Chapter Text
I know the rain like the clouds know the sky
I speak to birds and tell them where to fly
I sing the songs that you hear on the breeze
I write the names of the rocks and the trees
…
Oh, you fool, there are rules, I am coming for you
Darkness brings evil things, oh the reckoning begins
…
I tried to warn you when you were a child
I told you not to get lost in the wilds
I sent you omens and all kinds of signs
I taught you melodies, poems and rhymes
…
Oh, you fool, there are rules, I am coming for you
(You can run but you can't be saved)
Darkness brings evil things, oh the reckoning begins
(You have opened the yawning grave)
The Yawning Grave, Lord Huron.
It would have been the perfect day to be outside, find new paints in the market and bring them home to paint another sunset, maybe spend some time with her father too- Hope thought.
Instead she was lying in her bed, covered by too many covers. It had been about an hour since her family had sat her down and told her what was happening.
War was imminent and the way to stop it was an arranged marriage. Between herself and the oldest of the Saltzman twins.
She tried to think back to what she remembered of them, she couldn’t remember much from the last time they were here but that one was blonde and the other brunette. She remembered the brunette one looking around the room with curiosity while the blonde one had a scowl on her face the entire time. She can’t remember which one was older; but she silently hopes the one she was marrying, wasn’t as against to this idea as herself.
“I know that you don’t want this,” said Hayley from the door.
“Really?” Hope answered, head buried in her pillow, hiding herself in her bed covers, “what makes you think that?”
She sighed, “You’re acting childish, Hope.”
“Maybe that is because I am still one, mom.”
Hayley walked to the bed and sat beside Hope, fingers softly moving through her daughter’s hair, “So, all those days you didn’t want to be treated as a child because you were eighteen mean nothing now?”
Hope sat up, banging her head against the bed frame in exhaustion, “I don’t want to be treated as child, but that doesn’t mean I have to get married.”
“You know why that is, Hope.”
“Stop a war, get rid of a tyrant, save millions, blah blah,” she answered, moving her hands around in a mocking way.
“This isn’t a joke. This marriage might be the only way to stop a war between our family and those in Mystic Falls,” she softly touched her cheek, gently wiping away some of the tears Hope had let out.
“I don’t even know who I’m going to marry. What if she’s not nice? What if she’s boring? What if I never love her?”
“You know, I had an arranged marriage too. It was hard, at first. But you might surprise yourself when you grow to love her. And you have so much love to give, Hope.”
A crack by the door interrupted their conversation, it was Klaus. Leaning against the doorframe of Hope’s bedroom, when he realized his presence was spotted, he walked over to them and gave his daughter a hug. After a few moments, he spoke.
“I think you are really brave, and loyal, for doing this to keep us all safe. But if you really feel this way,” his eyes found Hayley’s and then Hope’s, holding her tightly to his chest, “we can find another way. We’ll lay down Mystic Falls if we have to.”
She knew he would do it; she could say the word and all truces would be broken. A war would start and she’d be free, but she can’t allow herself to do it even if she knows her father is just waiting for her- giving her an out, a choice, like he always does.
“Dad, no,” she whispered, “I don’t want it to be a war either. I just don’t understand why it has to be me. Why can’t, I don’t know, uncle Elijah marry Mister Saltzman?”
Klaus snorted, “Even though I would love to see Alaric in that position, the union must be carried on by firstborns. I’m sorry, my littlest wolf,” he finished kissing the top of her head.
And Hope, hugging both of her parents, allowed herself to cry again.
Everything around the room was shattered. From the small portraits showing happy memories to the big glass windows. At the center of the room was Lizzie, head between her hands, and her mother- Caroline- in front of her, softly whispering to her so she would calm down.
Lizzie’s clothes were spilled with the blood from her hands, the glass that had flown across the room found itself a home in her palms and now the aching on them made Lizzie cry even more.
After a couple of minutes, once Lizzie’s heartbeat had gone back to normal, Caroline spoke.
“I know this isn’t how you imagine things going-”
“Yeah, no shit,” Lizzie interrupted.
“But this is the only solution we’ve found to keep us all safe.”
“Selling me to the fucking Mikaelsons is the only way to keep us safe?”
