A/N Thank you all for reviewing!
Mississippi River—1713
"What do you make of that?"
Two men stood at the edge of their ship, eyes focused on another ship that had seemingly just appeared. It seemed abandoned in the middle of the sea, and the men had to squint in order to get a good look because it seemed to blend into the darkness.
"No banner; no flag. Floated in out of nowhere."Second in command, Aaron, replied with a half attempted shrug, studying the ship for another second before adding."A miracle ship."
His captain, Grant, didn't look away from the ship as he asked."Why is it just sitting out there?"
Aaron didn't answer his question, but he did look intrigued by the ship, already considering what riches could be on-board if the occupants were no longer.
"Suppose we ought to find out."
Not long later the men had boarded the ship and, after inspecting the rest of it decided to inspect below deck. Below deck was dark despite the glow of their lanterns, the sound of dripping water and the creaking of the ladder making the captain feel more than hesitant. Despite this, with his lanterns raised high, the captain descended the ladder to below deck one by one, their men following close behind.
Aaron gave a puzzled expression, seeing no reason as to why the ship was abandoned, accepting the lantern from his captain who was already looking around.
"Where in the hell is everyone?"
"Deserted. Which makes everything in the hold legally forfeit."Grant no longer seemed nervous as he rubbed his hands together, giving a small smile before he looked back to his men."Take what suits you."
His men nodded, fanning out to see what there was to take, mumbling to one another as they studied belongings.
"What do you make of that?"
The captain turned, lantern held high as he followed his Aaron's gaze and looked down to see a coffin just beside his feet with a large, silver 'M' crest on the lid.
"All right!"The captain gestured to the coffin, taking a step back and speaking with a somewhat nervous tone."Open it up."
The crew, glowering a little at their captain but, when his captain narrowed his eyes at them, they quickly reached down and opened the coffin. The coffin opened, and both men released gasps of surprise as they looked inside. A little girl lay in the coffin, her eyes were shut, and she appeared to be either dead or sleeping, they weren't sure.
"What the hell?!"
Both men jumped back, but raised their lanterns to get a better look. The little girl lay still in the coffin; small hands joined, her head tilted to the side a little. Stray locks of her hair covered her face, so they were unable to guess her age but, given her youthful looks, they were sure she was a child. She didn't take up the entire coffin which made them even more uneasy.
But, against their better judgment, the captain and his second in command moved forward to get take another look at the child.
The light from the lantern illuminated her face as Aaron whispered."Is she dead?"
Just as the crew leaned forward once more to get a better look at the child, her eyes suddenly snapped open. She shot up into a sitting position, ringlets tumbling down her shoulders, giving them a better look at her face. They all let out gasps in surprise, yelps of fright filling the below deck as they kept their gaze on the child.
Aaron steadied himself before he was able to lose his footing."Good God!"
The little girl greeted them with a smile, dark eyes pinned on both men as she stretched, sleeping greeting."Hello!"
The crew kept close together, all a mix of confusion and fear as the child showed no sign of being a threat or being afraid of them.
"Did I startle you?"Her brow furrowed and she cocked her head, sweeping her ringlets from her youthful face before she added in a whisper."Forgive me."
Suddenly the door at the top of the stairs creaked open, and the captain jumped in fright as the sounds of faint cries were heard. He and his second in command turned to see what was happening, only to see that their men were gone.
Gusts of wind brushed past them as they held up their lanterns to inspect. The captain kept his gaze on the girl who seemed anything but frightened; she simply watched them. As he heard his men yelling in pain, Grant rushed away, running up the stairs only to be gone in a split second.
"There is no need to be sorry, precious; they are the ones who are trespassing on our ship."
Grant turned around with his lanterns up to face a young, stunning blonde. He become entranced for a moment by her beauty, only to become frightened as he took a good look at her face. The spider veins underneath her blood, red eyes made him freeze in fear, and she merely smiled at Aaron, wiping smeared blood from her lips with a handkerchief.
