Elena Gilbert (youliedtome) wrote in saveatlantisic, @ 2017-05-19 19:48:00 |
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Freya had settled into life in Atlantis quicker than she could have imagined. While she still missed and thought about her family back home, and was concerned for their safety, she had to admit, there was something refreshing about being in Atlantis. She didn’t inherit the thousands upon thousands of enemies her family had collected over the course of their lifetime. She could just be...Freya. She had friends here. She had a job here. She was fairly certain if she had ever gotten a job back home, Niklaus would have made some snide comment, or complained. She was enjoying the independence that Atlantis brought her. She was able to slowly start making amends with Davina--she could be a good sister to Kol--a positive influence that her brother had so sorely lacked. So, with a coffee in hand, Freya walked towards the entrance of Tower 1, intending to do some shopping before her shift at Cava started. Elena couldn’t help but feel despondent whenever Damon on a mission. She hated being separated from him, even if it was only for a couple of weeks, especially since the knew that the missions were rarely ever easy and almost always dangerous. The idea hadn’t bothered her so much when Damon had been a vampire: she’d trusted that he would be able to look after himself. Still, now he was a human, she couldn’t help but worry, probably irrationally so. Damon was still Damon. He had 150 years’ worth of experience at staying alive and she knew he’d faced worse odds before and survived. She just had to trust that he would always find a way back to her and learn to relax a little, although she had a feeling that was going to be far easier said than done. Damon had left with his team on the mission early that morning, before six AM. Elena had still been half asleep when he’d kissed her goodbye and whispered that he loved her but she remembered slipping her arms around his neck and pulling him down on top of the covers for one last, long cuddle before eventually letting him go. She must have fallen back asleep again after that because, when she’d woken up properly, it was after ten o’clock. Unable to find much motivation to do anything, she’d spent the rest of the morning and the first half of the afternoon moping around Damon and Lydia’s apartment and scrolling back and forth through the network, unwilling to head outside into the vicious thunderstorm that had been ravaging Atlantis for the last couple of days. Eventually, though, acknowledging the fact that she couldn’t just sit around waiting for the whole time that Damon was likely to be away, she’d forced herself to have a shower, get dressed and leave, intending to head back to her own apartment and get on with some reading for college. Pulling her leather jacket close around her body, Elena headed for the doors out of Tower 1, hoisting her big, tan leather overnight bag higher onto her shoulder as she walked. She was just about to go outside when she realised that someone was on the other side, about to walk in. She stepped back, wanting to avoid a collision by waiting for the other person to pass through first. It wasn’t until the woman was practically upon her that she realised who, exactly, she was: Freya Mikaelson. Elena gulped, nervously. At first, Freya paid the girl no-mind. She hadn’t been really paying attention at who she was passing, but when she got a good girl at the girl, she stopped short. Elena Gilbert. Part of the Petrova line that had been, for lack of a better word, a thorn in the side of her brothers for the past 500 years. While she had never met any of the Petrova line, she had heard venting from her brothers in the time that she had become a member of the family. From what she could gather, Katherine was the one that everyone (with the exception of Elijah) universally hated. Elena was just sweet and sugar and spice and everything nice, according to Elijah. Klaus had snorted, muttered something rude and walked out at that point in the conversation. But Freya wasn’t so sure this girl was ‘nice’. According to Davina this girl had been responsible for the death of not one, but two of her brothers. She couldn’t imagine a situation where Finn of all people would deserve death. As a vampire, he was harmless, and never would have hurt anyone. Why had he deserved to die? Freya wanted to find out. However, unlike her brothers, and her younger sister, Freya was a reasonable woman. She wasn’t going to strike this woman down with magic or hurt her. She wasn’t going to hate oner sight unseen. She just wanted a friendly chat with her. She wanted to get Elena’s side of things. She doubted the two would ever be friends, but stranger things had happened to Freya Mikaelson over the years. “Hello,” Freya smiled. “You’re Elena Gilbert, right? I was wondering when I’d finally get to meet you.” For a moment, Elena thought Freya was going to walk straight past her. She wished Freya had walked straight past her but she knew that would have been far too easy. Internally, Elena sighed when the other woman stopped, psyching herself up for what would follow. Still, for now, at least, Freya seemed to be playing nice. She was even smiling at Elena. Elena couldn’t quite bring herself to smile back and, instead, one of her eyebrows rose slightly at Freya’s words. She was sure Davina and Kol had been very vocal about her since Freya had arrived here, none of it, she guessed, having been good. She highly doubted that Freya had been dying to meet her so that they could become BFFs. “That’s right,” Elena replied, her tone verging on frosty, her shoulders tense, her big, brown eyes showing her wariness. “And you’re Freya Mikaelson.” It wasn’t a question, just a statement. She didn’t want to be having this conversation. She was preparing to slip out of the doors as soon as it wouldn’t be completely insulting to do so. If her unwillingness to engage aided that process along, so much the better. “Huh,” Freya cocked her head to the side, studying the girl keenly, “you certainly don’t look like someone capable of taking down two originals, and yet, here we are.” Her smile this time was slightly more shark-like, and