*My endless gratitude to my lovely beta Anastasia Dreams.
*This story is dedicated to Willowaus for her encouragement to write the story (it is her fault really so blame her for what you are about to read!) and to Klovec (or else known Loveyou914 in tumblr) as a -delayed- birthday gift!
This one shot is inspired by the story and the mentions of Rhaegar and Lyanna in the tv series Game of Thrones (and from the novel series "A Song of Ice and Fire")
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Warnings: Dark themes, mature content, death of character(s)
Summary: "You are mine Caroline, no man or God could ever change this; Not now not ever. You were always meant to be my Queen." He had given up everything in fire and blood for the promise of a kiss. It only took a spark of light, an act of betrayal, and blood rained. Klaroline AU/Complete.
His Queen of Love and Beauty
.
.
And now the rains weep
with no one there to hear.
Yes now the rains weep
and not a soul to hear.
.
.
Nostalgic dreams, brave words, foolish actions.
Some voices would call them acts of love. Others acts of betrayal. All would be right for their love had been the biggest betrayal of them all.
Ages of power and history were coming to an end as thousands upon thousands had shed their blood and sacrificed their lives.
He had given everything in fire and blood for the promise of a kiss. It only took a spark of light and blood rained.
Men died and mothers cried over the corpses of their sons. Arrows flew through the heavens and covered the sun. They all fought under the shades and in the fires. Wildfire spread over the rivers and body parts littered the mountains as ash and snow fell and the winds roared.
And as his fierce enemy's warhammer pierced his armor and skin, and his body broke and his blood flooded the water around him her face was all he could see.
As the encrusted rubies from his armor cracked, from the blow the weapon that severed the thread of his life delivered, and shattered all around the waters beneath him, amongst the battle that raged on, all he could whisper with his dying breath was her name.
.
.
"Caroline."
.
.
He whispered her name into the silence of the night hours after their lovemaking. He could tell that she was not sleeping. He could feel her heart beating wildly over his chest as sleep had evaded them both this night.
Tomorrow he would have to leave her. Tomorrow he would have to fight and atone for his sins. Tomorrow was coming, but tonight he still had her in his arms.
"You are mine, say it!" he all but commanded the beauty he was holding in his arms.
Their room on the top of the tower was barely lit by the fire in the hearth and the candles. Shadows painted shapes on the walls and on the heavy wooden door that was now unlocked as he had sworn that no locks would ever be used against her ever again.
She was now free to come and go at her own accord. Now it was not her that was imprisoned inside these walls and arms, but him.
And yet here she still stayed. Beside him. With him. Committing the same sin.
No one could understand why he did what he did. Only her. And only now.
Many believed that he too like his father had lost his mind… and maybe it was true. Maybe he had.
But he knew better. It was not his mind he had lost. It was his heart. The heart that she now possessed. A heart that was beating into her chest and belly.
She moved slightly. Her warm flesh under the furs that covered them was on top of his body, perfectly molded with his own skin. She looked up and smiled.
A smile that would never fade. Not if he had a say in it. Not as long as they stayed together; and together they would stay for he would never allow her to leave him. Her fire had melted his ice and she now belonged to him. He could not live without the sound of her sweet voice. Without holding her in his arms. Without getting lost into the bluest shade of her eyes and the golden silk of her hair. She was his.
He had to hear it. He had to feel. She had to be his and his alone.
"I am yours. And you are mine. Now and forever…Until forever ends" she had promised him with her enchanting voice knowing all too well that these promises were condemning them both.
"I am yours Caroline," he whispered and claimed her lips into a searing kiss; both of them feeling that forever was coming to its end sooner than later.
.
.
He should have regrets, he should have guilt, but all he had was her memory embedded deep inside. A memory that cut more than the blade that was tearing his body to shreds.
And as life was fading away all he could think was the sweet, bright smile that lit up his last days. A smile he had stolen and tainted. A smile that was now his light, but darkness for everyone else.
Words from the old books of his childhood joined his memories, as each word resembled each of their stolen moments.
"You swallowed the light. You swallowed it whole and it churned and it burned and it scorched. You spat it out. A light now used and broken and not as bright. Now it dimly lights your reflection; it casts a heavy shadow on the image you despise. Who do you have to blame except yourself?
You wanted the light, but you destroyed it.
Can you now hold the tainted version and love it as much as before? Can you now love the dark that it leaves behind?
Can you now be the light to the darkness you created?"
He didn't have all the answers, but he knew that if he could do it all over again he would make the same choices. The same mistakes. He would still move the heavens and the seven hells to have her in his arms even for a moment.
