Written In Blood

Chapter Thirteen.

The year: 1701
Location: Paris, France. 

Rayna had travelled the world more times than she could count, by this point.
But it was this particular spring morning that she wasn't expecting.
She was taking a walk down the Seine River; taking in the view.
As she crossed the nearest bridge, white, laced parasol in hand, she saw two men coming over from the other side.
Rayna wondered why two men of nobility would be strolling around this particular part of the city so early in the morning, but she was sure they would be wondering the same thing – a young girl wondering the streets in the early morning, wearing a sky blue and white day gown, clearly showing off her aristocratic status.
Her black hair was put up, decorated with curls and a lace rimmed cap to finish.
As she approached the men, Rayna's blood began to boil and her heartbeat quickened.
Elijah and Niklaus noticed her just as she did, concluding with the same reactions.
"Fancy meeting you here." Rayna scowled as they met in the centre of the bridge.
"It's been a while, my dear." Elijah gave a small smile, not quite meeting the Heretic's gaze.
"Not long enough, my love." She smirked.
Niklaus couldn't help himself to chuckle.
"Still holding that grudge, I see, Rayna." He raised his eyebrow.
"I'm not sure I know what you're talking about, Niklaus." Her voice dripped with sarcasm.
"You'd think with all of eternity, grudges wouldn't matter." Elijah sighed.
Rayna simply ignored him.
"So what brings you to Paris?" She asked the younger brother.
"We're on our way to Cadiz to find our younger brother, Kol. He seems to be making a spectacle of himself and is drawing too much attention to us." Niklaus answered.
Rayna simply nodded.
"So, what brings you to France?" Elijah asked.
"Who doesn't love Paris in the spring?" She shrugged.
As the three of them talked, they walked in the direction Rayna was previously headed.
"Have you an agenda? Or are you available?" Niklaus asked the girl.
"No agenda. Just taking life as it comes." Rayna said.
"Would you care to help us find our brother?" Elijah asked.
Rayna scoffed. "Now why would I want to do that?"
"You seem bored, my dear. That would explain the grudge." He replied.
Rayna knew he had a point.
She sighed. "Fine. Spain it is." 

She couldn't resist but attend a few more parties before the three of them left. The wine was too good and, if the French knew anything, it was how to throw a good party.
By the time they left Paris, news of the Original family left the lips of everyone who loved mysterious gossip – and in Paris, that was a lot. The trip to Cadiz was to last a week. In other words, a week, stuck in a carriage, with the last person on Earth Rayna wanted to be with.
"Are you going to at least talk to us, love?" Niklaus asked.
Rayna sat backward in the carriage, looking out to where they'd been.
'There has to be some sort of metaphor in there somewhere...' She thought.

"I have a feeling this is going to be a longer trip than anticipated." Elijah sighed.
Their talking began to get on Rayna's nerves. In a perfect world, everything would've been silent and she could fall asleep to the gentle sounds of the horse's hooves on the road.
"Rayna." Niklaus half-snapped.
"Yes Niklaus?" She answered sweetly, turning to face him.

"Please talk to us." Elijah sighed.
Rayna scoffed. "Okay. Let's talk. How's the hunt for a Doppelganger to murder in cold blood, Niklaus? Oh yes, and how's Aya, Elijah? Yes, let's talk. It'd be such a good idea."
The brothers were taken aback by her words, Niklaus especially – he thought they were on neutral ground after their last meet.
"Rayna, you have to stop this. You're stuck in the past. When you're immortal, there's no point in holding grudges. It's just wasted energy." Elijah said.
"I'll live my life how I please, thank you Elijah." The Heretic spat. 

It took two more days of trying for the Original brothers to get anything else out of her. During that time, Rayna was thinking of that conversation.
She knew she was being harsh on Niklaus – he did, after all, save her life.
But there was no way she'd make an effort for Elijah. He broke her heart and left her alone with her humanity off, as far as she was concerned, that was that for them.
"Okay. I'm sorry I snapped at you, Niklaus. I'm bored of the silence now." Rayna sighed.
Niklaus smiled. "That's quite alright, love." Elijah looked between the two.
"So now that we're talking, tell me about your century-long romance with Katerina." The younger brother smirked.
Rayna was surprised, but not surprised enough to actually show it. What she did notice, however, was Elijah's reaction to his brother's words. He clearly had no idea.
"I fell in love with a manipulative whore. What is there to tell?" The Heretic shrugged.
"I've heard of her ways." Niklaus mused. "I'd be interested to know how she outed herself."
Rayna sighed. "Not by accident. But I'm sure you've heard the stories. How else would you know we were together?"
Niklaus chuckled to himself. "Not quite."
Rayna glanced out of the window of the carriage, recalling the night in 1692.
"She used me to hide from you. I'd told her everything about me, stupidly thinking I could trust her and that she was my friend. She learned about my hatred for you and your brother and she used it against me. She knew she'd be safe with me and that, even if you found her, I'd protect her with my life. So she pretended to fall for me and got rid of me when she was done by outing my witch-self to the Humans of Salem." She explained.
Niklaus hadn't expected that response and Elijah simply sat there in awe of the entire situation."That certainly sounds like her..." The younger brother released a deep breath.The three of them sat in awkward silence for almost the rest of the evening and only really made small talk throughout the rest of the journey.
But when they got to Cadiz, that was when it got interesting.