her eyes flashed with brief anger before they settled back into pleasant and non-threatening. “I’m sure I’m one of the last people you want to talk to. Most people avoid my family like the plague, but, I’m relatively new to my life as a Mikaelson. I’ve heard so many stories, and some, I’m finding hard to believe to be true, and well, if there is a ring of truth to them, I want to know why that is. I’ve been told to hate you and your friends. I’ve been told that you killed Finn and Kol. Hell I even heard you daggered Elijah and my father a time or two. Strange that a human and newborn vampire is capable of such...skill.” “I’m not going to hurt you, Elena. I’m not my siblings. I just want to hear your side of the story, that’s all. I don’t hate people without cause, and I know my family well enough to know that they probably started a few things with you and yours that resulted in you feeling the need to defend yourself. I just want to know why, and then I’ll let you be on your way.” Elena wasn’t sure whether to feel insulted by Freya’s dismissal of her ‘skill’, angry at the way Freya was appraising her, like she was some kind of specimen, or surprised that Freya was actually asking for her side of the story. The rest of the Mikaelsons, and she was including the witch, Davina, in with that moniker, just liked to bring the subject of her so-called villany up so they could have a dig at her and make out like, for once, they weren’t the most evil person in the room. It had got to the point now where Elena avoided making any public comments on network posts that they might be tempted to reply to, just to avoid the conflict. She had spent so many years at home fighting just for the right to live her life in peace with her friends and family that she absolutely wasn’t willing to carry on that struggle here when she didn’t have to. Taking a deep breath, Elena shook her head, looking down at the floor for a moment before answering. “There is really no point in having this conversation,” she explained, sounding tired, her shoulders rising slightly in a shrug. “They’re your brothers. Nothing I could say will justify my actions in your eyes. I know because I feel exactly the same about my brother.” There was something about family that made people cross lines they never thought they would cross and think in a way that was entirely emotional as opposed to rational. After all, hadn’t Elena been willing to kill a whole sire line of vampires to protect her brother? How could she expect Freya to see the situation from her point of view when Freya was in the reverse position? Like she had said, the whole conversation was pointless. They’d be better off just going back to ignoring each other and carry on with their respective days in peace. That wasn’t good enough for Freya. Ignoring a situation or a person didn’t fix the problem, it didn’t make it magically go away. But there was one bit of information that she was able to pick up from that conversation and it was the fact that Elena had killed one of her brothers in order to protect her brother. If Freya had to guess, she was going to guess that brother was Kol. She really couldn’t see Finn bothering with a bunch of children. Kol, on the other hand… “I understand,” Freya said gently. “I’ve done things, hurt people,” okay--she’d KILLED them--”in order to keep my brothers, sister and niece safe. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to make sure they were protected. You were just doing what any sister would do. I’m told that Kol came after you--attacked first--I will not lie and say I wish that things could have been resolved without his death, but I also know my family well enough to know that Kol would have kept coming otherwise. And yet, his warnings about Silas proved to be correct? Am I hearing the stories from my brothers right?” She shook her head. “No, the one I suppose I need closure on. The one I need to understand is Finn. Why Finn? What did he do to you and yours to deserve death?” Again, Elena was surprised by Freya’s acceptance, her willingness to listen. It was starting to become obvious that, although Mikaelson in name, she hadn't spent the last millennium with her siblings. “He was right about Silas,” Elena confirmed, once again hoisting her bag higher on her shoulder. “And we paid the price for not listening to him,” she added, tersely. Silas’ return had cause so much pain and hurt and death and it all could have been avoided if only they’d heeded Kol’s warnings but, in the race for the cure, the fact was that they hadn't had that luxury. As much as Elena had longed for her human life back, if that had been the only reason they’d been going after the cure, there was no way she'd have put her friends in danger because of her whim. But they had been just one contestant in the race and Jeremy, her little brother, who she would do anything to protect, had accidentally become the inadvertent road map. She just couldn't sit by and let him, or the cure, fall into the hands of the people who meant them all harm. Elena was taken aback by Freya’s last question. Since arriving here, everyone had been so obsessed with what she and her friends had done to Kol that she'd almost completely forgotten about Finn. She blinked a couple of times, unsure of what to say. “Finn was never the target,” she said eventually, a small frown of confusion wrinkling her forehead. “He was linked to the others. He wanted to help take them down.” Okay, so he hadn't exactly chosen to be staked outside of the Mystic Grill, but it had been his intention to work with his mother to destroy his siblings. At that point, Klaus had been so hell bent on world domination with his army of hybrids that they all would have done just about anything to stop him. It had been all they could do to keep Elena from becoming a walking , talking blood bag for him to dip into whenever he needed her to make a new hybrid. While she felt incredibly sorry for Finn, the one Mikaelson who had never antagonised them, and even Sage and the man she'd turned, Elena couldn't help but feel like, once again, the Mikaelson family had left them with very few options. Honestly, if it weren't for Klaus’ insatiable need to become his hybrid self and then, on top of that, to