The Apprentice (The Originals/The Vampire Diaries)

Chapter Six

 Mikael took Annette to Egypt. He took her to many other places, as well. It didn't seem to matter to him where she wanted to go to next, as long as he could find food (meaning vampire blood) and look for information on Niklaus' possible whereabouts.
 
 Because of Annette's transformations every full moon, they would go somewhere in the less-populated countryside until after her night as a werewolf was over. It was difficult, but Annette soon became used to the pain of having to transform. 

 Annette soon decided that she enjoyed travelling. In every place they somehow ended up in, whether it was Cairo or Hong Kong, she saw and learned things she never would have known working in a dressmaking factory. 

 It did not escape her notice how increasingly frustrated Mikael was becoming. In many the places they went to, he learned the same thing. Yes, Klaus (as Niklaus was calling himself) had been there once. No, he had not been there recently. That, or he was never there at all. Annette would often walk as fast as she could behind Mikael as he stormed through the streets of wherever they were, like a bloodhound following a scent. He barely ever slept, and didn't seem to need to much blood to function properly. There a few times where she reminded him to feed. She couldn't help being worried about him at times. He never smiled, and was usually in a terrible mood. He hardly ever spoke at all. 

 But after some time, he began to teach her things. He helped her to read and write better. Then he suddenly began teaching her words in other languages. Whenever they were in a place Mikael had been to before (which seemed to be everywhere), he would point things out to her and tell her stories. 

 Though there are probably many who would quickly grow to dislike nomadic life, Annette loved it. Mikael was right when he said he wasn't the best travelling companion, but she quickly became used to his strange ways. He was madman, surely, but at least he was an interesting madman.

~~~~~~
 
 After four years together of travelling and hunting, the two sat one day in a tea shop in London.

 "What are you staring at?" Annette asked Mikael. He had been staring across the room from their little table in the corner the entire time they had been there.

 "Not something," Mikael corrected. "Someone. Do you see that woman over there, the one in the dark blue gown?"

 "Yes, I do." There was a pretty young woman in blue sitting at a nearby table. "Why are we watching her?"

 "Didn't I tell you? No, I must not have. She calls herself Katherine Pierce, but her real name is Katerina Petrova. She is a vampire, and one of the Petrova Doppelgangers. I believe she may know something about Niklaus."

 "What is a doppelganger?" Annette asked. "And why do you think she would know anything about Niklaus?"

 "Call it instinct. Look now, she's leaving. Follow me." 

 They followed the doppelganger woman out of the tea shop and watched as she climbed into a motorcar.

 "Hold onto me." Mikael held Annette firmly by the wrist and began to run to keep up with the motorcar. "We cannot lose sight of it!" 

 They followed the motorcar until it stopped at a big hotel, and watched as the woman climbed out of the motorcar and walked into the hotel. Annette and Mikael ran across the street to the front doors, nearly getting themselves run over while doing so. They quietly followed the doppelganger woman through the hotel. As she got to her room, Mikael called, "Miss Pierce!"

 She looked up at them coming towards her. "I don't think I know either of you."

 "No, you do not know me," Mikael said, "but I believe you may know my children. Annette, is there anyone close enough to see us?"

 "No one."

 "Good." Mikael pulled out a syringe out of his coat and injected Miss Pierce with it. She promptly collapsed.

 "Annette, get the door open." Mikael lifted the woman into his arms and carried her into the room. "Now we wait for her to wake up."

 "What did you inject her with?" Annette asked.

 "Vervain. I believe I've told you about. Plant that's dangerous for vampires."

 "How long until she wakes?"

 "Could be a long time."
 
 "How long have you been tracking this woman for?" Annette asked.

 "Only a few days. Something in me tells me that she knows things about Niklaus and my children. So, we wait."

 Annette stood by the window watching the activity in the street below while Mikael paced fervently across the room. Eventually, Annette saw Katherine open her eyes. "She's awake."

 "Ah, good." Mikael tugged on Katherine's arm so that she was sitting straight up. "I know who you are, Katerina Petrova." He tilted her head up so that they were eye-to-eye. Now, do you know who I am?"

 The woman shook her head. "I think I would have remembered you if I had met you." She glanced at Annette. "Both of you. So, since you know who I am, why don't you tell me who you are?"

 "My name is Mikael. This is Annette, my apprentice. I believe you may associated with my stepson, Niklaus Mikaelson, but he goes by the name of Klaus."
 
 Annette saw Katherine's eyes widen at the mention of Klaus' name. "She knows."

 "I know." Mikael locked the door to the room, and pulled a nearby chair over and sat down. "Since we are all here, perhaps you can tell us, Miss Pierce, what you know about him."

 "I've never met Klaus," Katherine said. "Only heard of him."
 
 "She's lying," Annette said. "I saw your face. You know something, don't you?"

 "Perhaps you should watch your tongue, wolf girl," Katherine spat.

 Mikael was out of his chair in a quick moment, and held the knife he'd had in his coat to Katherine's chest.

 "Show any disrespect to Annette," he pressed the cold steel against the bodice of her gown, "And you will be dead before you know it. Now, tell me what you know about Niklaus."

 "That's just it," Katherine said. "I don't know anything about him. I haven't seen him in over four hundred years."

 "But you knew him once?" Annette asked.

 "Yes, I did, and he tried to kill me. He needs the blood of a Petrova doppelganger to complete the ritual that will bring out his werewolf half. I escaped by killing myself with vampire blood in my system. Klaus retaliated by killing my whole family. I've been hiding from him ever since."

 At the part where she said Klaus had murdered her family, Mikael slowly pulled the knife away and stuck it back in his coat.

 "And you have not seen him or heard of him since?" he asked.

 Katherine shook her head. "No."

 Annette had been studying Katherine, and decided she was being truthful. "I think she's telling the truth, Mikael."

 "She is. Miss Pierce, you are clearly a victim of Niklaus' dark ways. But I mean to kill him, so I will avenge your family as well as my wife in doing so. We will leave you now. Come, Annette. Continue to keep yourself hidden from Niklaus if you can, Miss Pierce."

 As Annette followed Mikael, Katherine called, "Was the vervain necessary?"

 Annette shrugged. "He can be very vicious when he is on the hunt."