Lizzie was upset.

The story was that Caroline, the twins' mother, had won the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant when she was younger. Both Lizzie and Josie were running, but much to Penelope's dismay, Josie's goal was to make Lizzie the winner.

And now, apparently, she was dropping out of the contest.

"You called an emergency meeting," said Hope, bewildered. "I thought you had something important to tell us."

Penelope, who must have glued herself to Josie to get an 'in' on the meeting, smirked and burst out, "Come for the underwhelming announcement, stay for the epic meltdown."

"Okay, wait," said Josie. "Why are you quitting?"

"A personal issue with one of the judges. A direct result of that bitch Dana's sabotage."

"The girl that died?" cried Rhysaenya.

"Correction: that dead bitch Dana's sabotage. Costing me the crown from beyond the grave. The head judge is her mother. The town pharmacist. There is always next year for me. But that does not mean that we here at the Salvatore School shouldn't bring home the title and stick it to those townies."

Rhysaenya made a face. "Why does it matter so much? It doesn't mean anything! Besides, Josie is in the running, if we're going to make this a competition, surely she has an edge on the human girls."

"If you'd given me just a second, Rhys," said Lizzie with a smile, "you'd know I have studied all of the stats and advanced metrics, and I have chosen a replacement for myself."

Rhysaenya clapped in Josie's direction just as Lizzie burst out, "Hope Mikaelson."

"What?" said Penelope immediately. "Oh, you b–" Josie pushed her hand out to silence her.

"Why me?" demanded Hope. "That makes no sense."

"You are the perfect candidate!" said Lizzie. "You are pageant-pretty, reasonably well-spoken, and not to mention you have the added bonus of being an orphan. Classic charity case. Plus, you wanted strenuous. This is the fiercest competition in the land."

"That's the most absurd thing I'd ever heard," said Hope. "Look, my Aunt Rebekah would totally want me to accept, but I don't want to do this."

"And I find it insulting that you consider this a fierce competition," said Rhysaenya under her breath. "Back in my day, people died on the daily because someone stole a loaf of bread."

Lizzie gestured to her, "And that is why I didn't choose you as my replacement. I thought of it. Also pageant-pretty, an orphan, and you've got the longest legs I've ever seen. You're made to model. But you're a pessimist." She held out an album, still wanting to convince Hope. "This is my mother's research. She used it to prepare for Miss Mystic Falls the year that she won. It's effective, but her methods? Quaint at best."

She turned to retrieve a box filled with binders labeled with glitter and stickers. "This is my research. I have studied every answer given, why every winner has won, and why every loser has lost. No one from the Salvatore School has ever come close. Until today."

"This is the death of feminism," said Penelope, faking a snore.

"It's tradition," muttered Josie. "Don't be a hater."

"Oh, come on! Stop pretending you don't want to win. If Lizzie isn't going to do this, the one that should get to follow in your mother's footsteps is you. Winning Miss Mystic Falls would bring your family history full-circle in a way that Lizzie would never appreciate, so now you're going to pretend you're on board with her idea to use Hope? That's so unfair!"

"Penelope, let it go!"

"Josie's right," said Hope, seeing a photograph in one of the binders of Caroline in a blue dress, which Lizzie had marked as 'in storage, ready to go!' "It wouldn't be right for me to do this wearing your mom's dress."

As Josie looked down at the picture, she blurted out, "It means more than that." She stared at Lizzie. "You... you never consider anybody's feelings but your own."

"What?" said Lizzie. "That isn't fair!"

"Isn't it? It's bad enough that you didn't think I'd want to enter, but not a single part of you thought I could even win."

"Jo, I'm not a mind reader, okay? If you wanted to win–"

"Of course I wanted to win! But you drop out and you immediately gift your entire plan to Hope."

"Because of science–"

"Lizzie, listen to yourself. Science? What about your sister's feelings? Did you think about how good I might feel, competing in mom's dress? Did you even consider how Hope would feel wearing it?"

