There once was a family who lived just as any other family had before them. They lived under the anger and brutality of their father and the gentleness of their mother. Having already lost their eldest to plague, they were desperate to keep their other children safe at any cost. They rejoiced as one of their sons married a local village girl. They lived with his family happily and were even talking about growing their family further. But everything changed when the youngest son was killed by wolves. Driven by grief and fear, the mother used her magic as a witch for a spell that would change everything for them. But she was missing an ingredient she was loathed to use.

"Kristina, I'll need your help with this spell," Esther told her daughter-in-law one night as they cleaned the table of the night's meal.

"How can I help you?" Kristina asked Esther. "I don't know any magic."

"Will you help me?" Esther asked and Kristina didn't know her response. On one hand, she wanted to save her family the loss of another person they all held dear. On the other, she had lost both her parents to a terrible fire several years prior and knew the only way to deal with loss was to properly grieve.

"Allow me to think about it," Kristina told her before going to join her husband laughing with his brothers. He grinned up at her before grabbing her by the waist and pulling her down to his side. Esther watched the scene with a heavy heart as her husband walked up behind her. He placed his hand on her shoulder to offer comfort or remind her of what they both wanted, she wasn't sure, but she was sure of her next steps.

The next day, Esther assembled her ingredients for the two spells she would use. She started her first spell with a heavy yet determined heart.

Elsewhere in the village, Kristina and Rebekah were wandering around close to the forest when Kristina felt something wrong. She held her abdomen and stared at her hand confused.

"Kristina? What is it?" Rebekah asked her worriedly.

"I don't feel..." Kristina never got to finish her sentence as she suddenly collapsed.

"Kristina!" Rebekah did her best to pick the girl up and ended up dragging her back to their home.

When Esther heard the crying of her daughter, she stopped her spell and went outside to see her dragging Kristina to their door. Esther looked to see her sons, Elijah and Niklaus, slowly coming closer from their practice with their swords and quickly went into action. She helped Rebekah bring the unconscious girl inside and laid her down to rest.

"Will she be alright, mother?" Rebekah cried.

"She must rest," Esther soothed while running her hand through Rebekah's blonde hair gently. "Go. I'll watch over her." Rebekah wiped her eyes before doing as she was told. Esther looked down at the girl in sorrow before taking a blade and cutting a line down her arm. Kristina winced in pain as her blood poured into a bowl underneath her. Esther quickly collected everything she needed for the second spell and began her work.

That night, Niklaus had watched as his family minus one sat down to supper.

"Where's Kristina?" he asked and Esther tensed before smiling at him.

"She collapsed earlier and needed her rest. Leave her." Esther looked to her husband and nodded subtly as her children ate their meal and drank their drinks. Mikael suddenly rose and drew his sword and stabbed each of his children in the heart. Esther had to turn her head away from the sight.

Several days later, Niklaus was going to visit his still-sleeping wife when he noticed the deep scent of blood rushing to him from her. His mother and kept him from her room so that he had to sneak in when she was in the forest picking herbs. He lifted her arm and stared in shock at the dried blood on her arm. He listened carefully to the sound of her slow yet steady heartbeat and he grew confused. The wound on her arm was healing as if should, but she was still battling whatever illness had fallen her days before.

"Niklaus..." he turned to see his mother staring at him in shock and that's when he finally understood. The curse she'd placed on him to keep his werewolf side sealed was one thing, but taking his wife from him peaked his anger more than he ever thought possible.

"What have you done?" he asked deathly calm.

"The same any mother would do for her children." He slowly rose and used his newfound speed to reach her quickly and held her to the wall.

"What have you done to my wife?!" he shouted into her face.

"I needed the blood of one who was family, but not. Kristina's blood made you the way you are today. You should be thankful. There's a spell on her only I can lift. She will stay asleep never aging, never dying until I wake her." In his anger, Niklaus slammed his hand into his mother's chest. She stared at him shocked and he stared down at his where his hand disappeared into her chest with confusion and sorrow. He looked back up at her fearful face and pulled his hand, and her heart, out of her chest. She fell to the ground, dead. Niklaus stared at her with tears building in his eyes before going to his wife and holding her to his chest and crying into her hair.