"Lovely to see such a handsome face after a long journey."The blonde drawled, seemingly ignoring his fright as she studied them before looking over their shoulders, voice raising a little."Can I eat him, brother? I promise to share!"
As he turned, Aaron faintly heard the sound of the child whispering to the blonde who was pouting.
"I'd rather you didn't."
Aaron's eyes widened in alarm as a man stepped out from the darkness, smiling over at the blonde before shaking his head at the child who watched. He offered Aaron a small smile as he ambled over to him, observing the young man.
"You are to forgive my daughter; I hear she gave you quite a fright."The man gave a silent laugh, shoulders shaking as he reached down and took Ella's hand, steadying her as she stepped out of the coffin."Ella became quite seasick on our long journey and, because of reasons I won't divulge, she couldn't rest above."
"Yet that does no excuse the theatrics and her attempt at feigning innocence."The man then looked to Ella with a raised eyebrow, shaking his head as Ella peered up at him with wide eyes."But I believe her practical joke must've been the idea of a bad influence. Perhaps from a certain swine who has the tendency to act more childish as he gets older? Would you care to confess who came up with this plan, dear?"
"Ella Mikaelson is not a tattletale."Ella pursed her lips, offering her father a shrug as he raised his eyebrow once more."You should know me better than that."
The blonde behind him let out a loud giggle, making the man turn his eyes to her only for his daughter to chime in on the laughter. The man shook his head with a long sigh, turning as Aaron started to shake in fright and he took a step back, only for the man to follow.
"There's no need to be afraid."Elijah said almost kindly, taking a step forward and meeting Aaron's gaze, compelling him."And do exactly as I say. You will remember nothing."
Aaron nodded, repeating."I will remember nothing."
"We've had a very long journey, wherein which, unfortunately, we lost all of our crew. Therefore, I will ask you kindly to transport our belongings to the shore."
Aaron, without wanting to, gave an obedient nod before he looked over the Originals once more."What kind of hell demons are you?"
"We're vampires, darling. The Original vampires."A young man appeared from the darkness, brown hair tied back, tone laced with pure smugness. He paused for a moment to lick his bloody fingers, humming to himself before he added."I'm Kol. It's a pleasure, i'm sure."
"Don't get ahead of yourself, brother, the poor man has already suffered your machinations."
"Oh, big brother, Ella and i were only having some fun!"Kol gave an exaggerated eye roll, grumbling underneath his breath before he gestured to his left."And don't forget Finn. I'm sure if I don't kill you first that his dullness will."
"Be quiet, Kol."
Another man appeared, taller than the two before him with an exasperated look as he frowned at Kol. Hands behind his back, he ambled his way over to the group, tongue licking up a drop of blood from his bottom lip. He didn't seem to relish in lapping up the blood as the rest did but he didn't attempt to help Aaron from his entrapment.
He simply offered Aaron a nod before going quiet as the rest introduced themselves, observing his family.
"Elijah."The man who had confronted him first gave a half smile before he leaned down and picked up his daughter who still seemed tired."You've already had the pleasure of meeting Ella."
The blonde came up beside her brother, hand touching Ella's hair gently, brushing away hair that had fallen in front of her face.
"Rebekah."The young woman grinned before it faded to a deep frown as she looked to the unopened coffin, resentfully adding."and, hopefully, my father Mikael where he'll rest in unspeakable torment."
The human jumped as he heard a body fall to the ground above before a male voice piped up."Are we saving the best for last?"
"And our half-brother, Niklaus."Rebekah rolled her eyes and turned, tilting her head up to get a better look at the other Original, sighing at the red smeared across his cheek and mouth."Ignore him; he's a beast."
Klaus shook his head with a chuckle, smiling broadly, showing his double fangs, making Aaron flinch.
Elijah shook his head, drawing out a long breath as his brother smirked."Niklaus, your manners are, as always, without equal."
