012 —DAHLIA'S PROPOSAL

Flynn had been ordered by Klaus to stay with Davina whilst he had gone away to have a conversation with Mikael. The girl didn't seem all too friendly but Flynn didn't take it personally he had heard of the trauma she had gone through and knew that it must have been hard for her. In some ways they were much the same, both now orphaned, no family and not really anyone else to rely on but themselves. Flynn thinks if the circumstances were different they would make to be great friends but he had other concerning matters to think about.

He was currently leaning across a wall in an alley as they waited on Klaus' return.

"Do you think I should go check on Rapunzel?" He asked antsy, he hadn't heard from the girl as she of course didn't own a phone and he was worried about being separated from her as he didn't yet fully trust the Mikaelson's.

Davina sighed having heard Flynn speak about the girl for about an hour already. "Flynn, I'm sure she's fine. She's with Freya and the others."

"Okay but what if—"

Davina stopped him from thinking up a bunch of different scenarios in his head about what could happen to her. "You really love her don't you?" She said actually smiling at him.

"What?!" He gave her a ludicrous look. He scoffed. "No! I don't—LOVE?? I wouldn't even...we've only known each other for two days!! I don't...I don't even know what love is. I've never experienced love not even from a parent...what does it feel like?" He asked innocently as he rambled not wanting to believe that he could be capable of love.

Davina gave Flynn a grimace as she felt for him, even though her Mother was awful and tried to sacrifice her own daughter, she had loved her once upon a time and she also had friends she loved and she did have—had...Kol. "Um,well. Love is when you'd do anything for someone no matter the cost or sacrifice. When you don't even think when you see something that reminds them of you or you'd think they'd like and you buy it for them with no thought of anything in return or when you can't help but think about them every second of every day and the thought of something happening to them would feel like someone ripped out a piece of you as if you'd be nothing with them." She spoke solemnly, thinking of Kol and their love for each other.

Flynn nodded as he thought on her words and wondered if Rapunzel even felt the same way about him. However, before he could get anymore reassurance from Davina, Klaus makes a return as Davina pours salt onto the ground in the shape of a sigil, as she sets up one of her spells.

Davina sighs. "This is it—one last favour, and if you don't give me his share, I swear, I will—"

"Davina, whatever you may think of me, I am a man of my word." Klaus promises her as he steps forward.

"Actually, he's a liar, a beast, and a degenerate, but in this exceptional instance, he may be of some use." Mikael added as he appeared in the alley walking towards them. Davina and Flynn both look to each other in confusion as Davina stands and moves in front of Flynn, she assumed Mikael would of been long gone by now.

Klaus sighed in annoyance. "Oh good, you're back."

"Dahlia's minion remains within St. Anne's Church." He said as if it explained his sudden appearance.

"Clearly it's a trap." Klaus argued.

Mikael sighed exasperated. "Of course it's a trap! And how good is it that we bring surprises if our own?" He smirked at Klaus who had a hint of a smile, he did love a good fight.

"Wait. So you two are friends now?" Davina asked feeling like she somehow missed a few steps.

"Absolutely not!" Klaus denied. "We merely aligned out of necessity for the purpose we both enjoy the most." Klaus detailed before pausing and looking towards his Father. "Glorious murder." Davina rolled her eyes and Flynn shuffled back slightly feeling a little inferior compared to the witch and two murderous vampires that stood before him, he was definitely in over his head, he just hoped this was all worth it and that Rapunzel was doing better than he was in his current situation.

"In fact, you'll be helping. Both of you."

Flynn shook his head in confusion as he tried to think why Klaus would need his help. "M-my help? But I can't do anything, I'm not you know a vampire or a witch I'm just human."

Klaus grinned down at him. "Precisely. Besides I already have a witch, I am a vampire and what I need from you is a distraction. Dahlia is Rapunzel's Mother is she not? So, I need you to distract her for me."

"She kind of threatened me earlier and well I don't have what she wants so if she sees me I feel like she'll want to kill me." Flynn said scratching his head not really wanting to face up with Dahlia.

"Good, we can work with that." Mikael spoke causing Klaus to think on it.

"Sorry—what?! No I very much like my body in one piece. Alive!" Flynn huffed not happy with the fact that they were willing to bargain with his life.

