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

With Esther's body cooling at his feet and the ancestral spirits scattered like mist before a storm, Vali turned his attention to the cave's entrance. Shafts of sunlight pierced the gloom, creating golden columns in the morning air. The mark on his arm having calmed down, its crimson light having receded.

His newly awakened memories provided an interesting hypothesis. Niklaus, in his unsealed hybrid form, had been immune to sunlight - a trait unique to him and his hybrids. The question now was whether Vali's own hybrid nature - the merger of vampire and Knight of Hell - would grant him similar protection.

The jawbone blade, still slick with his mother's blood but now thrumming with power hung loosely at his side as he approached the sunlight. His movements were deliberate, calculated, as he extended his hand toward the golden rays.

The moment his fingers breached the threshold between shadow and light, searing pain shot through his flesh. He withdrew quickly, watching as the burns already began to heal, his skin knitting itself back together.

'Interesting,' he mused, flexing his healed fingers. 'It seems my hybrid nature offers no protection from the sun. Perhaps because my transformation runs deeper than mere flesh, unlike Niklaus's - a fusion of soul and darkness rather than blood and curse.'

The mark pulsed again, as if in agreement with his assessment. This new existence would require careful testing to understand its full scope - both its powers and its limitations.

"Father," Vali began, addressing Mikael who now stood before Esther's body, looking down on her, his expression complicated. 

"Has mother, said anything about any protection she had made for us against the sun?" Vali questioned.

"The sun? Why would we need protection from the sun?" Rebekah questioned confused as she approached Henrik, who had thankfully still been asleep, because of the sleeping spell Esther had put on him, to rest. Having not witnessed his own brother kill their mother.

"Oh, I see," Kol exclaimed, "The spell she used to turn us into these beasts-"

"Vampires," Vali interrupted.

"Vampires?" Elijah questioned confused, and intrigued by the name choice.

"The tribes to the east have a fascinating word in their tongue," Vali explained, his human black eyes reflecting the firelight. "Upyr - a term born from fear and superstition. They use it to describe creatures that have cheated death, beings that must feed on the living to maintain their immortality."

He traced the mark on his arm absently as he continued, "It began as a slur against witches, actually. The Slavic people had countless tales of dark magic users who sought eternal life through consuming others' life force. Much like the stories Mother used to tell us of Silas and his dark pursuits of immortality."

His lips curved into a slight smile. "Our Norse tongue shares roots with theirs, and the word evolved in our lands to vampir or vampyri. Though personally," he added with a touch of dark humor, "I prefer the simpler form - vampire. It has a certain... finality to it, don't you think?"

"You wish to name us after an insult?" Niklaus spoke for the first time since their mother's death, his voice barely above a whisper. The weight of all revelations still pressed heavily on him.

Vali's black eyes gleamed with dark amusement. "Words are merely tools, brother. Their power lies not in their origin, but in how they're wielded." He ran his fingers along the jawbone blade, still warm with their mother's blood.

"And I promise you, in time, this word will be whispered in fear around every hearth from here to the ends of the earth. Vampire will become synonymous with power, with immortality." His lips curved into a predatory smile. "Let them try to insult what they fear to name."

"As fascinating as this etymology lesson is," Rebekah cut in, her voice sharp with barely contained irritation, "I believe our brother Kol has noticed something far more pressing." She turned to Kol, her eyes bright with intensity. "Haven't you, brother?"

Kol's lips curved into a knowing smile, pleased at being the center of attention. "Indeed, sister. As I was about to say," Kol began, his eyes alight with the excitement of magical discovery, "our transformations aren't just physical. Mother's spell - it's unlike anything I've ever encountered in my studies of magic. The way it's woven through our very essence..." He paused, glancing at Vali. "Well, most of our essences. Our brother here seems to have taken a rather unique path."

His fingers traced patterns in the air as he spoke, a habit he'd developed during his magical studies. "The spell didn't just make us immortal. It fundamentally changed what we are. Nature itself has been forced to acknowledge us as something new, something it never intended to exist. And nature," he added with a grim smile, "always demands balance."