He would condemn a thousand more lives just for one smile from her lips. Just for one more kiss.
He always lived under the shadow of his father as his sire lost more and more of his mind with each day that passed.
People admired him and thought him to be perfect. None of them knew the emptiness that had lingered inside him until the day he first saw her. Men would sing his demise. Legends and songs of doom would tell a story that could never be forgotten, but no one would ever know the truth. No one would know how this story of death began with a melody of light and hope.
With his love and her smile.
.
.
He was standing tall next to the throne. His black and silver armor was shining and his crimson cloak differentiated him from the knights of the King. The Gold Cloaks.
In the grand hall, many presented their gifts and voiced their demands and pleas, but he remained indifferent and impassive. The small council had asked for his presence yet again. His father needed someone to control him and his life was the only one that the Mad King would not harm.
He was bored, though. He wanted to return to his sword practice and his books. He wanted to go see his children. Tatia was still feeling unwell and she was resting. She was a sweet girl and maybe their union was not one of love, but he was content. He had everything. He had children and a throne that awaited him and yet something was missing. He craved the battle and glory. He craved freedom and knowledge. He craved so many things to fill a void he could not understand.
Most of all he craved for the one thing he could not name. Not until now.
"Your Grace, let me introduce to you my sister. Lady Caroline," the voice of one of the sons of the Lord of the North echoed through the walls and the crowd, and the most beautiful creature he had ever seen slowly stepped into the light.
Under the sigils of the kingdoms she walked. All whispers faded and he held his breath.
She stood in middle of the grand hall as the sunlight from the colored windows bathed her figure giving the light blue fabric she wore an almost mystical shine. Her golden braid seemed like a crown made of fire and her beautiful locks seemed to have swallowed all the sun in their threads.
She was a vision of beauty as she curtsied with respect in front of the throne, presenting herself as part of the one of the highborn families of the North.
"Your Grace," she spoke with a melodic voice that caused his heart to beat faster, but when she raised her gaze, her eyes found his and all he could feel was that he was lost. For the first time no words could enter his mind.
He was lost into a blue whirlwind of an unknown emotion. The frost around his heart slowly melted and he now knew what he was missing all this time.
He was missing her.
.
.
Lady Caroline was standing at the top of the tower. For the first time in her life the child of the North was feeling the cold seeping into her bones.
In the last months she had lost more and more of her strength. She felt as if the girl that loved to ride the Northern horses in the wild wind was nowhere to be found. The girl that loved to run and battle with swords against the foolish men that craved to diminish her worth because she stood a woman and not a man had now fade away.
Months had passed ever since Klaus left her behind to go fight against the rebellion. A rebellion that had began because of them. A rebellion led by her betrothed and her brother. Her heart ached. Her father and her brother had died when they demanded her return. She had cried in despair in Klaus's embrace when she had learned their horrific fate; and now her last living brother was fighting against Klaus and yet her thoughts were only with the man that stole her away. With the only man that viewed her as an equal. The man she at first despised and hated and then learned to love with all her heart.
And as days passed her by and as news from the war constantly reached her ears she was feeling her strength giving away. It was like her life was draining away. She couldn't make it stop and the more she tried the more tired she became.
Her heart wanted him. She missed him. She wanted to feel him again. Holding her, claiming her once more. She wanted to be with him body and soul and yet deep inside she knew that it was too late. He wouldn't make it back to her in time. She would not see him again.
And today of all days that feeling of despair was stronger than ever before.
It was when she felt her heart almost stop that she understood why this was happening to her.
Her life was aligned with his. The Gods made it so. And their time on this earth was connected. If he were to be lost she would follow closely behind.
She looked up as the winds brought her name spoken by his lips to her ears.
Clouds were gathering in the sky when she felt a sharp sting that emerged from her heart to her spine and ended up to her lower abdomen. It was excruciating.
"Klaus," she moaned in suffering.
She touched the fabric of her blue gown and leaned over the heavy slippery stones. Tears gathered in her eyes as her hair danced in the wind.
She almost lost her balance and tumbled over as all color left her face. The fall would send her to the edge of the cliffs and to the waves that were crashing and foaming against the rocks thousands of feet lower then where she was standing at the top of the tower.
She didn't know how it was possible, but she felt a sharp blow on her chest as if a knife was carving her insides out. It was a searing pain that left her breathless. Everything was turning. Above her a crow was gliding across the heavens.
She looked up at the sky and at the crow's black feathers as strong hands held her close and brought her back to safety. She faintly looked up and saw one of Klaus's trusted guards aiding her.
