Elijah Mikaelson & The Dragon's Legacy

Chapter 14

Elijah stopped dead in his tracks as a sickening feeling had overcome him. Niklaus noticed and asked Elijah what was wrong. Elijah did not know but only held his hand to his heart, rubbing his chest to abate the pressure he was feeling. Something was very wrong. Niklaus was worried, he had never seen Elijah react like that before, he was agitated and yet it was a successful night, the three siblings had rooted out a roving band of highway robbers, murderers who were attacking supply wagons bound for the village. The blood was glorious and their mission was honorable. But Elijah was now standing stiffly, holding his chest, his jaw locked, and slowly stepping in a circle as if trying to get bearings on the origin of this feeling. They were quite a significant distance from the estate, having tracked this band where they camped miles out of Montecito. "I have to go home, now," Elijah told him, and he vanished into the night. Rebekah and Niklaus followed and the three set back to the house.

Elijah reached the open doorway first and stopped. The smell of blood permeated the air. Within moments Niklaus and Rebekah appeared behind him. Elijah heard Angelica wailing and sped to the library, to the source of the sound. He stopped again in the doorway and looked in, Niklaus and Rebekah followed, and the three took in the scene. The blood, the body parts, and in front of the fireplace was Angelica, soaked in blood, holding the dead Duke in her arms, rocking back and forth, in anguish, in soul-wrenching grief. Elijah walked toward Angelica and put his hand on her to console her but he was not prepared for the face that would greet him as she bared her fangs to him, green eyes now blood red. Elijah held his ground. If she had been any other newly-sired vampire he would have grabbed her around the neck and used force to assert his dominance over her, he was her sire, he felt it in his blood. But this was Angelica, his beautiful Angelica, and he would not use such harsh tactics with her. He had seen her grieve before when her mother died and knew what would happen to her, only he did not know how being a vampire would amplify the grieving process.

Niklaus came up behind him and his heart sank as he saw that Angelica had transitioned to vampire, and worse, she had transitioned alone. Rebekah covered her mouth so as not to allow any sound to escape and reveal her heart-break. They had all failed to protect her, and this failure touched each of them deeply. Elijah spoke softly, "Angelica, it's me." He touched her vampire face the same way she had touched his vampire façade years before; and her features began to soften as she began to recognize him. She could not speak and the only sounds she made were tearful sobs as she mourned over her father. It would be several minutes before Elijah was able to succeed in having her release the old Duke, he did not want to force her because he could see that not only was she lost in her grief, he had seen that before with her mother's death five years ago, but she was rabid with the blood lust having transitioned, alone, with no one to guide her through the process. He did not know what they had done to her yet, but the torn nightgown gave him terrifying clues to the attack.

She reached out for the old Duke again but Elijah stopped her, speaking gently to her, reassuring her, comforting her. He picked her up in his arms and stepped around the blood and the body parts, and headed up the stairs. Rebekah followed them. Elijah carried the sobbing Angelica into their room and climbed onto the bed with her. He did not want to let her go. He held her tight in his arms as she continued to wail and cry. Rebekah spoke to Elijah, tears in her eyes, "What can I do?" Elijah whispered to her that he needed to get her cleaned up, if she would prepare the bath then help him with her. Rebekah nodded and quickly went to work boiling water and filling the tub.

Niklaus stayed downstairs to clean up the carnage. He piled the bodies and the parts in the courtyard. He gently collected the bodies of the house servants and laid them out more respectfully. He lifted the old Duke from the floor and laid him onto the dining room table. There was so much blood in the library carpeting he ripped it all up from the floor. Niklaus was angry. The old Duke did not deserve this, Angelica did not deserve this. This was their fault, somehow, as violence always found them no matter where they went or how happy they were. They were indeed cursed and Angelica and her father had fallen victim to their wretched curse.