Ruins (The Vampire Diaries x Reader)

Prologue

All at once, you awoke, inhaling deep breaths from deep in your lungs. You were instantly aware of the strength and power you felt inside, a feeling you were not used to ever feeling. You had become ill, a deadly disease had descended upon you and your family. Your family had already died and it was immediately clear that the archaic medicine of the vikings was not going to save you.

For months all you felt was pain, never truly being able to move on your own, sickness running rampant on your body as it slowly killed you. The only thing that made it worth living through was your friends that surrounded you. Niklaus and Elijah had taken care of you when you became ill, their family taking you in and caring for you after your family died. But even the magic possessed by their mother was not enough to save you now.

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"Mother, we can save her," Niklaus pleaded one evening, "it is too painful to watch her slowly die."

Ester sighed, "all you can do now, is make sure she is surrounded by love until her final breath."

"But mother," Elijah interjected, he rarely disagreed with his mother, but it was too important to stay quiet. "We can help her, why should we not?"

"Because what your father and I did to protect you was against nature," Ester explained, "I will not part with my children, but I will not condone you creating more abominations."

"HYPOCRITE!" Niklaus shouted in anger.

Before they could argue some more, they heard faint coughs coming from the room where you were staying. "Go to her," Ester said to both her sons, "she does not have long left."

Niklaus and Elijah ran to your bedside, reaching over and each taking a hand. "It's okay," you whispered weakly, mustering a smile in their direction. They both looked at you in confusion, "I heard you," you explained.

Niklaus and Elijah gave each other a pained glance. Elijah reached up to wipe some sweat from your forehead before planting a light kiss on your forehead, "always and forever," he whispered to you.

You leaned into his touch, knowing that it hurt him to walk away, but you also could not let him watch you die, you knew it would be too much for him. He would never disobey his mother's direct orders, no matter how bad he would want to.

Elijah smiled at you one last time before walking into the other room, allowing Niklaus time to say goodbye. He reached up, rubbing the side of your cheek gently, tears in his eyes. "You're going to be okay," he whispered through his tears, "you're strong."

You smiled to him weakly, "my strength is failing me, I am tired from fighting it Niklaus," you whispered.

Niklaus stifled back a tear, trying to smile through it. "You know you don't have to stay with me, I will be okay alone," you said.

He shook his head, "I am not going to let you be alone, never."

You smiled at him, opening your mouth to speak again, only no words came out. Your breathing hitching in your throat, your heartbeat ragged, your eyes no longer focusing until they finally closed.

"(Y/N)?" Niklaus whispered in concern. "(Y/N)?!" He said louder now, panic setting in. He shook your shoulders, "(Y/N)? No, No, please wake up!" He chocked on his sobs and he cradled your body in his arms.

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Elijah and the rest of the family heard Niklaus's pained screams and knew you had breathed your last. Elijah cried silently in the corner while everyone else looked at the dying fire sadly.

"Elijah, we will need to bury the body in the morning," his father explained, "we cannot risk the disease spreading to the rest of the village."

Elijah nodded to his father through his tears.

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Niklaus looked at your lifeless body in agony, his face red and streaked with tears. "No!" he resolved, sitting up and looking over your body once again, "No, I will not let you die this way."

He reached his arm up to his mouth and ripped at the skin, exposing his own blood before raising it to your lips, forcing it to go down your throat. Then he cradled your head in his arm, wishing and hoping that you had enough life left to process his blood in your system.

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Hours later, you awoke, immediately feeling power and strength coupled with hunger and thirst. You sat up from your bed, focusing on the world around you, everything was cleaner, sharper and brighter.

As you looked around the room, your eyes fell on Niklaus, staring at you with hopeful eyes, but keeping a safe distance away. "Well hello love," he said with a bright smile, "welcome back to the land of the living."