Elijah Mikaelson & The Dragon's Quest

Chapter 3

The children's party began promptly at two o'clock. Henrik Finn was in casual clothes as he mingled with his friends and the grounds filled with the sounds of children laughing and playing. The party was a success by five-year-old standards and the parents enjoyed the luncheon prepared by the caterer along with some light adult beverages. Joey and Boswell were the last to leave of course, waving and shouting, "Bye, Rik," as they walked out the front door using the nickname they had selected for the leader of their little trio. Henrik Finn returned the wave and shouted back, "Bye Joey, Bye Boz!" as they entered their parent's cars and were driven away.

Angelica took Henrik Finn upstairs so they could both get cleaned up and changed into dress clothes for the Mikaelson party that was set to begin at seven o'clock that evening but the family would be arriving at varying times before then depending upon their flights. Henrik Finn donned a tuxedo suit that made him look exactly like a miniature version of Elijah. Once he was dressed, she sent him to Elijah to finish his tie so that she could change as well. She donned a dark red cocktail dress with matching heels and emerged looking nothing like the soccer mom she had been for the first party. Instead, she descended the staircase resembling a woman of royal birth preparing to receive the most honored of guests.

The catering staff had worked quickly and efficiently to transform the estate to a proper evening affair. There were no signs of the earlier party and the dining room table was already set with the finest china, silver, and linens. Rafe, Albee, and Charlie were changed and ready for the evening and they occupied Henrik Finn while Elijah disappeared upstairs to change into his tuxedo suit.

Freya, Niklaus and Hope arrived together first with special guests Caroline Forbes Salvatore and Alaric Saltzman in tow. Caroline and Alaric had heard much about Henrik Finn from Hope and wanted to meet the young man to see if Elijah and Angelica would agree to send him to the Salvatore School for Gifted Children. Neither Angelica nor Elijah were keen on the idea of sending Henrik Finn to boarding school but nonetheless they extended the invitation to Caroline and Alaric when Niklaus inquired. Kol would arrive next having flown in from California. He came alone as his fiancé, Davina Claire, would never be comfortable around Elijah, Freya and Niklaus as there was too much bad history between them so they all maintained a polite distance from each other.

Davina had gone to Boston to visit with a girlfriend while Kol was in Connecticut. Kol planned to meet up with her in Boston in two days. Henrik Finn loved his Uncle Kol and squealed with delight when he came in the door, running to him. Kol scooped him up and hugged him hello. Rebekah was the last to arrive, always fashionably late having flown in from Monte Carlo. She hugged everyone hello and whispered into Henrik Finn's ear, causing the boy to giggle and everyone to wonder just what secret the two shared. Rebekah had a special kiss hello for Rafe with whom she shared a special on-again/off-again relationship over the last five years.

As each of the family arrived, they and their luggage were taken to the guest bedrooms so that they could freshen up and by seven o'clock everyone was dressed sharply, cocktail hour was in full swing, and dinner was about to be served. Henrik Finn and his father were engaged in some sort of debate and Niklaus and Kol looked on as they watched Elijah, standing with one hand in his pocket while gesturing with his other hand, locked in a verbal battle of wills with his son, who mirrored Elijah's stance and seemed to be winning the argument. They stood against the backdrop of the fireplace and it was quite a scene to behold. Kol whispered to Niklaus, "I think our brother has met his match." The two brothers chuckled, Elijah could be heard giving a stern parental, "No," which abruptly ended the debate and Henrik Finn shuffled off only to be scooped up by Rebekah. Niklaus handed a clearly-vexed Elijah a glass of bourbon and joked, "You think being father to a Dragon King is hard, be glad you're not the father of a teenaged witch." Elijah looked at his brother and they both grinned. "So," asked Niklaus, "out of curiosity, what was that all about?" Elijah looked to his brother and answered dryly, "His bedtime." Niklaus looked at Elijah and the two broke out in laughter.