The Boy King's Journey in TVD/TO As A Mikaelson

The hours following Mikael's return from the Other Side passed in tense silence. The chamber had been cleared of the creatures' corpses - twisted things that had tried to break through during the ritual - but their acrid scent lingered.

Henrik slept deeply, exhausted from maintaining the spell, while the others waited for their father to recover enough to speak.

Mikael sat in his chair near the hearth, still clutching Freya's tooth, his knuckles white with tension. Whatever he'd witnessed seemed to weigh heavily on him, aging him in ways his immortality usually prevented.

"Father," Rebekah finally broke the silence, her voice gentle but insistent. "You need to tell us what you saw. We can't help Freya if we don't know where to find her."

"Rebekah-" Elijah began, likely to suggest more patience, but she cut him off.

"No, we've waited long enough. Look at him, Elijah. Whatever he saw is eating at him, and we need to know."

"She's right," Klaus added softly. "Every moment we delay..."

Mikael's eyes remained fixed on the flames, but something in his posture shifted. When he finally spoke, his voice was rougher than usual, carefully controlled.

"Chenal-Iti," he said, the foreign name rolling off his tongue with practiced care. "She's in a place called Chenal-Iti, where three waters meet beneath an ancient cypress tree. The Tahanawi people guard these waters, though they know nothing of Dahlia's presence."

"Tell us more about these people," Elijah prompted, ever focused on gathering information.

"They're different from any tribes we've encountered," Mikael continued. "Their magic is tied to the land itself, to the waters. Freya said..." he hesitated, choosing his words carefully, "she said their power cannot be dominated, only understood. That even Dahlia must bow to its ancient laws."

"Ancient laws?" Kol leaned forward, his scholarly interest piqued. "What kind of laws?"

"She didn't specify. Only that the place where the waters meet holds power older than anything we know. That forcing our way through could have... consequences."

Vali scoffed from his position by the window, drawing everyone's attention. "If power doesn't get you what you want," he said coldly, "you simply don't have enough of it." His black eyes gleamed with dangerous certainty.

"These Tahanawi, their ancient laws, their precious waters - they're just another obstacle to be overcome."

"Brother," Klaus started, "I may not know much, but if even Dahlia who mother feared so much must respect their power-"

"Dahlia is a coward who hides behind tricks and curses. She is a thief, a parasite who feeds off of an innocent girl," Vali cut him off, referring to Freya. "I am something else entirely." The mark pulsed on his arm, but his confidence seemed to stem from somewhere deeper.

"Let them try to stop us. Let them call upon whatever ancient power they worship. I've faced beings called gods and monsters, walked through death's domain itself. I fear nothing." The Knight of Hell stated, referring to his short journey through the Other Side.

"This isn't about fear," Mikael interjected, something in his voice making even Vali pause. "Freya warned specifically about this kind of thinking. The waters there... they're different. They judge-"

"Then let them judge," Vali's smile was sharp as a blade, "I've never met anything I couldn't break if it stood in my way. These waters, these people, their supposed ancient power - they're nothing but steps beneath my feet."

He will not entertain any bit of doubt. For it is this very mentality, the very convincing of his body that it is stronger than anything he'll ever face, that is the source of his never-ending victories.

Elijah exchanged glances with Klaus, both recognizing the dangerous edge in their brother's voice. But before either could speak, Tatia stepped forward from her quiet position near the door.

"Perhaps," she suggested carefully, "there's wisdom in learning more about what we face before deciding how to face it."

Kol, who had been unusually quiet, suddenly straightened in his chair, the Travelers' grimoire open in his lap. "Wait," he said, his scholarly interest evident. "There's something here about the Tahanawi people."

The others turned to him as his fingers traced the ancient text. "According to this, they worship a being named Gadreel - the Wall of God. A fallen angel who chose exile in the waters rather than imprisonment in Hell."

"A fallen angel?" Klaus asked, his eyes now incredibly wary.

"The text says he guards the convergence points where different waters meet," Kol continued reading, his expression growing more serious. "He maintains ancient barriers between worlds. Even other angels apparently avoid his domain."

"Why?" Elijah prompted.

"The waters there are different," Kol replied, still studying the grimoire. "They judge those who enter. The Travelers themselves avoided direct contact, which is why there's so little information. But they mention something interesting - time itself behaves differently where the waters meet."

"An exiled angel hiding in water," Vali's voice carried a note of dark amusement. "How fitting that we'll have to go through him to reach Freya. Very well then," Vali states as he claps his hands,

"We know all we need to know now. They have something that belongs to us. We go and kill them. And that is all there will be to it. Everything else-" the Mark bearer looks towards Elijah who opens his mouth in protest, "-is irrelevant."

