Something Wicked

LOCATION | Somewhere in the forest
DATE | 1st of June 2022
TIME | Midday
WEATHER | Sunny with some clouds
ATTIRE | a rather ripped dress, hair down and messy
TOPIC FOR | @Kieran (+ @Sarah)
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For one you started to lose track of time, the days and weeks combined more into just one. How she had even managed to get out, well there was the story about how Bentley got convinced JJ to open the lock just not to get his own hands dirty. Not that they had helped her out of Moonlight Falls, and honestly she had most likely travelled for two days, before she finally couldn't even manage to get her legs to carry her anymore. Now, it wasn't because her mother hadn't been feeding her, but all her magic had been blocked for what a month now, the only reason why Antionette perhaps still held her heart and the reason she wasn't further harmed was because of the potions she had created to protect herself from her magic.
So, how else did you torture someone? You went the old fashioned way, how humans had isolated one another as punishment for decades. You made sure they didn't feel human anymore or even like a person. The day she had apologized which had taken a week, had been after a week without sunlight or even any visitors, just plain darkness. Then Bentley had been allowed to visit her, what a delight. She was still waring those magical bracelets that she could get off herself, neglecting her from using both her powers and her magic, wishing JJ at least had taken them off as well.

Antionette collided with the forest floors, not minding how the pain spread out in her knees as she met with rocks and soil, she took a deeper breath in, just catching her breath. Watching Giselle flying towards her, as if she tried to come to her rescue. Silly bird thinking she could carry the witch who could barely gain more strength to carry herself? Then she looked ahead, realizing that Giselle didn't come alone, making her able to breath out, finally able to exhale again without fearing what could attack her from behind.

It hadn’t taken more than a couple of hours after her mother hadn’t returned her messages that she had started searching for her. Scared that something had happened, she had even reached out to Kieran, knowing he would be able to help her in her search, even if she was much older than him; you started losing your mind when it came to the people you cared most for. Sadly when it came to Sarah, there wasn’t a lot left that she actually cared for. There was her mother, her children Niall, Rosaleen and Alexandra, Nathaniel and Valdemar. Those were the only people that Sarah would go through hell to protect; those were the only people she would die for.
So, when your mother had been gone for the better of a month, you started disappearing. It was like something took hold of you and didn’t leave you before you knew what had happened; at this point, you just hoped you at least would find a body that you would find closure. She had tried to reach out to Bentley, but he hadn’t answered her back, which only meant one thing. This was all her grandmother, Rebekah, on some type of disciplining vendetta run to hurt the people that had gone against her. It had only been because Kieran had been there; she hadn’t already marched into the castle demanding to get her mother back.

On the other hand, Kieran had managed to stay level-headed, mainly because there was no other way for him to do this. Of course, he cared for Antionette, but they didn’t know each other that well; they had been out eating dinner doing just so. But when you were as old as they were, there were many things to cover, and then she had disappeared. So when Sarah had come to him, he hadn’t hesitated to start helping her.

Finally, they had gotten a lead, running towards the body that had fallen to the ground. Sarah shouted as she grabbed her mother and pulled her towards her, sobbing as she felt how her mother was but a shadow of her former self. She knew how being kept in prison could eat away the part of you that was human. She had seen it in the men's eyes that had come back from war—those she had mended and cared for. Then anger replaced the sadness. Something she managed to push down for now as they got her mother back to her hut.

“I’m going!” Sarah hissed behind a half-closed door where her mother was resting after she had tended to her wounds. “It’ll do nothing good, and it will not help your mother”, Kieran tried to get Sarah to calm down. “No, this is too far; she has gone too far”, She whispered and didn’t want to hear any of it. “Sarah”, Kieran tried again, but she just started moving. “Sarah!” he yelled after her as she got out of the door and teleported to Moonlight falls. She didn’t care anymore, she had hoped she might have more time with her daughter and knew that Alexandra wouldn’t understand why she was doing this, but this had to stop; someone had to stop it.
Kieran sighed as she watched where Sarah had stood but a second ago, then he turned around and walked to the bedroom and looked inside to see if they had woken up Antionette.

