A soft, playful grin spread across Henrik’s lips and brought with a gentle bout of laughter. “I remember them being really good, the few times that I had them. I’m not sure how ‘proper’ this diet is going to be, but it doesn’t sound like a bad time.” He mused at his sister’s words. The playful smile faltered slightly as she spoke about the modern world and insisted that it was healthier for him to accept things as they were.
“I… am trying to.” He nodded briefly. “Trying to come to terms with everything. I want to learn about this world - what it has to offer, what kinds of joy I can find in it. I know my old life is long gone…” Henrik explained quietly. Not even magic could bring back the way things used to be. Not entirely, anyway. As he shuffled his feet to follow her guidance back towards the manor, he stopped for a moment and bent to retrieve a small flower from the lawn around them.
Smiling to himself, he carefully took its stem in his hands and grabbed a few more flowers; twisting them together and positioning their petals around the ring. Offering the makeshift bracelet to Freya, he spoke. “I fondly remember weaving bracelets from flowers in our garden and around the village. Rebekah and Mother taught me how. The witches showed me how to do so with my magic.” He let out a small scoffing sound. “Father never really approved of them, though.”
Freya laughed softly. “They are very good. And trust me when I say that what passes for a proper diet in the modern world is like nothing that we would have known back in the day.” Things like deep frying and preservatives hadn’t exactly been part of their existence as children, and the changed world offered all sorts of delights - most of which were terrible for everyone who consumed them.
“I know, brother. I don’t mean to make it sound easy. Or to make it sound like I don’t yearn for those days sometimes as well. But you’re right; there’s not a power on Earth that could bring back the world we lived in, or ever make things the way they were again. And when I have those days, I try to indulge in this world’s simple pleasures. I eat a chocolate bar. Watch something fun on the television. Or I take a car ride. My god, Henrik, the cars - could you ever have imagined anything like them? Full of every technology; places to put your drinks, music to listen to, air conditioners to keep you cool. We were lucky to have a horse to ride on behind father. There is joy, and I will help you find it.”
He did so for her first, though, offering a bracelet of flowers that he slid over her wrist and brought a smile to her face. “It’s beautiful, little one, thank you. I’m sure mother and Rebekah would have enjoyed having you to teach, and appreciated you being a quick study.” His mention of Mikael and his temper, though, made her more than a little sad. “I know that he wasn’t a good man to you. To the others. But I’ll always remember him as the father that I loved, the one I never had a chance to grow up with. While I don’t have the ego to think that my presence would have made him a different man...sometimes I can’t help but wonder. I miss him still.” She looked away, blinking back the memory of watching Klaus kill him anew.