The Girl in the Forest

The Brewing of Traitors

Esther Mikaelson ushered in a blonde Maleny into her home and sat down the young blonde down on a chair, "Stay still," Esther warned as she hurried to a table filled with many herbs and ingredients of types.

"I was not planning on leaving," Maleny assured as she scratched her wrist frantically.

Once Esther saw her she shouted and scolded, "Maleny, stop scratching! You will only make it worse."

"A tree poisoned me, how much worse can it really get?" Maleny challenged unintentionally as she was continued scratching. Her wrist and the area immediately above it was turning red and bumpy with a rash.

Esther ignored the question as she finished looking through the herbs on the table, "I don't have it," she concluded with a frustrated huff, "I have to go get it from the forest."

"That long?" Maleny sighed, "Esther, this is really irritating me. It hurts!"

"Perhaps if you had listened to my instructions we would not be in this situation in the first place," Esther wagged a finger at the girl as she went for a small basket just by the door.

"I listened..." Maleny weakly argued but even she didn't believe it.

"You used to listen all the time, what happened to you?"

"I do not know..." Maleny sheepishly looked down, not that it covered her blush.

Esther shook her head, knowing very well her children had something to do with the progressive alteration of Maleny's once obedient personality, "I shall be back. In the meantime, stay in here and dab some water over it."

"Just hurry, please."

Esther opened the door and hurried on out. Maleny sighed and got up from her chair to go for the water. She went around and found a cloth then went straight for the water Esther had for her family across the room. She bent down and dipped the cloth into the water, ignoring how cold it was as best she could. She pulled the cloth out and after removing the excess water gently dabbed it over the growing rash.

"Cold!" she exclaimed for the first couple of seconds before the temperature settled.

A couple minutes later, the door re-opened and in came Rebekah and Klaus chattering among each other. Maleny quickly rose to her feet and his her arms behind her back.

"Mal, what are you doing here?" Rebekah was the first to ask, however Klaus thought of the most important question instead.

"Why are you hiding your arms from us?"

Maleny coughed awkwardly and looked down, "...no reason."

Klaus rolled her eyes, Maleny could not lie to save her life. Her innocent face gave her up, "What did you do?" he went up to her and while she did her best to stand against him he easily pulled her arms in front of her.

"It was all Rebekah's fault!" she quickly accused.

Rebekah scowled and made her innocence known, "I wasn't even there, how could it have been my fault?"

"Because you told me that the red bush was not poisonous and that it in fact gave you a pleasant scent instead."

"And you chose to listen to her?" Klaus laughed and ended up being glared at, "I mean...nope, this is sort of your fault too."

Rebekah smirked at Maleny with triumph, "You should have paid attention," was all she said before turning and walking out of the place.

Irritated with him, Maleny snatched her hands from Klaus and returned to the water, "I thought you were supposed to defend me when I was right."