“We’re not selling you, baby. The Mikaelsons are giving to this arrangement as much as us. You’re getting married to Klaus’ and Hayley’s daughter, Hope.”
“So, that’s it then?” she said, standing up from the floor and looking down at her mother, “I’m getting married. No other option? Don’t I have a fucking choice in this?”
Caroline sighed, “Lizzie-”
“No, no. I’m not a piece of meat you can just make a deal with. This is my life, mom” she kneeled in front of the older blonde, “I don’t want my life to go like this. I want to find someone on my own and fall in love, and when I’m sure, I want to marry them.”
Caroline put her hand on Lizzie’s cheek, “I’m sorry it won’t be like that but maybe you’ll fall in love either way. I heard Hope is incredibly smart, and she’s pretty too.”
Lizzie scoffed, “I will not fall in love with the Mikaelsons' spoiled child.”
Caroline sighed again, she seemed to be doing a lot of that since they started to tell Lizzie about the truce.
“I want to talk to dad,” Lizzie said, “he can’t force me to do this.”
“Your father already left with Josie. They’ve gone to New Orleans to prepare the truce feast.” Tears filled Lizzie’s eyes again, of course they did, “I am so sorry, Lizzie,” she said and put her arms around her daughter.
“Why me? Why can’t Josie do this? She’s better than me- she’s not crazy. At least she’ll have a chance of the Mikaelson loving her.” She said, hiding herself in the crook of her mother’s neck.
“Listen to me,” she answered and cupping Lizzie’s face in her hands so she could look directly into her eyes, “you are not crazy. And you are just as deserving of love as you sister.”
She stayed silent for a moment, until her daughter nodded- a silent movement to let her know she heard her.
“As to why you have to do this… the union will only work if two firstborns get married,” she continued, “now, pack some bags. We will leave for New Orleans tomorrow morning.”
Hope heard the voices before she saw anyone.
She knew she should go downstairs and introduce herself. Her mother had told her to make a good impression, since they would be her family now. But the sun was in just the right place and she wanted to capture it, before she lost her chance.
She kept an ear on them, though. She heard a masculine voice talking to her father, he didn’t introduce himself- their families knew enough about each other for trivialities like that.
When he heard him ask for her, she slowly left her canvas, took off her shirt smeared of paint and closed her bedroom door with a spell. She didn’t like it when people were in her room, much less strangers.
She knew she might marry the girl downstairs but that didn’t give her a free pass into her room.
She went downstairs and found her entire family surrounding two people. One was Alaric Saltzman in what Hope believed was supposed to be a nice suit but actually looked like a couple decades too old, and a crossbow hanging behind his back.
Beside him there was a girl, brown hair and brown eyes- pretty. Hope thought, yet she lingered at the absolute nothingness she felt when she saw her.
Everyone’s eyes moved to her when they notice her coming down the stairs. Alaric watched her with distrust while the rest of her family tried to smile at her in encouragement.
“This is Josette,” he said bluntly when she stood beside her parents, in front of Alaric and his daughter.
“Josie is fine,” she said timidly, while looking at Hope curiously.
“It’s nice to meet you both,” Hope answered.
Silence filled the room. Rebekah cleared her throat and suggested starting dinner.
Dinner was awkward.
Hope tried to ask small questions to Josie and she’d either answer in quick words or not at all- her father interrupting her.
Both Klaus and Alaric where at the head of the table, facing each other. The last one looking over to each of the Mikaelsons every couple of seconds as if expecting one of them to jump and try to slit his throat at any moment- his bow had remained surely beside him during dinner.
Both Freya and Rebekah tried to ease him into a conversation discussing the ceremony, flowers, guests, that kind of thing- but he looked more uncomfortable and disinterested than before.
When the questions got directed at Josie, she shily answered. “Oh, I’m not the one marrying Hope. My sister is; Lizzie.” She clarified.
“Is that so?” Klaus answered, mischief in his eyes.
“Niklaus,” Elijah warned him and he moved his hand in a silent don’t worry movement.
“Tell me, Alaric. Why didn’t you bring your firstborn here? You specifically said you would.”
“Elizabeth was… indisposed. She’ll be here tomorrow, with Caroline.” He explained.