"She'd look fantastic! She'd feel amazing–"

"Would she still feel amazing if she knew where it came from?"

"What are you talking about?" asked Hope. Penelope and Rhysaenya were both holding their breath, neither daring to ruin the moment.

Lizzie scoffed. "It was just a gift from some guy who used to crush on Mom."

"From Klaus Mikaelson, Lizzie," said Josie. "Hope's dad." She turned to Hope. "I know my mom went to see your dad before he died, I know the reason we helped you that day in the woods was because he liked her and she... liked him. He picked this dress for her to wear to some ball your family held before your parents even met. She kept it all this time. She didn't wear it to Miss Mystic Falls but when Lizzie found it, she knew she had to use it."

Hope's lip was trembling. "My dad chose this dress?"

Rhysaenya put an arm around her. "Come on. Let's go."

She let her out into the woods as fast as possible, leaves already swirling at their feet. Hope was sobbing, holding onto Rhysaenya and walking blindly. She probably would've fallen if the other girl hadn't looped an arm around her shoulders, keeping her upright.

"Just let it out," said Rhysaenya, rubbing her back. "Let it all out."

She let out a scream so powerful, Rhysaenya was thrown to the floor. She covered her ears, able to feel the trees whipping around overhead, dirt sprouting up as if the earth was going to fold over itself.

"Do you feel better?" she asked, uncovering her ears when she saw Hope sinking down.

"Not really..."

She crawled over, putting her arm around her. "It's okay. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"I'm just so scared that something will happen to Landon again," she said, crying into her hands. "And then my ex showed up... he... he was involved in my mom's death and I don't hold it against him anymore but it brought up a lot of memories and now this..."

"Hope?"

They turned and saw Josie holding out a box. "It's the dress," she said with a smile. "I thought you should have it."

She wiped her eyes. "Oh, no, I couldn't, you should keep it, my dad gave it to your mom..."

"I have a different dress I want to wear. This should be yours, not mine. Please... take it. Lizzie's not going to push you into it if you don't want to. She and Penelope got into an argument. Umm... I guess Penelope is moving away. She's been trying to tell me and I didn't listen."

She lowered herself down to sit with them. "I guess what I'm trying to say is, I don't care if I win or not tonight. I just want to spend it with Penelope and I want you to have whatever kind of night you wish for. I'm sorry Lizzie tried to push this on you."

"Thanks," said Hope softly, taking the box.

"And if you want us to deal with that boy so you can have a quiet night," offered Rhysaenya, "we have your back."

The tribrid laughed lightly. "I may still take you up on that. Let's just head back. I think I'm okay now."

As they were walking through the garden, they came across Alaric, MG, and Landon, who were heading toward a statue that was very out of place. Apparently, it was MG's mother, who'd shown up without warning, and was now turned to stone.

"Who would do this to my mom?" asked MG.

"Well, not just who would– who could?" said Hope.

"A gorgon," said Rhysaenya, snapping her fingers. "There was a story I read about that. But why would a monster be here unless–?"

Lizzie cut her off, making toward them, "Unless this sentient jar of artisanal mayonnaise activated a new artifact. What did you touch?"

Landon frowned when he realized she was talking about him. "Everything," he said. "We cleaned the school from top to bottom, remember? But if we're just gonna throw out wild theories, here's one: what if the person who did this showed up today, out of nowhere, acting all buddy-buddy, manipulating romantic feelings to get someone's guard down?"

Hope frowned. "Do you seriously suspect Roman?"

"Yeah, we all should! The timing is too convenient."

"Correct me if I'm wrong," said Rhysaenya, "but Roman is a vampire, not a gorgon?"

No one was listening. "I thought you were sorry for acting jealous," said Hope, upset.

"I was sorry! But now I'm vindicated."

Alaric held out his arms. "Twins, Hope, Rhysaenya, keep an eye on the contestants. MG, we're gonna search campus. Landon–"

"I'm gonna go ask Roman some questions," he said, walking away.

