persephone's orchard : k.m.

a wife's fury - chapter 59

The scene that began to unfold looked like something from National Geographic with a hunter and its prey, except the teams had changed. Nik had Astrid shielded against the wall, peering around the doorway occasionally to keep an eye out for the beast that hunted them.

We can't keep hiding.

Astrid spoke telepathically to him and Klaus gritted his teeth, deciding to poke the bear with a stick.

'It's a shame Aurora isn't here to witness your victory.'

Lucien was full of laughter today, 'You think this is inspired by lost love? No. This is about station. A simple stable-boy better than a tyrannical king.' Lucien vamped to them and threw Klaus through a wall and Astrid jumped on him, hybrid fangs fully barred as she ripped into his neck, sheerly because of height difference he stumbled back until his blood began to burn her.

Falling off him, she screamed as her whole mouth scorched.

'You have to admit, it's a hell of a story.' He smiled before knocking Astrid over completely and rushing Nik outside.

'I am not the villain of this fairy tale you've conjured. Lucien, we were friends.' Nik tried appealing to his better nature but he was having none of it. The hybrid King stood outside the car wreckage as Lucien led Astrid outside.

With a fist around her heart.

'A queen and a king, caught by a one time pawn. Thus the game comes to its inevitable end.'

Astrid choked on blood as she whimpered under his strength. Nik looked broken in two as he stayed quiet.

'Was I not clear when I murdered Finn? I don't care who dies. But since you do, indulge me. And I just might spare the love of your immortal life.'

'Kneel'

In that moment, Astrid thought that it was over for her, it was only then she realised how fractured her life had become. Both sides of the coin that she'd thrown three years ago were now rusted and tarnished.  She could no longer trust the man who she had been loyal to for a millenia to save her life.

Trusting Niklaus Mikaelson to give up his pride was like asking a fish to swim on land. She could see his thoughts ticking over, not knowing how to respond to him.

'Get on your knees.'

Lucien's growl made Astrid's thoughts darken even more as he tugged on her heart and she cried out again.

'I can feel her heart pounding in my fist. Do you really want to measure your pride against my mercy?'

Much to their dismay, Klaus knelt.

The hybrid looked at his feet as he did so and Lucien cheered in victory, letting go of her heart momentarily before big sister came to save the day. Muttering in latin, Freya's hands glew blue as Lucien turned in shock, screaming in pain. Elijah arrived behind her, standing satisfied that he was finally getting what he deserved. His vampire face grew, bright red eyes looked straight at Astrid as he doubled over until Freya stopped.

'His power's gone. He's nothing but an ordinary vampire now.' Freya muttered and Astrid let out a gasp of relief that she couldn't help, Nik approached Lucien with a bloodied smile, 'You see that family drama you so joyfully deride, does have its merits.'

'You can kill me, but the prophecy still stands.' Lucien pleaded, 'You cannot outrun it!'

Astrid kicked him to his knees, 'This is getting a bit boring now.'

'I've had about a thousand years too much from you. For a century, you lived with my name, and you never did quite recover from losing it, did you? You became a man of wealth and stature, but you never could crawl from my shadow.' Nik picked up a shard of glass from the crash and grabbed Lucien's face. 'And in the end... despite the gift of immortality, you have always known what you truly are.'

'Please...' Lucien began to cry as Klaus held the glass up to his face, carving the same wide mouthed grin on him that Tristan once did.

'You... are... nothing.'

Klaus ripped his heart out just in time so that the cuts wouldn't heal. Lucien's corpse fell to the floor and he stood up. In that moment, in the corner of the field on that very afternoon, the Mikaelsons couldn't seem to feel relief from the death of the tyrant.

The war didn't feel like it was over yet.

And as Freya informed the couple of the exact method she used in order to take Lucien down completely, Klaus saw the look in his wife's eye and it hit him.

The final battle was only just beginning.