AN: A double shot or sorts. Saw Black Sails and was totally inspired. No beta.
Over the horizon were 2 ships sailing on the ocean. One with white sails, desperately trying to outrun the other ship. It would be a matter of minutes before they were boarded, their precious cargo stolen and their prized jewel taken.
Elena was in her room, nervously shaking. Caroline sat next to her, with her arms around her trying to soothe her.
"They've come for me" Elena said
"They won't hurt you, you are the countess. They only want a ransom from your father" Caroline said
"They will ruin me out of spite"
"Calm down, they won't. They wouldn't, they know if they harm you your father won't pay the ransom. Pirates only understand money"
"I'm scared"
"We both are"
Loud footsteps could be heard from upstairs. Screams and the sounds of swords hitting each other. They saw bodies fall overboard. Elena looked pale and was about to pass out.
"Elena please calm down" Caroline said
"I cannot! They will kill me!"
"Calm down! Please"
"I can't! I'm going to die! What if they don't want a ransom?"
"Trust me"
"Caroline?"
"Give me your ring and necklace"
Caroline put on Elena's necklace and ring. Both had the GIlbert emblem on it. Onyx with mother of pearl inlay with the letter G on it.
"Trust me and follow my lead" Caroline said
"What are you doing?" Elena asked
The door to the room burst open. Standing there were 2 men.
"Well, let's see what precious cargo we have" Kol said
"We're not here to hurt you, if you do what we say" Elijah said
Caroline grabbed Elena's hand and stood before them.
"I am Elena Gilbert, Countess of-" Caroline started to say
"Yes we know who you are, who your rich father is! Now come along before the boat sinks" Kol said
Caroline held onto Elena as they walked onto the deck. They could see the dead bodies being thrown overboard. They saw what little of the crew was left huddled in the corner.
"Brother look who we have found" Kol yelled
Klaus turned around walking up to the two frightened girls. Caroline held her head high, she would not be intimidated by a pirate.
"Is this what the royal navy has been hiding?" Klaus said
"A countess" Kol said
"You don't say?" Klaus added
"So let's ransom her off already!" Kol said
"Who is that?" Klaus pointed to Elena
"She is my lady" Caroline answered
"The hell is that?" Kol asked
"She is my lady in waiting, she attends to my needs, and-" Caroline said
"We don't need another person on board" Klaus said
"Send her to my father, she will tell him that I am alive and you will get your ransom sooner" Caroline said
"Can't we have her?" Kol asked
"My father will not believe that I am alive and not harmed unless she confirms it. He will not trust you, any of you not to harm me. Do you want your money or not?"
"She raises a valid point" Elijah said
"What's your name little bird?" Klaus asked
Elena was shaking and frightened and could barely speak.
"Her name is Caroline, She comes from a noble family but has no fortune and hoped to find someone to marry. Her father has no money, and cannot pay any ransom" Caroline said
"Do you always speak for your servants?" Klaus asked
"Shall we move this along? The sun is going to darken my skin" Caroline said
"She's a countess alright, let's grease the wheels and throw the servant at the father" Kol said
Klaus eyed Caroline suspiciously.
"I always heard that the Gilberts had dark hair and eyes" Klaus said
"Well you shouldn't be such a gossip, and I thought old ladies were bad. Would you like me to recite my family history?" Caroline said
Elena looked up at Caroline amazed. Caroline played the part of a spoiled countess. And she had been attending to Elena for years now and knew her family's history and could easily pass for her.
"I am Elena Gilbert, daughter of Grayson Gilbert and Miranda Gilbert. My father was the first son of Albert Gilbert and courtesan Bridget Faroe of-" Caroline said
"Enough! Take the servant to the father" Klaus said
Kol walked over and grabbed Elena who screamed and fainted. Kol looked at Elena's body on the floor.
"Are you going to stare at her? Pick her up! She is a lady!" Caroline said
"We better get a huge ransom for this!" Kol said picking Elena up
Elijah walked over to the small group of men huddled in the corner.
"Gentlemen. We have taken your ship. We will sink it. You have two choices. you can join us or you can get into the rowboat and take your chances with the ocean" Elijah said
The men looked at each other. Elijah took out a compass he had taken from the captain.
