If you don't follow me on Tumblr, this will likely confuse you. If you do, you likely know about how happy I am due to the birth of the heiress to the throne of Great Britain. Either way, though, I think you'll enjoy!
Caroline is very much a queen in this, and Hope is very much her father's heiress. This is a one-shot, but I may be persuaded to continue it if anyone likes it enough for another chapter!
There was obviously a hierarchy in the supernatural world, a supreme ruler that was above the rest. For thousands of years, the supernatural population had turned to the local supernatural leaders for guidance, but, with the reestablishment of the monarchy in the southern portion of the nation known as America, the people were very aware that they would, once again, bow down to a king.
The monarchy, and its bloodline, had begun over five centuries before, back when no one truly knew what the nation was. They were aware of its existence, of course, and many explorers had discovered it by accident, but none, not until the late fifteenth century, thought to report their findings to their leaders. And so, for many hundreds of years, the people of that portion of the world lived in peace, their supernatural population ruled by a deadly king.
He had not become any less thirsty for bloodshed over the years. He was still just as capable of murdering without emotion or remorse as he had always been, and it terrified his subjects more than they had ever imagined possible. It was said, however, that he was capable of mercy, although only two people could ever make him consider acting merciful in any way.
The queen had become a member of the nonexistent monarchy over five months before she became the official queen, but the heiress to the throne, the daughter bore by another woman and delivered into the hands of the king and his loving wife, was the cause of much of his mercy as well as his happiness.
She was but a year old, an infant in a world where most had been around for centuries longer than they should have been allowed to breathe. Her mother, the mother who stayed and raised her despite the fact that no blood connected her to the child, was only twenty, but it was very obvious that she was wise.
It was one of the reasons that the people loved her so very much. She was a drama major at a local university and was very invested in obtaining her degree, but it was very obvious that her daughter continued to be her priority. She was intelligent, bright, beautiful, and compassionate, the exact opposite of her husband, who, although beautiful, was not compassionate in any way that did not directly relate back to those who had loved him throughout the years, and those who he had loved, as well.
They were always very serious in court, as a king and queen should be, but there were glances. There was a saying, long ago, that love can be seen more in eyes than it can be heard in words, and the statement held true for the king and queen. They were very much in love, very respectable of the culture they had chosen to conform to, and very ready to help their people in any way that they could.
It was a dark night, the heat of summer beating down upon their city, when Klaus and Caroline, the king and queen of the supernatural realm, approached the edge of the balcony, both of them in black. He wore a black tee shirt and jeans, while his wife, always one to upstage him, wore a short black sundress and black espadrille wedges.
Their daughter, the firstborn and only heiress to a throne that descendants and allies of her family had ruled for hundreds of years, far longer than the existence of the city was known by the rest of the world's population, had been tended to by a nanny that evening. Although she was, indeed, the heiress to a throne that was ancient compared to many landmarks and cities in the nation in which she lived, she was still an infant, and her needs, at least at that moment, were limited to rest and a meal.
They themselves didn't wish to be up at the late hour, but, to the infuriation of the queen, the death tolls of their city had risen to terrifying levels. In fact, the death tolls throughout the southern portion of the nation had risen to despicable levels in the recent weeks, and it was obviously the cause of much unhappiness in the house of the monarch and his consort, a woman who had been recently human herself.
That had led to the king, a man infatuated with only one woman since his own death over one millennium before, demanded that the supernatural population withhold from killing the human population of the area. With over half a dozen deaths in one day, though, the queen consort demanded that her husband speak to his people about their cruel actions. Since she was also known as the king's only mercy, he agreed to her terms and promised that, later that night, they would address the issue together.
"Klaus, is this appropriate?" Caroline, the queen of the supernatural realm, asked her spouse of only four months as she approached the door of their master bathroom, her dress a knee-length, lacy number that made her look beautiful. Her hair was in loose curls and diamonds hung from her ears, neck, and wrist. She wore heels that made her only one inch shorter than him, as well, absolutely positive they would make her feel more confident.
"Yes," her husband said, smiling when she approached him and tied his tie neatly, dropping a kiss to his chin as they approached their daughter's nursery.
"She's so precious," Caroline murmured, running a hand down the back of her sleeping daughter. Although the child was not biologically hers, she loved her with a fierceness she hadn't been able to fathom before she met the small and innocent girl, who, at the time of their acquaintance, was being threatened by a majority of the population of her father's empire.