“Tomorrow’s a full moon.”
“That won’t be a problem.”
“Let’s hope so. I would hate for this alliance to be over before it started.”
No one talked for the remaining minutes of dinner. Hope did not try to talk to Josie again either, she was not the one she was marrying.
Once it was alright to leave, she stood up and went back into the safety of her room.
Lizzie hadn’t talked to her mother since the night before, which meant the journey from Mystic Falls to New Orleans was silent.
Her mother had tried to bring up conversation with things like picking a wedding dress or having to decide what the house will look like during the ceremony, but not even the thought of ordering people around brought Lizzie any joy.
When they arrived, it was night time and the full moon shone brightly above them. Elijah Mikaelson greeted them and showed them to their rooms. Lizzie wondered why haven’t Hope’s parents greet them until she remembered they were hybrids and the full moon affected them, somehow.
The Mikaelson house was enormous. In every wall there was a painting from a known artists or artefacts that looked hundreds of years old.
Lizzie liked how, in some walls, there were paintings that didn’t looked expensive or well thought but rather from a kid that didn’t know how to grab a pencil just right yet.
When she stopped in front of one, slightly better painted- in it there were three wolfs, one of them was smaller and the other two were covering it from the shadows coming out of the forest- she noticed the small letters HM on the right corner and wondered if Hope had brought that painting to life. She didn’t ask Elijah or her mother, instead she walked behind them in silence until they reached her room.
“This is your room, Elizabeth,” Elijah told her, opening the door, “your mother will be in the room in front of you and your father and sister are there,” he finished pointing to the two doors at the end of the hallway, “if you need anything I’ll be downstairs.”
Lizzie didn’t thank him but she sent him a quick smile in response.
The room was beautiful but old, was her first thought when she entered. The walls had a dark blue flowery paper from years ago and all the furniture on the room had to be at least three decades old. But the dark silk covers on the bed and the numerous mirrors in the room added a modernity to it- somehow it was beautiful and Lizzie slightly praise whoever was able to pull it off.
Leaving her bags on the side of the bed, she threw herself on the bed and looked up. Tomorrow, she’ll be meeting her future wife and every time she thought of it, she felt angrier than before.
Angry at whatever idiot had started this fight.
Angry at her father for making her do this and leaving without giving an explanation.
Angry at her mother for just accepting it.
Angry at the Mikaelsons for thinking this was a good idea too.
Angry at Hope, the girl she was going to marry, for not fighting for her freedom.
Angry at herself for not fighting either.
The house, regardless of how big it was, was loud- there was kind of an echo on it, Lizzie wondered if it was a safety measure. If she focused enough, she could hear the laughter of a couple in the floor below and the soft notes of a piano father down.
That’s why she woke up, a couple of hours later- still on the bed and in her journey clothes. Knowing she wouldn’t be sleeping any time soon again, she showered and decided to go look around the house- if she was going to live here, she might as well know the place.
She walked back from where Elijah had walked them and following the notes of the piano, she found him in the middle of a big ball room. The place was stunning, every single thing on it seemed to be covered in gold and only then, Lizzie realized what kind of money she was marrying into.
She was so entranced with the room she didn’t hear the melody of the piano stopping until she looked over at Elijah and found him observing her carefully.
He motioned to the piano, “Do you play?”
“No, not really,” she answered and her voice sounded hoarse from an entire day of not speaking.
“Come on,” he touched the space beside him in the couch, “I’ll teach you.”
Moments later, she found herself enjoying it. Elijah made no attempts to talk about the wedding and he didn’t ask why she wasn’t asleep either. She could almost feel as if she was in a real piano class.
“You’re good,” he said, once she mastered a couple notes quickly.
“Won’t you ask me what I’m doing wandering around the house?”
He smiled kindly, “My guess is that you could not sleep,” he smirked at her silence, “looks like I was right. Arranged marriages are not really a happy moment, for anyone involved,” he added.
Lizzie scoffed, “What would you know about that?”
He started playing again- the same she heard when she came into the room, “Last time there was a wedding in this house, I was in love with the bride and she wasn’t marrying me.”
“Who was she marrying?”
“My brother.”
“Oh.”
He laughed at that, “It all worked out, it will for you too,” he told her.
