A New Chance

The Harvest

Hope POV:

5 months later

It's June now, the girls were agitated, meetings were being called more frequently by the Elders of the French Quarter Coven. I was too old for the selection, so I stood watch with Sabine. It was always in large open fields, the dry heat pouring down on us.

It was a long selection process, I could tell that Bastianna was almost salivating at the power my Coven mates recently acquired. I knew that they could hear me, "Don't worry ladies, they won't touch you." I whispered just loud enough for them to hear me. Sabine nodded ever so slightly.

"You, you, you, and you child." Bastianna chose my Coven mates. Agnes had a sick smirk on her face. Each of my girls stood, with shocked excitement at being chosen. "What an honor this will be!" Bastianna said looking to the sky.

"This will take place on the full moon in July. We shall be making preparations in the mean time." Agnes announced to everyone. The girls parents went to them, praising them for essentially nothing. I had luck with Monique's mother and aunt, Cassie's mom was more than willing disband from the French Quarter Coven.

However, Abigail and Davina's parents were not willing to shake their beliefs. I had to erase the memory of my visit, they were to angry at my insinuation that the Harvest was a bad idea. I had given the girls plenty of time to get accustomed with grieving their parents. The girls knew that when I tell them to get down to not look at anything.

Davina had taken up painting and continued with her piano lessons. We would often paint together in free time, it reminded me of my Dad. Cassie took on lacrosse at school, going for a scholarship. Abigail was naturally multilingual, and highly gifted in mathematics and chemistry.

We learned during sparring that the girls claws are poisonous. I was rather jealous but you give and you get. I needed them to be able to defend themselves without magic in case they are trapped by humans. Vampires can be easily brought down with an aneurism attack.

7 weeks later

I hid several blades in the graveyard in case they take mine. The Harvest was tonight, the girls were ready to face the events. Bastianna led them along the path, doing her long boring speech. Before she turned around, "NOW!" I shouted. The girls ducked down, I threw a small blade through Bastianna's throat, quickly following with Agnes.

The parents and other French Quarter Coven members either ran or attempted to attack. One of them managed to break my hands with their spells, Sabine took charge, slicing them up. Helping me protect our actual Coven. Once it was all said and done, Sabine and I got the girls out of the graveyard without them being too traumatized.

The ancestors were pissed at losing the fresh magic, but they can't punish witches who aren't practicing ancestral magic. We practice Traditional or Elemental magic, keeping to nature. We can use spells outside of the specific branches because they are tied to my magic.

I liked working at Rousseau's because I could hear all the vampire gossip that Marcel would share thinking that nobody could hear him. Him and his men boasted of their superiority in supernatural class. There was a surprising visit from Damon Salvatore, apparently he stopped in New Orleans before going to Mystic Falls.

Time to punish him for Caroline, she had shared stories with me of her early experiences with the Salvatore brother. I was less than pleased that they let him live. Hearing about how toxic and manipulative the boys in their lives were, made my blood boil. Elena's adoptive parents would die soon.

He watched me cook, eyeing me. I felt disgusted, but I kept him interested. I spoke to Jane-Anne, letting her know that I am leaving early to deal with a dangerous vampire. "Hey baby, wanna get a drink with me?" He asked. "Oh you know it hot stuff. Come on I have better stuff at my place." I told him taking his hand. 

When we got to the door I stepped in and he got stuck at the door. I flipped my hand and broke his neck. I put him in the trunk of my car and drove out to the Bayou, I had a trailer set up for prisoners. I chained him to a chair, waiting for him to wake up.

2 hours later

He finally awoke groaning at his pain, "Ugh come on. Do you think this is my first time being chained up?" He complained, trying to break free. I poured vervain water on his lap, he screamed in pain. "Do I have your attention?" I asked him. He said nothing but held my eye contact. Knowing that the vervain weakened him greatly, compulsion would be easy.

"You know Sage?" I continued. "Yes, what about her?" He snarled. "I know that she taught you the ways of being a vampire. Using people as pawns and toys, I'll be dealing with her next. You will send her to me when you are free. But first I'm going to punish you for all the women you have abused." I told him.

There was a knock on the door, I opened it to find Henrik. "We will be punishing you." He corrected. We spent the next several hours beating and siphoning him, leaving him an inch from death. I poured a little of my blood in his mouth, just enough for him to heal.

Time for the compulsion. "You will not use women as pawns in your life, that switch that lives in the back of your mind is broken and set for on. For eternity, you will have to make amends and work to be a better version of yourself. If you stand against the Mikaelson family, you will burn yourself to ashes in the sun. Call Sage, tell her that a Mikaelson resides in New Orleans." I finished, letting him call Sage.

Once the call was done, I compelled him to forget our faces and ever meeting us. He would remember the beating and feel the compulsion to do well. While killing him would be satisfying it wouldn't be efficient. Henrik and I returned home, waiting for Sage to appear in the streets.

I let Henrik handle Sage, he later told me it was in a similar manner that we dealt with Damon. I will be taking a leave from the city, leaving it in Henrik's capable hands. I told the Coven that while I was gone Henrik was in charge, and that I was a phone call away.

While I compelled Damon to be better to women I forgot to generalize with people. So he will probably still treat his brother and the guys like trash but that's okay with me. I had about a year before Stefan would meet Elena. I had time to imbed myself with the people there.

Before I would be leaving Henrik and I will rescue Freya. I won't be able to convince the current Mikaelson's without a member from this world. Henrik and I entered the Dowager Fauline Cottage, knocking the guards unconscious. We carried the casket to the front gate, I turned the doll head around, releasing the three of us.

The casket burst open immediately, but Freya was still unconscious. I took a small blood sample from her. Henrik took her home, while I poured the blood on a map tracking Dahlia. I found her in a Sepulcher in Mississippi. I ran to her location, she was thankfully still asleep as well.

I put my hand on her head, showing her, her fate should she continue her path. I entered her mind palace, finding her reading texts from Plato. "I am impressed, no one has dared enter my mind in a thousand years. I will have to kill you." She said never looking up.

"Well that would be a shame, seeing as I am Hope Mikaelson." I told her enunciating my name. "You are of the Mikaelson family?" She finally looked my way. "Ahh Niklaus's child am I wrong?" She continued. I was a little shocked that she guessed right. "Yes, I have a proposition for you. It's really your only option, I will kill you if you don't go with it." I told her getting blunt.

"Well get on with it." She said. "You will drop your blood feud with Esther and her family. Instead you will join us, be apart of the family you always wanted. I am even willing to bring Esther back under the same conditions. I know that despite your anger, the real feeling is sadness and that you miss her. Taking her children was a way to keep her close." I told her.

She had tears in her eyes, "Aunt Dahlia, be my family, not my enemy." I told her taking her hands. She cried harder, nodding. "Thank you. Esther never gave me the love that I needed, I wanted to have something of hers to love. I did it wrong!" She told me as she fell into me, I wrapped my arms around her. "Come back with me Aunt Dahlia." I said gently. We got to our feet and closed our eyes.

I opened my eyes, removing my hand from her head, she opened her eyes. "You are prettier in real life, niece." She said, gently rubbing my cheek. "Come with me, we will have to explain things to Freya, she will be resentful for a long time. Once you explain things she will understand." I told her, guiding her out of the Sepulcher.