"What is that balance based on, Kol?" Elijah questioned. He himself never having been enthusiastic about magic, unlike Finn and Kol. Having deemed to obey father's wishes and not be defiant like his other siblings.

Before Kol could answer, Finn spoke up, his voice heavy with both grief and understanding. He'd always been closest to their mother, sharing her affinity for magic, but even he couldn't deny the horror of her actions.

"The balance, brother," Finn said softly, his eyes distant, "is based on what we take from nature. Every gift exacts a price." He glanced at their mother's body, his expression torn between love and betrayal. "Mother... she understood this better than anyone. That's why the spell bound us with such specific weaknesses.

The sun that gives life burns us because we defy death. And if I reason well, vervain, the plant will weaken us because we mock nature's order, while the white oak can end us because it gave us life. It is what I believe she must've done, for even in this state, I can still sense the magic within the white oak flow through our veins. Inaccesible."

He paused, swallowing hard before continuing. "She made us monsters, yes. But even in that, she ensured we would remain bound by nature's laws. Perhaps that was her final act of... love." The last word came out bitter, uncertain.

Niklaus scoffed, "That woman cared about nothing but her damn self and her precious nature. She never loved us." his tone full of bitterness and rage.

"Strange as it may seem," Vali interrupted, "I must disagree." His words caused everyone to still, shock evident on their faces - the killer defending his victim. "Mother's hatred was reserved solely for me. For the rest of you..." he paused, running his fingers along the jawbone blade, "she held genuine love, though it manifested differently for each."

His lips curved into a bitter smile. "I was the only one she truly feared, the only one she actively tried to destroy. The rest of you?" He gestured to his siblings with his free hand. "You were what she thought of during her desperate attempts to protect what she loved from what she saw as a darkness incarnate."

"Love?" Klaus snarled, his voice trembling with barely contained fury. His hands clenched into fists at his sides. "Is that what you call it, brother? She bound my true nature with magic, made me live a lie my entire life! She let me suffer father's hatred while knowing the truth!" 

He stalked forward, his eyes blazing. "And now you stand here, over her corpse, speaking of her love? She was a manipulative witch who cared for nothing but her precious balance. Even her death was orchestrated - one final spell to turn us into monsters. So don't speak to me of her love, Vali. Not when every breath I've taken has been filtered through her lies."

"Hate you?" Mikael's voice cut through Klaus's tirade, causing everyone to fall silent. He turned from Esther's body to face Klaus, his expression complex. "You think I hate you, boy?"

He stepped forward, his presence commanding as always, but there was something different in his eyes now - a weariness, perhaps even regret. "Everything I did, every harsh word, every punishment - it was to forge you into something stronger. This world..." he gestured to the cave entrance where sunlight still streamed in, "it shows no mercy to the weak. I wanted you to be ready for it."

His jaw clenched as he looked down at Esther's body. "I was cruel, yes. But it was never hatred that drove me, Niklaus. It was fear. Fear that you would be too soft, too gentle for this harsh world. Like..." he paused, pain flashing across his face, "like Freya was."

Klaus's eyes widened at Mikael's words, disbelief warring with hope on his face. "And now?" he asked, his voice rough with emotion. "Now that you know I'm not truly your son? That I'm the product of her betrayal?"

Mikael scoffed, the sound holding more weariness than scorn. "Not my son?" He stepped closer to Klaus, his presence commanding but not threatening. "I held you when you took your first steps. I taught you to wield a sword. I watched you grow from a boy who wept at killing rabbits into a man who shows mercy even to his enemies." His eyes flickered briefly to Vali. "Blood is the least of what makes a father."

The cave fell silent as the weight of Mikael's words settled over them. This was not the same man who, in another life, might have hunted Klaus across centuries. Here, without Henrik's death to shatter them completely, without the need to find someone to blame, Mikael's perspective had shifted over the years.

Watching Vali embrace the warrior's path to its absolute extreme - becoming something that even Mikael sometimes found disturbing - had gradually changed him. His second eldest son's unflinching brutality, his complete embodiment of everything Mikael had once preached about strength, had served as a dark mirror. It made him see the value in Klaus's gentler nature, the strength in mercy that he had once mistaken for weakness.

