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FOUR
Elijah Mikaelson: The Man of the Hour

10th Century

The young man sighed, his oak brown eyes scanning the messy stable around him. When he'd been a mere thirteen winters, the proposal his father had put to him seemed more than incredible. He would be able to have a horse of his own, picked out by himself, and all he had to do was maintain the stable. After nine winters of cleaning up after the beauty, however, he felt like he'd received the bad end of the stick.

Holding the broom between his hands, he contemplated starting the daily routine. It seemed dull, it being such a nice day outside. He could mock sword fight with one of his brothers or take a ride on his horse, and yet, he found himself cleaning the stables and wasting precious sun rays. With a disgruntled groan, Elijah began to sweep the soiled hay.

A pair of arms suddenly found themselves around his waist, distracting him from the task he'd barely started. Startled, he dropped the broom and felt his body go ridged. The sound of a girlish giggle erupting from the individual caused him to sigh in relief. He would recognise that laugh anywhere – reminding him so much of wind chimes blowing gently in the breeze.

Chuckling, he shook his head. "You will be the death of me, Adie."

The petite girl laughed, releasing her grip enough for him to turn in her arms. Now facing the startling beauty that was Adriana Delphiniasdòttir, he smiled warmly down at her. Leaning down, he wrapped his arms around her waist and picked her up. She laughed again as he spun her around, allowing her to wrap her legs around his waist and cling to him desperately.

"Don't drop me, Elijah!" she squealed, digging her nails into his back. He winced slightly, still grinning as he slowed to a stop and let her clamber down. She grinned up at him wildly, her big blue orbs desperate for any kind of adventure. He knew the look well – having known her personally since she and her family had moved to the new world two seasons ago.

"May I presume, Adie, that you are here to aid me in sweeping this mess?" he asked, teasing her slightly. She pouted, the excited look fading from her face quickly. With a discreet sigh, she leant down and picked up the boom he'd dropped. He watched, bemused as she tried to size up to the broom, the handle being at least a few inches taller than her.

He'd always found her small size entertaining – mostly due to the amusing way she set about to conquer everything in her path. Elijah knew how much it bothered her, though, and would therefore never mention it in front of her. It wasn't just her size that had him continuously smiling in her presence, however, and despite the fact that she was just a child, he considered her one of his closest companions. She was like a sister, a slightly older form of his eleven-year-old sister, Rebekah, but in the same way…she was nothing like a sister at all. There was certain purity to Adriana, a moral and loyal nature that was not dissimilar to his. He admired her, and that, had been one of the many reasons he'd agreed to teach her how to ride bare back when she'd cornered him about it just after her family had moved from the old-world.

"Adie," he called, trying to keep the smirk fro his lips. She turned, her long brown hair blowing around her sun-kissed face. He could see she was already quite tired, trying to deal with the broom that bested her in height.

"Would you like to go for a ride?" he questioned, always enjoying the grin that spread on to her face when she realised he'd tricked her. She squealed in total and utter delight, rushing forward and jumping into his already outstretched arms.

He would never give up his little Adie, not for anything.

A/N: Short, sweet and simple. A quick chapter update for you. Thanks to yellow-panda09 for adding this story to your favourites!

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