Prologue

"Elijah's home, there's only one dagger. Which one of us will you be punishing today?" Rebekah asked, watching her brother as he toyed with the silver dagger.

"I've contemplated a game, of enie, meanie, minie, moe." He replied.

He flashed behind her and held the dagger to her throat. "You betrayed me, my own Sister!"

"Niklaus don't you dare!" Elijah said firmly, walking into the room.

Klaus turned around and pointed to his brother with the dagger. "Or maybe it should be you, Brother, stealing my child away with every falling moment of tenderness you show Hayley!" Elijah interrupted, "This has nothing to do with Hayley," he would have continued, but Klaus erupted on him, "It has everything to do with her! She's adored you, since you arrived, and now my child, my blood, will grow up to call you father!" tears sped down his cheeks at these revelations, as he opened his heart for his siblings to see.

"Is that what this is? You are once again worried that you'll be left behind! Has history taught you nothing? We don't abandon you, Nik, you drive us away!"

Rebekah's words stung, and he held the dagger lower. He refused to let his siblings get to him, to bring out the emotion he drove away centuries ago.

"Is that so?" He said, lowering the dagger completely, "What have I done lately, other than cooperate?" tears continued to flow down his cheeks as he spoke. "And bow down to you, Brother, to make up for daggering you, for the greater good of our plan to reclaim our home! Look the other way, Sister, while you repeat the same cycle with Marcel, falling again for a man you shouldn't be with, while he controls the Empire that we built! That he took!"

The blond turned her head downwards at the harsh words her brother spoke. Elijah only looked on without any emotion showing, though inside he was weeping.

"Now, I make no excuses… for past sins, but in the one moment when you two could have chosen to stand by me, to believe in me, to believe that my intentions for my own child were pure, you chose to stand against me; to side with my enemies."

Rebekah let out a small sob at the truth, whilst Elijah took a deep breath to stop tears from falling. Klaus slowly walked towards them.

"I wanted our home back, and now I have it. So I'm going to live there, and the two of you, you can stay here together, and rot," with finality, he turned the dagger hilt-first to Elijah, who took it with a shaking hand.

And then he was gone.

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"You may have the Kingdom, but you'll never have what I did: Loyalty. It's something you can't buy, compel, or force. It's given freely, and only from those who trust you. You taught me many things, Niklaus Mikaelson, but this I learned on my own."

Marcel's words hung inside Klaus' head as he nursed a bottle of Bourbon, his eyes looking across his old home with sadness.

What had he ever done to deserve this? He was unloved, even by his own mother, and his siblings were against him with everything he did. His own child would never acknowledge him as her father, so why did he try to protect Hayley?

He heard footsteps coming towards him, and he turned to see Davina watching him. He sighed. "Are you going to give me a lecture, too, or are you going to leave me alone?" he asked.

Davina placed a hand on his shoulder. "I can give you the knowledge you need to find true happiness, if you so wish it," she whispered, leaning on the rail with him.

Klaus snorted. "Happiness never involves me, for I bring destruction and mayhem."

She sighed. "You will find a woman, a vampire hybrid to be precise, in the city of Denham, Australia. She's your Soul Mate, the one meant for your Wolf side."

The Hybrid turned towards her. Davina continued, "She was turned by the same spell that turned you, only 200 years after you became vampires. She was a witch then, and kept her powers, becoming the first Witch-Vampire hybrid to ever walk the earth."

Klaus blinked. "Why are you telling me this?" he asked, his voice just above a whisper so that Davina could hear him.

She sighed. "Your Mother has been watching you from the Other Side, and she's spoken to me these past few days. She's showed me what you were like as a human, as a child, and why you don't trust anyone other than yourself."

Klaus glowered. "Esther has been speaking with you?" he snarled.

"I have," came a familiar voice. The Hybrid turned swiftly and his eyes widened as he took in the light blond hair and grey eyes of his mother. "How are you here? Alive?" he snarled, intent on revenge.

