these iron bars can't hold my soul

If possible, Hazel smiled even more when Henrik slid the ring onto her finger. Maybe it was too son, maybe it wasn’t, but Hazel felt like she had known Henrik her entire life. She lost count of how many times he saved her life or she saved his. The young witch had said before that a lot more than magic had connected them and she still believed in that. Linked or not, Henrik was a huge part of her and she had never felt so happy. It was as if her life was finally starting. She laughed when Henrik spinned her around and smiled down at him. “You were certain I would say yes, huh?” She laughed. Her heart was nearly bursting through her chest with happiness. “I’ll go anywhere with you.” For a long time Hazel didn’t have a home, but now she did. 

“I wasn’t certain. I was just hopeful. Hopeful you wouldn’t die and hopeful you would say yes.” He grinned, pressing his forehead against hers. He paused, closing his eyes as he breathed her in. His grip squeezed at her hips, like he was just wanting to feel her, let himself have a moment to breathe and let his mind catch up with his heart. “I was hoping so.” Henrik smiled, catching her lips before he gently placed her down on her feet again. “We better get out of here before anyone catches up with us, though.” Offering out his hand, he gestured in the direction of the car with the other. “First day of the rest of our lives, huh? I’m in.” 

@marcelgerardx

It was surprising to Hazel that they had come this far, that she had actually completed the spell she needed to and that Henrik was the one to help her. It seemed like all the rage she carried around with her since she was 16 was gone. Hazel could finally focus on being happy with the mna in front of her. She was out of words when Henrik started speaking again. Maybe for the first time since they started dancing around each other and what they wanted, Hazel had nothing to say. She could hear her heart beating loudly against her ears at every word that came out of Henrik’s lips, laughing softly at along with him. But it was definitely what he did next that made her mind go completely blank. Hazel wasn’t expecting that. And how could she? They had just done the most dangerous thing she could think of and were now standing outside of a nearly destroyed cemetery. None of it mattered though. The only thing that mattered was Henrik. Hazel finally felt whole now that she was linked to Henrik again and her coven was gone. So when he asked the question there was nothing holding her back from what she really wanted. “Yes.” She answered, amiling brightly at Henrik. “A thousand times yes. There’s no one else I want to spend my life with. I’ll go anywhere with you.”

If it was at all possible, the second he popped the question his heart beat even faster. Through the adrenalin there was a spark of nerves, maybe she would say no? What if it was too soon? He obviously didn’t think so, after everything they had been through he believed it was their time to be happy. Fuck, they deserved it. Henrik released the breath he hadn’t even realised had gotten trapped in his lungs when he heard her say yes. With a pair of shaky hands, he took the ring from the box and slid it onto her finger, grinning at how perfectly it fit. He lifted up, arms around her, just under her ass to lift her up with him and spin her around before he settled her legs around his waist. “I was hoping you’d say that. I already packed some things and our passports.” He had come prepared and hopeful for a happy ending. “How about we just hit the road, huh? Go anywhere, live a little?” Henrik slid her a little further own his body so he could capture her lips with his. 

It was a relief once they were finally out of the cemetery. Hazel could barely believe it had worked. Her ancestors link to the living was finally gone, they were gone. No more fear of dying and being torn apart by the spirit of dead witches. The witch laughed when Henrik started talking again and she couldn’t stop, she was too happy. “No more life and death spells. I promise.” She grinned against his lips. As if she wouldn’t jump on a life and death situation if she had to. “I did it? You did it. You found a loophole, you saved my life again. You went against every single witch and grimoire that said I was going to die. I’m alive because of you.” Hazel said, a huge smile on her face. She had been so ready to die, but she couldn’t be happier to be alive with the man she loved. They watched as slowly the cemetery stopped shaking and everything was silent as if nothing had happened. Hazel turned to Henrik and her happiness was clear in her blue eyes. “It’s over. It’s finally over.” She threw her arms around Henrik’s neck, pressing her lips to his. And even during the kiss, Hazel couldn’t stop smiling.

Henrik’s heart was still slamming against his chest. He was certain if they stood still long enough they would both heart it. “I’m gonna hold you to that, H.” He warned her, though a grin was across his lips because... Fuck. They did it. They actually pulled it off and she didn’t die. “Let’s get one thing clear, okay?” Taking her face in his hands. “I will always find a loophole. To save your life I will make every impossible situation, possible. I mean it, I won’t lose you.” Henrik swallowed the lump in his throat. “And I have some things to say about that. Firstly, I want to see the world, because... Well, I’ve never had a chance, and I want you to come with me.” He paused, to give her a chance to digest. “Secondly, I love you. You amazing, incredible, jaw-dropping, dick hardening little shit.” He was sporting a shit-eating grin and a laugh dripped from his lips. He was excited, adrenalin coursing through his veins. “And thirdly...” With a breath, he let her go and took a step back, pulling a little box out of his jacket and dropping down on one knee and opening it up to display a sparkling diamond ring. “After everything we’ve been through. You gave me back my life, I gave you yours and somehow we got caught up in saving each other from one drama or another and this? This I swear, this is the finale. You did your spell, you’re still alive and I’m still here. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Hazel Prince. Marry me? Marry me and come with me to see the world we’ve been missing out on?”

