Being the prestigious organisation that they are, news of Shen Min's death spread like wildfire across the city, news of who was there when he died followed quickly after. Astrid had been awake all night, not being able to focus on anything so she left the bed to go to the art room.
She grabbed one of her silk bandanas out of the chest of drawers in her bedroom, wrapping the black material around her curls. The faded blue shirt that Nik had thrown off the night before currently graced her frame but it was open, a brown bralette covered the rest of her and she wore black shorts as she crept through the Compound.
An annoying inconvenience of living with vampires.
Plugging her earphones in, she tip toed into the room and huffed - rummaging through her canvases only to be struck when coming across a particular one.
Flashback.
1 Year Ago.
Mikaelson Compound.
'So that would explain why you weren't here when I woke up.' Astrid spoke deadened as she walked through the dining room. The hybrid Queen didn't look at either brother as she walked through and into the compound properly.
When she reached the art room, she sat the records down on a nearby table and grabbed her own easel that she had brought out from her apartment. Setting it up, she grabbed a canvas and sighed when she heard the brothers arguing downstairs. Klaus was clearly getting irritated, 'I am helping! You should have seen her last night! Covered in witches' blood and smiling from ear to ear! She is embracing this. A little less criticism from you, and Hayley will be just fine.'
She placed the record on the player and let it spin, 'A kiss to build a dream on' by Louis Armstrong begun to play and she took out her own pallette that had been placed next to Klaus's one. Picking out a lighter brown, she began to brush against the canvas. She had a perfect image in her head, a way to express how she was feeling without the brothers around her in that moment. They had to sort out Hayley, and that was okay with her.
A skull had begun to form on the page with a crown outline. The crown sat lopsided, almost to represent how much it had shifted in the last year; the skull being a representation of how she thought she looked to others. The Grim Reaper looked quite fitting for her stature, her typical black trench coat suddenly feeling sickening for her to wear - comparing it too much to that of the Reaper's cloak. And the third piece being thorned roses.
Her favourite flower had an ugly side just like her.
Flashback Over.
Present Day.
Mikaelson Compound.
She realised how much she'd slipped back into that typical trench coat of hers. Running her hand over the canvas, she sighed before placing it back down - having to turn away. Picking up a fresh one instead, she set up her easel and got to painting.
...
It got to 3am by the time she'd grown bored but she'd painted what she was thinking. Klaus had taught her how to hone in her anger in the years that he was under Mikael's thumb.
Flashback.
The Village.
Astrid had found him in the woods that evening. The torches that lit up the village didn't help her as she scanned the forest line and saw a silhouette, pacing toward him.
'Nik?' She questioned when she got far enough. He jumped and turned around, looking solemn but his eyes brightened upon the sight of his best friend. 'Hi.' His voice was small, the fifteen year old didn't want to alarm the girl so he hid his bloody forehead as best as he could but the wolf could already smell the blood.
'Oh my god.' Astrid got onto her knees in front of the boy who was on the floor with a makeshift paintbrush and a plank of wood. She took his face in her hands, running a thumb across the bloody cut and grimacing when he winced.
YOU ARE READING
persephone's orchard : k.m.
Fanfictionand i followed him into the fire.. as always. book three of 'Save My Soul.'
