Elijah Mikaelson & The Dragon's Legacy

Chapter 16

Rebekah had noticed that since Angelica's turn to vampire she seemed more melancholy at times, understandable in light of the circumstances of her turning and her father's death. It took some digging but Rebekah thought she might have hit upon what was bothering Angelica. Angelica and Elijah's marriage vows included the phrase "until death did they part," and Angelica, trying to understand this new life of hers, realized she had died calling into question whether they were still even married. Rebekah thought this a trivial detail but she knew Angelica well enough to know that she would obsess over the matter; it would gnaw at her. Rebekah happily found a solution as Rebekah was a true romantic at heart and clued Elijah in on her plan.

It was Rebekah who proposed the idea at dinner one evening, being careful to say that there should be another wedding ceremony because Niklaus and Rebekah missed the first one, they were in a new home, and it was time for a good party. Elijah looked at Angelica and her face lit up, she liked the idea, so Elijah agreed and left the planning in Rebekah and Angelica's capable hands but only after he made a point of telling Angelica that this would be a celebration of their marriage in 1622, that they are still married. Angelica smiled at him. Rebekah would make sure that the marriage vows this time around would not contain that pesky death clause since the nature of vampires, creatures who live, and die, and live again, would result in the need to renew those marriage vows too many times for the very literal Angelica.

Rebekah relished in the planning of the ceremony, the reception, the dinner, the guest list, and the gowns. Rebekah commissioned the most beautiful gowns for Angelica and for herself. She handled every detail. They were truly as sisters and Angelica was elated to have Rebekah planning out everything. When the day came, it was perfect. Angelica noted that Rebekah managed to arrange the most gorgeous weather, as well.

Elijah surprised Angelica with a necklace he had commissioned especially for her, a golden angel wings pendant hanging from a beautiful gold chain. He told her that she would forever be his beautiful angel and put the necklace around her neck. She treasured it and wore it always.

They renewed their vows in a ceremony officiated by a priest (sans death clause of course). Rebekah stood as Maid of Honor and Niklaus stood as Best Man. Niklaus compelled a local artist to sketch the ceremony for him as Niklaus would turn it into a painting as a gift to the happy couple.

The reception was spectacular and the feast was fit for royalty. The wine flowed and the laughter rose. The table overflowed with gifts from the wedding guests, all compelled to attend of course, and all believing they were attending the wedding of a couple from royal society. Rebekah was careful with her guest list not to attract the wrong attention and she was successful. She gave Angelica and Elijah a beautiful night to remember, and for Niklaus and Rebekah, they enjoyed the happiness it brought to their beloved sister and noble brother.

In the days that followed, Niklaus set to work with his pallet and canvas, reviewing the sketches, producing a stunning portrait of the four of them together, memorializing that wonderful moment of happiness. He presented it to Elijah and Angelica at dinner, and Angelica smiled from ear to ear, it was so beautiful that tears began to fall down her cheeks, tears of joy at the beauty of that moment captured in time by the canvas. Elijah embraced Niklaus and they all gathered around to gaze at Niklaus' work of art. Angelica vowed it would always be the centerpiece of their home, wherever that home may be.

Over the next 74 years, Angelica, Elijah, Niklaus and Rebecca would live happily together, moving occasionally throughout Spain and Italy during that time but happy, together, as a family. Angelica's passion for knowledge had also been increasing over those many years. The estate was now busting at the seams from all the books, manuscripts, and plays that she would collect. She had developed a network of contacts throughout the known world and every month packages and crates would arrive containing new materials. She struck a deal with a monastery a half day's ride away from their home to allow her access to their vast library. Women were not allowed into the monastery but a bit of persuasion and vampire compulsion and she had access. She could read and speak over a dozen languages by this point so translation was rarely an issue; if she was unfamiliar with the language she would simply learn it.

Elijah had massive bookshelves built in the basement to store and preserve everything she was collecting. Angelica set to work re-organizing her collection between the library and the new areas in the basement. She would spend hours in that basement not far from Kol and Finn's coffins. Elijah heard her one day talking to them about some new manuscript she had read. At first he thought she had released them but that was not the case. He asked her about it and she was embarrassed that he had caught her. She explained that she felt sorry for them alone in their coffins and she thought it might make them feel better if she talked to them. Elijah made her promise to never remove the daggers as the danger to her would be too great, he could not trust Kol or Finn to not kill her out of spite immediately upon awakening.

The siblings were so happy and content that occasionally they would discuss whether it was time to remove Kol's dagger, but Kol's inability to control his blood lust was always a problem and so they had decided against it. But in 1701 they decided it was time to remove his dagger and introduce him to Angelica, to their newest family member, determining that he had been punished long enough for whatever past indiscretion got him daggered by Niklaus in the first place. They were all very happy and thought it would be good for Kol this time. They could not have been more wrong.