The Boy King's Journey in TVD/TO As A Mikaelson

The ritual's energy dissipated, leaving the crypt in eerie silence. Blood pooled beneath the de Martel siblings, their skin growing paler with each passing moment.

"Aurora," Klaus whispered, gathering her into his arms. Her eyes fluttered open weakly as he bit into his wrist, pressing it to her lips. "Drink, my love. Please."

Aurora's fingers brushed his cheek, leaving trails of blood. "I'm cold, Nik," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "So cold..."

"Just drink," he urged, desperation creeping into his voice. "You'll be warm again. I promise."

Her lips curved into a faint smile. "I loved you," she breathed. "Truly loved you."

"Aurora, please-" But her eyes had already glazed over, her hand falling limply to her side.

Beside them, Elijah worked frantically to feed Tristan his blood, but the elder de Martel had already gone still, his eyes fixed sightlessly on the crypt's ceiling.

"It's not working," Elijah's voice cut through the silence. "Brother, they're not turning."

Klaus clutched Aurora's body closer, his grief turning to rage. "No," he snarled. "No, she can't- we gave them our blood! They should be turning!"

The crypt fell silent save for Klaus's ragged breathing. The ritual's symbols still glowed faintly on the floor, casting an otherworldly light over the scene of devastation.

Klaus's head snapped up, his eyes blazing gold as he turned toward Vali. "You," he snarled, gently laying Aurora's body down before lunging at his brother. "You knew this would happen!"

Vali didn't resist as Klaus slammed him against the crypt wall, stones cracking under the impact. "You stood there, talking to thin air while they bled out! You could have stopped this sooner!"

"Niklaus," Elijah warned, but Klaus's grip only tightened on Vali's throat.

"What did you see?" Klaus demanded, his voice raw with grief and fury. "What was so important that you let her die? That you let them both die?"

"Brother," Vali's voice remained calm despite Klaus's grip. "What happened here was already in motion long before we arrived. The ritual-"

"I don't care about the ritual!" Klaus roared. "Aurora is dead! The woman I love is dead because you were too busy playing your games with ancient powers!"

The mark pulsed steadily as Vali met Klaus's rage-filled eyes. "And what would you have had me do, brother? Rush in blindly? Let the ritual's power tear this place apart with all of us in it?"

"You could have saved her," Klaus's voice cracked. "You could have..."

His grip loosened as the full weight of loss crashed over him. Behind them, Elijah stood guard over the de Martels' bodies, his own expression torn between grief for his siblings' pain and concern for what this loss would mean for their family.

"She's gone," Klaus whispered, stepping back from Vali. "She's really gone."

Klaus turned back to Aurora's body, his movements almost mechanical as he knelt beside her. His fingers traced her cold cheek, smearing the blood that had dried there.

"We need to move them," Elijah said quietly, ever practical even in tragedy. "The Count will expect his children to appear at court. Questions will be asked."

"Let them ask," Klaus's voice was hollow. "Let them all burn for what happened here."

"And reveal what we are?" Elijah pressed. "Brother, we cannot-"

"Cannot what?" Klaus whirled on him, eyes still blazing. "Cannot avenge them? Cannot make these followers of Silas pay for what they've done?"

"They're already dead," Vali observed coldly, gesturing to the scholars' corpses littering the crypt floor. "Your rage has nowhere to go, brother."

Klaus's laugh was bitter, bordering on hysterical. "Nowhere to go? Oh, I think I know exactly where to direct it." His gaze fixed on Vali again. "You spoke to him, didn't you? To Silas? What did he offer you that was worth their lives?"

The mark pulsed as Vali met his brother's accusation with silence. Around them, the ritual's symbols had begun to fade, their power spent, leaving only darkness and the metallic scent of blood.

"We should burn the scholars' bodies," Elijah interjected, trying to redirect their focus. "And the de Martels... they deserve better than this crypt."

"They deserved to live," Klaus snapped, but his fury was beginning to crack, revealing the raw grief beneath. He gathered Aurora's body in his arms once more, cradling her as if she might still wake. "She deserved to live."

The crypt's shadows seemed to deepen as Klaus rose, Aurora's limp form cradled against his chest. His eyes, still gleaming with unshed tears and barely contained rage, fixed on Vali.

"Whatever game you're playing, brother," Klaus's voice was dangerously soft, "whatever cosmic chess match you've entered with Silas - remember this moment. Remember her face. Because if I discover that you could have prevented this..."

"You'll what?" Vali's response was equally quiet, but carried an edge that made even Elijah tense. "Kill me? Join Silas yourself? Your grief makes you reckless, Niklaus."