"Yeah, super helpful!" Hope called out. "Ask a vampire how he turned a woman to stone."

"That's what I said," whispered Rhysaenya.

She was hoping the gorgon would be the worst of her problems. Though she was in great spirits after Penelope helped Josie speak up and thought MG and Alaric had the gorgon handled, she'd had to rush away from her shift in carrying the trays of food out into the ballroom to check on Hope after Penelope apparently revealed to Landon that Hope was lying about what happened in Kansas. Somehow, Penelope had found out that Hope remembered Seylah Chelon, and had exposed the truth to Landon, who ran off angrily.

"I'm okay," said Hope weakly, hugging her knees as she sat on her bed. "You can go, it's fine."

"Don't need to," said Rhysaenya, sitting with her. "Some other volunteers showed up. Elena and Damon Salvatore are helping at Ms. Forbes-Salvatore's request. They can handle it."

Hope rubbed her forehead. "I thought I could keep it all together. I've worked so hard to move on from all the things that have happened to me in my life. But everyone was right. Everyone's been right. I needed to let it all out."

"Then do it," said Rhysaenya, holding her hand. "No judgment. I'm here for you, as long as you need it."

They completely missed the pageant. Rhysaenya was glad that she didn't have to worry about what she needed to wear for it, and Hope seemed to feel the same way. She snuck down to the kitchen to get them snacks, and the two sat together in silence until Hope tired herself out, curling up and falling asleep. Rhysaenya didn't need to wake her. MG let her know the gorgon was handled and everyone was okay. This girl had come to take Landon, but hadn't succeeded. The best part was that Josie had secured herself the crown, which meant all was well.

Or, so they thought.

Landon hadn't come back, having left Raf a voicemail saying he needed some time alone to go camping (though his message had asked that they say hello to Jed, which Hope found suspicious). Josie was miserable after Penelope left, and she was refusing to talk to Lizzie after the Miss Mystic Falls conflict.

Hope was trying to help Lizzie make amends while also attempting to deal with Roman's lingering presence without sulking over Landon. Then, she'd transitioned to helping the twins find out about something called the Merge, having offered to contact her Aunt Freya for information.

Rhysaenya figured a search of her own couldn't hurt.

"Trust me, I know what I'm saying," said Raf as they listened to the voicemail again. "Something's up with Lan, he wouldn't just leave like this. And saying hi to Jed? That's dumb."

"That's mean," said Jed, coming up behind the bleachers they were sitting on. He nodded to Rhysaenya. "Hey... Rhys."

"Hey," she said, smiling good-naturedly. "We're trying to figure out what's up with Landon."

"Yeah, that voicemail," said Jed, sitting at the edge of the bench. "Weird. I don't even talk to the guy. Maybe it's a sign he's in trouble."

"He probably is," said Raf, rubbing the back of his head. "But how the hell do we find him? He made the call from Richmond, he was still close by. And his scent could have faded by now."

"Maybe there's more clues in the voicemail," said Jed. "Maybe something in the background that you're not listening to?"

"He's right."

They looked up at Hope, who was walking in with Roman. "I was thinking about it," she said nervously, "and I think he's in trouble. Roman is going to listen, he might be able to pick up on something in the background."

Raf replayed the voicemail as Roman closed his eyes. "I can hear... shoes on a tile floor. An air conditioner running. Keycards being swiped."

"Triad," said Hope gravely. "I mean, it has to be them. They've already tried to come for him once."

"So what are you going to do?" asked Rhysaenya.

"I'm gonna go full Wonder Woman, that's what."

"Not alone you're not," said Raf. "We're going to help you."

"What can you do?" muttered Hope. "I'm not done making your moonlight rings, it's going to be too dangerous."

"You can't go by yourself, it's going to be a disaster!"

"I won't go alone, I'm sure the twins, MG, Kaleb, and Rhysaenya will go with me."