"She truly is," Klaus said, his voice soft and full of awe. Klaus had been deadly when they had met. He would kill first and ask questions later. But, with the birth of his child, he changed. He loved Hope on a level only a father who would die for his child could be capable of understanding, and the fact that her spouse was so in love with his daughter when, months before, he would have killed Hayley for becoming pregnant, filled Caroline with a beautifully amazing feeling of pride.
"We should go, you know. She needs her sleep." Caroline sighed as she smiled down at her daughter and then approached the door.
Klaus followed her, closing the door behind her. Their nanny, Maggie, would care for their daughter during their short absence. Until then, Hope would be happily sleeping in her wrought-iron crib.
The curtsies were something Caroline wasn't sure that she would ever grow used to. She had been a queen for several short months, and yet she was treated as though she was born for the part. Perhaps they believed that, but she still constantly grew nervous and often felt out of place with her own people.
"They love you," Klaus murmured as they approached city hall, the location of their court.
There were hundreds of people waiting, all of them falling into bows and curtsies when their monarchs entered. Caroline smiled as she took her seat behind her husband. He, of course, immediately went to the podium. He was never one to simply appreciate the company of his subjects.
"It has come to my notice that my orders, orders issued to preserve our secret, have been defied by many of you. My wife is disgusted by your behavior, as am I. If you take another life purposefully, with no cause such as threat upon your being, you will be expelled from our empire. If you do anything after you are warned, your punishment will be death."
He walked away, his wife closely following him as they approached their vehicle. Klaus placed his hand in his wife's as they climbed into the car. She sighed as she leaned her head against his shoulder, nerves making her become suddenly exhausted.
"It will make me a horrible mother, but I'm waking Hope up and cuddling with her all night," she murmured.
"Bring her to our bed. It will protect her if any perturbed subjects try to harm her."
"Of course," Caroline said, smiling when they arrived in front of their home.
Their daughter was awake in her crib when Caroline approached, and it was a simple smile flashed at her by a small person that melted Caroline. "Oh, darling," she cooed, scooping up her daughter. "Let's get you out of this heavy sleeper, all right?" she cooed. They would hold her all night, of course, as they always did when they thought her life was in danger. She would sleep next to them, in a room guarded by people loyal to Klaus that had never been allowed windows.
She dressed her daughter in a long-sleeved pink onesie, socks, and cap, bundling her in a butterfly swaddle as she reached for a pacifier atop the dresser. Sighing, she headed to the bedroom, settling on the bed.
Moments later, Klaus entered with the baby's late-night bottle. He silently handed it to his wife and smiled when Hope took it happily.
Caroline sighed as she glanced around the room. "She's being threatened, isn't she?"
"Yes, she is." Klaus sat atop the bed, his wife's hand, the one not supporting his daughter, held in his. "She's here with us, Caroline. She is safe."
"Tonight she is, Klaus, but we cannot hide her forever. She's the heiress to the supernatural realm, and people long to see her. She is our daughter, but she is their princess." Caroline smiled sadly. "We'll have to hire those bodyguards, won't we?"
"Yes, we will," Klaus said. "Everyone who harms you will be executed, of course."
She laughed without humor. "I know they will, sweetheart. It's one of the very few times I think that you could be right about hurting people."
"Yes, I am aware of your disgust, but I would happily give my life for yours." Klaus smiled when Hope smiled up at them around her bottle. "Yes, darling, we are speaking of you."
Caroline smiled at their daughter as she soothed her. "You are such a gift," she cooed, stroking her daughter's cheek. "And you, my love, will be an amazing heiress."
Klaus's past actions would forever lead to threats upon the lives of his family. There was also the constant possibility of darkness corrupting his loyal subjects. But as long as his wife and daughter were breathing and full of joy, then he was as well.
After all, there was much cruelty in this world, and as long as his daughter and his wife experienced very little of it, he had succeeded.
Anyone who tried to stand in the way of that would be punished by their heart being placed in his eager hand and their body being buried in one of the large graves throughout the empire.
A/N: This is one of my favorite pieces I have ever written, actually. I loved the concept of them being a true monarchy and the baby being an heiress. This was spurred on by the birth of the heiress halfway across the world, and I hope that you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed creating it! Thank you for reading, and please remember to review!