The ancestral plane was disappearing, the stones were turning to dust, the witches were being sucked away by an unknow force, and Hazel stood in the middle of all of it. She could feel the warmth in the pendant, she knew Henrik was trying to save her, but the pull was becoming stronger and if he didn’t hurry Hazel would be gone for good. Her hope was nearly gone when she was suddenly back to her body, sitting up with the force of her return, gasping for air. She looked around widly, smiling brightly when she saw Henrik. She was alive. “You did it.” She laughed happily, but before she could properly thank him, a stone falling from the ceiling reminded her that they had to get out. “The spell is going to get worse. We need to go.” She said as she stood up, holding Henrik’s hand in hers and pulling him out of her family’s crypt.

“Jesus.” He could literally feel the relief flood his veins when she took a gasp of breath. The fact that they would probably be crushed to death if they stayed still was the only thing stopping him from taking a breath and checking her over. Henrik clasped his hand around hers and started running with her, dodging the tumbling tombs and cracks in the ground until finally, they were out of the cemetery. He hadn’t even stopped to catch his breath and he’d already pulled her into his arms. “You’re never, ever, ever,” he paused, leaning back to cup her cheeks. “Ever doing anything like that again. Ever. I thought I lost you for a second and it was the longest second of my life. It’s all daisy chains and reviving flowers from now on, okay?” He chuckled, breathlessly, dipping down to crush his lips against hers. “You did it, H.” Henrik mumbled, smiling as he looked at her, glancing over at the chaos that was almost subsiding now. “I bloody well mean it, though, never again.” He slung a protective arm around her as he watched the cemetery continue to shake. 

As soon as the pendant begun to glow, Hazel started running. She knw her body was at her family’s crypt, but with everything falling away around her it was hard to find it. Crypts were crumbling down, the floor was opening, the spirit of the witches were being dragged away and she could already feel the pull trying to take her with it. The only thing still holding her in place was Henrik’s link to her. It wasn’t as if Hazel wasn’t ready to die, this time she was. But Henrik’s burning desire to bring her back made her want to come back, made her want to live. She was so young, she hadn’t lived at all, and she had finally found some happiness in her life. Hazel had friends that were like family and would suffer without her. How selfish she had been to think about giving up. The thought of the people she loved made her run faster, glancing at the pendant to know when it would light up. The pull was becoming stronger and she ran for her life. It seemed like she would never find the right place, but then the pendant started to glow brighter than before the more she got close to where her body should be. It glowed so much to the point where it lighted up the darkness around her. “I’m here. Please bring me home.” She whispered, even though she knew Henrik couldn’t listen.

Henrik clutched her hand and the pendant with the other, chanting the spell with more gravel in his voice after every repetition. He was doing his part, in spite of being hit on the head with gravel and the tomb that was literally crashing around them, he wouldn’t give in. There was a magical relief when the pendant burned his palm and he dropped it. He knew she was close enough and so, he did the spell to return her spirit to her body. Henrik squeezed her palm tighter, just as he was trying to shield her body from the falling rocks. He couldn’t break the spell at this point but in his mind, he was screaming, yelling at her to come back to him.

As the spell came to an end, the shaking around the cemetery grew worse and she knew the actual cemetery in New Orleans was shaking just as much. Hazel watched her ancestors get sucked into the darkness, watched the whole place fall apart around her. Even after she stopped chanting, the spell was still working as she knew it would. Watching that world fall apart, taking so many witches who did so many bad things made her feel great and she knew that if Henrik couldn’t pull her back and she died, she would die happy. The good witches that were also trapped in the ancestors plane would finally find peace among other witches, no longer stuck in that place. It would all be over. There was nothing else Hazel could do in that place and all she could hope in that moment was that Henrik would pull her back. Hazel closed her hand around the pendant he gave her, waiting for it to guide her home. “Come on.” She whispered, before glancing at the world falling apart around her.

