Searching for Always and Forever

Chapter 26

Hope was nervous to train with Freya. She walked anxiously to the woods where Freya was already waiting for her and she greeted Hope with a smile.

"How are you feeling today?" Freya asked.

"Good." Hope replied with a lie. She wasn't good at all. She hadn't talked to Grace since the day before and she hadn't even seen her. She didn't show up for dinner last night, nor breakfast or lunch that day and neither did Lizzie. She was worried and felt guilty for lashing out on her sister like that. It seemed like Hope really hurt her feelings. Hope already regretted what she said, she knew her sister had strong feelings for Lizzie and how stupid it was for Hope to disregard those feelings. She wanted nothing more than to apologize to her.

"The first lesson is, what I think you already know, is that witches rely very much on their emotions. And with your amount of power, negative emotions could be devastating if you are out of control." Freya explained.

"Yeah... I guess that happened last time."

"So, I'm going to ask you again... how are you feeling?" Freya asked, looking into Hope's eyes with care and genuine interest. Hope shrugged. She liked to talk to Freya, before she found out she was actually her aunt, but since then she wasn't sure if she wanted to share any personal problems with her... beside the obvious she already knew.

"How should I even feel?" Hope replied.

"I know it's difficult to accept who you are and I can't even imagine how much you are struggling with this... but I promise you, there are plenty of good things coming with you being a Mikaelson." Freya explained and Hope just huffed with an eye roll. "For us, family is everything. We protect each other at all costs and we fight for each other till the end. Now it includes you and your siblings. Whether you like it or not, you are family and we stick together, always and forever." Hope froze at her words. She looked in her eyes at first, then she dropped her look on Freya's wrist where her golden bracelet was with this exact engraving. Always and forever. 'Find always and forever' her mother's last words echoed in her ears. Freya must have noticed Hope staring at her wrist, because she pulled up her sleeve for Hope to see her bracelet. "It's our vow to one another. I know from the stories you might read it didn't seem like my siblings always had each other's back, but at the end of the day...or a century" Freya chuckled. "They, we always end up protecting each other... and what siblings never fight... Mikaelsons just like to add a little drama." She laughed and it made Hope smile.

"I had a pretty bad fight with Grace last night." Hope said all of a sudden. She wasn't sure why, she wasn't intended to talk about this with Freya.

"Have you told her about all of this?" Freya asked concerned, as she sat on the steps of the Old Mill and patted the space next to her to Hope to sit with her, so she did.

"No... but Lizzie told her some things and it might have made me really upset and I said some pretty mean stuff to Grace."

"And you already regret it..."

"Yes, I regret the way I talked to her, but I still don't like Lizzie and I want to like her for Grace, but she really doesn't make it easy... She made me feel awful about myself, like I was no better than... than him... like a monster."

"Well, you are not him... but you should really give Lizzie a chance. She is a good kid with some difficulties... and hopefully you could give him the benefit of the doubt too once you are ready... you know, no one likes to be called a monster." Freya smiled at Hope and she nodded.

"Maybe once... I can learn to tolerate Lizzie... and I won't say I never want to see him, but I still need time for that." Hope replied and she felt surprisingly calm.