And now, with Esther's betrayal laid bare, all of Mikael's remaining rage had found its true target. The woman who had poisoned their son, who was unfaithful, who had twisted their family with lies - she alone would bear the weight of his hatred.

"Not that I am not happy with your words, Father, but I wish to return to the matter at hand, before everything digressed," Vali stated, his eyes fixed on the cave's entrance where sunlight still streamed in.

"Has mother spoken of creating something against the weaknesses? Or at least against our weakness against the sun? I'd rather not live my entire immortal existence hiding in the day."

"I believe she spoke of rings that she would make," Mikael responded thoughtfully. "Whether she has made them or not, we'll find out in her spell chamber."

They waited until nightfall, the hours passing in tense silence as they processed everything that had happened. Henrik remained peacefully asleep, protected from the horror of their transformation and their mother's death by her final sleeping spell.

When darkness finally fell, they made their way to Esther's hidden chamber - a small cave adjacent to their home where she practiced her craft. The space was filled with herbs, crystals, and grimoires, the air thick with the lingering scent of magic.

Rebekah moved through the chamber, her enhanced vision allowing her to see clearly in the dim light. Her fingers traced over various scrolls and books until she found what appeared to be their mother's personal notes.

"Here," she called out, her voice echoing slightly in the confined space. "These appear to be her latest workings."

Kol practically snatched the papers from her hands, his eyes scanning the contents eagerly. His expression brightened as he read further.

"This is fascinating," he muttered, fingers tracing the magical formulas. "She did create a solution for the sun. A spell to enchant rings - or any jewelry really - with the power to protect us from sunlight." He looked up at his siblings, excitement clear in his eyes. "We'll need a specific stone - lapis lazuli - and there's an incantation..."

"Can you perform it?" Elijah asked, always practical.

Kol's enthusiasm dimmed slightly. "The spell requires a witch. We..." he gestured to himself and his siblings, "we've lost our connection to magic. It's part of nature's balance - we can't be both vampire and witch."

"Then we'll need to find someone we can trust," Vali stated, already expecting this, his eyes gleaming in the darkness. "Someone who can help us claim the day as well as the night."

"Rebekah," Vali turned to his sister, his tone softening slightly. "Stay with Henrik. He shouldn't wake alone, especially not to..." he glanced at their mother's body, having brought it along with them, "all of this."

Rebekah nodded, her face a mix of relief and concern. She moved to Henrik's side, brushing his hair gently from his face. "And where will you go?"

"To Ayana," Mikael answered, already moving toward the chamber's entrance. "She's the only witch powerful enough to help us now."

"And trustworthy enough to keep our secret," Elijah added quietly.

The siblings exchanged glances, understanding passing between them. They had all seen Ayana's power, her wisdom. If anyone could help them master these new forms, it would be her.

"Be careful," Rebekah called after them as they prepared to leave. "The night... it feels different now."

Vali paused at the entrance, the jawbone blade gleaming dully in the moonlight. "The night belongs to us now, sister," he said, his voice carrying an otherworldly resonance. "It's everything else we need to be careful of."

"Speaking of being careful," Mikael interjected, his voice low and serious. "Ayana may not be as willing to help as we hope. She was your mother's closest friend, and she warned her against performing this spell." His eyes flickered to Vali. "She also shares your mother's... concerns about you, son. Her prejudices run just as deep."

"Then we'll have to be very persuasive," Vali replied, his eyes for a moment flicked black, glinting dangerously in the darkness, until they returned back to normal.

With that, the brothers and their father stepped into the darkness, leaving Rebekah to her vigil. The moon hung full and bright above them as they made their way through the silent village toward Ayana's dwelling, each step taking them closer to claiming their place in both darkness and light.

But whether the powerful Bennett witch would help the creatures they had become... that remained to be seen.

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

So, how did you find Mikael and Klaus's conversation?

Will Ayana help them and if not, would she be able to escape or protect herself against them?

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!)