Elijah Mikaelson & The Dragon's Legacy

Chapter 13

The vacant farms were a problem that Elijah and Angelica would need to solve rapidly. The farmhouses and crops would fall into disrepair if new tenants were not brought in to tend to the fields. The village itself needed tradesmen that had been lost to the plague. These abandoned properties were becoming a magnet for disreputable men and an element had worked its way into Montecito that would need to be addressed. For Niklaus and Rebekah, it gave them an opportunity to hunt locally as these criminals were not under the protection of the estate, and Elijah gave them permission to hunt within the Dukedom, even telling them he would join them on occasion. By day, Angelica and Elijah interviewed families to take over the farms, recruiting the needed tradesmen to get the village functioning again. By night, Niklaus, Rebekah and Elijah would hunt. Sometimes together, sometimes alone, to root out the highway robbers, rapists, and murderers who were descending in droves upon Montecito.

It was one such night in early December, when all three Mikaelson siblings ventured out to hunt together. Angelica sent Elijah off with a kiss, pleased that Elijah and his siblings would enjoy a night out together. As Elijah was leaving the house, he peaked in on the old Duke, who had fallen asleep in his chair in the library. Elijah walked over to him and gently took the tipping brandy snifter out of his hand before it fell, and placed it on the table. Elijah turned to see Niklaus and Rebekah were both in the doorway. They smiled at their brother, at the tender way in which he cared for the old Duke, how they all cared for the old Duke. It was not uncommon for any one of them to be found helping him up the stairs to his bedroom, a difficult climb now for the old Duke. Elijah would often find Niklaus sitting in conversation with the old Duke, smiling and joking. Niklaus on occasion would bring down one of his paintings to show the man, who heaped praise upon praise on Niklaus' works of art. Several of them had now been framed and the estate was transforming into an art gallery of Niklaus' works. The trio left the sleeping Duke and ventured out into the crisp night air to rid Montecito of the invading vermin.

The three strangers had worked their way to Montecito with visions of riches in their despicable minds as they discussed looting the abandoned homes of fortunes unseen. They determined that they would be wasting their time on farmhouses and decided the big score would be the estate house itself. They casually gathered information in the village on the estate. Old Duke. Daughter. Husband. Sister. Brother. Servants. They did the math and deduced that there would only really be two men to contend with and with the element of surprise the three men would have no trouble in taking the estate, cleaning out the riches from the house, and perhaps having a little fun with some high society ladies before they were done. The men had decided they would act tonight, after dark to catch the estate asleep. So they waited and watched. The three Original vampires moved with such speed that the three men did not see them leave into the darkness.

They saw lights extinguished in the house as Angelica retired for the night. The house was now asleep. This was their time and the men sprinted across the courtyard and entered the house through the servant's entrance to ensure they were unseen. They caught the servants in their beds and set to work slitting their throats so they would not wake the house or interfere with their plans.

They made their way through the first floor of the estate and found the old Duke asleep in his chair. They decided to have a bit of fun with the old codger and poked him until he woke up. The old Duke focused and then fear spread across his face as he realized there were dangerous strangers in the house. The old Duke mustered all the strength he could and moved like he had not done in decades. He grabbed a poker from the fireplace and swung it hard at the first man, hitting him on the side of his head. The man yowled in pain and the old Duke's voice boomed throughout the house as he yelled for help to raise the house, to wake Elijah and Niklaus not knowing the two were out for the evening. Angelica was the only one to hear that call and bolted out of her bed, out the door and down the stairs toward her father.