Chapter 5
The day after the ritual, Jenna knocked on the door of her best friend's home. The manor house was large and stately and she owned a significant portion of the forest surrounding her home. Matt opened the door instantly brightening upon seeing her.
He let her in with a smile and Jenna took note of the small luggage at the doorway. “I’ll be going with them to England. They fixed all of my papers for me all though I think they want me to start looking at schools in the UK, I think they’re trying to get me as far away from Mystic Falls and all of the craziness going on here.” Matt said with a laugh.
“Right now, that seems like a good idea. I won’t say you’ll be away from the supernatural but you’ll definitely be with people who know what they’re doing and… well… you’ll be with family.” Jenna told him. She’d always liked the boy when he and Elena were dating, he certainly was a safer choice than either of the Salvatore brothers and he seemed to have a good head on his shoulders, certainly better than Elena and her friends who often looked for trouble.
The sounds of footsteps coming down the stairs alerted them to the others. Teddy came down first, then the two boys and Jenna frowned when Ianthe’s footsteps didn’t follow. “Don’t worry, we’re going to take her to England and then we’ll wake her up there. We want a trained healer or medi-witch present when we administer the wiggenweld potion.” Neville told her as he pulled her into a hug.
“Oh, yeah… that makes sense.” Jenna said as she mentally scolded herself for jumping to the worst case scenario.
“I’ll take you to see her.” Dudley offered as he led her to one of the rooms in the more magical wing of the manor. Alaric and Elijah being unfamiliar with the Wizarding communities were kept away from it and were mostly only allowed inside the mundane wing however even within that area there were various communication mirrors and magical portraits that looked like landscapes when they were charmed for ‘muggle’ guests.
Ianthe lay on a bed, her skin paler than normal and she was so still, for a moment Jenna really did believe her friend had died until she touched her skin, it was warm and soft, no rigor mortis had set in. She was stable and in a stasis charm of some sort. She didn’t really know the full details nor did she want too, what she wanted was reassurances that her friend would survive.
They spoke for a bit more until it was time for them to leave. The portkey was taking them directly to Black Manor where they would call on the healers in the family. As soon as they disappeared, Jenna brought out the note that Ianthe had sent her the night before. It had been short and simple.
Jenna,
Don’t worry too much. I’ll be back soon, just have to wait to talk. I’ll tell you everything but not the others.
-Ianthe
Ianthe awoke to the sunlight streaming into her room inside Black Manor though it was formally called Ravensmoore Castle to the outside world. She blinked as she took in her surroundings and was surprised to see Sirius asleep on a chair by her bed. It had been years since her adoptive father had done that, often reserved for the times when she was ill or injured. The door opened and Ianthe turned her head to see the dark hair of her adoptive mother, Marlene Black nee McKinnon.
“Oh, you’re awake!” Marlene said in relief. Her mother had only survived the purge of her family due to her vampiric nature. It was impossible to find a purely human witch among the purebloods, especially within the nobility and Marlene had been the only one in her family to have had her creature inheritance come alive.
She swooped down and kissed Ianthe’s forehead as her father jolted awake. His face broke out into a smile as he scrambled to his feet and rushed to them. “How many times have I told you not to scare me like that Prongslet?” He scolded as he pulled her into his arms.
“I’m sorry, but I couldn’t let that girl die.” Ianthe apologized to them as she allowed herself to be babied by her parents. It was nice not having to be the responsible adult for a change.
She felt her mother thread her fingers through her hair. “I’m just glad you’re alright. I don’t know what I’d do if I’d lost you.” She whispered and Ianthe felt guilty. Neither Sirius nor Marlene was able to have any children due to spell damage from different curses during the first war and they’d thrown themselves into being her parents and by extension, additional parents to her cousins, it had even gone so far that they’d adopted her through blood and magic with the permission of her parents portraits.
“Are you getting along with Matt?” She asked as they pulled away.
Sirius laughed. “Yeah, the kid’s fitting in well with the family. He’s been spending a lot of time with the Dursleys and the Grangers these past three days.”
“Good. I’d felt like he would be a good addition to our family and my magic agreed.” Ianthe said with a smile. “So, am I free to come down and take my meal with everyone else?”
