sleeping beauty [the originals]

xlvii.

It had been a few months since Hope had been sent to live with Rebekah, and things in New Orleans had not been the same. There was a certain negativity in the air, and Klaus had been on edge. He had currently been in the library, destroying canvas after canvas.

Meanwhile, Isla had spent the past few months learning everything she could about mermaids. Her biggest concern was the tail issue. If she grew a tail every time she touched water, then she would have to stay inside every time it rained.

But unfortunately, every website she visited, every book she read told her different things. It's not like she knew any mermaids who could help her either. And her father had died a thousand years ago, so she couldn't ask him. 

When she wasn't studying, she was going into town, keeping up an appearance of semi-normalcy. She couldn't let anyone even suspect that Hope was still alive, so she had to act like she was depressed over the loss of her niece. 

She knew it was mainly the werewolves all over the quarter, but every time she left the compound, she felt like she was being watched. It was creepy.

The night of the full moon, Isla, Klaus, and Elijah were formulating a plan to hunt down the Guerreras. 

"We have the Guerreras where we want them. We have them waiting and worried." Klaus exclaimed as he walked to the opposite end of the table from where Elijah was standing. "We know they're with no defenses against an Original."

"We don't know that for certain." Elijah said, being the voice of reason.

"I'm willing to gamble." Klaus responded. Elijah shook his head.

"It's too risky. The stake didn't just disappear, someone has it." Isla sighed.

"If they had the stake, don't you think they would have done something by now?" Both brothers looked at her. "Those rings weaken Klaus every full moon. If they had it, they would've killed him during one of those full moons. But they didn't." Klaus nodded.

"She's right. But one enemy at a time. In the end, we'll slay them all." He sat down. Not long after, he was hit with the effects of the rings. Regaining his composure, he looked up at Elijah. "Tonight, we just have to plant the right seeds. And for that, we need help." Elijah went to go get Hayley.

"We're taking the twelve original rings. Now, four sit on the hands of the Guerrera brothers. One on Oliver, one on Francesca. Three with the home security detail and the rest scattered amongst lackeys. Each ring is distinguishable by its setting. Gauche, like those that wear them." Elijah started talking as soon as he got back.

"If they believe they can get the stake, they will come for me when I'm weak." Klaus added on. "Each ring we retrieve will strengthen me, but I will still be at a disadvantage."

"Ergo, any hope of our success depends entirely upon our working together." Elijah replied. "The two of you can no longer afford to retreat to separate corners." Klaus sighed, standing up. 

"This is our fight." He looked at Hayley. "You ready for battle, Hayley?" The brunette nodded.

"Just promise me that Francesca doesn't come out of this alive." Klaus smirked.

"Her head will be delivered to you on a silver platter... little wolf." 

"I'll deal with the last piece of the puzzle." Elijah announced as he left the room. Just like that, the plan was set in motion. 

Isla stayed with Klaus while Hayley and Elijah carried out the first part. As the night went on and the rings were retrieved, she could see Klaus start to get less weak. Suddenly, she heard a noise coming from outside the room. She knew immediately it was the werewolves coming to kill Klaus. She went to the doorway and braced herself to fight. 

Quickly, she slipped out the door. The first werewolf she saw, she held out her hand.

"Motus." She whispered, and the werewolf went flying over the balcony and hit the ground. She knew that wouldn't be enough to kill him. So she walked up to the railing. "Ossox." As soon as the word left her mouth, the werewolf's neck snapped. Isla chuckled to herself and moved on to the next one. Once all the werewolves were killed, she went back into the room to see Klaus painting a canvas with werewolf blood. "Classy." Klaus chuckled. 

"I'm still not at full strength." He remarked, and Isla noticed Elijah returning from the Guerrera house. "Which of the rings are unaccounted for?"

"Only one." Elijah responded. "I must say, the brothers fought valiantly before Ms. Guerrera escaped." Klaus stopped painting and turned around.

"You let her get away?" Elijah shrugged.

"Not exactly." Isla tilted her head, assuming that Hayley took care of it. Which meant that it was over. She sighed, walking back into her room. 

The next day, Klaus and Elijah were destroying the rings, and Isla went back into town to take her mind off it. After a while, she wasn't thinking about it.

But she was thinking about something else. Every time she looked behind her, there was a man watching her. It didn't look like there was any sense of malice in his eyes, but she still felt uneasy. 

So she picked up the pace. And still, he followed. Her walking turned into running. Until she decided she didn't want to run. So, she stopped in her tracks and turned around. Sure enough, there he was. She got into a defensive stance. 

"Who are you?" She asked, and the man looked shocked that she noticed him. "Why are you following me?" The man held up his hands to show her he wasn't going to hurt you.

"I apologize if I frightened you." He chuckled softly. "I'm not used to people being able to see me." Isla furrowed her brows, still keeping her stance. 

"What are you talking about?" The man sighed, looking around.

"On the other side. I could walk right through people and they wouldn't notice. I've only been here for a few hours. I'm still getting used to it." He looked back at Isla. "You are Isla Mikaelson, right?" Isla raised an eyebrow, confused.

"Yeah, why? Who are you?" The man dropped his arms.

"My name is Adair." Isla's eyes widened, and she dropped her arms. 

"What?" She barely whispered. The man nodded.

"I am your father."