His pacing started back up, right until the ground under his feet began to shake. He spun around at the small glass objects falling inside the crypt, some small stones shattering from the roof and crashing against the floor made him anxious. This whole thing had the potential to come crashing down on them. How fucking poetic would that be, for them to be buried under the rubble of her dead family. “Shit. Shit.” He pushed himself to breathe out and he rolled his shoulders as he closed his eyes and focused. There was a sigh of relief that slipped from his lips and it wasn’t because they were in the clear, but because Hazel had stopped pulling from his magic which meant, she had either completed the spell or failed. Judging by the way the earth was shaking though, he was going with completed. Now, he only hoped she could run fast enough to get close enough to her body for him to bring her soul back into her body. “Come on, H, run for your life.” He breathed, taking her hand in his once more, he held his own pendant and began the spell that would light hers up, it would grow brighter the closer she got and once it burned started to burn his palm, he would know she was near enough for him to bring her back into her body. Too much could go wrong if he tried it when she was too far away. The panic was seriously setting in his bones now. If she wasn’t fast enough, there would be absolutely no way he could pull this off. 

Luckily for Hazel, New Orleans witches woke up in the cemetery when they died. She woke up in the place she had to be for the spell to work, but she had to find the right spot. It wasn’t hard, she just had to run towards the far end of the cemetery, but the problem was all the other witches that wanted her gone. It didn’t take long until they found her. They might not know what she was planning, but they definitely wanted her destroyed either way. This time she was prepared though, she learned ways to defend herself even after death. It wouldn’t be helpful if she really died and wanted to protect herself, but it was enough to keep the witches at bay while she performed the spell. As the witches started to chant the spell to destroy her soul, Hazel started to chant the spell that would protect her. Being linked to Henrik, even if she was dead and he was alive, also gave her an advantage. Still Hazel was more than surprised when the spell worked and the crownd of witches that had been surrounding her disappeared.

Knowing she didn’t have much time left before they returned, Hazel ran towards the spot where she had to be. The young witch didn’t waste time and started to performe the spell she knew by heart at that point. All the dark magic she used for months came back to the surface and she suddenly felt more powerful than ever. She could finally destroy them once and for all. Years of her coven and her ancestors wanting to kill her, rip her apart, the sacrifices, the murders, the punishments, it only fed her magic and gave her more determination. Her ancestors returned, but they couldn’t do anything anymore as the place around them started to shake with the power of her spell. The struggle she had to endure since she was 16 was finally coming to an end. One by one her ancestors disappeared into oblivion.

Henrik only let go of her hand so he could begin pacing up and down the crypt. It was difficult to fully focus when all he could think about was what could be happening to her. What if the witches got to her? What if they overpowered her? What if he wasn’t quick enough or strong enough to pull her back? It felt like hours rather than minutes before he finally halted his steps and turned to face her body. He could feel his magic being used and he knew she was where she needed to be. She had begun her spell. Henrik was sure all the dark magic aided her greatly just as he was sure their link helped his magic aid her too. He pulled out a stone from his pocket and muttered an activation. It was a dark object fueled with a magical boost that would flow through him. He had to stay strong enough to do what he needed to pull her back. Just because she wouldn’t allow other witches to aid them didn’t mean he hadn’t taken his own precautions. His palm squeezed around the stone and he let out a worrisome, frustrated growl as he slammed his other palm against the tomb. “Come on, come on!” He wanted this to hurry up, the waiting, the wondering, it was fucking killing him. Henrik could still feel her, which was literally the only thing stopping him from ending this right now and pulling her back whether she was finished or not. It was safe to say, once she was back, he would never let her do anything like this to him ever again. The paranoia was still at the forefront of his mind, it only took one witch to jump her and it was game over. 

The feeling of being connected to Henrik again was a relief. When Henrik broke their link while he was hexed it was like a part of her had been ripped away. It hurt at first and it didn’t feel right. With their link back Hazel couldn’t help but smile at him. “It really feels good.” Not only she felt more powerful than before, but she also felt whole. Hazel gave herself a second to enjoy that feeling before she started to get ready for the spell. With a sigh, Hazel let go of Henrik’s hands, grabbing a vial with a liquid. “I have to drink this. It’ll slow my heartbeat and I’ll essencially be dead. It’s the only way to be in the ancestral plane. You’ll be the only thing linking me to this side.” She said. “Once the spell is over you’ll know. This whole place will be shaking. That’s when you pull me back. I’ll try to run before I’m sucked away with the rest.” Hazel explained the plan, even though she knew Henrik already knew what she had to do. And hated it. “I’ll see you soon.” She forced a smile before opening the small vial and drinking the liquid inside. As quickly as she thought it would, Hazel started to feel the effects of the poison running through her body. She held onto Henrik feeling her life drift away for a third time.