“Yes, it’s quite early so you could have your bath first.” Marlene said as she pulled Sirius out of her room.
Her smile dropped as soon as she was alone and she went to her ensuite. She stripped as soon as the water for her bath was already running and she stared at herself in the mirror. The wounds she received from being drained by Niklaus was still there, barely visible but there and she knew that her parents had noticed it. She also knew that her brothers would have mentioned it to them by now, including the fact that she’d nearly married the man in her previous life. The memories had, as the letter stated, trickled in during the two days that Elijah had stayed with them and when she’d seen Niklaus… flashes of their time together flickered through but without the context, without the ability to immerse herself in the memories… they were hollow and one way, through her eyes and without the emotions she’d felt.
The four days she’d been asleep had allowed her this reprieve and her mind recalled every single thing she’d shared with Niklaus and his family. She remembered her life, her meeting them… and she remembered her death. Her hand went to her flat stomach as she thought of the child she’d never birthed. Would he be different if he’d had a child to protect?
She’d lived so many lives, had married others and had one or two children with them… but that was the only life that she was aware of where she’d died before delivery. She studied herself again and wondered what Elijah and Niklaus felt after the ritual. She wasn’t pleased with the things they’d done, what they’d become… but she was happy that they kept true to each other (for the most part) and she remembered their vows of Always and Forever. Niklaus had promised her that as well when he’d professed his love to her and asked for her hand. As she got into the warm waters of the bath, she thought back to the day she’d found out she was pregnant (that time at least).
Astrid laughed as she saw Niklaus cut Elijah’s belt off during sword training and smiled when he’d glanced her way. Her brother had already left her to go to Kol’s side and she’d immediately set her sights on Rebekah, a nod of her head and her friend rushed to her as well. They linked hands as they headed to Tatia’s small home.
They’d promised Elijah’s lady that they would help her today and then perhaps bond with her. The woman was a relative newcomer to their small settlement having arrived a few weeks prior fleeing the Natives that had destroyed the settlement she was in. Her husband had died during a raid and instead of throwing herself onto his funeral pyre, she chose to live for her son. She was beautiful and kind and desperately in need of a friend, it also helped that if Elijah played his cards right, well… she may become their sister through marriage.
“Good day, Tatia, I hope your morning has been well.” She greeted as the woman opened her door to them.
Tatia smiled at her. “Good day, Astrid, Rebekah. And yes, my day has been surprisingly good.”
She let them inside and Ianthe scanned the small home, one that had been abandoned for some time after the death of the previous owner. The house was in good condition and seemed to have gone through some repairs, Elijah’s hand perhaps. They talked as they worked on the small plot of land that she’d been given, her young son strapped to her back.
Astrid frowned as she paused in her work feeling tired. She was afraid that she was becoming ill, different symptoms presenting itself. Her legs buckled and she found herself pitching forward before Rebekah caught her and helped her sit down. Tatia came to her and the two women looked at her in worry.
“Are you feeling ill?” Rebekah asked.
“I… I feel tired, I have been feeling tired for quite some time now.” She confessed.
Tatia frowned. “Do you have any other ailments?”
“My breasts are tender and my back hurts quite frequently.”
“And your courses? Have they come regularly?” Tatia asked gently.
Astrid blinked in surprise… “I… I have not received them in nearly three cycles.”
“And are you frequently with Niklaus?” The way Tatia had said it… well, Astrid knew what she meant.
“Practically every day.” She admitted and Rebekah groaned when she’d heard it. She would have too if someone had confessed the same thing about Asbjorn in front of her. There were things that one didn’t need to know about their siblings.
“And you didn’t find it odd?” Tatia said lightly and she smiled when Astrid shook her head. “My dear, I believe you will need quite a lot of rest and food. Niklaus will be quite busy with you these coming months, tis a good thing you’ll be wed soon and that baby will have his name.”
Astrid gasped as her hand flew to her belly. A child with Niklaus, she smiled at the thought and her mind set about the things she would need in their home when the babe came. Rebekah grasped her hand, a smile on her face and her eyes shining.
“Oh, you and Nik will be wonderful parents.” Rebekah said happily.