"Still, an angel is what we are possibly going to face," Finn spoke for the first time, moving closer to read over Kol's shoulder. "And that complicates matters significantly."

"Does it?" Vali's tone remained dismissive. "Fallen or not, he's just another being standing between us and our sister."

"The grimoire specifically warns about challenging him," Kol insisted, turning a page carefully. "Listen to this: 'The waters of Gadreel's domain flow with judgment itself. Those who enter his waters face not just physical trials, but judgments of the soul. Many who ventured there were never seen again.'"

"Brother," Elijah hearing Kol's words interjects, seeing the retort appear on Vali's face, "perhaps we should consider-"

"Consider what?" Vali cut him off. "A more cautious approach? More planning? More waiting while our sister remains Dahlia's prisoner?" His black eyes swept over his siblings. "No. We've waited long enough."

"Then what do you suggest?" Klaus asked, though his tone suggested he already knew the answer.

"We leave at dawn," Vali stated, brooking no argument. "Rebekah and Henrik will remain here with the de Martels and Lucien. The rest of us head south to Chenal-Iti."

"You can't just-" Rebekah began to protest.

"I can and I will," Vali's voice carried absolute authority. "The castle needs protection in our absence. The scholars' deaths won't go unnoticed forever, and the de Martels require... supervision."

"Ever the paranoid one," Niklaus mutters towards his brothers' still distrust towards Aurora and Tristan, despite their reverence towards him.

"Besides," Vali continued, ignoring his younger brother's words, as if he didn't even hear them, his tone softening slightly as he looked at Henrik, who had woken from their discussion, protest on his tongue, "your magic is still developing, little brother. This journey... it's not for those still learning their strengths."

Henrik opened his mouth to protest but seemed to think better of it. The memory of the creatures they'd fought during the ritual was still fresh - twisted things that had tried to break through from the Other Side.

"That is all well and all, but no one still has said anything about what we'll do regarding the angel," Kol asked, still studying the grimoire. "Do we confront him or try to avoid him as much as possible?"

Everyone hearing Kol's question turns towards Vali, for they all know what they prefer. Vali was silent for a moment until he sighed, turning his gaze once more out the window, "If avoiding him is a possibility, then we'll do so. But I sincerely doubt it."

"Meaning? How will you deal with him if we do confront him?" Finn questions, causing everyone to turn to him in surprise.

"What? I know we all prefer that Vali doesn't go in sword drawn like always, but avoiding the topic, is not the best way to go about this. So, little brother, how will you deal with the might of a fallen angel? One who apparently has authority over time itself."

"I'm glad you asked, Finn," Vali began with a vicious grin on his face, "It is quite simple really. Be it time, judgment, divine power," Vali listed each with growing anticipation rather than concern. "All are just different forms of strength to be tested against. And as I said earlier, I have yet to meet anything I couldn't break if it stood in my way."

At their growing skepticism towards the simplicity of his words, he rolled his eyes, "Have you all forgotten that my soul is immortal? Unbreakable? Even death itself cannot claim me - you've all seen this truth. No angel, fallen or divine, can match what I am."

He stepped forward, his presence seeming to fill the chamber. "I am immortal in ways even we as Original vampires are not. My soul cannot be destroyed, cannot be dominated. This isn't pride speaking - it's simply truth. A truth none here can deny."

The mark pulsed on his arm, but again, it seemed to be responding to his will rather than driving it. His certainty was absolute, born of countless victories and an unshakeable belief in his own supremacy.

"Dawn then," Elijah concluded, recognizing there would be no more elaboration from Vali, though deep down knowing his brother enough, that this is but the surface, for Vali trusts no one with his true plan, not even them.

"We should prepare." he continues as he turns and walks away.

As the others began to file out as well, Rebekah caught Vali's arm. "Brother," she said softly, "promise me something."

"What?"

"Bring them home," her voice carried all the emotion she'd been holding back. "All of them."

For a moment, something softened in Vali's expression as he turned and cupped Rebekah's face, kissing her forehead. "Keep our home safe, little sister. We'll return with the one we lost."

With that, he was gone, leaving Rebekah and Henrik to watch as their family prepared once again to face the unknown.

Though, despite her earlier words, Rebekah still stood by the window, her reflection showing the conflict in her eyes. She would obey - they all knew she would - but the cost of that obedience was written clearly on her face.

They had their roles now. They had their purpose.

And Vali, as always, had his way.

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(Author note: Hello everyone! Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! 

Do tell me how you found it? 

Are you interested in the next arc? 

"The Freya retrieval mission"

Let's call it that.

So yeah, do please comment and review, and I hope to see you all later,

Bye!)