Chapter Text
Chapter 1: prologue
The morning mist clung to the Norwegian countryside like a shroud, barely parting as two figures approached the Mikaelson estate on horseback. Esther looked up from her herb garden, her hands still stained with earth and morning dew, as she recognized the graceful silhouette of her old friend.
"Felicy," she called out, rising to her feet with a genuine smile. It had been nearly two years since they'd last seen each other, and the sight of the powerful witch brought warmth to Esther's heart.
felicy dismounted with fluid grace, her deep blue cloak billowing around her. Behind her, a young girl slid down from the horse with the eager energy of childhood. The child had her mother's warm brown hair, but her eyes, those striking purple eyes, seemed to hold depths beyond her eleven years.
"Esther, my dear friend," felicy embraced her warmly. "I hope you don't mind the unexpected visit. I was traveling through the region and thought.."
"Nonsense," Esther interrupted, genuine pleasure in her voice. "You're always welcome here. And this must be aliana." She knelt to the girl's level, noting how the child stood politely but with an air of quiet confidence. "My, how you've grown since I last saw you."
aliana curtsied gracefully, her purple eyes bright with curiosity as she took in the sprawling estate. "Thank you for having us, Lady Esther. Mother speaks of you often."
From the doorway of the great hall, Dahlia appeared, her presence commanding even in silence. Her pale eyes assessed the visitors with cool interest, lingering on the young girl with an intensity that made aliana shift slightly behind her mother.
"Sister," Dahlia greeted Esther, then turned to felicy with a nod of acknowledgment. "And the renowned felicy. Your reputation precedes you, as always."
"Dahlia," felicy replied with measured respect. "It's been some time."
"Indeed." Dahlia's gaze fixed on aliana again, and something shifted in her expression, a flicker of genuine curiosity. "And this is your daughter. I can sense the power in her blood from here. Quite remarkable for one so young."
aliana felt the weight of Dahlia's scrutiny but held her ground, meeting the older witch's gaze steadily. There was something both beautiful and terrifying about Dahlia, like a winter storm given human form.
"She has been blessed with considerable gifts," felicy said carefully, her hand moving protectively to her daughter's shoulder.
"Blessed," Dahlia repeated, a slight smile playing at her lips. "Yes, one might call it that. Such raw potential... it's rare to see."
The moment stretched between them, heavy with unspoken meaning, before Esther clapped her hands together. "Enough talk of magic for now. Children should be allowed to be children. Speaking of which.." She turned toward the sound of laughter echoing from the nearby fields. "My own are around somewhere. Niklaus! Elijah! Come meet our guests!"
Soon, the Mikaelson children appeared, drawn by their mother's call. Klaus bounded over first, his clothes dirt-stained from whatever adventure he'd been on, his eyes bright with mischief. Elijah followed more sedately, ever the gentleman even in his youth, while Rebekah came last, her golden hair catching the sunlight.
"This is aliana," Esther announced. "She'll be staying with us for a while."
Klaus studied the newcomer with open curiosity, taking in her unusual purple eyes and the way she carried herself, not shy exactly, but watchful. "Do you like to climb trees?" he asked without preamble, his question practical and direct.
aliana's reserved expression melted into a genuine smile. "I love climbing trees. Back home, I have a favorite oak that I can climb all the way to the top."
"Excellent!" Klaus grinned, his enthusiasm infectious. "I know the perfect spot. There's an old pine near the stream that has the best view of the whole valley. Want to see?"
"May I, Mother?" aliana asked, turning to felicy.
"Of course, dear . Just be careful."
As the children ran off together, Rebekah chattering excitedly about showing aliana her collection of pretty stones, and Elijah walking alongside them with his characteristic thoughtful questions about her travels, the three women watched from the doorway.
"She's well-mannered," Dahlia observed, her tone almost approving. "Most children her age would be overwhelmed by such attention."
"She's always been adaptable," felicy replied, watching her daughter laugh at something Klaus had said. "She makes friends easily."
The afternoon passed pleasantly. aliana proved herself an able tree-climber, keeping pace with Klaus as they scrambled up the ancient pine. She listened with genuine interest to Elijah's stories about the history of their lands, and she helped Rebekah arrange her stone collection by color and size. For a few hours, she was simply a child playing with other children, her laughter ringing out across the estate grounds.
As the sun began to sink toward the horizon, painting the sky in shades of amber and rose, aliana made her way back toward the great hall, ready to find her mother and perhaps share the day's adventures. But as she approached, she heard voices from within, Dahlia and Esther in deep conversation.
"...such natural ability," Dahlia was saying, her voice carrying that note of keen interest again. "The child could be quite powerful indeed, with the proper guidance."
"felicy has always been an excellent teacher," Esther replied diplomatically.
"Yes, but there are limits to what one person can provide, even someone as accomplished as felicy. The girl could benefit from... broader instruction."
aliana frowned, unsure what to make of the conversation. She pushed open the heavy wooden door, expecting to see her mother with the two sisters, but the hall was empty save for Dahlia and Esther.
"Where's my mother?" she asked, looking around in confusion.
Dahlia and Esther exchanged a glance. "She stepped out," Esther said gently. "She'll be back shortly."
But as the minutes stretched into an hour, and then two, aliana's confusion turned to worry. She searched the gardens, the stables, even the kitchens, but there was no sign of felicy. When she returned to the hall, Dahlia was alone, studying an ancient tome by candlelight.
"Lady Dahlia," aliana said, her voice smaller than she'd intended. "Do you know where my mother went?"
Dahlia looked up, her pale eyes unreadable in the flickering light. "Your mother had urgent business to attend to," she said carefully. "She asked me to tell you that she would return for you when she could."
"But she didn't say goodbye," aliana protested, her voice wavering slightly. "She always says goodbye."
"Sometimes," Dahlia said, closing her book with a soft thud, "adults must make difficult choices quickly. Your mother loves you very much, child. Of that, I have no doubt."
Just then, Klaus appeared in the doorway, his hair tousled from the evening breeze. "aliana! Come quickly, Elijah found a family of foxes near the old oak. They have cubs!"
For a moment, aliana hesitated, torn between her worry for her mother and the excitement in Klaus's voice. Then she made her decision, pushing her fears aside for now. "I'm coming," she called, hurrying after him into the gathering dusk.
Behind them, Dahlia watched through the window as the children ran across the grounds, their laughter carrying on the wind. When they disappeared from sight, she opened her book again, her fingers tracing the ancient words on the page.
"Such potential," she murmured to herself, her voice barely audible in the empty hall. "Such remarkable potential indeed."
Outside, the mist began to gather again, creeping across the estate like a living thing, and somewhere in the distance, a wolf howled a sound both lonely and full of promise, echoing across the Norwegian wilderness as night fell on the Mikaelson estate.
aliana would wait three days before accepting that her mother wasn't coming back, at least, not yet. And in those three days, she would begin to understand that sometimes the people we love most make choices that we cannot understand, leaving us to find our own way forward.
But for now, in this moment, she was simply a child chasing foxes through the twilight with her new friends, her purple eyes bright with wonder and her laughter mixing with theirs inh
the gathering darkness.