“Mother”, Niall’s voice called to her as she stepped over the threshold to the grounds where her grandmother’s castle; Sarah turned to see her only son standing there looking at her with a soft smile on his lips “where do you think you’re going?” he asked her, already knowing why she was here, he had heard the whispers, the souls telling him that his grandmother had been found and what condition she was in. It wouldn’t take a genius to know that his mother would come back sooner or later. She just looked at him before she turned and walked towards the castle doors. He followed with a slight groan; if she wouldn’t listen, at least he could be there to get her away before it ended badly.

It was perhaps the fact that her mind knew something awful was going to happen, perhaps it was the aching dread and fear of what would happen if she didn't open her eyes fast enough. Antionette couldn't even figure out within herself if she was free or still captive, so did she even dare open her eyes? But perhaps it was the sound of Kieran's voice? His voice calling out for Sarah that made her wake more up, despite how drained she felt. "I will go try to stop her," Nathaniel suggested standing in the door to the bedroom, having overheard just about every single thing. "You will do no such thing," Antionette mumbled, trying to get herself up sitting. "Don't tell me she went," she let out a sigh, knowing this wasn't going to end well. Far from. Her entire body ached, felt so tight and damaged it was. Making her almost scream up, but she didn't. "You don't go anywhere, the last thing she needs in a situation like this is more distractions that will be used against her," Antionette looked at Nathaniel who took a sharper breath in and just nodded. Having nothing more to add, "I will prepare a hot bath and some tea," he mumbled before heading out again.

Now who was more stubborn, Antionette or her daughter? One could clearly see where the stubbornness came from as Antionette insisted despite her pain to try get up from the bed, despite every muscle in her body forced her back. "I have to - I have -" she fell right back down into the bed, hissing more or less at herself for feeling like this. This powerless.


"She is here trying to kill me," Rebekah teleported out in the front yard looking at Sarah and Niall. Tilting her head a little bit, "I'll admit it went against me to do what I did - but I told her I was either going to punish you or her, she made the choice. Now, go be with your mother instead of wasting your time here," Rebekah spoke folding her hands in front of her. "I got my point across, just don't let it happen again." She knew her niece wouldn't take it lightly what she had done to Antionette. But still here Rebekah was trying to give Sarah a chance to turn around.

Antionette was faster at putting the boy in his place than Kieran was; he nodded, agreeing the last thing Sarah needed right now was another person used against her. He turned toward Antionette as she realised what Sarah had just done. “I’m sorry”, he whispered as he walked to her and gently pushed her back into bed. “You can’t do anything; you have to let this run its course”, he whispered, giving her a sad smile because he knew that all of this had to be something that was part of a bigger scheme than just hurting Antionette and Sarah, more than just getting the point across of not crossing Rebekah in her plans. “I know you want to help her, help them, but we can’t stop people from doing what they believe is right, no matter how much we wish they would listen”, he argued, knowing he could also reprimand her for not telling him what had truly been happening. It wouldn’t help either of them because no creature should go against its nature.

“Punish us”, Sarah said, feeling the venom in every word she spitted out “punish us for what, exactly?” she wanted to know. “Oh, for taking Adonis's heart?” she asked, lifting her brow “you did that to your daughter because she took back something you had taken because you could because you thought it would be fun” she took a step closer, she found it funny that Rebekah stood there thinking she was being merciful for letting her turn around and walk back. That not killing her would be an act of showing she was still a good grandmother. She couldn’t help but laugh “what I see in front of me is a powerful and great witch that has gone through so much pain that many people couldn’t even begin to phantom, but still, she doesn’t see those around her that want to help and be there for her, no, all she wants is power, all she wants is people to fear and bow to. Her every wimp, it's pitiful, and within all that greatness, you are a weak woman with a weak heart that would rather just punish and kill people instead of dealing with her own pain,” she spit out, not caring what Rebekah did to her, she wasn’t afraid nor did she care. “Mother”, Niall spoke out, but before he could, he vanished, teleported away. So that only left her and Rebekah.