"We fled Europe and survived the seas."Klaus drawled as he put right the hem of his shirt, tutting at the blood stain before looking down at his sister."Would you rather I arrive hungry on the shores of our new homeland?"
"I'd much rather you be used as an anchor."Rebekah retorted in a sickly-sweet tone, offering Klaus her most pure smile which made him roll his eyes."Perhaps we'd finally be graced with some silence."
The rest of the Originals broke out into laughter, Kol and Ella's the loudest while Elijah attempted to remain stern. Even Finn's mouth curved up as Ella tried to persuade her father into allowing his smile, small fingers attempting to push his forced frown into a smile.
Klaus rolled his eyes in an exaggerated manner, forcing a frown as he glared down at his sister. His sister's lower lip jutted out dramatically as she copied Klaus' expression and Klaus fought his own smile before turning on his heels and walking away.
"Oh, Nik, don't pout!"Rebekah sang as she picked up her skirts and pranced up the stairs to follow her brother, her laughter loud and clear."Come back!"
"Will our new home have proper beds, hmm?"Ella asked in a quiet voice, watching after Klaus and Rebekah for a moment before looking up at her father."Like Spain?"
"Of course."Elijah whispered in response, offering Ella a small smile as her own fell at the mention of Spain."You won't be on this wretched ship much longer; I give you my word."
"This is our new home, yes?"Ella almost inaudibly asked, fingers fidgeting with the ends of her hair, smiling bright when her father gave a firm nod, her belief in her father as resolute as ever."Good and I refuse to get on a ship for at least a century. However morbid it is, I am going to miss napping in the coffin; it is quite comfortable."
The youngest Original, whose eyes were becoming heavy, lit up as her uncles made their way over to her father, standing behind Elijah. She smiled as Kol tutted at her, shaking his head as he put on his best Elijah-esque scolding face.
Kol wagged a finger at his niece."You may be a vampire, darling, but there is no need to be stereotypical."
"You should've seen his face, uncle Kol! It was almost picturesque."Ella laughed eyes vibrant and smile broad as Kol gave a broad grin, pausing to yawn before her sleepy smile returned."I got a tad bit worried; i thought he was going to a heart attack!"
Their smiles instantly turned innocent as Elijah looked at them, turning to face Kol and Finn, Elijah narrowing his eyes as his youngest brother and daughter shared an almost cheeky grin.
"I'm going to enquire about our whereabouts."Elijah looked down at Ella who, while still smiling, was becoming heavy-eyed."Would you do me a favor and take Ella above?"
Finn and Kol both nodded as Elijah took a moment to hold Ella closer to him and embrace her. Ella hugged her father back as best she could in her drowsy state.
The entire family were still reeling from Mikael hunting them down in Cádiz, Spain, burning the entire country in his wake as well as killing Klaus and Ella's beloved horse, Theo, and depositing its head on a pike in the town square. Ella, as well as Rebekah, had been quite traumatized by the entire experience, they all were. Elijah had held Ella even more closer since Spain, they all had because Ella he had always feared Mikael, she'd always had nightmares about him and that had only become tenfold since Spain.
"She's about to drop off, and the fresh air would do her some good."Elijah said to Finn and Kol, eyes remaining on his youngest brother when he noticed Kol's smirk."Don't think I don't know about your prank, Kol. Your need to amuse yourself intruded in on Ella's sleeping routine."
Kol gave an almost insulted look, arms crossing over his chest.
"Ella woke up during the storm, and it made her feel even more seasick. She was more than happy to give them a little fright, and it worked even better when she fell back asleep."
Kol huffed out a chuckle, petting Ella's head fondly, leaning across and letting his mouth skim her forehead before he rolled his eyes at Elijah's raised eyebrow."And why am I getting the devil's eye? These blokes were the ones to trespass on our ship!"
"We are no better, brother, we are the ones who forced ourselves on this ship in the first place."Finn quietly countered.