"Not to worry, Davina here is well practiced in protection spells, she'll make sure your body is kept in tack more or less." Klaus teased the boy as he turned away before Davina spoke to Mikael.

"You said you needed a binding spell." She said directing her gaze at Mikael not understanding why they would need one.

"And here, my lovely little witch, is what you will bind." He tells her as he kneels down and reaches into his pocket taking out a small bag. "Soil from Dahlia's homeland, that which links her to this mortal coil. Along with Viking ash, that of her oppressors, the source of her immense hatred." He details as he reaches for the last item in his pocket. "And finally, blood of her so-called child, Rapunzel, the closest thing to love that miserable witch has ever known." He hands it to Davina who inspects it before setting it down with the others.

Flynn moves to sit infront of Mikael. "What do you mean "so called child"? Dahlia is Rapunzel's Mother?"Flynn asked him interested as he too had his suspicions but he didn't want to voice them to Rapunzel before as he didn't want to upset her. He also wondered where he had managed to get his hands on Rapunzel's blood but chalked it up to Klaus probably taking it when he knocked the both of them out a few hours prior. He definitely wanted to use her for her power before finding out her relation.

Mikael laughed sadistically. "That woman can't bear children even with the power she holds, it's why she took Freya in the first place. She made a deal with her sister Esther, my wife. She helped her with her magic in exchange for every firstborn Mikaelson. My guess is that Rapunzel belongs to one of my children." Flynn took a minute to take in what Mikael had just revealed to him, and it made sense why Dahlia was so invested in keeping Rapunzel a secret and not wanting her to leave.

"Freya." Klaus whispered as he too had been listening to what Mikael was saying. "If it's true and Rapunzel is Freya's daughter and Dahlia has been using her all this time then Dahlia is more powerful than we believed, she has been channeling both of them for 1000 years."

"Yes, but now she doesn't have either of them and all the sources of her power bound together form a weakness. So, what do you want me to do?" Davina asked wanting to get all of this over with.

"Simple. Bind those ingredients to a weapon." Klaus told Davina causing her to give him a look. "Well, am I supposed to go to the toy store and get a slingshot?" She said sarcastically.

Mikael sighed as he made a split second decision. He stood up as Davina followed his movement and picked a knife from his pocket. "Use this." He held a knife out for her to take.

Klaus scoffed. "You just wouldn't be you if you didn't have a knife would you?"

"Well, perhaps you can steal it later and dull it's blade with your "art". He joked as Klaus raised his eyebrows back at him.

Klaus walked back over to Davina. "Do us this favour, help us end this evil witch's reign...and I will live up to my end of our bargain. I swear it on my daughters life." He promised her, secretly wanting his brother back just as much as she did.

"I hope you know what you're doing." She warned him not wanting his plan to go sideways.

☆☆☆

Flynn walked nervously besides Klaus and Mikael. He looked up at the Church where she was supposedly residing.

"So the plan, you think it's going to work? What if she tries to kill me? I haven't done this kind of thing before I mean I steal things,  I don't lie to someone face who could literally snap my neck with her fingers." He ran his hand down his face. "Oh god, I'm going to die. She going to kill me, she'll know I'm lying as soon as I go through that door." He panicked as he thought of all the different scenarios in which Dahlia could gut him.

Klaus sighed as he stopped Flynn's movements. "Just breathe, it's going to be fine. For all she knows Rapunzel is still with you and not safe at the compound with the others. So, just go in there pretend you're giving in. You remember what you're going to say yes?" Klaus tried reassuring the boy.

Flynn nodded as he swallowed down his nerves. "That I was using her daughter this entire time, she finally gave me the necklace back." Flynn held it up. "And that I came to give up Rapunzel because I dont need her anymore."

"Good."

"And then you're coming in right? Because I really really don't fancy dying today." He said desperately not wanting to be alone with the woman for too long, she scared him.

"We're right behind you, you're gonna be fine." Klaus clapped him on the back as he pushed him forwards slightly in the direction of the entrance to the church.

Flynn gave the men one last nervous look before turning towards the door and giving himself a small pep talk about how he had it all under control.

