infinity . kol mikaelson

iv. in the end

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Klaus was furious; for hundreds of years the threat of a dagger to the heart had been all he needed to keep Kol in line, but now not even that could stop him from leaving his family. So, in a deathly cold rage, he decided to destroy the only good thing his brother had. 

With the help of a witch who owed him her life, Klaus trapped his brother just outside Marie's home, and dangled him as bait for the young woman. 

"Marie, I think I have something of yours." Klaus shouted tauntingly through the door once everything was ready. 

Few people bothered to learn the young woman's name, so when she heard it coming from an unfamiliar mouth, she knew something was wrong. Kol had warned Marie that she was only safe within the walls of her home, so though she opened the door, she didn't set foot outside. What she saw waiting for her made the blood in her veins run cold. Kol was standing inside the edge of a circle on the ground, pounding on the invisible walls that held him prisoner. Next to his cage, was a girl not much older than Marie, sitting cross-legged and chanting in a language Marie did not recognize. 

The worst part of it all though, was Klaus. Kol had told Marie about him, but nothing could have prepared her for the real thing. He terrified the young woman, but she hid it as well as she could when she spoke. "Klaus, I presume?"

He nodded, not fooled by her smooth words. He could hear her heartbeat racing wildly clear as day.

"What do you want?"

The twisted smile he flashed her after the question made her sick. "Straight to the point I suppose. Well, you see, my family has been together for centuries, and we will stay together for centuries more. Now somehow you have caught my brother's eye, and by the fight he's putting up, his heart as well. Unfortunately I cannot allow this to continue. I have come here to put an end to this ridiculousness."  

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Marie asked, her voice wavering.

Klaus's face lit up darkly. "Oh I'm so glad you asked. I'm here to kill my brother, and since this is your fault, you're going to watch."

The chanting grew fiercer and Kol fell to his knees, crying out in pain. Blood began to drip from his nose and ears, and Marie knew her love was in agony beyond anything she could ever dream of.

"Stop! You're killing him!"

"Yes, well that is the idea," Klaus said coldly. 

"Please, stop! He is your brother!"

Klaus sighed and waved his hand at the witch. The chanting quieted down, and Kol struggled to his feet. 

"I suppose, if you desperately want me to spare him, I would be happy to take your life in his place."

Kol's eyes widened and he screamed for Marie not to listen, that his brother was bluffing. When she hesitated, the witch resumed her torture. 

"Now, Marie. I can make this last for hours, inflict pain beyond your wildest imagination. Are you really going to stand there and let this happen to your love?"

Tears began to pool in her eyes, and she shook her head.  

"Just step out of your safe little home and it will all be over." As he spoke, the witch ended her spell, but didn't lift the walls the surrounded Kol, who had tears in his eyes as he shouted for Marie to stay where she was. 

She didn't listen to him, for he was meant to live forever, and she was as insignificant as an ant. Her mothers words flashed through her mind as she began to step forwards. 

It's okay to be scared, it means you're doing something brave.

The second Marie left the safety of her home, Klaus drove a dagger through her heart. She heard Kol scream, and then she was falling. 

As soon as Klaus left, and the witch's debt had been repayed, she dropped the walls containing Kol. He raced forwards and caught Marie before she hit the ground, cradling her in his arms. 

"Why did you do that?" He asked desperately as tears began to spill down his cheeks.

Her breaths were ragged, but she managed a smile. "You know why, my love."

Kol shook his head. "No. I wont let you die, my blood can heal you."

"I'm afraid that is not true," the witch said softly. "I enchanted that dagger myself, nothing will be able to heal her wounds. I am truly sorry for my part in this, Klaus is a monster, but I owed him my life."

"There's nothing you can do to fix this?"

The witch looked uneasy, but seeing The Original that had killed thousands, reduced to tears over one small woman, gave her a sliver of hope. "There is a spell I can try. If it takes hold, she will be reborn as many times as it takes for you to find each other again and live the life you were supposed to share together. For it to work though, the love that binds your souls together must be pure and true, and considering you are a part of this I doubt-"

"Just do it." Kol said, cutting her off. He would not have his love for Marie questioned, and he was determined that this would not be the last time he held her.

The witch began to chant and Marie's body trembled in his arms. Tears slipped out her eyes and her breaths were short and uneven, but she held on desperately to what little life she had left. Long enough for the witch to complete her spell. 

Kol pressed his lips gently to her forehead. "This is not the end, my love. We will meet again." 

She smiled, and her eyes drifted to the stars in the sky. The bight, twinkling lights that had always fascinated her were the last things she saw before her vision saw the darkness for the first, but not the last time.