Henrik felt useless at this point, having to stay behind and let her do the spell on her own wasn’t what he wanted. But it was needed because it was the only way to bring her back. It didn’t make him feel any less worry, especially when his eyes landed on the bottle she held up. He only nodded silently and resisted the urge to slap it out her grasp and tell her no. If only that would work, it would only piss her off. She was determined and if he didn’t support her right now, she would do it without him and he’d never see her again. “You better run like Forest bloody Gump, Prince.” He warned in his lame ass joke. Still, he felt his heart sink when she downed the liquid. Henrik pulled his arms around her and scooped her up when she fell into a slumber, gently resting her body on top of one of the tombs. “Fuck.” He muttered under his breath, clasping both hands around one of her own. All he could do now was try and focus on the signs, feel what she could feel. He would know if she got hurt, just as he hoped he would know if she was in dire trouble, either way, he’d start the spell to pull her spirit back. His palms were shaking and there was a sheen of sweat on his forehead like he was finally letting his worry come on display. 

Hazel couldn’t help the tears that formed in her eyes. For months the possibility of death wasn’t something that bothered her, the dark magic helped numbing her and none of it bothered Hazel. But now there was no dark magic numbing her from the possibility of actually dying and never seeing the people she loved again. If things went wrong, she would be gone along with her ancestors and there would be no turning back. Hazel knew she wasn’t exactly joking when he said he’d stop his heart again. She would do the same for him. “I’ve always known it wasn’t just the spell that linked us.” She scoffed. “We will be together. But we will do this here. You won’t have to stop your heart for me. You can bring me back.” And Hazel would go to hell and back to stop him from sacrificing himself to be with her. She wouldn’t cause his death. Taking a deep breath, Hazel started to chant the spell that would link them again. The warmth between their hands was sign that the spell was working.

Henrik paused just to look at her. Study her. He smiled and nodded slowly. It was always more than the link that bound them. He knew it from the start, he’d just been a fool for too long. Denied her too long. They would never, ever be apart again, he was certain. Had to be certain. The alternative was not an option. The tingle of warmth spread through their fingertips and up their arms, until he could finally feel it in his heart and the completion made him feel flushed, but so connected. “Alright, so I forgot how good this felt.” To be magically connected to her, to feel her when she was this close to him.

Being in the cemetery brought back bad memories for both of them. Hazel couldn’t even imagine how Henrik should hate that place. But in a weird way, that place was her home. That’s where she felt more powerful, more connected to who she really was. She didn’t need that anymore though, she didn’t need a place filled with dead bodies to feel home. Hazel had Henrik now. She smiled when he kissed her, looking into his eyes after. “We got this.” Hazel nodded. While he spoke, she listened quietly, but her mind was running through so many different scenarios of what could possibly go wrong. Dying didn’t scare her though, she had done that before, but never seeing Henrik again… That was the scary part. Death she could handle, having her soul being torn apart she could handle. Not seeing him again she couldn’t. Hazel looked down at the pendante before looking back towards Henrik. “I’ll remember that. And I’ll be back. This is going to work.” She said, her smile faltering. “I love you.” If that was the last time he was going to see her with life, Hazel needed to say those three words at least one last time.

“Yeah, it is.” He nodded. He was trying to assure her as much as he was himself. He was nervous though, he had wanted a couple other witches with them, to aid him, to aid her, but he knew Hazel wouldn’t allow it. So now, her not staying dead was on his shoulders. No big deal, he’d pulled her back before. Oh, wait, he had Freya to help him, something he didn’t have this time. “I love you too, H. But don’t say it like that.” Henrik narrowed his eyes, bringing her hands up to his lips, he pressed a kiss to each one. “Don’t say it like this is a goodbye. It’s not. If something goes wrong, I’ll feel it. I’ll pull you back.” Even if she hadn’t completed the spell, the second he felt like she was in too much danger, he would absolutely pull her back to him. “And if that doesn’t work then... I’ve stopped my heart for you before, I’ll do it again.” He smirked, attempting a joke, although he was completely serious. “I will not be without you, okay? Not now. I don’t care where it is we reside, if it’s with you, I don’t care. I got you, H. I will bring you back to me.” He was certain, he had to be. There was very little that was more important to him than keeping her by his side. He wouldn’t fail her. “Okay, let’s go, gorgeous.” Sucking in a breath, he closed his eyes and continued to hold her hands. They both knew what to chant to link them in the way that was needed, so he began and he knew she would follow. 

