The hall was sort of beautiful, made of jagged, black stone that rose higher than she could see, the cieling, or whatever lay above her, coated in grey fog. There were candles along the walls that burned with tall, sliver flames, making the moist, black walls glitter prettily, but still it was so dark. A bittersweet melody with a low undertone played it's way through the halls, speaking of dark, cruel majesty.

She could do nothing but walk down the hall. Running didn't work, she'd tried that before. It was best to just wait this nightmare out until she returned to reality. Still, she felt an inclination to dance, twirl herself beautifully down the hall. Caroline wasn't a good dancer by any means, but her feet had a mind of their own, pulling her body into fluid archs as she moved, as she danced. She knew this part, and she'd come to love it. She'd had this dream many times, and this was where someone grasped her from behind, not menacing, though, he was dancing with her to this sad melody.

When Caroline was young, she thought of this person as the prince to her princess, that, when she was older, she'd meet him, and he'd be tho one to save her from what came later in that dream. But Caroline learned this was not the case. As they danced, she felt a voilent, loathsome presence, as she always had, right when she was starting to enjoy the dance. Right before the song came to an end, this loathsome being swept her away, and his teeth sank in into her neck. Her prince and this villain were the same person.

Caroline jolted out of her dream, her hand shooting to her neck as it always did, making sure her throat was intact. She sighed, her back sweaty and her palms sticky. She'd expected somethig more. Today was the day he came for her, after all. Shed been seeing it since she was seven. The day the monster came for her. Of course, back then, she was sure someone would come to her rescue, and didn't she deserve to be rescued? But now that the day had come, she knew different.

Caroline broke away from her musings, stepping out of her warm bed, careful so as not to wake her sleeping siblings. She grabbed her dress and undershirt, heading outside to the small creek by har family's home to bathe. She didn't quite know what to do with herself. Should she run? She'd thought of it many times. It wouldn't do her any good, after all. He'd find her, and if not, she'd never be able to return to her village or see her family again. What does one do on the day they know they're to be doomed to a fate they can't escape?

It wouldn't be right to simply go about her normal business, but what else was she to do? Round up an army to stand against him, the King? No one would dare. They say he's a monster, that he's not right with nature, an abomination. How right they were, and how wrong, at the same time. Ever since the day, eleven years ago, when she'd started seeing him, him coming for her, him massacring villages, she couldn't escape the truth about the King, and his past and his future.

She knew more about him than anyone else did, she thought, but still very little, as sometimes his future didn't appear so clearly and she felt he was a man that kept many secrets. Even unwillingly, she'd see him in her mind, him plundering villages, him taking his first steps as an infant, him sinking his teeth into another nameless victim, him drawing beautiful works of art. Good, bad, there was no in between, it was as if she was seeing two different people with the same beautiful face. That was the art of his being a ruthless predator, she supposed.

Caroline finished bathing, dressed herself, and picked her basket from inside the door of the small house, heading into town to do her "job", the only way her family could make any decent money. She held post at her very own tent in the square, where she told fortunes for silver pieces. People in the village usually didn't come by this little stand, knowing it was just little Caroline in the tent and did she really see the future? But every once and a while, a big name would come in from some mansion in the countryside, getting their fortune told just for kicks.

Of course, she completely astounded them when she took their hands and allowed them to glimpse into their future or perhaps their past, whatever they fancied. She loved getting rich, greedy customers like this, because they'd stay in her tent all day, shelling out peice after peice of silver and watching their lives flash around in front of them like they were in a story. She always returned home with very heavy pockets on days like that. Other days, not so much.

She opened the leaves of her navy blue tent, pinning them back. She set her basket of flowers on the ground beside her, where pillows adorned the grass floor and she sat in peace for most of the day. Usually, Caroline would bring a book to read or something to draw with, but today was the day the little Patterson girls came to visit. They'd stay for hours, listening to Caroline's fairytales, making daisy chains and crowns from her flowers.

They often asked about their futures, if they had any princes or knights in shining armor, and Caroline responded positively, lying up a story of how they'll each one of them marry a handsome prince someday. They stopped believing her years ago, but they loved hearing it, nonetheless. Caroline started weaving a crown of flowers, tying stem to stem, until she heard the trampling of hooves against solid ground. She didn't think he'd be coming this early. Caroline suddenly regretted not saying goodbye to her family somehow, she thought she'd get to return home at meal time and bid them all farewell...

She watched from her small tent as villagers fell to hands and knees, bowing to his royal highness, King Niklaus. Fear struck her when she saw the white horses decorated in chain mail, as one tall, graceful figure descended from his horse to the earth, sauntering toward her with sickening confidence. He ducked into her small space, his head hitting the cieling as he hovered over her. To Caroline's credit, she continued making her crown, not even looking up at him.