"I can come too," offered Roman awkwardly. "Before I have to go back into the field for recruitment."

"That's not fair!" insisted Raf. "Landon is my brother, if you're going after him, so am I. I can still be of use even if I can't access my powers fully."

"Me, too," offered Jed. "Look, Raf is the Alpha. If Landon's his pack, that makes him mine, too."

"You just want to impress somebody," said Raf under his breath.

"Doesn't matter," said Rhysaenya before things could become awkward. "Let's go find MG and the twins."

MG was nowhere to be found. The twins met them in the entrance hall, saying that he could just meet them in the car. Kaleb and Roman had packed some weapons they could use, while the twins had stocked up on herbs. Rhysaenya had taken a spear from the armory, having liked it when she used it on the zombies. Raf kept smirking at her, trying to make her look at Jed, who'd picked up a sword even though he clearly didn't know how to use it.

"What the–?" said Hope when they found the driveway filled with men in military gear and with shields bearing Triad's logo.

"Oh, sorry, we were about to knock," said one man in the lead, smiling pompously at them.

Lizzie scoffed. "Who the hell are you?"

"Name's Burr," said the man. "Triad Industries."

Hope was already not having it. She wove her hands to cast a spell, but nothing happened. The man stared at her, unimpressed. Kaleb tried to take over, but as soon as he stepped into the sunlight, his skin began to burn, causing him to leap back. When Rhysaenya tried to shoot fire, figuring she was their last resort, nothing came out, sending her into a coughing fit that nearly made her impale herself with the spear.

"What you don't got is magic," said Burr. "Which is why your daylight ring won't work. And what we have are stakes, wolfsbane, and other things. So I think you should invite us inside. Weapons down, Miss." He had one of his men point a crossbow at Rhysaenya. "Otherwise, that arrow there is going right into your very vulnerable throat. We were told there'd be a dragon here. And we're ready to deal with you, too."

Hope motioned for her to let go of the spear. She and Jed dropped their weapons, the group walking back into the school, embarrassed.

"The gorgon is still downstairs," muttered Rhysaenya as they moved to the assembly room. "MG..."

"He was with her, I know," said Hope worriedly. "Twins..."

"Dad's not here," said Josie shakily. "He and Dorian went to see Damon and Elena because they told us about the Merge. And Emma... oh, god, Emma's sabbatical started last night!"

"Great," said Rhysaenya coldly. "So it's up to us. Without magic."

The Triad men gathered them up, standing on the staircase. Burr announced, "We're looking for an artifact known as the Chalice of Arimathea." More men swept around, passing them pictures of it, "We have reason to believe it's part of your school's collection. Now, you know this place a lot better than we do, so the sooner you help us find it, the sooner we'll be gone. Triad thanks you for your time."

"This is ridiculous," said Rhysaenya, standing up and gesturing to the scared lower class. "At least let the little kids go! They don't know anything about this and there's no reason to terrify them!"

"Can't do that," said Burr, smiling crookedly. "Everyone with powers stays here until we get the chalice. I suggest you get a move on."

She pulled Hope and the twins over to where Kaleb, Jed, and Raf stood. "Okay, we have to find MG," she murmured. "And we need to find out what's making everyone unable to use magic. If we can undo that, we can use our magic to get them out of here."

"Come on," said Hope, seeing Burr glaring at them. "Let's talk in Dr. Saltzman's office so it looks like we're doing something. Guys... you keep everyone else calm."

The girls moved together, in intervals, and found their phones weren't working, nor were the landlines at the school. Hope was sure that the school cell would get them through to Alaric, given Emma had spelled it for emergencies, but the twins were too busy bickering to help them find it.

When Hope finally located it, she placed the call and inquired about the Chalice of Arimathea. It didn't seem like they were even in possession of it, which was odd, but Alaric assured them that he and Dorian were going to find a way into the school. He wanted them to promise not to do anything crazy, but all of them silently agreed that all bets were off. There was no way there were going to listen to Alaric and just hand over the chalice.

