Any Dream Will Do | Hale - TVD/TO/TW [2]

2 | The Instrument

Children laugh as fire roars in the center of the village. A melody sings through the air as the blonde-haired child trills her fingers over the instrument in her hands. The Beacon Hills pack watches the young girl in awe as she dances around the fire with a childish glint in her eye.

Removing her lips from the instrument, Lexi looks up to the sky with a grin. "Hello, stars!" She giggles, reaching her hands up as if she could catch one. "I wish to meet you one day."

Suddenly, another boy bumps into her. She glares at his scruffy dark hair as he stops his dance. "Henrik!"

"Sorry, Lexa," the boy winces.

"I could have fallen and ruined Mother's dress!" She points down to the clothes on her body with a frown. When she sees her twin beginning to sadden, she takes his hands. "No matter. Make it up to me with a dance."

Henrik's lips instantly turn up into a boyish smile as they dance in a circle. The fire beside them lights up their eyes, revealing the childhood innocence the Beacon Hills pack thought was lost to the Mikaelson family.

"Elijah!" Henrik yells out when he sees the seventeen-year-old boy approaching. "Dance with us."

The teen shakes his head before reluctantly taking Henrik's hand. Lexi giggles as she tugs both of her brothers around in a circle. After a moment, she jumps between them and presses her lips against the pan-flute-like instrument, the melody returning to the air.

"Got room for more?"

Lexi raises her eyes to see the rest of her family standing outside the circle. The other blonde girl, Rebekah, had already jumped in beside Elijah, but Kol and Klaus wait for the inevitable invitation.

Lexi removes the instrument long enough to grin. "Get in, brothers!"

As she begins to play again, the boys descend on the small circle with hoots of laughter. Smiles light up their faces brighter than the fire beside them; Lexi's music soars through the air with added magical flare to amplify the sounds.

The entire village pauses to watch the Mikaelson children. Even Esther and Finn stop their conversation to stare. The pure childhood innocence brings smiles of joy to everyone watching.

Before long, everyone in the village gathers in the circle, dancing around the golden child playing her pan-flute. The melody soars up to the stars; the light twinkle over the humans dancing and singing.

"They were so happy," Lydia whispers, to awed by the scene. "What happened?"

"Mikael," Derek replies before he can understand the name coming out of his mouth. The teens glance back at him as he sighs. "Mikael happened."

—|—|—|—

Warning: this section contains details of parental abuse.

"Ok, I'm getting tired of this forest."

The Hales turn to glare at the human boy as he huffs and crosses his arms. "Seriously?" Peter asks.

Stiles throws his hands up in the air. "It's too many trees!"

Echoes of pleading reach their ears. The entire pack goes silent.

"Father, please!" The girl shouts as the bushes begin to rustle. "I-I didn't mean too. I'll stop!"

"Foolish girl." A man steps into the clearing in a rage. His tense shoulders and gritted teeth muffle his words.

A small blonde girl chases after him, her eyes on the object clutched in his hand. Lexi darts in front of him, effectively stopping him. "I promise I'll never use it again—"