Esther frowned. "I may have tried to kill you last year, my Son," she whispered, walking closer, "but after watching you since, I have seen how so many people betray you just because of what you are, and what you represent. They fear you because you can kill them with only a bite; they cower before you because they have only heard the bad things you've done; and they betray you because they see no humanity in your soul. But none know that even the in the worst of you, you are still in contact with your humanity."

Klaus felt a tear roll down his cheek. He detested showing emotion, but today he had shown more than in his thousand years of life.

"But even you betrayed me, why should I trust you? Forgive you?" he whispered.

Esther began to cry, the tears flowed freely, and no sound came. "You are right, I have wronged you, my Son, when I should have stood for you and your honour, protected you when Mikael came for you, and never placed the curse on you. I have been a terrible mother, one who believed that by eliminating you and the others, I would make the world a better place. I had no knowledge, or care, that even though you committed many horrible deeds, you have also helped others by healing them. I have been a terrible mother, and deserved death both times it was dealt!" she was sobbing, and had cupped Niklaus' cheek whilst she spoke. "But you are my son, and now that I live again, I shall stand by you, and protect you."

Klaus closed his eyes, allowing the comforting feeling of his mothers hands rubbing his cheeks calm him. Despite everything she had done, he still loved her more than anyone could ever imagine. She was his mother, the woman who had raised him. Any kindness he had ever shown was because of her. The fifty two years, four months, and nine days he spent with the Hunters Curse, all he ever saw was his mother, telling him how useless he was as a son, and how she wished she had never bore him in her womb. He had seen, over and over, how he had ripped her heart out of her chest. Night after night, the memories and false visions tortured him into almost shutting off his humanity. But each time he contemplated it, he would see her, not as part of the curse, but as her human self, telling him to keep his humanity, for if he turned it off just once, it may never be returned.

He had only ever wanted her approval, her love.

"I've missed you, Mother," he whispered, pulling her into a hug. She sobbed into his shoulder as she hugged him back just as fiercely. Davina smiled as she watched them. Though she'd never tell anyone, she had always enjoyed the Hybrid; she found him an entertaining show each time he ranted about his problems. She often compared it to the Soap Operas her grandmother would watch.

After almost an hour of sobbing into her sons shoulder, Esther pulled back. "You must find her, Niklaus," she whispered.

Klaus sighed. "I am unfit to love another, Mother." He told her.

Esther sighed. "Open your heart, my son, and you will find that the loyalty your old friend Marcel spoke of will come to you in the most unlikely of forms and shapes. Imagine, the Kingdom you have wished for, complete with your Mate and people you see as your children, people you see as friends, instead of disposable beings there to fulfil your needs."

He gave her a look. "Alright, Mother," he said, smiling slightly. She smiled. "I already have a house picked out. It is large, but not too large as to draw attention, like the silly mansion you built in Mystic Falls was."

She handed him a photo of a house. It was beautiful, Klaus had to admit. It was two floors with cream-colored panels on the outside, and old Victorian windows to match. There were two chimneys, which meant two fireplaces, an attic, a porch to a room, most probably a bedroom, a white picket fence, garage, and an in-ground swimming pool.

"I love it, Mother," he told her warmly, kissing her cheek. She patted his cheek gently, then turned. "Our flight leaves in an hour, pack only what you need and cherish; we're shopping once we get there."

Klaus chuckled, and he and Davina shook their heads at the retreating witch's antics.

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The ride to Denham, Australia, was long. It was only Esther and he in the private jet, but even with the speed it still took six hours to get to the airport in Perth, and then another eight hour drive to their new city and house.

"Of course there would not be an airport closer to a famous tourist area," Klaus grumbled as the taxi pulled up to the house. Esther snorted. "It's how they make most of their money, Niklaus," she said gently.