It was weird to be in New Orleans knowing what she was about to do. If witches, or ghosts, could read minds, Hazel was sure she wouldn’t be able to take another step towards the cemetery where she had to performe the spell. Her whole plan had changed in a matter of weeks. At first she was going to do it alone. She knew she was going to die and that there was no coming back from that and in a way Hazel was okay with it. Now she had company. Henrik found the loophole he had been looking for, he found a way to save her life. Ironically it was a simple spell of linking their lives together, one much similar to what her ancestors did to them, that was the key to save her life. It had been right in front of them the whole time.

Now they were in the cemetery and Hazel was ready to sacrifice her life if needed to put an end to the terror her ancestors created in her coven. Many witches would be pissed, she knew that and they already had a plan if it happened. But many more would be relieved. They were in her family crypt, all the things for the spell lying in front of them, all ready for it to begin. Hazel would have to go the other side and she only hoped Henrik would be able to pull her back. They would have to quickly link themselves back together and then it was showtime. She looked at him, determination written all over her face. “Ready?”

@henrik-mikaelson

To say he hated this entire plan was an understatement. If it was upto him, Hazel wouldn’t go near a sharp edge, let alone a spell in which she actually had to die to complete. He did know his girlfriend well enough, though, to know that she would do this in spite of his protests and so this was much better. This way, she had him there and she wasn’t alone. After weeks of racking his own brain, he couldn’t believe the loophole he had been searching for was so simple. They relinked themselves, like they used to be but obviously, with a few little tweaks this time. Linked through magic and temporarily, life force, so when Hazel had unlinked the ancestors, Henrik could pull her back to life. There was no telling what kind of toll such a spell would take on him but he didn’t care, he would not accept losing her, not now they had a chance at real happiness. 

He was on edge ever since he entered the cemetery, given his motherly interaction the last time, paired with everything they were about to do. “Mm.” He mumbled as he glanced around. “Yeah. Yes. I’m ready.” Henrik held his hands out for her to take and once she did, rather than starting the chant, he tugged her into him and caught her lips with his. It was a light, sweet kiss that had him smiling against her. “Mikaelson and a harvest girl, huh? We got this.” He assured her, figuring she maybe needed a little vote of confidence. The days of talking her out of this were gone, all he could do now was support her. “Just remember, whatever happens to you over there will happen to me, so don’t get knocked out because I need to be awake to pull you back.” He wasn’t panicking, per say, he was just worrying. So many things could go wrong and he hated that he couldn’t go with her. Henrik pulled the pendant from his pocket and gently put it around her neck. “This will guide you home to me, the brighter it gets, the closer you are.”

Laying in bed was enough to rob him of his energy but the curse had been slowly dwindling him down to nothing. He sat up with assistance because otherwise he didn’t think he could do it right now.  Did they actually find a cure? He was beginning to think there wasn’t one. He didn’t give up so easily but even Logan knew when to call it. He coughed on the liquid at first before he was able to swallow it down. It felt like it warmed everything on the way down as it would slowly start to work its magic. Logan could only describe it as a weight being lifted. It’d take a bit for it to fully work and for him to regain his strength, but the fact he could tell it was working was more than enough for now. “Thanks,” Logan told Henrik, his voice still hoarse from a lack of use but it had to be said. Henrik had saved his life. Not only did that alone mean a lot, but it meant something to the warlock that someone cared enough to help him in such a way.

Having already memorized the spell to go along with the brew, he chanted it once it had been ingested. Truthfully he was mildly sceptical about it, not knowing the specifics of the curse made it a challenge to find a cure strong enough. “You’re welcome.” Henrik narrowed his eyes like he was almost studying the fellow warlock. Judging by the way he was more alert with steadier breathing, it looked to be working. “Can you feel it working?” He thought to just ask, wanting that verbal confirmation as he patted Logan’s shoulder and created some space between them now he could sit up on his own. 

The curse had taken its toll until the point Logan had been bedridden. Slowly but surely after that he had started to waste away. His appetite was all but gone, and he was sure he was worrying Alia but no amount of will power got him up and moving. He was lost in his own head really while he slept. He wasn’t even sure sometimes if he’d even wake up. The slap was a jolt, but the cigarette to his skin made him react. Eyes opening wide for a moment before he slumped back against his pillow he glanced at Henrik. Through the fog in his head he knew who it was. Voice or not. 

“Good chap, good,” he saw him opening his eyes in response so Henrik shuffled his arm under him in order to force Logan into a sitting position. “Bloody hell, you weigh a tone.” He huffed, purposely shaking Logan so he was alert enough to drink. “Drink all of it or die, mate.” He wasn’t playing any games here, he held Logan in his upright position due to the arm he had around his back, and he forced the liquid to his lips, but he couldn’t force him to ingest it, that had to be on him.