He opened the doors of the church and cringed at the noise they made. His footsteps echoed in the silence as he walked up to the altar. Just when he thought that maybe Dahlia wasn't even there she suddenly appeared behind him.

"Well, look who it is." Dahlia hid her surprise at the sight of the boy. She was a little confused as to why he was here, but maybe he had already heard about Rapunzel being back in her possession.

"I came about your deal."

"Ah yes, what of it?" She asked him, wondering what he could possibly want with that deal as technically it was null and void now she had Rapunzel back.

"I have Rapunzel—." Dahlia's laugh shocked Flynn as he stopped mid-sentence. It was cute to think he could actually lie to her and get away with it.

"Oh darling, you think you can fool me?" She raised her eyebrows up at him and he suddenly felt really small compared to her, his hands started to sweat at the tone of her voice. "You have nothing, Rapunzel's not with you because shes where she's always meant to be, she's with me."

Flynn felt his heart threatening to rip from his chest at how hard it was beating, she must be lying. "W-what? No! She's with—" Flynn let out confused, he didn't understand what she was saying.

"Freya?" Dahlia guessed where he was going. "So you've both teamed up with them then? I really thought Klaus would of had your head but I guess I was wrong. Pity." She hummed and she looked down at the boy in disgust.

"But I? How?" He asked not understanding how she had managed to get her hands on Rapunzel.

"My family is quite predictable you see and so of course when they found out I had been channeling both Freya and Rapunzel this whole time they kicked them out to save themselves and it led me right to what I wanted and now all I need is that child." Dahlia explained.

"Where is she? What have you done to her?" Flynn demanded as Dahlia laughed again finding it hilarious as to how much he cares for her.

"She's fine, just taking a little nap until I get what I want, but you, you'll never see her ever again...unless you help me get what I want." She offered seeing how desperate he was to see her daughter, she could use that.

"Why would I help you?" He briefly looked towards the door praying that Klaus was soon going to make an appearance.

"If I had Hope, I wouldn't even need Freya or Rapunzel. Hope's a tribrid she will become the most powerful being anyone has ever seen and so I wouldn't even need Rapunzel's power anymore. You get me that baby, I'll give you back what you desire most." Dahlia lied, she knew even with Hope she would never let Rapunzel go again, she was her lifeline, her second chance at youth and she was never going to let that go. She had too much power but he didn't need to know that.

Flynn shook his head in disbelief. "You want me to make another deal with you?"

"This time, you'll get what you want." She finalised leaving her offer hanging in the air.

Flynn couldn't deny that he thought about it for a second not because he would want to ever give up Hope but because he needed to see Rapunzel again, he needed her to know how he felt and he needed her safe. Luckily before he could reply Klaus and Mikael took the opportunity to storm in.

"Well? What are you waiting for...you crone?" Klaus taunted her successfully pulling her attention away from Flynn.

"Now that you've arrived...not a thing." She raised her hands. "Let us begin." She said as people began crowding into the church, Flynn guessed that these people were her minions.

Mikael laughed. "We are well met. So be it. Are you ready?" He asked Klaus who turned to him grinning.

"I was born ready." Was all he replied before moving forward and attacking them.

Flynn quickly moved away and hid between the church benches, knowing that he was useless in a fight against these people. He peaked up over the bench he was hid between and watched as Klaus and Mikael took them down one by one.

"I should've warned you." She spoke as a couple of the people she had controlled started to use magic against Klaus and Mikael. "My acolytes are rather formidable. I gifted them with a fraction of my own power."

Mikael yells as one of them throws him into the air causing him to crash down against a couple of the church benches, the ones that happen to be where Flynn was hiding. Flynn groaned as he got knocked back a few feet.

"To help level the playing field." Dahlia threw Klaus back as he tried to advance on her causing him to crash to the floor as well.

Flynn coughed and let out a gasp as he tried to get up but felt a seering pain in the bottom of his stomach. He reached down and immediately pulled away as he left a piece of wood lodged into his abdomen. His breath quickened as he started to feel nauseous looking at the piece of wood sticking out of him, he thought he was going to throw up. He could faintly hear Klaus and Mikael fighting again in the background but he wasn't focused on that, he was more focused on the blood that was pouring out of his stomach.

He looked up as he heard Dahlia's slow applaud to Klaus' and Mikael's attempt at putting a stop to her minions.