She smiled at the two women. “Do not tell anyone yet, please. I wish to tell Niklaus first and wait til we are wed before we announce it.” The two women agreed happily.
Ianthe came back to herself when the water was getting colder. She had felt those emotions as plainly as if it were the first time but she was still unsure of how she felt about him now. She didn’t know if she still loved him to the same degree that her other self had, oh she felt these emotions more keenly than she had with her other lives but, well, this was the first time that she had been face to face with an old love and they’d not aged a day whereas the others had grown older and she’d met them when they were old men and the children they’d had were already grown.
Right, so many things to do. The first of which was to visit Thesalos Castle, the ancient seat of House Peverell. She had received a letter from herself instructing her to look inside the vaults inside the home and she decided that she would take that as a priority, having no real desire to try and track down the Mikaelson brothers and tell them that she was, in fact, still alive.
Elijah watched his brother, he wasn’t blind to the fact that Niklaus kept his promises in the most twisted of ways and he knew that his brother was still furious over the fact that he’d believed him capable of the worst crime and had tried to kill him, he wasn’t blind to the fact that his brother would have daggered him for revenge and would have stored him in one of the coffins that his brother now confessed to still dragging around. But Elijah also knew that his brother was hurting and had refused to shut his emotions off this time, despite the guilt that he’d felt at unknowingly killing the woman he loved.
His brother didn’t bother to hide the scrapbook that he’d taken to staring at on and off throughout the week. Stefan Salvatore had been given his own room (thankfully, he didn’t know if he’d be able to take prolonged exposure to the man) and therefore wasn’t privy to his brother’s pinings. He noticed that Jenna Sommers was in quite a lot of the pictures.
“I must say, I’m surprised you didn’t use one of Elena Gilbert’s loved ones. You would usually take at least a member of your target’s family.” He told his brother.
Niklaus raised a brow at him. “I had originally planned on using Jenna Sommers.”
“But you saw the album and you realized that she was close to Ianthe. A wise choice, brother. Had she lived, Ianthe would never have forgiven you for killing her cousin.”
“Her cousin?” Niklaus asked.
Elijah nodded. “Miranda Gilbert and Jenna Sommers are half sisters, Jenna’s grandmother was a member of the Black family before she eloped.”
“I see.” Niklaus said, lips pursed in contemplation. His brother was being rather calm about everything, no murders, no fits of rage. It was utterly disconcerting, he had expected his brother to have at least caused some sort of devastation and it was frightening because it usually meant that he would have one massive outburst later on.
“I’m surprised you haven’t demanded to see our siblings.” Niklaus spoke suddenly.
Elijah kept his gaze on his brother, eyes scanning him for something, any hint of his plans because he’d rather not get daggered right now, he knew Stefan wouldn’t be able to contain his little brother and Elijah shuddered at the thought of the destruction he would cause if left unchecked, especially at such a time as this. “I’ve seen the coffins that you’ve been arranging to have follow us, I know they’re fine but you’re not.”
“Believe me, brother, I’m as fine as I’ve been for millennia, perhaps even more now.” His tone was flat and he could see his brother withdrawing within himself much like he’d done when Astrid had first died.
“I think you want to believe it but you and I know that you’re not. You’ve lost the woman you loved before you could ever truly get her back, believe me, you have the same look about you as you did then.”
“As opposed to what, brother? Losing myself in murder and whores?” He snarled.
“If it’ll get you to release some of that rage that’s bubbling beneath you? If it’ll make you feel better? Yes.”
Niklaus stared at him, eyes cold. “I didn’t just promise always and forever to my siblings. I promised it to her, my heart and my fidelity. When she died, I broke that but now that I know she’ll come back, I won’t break that vow anymore.”
“So you’ll live like a monk for the next how many years until she’s reborn, grown into a woman, and you have suitably courted her?” Elijah asked his brother incredulously and his brother nodded at him.
“She’s been reborn quite a few times in the past millennia, she’s had countless lovers since then, countless spouses and families. She’s not been faithful to you, so why should you? There is no broken vow here. She’s dead.” Elijah hated that he was saying these things to his brother but Niklaus needed a release from his anger and guilt and Elijah was willing to take it.