Antionette closed her eyes for a moment listening to Kieran's words, because she knew he was right. She couldn't help Sarah, she couldn't stop her no matter how much she wanted to. "I have a few potions stuck in the drawer, one for healing -" if anything just to take the edge of whatever pain she was in that couldn't be removed by mundane painkillers, first now beginning to feel her magic again. "I know what will stop them - it's nothing I can do," it was something her grandson Niall perhaps could do. If anything get a hold on Alec, in one day. A dangerous path to travel yes, but if they were going to stop her mother, Alec had always been the closest to put an end to Rebekah's fury. And  it was a long shot, knowing it wouldn't do anyone any good if Sarah attacked Rebekah, and the other way around.

Rebekah raised her brows and made a small shrug. "Are you done yet?" She asked and had just really listened to how angry Sarah was at her. "What did you do when you thought you had lost everything, may I ask, or is it still a topic that makes you realize that you have gotten to like the taste of darkness and power that lies within your magic, huh?" Rebekah rolled her eyes a little bit. "I'm not here to fight you kid, go home," she added, mostly because while Rebekah did do a lot of things, she also really did try to uphold her end of deals, so while Antionette had taken the full punishment instead of Sarah, it was also breaking her word to Antionette if she actually did go to harm Sarah - and Rebekah didn't break her word to her oldest children. "Also I do have very fine company that I don't like to walk out from, so I warn you now, go," because if anything Rebekah actually didn't wish to unleash Rogue on Sarah.

“Right now, what you need is rest”, Kieran insisted; even though there was a world of spells and remedies to make her feel better quicker, it wasn’t always the best course of action. He had been asked the same question so many times as a surgeon why he didn’t just use spells to make sure that people would survive. Simply because he wasn’t supposed to play God, even though it would seem he had the abilities to do it. One could argue that having the powers he had, then God had made sure that some people would be able to do just that, but like everything else, magic had a price and sometimes people were just supposed to move on even if you wanted them to stay.
“Fucking hell”, Niall cursed as he stepped inside the house; his clothes were dripping from the water after being teleported back to his mother's house; he had ended up in the lake not far from here. With the snap of his fingers, he was dry again, and he walked to the bedroom where he could feel his grandmother was lying. “I tried to stop her, but well, you know how she gets”, he huffed, knowing that his mother would have his head if he told her that she reminded him of Rebekah.

“Oh, I turned my anger to the hunters that did this, but I never turned my anger against my family”, she bit back, then she looked towards the window where a dark-haired woman was standing looking at them both taking a sip of the wineglass that was in her hand. “Fine, then this time I’m asking you to give back Uriel his heart before this ends up much worse than your granddaughter showing up on a ridicules vendetta, I never wanted you dead, but I’m getting awfully tired of you treating us like slaves to your every whim, you want to be stronger and more powerful, fine – but stop hurting your family in the process, and the Archangels will just end up doing the same to you as you do to us, kill those that are closest to you” she let her eyes find her grandmothers before she snapped her fingers and disappeared.

She took a sharper breath in, and gave Kieran a short 'are you serious' look as she raised her left eyebrow a little. Then let out a sigh, knowing he was right. She did need rest. But who could rest when your daughter had headed towards your mad mother? Who knew what would happen if both of them chose to just full on blow the place down? And while she was here, on bed rest? Antionette simply didn't like the thought of what could happen. Then she moved her eyes towards the door as Niall walked through it. She wanted to comment on it was good seeing him again, "I know -she gets the stubbornness from her father," she chuckled a little dry, reaching her hand out wanting to hold her grandson's hand, giving it a small squeeze to let him know it was okay. "We will just have to wait and see - if my mother holds her word, Sarah will be just fine," she closed her eyes for a second and took a sharper breath in to press the essence of pain down. "Don't worry about me okay? I'm going to be back on my feet in no time," she assured Niall, once again giving his hand a small squeeze. Nathaniel rather curious about the newcomer just stood in the door with a tray with a tea pot and two cups. One for Kieran and one for Antionette. "Is he supposed to be here?" Nathaniel whispered looking at Kieran, not that he had seen Kieran before today either in person, but he had never seen Niall before.

