Severed Heaven (Niklaus and Elijah Mikaelson)

Chapter Twenty-Three: Lust Is Only Skin Deep

     That day, yet again, an answer did come, though it came in a dream that was itself a dream within a dream. I awoke with imagines that told me more than I needed to know, as though, despite all of my frank admissions to myself, there were still a few corners I would continue to avoid. Never had I felt this weak in a very long time. I faded in and out of memory as I was brought into the compound, and was placed down on a safe that allowed me to sink all my sorrows into its softness. Through these flashes of reality, I finally learned what my body must have known from the very first today— I was bound to get hurt, shattered, and broken, because I always knew the Mikaelsons would eventually bring it upon me.

And now, here I was. I came to the realisation that I had been driven into the very corners that I'd always hoped to avoid, and contrary to my beliefs and doubts. It took me some times to realise that I was lastly out of harm's way. "Why isn't she healing?" It were the first couple of words that I managed to make sense of, perhaps because they had been spoken by Niklaus.

I hazily stared up at the ceiling. My own fragile mind was chasing after my what ifs. I had so many questions. "It's the lobelia flower. She doesn't posses any magic at all at the moment, therefore she can't heal." Freya, on her face, an expression at once so flushed, so readily acquiescent, that even in my faded gaze she tore my fear from me. I could trust her. I knew I could.

I caught glimpses of figures surrounding me. It just wasn't enough to manage my curiosity and the urge to resist my pain. A part of me wanted to get up, and was trying to, but psychically couldn't. Another part of me wanted to fade away, and I was about to, but somebody pressed their palm against my mouth, and I heedlessly took the opportunity. It tasted icy, warm, and distasteful. "Your blood's not going to heal her, Niklaus." It was Freya that spoke again, and I had to admit that her voice brought me guilt— guilt, because I blamed her family for this. I blamed her loved ones for something that I brought upon myself. I couldn't blame them for my unfortunate luck forever.

A hand rested on my forehead, then fingers brushed strands of hair from my face. What a careful touch, so gentle and kind. "She's burning up. Freya, what can you do?"

Brief pause. I attempted to focus on the flashes, the glimpses, all that I could possibly pick up on, which wasn't much. For a reason I felt that I needed to speak, but couldn't. "Hayley— I need you to get some dried camphor leaves from my cabinet."

There was one thing that I could have blindly known and guessed so far. This family was eager to heal me, to save me. By contrast, my continued tries to speak, to fight their will to support me, it seemed so bland, so facile, so mechanical.

Then, I heard it, as I knew by now that I eventually would; my own voice. "I told you that you shouldn't trust him." I was gasping, conscious that I'd already spoken these words to myself in another dream but that, having said them once, I convinced myself that I was also free to repeat them again, even though nobody seemed to be listening. I was the only one that seemed to know that my own voice was breaking from inside me. The memory of these words was exploding in my chest, my ribcage hiding it all from them.

"Elizabeth, don't speak." Elijah was quick to shush me when my lips started to form the words again. It was harshly spoken, demanding.

I heard rustling sounds, my cognisance slowly but surely sliding away. With my eyes heavy, I convinced myself to give in, to let the image of the ceiling keep me company as I faded away into nothingness. I wanted to stoke my embers of courage of all the fears that still lived in my chest, rekindling my old desire to fall into a deep sleep.

Voices started fading away, glances became blurry, almost invisible. "This will fight the fever." I expected those words to be the very last ones. "We'll have to wait until the lobelia flower is out of her system. Just... give her a few hours."