They paid the driver, and walked into the beautifully furnished house. The inside was much larger than it appeared to be, and everything was top of the market, high-tech belongings. He turned to his mother and gave her a look.

"I want to enjoy what I've missed!" she defended herself, then grabbed her suitcase with a huff. She began to carry it to the stairs, but Klaus took it from her. "Allow me," he told her kindly, and zipped it upstairs for her. "Which is your room?" he asked.

She laughed. "Second door on the left! Yours is the fourth on the right!"

He brought the luggage to the rooms, and noticing that his room was much bigger, and was the one with the balcony, turned to his mother. "You should have this room, Mother," he whispered. Esther smiled. "I want you to have it. After all, your new mate will be spending a lot of time in here, if I know you correctly."

Crimson rose in his cheeks. "Mother, please tell me you have not been watching my personal affairs whilst you have been on the other side," he groaned. She grimaced. "Only enough to know that you have had many lady friends these centuries," she confessed.

He opened his suitcase and removed the second dagger, which he had found in Marcel's old room. "I need this hidden somewhere," he muttered. Esther held her hand out, and he placed it in her palm. It disappeared, and she smiled. "We have a cellar that can only be opened by a witch who has been given permission by me, or is me." She seemed extraordinarily proud of herself, and Klaus shook his head in amusement.

He began to put his clothes away, and his mother sat on the huge king sized bed. "Niklaus, my son," she said, and he turned to her with a smile, "Yes?" he replied, watching her.

She took a deep breath, then grabbed his face with both hands and pain ripped through his skull.

"Juxta maledictiones, quæ est super hic statim solvere" she chanted, and he fell to the floor, sweat pouring from him as he writhed in agony.

Then, almost ten minutes later, it stopped. He rose to his feet, eyes blazing. "What did you do to me?" he growled. Esther smiled. "I removed the curse from you completely," she whispered.

He stopped dead. "What?" he asked, not believing what she said. Had he heard wrong? Had she really removed the curse she had placed on him, just so that he could be content?

"I wronged you once, over a thousand years ago," Esther told him, kissing his forehead, "the least I could do was fix the problems I created."

Klaus felt tears run down his cheeks as his mother passed out from magical fatigue into his arms. He knew that the power she had used behind the curse originally had almost killed her, and breaking or removing a curse normally took more power.

His mother, the woman who had wanted him dead until recently, had just risked her life to make him happy.

He sighed, then picked her up and brought her to her room.

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Esther was out like a light for the next three days, and was exceptionally weak for the two weeks following. Klaus stayed home for the most part, only leaving at his mothers' insistence.

After that, she was walking around, looking as if nothing had ever happened. But Klaus knew better. He knew his mother could not use magic for at least another month, when she would regain all of her strength. Using her magic before then could kill her, and Klaus didn't think he could bear losing her again.

Months passed after that, with nothing of interest happening. It was the middle of February, their fourth month in Denham, when anything at all happened.

Esther and Klaus had both gone to a movie in the city that night. It was a few days before Valentines, and the movies were mostly romantic films. Esther had begged her son to take her to see one of the films she had seen the trailer for, and Klaus had reluctantly agreed.

Although he'd never admit it, he enjoyed the movie very much.

The two had been laughing over what the main characters in the movie had done, and did not notice anyone else until Klaus crashed into a young woman walking down the street.

"Oh my god, I am so sorry!" she apologized, her curly brown hair flowing across her face as she picked herself off the ground. Her brown eyes were wide and embarrassed, and she looked positively shaken. She looked to be of Spanish heritage, but her accent suggested one of her parents was from France, Paris to be exact.

Esther smiled at the girl as Klaus rose from the sidewalk. "It is quite alright, my dear-" he didn't hear any more, because he was staring at her as if she were the last being on earth.

She was his mate.

He cursed his luck. Of course, he of all people would run into his mate literally. But, he smiled and kissed her knuckles. She blushed, and out of the corner of his eye Klaus saw Esther smirk. "I'll see you tomorrow then, Son," she said, walking away.