He found himself slammed to the wall, his brother’s hand wrapped around his neck. “Careful, Elijah. You might be my brother, but even you wouldn’t be forgiven for speaking of her in such a way.” He snarled.
“I merely point to the fact that those vows you swore to her are null and void. You didn’t know how long your always and forever would be when it came to her. You assumed, what? Forty or fifty years at most and that was being kind for the time. Had she sworn the same vow to you? She didn’t even remember who you were until she met me.” Elijah told his brother, unbothered by the tight hold his brother had.
“She wouldn’t have married another if I’d only found her.”
“She never told you so you didn’t know to look. Brother, she didn’t tell you because she knew that had we been humans, you never would have seen her again.” He hesitated about some of the things that she had told him and Niklaus knew it.
“What aren’t you telling me?” He demanded.
Elijah sighed, a part of him had been trying to steer his brother away from Ianthe after what she had told him. “She told me that she had very rarely reached twenty-five years.”
Niklaus released him, eyes alert and he could see his brother planning. Elijah knew that his brother would be keeping a heavier hand on information for her next lives but he just hoped that he wouldn’t do anything too drastic until the girl was older. The thought of her dying repeatedly after Niklaus had found her also terrified Elijah at the thought of how much deeper it would push his brother over the edge and how much harder it would be to pull him back.
“How long did you spend with her that she’s confided in you?” He asked jealously.
Elijah straightened his clothes. “Two days. She allowed me into her home but it’s heavily warded.”
Niklaus ‘hmmed’ as he sat back down, finger tracing a photo of Ianthe with her son. “Tell me of her child. What is he like?”
“In truth, he reminded me of home, of our little brothers. He had Henrik’s innocence and exuberance and Kol’s love for magic.” Elijah told him and he saw his brother’s look, one that he hadn’t seen in centuries. This was the first time any of them had mentioned Henrik since the first century when they’d stopped marking the passage of time when they were sure that everyone they’d known (and their grandchildren) had long since died out.
“She is, was, a good mother.” Elijah told him gently, cringing at the need for the correction.
Niklaus nodded. “I never doubted that she would be anything but. She tried to tell me on our last day together… but I didn’t want to hear it so we had gotten into an argument or as much of an argument as we’ve ever had since our courtship began.”
“Once we’re all together, we’ll track Asbjorn down or search within their family lines. We’ll find her.” Elijah assured him, their siblings wouldn’t hold back on this search, Elijah knew.
Andromeda does not budge, convinced that Ianthe will drop dead at a moment’s notice and as a trained healer and doctor, Ianthe knows better than to argue with another of her peers, especially Andromeda Tonks. The trip to Thesalos Castle is postponed for another two days as a steady stream of family comes and goes to visit her, Teddy firmly attached to her side while Matt flits in and out, in between the campus tours that her family has lined up for him.
The constant chatter from her family drifts down through the open door to the cavernous basement that houses the vaults. She and Neville approach the last one, arguably the oldest of the vaults and find it sealed with ancient magic. She frowned at the feel of it, familiar and strong and so undeniably… Neville that it takes her a moment to remember that Thesalos was the castle that he’d created.
‘When you enter the lowest levels, go to the oldest vault, make sure that Neville goes with you.’ The letter read. Neville looked as bewildered as she felt as he reached in and tore down the seal, the letter making more sense now. The grunting and groaning of ancient locks and the hissing of the door reverberated around the room, the echo joining the cacophony of voices from above as Neville pulls the heavy door open. It was Neville as Asbjorn who had built this place, but he barely remembered that life.
Ianthe stepped in first, confident in the knowledge that it wouldn’t be anything that would hurt her, Asbjorn would have never allowed it. She froze a few steps in as her eyes caught sight of what the vault held and the magic and it’s owner’s signature hit her. “Well fuck.” She said in surprise. “I guess we really will need to contact the Mikaelsons.”
There on a stone slab, under a powerful stasis charm that wafted with her magical signature, lay Henrik Mikaelson as he was upon his ‘death’ and ‘burial’ a millennia ago. She could sense his life force, preserved with a few beats left to his heart. Why could she not remember this? And why did Esther, a powerful witch despite her Wiccan magic, not just break the charm? There was nothing for it though, the child deserved to live and he would need a lot to boost his immunity.
