Bloody Symphony | Elijah Mikaelson

Chapter 11

Natanya remained concerned.

Though Elijah was opening up to her, she had no idea how to truly help him. So far, he asked her to just lend an ear to listen. He pleaded for her to keep herself safe.

But how could one help someone who was only just bringing their dark side to the light? How could she help him ease into a new life, one that he'd denied himself for a thousand years, out of a desire to be seen as good in comparison to his siblings?

His hunger wasn't something she could easily teach him to control. That was up to him. The need to kill, she could talk him out of, but would it even really work?

She tried to focus on the wedding. She spent time sketching a few ideas for the altar design, and tried to plan for where in the Bayou it should take place. She even started to draw a rough draft of what Hayley's dress could look like.

"We're ready to head up to Grandma Mary's," said Jackson, ten days before the wedding. "Still wanna come with?"

"Yep," said Natanya, grabbing her notebook. "Let's get going, we have a long way to walk."

Clearly, Hayley hadn't thought it would actually be so long. They spent a good hour walking North, and as they neared the cabin, she huffed. "Are we hiking to Baton Rouge?"

"Just a little bit farther," said Jackson with a light chuckle. "You nervous?"

"I'm not nervous," said Hayley confidently. "Although I should be. She is your grandmother."

Jackson smirked. "She usually likes the girls I bring home."

Hayley gasped playfully. "Ohhh! Really? Hmm. Exactly how many girls have you brought to meet her?"

"At least thirty," said Natanya, pretending to be serious. "She hasn't liked any of them very much."

"That's 'cause they're nonexistent," said Jackson. "I've um, I've actually never brought anyone to meet her. So, you've gotta make a good impression, since she's got no one crazy to compare you with."

"I am great with old people," said Hayley. "And babies. It's just the in-between that I suck at."

"Cute as all this is," came Mary's voice suddenly as she walked up to them holding a basket of herbs, "y'all are late!"

"Granda Mary!" said Jackson happily, pulling her in for a hug, and kissing her cheek.

"You two have been eating well," Mary noticed, as she embraced Natanya. "Finally got some good color in those cheeks." She looked at Hayley, who waved.

"Mary, it's so nice to meet you—" began the hybrid.

Mary held up her hand. "You can turn off your old-people charm now. The three of you are late, and we need to get started."

"Right," said Hayley, looking a bit uncomfortable. "So, yes, we have premarital rituals to attend to. Which are what, exactly?"

"Fasting, purification, the Rite of Divulgement, to name a few," said Mary.

"Hayley needs more details than that," said Natanya, holding up her fingers. "The Rite of Fasting is where you guys basically starve for a day, no water or food or nothing. The Rite of Purification is where you guys put on some bathing suits— or just go naked if you want— and bathe in water that's been saturated with specific cleansing herbs. Then in the Rite of Divulgement, you smoke some blue calamus root and confess your deepest darkest secrets. And last is the Rite of Unity, where you kind of say your pre-wedding vows. I think those can be done in any order as long as they're done before the wedding. "