Ardent | Elijah Mikaelson

Chapter 6

Surprisingly, Rebekah was present.

Elena had gotten her to their side after revealing, through examining the runes, that Klaus had been the one to kill Esther– not Mikael. The group gathered in the living room, planning for Stefan to make a call that would lure Klaus in. Their dilemma was finding out what to say. Figuring out what would get him to drop everything and come back immediately.

"Let's say that Mikael followed Elena here," offered Stefan. "He tried to grab her, so he could use her as bait."

"And you what?" asked Elena. "Vervained him?"

"No, we vervained him," said Damon. "This guy is an Original. Make it realistic."

Evangeliya snorted. "I'm sorry, that's still stupid. Two vampires, less than two hundred years old each, using only vervain to subdue an Original? Even I have a high tolerance to the substance. No, if you wish to go this route, better this way, as Klaus knows I am involved: I brought him here to grab Elena as bait, Rebekah killed me and together you all subdued him."

"And in the process," mused Stefan, "we discovered that he had a dagger..."

"Which he planned to use on Rebekah," piped up Elena. "But instead..."

"We drove it through his heart," finished Stefan.

"Better," agreed Evangeliya.

"Hold on," said Rebekah. "You wish for Nik to believe you are dead?"

"I don't care what he believes, but tell me, what would you have done to me otherwise, to protect your brother? Snapping my neck doesn't eliminate me as a problem. Your brother has killed people for coughing too loud. I think it would be most realistic for you to kill me for having brought Mikael here. It's the biggest wound I could inflict on him, and you avenged him."

It didn't escape her notice that Mikael eyed Rebekah right after Evangeliya said this, as if he knew something no one else did. It also didn't escape her notice that Rebekah's eyes flickered away immediately. She didn't know what to make of it.

"Okay," said Elena, "what happens when he asks to see Mikael's body?"

"Good point," said Damon. "You, my brother, have been compelled to do what Klaus says. So the idea is to lure him back here and kill him... last thing we need is you getting tripped up and tongue-tied."

"Well, don't look at me," said Stefan. "I am just in charge of getting him back here."

Elena hummed. "Klaus is smart. If we tell him that Mikael is dead, he'll want proof."

"Then I shall be dead," said Mikael. "As will Evangeliya."

"What if he wants to see you in person?"

"Well that means our plan is working. Klaus will absolutely want to see my body. You lure him here, and I will kill him."

"With what?" asked Stefan. "Those daggers won't work on him."

Mikael smirked. "Well, I'm in possession of a stake fashioned from the wood of the ancient white oak tree. The one that left these ashes when it burned."

"Where is it?"

Mikael reached for the dagger and white oak ash they had handy, dipping the dagger in the ashes. "Not here. The knowing of its location is my insurance policy."

"Against... what?"

"You leaving this in my heart."

"Who will wield it?" asked Evangeliya. "It can't be me, Damon, or Stefan. Elena or Rebekah... which is most realistic? Rebekah, in my opinion, if he asks."