"My grief makes me see clearly," Klaus snarled. "You're so caught up in your schemes, in your pursuit of power, that you've forgotten what it means to love."

"Have I?" Vali's black eyes flickered briefly to where Tatia would be waiting above. "Or perhaps I simply understand that love makes us vulnerable in ways that power cannot protect against."

Klaus's grip tightened on Aurora's body. "Save your philosophy. She's dead because of whatever happened here, whatever you saw. That's the only truth that matters."

"For now," Vali murmured, so softly it might have been imagined.

Elijah moved to lift Tristan's body, his movements careful and dignified even in this grim task. "We need to leave. Dawn approaches, and we must decide how to handle this... situation."

"Handle it?" Klaus's laugh was hollow. "How do you suggest we 'handle' the deaths of the Count's children, brother? Shall we compose a pretty speech about tragic accidents?"

"We do what we must," Elijah replied firmly. "As we always have."

As they prepared to leave the crypt, Klaus paused at the entrance, Aurora's blood staining his fine clothes. "This isn't over," he said, not turning to face Vali. "Whatever you saw, whatever Silas showed you - it better have been worth their lives."

Vali remained silent as his brothers ascended with their burdens. The mark pulsed steadily on his arm as he surveyed the carnage one final time, before they made their way.

The journey back through the castle's corridors was a grim procession. Klaus and Elijah carried their precious burdens while Vali followed, his black eyes scanning the shadows for any witnesses to their macabre parade.

Tatia met them at the top of the stairs, her expression shifting from anticipation to horror as she saw what - who - they carried.

"What happened?" she whispered, moving to Vali's side. "The ritual..."

"Failed," Klaus bit out before Vali could respond. "Or succeeded, depending on who you ask." His bitter gaze flickered to his brother.

"We need somewhere secure," Elijah interjected, ever focused on immediate concerns. "Somewhere to place them until we decide how to proceed."

"Mine and Vali's chambers," Tatia offered immediately. "The servants never enter without permission, and I can ensure privacy."

As they moved through the darkened halls, Klaus's grief seemed to radiate from him in waves. Every few steps, his eyes would drop to Aurora's face, as if hoping to see some sign of life, some indication that their blood might still work.

In the chambers, they laid the de Martel siblings on separate chaises, arranging them with care that seemed almost absurd given the circumstances. Aurora's red hair spilled across the velvet like spilled wine, while Tristan's noble features had settled into an expression of eternal surprise.

"Leave us," Klaus commanded, his voice rough. When no one moved, he turned, his eyes wild. "I said leave!"

Elijah hesitated, but Tatia touched his arm gently. "Come. There are arrangements we must make, explanations to prepare."

As they filed out, Vali lingered for a moment in the doorway. The mark pulsed steadily as he watched his brother sink to his knees beside Aurora's body.

"Brother," he began, but Klaus cut him off.

"Don't," his voice was barely a whisper. "Whatever wisdom you think you have, whatever justification you've crafted - I don't want to hear it. Not now."

The door closed softly, leaving Klaus alone with his grief and the cooling bodies of the de Martel siblings. Outside, Vali stood motionless, listening to his brother's quiet sobs begin to fill the chamber.

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Dawn began to creep over Castle de Martel, its pale light finding no warmth in the stone halls. In Tatia's chambers, Klaus hadn't moved from his vigil, his hands still clasping Aurora's cold fingers.

The door opened softly, revealing Lucien. His face was ashen as he took in the scene.

"My lord," he addressed Klaus hesitantly. "The Count... he's asking for his children. The morning court will begin soon."

Klaus didn't respond, didn't even acknowledge Lucien's presence. His thumb traced circles on Aurora's palm, as if trying to warm it through sheer will.

"Leave him," Elijah's voice came from the doorway. "We'll handle the Count."

"And what exactly will you tell him?" Klaus finally spoke, his voice hoarse. "What pretty lies will you spin about his children's fate?"

"Whatever we must," Elijah replied steadily. "We've hidden bodies before, brother. We'll-"

"Hide them?" Klaus's laugh was sharp, bitter. "Like common murders to be buried in unmarked graves? No. She deserves better. They both do."

"Then what would you suggest?" Elijah asked, though his tone suggested he already knew the answer wouldn't be rational.

Klaus finally looked up, his eyes red-rimmed but burning with intensity. "We tell him the truth. Let him know what his trust in these scholars cost him. Let him feel the weight of his children's blood on his hands."

"You know we can't-" Elijah began, but Klaus cut him off.

"Can't what? Can't reveal ourselves? Can't risk exposure?" His voice rose with each word. "Look at them, brother! Look what secrets and schemes have already cost us!"

