IN WHICH - The last thing that Hope Mikaelson expected when she came out of Malivore was to still be alive, the second last thing she expected was to be disowned by most of her living family, and the final last thing she expected was some ancient be...
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THIRD PERSON POV
CHAPTER 21
The sun was high, casting a warm golden glow over the farm as Hope, Lori, and Maggie gathered the last of the apples and peaches for the winter. The trees were nearly bare, the season winding down to its quiet end, but they still had a few good fruits left to pick. It was a peaceful moment, one of those rare pockets of calm in the chaos of their lives, and the laughter that filled the air felt like a brief respite.
Maggie reached up to pluck a peach from a branch, her fingers brushing the smooth skin of the fruit. "These peaches are practically perfect," she said with a grin, handing one to Hope. "We might have to eat them all before winter hits, just to make sure they don't go to waste."
Hope caught the peach in midair, smirking. "I wouldn't mind a few extra peaches. But I'm trying to avoid using my magic for things like this. It's bad enough when you catch me using it to lift heavy stuff. I'm not about to turn into some kind of supernatural apple-picker."
Lori chuckled from the nearby tree, gently pulling a branch down so she could reach an apple. "Oh, I don't know. I think it could be kind of fun if you just, you know, waved your hand and made all the apples fall into the baskets for us."
Hope rolled her eyes, playfully tossing the peach from one hand to the other. "I could, but then it'd be too easy. Plus, I'm trying to keep my magic on a short leash these days. You never know when you'll accidentally summon a horde of walkers by mistake."
Maggie laughed, nodding. "Yeah, that'd be a real problem. We don't need any more chaos than we already have."
Hope tossed the peach into the basket and picked another one from the tree. "Exactly. The last time I used magic to help out, I ended up almost setting the whole damn barn on fire. So, I think I'll just stick to good old-fashioned manual labor for now."
Lori raised an eyebrow as she plucked another apple from the tree. "Setting the barn on fire? That sounds like a story I need to hear."
Hope grinned, rolling her shoulders back as she stood tall on the ladder to reach the higher branches. "It was a small fire," she said, glancing down at Lori. "Merle got a little too close to my spell circle when I was trying to light some candles, and—bam! Instant inferno."
Maggie snorted, covering her mouth. "I can't believe Merle got in the way of one of your spells. That guy has a death wish."
Hope snickered, nodding in agreement. "He practically dares the universe to strike him down on a daily basis. It's kind of impressive, really."
Lori gave Hope a wry smile. "Merle's lucky it wasn't a full-blown fireball. He'd be in a much worse state than just a singed shirt."
Hope's grin widened as she jumped down from the ladder, landing lightly beside Lori. "Yeah, well, at least now he knows to keep a safe distance when I start chanting. I've learned my lesson. No more fire hazards."
