[6]

"Thank you, I'm sorry for how dreadful Mikael can be…Merlyn, I have a confession to make to you…one that compromises your betrothal to my precious daughter." Esther said to me as she moved closer to me.

'Yikes, what could it be?' I asked myself as I got a very bad feeling about what was coming.

"What…is it Esther?" I asked the woman as I guided her to sit down on the couch, a pained light shining in her eyes.

"When Mikael and I first were wed…we spent a year trying to conceive without any blessing.

I went to my older sister for aid…she confirmed my fears, that I was barren…she offered to help me but warned that it would come at a steep price, the first price was my firstborn child and the firstborn children of my children and their children.

Knowing the loss only a mother could feel, I made sure my daughter would never feel that same pain, by giving her my former affliction." Esther told me and tried leaning against me for support but I moved away from her.

"You're telling me for years you've filled your "precious daughter's heart" with the desire to be a mother her entire life all while knowing she could never bore a child!" I snarled at Esther who flinched back in fear as a cyclone of magical energy whipped up around me.

'This was definitely not in the show, I need to calm down before I wake Rebekah up.' I thought to myself as I took a deep breath in.

"I understand your anger…but you will never understand the bond between a mother and her child, we'll do anything to protect them…even if it means hurting them to save them from a greater pain later." Esther said to me and I snapped forward grabbing her by her throat and lifting her to her feet.

"You know nothing of what I know of those meant to protect us, hurting us!" I snarled and continued to tighten my grip on Esther's throat.

"Stop." I heard said behind me as Rebekah set her hand down on my shoulder making me throw Esther onto the couch who was left coughing and gasping for breath.

I rounded on Rebekah seeing her eyes filled with rage and tears, bloodshot and puffy.

"Please give mother and I a moment alone." Rebekah said to me and it wasn't a question her voice was soft but in no way weak or timid.

Releasing a sigh looking at Esther one last time, not feeling any regret that would normally feel towards harming a woman, as I grabbed one of Mikeal's legs and dragged him out of my home and towards town.

"Let me up Merlyn." Mikael said, making me drop his leg.

"Honestly, I thought you'd be out longer…Esther actually knocked your ass out." I replied to Mikael and offered him my hand.

Mikael looked up at me from his place on the ground with a speculative expression on his face.

"Do you not wish to visit justice upon me?" Mikael asked me, his voice filled with questioning.

"Hahaha, Mikael…if I wanted you dead you'd be dead already…we're going to be family soon enough, and I know you weren't yourself when you struck me down…as you put it." I replied to Mikeal as the man smirked and took my hand and I pulled him to his feet.

'Maybe I should be more pissed off at him but I can't bring myself to be, if it wasn't for Mikael's guidance…his tutelage, I don't know where'd I'd be now.' I thought to myself as Mikeal clapped me in a one armed hug.

"You are the son I've always wanted…Finn continues to be a disappointment, always clutching onto his mother's dress, Elijah too busy coddling that weak bastard Niklaus, Kol too deep into magic, Rebekah…is-" Mikael started ranting much calmer than he usually does.

"You're favorite…yes I know…she's the one with the most warrior spirit of the lot, Finn is a coward, Elijah is gentle…much better suited to be a sheep herder, Klaus is…being weakened by your wife but still tries to please you, that is his greatest weakness his love…his desire to please you." I replied to Mikeal with a raised eyebrow and a friendly smile, which caused Mikael to growl softly.

"Esther has been using her magic to weaken Niklaus…why?" Mikael asked sounding well and truly betrayed like nothing I'd ever heard from the man, not even when his former second in command buried a knife between his ribs.

'It makes sense…the man's deepest desire is to make his children strong.' I thought to myself.

"Mikael…truly, don't act like a mindless savage that only knows battle." I replied to the man a little smirk playing across my lips, as I looked at the man whose face went through multiple emotions.

"She still believes I know nothing of her affairs with that mongrel…" Mikael trailed off looking to me for some kind of guidance.

"You told me yourself that you've allowed it because you wanted her to have some form of comfort…you let your wife lay with another man, and know she weakens a child to hide her own indiscretions that you already know of…just as you know the reason You've always instinctively been harder on Klaus than the others. You can see it in him as plain as you see yourself in your other children and make no mistake Mikael Klaus is very much your child bastard or not." I replied to the man and saw him swallowing hard.

"We swore to each…that we'd make our children stronger and that we'd never lose another." Mikael said as we started walking side by side together.

"She's afraid that your hatred will overpower you and that you'll kill the boy…the boy that you love quite greatly but fail to show it. I count myself lucky that I was in the path of your blade and not Niklaus…the guilt would have killed you Mikael, try to deny your own weaknesses as you will but I don't believe a father loving his children is anything more than natural blood or no." I replied to Mikael who looked very lost as we walked.

"Don't patronize me Merlyn." Mikael finally said though there was no anger behind his reply merely reserved stubbornness.

"Haha." Both Mikael and I broke out into laughter together.

"I'll be setting off on my quest for ingredients soon, I hope to be tied to the family before then." I finally said to Mikael as we reached the perimeter fence of the village.

"We can perform the binding ceremony tomorrow and I'll prepare the dowry tonight, Rebekah's weight in gold and silver…plus your place in the family." Mikael replied to me as the village gates opened for him.

"Good, I'll see you on the morrow Mikael." I replied to the man and then teleported back outside of my home, taking a look through a window finding Rebekah and Esther talking and crying together while hugging.

'Mother's and their daughters…' I thought to myself as a small smile formed on my lips at seeing the two had come to some sort of peace between each other.