"Nonsense, they were more than happy to have us as guests."Kol replied with a straight face, tongue poking out and licking the corner of his mouth before he gave a mischievous grin."It was when we wanted to drain them they started to become quite...reluctant."
Kol's grin widened, and he rocked on his heels, seemingly either not noticing or ignoring Finn and Elijah's scolding glowers.
"Come, little one,"Finn mumbled as he took an extremely drowsy Ella from Elijah's embrace, smiling a little when she almost instantly wrapped her arms around his neck, nuzzling into his shoulder. His smile faded a little as he rubbed Ella's arm to feel that she was cold."Kol, hand over your coat, Ella feels quite chilly."
"Of course."Kol clicked his tongue with a hum as he pulled off his long, narrowly trimmed coat, tutting as he saw the blood stains glaring out of the corner of his eye at a darkened corner with a small, almost offended smirk."I won't be using it anymore, after all, considering the bloke had the audacity to bleed on it."
Finn shut his eyes for a moment in an attempt to bite his tongue. Keeping his niece close with one arm, he shook out Kol's coat before draping it over Ella. As he turned to make his way up the stairs to the upper level, he faintly heard Kol let out a giggle as they passed a bloody smear on the bottom step.
"You're an obnoxious lout."Finn turned and glowered at Kol with a shake of his head, keeping his voice as hushed as he could as Ellie's eyelashes fluttered before she fell into a calm slumber."Do you know what your problem is, Kol?"
There was no anger in Finn's words, as usual, just a hint of annoyance at Kol's dark, childish humor. It was how the oldest and youngest male sibling worked, despite rare moments of affection such as when Finn lunged at Mikael to protect Kol the last time they had crossed their father.
Kol heard Finn's tone and purposefully nudged the back of Finn's feet with his own as he stepped up a stair the moment Finn did.
"You?"Kol offered, also speaking in a hushed tone so that he wouldn't disturb Ella, the amusement clear in his voice."Or my striking handsome looks?"
"Yes, delusion is a vast element of your problem, right above your tendency to-"Finn's voice soon turned muffled as they reached the level above, followed by Kol's also muffled snickering.
Elijah watched after his family for a moment before he turned to face Aaron, expression turning impassive and firm.
"Sir, would you be so kind as to tell us where it is that we have landed?"
Aaron's response was quick, obedient and monotone as he quietly stated."The French colony of Louisiana, off the shores of a town they have named New Orleans."
"Thank you so much."Elijah gestured to the large pile of the Mikaelson's belongings before he glanced at another corner out the corner of his eye with ghost of a polite smile, shaking his head."Oh, I do recommend that you find yourself further assistance for the luggage."
Aaron looked to where Elijah had glanced at, raising his lantern in order to illuminate the corner. His eyes going wide with horror as he saw his crew who had been drained. Blood splatter and handprints decorated the walls of the ship that made Aaron's face go pale. He wanted to run, but his mind refused to work with his body.
He turned to look at Elijah who pursed his lips, giving a curt nod before he patted his chest, just over his heart.
"My sincere apologies."
Elijah offered one last smile before he turned and made his way up the stairs, the sound of a scuffle following which he heard Elijah sigh at.
"Kol, if you dare to push our sister over the side of this ship, your consequence will be ghastly!"
Thank you for reading!
I hope you all are all right with flashbacks; i'm trying to build Ella's character and give you a glimpse of her through the years. Flashbacks are important in this story because it gives you all an insight into their dynamics and Ella's relationship with each family member, so I really hope you're enjoying them, let me know if you do.
I've read that most of you feel she'd remain benevolent and somewhat childish while still a Mikaelson because she's their light and I agree so i'm trying to add that in. I'm also trying to figure out where to start in the series, i'm not sure, so if you have an idea, then please let me know.
Anyway, if you enjoyed this chapter, and you would like to see more of this story, please leave a review.