Begin Again

Run

"Come now, quickly!" a rough voice hissed as he found himself all but torn from bed. Glancing up he saw his father holding a bundle of furs, and his younger sister's hand. Scrambling up, Finn hurried after his father who was roughly waking all his siblings. "Quickly, Finn, collect Rebekah," Mikael ordered

"Father?" Finn sputtered; he was thirteen and barely a man. Struggling to pull on his boots he picked up Rebekah, who's golden whisps of hair were wildly standing on edge.

"Do not ask questions," Mikael ordered as he got Elijah, Niklaus, and Kol all up and out of bed. Getting dressed, Finn helped his siblings, though they all tripped and stumbled, Kol yawned hugely.

"Ayana," Mikael greeted.

"She is resting, it was a traumatic birth, do not do this, Mikael," Ayana pleaded.

"Move, or I will remove you!" Mikael snarled, Finn held Rebekah a little tighter seeing Mikael hold his sword threateningly.

"Don't do this, she does not know what she said..." Ayana started.

"Madness is no excuse, I will not endanger my children with her deceit!" Mikael snapped. "Finn, come, we are leaving."

"He is a man, he should make his own choices!" Ayana stated.

"Finn, we seek Freya," Mikael stated. The name of his twin had Finn immediately looking up at his father as he hugged Rebekah tighter.

"Freya...?" he whispered; her screams begging not to be left behind echoed through his head like a bad nightmare. He could still feel mother tearing him away from his twin, and Freya's screams, Dahlia stood there tall, dark, imposing and dangerous, her dark eyes like Kol's and Elijah's, so heartless.

"We are leaving, now," Mikael said firmly. The most fatherly act of his father was the soft smile; Finn hadn't seen such a smile since he was at his father's knees, and now he stared at his father. He could find Freya; of that Finn was sure, father was the greatest Viking to ever live, he could fight Dahlia for Freya and win, and the they would be a family again! They could be whole, and loved, and mother would be pleased.

"Yes," he nodded, he looked at his younger brothers and they hurried through the night. Kol stumbled a few times, until Father picked him up and carried him. Finn carried Rebekah, Elijah and Niklaus stumbled along after them. It was the soft snuffles of a babe which had Finn aware of his new sibling; brother or sister he didn't know.

They made it to the ships, and Father was fast to load them in. Ansel appeared.

"You cannot!" Ansel bellowed.

"Finn, keep your brothers safe, Elijah, do not let go of Henrik, or Kol," Father ordered.

Finn scrambled to set Rebekah down, peering around as he started prepping the ship. Father, dodged a blow, there was a whistling of metal. The scent of blood was prominent with the shout of pain, which was when all hell broke loose. The rhythmic clanging of metal was brutal but so were the harsh voices hurling insults and threats; but there was a loud thud, and Finn saw the axe buried in the mast which had narrowly missed Elijah's head. That was what had Kol screaming as Nik cried out his small war cry to attack, Finn leapt to tackle Nik who was about to leave, he missed Kol though who screamed as all his magic billowed around him, knocking Ansel back, impaling the wolf chief fatally with several arrows. Mikael was fast to grab up Kol, cutting the last line free, and the ship lurched. Kol was sobbing against Mikael's tunic, and it was now Finn saw how badly his father was wounded.

"It is alright, my son, we are safe," Mikael breathed as the ship moved down the river in the night.

"Father... why are we leaving mother?" Finn asked after a lone while, when Mikael had finished sewing his wounds and Elijah, Nik, Rebekah, and Kol were all sleeping soundly. Only the soft mewling's of the new babe were heard against the lapping of the water.