With that thought in mind, she turned back around to call for Andromeda. The boy would need immediate healing and close monitoring and there was no one she trusted more with this, then her aunt. She turned and passed a dumbfounded Neville who clearly didn’t remember their past as well as she had, just what exactly had Asbjorn done to get ahold of the boy? One thing was certain, they wouldn’t be telling their dream friends about this until it was certain the boy would live, there was no use bringing hope when it could be so easily taken away by a compromised immune system.
Jenna cursed as Elena once more tried to sneak past her. She knew, objectively, that Elena was worried about Stefan but the fact of the matter was that he had chosen to go to Klaus, had chosen to make the deal, and with Klaus leaving and the uncertainty of his return… it would probably be years before Klaus would even though of releasing Stefan. And if they were unable to defeat Klaus before his abilities were unlocked, what made them believe they would be able to do so now, when Elijah was by his side and probably even the rest of their siblings?
“Elena.” She said flatly. “What do you think you’ll achieve from all of this sneaking around?”
“Look, I know you hate Stefan but we can’t just leave him with Klaus!” Elena practically screams at her.
At this Jenna does nothing but raise a brow. “What made you think that I hate Stefan? As a person, sure, I like him, I don’t like how he or your other friends are childish and stupid enough to be baited on. And what exactly do you think you can do against Klaus? If you find Stefan and bring him back to Mystic Falls, the Mikaelsons will come back and more people will die.”
“We shouldn’t just abandon Stefan!”
“He made his choice.” Jenna said firmly. “And if you don’t behave, I’ll be forced to take drastic actions.” She warned her niece, even though she was already planning on installing bars on her window. She and Liz had discussed it, the safety of the town depended on it. Even John, much as she disliked his presence due to their past relationship, had agreed that a separation from the vampires and the supernatural was for the best since Elena seemed to lead her friends into even more danger.
Jenna keeps quiet about why she visits Ianthe’s home so often, it’s been two weeks and to them, her friend is dead and buried but she knows better. There are two versions of her friend running around right now. One is in England, preparing for her trip back in time and another is in Mystic Falls continuing on with her shifts at the hospital. She also thinks about the boy in her friend’s care. A child frozen in time for the past millennia, one whose death had been the trigger for the vampiric curse. A peace offering to the Mikaelsons, perhaps? And a request that they never darken the doors of Mystic Falls. But would it be right? The child deserved to live but would it be living if the child were entrusted to the Mikaelsons and their destructive ways?
The time turner spat her and a few companions back two months prior to the ritual and they had initially stayed in one of the villas she owned before returning to Mystic Falls a few days after the ritual. Ianthe quietly checked on Henrik, sleeping in one of the guest rooms in her house. The little Viking boy has yet to awaken in the past two and a half months that they’ve been in the past (nor in the month that they had stayed in the future), though this is of no surprise given how long he was in that stasis charm. She knows quite well what the charm does, it freezes the target, locked in suspended animation, vitals frozen and when coupled with the draught of living death, can be substituted as true death just as she’d done during the ritual.
Neither she nor her cousins have informed the Mikaelsons trapped in the dreamscape of their brother’s continued survival because it was too early to tell if the child would live. His wounds have already healed but it is the question of his compromised immune system, so unused to the modern viruses, that has them worried. There are viruses and strains of viruses that have appeared in the millennia since his death or have been completely eradicated, some immunity passed along with each generation born, something that Henrik lacks and his siblings have not needed to worry about since they’re change occurred.
Andromeda stays with her and watches over their ward while she goes about her life as a doctor and thoroughly avoiding Elena and her friends, completely uninterested in getting caught up in any more of their foolishness. Jenna, it seems, has taken the entire group to task for their actions and has finally taken on the role of stern disciplinarian. From her frustrated rants, it seemed Elena was dedicated to finding Stefan at all cost no matter who may suffer for that decision. The girl’s one track mind and her inability to consider the consequences has led to the death of countless innocents within the town. Silently cheering her friend on, Ianthe leans back and watches as her friend unleashes the Black temper on her niece through one of her mirrors. The Mikaelson brothers and Stefan can wait, Henrik’s health and stability mattered more.