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

Chapter 10: Ayana



The moon hung heavy in the sky as the Mikaelsons made their way through the darkened village.

"Are we certain about this?" Elijah asked, his voice low. "Ayana was Mother's closest friend."

"We don't have much choice," Kol replied, fingering the grimoire pages they'd taken from their mother's chamber. "Unless you fancy spending eternity hiding from the sun."

"She may not help us at all," Finn added quietly. "She warned Mother against this magic."

Mikael's jaw tightened. "She will help. She must."

"And if she refuses?" Niklaus questioned.

"Then we'll have to be very persuasive," Vali answered, his black eyes gleaming in the darkness.

They approached Ayana's dwelling, the herbs and crystals surrounding it gleaming faintly in the moonlight. Before they could knock, the door creaked open, revealing the witch's stern face.

"I sensed your approach," she said, her eyes widening slightly as she took in their transformed appearance. "So Esther truly did it."

"She did," Kol stepped forward smoothly. "Though she's currently... indisposed. The spell had unexpected consequences when it came to Vali. The magical backlash..." he trailed off meaningfully, producing a carefully crafted copy of their mother's notes.

He'd spent the earlier hours meticulously transcribing them, leaving the originals safely with Rebekah. "These are her instructions for the daylight rings. Perhaps you could help us complete what she started?"

Ayana's eyes narrowed, studying them carefully. "Come in," she said finally. "Let me see what can be done."

The interior of her home was warm, thick with the scent of herbs and magic. She gestured for them to sit as she gathered materials.

"The rings will take time to craft properly," she explained, laying out stones and herbs. "Lapis lazuli is temperamental - it must be prepared carefully to hold such powerful magic."

As she worked through the night, weaving spells into each ring, Vali watched with his enhanced senses. Something felt wrong, but he couldn't quite place it. Then, as she completed the final enchantments, he saw it - additional layers of magic being woven specifically into two rings, his and Niklaus's.

"Wait," he said quietly, his voice cutting through the room like a blade. "Those rings are different from the others."

Ayana's hands stilled for just a moment. "Of course they are," she replied smoothly. "You and Niklaus are more unique than the others. The protection must be different as well."

"No," Vali's black pools met hers. "I can recognize those patterns. They're similiar to the ones on Nik's necklace. That's not protection you're weaving. It's binding magic."

The warmth dropped from Ayana's face. "Clever boy," she said, her voice hardening. "Esther's spirit warned me you'd be difficult to contain."

The air in the room grew heavy with tension as Ayana's facade crumbled away. Her fingers curled into claws as she began drawing power from the earth itself.

"Your mother and I prepared for this," she said, her voice taking on an otherworldly echo as spirits began manifesting around her. "She speaks to me from beyond, warning me of what you've truly become."

Suddenly, a magical barrier shimmered into existence, revealing what had been hidden - Tatia, bound to an altar, blood already trickling from cuts on her arms into ceremonial bowls.

"Tatia!" Vali snarled, the mark on his arm flaring crimson as rage coursed through him.

"The blood of the Petrova line has power," Ayana declared, beginning her true spell. "Power enough to unmake what should never have been!"

The air crackled with devastating force as her spell took hold, empowered by Tatia's blood and Esther's guidance from beyond. Mikael and the other brothers fell to their knees, gasping in pain as the magic attempted to unmake them. But Vali remained standing, the mark on his arm blazing against the onslaught.

"You cannot unmake what nature itself fears to touch," he growled, stepping forward through the magical storm. The jawbone blade hummed with dark energy in his grip.

"Stay back!" Ayana commanded, but her voice trembled as she saw her magic had no effect on him. "The spirits protect me-"

"Look around you, witch," Vali's laugh was cold as he advanced. "They're fleeing from what I am."

Indeed, the ancestral spirits were dissipating, retreating from the darkness emanating from his mark. For the first time, true fear crept into Ayana's eyes.

Ayana began chanting in ancient tongues, her desperation making the very air crackle with power. The ceremonial bowls containing Tatia's blood began to glow with an unnatural light.

"Esther warned me what you truly are," she spat, her voice distorting with channeled magic. "A demon wearing the skin of a man. The mark of death itself!"

"Then you should have listened more carefully," Vali replied coldly, continuing his advance. "Death cannot be unmade."

The jawbone blade cut through her magical barriers like they were mist. Ayana's eyes widened as she realized the true extent of what she faced. In desperation, she reached for more power, drawing so deeply from the earth that the ground beneath them began to tremble.

"By nature's law, I bind you-" she began, but Vali moved faster than thought.