reproduce, the whole sorry mess could have been completely avoided. “I don't really know what you want me to say,” Elena finished, crossing her arms over herself, holding onto her bag strap at one shoulder with the opposite hand. “Finn didn't deserve to die. Maybe Kol didn't either. But did my brother or my aunt or my biological parents? Did Alaric or Tyler or Carol Lockwood? Did any of those people deserve to die for your family? Did I? And, if not, can you really blame us for fighting back?” She'd done it, exactly what she hadn't wanted to do: she'd allowed her emotions to get the better of her and now she could feel the sense of injustice bubbling angrily beneath the surface. Shutting her mouth tightly, her jaw forming a hard line, Elena swallowed the anger that threatened to overtake her. Although she’d never say it, in the petty corner of her mind, she was glad that they had paid the price for not listening to Kol. The cure had been so important to them--so important to Nik--that they had all suffered. The Mikaelsons had lost yet another sibling, Elena had lost a brother. Nobody had been a winner in that situation. Nobody should have been a winner in that situation. What she was starting to see from this conversation though was, despite Klaus’ desperate attempts to always appear to be the ‘good guy’ the ‘victim’ in these situations, he had not lied. Elena was confirming everything he and Elijah had told her about their past. “I’m sorry you lost your brother,” she said sincerely. “And, you’re right. My family has caused more hurt, more violence, more chaos...it was only a matter of time before someone fought back. I’m just amused it ended up being a plucky brunette human who basically told Klaus to stuff it. I don’t know know who Alaric, Tyler or Carol are, but no, they didn’t deserve to die by the hands of my family. Neither did your Aunt or parents. I’m sorry that my family has done so much damage to yours, Elena. I’m sorry the Petrova bloodline has had to suffer because my bitch of a mother used the blood of your ancestor to create the first vampires.” She relaxed a bit, the tension in her shoulders that she didn’t even know she was holding onto, faded into nothing when Elena told her that Finn and Kol didn’t deserve to die. There was an honesty in Elena Gilbert that she found lacking in most humans today. Elena was bold, passionate, and spoke from the heart. She could tell anything that came out of her mouth would be the truth. “Thank you for being honest with me. For taking the time to talk to me. I can see why Elijah is so fond of you. I can see why you frazzle and baffle Niklaus and why Rebekah felt threatened by you. You aren’t like most humans who would tremble in the wake of our family. Despite the fact that your instinct is to get by me and not speak to the woman of the family who has caused you so much pain, you still do it, albeit unwillingly. You’re brave, and I admire that. You have nothing to fear from me for what you did to my brothers. I understand doing whatever it takes to protect family. I have done things--things I’m not proud of to keep my brothers, sister and niece safe from harm. When it comes to their safety I can be vicious, ruthless and show little mercy to those who would do them harm. To judge you for doing the same for you and yours would make me nothing short of a hypocrite. I may be many things, but that I am not.” Once again, Elena was taken aback by Freya’s compassion when she said she was sorry for the loss of Jeremy. It helped her calm down a little, take a deep breath and actually listen to what Freya had to say. She couldn’t help but be surprised by the woman’s ability to be magnanimous. It certainly didn’t seem reminiscent of any of the other Mikaelsons. She wasn’t entirely sure whether to trust that it was genuine. Elena swallowed, the frown still creasing her forehead as she listened. Eventually, she gave a nod, silently accepting the truce that Freya seemed to be offering. “Then we understand each other,” Elena confirmed. “And this can be the end of it... between us, at least.” She knew that Kol and Davina’s anger wouldn’t be so easily assuaged but this was a start. Looking over her shoulder the whole time was so tiring. If this meant she didn’t have to do that quite so regularly, it was something. “We understand each other,” Freya repeated with a slight smile, moving to the side so that Elena could get through if she wanted to. She had said what needed to be said, and she was happier for having met the girl. She would see if she could get Davina and Kol to lay off her and leave her alone. “Thank you for taking the time to talk to me, Elena. I appreciate it. I will do what I can to ensure my brother and Davina leave you and yours alone. There is no need for us to fight here. I’m sure we can all get along and stay out of each other’s way.” Elena gave a little sigh of relief when Freya stepped to one side, the tension in her small frame relaxing just a little. She would be crazy to think that this was all over now but she couldn’t deny that she really would appreciate Freya making sure that Kol and Davina continued to give her and her friends a wide berth. “Thank you,” Elena said, dipping her head politely, the wariness not having quite left her voice. She paused a moment but everything that was going to be said had been said already so, hoisting her bag higher on her shoulder, Elena stepped passed Freya towards the Tower doors. “This… hasn’t been terrible,” she said suddenly, stopping by the doors, one hand on the shiny, chrome handle. She glanced back over her shoulder at Freya. “Talking,” she clarified. “Maybe next time we could talk about something other than dead relatives?” The question had mostly been rhetorical so, rather than waiting for an answer and risking provoking any more wrath, Elena turned back to the door and carried on outside. All she wanted right now was to get back to her apartment, make herself a big cup of cocoa and wallow for a while. The conversation with Freya had brought up all sorts of feelings and memories that Elena had been completely unprepared for when she’d left Damon’s apartment. If she had been going to do anything productive today, she could pretty much write that off now. |