"He thinks we're vulnerable because we don't have magic, but I disagree," said Rhysaenya. "You guys know this place better than Triad people, and there has to be something that isn't magical that would work against them, right? I know how to fight, if we even just disarm them, I can kill whoever I can get my hands on–"

The doors opened, starling them. "Well, at least we know where you stand," said Burr.

Hope shielded them. "You're damn right we do."

Burr seemed surprised. "You're not very scared of me, are you?"

"Why would we be?" challenged Rhysaenya.

He smiled, holding up a gun. "How about now?"

"Oh, please, I survived living in a time when vaccines and antibiotics didn't exist. Your gun doesn't scare me. Besides, you'd really stoop low enough to harm a kid?"

"This gun would never hurt a human child. You all, however... well, some of you are already adults and those of you that are kids are hardly innocent. These bullets were formed from the mud of the Malivore pit and weaponized by Triad scientists. They can break the skin of any supernatural like a hot knife through butter. Fester, infect them, disintegrate them from the inside out."

"We don't know where the chalice is," said Josie calmly.

"I believe you," said Burr seriously. "This is just for fun, really." He pointed the gun around the group. "Eeny... meeny... miney–"

Lizzie tried to attack at 'moe.' Josie threw herself in front of her at the last second, catching both shots that Burr fired right over her heart.

"Lock them up," Burr commanded, his men coming in to grab them.

They were shoved into the same cell of the dungeon, Josie propped up against the wall in great pain. "What the hell is wrong with you?" said Lizzie, trying to pretend she wasn't panicking as she watched the wounds darken.

"With me?" said Josie. "You practically begged him to shoot you."

"Because if I'm destined to die in my prime, it may as well be in a blaze of hero glory!"

"You are unbelievably selfish."

"Who took it upon herself to dive in front of my bullet?"

"Guys!" said Rhysaenya, frustrated, trying to pick the lock with Hope's bobby pin. "Shut up, they'll hear–"

Too late. One of the guards burst in. "Hey! Keep it quiet in there. And you–" he beat a metal pole against the bars, making Rhysaenya jump back.

"Do that again, I dare you!" she snarled, slamming her hand near his head.

"And what are you gonna do about it?" he demanded.

"I am a dragon!" she yelled. "I come from three lines of warriors, Targaryen, Īgñividus, and Lāvasȳ alike. I will not be contained. I will burn you and everyone you've ever known, I will reduce everything you love to ash!"

He let out a hearty laugh. "Oh, yeah, I'm so scared. A Targaryen without a dragon is a nobody. And you, my dear, you're even less than that."

She pressed herself up to the bars, sneering in his face, "I'll be Maegor himself if it means I get to cut off your cock and shove it right back up your arse."

He didn't take her threats seriously at all, laughing again and walking out.

"Rhysaenya, stop it, please," begged Hope, holding her head. "This is all my fault, I got us into this mess and now I have no way to get us out of it."

Lizzie huffed. "Well, that's just not good enough, Hope. My sister is clearly dying, and we did not wait ten years to become friends with you for you to not come through with your annoying perfect Hope Mikaelson heroics when we need you the most."

"She's right, for once," said Josie. "It's hero time, Hope."

"Hey!" snapped the guard, coming in once again. "I said keep it down in–"

He collapsed as MG appeared behind him, firing a dart gun. "Did someone say 'hero time?'" he asked with a smile.

He ripped the keys off of the guard's belt, unlocking the cell and letting them out. Rhysaenya made a beeline for the metal rod the man had been holding, kicking him so he was face up and bringing the bar crashing into his skull one, two, three, four times before MG finally ripped her off of him.

"Stop it!" he said. "He's dead, okay? He's dead."

She spit at the body, kicking him for good measure. "I said I'd be Maegor. And I deliver."

-

A/N: Happy 100 pages! Comment for more :)