She tried to speak, but instead all she could do was scream in pain. She could feel blood in her mouth.
What the Gods gave now were ready to take away in the cruelest of their ways.
"Are you alright, my Lady?" Maddox asked her, concerned.
"He is dead…I lost him," she whispered before she lost consciousness in the guard's arms.
The terrified man raised her in his arms without understanding what she meant and took her back to her chambers in haste. The crow cawed harshly in the air.
Rain starting falling and thunder lit up the sky.
"Call for the healer," he screamed to one of her maids as he placed Lady Caroline on her bed.
Klaus's last words echoed in his mind.
.
.
"Guard her with your life. Anything happens to her and your life will be forfeit," Klaus threatened his personal guard.
Maddox bowed slightly. As part of the Royal Knighthood he had served his Prince for years and he would die for him. His will was Klaus' to command.
He had never seen Klaus caring for anyone as he cared for this girl and he knew how important Lady Caroline's life was for his Lord.
"I will guard her even with my last breath, your Grace," he swore as he kept his eyes on the floor.
Klaus placed a hand on his guard's shoulder.
"Rise," he said and the knight did as he was told.
Klaus looked at him silently for a moment.
"I know you wanted to follow me to the field of battle and crush the rebellion with me as you have before, but I trust none more than you," he said and Maddox looked at him feeling honored.
"Therefore I can only leave her under your care," Klaus said as he turned his gaze over to the gardens and looked at his Lady with a tenderness Maddox had never seen in his eyes before.
Lady Caroline was sitting on a stone bench and she was taking care of her blue roses.
"I will keep her safe, my Lord," Maddox said as he watched the beauty that had stolen his Prince's heart.
"Once I return," Klaus said without taking his eyes off Caroline, "I will need you to escort me back to the Capital," he said and then he looked at him with a piercing look.
"Many things have to change for the sake of us all," Klaus cryptically said, but Maddox could understand what he meant. Klaus was determined to win the war, end the rebellion, and then overthrow his father. The Mad King.
He would rise. Higher than ever before.
Unless he would first fall.
"I am at your service, your Grace," Maddox said, proclaiming his loyalty once more.
Klaus nodded and went towards Caroline. When he reached her the future King of the known Kingdoms knelt in front of her.
Klaus, the feared one. The man known to not bow down to anyone was down on his knees in front of the blond Lady of Winter. And as she leaned her face deeper into the Prince's caress Klaus smiled at her almost reverently.
A war was coming. A war his Lord brought upon them. But as he watched his Sovereign next to Lady Caroline he could not condemn him for what he did. Not him. He had stood beside Klaus in the fields of battle before. He had seen his worth. His relentlessness and his mercy. Maddox had gained glory next to him and yet he had never seen Klaus smile like this ever before.
Death was the price to pay for these stolen moments of happiness, but he knew that his Prince would gladly pay that price for what he did.
He also knew that if the Gods would turn back time for them, Prince Niklaus and Lady Caroline would choose the same fate all over again. Falling victim to and orchestrating their destiny once more.
He watched the couple share a kiss and then he turned his back on them and left them to enjoy the privacy of the last hours they would be together.
.
.
Maddox watched Lady Caroline writhing in pain and felt his heart clenching in fear.
He didn't know what to do. For months now she was fading away and it was not just her life in jeopardy. When his Prince left him with her care he didn't know then what he was truly leaving behind.
But Maddox was a warrior not a healer. He would give his life for her, but right now something unseen was holding the Lady's life in its grasp. Something that whispered of death and decay.
She was ghostly pale and her skin was clammy and sweaty. Her whole body was violently trembling. Her eyelids were fluttering as she whispered Klaus's name between breathless moans and screams of pain.
The scent of blood and roses filled the room.
No one could see the images that seized her mind as the fever and the pain took her. But if she could speak of them she would tell them that her dreams were only dedicated to him. And they were nothing else but memories. Memories that she was cherishing even in her moments of torment and pain.
She screamed louder than ever before.
She screamed his name; while over the hill the flames from the torches her brother's army was carrying, the army that was coming closer to the tower, were lighting up the night.
.
.
The day was hot. The scorching sun high in the sky. She was not used to the weather of the Capital. Her blood was accustomed to the frozen winds and the ice of the North. She was also not used to wearing intricate gowns and having to act as a proper lady in the King's court, but her brothers were always there to remind her than they were representing their house to the Royal family and they could not let their father down.
Deep down she knew that this was a folly and it was not about how her house would stand in the realm. It was so she would have to start abiding by their unspoken family laws and to start following the proper etiquette a woman of her status should follow.