She nodded and with the excuse of being thirsty she stood up to leave, when she was by the room Elijah called for her.
“I’m sorry,” he said when she turned around, “that we couldn’t find another way.”
Lizzie found nothing but honesty in his eyes.
Walking around the long hallways of the house, she thought about all the stories her father had told her about the Mikaelsons.
All of blood and death.
Elijah, the manipulative- you’d be dying before you could realize because you were too enchanted by his suits and charm.
Klaus, the hybrid- the devil himself, he’d called him. Death and destruction following his every step.
Rebekah, she’d smile at you and death would be before you and you wouldn’t realize until it was too late- she’d still be smiling after.
Kol, the ripper. Piles on piles of dead bodies behind his trail, “feats” he’d call them.
Freya and Davina, their spell books were as long as their bodies count.
Hayley, who her father had called the “most rational” of them but whose loyalty remained unshakable.
And Hope, Lizzie knew absolutely nothing about her except that she was the youngest Mikaelson and she was supposed to marry her.
She stopped walking when she found the three portraits of the Elijah, Klaus and Rebekah. She stood there, every single story her father had ever told her and Josie about them going through her mind.
“That painting absolutely does not make me justice,” a voice sounded from behind her and Rebekah stood beside her a second later.
She was right, Lizzie thought. The picture gave her a soft face, her sharp edges not marked enough, the light blue dress making her look younger than she really was.
“Does anything?” Lizzie asked and at Rebekah’s smile she knew she had answered correctly.
“No, I suppose not. Cameras almost do though,” she smiled a bit softer and Lizzie interrupted before you could talk.
“Don’t apologize, your brother already has. And besides, it’s not like it’ll do anything.”
Rebekah laughed, “Elijah, I’m going to guess. But no, I wasn’t going to apologize. I was going to ask you if you already have a dress for tomorrow’s party.”
Lizzie slightly blushed at being wrong, “I have one, not sure it’ll match the ball room though.”
“Great. I had one made for you.”
Lizzie raised an eyebrow, “How do you know I’ll like it?”
“You will.”
She did.
Lizzie love it. It was the most gorgeous dress she’d ever tried on. It was a deep blue, kind of like the ocean at night. It had a V neck, it slit open in her right thigh- leaving it in display, the dress touched the floor even in the silver hells Rebekah had given her; and all the way from her left shoulder to her waist there were small red diamonds. It had to be adjusted, it was way too long even with Lizzie’s height and it was too baggy in her waist but wearing it, along with the matching bracelet made of red diamonds, made Lizzie feel like a princess.
“It’s- It’s- Wow. You have amazing taste,” Lizzie stuttered.
“I know,” the older blonde laughed, “I’m glad you like it, for a second I thought my niece was going to marry someone tasteless.”
And just like that, Lizzie was slapped with reality again. She sighed.
“I know it means nothing to you,” Rebekah said after a few moments, “but I was against this from the beginning. I really wish Hope had had the chance to marry whoever she decided, as well as you.”
Lizzie nodded, “I hope you don’t get angry at me when I change the wallpapers on the bedrooms though.”
Lizzie smirked at Rebekah’s laugh, “Darling, we’re going to get along perfectly.”
She forgot for a moment how her father had said that same smile had killed thousands, and smiled back.
The suit was as amazing as her aunt Rebekah said it would be. It fitted Hope perfectly. It was all red except for the small blue engravings on her right sleeve and shoulder. It matched perfectly with the blue stilettos her aunt had gotten for her at last minute. Hope had complained about how tall they were but Rebekah had brushed it off saying Lizzie was much taller than her.
Lizzie Saltzman, the girl she was supposed to marry in a month but who she could not put a face to the name yet. She had slept almost the entire day after last night, only waking up for breakfast- after her mother had more than thrown her out of the bed.
But when she had arrived to the table, Lizzie and Josie had already left leaving Caroline and Alaric with the rest of her family- and so she had missed her chance to meet her. After waking up from a much needed nap, she tried to find the girl around the house to no vail.
