Down This Tunnel

CHAPTER 3 - ANCIENT MEMORIES

Winnie the Pooh:

When Ayenne awakens again, they are already far from the city, deep in the countryside. There are no houses in sight, only open land stretching as far as her eyes can see. She feels the stillness of the place settle around her like a shroud.

Niklaus begins to speak, knowing she's awake even though she hasn't spoken. "Feeling better, love?" He muses melodically.

"Where are we?"

"I had to take care of a little something but now we're finally on the way to the safehouse." He chimes, for some reason being in a really good mood.

She remains quiet making him glance over at her for a moment before returning his eyes to the roadwork ahead. He speaks once more, his tone serious and reflective. "You see, a thousand years ago, my mother turned us into monsters in an attempt to make our family more powerful. She transformed us into the vampires you see before you. Yet still, she claimed to love her children, even as she vowed to destroy us. There was Elijah, the noble one, tormented by long-buried shameful secrets. Kol, the cunning troublemaker, only out for himself. Finn, the loyal devotee, whose love for our mother was twisted into something dark. Fierce Rebekah, willing to risk everything for a chance at happiness. And me, the bastard child, my mother's greatest shame."

Niklaus' voice grows colder and more theatralic. "She rose from the dead to undo her past mistakes. She tried to convince us to let her put our souls into mortal bodies again, to free us from the vampire curse. All the while, she did everything she could to harm my unborn daughter. In the end, we defeated her, but not without leaving a powerful enemy behind—Finn. Do not worry. I am Klaus Mikaelson, and in a thousand years, no enemy has ever bested me."

Ayenne listened in silence, then finally speaks. "Sounds epic."

Niklaus cuts in with a small, amused smile. "That's your reaction to my monologue? Am I boring you?"

Ayenne gives a short, nervous laugh. "No, no, I get it. Your family history is a mess. Your own mother and brother murdering your child because of this prophecy is... quite the ordeal. And you're this big, all-powerful super Hybrid that everyone fears. But powerful or not, your psychotic brother did nearly murder me twice already, and it's only my first day here."

Niklaus's smile doesn't falter. "But he didn't, and here, you will be as safe as can be."

The truck comes to a halt in front of a beautiful countryside house, another car is already parked in the driveway. Ayenne glances at Niklaus as they step out of the vehicle. "How can you be sure he won't come to kill me again?"

"He won't find you here," Niklaus assures her. "This is the safest place you could possibly be."

Ayenne hesitates, recalling what Niklaus mentioned about Elijah earlier. "You said Elijah is tormented by long-buried shameful secrets... what does that mean?"

"Elijah is suppressing his past trauma," Niklaus explaines with nonchalance. "Mother tried to bring them to the surface to get him to accept her deal—to abandon his vampirism. You see, a vampire's bloodlust and hunger can sometimes drive them to do terrible things."

"What kind of things?" Ayenne asks, her voice soft with curiosity and concern.

Niklaus's eyes sparkle with a hint of challenge. "Why don't you ask him that yourself?"

Ayenne straightens her shoulders, determined. "I might just do that."

"I'd be surprised if he even told you a single thing," Niklaus muses, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.