But she could swear that she was suffocating under the scorching sun and that her gown was so tight she could barely breathe. That cursed thing was also itching!
She looked to her right.
She and her brother Stefan were sitting on the wooden benches on the right side of the King's throne as their honored guests. She could see Princess Tatia sitting with her own brothers next to the King.
She felt a pang in her heart and felt ashamed for it. She didn't have any reason to feel like that. Or so she kept telling herself. She turned her gaze away, preferring to watch the tournament games.
She had to admit that the tournament was exciting. If only she could take part to it! But alas women were forbidden to actual live as they wanted she thought and gritted her teeth. Her family always said that she was strong willed and stubborn but if that meant having an opinion of her own then so be it!
She then turned her head and noticed that her betrothed was watching her.
Tyler was a good man and at the beginning of their betrothal she even found herself feeling charmed by his attentions, but as the novelty wore off she knew that she would not be happy sharing a life with him as his wife. He didn't know her. He couldn't understand her need to stand up for herself. Her desire to live and to see the world. Her immense need to learn more, to be more, to become more than just a man's woman that would wear his name with pride and bear his children like a willing broodmare. She wanted more.
She turned her attention to the games and she felt Stefan's hand squeezing her own.
"Would it kill you to return his gaze sister?" Stefan asked her watching Tyler who had just lost at his swordplay and she rolled her eyes.
"And if it could? Would you want me to risk my life so recklessly, brother?" she mocked him with fake sweetness and Stefan shook his head.
"Tyler is a good man Care," he told her.
"But not the one for me," she whispered and took her hand away from Stefan's, turning her attention back to the games, set on ignoring Stefan and Tyler for the rest of her day there.
Hours passed and she wasn't bored. She was fidgeting with her dress, of course, and she wanted to free her hair from that silly braid, but she was watching everything with excitement. So far this has been one of the best experiences in the Capital.
She watched the swordplay and snorted at how some men could barely hold their swords right.
The crowd was yelling and praising the knights. Some in amusement, some in mockery and some in awe.
She watched the archery. She saw more games. Combats with axes, long swords and different shaped blades. Her eyes lit up with every exciting moment and she cheered along with the crowd.
She also noticed that the members of the Royal family were skilled fighters. Anyone that opposed them ended up defeated. She tried not to notice the commanding presence of the man with the crimson cloak. But it was so hard since everyone was rooting for him.
Sometimes their eyes would meet and his smirk would grow and her cheeks would blush.
His eyes were so blue. His hair blond and long and he had a stubbled face. She remembered those eyes from the day she was presented in the throne room. Those eyes seemed to follow her ever since. She learned to expect that gaze to land upon her. She could tell when he was looking at her. It was an electrifying emotion as if fire, ice and thunder were uniting and aiming at her.
She slightly jumped as she saw him avoiding the end of a double edge sword that was aimed at his heart. Stefan looked at her and she tore her eyes from the Prince once and for all even though she felt Klaus's eyes watching her.
She finally smiled as the time for the jousting came.
Her smile grew wider as she noticed the beautiful horses that were getting prepared to enter the arena. She couldn't help herself. It was her soft point. She wanted to be near horses ever since she could remember. She could swear that she first learned to ride a horse and then to walk.
She clapped with excitement as the jousting games began and her happiness was contagious and even Stefan laughed next to her.
The blood and the brutality of the games didn't deter her and she watched as the best of the champions were claiming their worth with each opponent they were defeating.
It was not long before there were only two opponents left. A Knight and the Prince.
Lady Caroline gulped down as she watched Prince Klaus straddling his black horse. She looked at him almost mesmerized. He was wearing all black armor with a crimson cloak. He wore his helmet and long silken streamers of red and gold floated behind him. He looked fierce and for the first time in her life she felt intimidated by the presence of a man. She could swear that he was the first true born warrior she had ever seen. A vision of death in the saddle of the most magnificent horse.
He took the lance in his hand and commanded his horse to strut forward.
Before she knew it she was holding her breath and placing her hand above her chest as she saw him maneuvering over his opponent's aim and sending the sharp point of his own lance straight to the knight's armored chest violently knocking him off his horse.
Everyone was standing now and cheering for their Prince. She was one of them as her eyes were now bright with admiration.
She could swear she missed a beat from her heart as Klaus removed his helmet and casted a gaze towards her. Their eyes met and he slightly bowed on his horse. A gesture meant for only her to see.
She sat down feeling the earth moving under her legs. For the first time she had no control. She was losing herself as she felt a rush of danger and excitement filling her deep to her core.