Knowing Lizzie would go to the party- she had to, they were both forced to it- Hope decided the best strategy would be looking presentable for when they do actually meet. She didn’t understand why she was nervous; she certainly wasn’t when she walked down the stairs thinking Josie was the girl she was to marry. But somehow, the thought of Lizzie brought butterflies to her stomach.
“You look gorgeous,” said her father, showing up behind her in the mirror.
He was wearing a suit similar to hers but in a darker shade of red. All the Mikaelsons were wearing red tonight, thanks to Rebekah’s insistence and work. Klaus extended her arm to her and she took it, appreciating the height the heels gave her when she noticed she was almost as tall as him.
“Those are quite the shoes,” he said, noting the difference too.
“Apparently, Lizzie is taller than me.”
“Well, most people are taller than you, my littlest wolf,” he smirked when she shoved him to the side.
They were walking side by side now- on their way to the ball room. The music could be heard around the house and only a few steps before the door, Hope started to feel nervous.
“We can still walk away; you can just turn around. I’ll say the deal is off and it will all be over,” Klaus said, hearing her racing heart and sharp breaths.
She looked into his eyes and rested their foreheads together, something she always did as a child when she was scared and wanted her father to protect her from the monsters under her bed. She breathed him in- his ridiculous expensive cologne and blood mixed with whiskey breath.
“I can do this,” she said, “I guess it’s my time to give my part in always and forever.”
“You are always part of it, marrying this girl or not. You’re our Hope.”
“I know,” she whispered, pulling back, “I still want to do this.”
Grabbing his left arm again, they walked together into the ballroom as the golden doors opened.
Lizzie realized, once at the party, that ignoring her supposed fiancée the entire day was not the best idea. Since she had no idea what she looked like or if she was already here or if she didn’t know what Lizzie looked like either.
So basically, she was spending her time not talking to her mother and scoffing every time Josie found something new to be amazed at- right now, it was the dark haired girl sitting a couple of tables over.
She didn’t recognize most of the people in the room, only the people that had traveled from Mystic Falls and Mikaelsons that were going around the room, saying hello to everyone they crossed paths with- they mostly stayed out of the Mystic Falls section.
“Hello, Mrs. Future Niece In-Law,” a British voice said from the chair besides her, she turned around, “I’m Kol, the much better looking uncle.”
He was good looking, Lizzie thought. And had no doubt in her mind that most people fell over for a charming white guy like him, even if it meant their deaths.
She smiled politely, “Hello.”
“That’s all I get?” he said in a loud exasperated voice, “oh, come on. Elijah said you guys had a pretty piano moment and all I get is a ‘hello’?”
“Tell me,” she said after a moment, not really knowing what to say, “was all the red an accident or did you decided to look like the group from Money Heist on propose?”
He was wearing a red and black suit, similar to Elijah’s, while Freya, Hayley and Rebekah had red dresses. While all were different styles and shades of red, one could easily pin point the Mikaelsons if you looked for red.
Kol, at her question, laughed. “We’ve got my dear sister to thank for that, I’m afraid. You’ll have to get used to it for the next event too, love.”
“Whatever,” Lizzie said, rolling her eyes.
“This party is boring isn’t it? Want to make it fun?” She eyed him, “this room is filled with people secretly hating, fucking and loving each other,” he explained, “once you know all the… gossip, this party gets way more fun.”
Lizzie turned to him and smirked, “Oh, you think I won’t be able to keep up with you?”
“Can you?”
“You have no idea who you’re talking to, Kol Mikaelson.”
She smirked and Kol smirked back. Maybe the Mikaelsons weren’t so bad after all.
It was ten minutes later, five minutes into the Park family drama, when the ball room’s door opened and Klaus came in with is daughter at his side.
Hope.
She was gorgeous, Lizzie thought. Deep red suit with blue diamonds that made Hope’s eye stand out. The music started and Lizzie watched her and Klaus begin dancing in the middle of the room, people joining them a few seconds later.
“Come on,” said her father, showing up in front of her and extending his hand.
She thought of not taking it, make a scene out of it and not give his father the satisfaction of bossing her around but she thought better of it and slowly got to her feet.
She knew the dance by heart. Her mother had taught it to her and Josie since they were little and the school dances made all the students do it at least once. So, Lizzie knew how to move in a ball room, she knew she looked good while doing it too. One step forward, one step back- Lizzie tried not to think how perfectly it described her relationship with her father.