Well, if her family hadn't turned against her first, she wouldn't have had to take her fury out on them - would she? If they just accepted this was how things were. Uriel's heart? She was just waiting for Eos to come and collect it, or Remy for that matter - she was bored by the archangel anyways. So, the deal was pretty much in house either way. "So dramatic," Rebekah let out a sigh before she headed back upstairs to her guest.

Kieran couldn’t help but snort when Antionette told him that she got her stubbornness from her father. “Yes, her father” he shook his head and then got up as he heard his nephew at the door; turning to Nathaniel, he gave her a small smile and shook his head. “Well, Niall, here is my nephew and Antionette’s grandson, making it my brother and Sarah’s son,” he said. Niall turned, only noticing Nathaniel now. “Oh my manners!” he took out his hand that had an eye tattooed on it “how do you do,” he said with a wink as he shook Nathaniel’s hand a little too violently “yep, son of Killian Jones and Sarah Sinclair, the most wonderful mess that there is, my twin sister is also running around doing gods now what” he turned to Antionette again “well, we’re in luck it seems like Sarah left and Rebekah can return to her guest,” he said with a smile and then turned to a person that no one else could see “She did? Oh, really? Noooo, come you have to tell me everything” and as if he was leaving with his best friend that was telling him the latest gossip. Kieran sighed and looked toward the young warlock; that would undoubtedly find this all very confusing. “Niall, he, he might be one of the most destructive warlocks that are out there, his magic draws on dark forces and those of the dead, meaning he has been corrupt since he was but fourteen years old”, he explained, letting a tongue glide over his lip “It gives him the ability to talk and communicate with the dead as well” he shook his head, knowing it only tore more and more of him the longer he stayed here in Athena, as there were many friends of his that had died here.  

Nathaniel nodded a little bit confused, but let Kieran present the warlock in front of him, which made well of course it made the talked about warlock turn around. He took Nathaniel's hand and started to shake it like crazy, reminding Nathaniel about the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland - if anything really, maybe perhaps all the figures that sat around the table doing the not birthday song. Well, he pushed those thoughts away, as Niall once again let go to tell Antionette that Sarah had left Rebekah's castle.

Antionette exhaled now just wondering why Sarah hadn't shown up here again after. She wanted to talk to her daughter, also knowing it could wait just a little bit longer for that till Sarah was ready to talk. Then she chuckled a little with Niall leaving chatting with someone who clearly was not on their plane level to see. Antionette had gotten used to it, and it wasn't the most insane thing she had seen over the years after all. Nathaniel however just stood still starring at the door narrowing his eyes a little bit. Once again Kieran was the Niall translator that Nathaniel needed to understand the situation. "O- okay," he placed the tea on the bedside table, then walked out again. Curious and somewhat followed the warlock Niall, mostly because he kept talking which couldn't really anything but lure Nathaniel closer to figure out what the hell was going on.

Antionette exhaled a little bit, "I feel like I've lost track of all time, I don't even know how long I've been away," to her it felt like eternity. Which also made her eyes tear a bit up, because when it came to it, no one liked being put in isolation or held away from everything and everyone.  

Kieran couldn’t hold back a small chuckle as he saw how confused the young warlock became and moved out of the room to follow the seemingly crazy Niall. He then walked over and poured in the tea for Antionette and walked over and sat down on the bedside and placed the cup by the small table that was beside the table. “over a month,” he said, knowing it was pretty blunt, but she deserved to know the truth “which is why I don’t think Sarah is coming back for a while, she reached out to be before you disappeared wanted to know a thing or two about how to rewrite the mate mark, if there was a way where you could make sure that er certain name was written on the collarbone” he breathed out and then looked at her “I sent her to my small coven in the mountain in Himalaya” he confessed giving her a small smile, hoping that if he talked about something else she would be more at ease, even though he would gladly listen to what she had to tell him about her capture at Rebekah, but he feared that he wouldn’t be able to help her with the matters of the mind and the psychological things that came with being imprisoned for such a long time, and what he could see from the damages done to her body also torture.
“Well, what I mean with it, is she might need the comfort of someone else if she decided not to go after your mother today”, he said with a smile; he wanted to ask if it was because of the fact that she had been brewing potions that would be able to stop Rebekah from taking people’s hearts.