He rolled his eyes at his mothers' antics, and turned to the lady. "Can I inquire your name, Love?" he asked smoothly, allowing the full force of his accent come through.

She smiled. "Antoinette Fontagne, Sir," she introduced herself. He returned the smile. "Niklaus Mikaelson," he replied smoothly.

Her smile turned fixed. "You're the Hybrid," she whispered, eyes displaying fear.

Klaus cursed himself for scaring her. She was his mate, he should not be scaring her, even if by accident.

"You are very beautiful, Miss Fontagne," he purred, giving her a heated look. The fear in her eyes didn't subside, and he groaned. "Stop being afraid, I shall not harm you," he told her.

She glared at him. "And I'm supposed to believe you?" she asked incredulously. He frowned. "I'm not that trustworthy, am I?" he asked, scratching the back of his head.

Antoinette frowned. "No, actually, not at all."

He sighed. "I wish to get to know you better, Antoinette," he told her. She held up a hand. "Call me Anne, Antoinette is quite lengthy."

Klaus smiled gently. "Anne it is, then," he whispered as he leaned into her ear. She let out a shiver, which Klaus took as a good sign. "Spend Valentines Day with me?" he asked as he pulled away.

Anne blushed. There was no fear in her eyes anymore, only lust and something else. "Of course, Klaus," she said, and stuck a paper into his pocket before walking away. He took the paper out of the pocket and smiled.

It was her phone number.

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For the following year, Anne became a constant in Klaus' life.

Esther had been quite fond of the girl, who was a vampire-witch hybrid. When Anne visited Klaus at his home, she always found time to spend with Esther.

Only a month ago, Anne had given him an idea to start his own kingdom there in Denham. He had taken it to heart, and had immediately begun his search for other supernatural creatures. After making friends with many of the different species, he had begun to make circles.

The Elite Circle was only the people he trusted above all; the people he considered family and that was family. So far, it was only him, who was King, his mother, who would always be where he was, and Anne.

The Inner circle were the Vampires of Denham. He knew each and every one of the fifty vampires in the city, but only chose five for his circle. First, there was Agusta Marrionette, whom he had met whilst looking for his mother in a restaurant. She wasn't tall, but had a lot of fight in her. She had shoulder-length straight black hair with golden highlights, and hazel eyes. She had been turned in the year 1465, at the age of 21, in France.

After her was Alejandro Burlesque. He was a Spaniard turned in the year 1601 at the age of 28. He had blond hair and a small beard, and bright blue eyes.

Amarra Pelisque soon followed him. She had been one of the first vampires ever turned by them, over 900 years before. She looked uncannily like Davina, only with shorter hair and cocoa eyes. The two could have been cousins.

Following was Avery Furnesque, a German soldier turned in the First World War by Agusta. He had light brown hair with mossy green eyes, with a smart-ass personality.

Lastly in the Inner Circle, was Vane Kattalakis. The girl had been changed in the year 1540, right before her wedding day by an old friend. She had curly hazel hair and coal black eyes.

In the Middle Circle, were the witches. Alaric Tisons, Andrea Browns, Cleopatra Ejypto, James LeBlanc, Joffrey Ameggs, and Silver Starshine made up the coven of witches and warlocks under Esthers' command.

The Outer Circle were the Werewolves. Over 100 ranged across the city, and only six were allowed in the Circle. Ariel Venicia, Edward Jasons, Ragh Korio, Teress Ponjo, Tessa Nightingale, and Urik Nomveris were the Alphas of each pack, and therefore members of the Circle.

But there was one problem with his new kingdom; it didn't have a title.

That was solved quickly and with ease. Esther had suggested keeping Denham's original name in the new title, and as they were only in charge of the supernatural, to make it something old.

So, Denham Australia soon became the Denham Court.