"Hello, Caroline." Niklaus greeting, taking her somewhat aback, as was intended. She didn't show any outward appearances of intimidation or wavering in her confidence, however.

"Your highness, King Nik," she greeted, impolitely using his pet name from childhood. If she were anyone else, she would've been beheaded for that little retort, but she knew how far she was able to push his boundaries, "Would it degrade you so much to take a seat in the grass?" Caroline asked, gesturing to the open spot in front of her, finally looking up at him.

"Indeed, it would." He sneered cruelly, laughing quietly at her petty rudeness.

"How unfortunate," Caroline said, "Here I thought you were going to be civil." King Niklaus sighed heavily, already annoyed by the mortal girl. He decided to play nice, however, descending gracefully to the ground. Caroline shivered slightly, frightened by the speed in which he moved. "I'm not under the impression-" Caroline had began to speak, when she was interrupted but a vulgar scene of bloodshed and fire.

Faint screams rang in her ears as she saw a man, tall and strong and ugly...Mikael. He had come to the village to seek her assistance in tracking down Niklaus, his son, but when he learned that Niklaus was already there, he went on a violent rampage, ripping Klaus' men to shreds, wreaking havoc in the village square. She saw bloodshed and fire, white horses coated in blood, corpses decorating the square. Mikael was coming here, to her home, he'd be here within the day.

Niklaus watched her intently, his head cocked to the side with lips parted. An image flashed in her mind of him sitting upright before her, eyes glazed over, throat slit, blood gushing from a stab wound in his chest, then back to him looking perfectly alive and well.

"Tell me what you saw." Niklaus demanded.

"A man that you fear is coming for you...today. He's a hunter. Should you stay here, you'll die." Caroline whispered, bringing her hand to his neck, as it was the only part of his body not covered in armor. With her touch came her visions. She gave him her eyes for a moment, showing him what she'd seen. Despite the gruesome scene, Klaus smiled, amazed by her gift and the warmth of her touch. She retracted her hand, sitting back where she was, away from him. She didn't like to be so close to a killer, no one would, she just wanted him to leave.

"Amazing." Klaus said, smiling at Caroline, entranced by her and her talents.

"Leave." Caroline said, disgusted with his ease in relation to death and destruction, his own death, even.

"Yes," he replied, anger seeping into his voice, "Come on then, let's be on our way." Klaus held out his hand for her to take.

"I can't come with you. The man that's looking for you...Mikael, he's coming here to meet with me and inquire about your location, so he can find you and kill you. If he doesn't find me here, he'll know it was you that took me." Caroline stated. Klaus paused for a moment, thinking.

"Yu'll lie to him. You'll tell him that I've gone to Bulgaria or someplace far away, that I'm seeking out the doppleganger," Klaus replied after thinking about it for a few short moments, his voice quiet yet commanding, "anything else he asks you, you can make up on a whim. If you tell him the truth, I'll see to it that this whole village is slaughtered, clear?"

Caroline nodded reluctantly, seething beneath her calm facade.

"I shall return for you." Klaus grinned menacingly before turning to leave, mounting his horse. Caroline ran out to the courtyard, stopping him before he could flee. She leaped up, putting her foot in the foothold of the horse's saddle, and said her peace.

"You plan on riding into my village on chariots of fire, to put the fear of your name into my people. I'm going to ask you not to do that, Nik. I can see you whenver I feel the inclination to, and if, when I look at your future, I see the destruction of my home, I will have relocated by the fortnight. You'll never find me." Caroline said quietly to him, so that no one else could hear, though they were all watching.

"I'll do as I please. Chariot of fire and all. I've got an eternity to find you, and it would give me great satisfaction to break you by truning this place to ash." Klaus replied cruelly, a satisfied grin on his face.

"You won't get the chance to." Caroline replied just as sweetly as he did, with a bit more malice and intent.

"Why is that?" Klaus asked, impatient with her drabble.

"I'll see you...and I'll do the only thing I can to portect myself and my family. I'll tell him, the one you fear." Caroline replied, standing as still as the mountains, unyeilding to his winds. He scoffed at her, his horse shifting it's weight as he looked at her.

"I'll see you soon, then, Caroline." Klaus replied, reluctantly beaten. She stepped down from his horse and stood patienltly on the ground as he lead his small malitia out of the village and down up the mountainside. The townspeople regarded her with an air of respect and fear, but she paid them no mind. Caroline watched him leave, standing her ground, in the same spot he left her.