r.i.p to my youth <<>> mercy mikaelson

forty-two

| sacrifice (n): the act of slaughtering an animal or person as an offering to a divine, supernatural creature |

MERCY AND HOPE stood at the edge of werewolf territory, facing the walkway where what looked like a hundred torches lit the way. The flames flickered, casting shadows and doubts that pecked at Mercy's newly-reclaimed confidence. The moon above shined its reassuring presence over her, so she tried to focus on that instead of what the night would bring. She fiddled with Nahele's ring on her finger, feeling the weight of Keokuk's cloak and Tayen's crown as if it were a reminder of what she had to live up to.

Her heart was pounding, but she ignored it and turned toward her sister. "You ready?"

Hope took a deep breath, looking beautiful in her white outfit with flowers in her hair. Mercy almost envied her—she wished her first turn had been as comforting as this. But, she remembered what they were there for, and her envy quickly turned into pity, which quickly turned into terror.

But, Hope didn't reflect any of these emotions on her face. "I'm ready."

And together, the Mikaelson twins began walking toward their destinies.

Mercy could feel the Earth, and briefly wondered if her sister did too. She could feel the buzzing, the readying of the rest of the wolves only a few hundred feet away. She could feel the anxiety, the overwhelming apprehension. She could feel the world's heartbeat, pulsing under the arches of her feet and echoing through her body, as if she were nothing more than one of her guitar chords plugged into an amp. She could feel the moon too, haunting and alluring and begging for them to give in to their most basic instincts. She could feel the call to wildness that she'd always loved as a child. She could feel the First Powers rustling...

It's time.

All three of their voices echoed in Mercy's head, and she took a steadying breath. Their presences had become stronger, and it felt like Mercy could finally differentiate where they ended and she began. Even more so, she could almost pick out each one within her chest, personified with their unique characteristics.

Keokuk was the most excited. He ached and craved to sink his teeth into the Hollow, to put an end to Inadu once and for all. Nahele was calmer, more calculated. He was thinking about all of the ways the Hollow might surprise them. Tayen was silent, and Mercy wondered why.

But, she didn't think much more about it once she saw the main clearing open up in front of them, full of wolves dressed in white and shining like stars under the sky. It was as if the Earth had become a lake, and reflected the space above. Mercy found it beautiful, and tried not to get emotional at how much they all trusted her. And even if Mercy couldn't see them, she could feel the real wolves—including Lyra—hiding within the shadows, waiting for their human counterparts to join them.