To help his Circles flourish, he began the building of a large estate with several large manors inside. The home he and his mother shared was in the center of the circular estate, with the werewolves to the north of them, the vampires south, and the witches east. To the west was the gate, a large black metal gate with the new Denham Court symbol (Pics on profile (My website)) as a lock.

Surrounding the estate, attached to the gate, was an eight-foot tall red brick wall. Every few feet, a large white marble spike would protrude from the top, making it look sinister and deadly. Beside the gate, was a golden plaque, with the names of every person within the Court engraved into it, as well as their address.

It was the night that everything had finished being built that something incredible happened.

Klaus, his mother, and Anne had all gone to a small restaurant as to celebrate their work well done. They had eaten most of their meal when they heard a loud SLAP, and all turned their heads swiftly.

It was a young woman, barely 30, with dark brown hair and blue eyes. She held the wrist of a young boy, maybe 6 of age, harshly. "There is no such thing as magic, Sachello!" she hissed at him.

Klaus saw red, and removed himself from the table to walk over to them. "Excuse me," he said, compelling her, "what are yours and the young lads' names?"

"Isabella Laforati and Sachello Laforati," she replied, unable to stop herself.

He nodded. "What do you feel towards the child?" he continued. "He's an imposing whelp with no real use." She was shaking as she answered.

"You will hand over the child to me, and forget this ever happened." His pupils dilated once more, and she nodded, taking her leave. Klaus looked down at the small child, who was cowering before him. He had a head of silky black hair, and large hazel eyes that Klaus almost got lost in.

He knelt down in front of Sachello, and held out his hand. "Why don't you come with me, Sachello?" he asked.

The small child smiled brightly at those words, and jumped into Klaus' arms. The Hybrid hugged the small child tenderly, and brought him back to the table. "Sachello shall be staying with us," he told them gently.

Anne and Esther smiled brightly, and Klaus knew he'd made the right decision.

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For the next fifty years, all was well.

Esther had made herself immortal by using the same spell she had used over a thousand years before, along with Sachello, who had turned out to be a Warlock.

Sachello was their inside to the humans of Denham. He was a lawyer, and owned a well-known Law Firm, although he did have to change his name in the papers every now and then. He also controlled a small group of humans who knew about the Supernatural Population of Denham Court, and helped with any legal prosecutions.

Only a few years after Sachello joined the Court, and their family, Klaus had proposed and gotten married to Anne. It had been a beautiful winter wedding.

Klaus and Anne had been thinking about adoption. Anne had never gotten the chance to have any children, and Klaus had completely disregarded the child both he and Hayley shared in blood.

So it came as quite the surprise when one morning, as Anne opened the door to their home, a joyous shriek filled the hall. Klaus had rushed to her side, and found three pairs of doe-like eyes staring back at him.

With the three children, came a note stating their birthday, and that they were triplet shape-shifters.

Shape-shifters as a species were just as immortal as any vampire, though without the need for blood. They had the ability to shift into only one animal form, and it stayed with them until the chose to become mortal.

With a smile, Klaus, Anne, Esther, and Sachello all gathered in the kitchen to coo at the small toddlers.

"The boy is Caecus Kayden Mikaelson," Anne said softly, picking the child up and kissing his cheek lightly. She turned to the small girl with brownish tufts of hair. "She is Rowena Evangeline Mikaelson."

Klaus chose to pick up the girl with a light head of ice blond hair. "And she," he said, turning towards his own mother and placing the child in her arms, "is Leandre Esther Mikaelson."

Esther felt tears well up. "You named her after me?" she whispered, looking at her son with happiness. Klaus nodded, and Esther cradled the child to her chest. It was obvious that this child would be her favourite grandchild, although she would never outwardly show it.

"Sachello and yourself are the godparents as well," Anne told the woman. Sachello looked taken aback, but smiled soon after. "Yes!" he nodded, taking one of the children into his own arms.

And that was the start of over 300 years of happiness.