"Are you okay Care?" her brother's voice took her out of her reverie.
She looked at him surprised for a moment and blinked.
"Yes, it is just too hot here," she said with flushed cheeks.
"Nothing like the North," her brother agreed and she nodded.
'No, nothing like the North' she thought.
Winter was giving away to an unknown heat. She looked at the Royal banners that rippled in the breeze.
She bit her bottom lip as she stared intently at the sigils.
'Fire and Blood,' she thought.
She then noticed as everyone from the crowd sat down as Prince Klaus led his horse towards his father's throne.
King Mikael named him this tournament's champion and Prince Klaus took in his hands the crown that was made of flowers. It was such a contradiction to see him holding in his hands something so delicate and fragile. Something that was so different from his deadly posture.
She smiled at the beauty of the crown. It was made from her favorite blooms. A winter rose crown meant for the beloved of the Prince's heart. The woman he would devote his victory to. As every champion before him, now it was his time to name his Queen of Love and Beauty. To bestow his favor upon… his Queen.
For a moment a feeling of unexplained jealousy filled her as she prepared herself for watching the Prince give the crown to his wife. She pushed that offending emotion deep down in her heart and mentally reprimanded herself. She didn't know why she was thinking like that; all she knew was that she could not stop those traitorous thoughts.
She also didn't know that her fate was about to change in these next moments.
She couldn't believe what would happen next. No one could.
Everyone watched as Klaus proudly commanded his horse and slowly led it towards the line of the benches.
Everyone was smiling and expecting the Prince to hand over the crown to his wife, princess Tatia, but instead of doing that Klaus passed her by and reached Lady Caroline. Her breath caught in her throat. Each moment a slow torture. She could not understand what he was doing even if she already knew what he was about to do.
All smiles died as Prince Klaus placed the winter rose crown in Lady Caroline's lap.
Silence erupted as Caroline looked at the winter roses that were now resting on her knees as if they were indeed made from fire and blood and she slowly raised her wide eyes to find Klaus's piercing gaze, dark and penetrating, locked intently upon her.
Time stopped. Scandalous whispers exploded all around them, but she could not hear or see anything else than her Prince.
Her brother, her betrothed, princess Tatia, all knights and the King were watching them with stone faces. All the Capital was watching them.
It was the moment that sealed their fates.
It was the beginning of their end.
The moment where Klaus, the Prince and future King of the known Kingdoms, named Caroline the highborn Lady of Winter and North his Queen of love and Beauty.
.
.
Blood flooded his mouth and he coughed and spat it out as Tyler now also known as the leader of the Rebellion against the known Kingdoms looked upon him with hatred and menace.
The man dug his blade deeper into his chest, but Klaus felt no pain anymore. The echoes of pain from the battle that still raged around him could not reach his ears anymore.
As he lay dying on the waters of the ford he could only smile. He could only feel her light.
"Caroline," he whispered and he could swear he could hear her calling him back as his last breath left his mangled body.
His eyes remained open and lifeless. They glittered in death as the reflection of his Queen of love and beauty was forever locked inside them.
.
.
"Will you stay beside me?" he asked her as he pushed a golden strand behind her ear.
"Until forever ends," she promised and kissed him.
She wrapped her hands around his neck and she hid her face in his shoulder. Her light was not the same as before. He had tainted it. She now wore the same grief he did. She now carried the same sins as him. She now stood by his side of her own free will and that would cost more than what she could bear; and yet for him her light shone brighter than ever before.
"Thousands will die Klaus," she whispered as tears fell.
"I know," he said simply, knowing how much this sin weighted on both of them. A sin that condemned them in life and would probably send them both in the deepest corners of the Seven hells, but as long as they would remain together it would not matter. Spending an eternity in torment would be a blessing if they were to spend it together. Even if it meant sacrificing thousands for it.
She raised her head and looked at the possessiveness that marked his gaze. She saw his love for her and knew that she stood too close to the fire. She could not back away now. She was already burned and thousands of souls would burn with them and somehow she felt that it was all worth it. Just for a moment like this it was all worth it.
"Would you take any of it back?" she asked him as his gaze roamed her face.
His fingers gently wrapped around her neck as he brought her closer. He smiled in adoration as he saw no fear in her eyes and then as his smile faded away only truth was left to lace his words.
"You are mine Caroline, no man or God could ever change this; Not now not ever. …You were always meant to be my Queen," he swore to her as his lips found hers.
His Queen of love and Beauty.
Song lyrics: The Rains of Castamere (from the Game of Thrones Soundtrack)