“You won’t even apologize?” she asked him once in the middle of the dance floor.
“It is necessary that you do this, Elizabeth,” he answered, not looking to her eyes but instead over her shoulders- looking for a threat, like always.
“Would you at least look at me? They won’t do anything in the middle of a fucking truce ceremony.”
“You’d be surprised,” he looked into her eyes, “you’ll have to be careful, Lizzie. Their charms will make you like them,” he warned her.
“So, you send me off to marry a Mikaelson knowing I could perfectly end up being their puppet? That’s great, dad.”
“Look Lizzie, I know you don’t understand-”
“No, I don’t understand but you never tell me anything. You left before you could,” she interrupted him.
“Look, all Mikaelsons are liars. You can’t trust them.”
“Really? Well, they’ve been nicer to me in the entire day I’ve been here than you in my entire life,” she replied.
“That’s because they don’t know what you are.”
She stopped dancing, in the middle of the room. Someone accidentally bumped into her because of this. She took her hands out of her father’s.
“Lizzie,” he urged, “don’t make a scene.”
“I’m not the one telling his daughter she’s crazy right before leaving her to marry someone they don’t trust,” she turned around and left the dance floor.
She went back to her table and grabbed a cup of wine and drunk it throwing her head back. When she looked down, she saw her hands were shaking and the glass was slowly cracking. She tried to take deep breaths and find her mother, she saw her on the other side of the room- dancing with Stefan, her husband. She tried to find Josie but she was timidly chatting with a girl. She looked around desperate and felt the rest of the table softly starting to shake too. She closed her eyes.
Not now. Not now. She thought.
“Hey,” a soft voice said at her side while two hands reached and took the glass away from her hands, “look at me.”
She forced her eyes open and saw Freya Mikaelson worriedly staring back at her.
“Deep breaths,” she continued, “listen to my voice and nothing else, come on.”
Freya’s voice was soft and firm, and it calmed Lizzie down faster than she thought it would. When she looked down, she saw the small butterfly made of light that Freya had casted- a calmness spell.
“Thank you,” Lizzie said, once she was breathing normally, “please don’t tell anyone.”
“I won’t,” she said, taking Lizzie’s hand and pulling her to sit down in two of the chairs beside the table.
Lizzie breathed deeply, exhaustion getting to her.
“I get them too,” Freya said, “the outbursts,” she clarified.
“Thank you for calming me down, I don’t think I’d have been a very good first impression for anyone.”
“Nonsense, don’t tell my wife I told you this,” she said in a whisper- kind of conspiracy way, “but I broke two windows and one mirror trying to calm myself down before my wedding.”
Lizzie laughed quietly, “Thank you.”
“Any time,” she said and then she stood up, “you should go to your seat, the dance is about to finish.”
Giving her a quick smile, Lizzie stood up. On her way to her chair, too distracted by her thoughts, she collided with someone.
“Jesus, watch where you’re going-” she looked up and found Hope Mikaelson’s big blue eyes staring back at her, “Oh- it’s- you’re…”
“Hope,” she said finally leaving her trance, she extended her hand, “uhh-”
Lizzie took it and shook it- she tried to pay no attention to the way the blue diamonds in Hope’s sleeve found perfectly the red ones in her bracelet, she praised Rebekah once again.
“Cat’s got your tongue?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Um- no I-”
“Please tell me you do know how to speak,” Lizzie complained, “God, I can’t believe I’m getting married to you.”
Hope furrowed her eyebrows, “I do know how to speak.”
“Great, for a second I thought we wouldn’t be able to get married because you can’t say I do,” Lizzie commented in a condescending tone.
“What’s your problem? You don’t even know me.”
“I’m getting married to you, that’s my problem.”
"Well I'm sure being married to you isn't going to be rainbows and sunshine"
They were standing in front of each other, frowns on their faces when a voice interrupted their staring match.
"Elizabeth, a dance?" Klaus asked, extending his hand and giving Hope a pat in the shoulder as he moved towards the middle of the room.
"There's no more music," she points out, following him into the dance floor, leaving Hope behind.
"That's not a problem," he said, signaling to the band to start playing again.