His hand closed around her throat, lifting her from the ground. "Nature's laws?" he asked quietly, his black eyes boring into hers. "You think they can protect you from what I am now?"

But before he could strike, Tatia's weak voice cut through the chaos. "Vali... please..."

Her voice brought him back, out of his blinding rage. It was something peculiar about her. At first he only became interested in her because of her own darkness, but what kept him, was her light.

As he calmed down some more, Vali realised what he was about to do wasn't the best course of action.

He could have killed her easily - the jawbone blade thirsted for her blood, and his rage at what she'd done to Tatia demanded vengeance. But beneath his fury Tatia aided the awakening of the carefully lain cold calculative part of him.

Ayana was powerful, respected, and most importantly, connected to every witch coven in the region. Her death would spark a war with the witch community that his family wasn't ready to face, not when they were still learning the extent of their new powers.

More than that, a living Ayana would serve as a warning to other witches. Her defeat, her humiliation at being powerless against him, would spread through whispered conversations and fearful warnings.

Let her live to tell the tale of the creature her magic couldn't touch, the monster that even ancestral spirits fled from. Her survival would become a testament to his power far more effective than her death could ever be.

Besides, he knew from his memories of another life just how valuable a witch's fear could be. Sometimes, mercy could be more terrifying than death - especially when that mercy came from something they couldn't understand or control.

He turned his gaze to focus and see Tatia's pale face, blood still flowing from her wounds. The sight of her suffering made his rage surge higher, but her voice, his control over himself, held him back from delivering the killing blow.

Instead, he brought Ayana's face close to his. "Remember this night," he growled, his voice carrying an demonic tone. "Remember what happened when you dared to touch what's mine. Live with the knowledge that your magic means nothing against what I've become."

He threw her aside and moved to Tatia, his enhanced senses telling him she was fading fast. The mark pulsed on his arm as memories from his past life surfaced - he knew how to save her, how to make her like them.

His blood would give her new life.

Kneeling beside her, he gently cradled her head. The ritual had weakened her severely, but her eyes still held that fierce spark he'd always admired. Even bound and bleeding, she maintained her dignity.

"I know what they've become," she whispered, her voice faint but steady. Ayana had told her everything while binding her, trying to justify her actions with twisted explanations of natural balance and necessary evil. "What you've become."

"Yes," Vali replied softly, his demonic black eyes flicking back to their human ones, meeting hers, with softness, not normally expected of him. "And now you have a choice to make." He brushed a strand of hair from her face, his touch gentle despite the darkness radiating from him. "Death, or eternal life?"

"With you?" Tatia asked, a slight smile playing at her bloodied lips. Even now, she showed no fear of what he'd become.

Vali nodded.

Her smile widened slightly, that familiar determination shining through her pain. "Always with you," she breathed, the words carrying the weight of an eternal promise.

Without hesitation, Vali bit into his wrist, letting his blood flow freely. The mark pulsed as he brought his bleeding wrist to her lips, knowing exactly what needed to happen next - death, then transformation. His siblings watched in confusion, not yet understanding this aspect of their new existence.

Tatia's eyes fluttered closed as she drank, her strength already fading. The blood loss from Ayana's ritual had weakened her significantly, but Vali could feel her heart still beating, growing slower with each passing moment.

"What are you doing?" Elijah asked, his voice uncertain.

"Saving her," Vali replied simply, cradling Tatia's head as her breathing grew shallow. "The only way I can now."

Her heart gave one final, weak flutter before stopping completely. The silence that followed was deafening.

"You killed her," Finn whispered in horror.

"No," Vali said, his black eyes never leaving Tatia's face. "I've given her a choice. Now we wait."

Ayana watched from her position on the floor, her expression a mixture of fear and fascination. She understood now what was happening - the first turning of a human into their kind. The birth of something new.

"The spirits whisper of what you're doing," she said quietly. "This is an abomination against nature."

"Nature," Vali replied coldly, "has no say in what we are anymore."

They waited in tense silence as the minutes stretched on. Then, suddenly, Tatia's eyes snapped open, gasping for air as new life flooded through her veins. Her gaze met Vali's, and for a moment, everything else ceased to exist.

"Welcome to eternity," he whispered, helping her sit up.

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(Author note: Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!

So, how did you find Tatia and Vali's interaction?

This is only the beginning, since Tatia is the female lead in this fic, so do tell, how did you find it?

Also, what do you think of Vali's decision to keep Ayana alive? Was that wise or dumb?

Do tell me what you all think.

The more feedback, comments and reviews I get, the more I will want to write and continue.

So yeah, I hope you enjoyed it and to see you all later,

Bye!)


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