𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕷𝖎𝖔𝖓 𝖂𝖆𝖗𝖗𝖎𝖔𝖗

Peace

"Hey there, kiddo,"

Aliza stared at the man in front of her, more like a giant if she was being honest. He was bigger than Marcel, with his huge shoulders and height. His black hair was messy and his bread untidy but they suited him.

"Who are you?" She asked, glancing around to see she was no longer in the cottage. Tall, thick trees surrounded her, the place was foreign to her, but Aliza wasn't scared for some reason. 

The place was familiar like an old song she must have heard but the melody faded with time. The smell of dust and sun, a strange chill in the air that made her head dizzy but her heart swell.

It was peaceful.

The man smiled down at her with such kindness that it that sent warmth in her bones.

It was almost as if they've met before, an old face but Aliza couldn't imagine herself forgetting a person like him. 

He stretched his arm out, his hand was ice cold when she held on to it. But instead of goosebumps, the warmth in Aliza grew stronger as the man helped her stand on her feet.

"The name's Jackson. You must be Aliza," He said, his voice thick and gravel but mellow enough for Aliza to trust him.

"Do I know you?" She asked with a frown on her face.

"Not particularly," Jackson shook his head, with a soft smile,  "but I know about you."

"You do?"

"You're the one they call the warrior," He answered an easy grin replaced his smile.

Aliza stared at him in confusion, once again glancing around. The sunlight caressed her face like her mother's touch. Her eyes noticed the lake beside them, the water shimmering under the orange rays.

It was peaceful.

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"Vincent! Wake up!"

Vincent groaned, his eyes heavy and his head throbbed with a violent ache. He squeezed his eyes shut, pressing his hand against them, the pain seemed to fade but not enough for him to think properly.

He blinked, his vision blurry, though he couldn't tell if it was because of the ache or the tears.

"Freya?"

"Where's Aliza?" Freya asked, her eyes wide.

It took a moment for Vincent to collect his thoughts, the memories came with a dull ache in his head.

"Dahlia-," Vincent answered, groaning as Freya helped him stand on his feet.

"She took them," Lucien said, his voice hoarse and his hair disheveled. Stefan couldn't help but reach out to grab his arm, helping the man to stand on his wobbling legs.

Freya's eyes grew wide, her lips quivering. Rebekah stepped forward, placing a hand on her sister's should and giving it a firm squeeze. The tension in Freya's shoulders didn't fade instead every emotion was wiped out from her eyes.

"How's this possible?" Elijah asked, Klaus and Kol stood behind him.

"I don't know," Vincent said, exhaling every single word, "It was all her."

"What?" Stefan frowned. Confusion bubbled in his chest as he recognized the fear on everyone's faces. Freya was as still as a stone while Rebekah kept squeezing her shoulder. Klaus, Elijah, and Kol were pale, their faces mixed with shock and familiarity.

"You finding Aliza," Vincent answered, staring at Klaus who stood wide-eyed, "Tristan, Aurora, killing Rome. It was Dahlia. She's been doing this from the start, she wanted all of this to happen, this was all part of her plan."

"What plan?" Bonnie asked, her eyes flickering at everyone in the room.

"To take Hope," Freya whispered.

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"I always hated you the most," Dahlia said, her eyes trained on the ingredients on the table. Her voice was calm but Finn knew the words were filled with nothing but malice.

"Why am I not surprised?" He scoffed, an ache resonating in his arms from being chained above his head.

Finn glanced at Mithila, chained on the other side of the room. Bloodstained cheeks, her screams were still ringing in his ears. Dahlia made sure Mithila knew that the consequences would be much worse than the threat if she were to use her mind magic.

Dahlia smiled, a small knife clutched in her hand as she made her way towards him. Every step echoed in the warehouse, dread rising in Finn's chest but his eyes were narrowed in a venomous glare. There was no way he would show this woman that he was scared of her, he would never give her that luxury.

Finn screamed, the sharp tip of the knife pierced in the skin of his neck, drawing blood. His hands throbbed when he withered as the pain shot in his body.

Dahlia's smile grew wider, withdrawing the knife but keeping it close enough to his neck. A silent threat in her eyes.

"I suppose nothing is surprising about that," She mused, "No one reminds me more of my sister than you, her most loyal son. You did everything in your power to be her good little soldier, willing to sacrifice everything.

But are you aware just how much your own daughter hates your mother?"

"Let them go," He sneered, staring into Dahlia's eyes.

"I just did," Dahlia laughed. She took a step back, making her way towards the table.

Finn's eyes began to close on their own, his hands going numb and his body limp. He struggled to keep his eyes open, he knew his siblings would come for them. Faith wouldn't be so cruel to let this happen to Aliza and Mithila, they deserved better.

Finn's eyes shot at Aliza who laid unmoving on the ground next to the table. Finn could notice her breath was growing shallower with every passing minute, her face pale and her lips blue.

They were running out of time.

"Now all we have to do is wait," Dahlia said as she watched Finn lose consciousness.

Henrik gritted his teeth, every part of him was boiling with rage and hatred. All this time, he had been clueless about the person who made his life hollow.

"What did you do to her?" Henrik asked his voice a low growl. He sat there beside Aliza, Henrik tried his best to wake her up but she lay unmoving.

"I was planning on keeping her as my own along with Hope," Dahlia waved her hands, her face holding no interest for the matter. "But the girl is far too broken for my use,"

"What did you do?" He asked again, louder than before.

"I like her, you know," Dahlia said, turning her head to look at Henrik. "There's light in her, was," She corrected herself, "But unfortunately, after this, she's of no use to me. I simply put her to rest,"

"Why are you doing this? Our mother is dead!"

"You think your mother will hug me and apologize? All is forgiven?" Dahlia asked, her voice low and threatening, "I went through hell, endured every single pain, only for her to fall in love and marry one of the very men who laid their filthy hands on me?

You all are a mistake, and I am here to correct myself."

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*awkwardly laughs while fiddling with their fingers* How's everyone? It's been a while hahaha. 

I am so fucking sorry. oh my god. I know I promised to upload regularly but my exams are getting closer and my school sucks so I have to do everything by myself. I will try to update as soon as possible, I've lost touch with my writing but I promise I will finish this story even if it takes me ten years (hopefully not)