"Quite the operatic performance." She praised. "Though that is the thing with these grand tragedies. In the end...all the heroes...die." She thrusted her hand forward giving both of the men aneurysms before knocking Klaus out and temporarily incapacitating Mikael.

They grunted as she continued to inflict pain onto them until they were on the floor unable to get back up. She chuckled and she slowly walked over in Flynn's direction, his breath caught in his throat as he heard her heels clicking as she got closer. He struggled to move himself as he tried to force his body up, he grunted as he stumbled clutching into the top of the bench. She smiled wickedly watching him try to create as much space as possible between them. He tried to get himself to stand but he lost his footing and fell back into the floor scrambling around for something he could use to defend himself, he ended up picking up Mikael's knife and held it in front of him as a petty form of defence as she lowered herself to his level.

She flicked the knife away and grabbed his face in her hand as the other grazed over his wound twisting the wood further. "I don't know what she sees in you, you're just a weak fragile human. What could you possibly offer her?" She asked as he cried out in pain.

Flynn used all his strength to look up at her as blood began to pour out of his mouth. "The one thing that you never could...Love." He said bitterly as he spat in her face.

Dahlia's face contorted in anger as she pushed him back harshly with the grip she had on his face. She wiped away the blood that he had managed to spit at her before she clenched her fist and raised it up at him. "You dare speak back to me!"

"Enough!" Freya yelled entering the church stopping Dahlia's assault on Flynn.

Dahlia turned and looked over at Freya before quickly looking back at Flynn. "Don't worry Darling, I'm not done with you yet." She cooed as he sighed slightly in relief as the pain had subsided a little. She let go of him not giving him a second glance as he crashed back onto the floor not having any strength to hold himself up.

"My Freya. You do realise that this so-called family of yours...is simply using you for your power." Dahlia tried to get into her head.

"No." Freya denied and she could of laughed at the irony. "You're the one who used me...who used my daughter for a thousand years." She spat as tears threatened to fall from her face. "No more."

"So be it!" Dahlia thrusted a hand forward magically chocking Freya. Mikael who was still on the floor had taken a chunk of wood and seized the opportunity as he lunged forward and stabbed Dahlia with it.

Freya fell to the floor as Mikael seethed. "Stay away from my daughter."

Elijah then flashed in and healed Klaus whilst Dahlia easily got back up pushing Mikael off of her. She grabbed the wood out of her stomach as Klaus -who was now fully healed- got up as well. He quickly looked over at Flynn to check that the boy was still breathing before focusing back on the woman.

"Don't you know...I'm too powerful to kill?" Elijah tried his luck as he moved forward to attack her but Dahlia simply pushed him back with her magic as Klaus grabbed Mikael's blade the one that Davina had spelled and launched towards Dahlia but as soon as he made contact she disappeared into thin air.

Klaus whipped his head around to find her but it seemed as though she had fled so instead he moved over to Flynn quickly feeding him his blood as he swiftly removed the wood lodged in his stomach. Flynn gave him a mummer of thanks not wanting to think how gross it was that he was currently ingesting blood before he sat back against a bench as he was still worn out, he just prayed that Rapunzel was okay and knew that as soon as they were out of this church he could go and find her again.

After a few minutes of all of them trying to recover Dahlia made another reappearance. "We all have weaknesses." She started as they all turned to face her.

"You came here, united, hoping to exploit mine." She continued as she reappeared across the room. "And in doing so, you lost the one thing that you could have used against me." She told them as she held out the knife that Davina had forged with magic.

"The weapon you created. Now rendered useless." She dropped the blade in the basin used for holy water and set it alight, the flames destroying their only weapon against her.

"No" Freya cried out trying to reach it but Elijah held her back.

Dahlia distinguished the fire. "Now that we've dispensed with that little trinket, perhaps we can focus on the issue at hand. After all, I seek only that which is owed to me, nothing more. Give me the child, and you all may live. Deny me, and, well...you've had a taste of my power. I can't imagine you hunger for more." She threatened them before disappearing once again.

AUTHOR'S NOTE :

lol whoops sorry it's so late I had no motivation to write recently and I'm currently focused on finishing college at the moment so that's why it's taken so long.
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