The silence that followed was heavy, broken only by Lucien's nervous shifting. The servant's eyes kept darting to Aurora's body, his own grief evident but carefully contained.

Outside the chamber, Vali listened to the exchange, the mark pulsing steadily on his arm. He waited for a moment longer before he entered, shattering the silence as he spoke. 

"I will compel the Count," Vali stated, his voice carrying no room for argument. "A tragic accident while riding. The bodies lost to the river. Simple, clean."

"Simple?" Klaus's head snapped up, rage replacing grief in his eyes. "You want to erase them? Make it as if they never existed?"

"I want to protect this family. The world must not yet become suspicious of the existence of creatures of the night." Vali countered coldly. "Your grief is making you act imprudent, brother."

"My grief?" Klaus rose slowly, his voice trembling with fury. "My grief exists because you stood there, lost in whatever vision Silas granted you, while they bled out! While she died!"

"And what would you have had me do?" Vali's black eyes narrowed. "Rush in blindly? Act when we do not understand the ancient powers at play? Let the ritual possibly tear this entire castle apart?"

"I would have had you care!" Klaus roared. "But you can't, can you? The mighty Prince of Death, too caught up in his games of power to notice the blood on his hands!"

Klaus's rage exploded as he charged forward, throwing a punch that Vali easily deflected. "You're no better than Mother! Always scheming, always plotting, using everyone around you as pieces in your game!"

He attacked again, more viciously. "You probably planned this, didn't you? Letting Aurora die to push me toward whatever path suits your purposes!"

The mark pulsed as Vali dodged another strike. "Careful, brother. Your grief makes you speak foolishness."

"Foolishness?" Klaus laughed bitterly, launching another assault. "You've been manipulating us from the start! The ritual, Silas, all of it - we're just pawns to you, aren't we? Even your own family!"

He managed to land a glancing blow, though Vali barely seemed to notice. "You stand there, acting superior, pretending your darkness makes you wise, but you're nothing but a monster playing at being a god!"

"Enough," Vali's voice was soft, dangerous.

But Klaus was beyond hearing. "You let her die! You let them both die because it suited your plans! Your precious mark, your games with Silas - it's made you nothing but a creature who-"

The rest of his words cut off as Vali moved, faster than thought. His hand closed around Klaus's throat, lifting him off the ground with terrible ease. The mark throbbed with anticipation dark veins spread around Vali's eyes -- now pools of bottomless black.

"A creature?" Vali's voice was barely above a whisper. "I am what I need to be to keep this family alive. Your love for Aurora has blinded you to the larger game being played."

Klaus struggled, his hybrid strength useless against Vali's grip. "She deserved better," he choked out, still trying to fight. "We all deserved better than your manipulations!"

"Perhaps," Vali agreed, his black eyes boring into Klaus's. "But your rage won't bring her back. Your accusations won't change what happened here. And your grief..." He tightened his grip slightly. "Your grief doesn't give you the right to question my methods."

He slammed Klaus into the ground with enough force to crack the stone floor. "I have endured your tantrum out of love, brother. But do not mistake my patience for weakness."

Klaus tried to rise, spitting blood. "You don't know what love is anymore. The mark has burned it out of you, left nothing but ambition and-"

Vali's foot pressed down on his chest, pinning him. "I know enough to understand that blind love makes us weak. Your current state proves that rather effectively, doesn't it?"

He released the pressure, stepping back as Klaus gasped for air. "I will compel the Count," he repeated, his tone final. "And you, brother, will remember that your position in this family doesn't protect you from consequences."

Klaus remained on the floor, his breath coming in ragged gasps, as Elijah ran towards his side. The fight had drained from him, leaving only the hollow ache of loss.

"Now," Vali continued, his voice softening slightly, "you can either help maintain this family's safety, or you can let your emotions destroy everything we've built. Choose wisely, brother."

The mark pulsed steadily as he turned to leave, pausing only briefly at the door. "And Niklaus? When you're done wallowing in your grief, remember - death isn't always as final as it seems."

He left Klaus there, lying beside Aurora's body, the weight of choices and consequences hanging heavy in the air.

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(Author note: Hello everyone! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter!

I really like writing Klaus. I don't know, something about the bastard is very entertaining to write. Be it when he's a ruthless monster or a lovesick fool.

Tell, do you guys also enjoy me writing him, or would you rather me focus on another charachter? Or do you want me to keep focus on Klaus while also writing another charachter more in detail?

I've already done a lot about Tatia, do tell me how you find her.

Well, please do comment and review if you haven't and I hope to see you all later,

Bye!)