Niall was standing in the kitchen humming some undefined tone as he made himself a cup of tea. “You know, kid, it isn’t very polite to stare a people like they are crazy, even if they act like it,” he said without looking up and with a snap of his wrist, he made a chair fly underneath Nathaniel so he would sit down on it and made it fly toward him. Only when the chair was placed beside him, he turned toward Nathaniel and look into the boy's eyes “so you are the newest kid that my mother is helping, hm?” he asked, then letting a brilliant smile form over his lips.

Over a bloody month, and sighed. A month wasn't long compared to how long she had already lived, but it was still rough the first few days or weeks after such an experience, even for older creatures who had learned to power through such experiences. Antionette pressed her brows together when he mentioned that Sarah had been reaching out to Kieran about the mate mark. Antionette had the resources to change the mark and give someone a new chance, but not to make sure it was a specific name that came up. And she had already used up to of her potions. One on Alexandra and one on her younger brother. Antionette had nothing against Kieran had helped Sarah, and sent her stubborn daughter to a place where she could get the guided help. "Yeah, can't say I blame her -" Closing her eyes for a moment. Just for one moment. Antionette hadn't done much to fight back, if she had there could have been a chance that her mother wouldn't have gotten a hold on her; would also have meant her mother would have been way more pissed than she already was. "The only person I've talked to in weeks has been Bentley, think he finally felt bad enough to let me out - not that he will ever confess that," she took a sharper breath in and shook her head a little bit.

Nathaniel opened his mouth almost as if he was about to say something, yet no words came out, and even so before he knew it a chair caught him and moved towards Niall. Nathaniel was a bit stoked but it only lasted for about a few seconds, before he made a small salute. "I guess I am," he nodded. Nick appeared looking at his friend then looking at Niall, crossing his arms a little bit with a sad expression forming on his face, "can you please remind him that his friend Nick is still looking after him, making sure he isn't a complete idiot?" he chuckled a little despite it was easy to see that the boy was sad about not being among his friends anymore. He wanted nothing more than to let them know that he was alright, at peace - after all he was watching over every single one of them every day.

He gave her a sad smile as she explained how she hadn’t talked to anyone but her brother. It pained him to know just what she had gone through, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out why she had taken the blame and not Sarah. And if he could figure it out, he was sure that Sarah had as well. The girl was brilliant, after all. And it would give them a better understanding of why she was behaving the way she was.
“It’s not that I don’t want to talk with you”, he said with a softer smile “, but I do think you should try to get some more rest; I’ll stay, and I promise that I’ll be here when you wake up again, however long that might be,” he said, before leaning down and placing a soft kiss against her forehead. As he rose, he managed to pull another smile but waited to get up from the bed until he was sure that she would sleep.

Niall let out an annoyed breath, not that he didn’t understand where Nick was coming from. “We talked about this; sometimes it can bring more harm than good” he looked over his shoulder looking at Nick, but as he saw the puppy face, he rolled his eyes; “next I know I’m haunting down that pretty little girl of yours” he whispered before turning to Nathaniel, letting out an exaggerated sigh as he leaned his head against his hand, having used a spell to have an invisible table holding his elbow. “Nick, yes, him, would like to let you know, that he is still looking after you –“ he looked over his shoulder “– even though I told him multiple times that he should pass over” he grunted and looked back at Nathaniel “and his making sure that you aren’t a complete idiot” he mumbled, now he was just waiting for the usual reaction, either denial, anger, or well, tears. Maybe just a stunned face; those were always good.

