know it." She jabbed a finger into his chest, and his eyes narrowed, obviously not appreciating what she was saying. "I've seen horrors for years now. I don't need you protecting me from the dark anymore."
"I don't care!" He shouted, and this time, Mercy actually did flinch back. He was angry. "I'm your father, and whether you like it or not, I will not have you go through the same mistakes I did. I will not have you be arrogant enough to believe that you're invincible!"
Mercy stepped back, raising an eyebrow at his outburst. "Is that what this is about?" She asked in a whisper, titling her head. She watched the emotions flash on his face: anger, guilt, worry, and even regret. She hated seeing those looks; it always made her feel more broken than she really was. "You just don't want me to be like you?"
He stayed silent, and that was all she needed to know. She shook her head, retracting her steps to gain some space between the close proximity of their bodies. At the movement, Klaus sighed, closing his eyes for a moment and extending his hand out to her. "Mercy—"
"You may be my father, but this is my pack," she repeated her earlier statement, her eyes as cool as ice. "And I won't have it stolen by my own family, least of all someone who barely knows what being a werewolf is like."
Klaus recoiled as if she had slapped him, but Mercy was already turning away. He realized where he had went wrong in the conversation instantly, and he reached out to her again. "Wait, sweetheart, that's not—"
But she was gone. One second she was in front of him, and the next she had slipped into the shadows, invisible to him. He cursed himself for the way he had handled the situation, knowing that Mercy never responded well to his frustrations, seeing as she had just as much of a temper as he did. Not to mention, it wasn't like it was a secret that Mercy hated to be coddled, and for the past few years, that's the only thing Klaus had done.
He didn't know how else to help. He wouldn't let Mercy go through pain again, especially when she had already suffered too much as a young woman. If he could help it, he would protect her from anything, even if she ended up hating him for it. That was just the way Klaus was, and it was difficult to find out that Mercy was so distraught by these decisions. He never would've thought that his actions would backfire in this way, but he knew that no matter what Mercy said, he wouldn't stop fighting for her to be safe. He would never stop fighting for that.
Mercy, on the other hand, ran through the forest with tears in her multicolored eyes, hating the way that she had ended the conversation just as much as her father did. She loved him, she truly did, but the battle between loving him and serving her purpose as Queen of Alphas was a battle she was not prepared for. She couldn't be his perfect daughter and still succeed at protecting the wolves simultaneously. Soon, he would have to let her make her own choices, and she wished that he would have enough faith in her to hand over the position he had stolen. It wasn't his right to command the wolves, it was hers.
And damn it, she hated him for taking that away from her.
She needed this purpose, more than anything in her life. She needed to be needed, and Klaus was making it so that the wolves could rely on him instead, when Mercy knew that was a recipe for disaster. Klaus was an exemplary leader, but he would always drop the wolves for his family in a split second, and Mercy would need to pick up the pieces. She just wished he would hand over the glass before it broke.
Blinded by her annoyance and frustration, she barged into the tent, seeing Mavis jump up in surprise and shock. Without hesitating, Mercy covered up her hurt expression and replaced it with a wicked grin.
"You said you wanted to go to Don's, right?" She asked, and Mavis nodded slowly, walking around the bed. "Well, I'm in."
Mavis copied Mercy's expression, and outside, the moon seemed to disappear behind a patch of black fog.
<<>>
hello beautiful people!
sorry for such a late update, but i've been swamped with school, especially with midterms coming up, so it might be a lil bit until i can get the next chapter out. but i promise to try my absolute hardest to publish it asap! i know you guys are as excited about this story as i am, so trust me when i say that i'm doing the best i can given the circumstances with school :)
anyway, i would really love some feedback for this chapter, as i'm not sure how i feel about it yet. let me know if the characters still feel true to themselves, or whether or not i'm writing them in a way that seems uncharacteristic. i would also love some feedback on the conversation between mercy and klaus, as that is a big conflict that won't get resolved as quickly as they want it to.
also, i realized that some of you guys were interested in the faceclaim that plays as Manuel, and i would love to introduce him as the wonderful Benicio del Toro:
he's quite a looker ain't he? ;)
anyways, i appreciate you all for reading and i hope you're still enjoying the story! if you would love to see certain aspects highlighted in this sequel, please leave some suggestions! i always love listening to everybody's ideas for the plot!
also, is it weird that i really want to make a harry potter fanfiction? let me know if you guys would wanna see something like that. :)
with that said, thank you for reading!
-kay :)