"We are pirates, but still we would not leave you without direction. If you choose the boat, you will have a compass" Elijah said
Caroline was abruptly lifted up and thrown over Klaus's shoulder.
"What the? Unhand me! Put me down!" Caroline yelled
"Wouldn't want to get your delicate feet wet love" Klaus said
Caroline stood on the pirate ship looking at the boat she and Elena were on. The pirates shot their cannons at it and it started to sink. Caroline saw Kol bring Elena to another smaller ship. Kol was going back to the port to bring Elena as proof that the Countess was still alive and unharmed. Little did they know, they were sending Elena back to her father. And there would be no ransom. She only hoped that she could keep up the illusion long enough.
Finn's ship dropped anchor near the port. Kol took Elena back to the port and looked for where Grayson's Gilbert place of business was. Kol gave Elena a ransom note and sent her off.
"Remember if you don't give him the note your countess will be dead" Kol said
Elena nodded and she ran inside the building. Kol smiled and went to the tavern to have a drink. Hours later Kol came out of the tavern, smiling and happy. There wasn't much left to do except wait to collect the ransom.
Elena was safe and sound back in her house. Her father had her heavily guarded when he learned of an attempt on kidnapping her. He explained to Elena that there would be no ransom for Caroline. Caroline's family had no property, no money and therefore could not pay anything. Elena begged her father to pay Caroline's ransom and he refused. He was glad that his daughter was returned safely to her and Caroline's sacrifice would not go unnoticed.
Caroline sat in her room alone. She was being kept in a smaller room with a guard by her door. She knew she wouldn't have long when they discovered who she was. She had no title and her family came from a lower social class. She opened the door to the room and saw no guard. She went down the hall and up the stairs to the deck. The ship was out at sea, she wasn't sure where it was going. Everyone was busy on the deck. She walked out and covered her eyes from the sun.
"what are you doing out?" Klaus asked
"Where can I go? It's not like I can swim to land" Caroline said
"Wouldn't want your fair skin to get darker" Klaus mocked
"I don't want age spots" Caroline said
"Let me help you with that"
Klaus took out an umbrella frame made of sticks and other random pieces. Hanging on it were fish guts and parts. He held it over her head and Caroline screamed. She moved away only to bump into Elijah.
"Niklaus, honestly, stop scaring the girl" Elijah said
"She wanted some shade" Klaus said
Caroline stomped off to the other side of the ship. She looked out at the ocean and marveled at its beauty. She leaned on the railing of the ship and sighed.
"You should be careful countess. Some of the men here haven't seen a woman in months" Klaus said
Caroline stood up and looked around.
"But don't worry, no harm will come to you" Klaus said walking closer to her
"I should hope not. My father will not pay for my safe return if I'm harmed"
"We can't have that now, what would happen if they discovered you were ravaged by a pirate"
Caroline backed away from him, her back hitting the railing of the ship. His hands reached for her hips, holding her against the railing. Caroline gasped as she felt his body press against hers. She could feel the stubble on his face brush against her cheek. Her hands trembled and she squeezed them into fists by her sides.
"That's a lovely perfume you have on" Klaus said
Caroline's heart was pounding out of her chest. His head dipped down, his nose brushing along her neck.
"Don't, please" Caroline said
Klaus lifted his head up and his hands traveled from her hips up her ribcage, resting below her breasts.
"Don't what?"
His hands moved up and and brushed her breasts lightly. Caroline pushed him away with all her strength.
"You may be a pirate but I am still a lady and you will treat me as one!" Caroline screamed
"You're not as delicate as you pretend to be"
"I never pretended to be delicate! You just assumed it!"
"You've spent your entire life talking down to men, well you will not talk down to me"
"I'm not even talking to you!"
Kol walked through the port when he heard two men talking.
"What a pity, that lovely girl killed by pirates" the first man said
"But luckily the countess was spared" the second man said
"Those pirates are vicious, killing an innocent girl like that. But at least her father was given some land for it"
"Well those Gilberts have money"
Kol stopped and looked at the two men. He snatched the newspaper from their hands and looked at it. He started to read it and then crumpled it up and ran off.