He put his hand in her hips, took her hand in his and started to move. He was good- better than her father and anyone she'd ever danced with; thousands of years would do that to you, she thought.
"I wanted to say thank you," he spoke after a few seconds.
"I never thought Klaus Mikaelson knew those words."
"I make an effort for my family," he answered with a smirk.
"So, one of your siblings forced you to this?"
"There was no need. You'll be part of this family soon. I know the reasons why that is are not how everyone would have chosen... But you'll have a family here, Elizabeth."
"Lizzie," she corrects, "since we're gonna be a family, you should call me that."
"Lizzie, then," he finished making her turn on her feet, "welcome to the family."
He stepped back and grabbed a glass of champagne from a passing waitress, moving closer to her ear he whispered, “You look lovely, by the way,” before leaving to his seat. Lizzie following close by.
Once there, surrounded by his family. He raised his glass and hit it twice with a knife. His voice echoed around the room and everyone turned their heads to him.
“I want to welcome you all,” he started, “as you all know, we are here to celebrate a truce and to join our kingdom with Mystic Falls. You might remember the night we introduced you to my daughter, Hope,” he smiles to her direction, “I asked you to protect her then, and now, she is protecting us all. With this marriage we will start a new era of peace and prosperity,” he pointed to Alaric- Lizzie noticed the way he tensed, “Alaric, we thank you for accepting our family to be bonded to yours, uniting both our kingdoms- in peace. Welcome to the family, mate,” raising his glass above his head, he shouted, “to Hope and Lizzie!”
Dinner passed quickly, which each family in each side of the long rectangular table. Hope and Lizzie sat side by side in the middle of it. They didn’t talk. They didn’t look at each other and if anyone in their families noticed, they didn’t mention it.
Once dinner ended and people slowly started to leave the house, Hope touched Lizzie’s shoulder to catch her attention but ended up making her jump.
“Sorry,” she said.
“What is it? Is it time to lock me in the tower?” Lizzie asked, rolling her eyes.
“You sure look like Rapunzel but no, I was wondering if you’ll go for a walk with me.”
Lizzie turned around and noticed the looks her mother and father were throwing at her so she turned back to Hope and smiled sarcastically, “Sure.”
Hope guided Lizzie through hallways and stairs she had never seen in all her exploring of the house. They ended up in the terrace. The place was only illuminated by the bright light of an almost full moon and with a flick of Hope’s wrists a hundred candles all around the place light up. The tiny lights of every candle reflected in Lizzie’s eyes and Hope had the sudden urge of paint it until her hands ached. She was beautiful.
“I know you don’t like me-”
“That’s an understatement,” Lizzie interrupted, crossing her arms.
Hope sighed, “But I want us to start on a good note-”
“How can you be so calm about this?” Lizzie interrupted again, screaming this time, “they are deciding who we spend the rest of our lives with, and we don’t have any say on it!”
Hope smiled sadly and walked over to the edge of the roof, carefully sitting on it. She waited until Lizzie walked over to her and sat in front of her. She looked over to the city.
“All those people have lives too; families, friends, lovers. Sometimes I go and just watch them. They have a simple life and they like it,” Hope smiled surprised, “some wish for power and money, but most just like the fact that they get to go home. A war will take that away from them- it’ll only be death and destruction,” she looked over to Lizzie, who was looking at her with wonder, “and I know this means destroying some of our choices but…” she thought her next words carefully, “my mother believes some arranged marriages are great romances, some star crossed lovers defying all odds kind of way. I rather think that’s dumb but maybe you’ll be open to try to be happy with me?”
She ended her speech opening a small red velvet box to show a beautiful engagement ring and Lizzie looked at her surprised.
“Lizzie?” Hope asked after a few minutes of silence
“I hate you,” she answered, head held high and tears in her eyes, “I hate that they’ve taken all our choices away from us and you’re doing absolutely nothing to stop it-”
“Lizzie-”
She raised her hand to stop Hope, “That being said, I would like us to be friends,” she smiled softly, “friends if nothing else.”
Hope grinned and gently took Lizzie’s hand on hers.
"Friends, if nothing else," she agreed, putting the engagement ring on Lizzie’s finger.