She took a sharper breath in, when he mentioned she really should indeed rest. Antionette knew she should, perhaps there was a slight fear that she hadn't really escaped that when she woke up - it would be the same all over again and that she only had made this little manifestation in her mind to be able to survive. She would have argued but remained silent as he kissed her forehead, and the witch exhaled a little bit as he rose. "Fine," she then tried to make herself comfortable, her eyes heavier than she had realized as she let them close. Not that she slept right away but she was willing to at least let herself rest and hopefully sleep would overtake her soon enough.

Nick took a sharper breath in, knowing this. Which was the reason why it had to be Nathaniel he talk to. "But you already told me it would do no good," he pointed out and crossed his arms. Nick had spent so many hours looking through Lara's window, standing on the outside looking in, knowing his soul couldn't possible find peace when he had seen how his death had affected her. Nathaniel looked at Niall more or less like he was insane, but it took the young warlock seconds till he realized that Niall was talking to the dead, only by the mention of Nick. It took him by surprise, which was clear, and his lips parted wanting to say something: Nathaniel always had something to say. Then he chuckled, "jokes on him, I'm always a complete idiot," he exhaled a little bit. Not really knowing what to say, far from, what did you say? "I'm so sorry for what happened," was everything he could even piece together, and Nick nodded a little. He knew this, "I know. No one is more sorry than I am," Nick whispered knowing it was only Niall who could hear him.

He sat there for a while observing Antionette; as her eyes closed, his smile disappeared. He leaned forward and let his hand find the top of her head, slowly caressing her over her hair until he was sure that she had fallen asleep; then, he got up with a small sigh and walked out of the room. After he closed the door (not all the way, a small sliver of light was still present), he stood there for a moment, wondering what to do with his time now. Should he try to contact Sarah? Or should he just sit in the kitchen with the boys? But something told him that right now, he wasn’t wanted.  
So, instead, he walked outside in Sarah’s garden—It still amazed him how she had managed to create so much life in this part of the forest. It was so clear to see that everything was made with magic, as it was like an oasis standing out against the older, darker trees circling the hut.
Then he walked over to a small bench cut in oak tree, sat down and closed his eyes, taking in the moment and what had transpired throughout the day.

Niall clicked his tongue; he didn’t like this being the voice of Nick. Now it was a dangerous thing to do, but it wasn’t out of his power to make a small tear in the veil and make Nick appear for Nathaniel, and it would take some of the pressure off of him. “Fine, but only this once”, he grumbled. Niall closed his eyes, his hands starting to dance together in a beautiful pattern. The longer he did it; a small light began to appear between his hands. The roots of his hair got darker, and then, with a movement of his hands as if he was cutting the air, something tore, and Nick would be visibly for Nathaniel. “I'll give you ten minutes”, he said, taking a sip of his tea.

There was nothing that could describe or prepare Nathaniel for the next thing happening, and he froze for a second. Just starring at Nick showing up before him. There was so many things he wanted to ask, to say, but all he could do was hug his friend. Wishing that Aurora was here, Iris, Roman - all the people who had lost Nick to this terrible event. Nathaniel and Nick talked, hard to figure out just what to say. Nick knew everything of the aftermath already. "Take of them, will ya?" Was the final words Nick said and Nathaniel nodded as a promise. "I promise," it was a heavy promise, but he wanted to make Nick some final peace of mind, then maybe he could find peace knowing he had gotten a few messages to Nathaniel that he could give out.

Once Nick again went away, Nathaniel exhaled heavily. Stumbling a little bit back not letting himself fully process nor deny what just had happened. It wasn't every day you had gotten to talk to a friend from the beyond. "Thank you," he cleared his throat a little bit, running his hand through is hair, scratching his back for a moment. He really wanted to call Iris, so he did. If not for her to come all the way out here, but more just to hear her voice, to perhaps calm him a little bit down. "I have to make a quick phone call," he excused himself for a moment taking a sharper breath in and pressed Iris' contact. "Hey -" Nathaniel blinked a silent set of tears out his eyes and shook his head a little.