"Bloody hell!" Kol said running to the boats
Caroline was walking around the deck when she saw some of the crew was eating. She hugged the backs of her arms as she felt the chill from the ocean air. She felt a jacket being placed around her and she looked up.
"wouldn't want you getting sick now countess" Klaus said
Caroline looked at the jacket that was around her shoulders. She saw it was a royal navy jacket. She was going to accuse Klaus of killing the poor navy men to steal their jackets but he had walked off. She didn't exactly want to wear a dead man's jacket but she didn't want to freeze either. She slipped her arms through the sleeves and then saw there was a name stitched inside. She read the name and was shocked. Niklaus Mikaelson. The jacket was his. She looked over to where he had walked off to. He used to be in the Royal Navy, and now he was a pirate. Was he really a pirate? perhaps he was just pretending. Caroline scolded herself for letting her imagination get the best of her. He was a deserter. He abandoned his post. He was just a pirate who kidnapped her in hopes of getting ransom.
Kol was on Finn's ship as they were trying to catch up to Klaus and Elijah. Kol spotted the ship on the horizon and quickly boarded it. Caroline heard yelling and shouting from above. She feared the worst and tied her long hair into a braid. She removed the Gilbert necklace and placed it on the table. She sat down at the table and pinned her braid up into a bun. She heard the footsteps coming towards the door. She resigned to her fate and placed her head on the table. Klaus burst through the doors. He saw her sitting at the table with her head on it.
"Now is not the time for a nap!" Klaus yelled
"So now you know the truth" Caroline said
"That you're not the countess?! That you're pretending to be her so she could escape!? I knew the Gilberts had dark hair! You bloody tricked me!" Klaus roared
"Yes, and now you will have your revenge"
"Why is your head on the table?! Get up! Look at me when I speak to you!" Klaus grabbed her arm and pulled her out of her chair
"I am ready to die"
"Are you insane?! Of course I get the bloody insane woman!"
"My father cannot pay any ransom, his hopes rested on me marrying someone of wealth"
Klaus threw the paper at her. She caught it and looked at it. She started to read it.
"Your Countess will not pay your ransom or any ransom for the fact. She has declared that you died trying to save her. Your father has been rewarded for his role in this. He has been awarded a title and property. And you are still here"
"So it appears so"
"You lied to me! You tricked me! The countess escaped and now I'm stuck with you! And why are you not mad?! Your countess betrayed you! What happened to that bratty countess talking down to me?! Where's that fire?! Where is she now?!"
"I'm a lady in waiting, not a countess"
"At last the truth comes out now. What is your name?"
"Caroline Forbes"
"And? You're not going to educate me with your history?"
"I am the only child of William Forbes and Elizabeth Connelly. My mother was the daughter of a merchant. My father's gambling squandered her fortune away. I was sent to Elena to be her lady in hopes to marry a husband of wealth"
"You just do what you're told don't you?"
"I am of noble name but of low birth"
"That makes two of us"
Klaus wondered why her hair was pinned up. He walked over to her and pulled the pins out of her hair and her braid fell down.
"Do not cut my hair when you take my head" Caroline said
"Why would I want your head? You are infuriating! You've cost me a ransom, killing you would be too easy!"
"Then I'll kill myself then!"
Caroline pulled out his sword and pulled away from him. She held it in her hands pointing it at him.
"Don't hurt yourself sweetheart"
"That's the idea"
Caroline turned the blade against herself. Klaus grabbed her hands and pulled the sword away from her. He pushed her against the wall and held her face to make her look at him.
"You don't see what you're worth do you?" Klaus asked
"I'm not worth a countess's ransom it seems"
"No you are worth so much more"
Klaus's lips kissed hers before she could respond. His lips were eager and demanding. She felt his stubble on her skin. She tried to push him off initially, but found herself kissing him back. What was she doing? She was kissing a pirate. She pushed him off slightly, trying to catch her breathe. Klaus looked into her eyes, she could see the lust in them. She could feel his hands traveling up her ribcage.
"Stop, please"
"The next time, you'll be begging me not to stop"
Klaus pulled away and left the room without looking back. Caroline clutched her chest trying to catch her breath.
This won't be a long involved multi chapt fic. Just 2 chapt maybe 3 depending on how long it is. Hope you're amused.