Hello! Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story! I hope you enjoy my AU take on the events of 1492!

Synopsis: This is an AU concept on the year 1492, when Katerina Petrova has just been outcasted from her own, seeking solace in England. It is there that she meets the notorious Mikaelson family - who have been waiting a few centuries for her. Now caught up in a game of lies, secrets, and sacrifice, Katerina must decide what means more to her. Love, or her life?

Thank you and PLEASE REVIEW!

(Many thanks to my beta: Polkadottedgiraffe11!)

-Katia

Katerina Petrova didn't know what she was doing in England. Really, she hadn't set out for this destination - yet it was something that had happened. She had been disgraced from her home country of Bulgaria, and she needed to get out of there as fast as she possibly could. It was while she was on the run - trying to find a home - that she had originally met Trevor.

Katerina hadn't known what to do. She'd just been exiled from her home country, and she wasn't sure where else she was going to go. She had no family that would take her in, and in this day in age? No man was going to wed her when she had an illegitimate child somewhere in the world. Which, she supposed, she could leave out. Either way she was broke, and hardly in a position where she could marry up in the world. By all intents and purposes, Katerina was screwed.

She had been sleeping in an alleyway one night - somewhere off of the streets of Yorkshire. It was in no way ideal, but Katerina was out of options. What else was she supposed to do? At least here, she didn't have to deal with people's odd looks at her - for sleeping on the ground. Here, she was safe from disgruntled and disgraced looks. Though, as it would turn out, that was the only thing she was safe from. That night - while Katerina struggled with getting comfortable and getting sleep - she had been attacked by a man.

A strangled scream escaped her mouth - her eyes taking in the man's face. It appeared to her like some kind of demon and for a moment, Katerina thought that she was being taken by the devil for all of her sins.

"Please, Lord, no." she muttered softly, glancing up at the sky and then down and looking into the man's eyes.

He stared at her in confusion, and Katerina realized that he was behaving much the way that most men did when it came to looking at her. He thought that she was beautiful, which was certainly something that Katerina could use to her advantage. She needed to get out of here, anyways. As fast as she possibly could. She didn't know what he was, if he really was a demon, or what he even wanted from her. Katerina refused to be a victim, however.

"Please, let me go," she said, mentally chastising herself for letting her voice quake. She bat her eyelashes at the man. "I'll leave, I promise."

"I am so sorry," the man rushed out to say, shaking his head. For someone who had just been attacking an innocent girl in an alleyway, he seemed a lot better now. Katerina wasn't totally sure what it was about. "Usually the only people here are rejects."

"Well, that still holds true."

The man was silent for a moment, the statement weighing on his mind. Katerina didn't look like a reject and she knew it. She had worked hard to get her figure back after giving birth to the baby. That didn't mean, however, that she wasn't just as much of one.

"I hardly believe that. Do you really belong on the streets? A girl like you should be put in a palace, with guys falling over themselves to win your hand," the man said with a laugh.

Katerina smirked a bit, a slight bout of cockiness coming over her. She hadn't had a real reason to feel good about herself for a few months. This was nice.

"You're just saying that to be kind," Katerina told him, nodding her head politely at him. She, of course, still remembered the vision of what he was in the back of her mind. She was trying hard not to think about it, however.

"I mean it," he said, smiling some. He was silent for a mere moment, before looking around - specifically at the place where Katerina had been lying just a few moments ago. He took it in for a moment, before looking up at her. "Is this where you're staying?" he asked, almost as if the thought had unnerved him.

Katerina nodded slightly. "For now. I suppose I might change alleyways another night."

"You should come to the Mikaelson Estate," he said, like the idea had just hit him. At the look Katerina had given him (one of deep confusion, probably), he realized that he would need to explain. After all, he had just tried to attack the woman.

"It's where I'm staying currently. The Mikaelsons are very kind - and there's a party tomorrow night. I'm sure they wouldn't mind giving you a room. That is, if you're interested? Consider it a version of an apology for my scaring you."

Normally, Katerina would not accept this. She did not like being pitied, or taking help from anyone. But, she knew that she was running out of choices. And a hot bath and a nice bed sounded rather appealing right now. So, after a moments worth of consideration.

"Alright. But on one condition - you have to tell me your name, and what was going on with your face earlier. I'm not blind, and I saw it." Katerina said simply.

The man laughed. "My name is Trevor. And that's a story I should tell you as we walk. It's a long one."

And so, Katerina Petrova walked arm in arm with the stranger, Trevor, as he told her a long story of vampires, explaining what he was. And, maybe Katerina should have been afraid. Perhaps she should have run far away from here, in order to get away from him. But Katerina was intrigued with the fabulous stories - so she let herself be led straight into the lion's den.

The Mikaelson Estate.

The next twenty hours flew by for Katerina. When she arrived at the Estate, it was every bit as glamorous as Trevor had promised it would be. Katerina wasn't sure what she had done to get picked up by a place like this. But, all Trevor had to do to get Katerina her own room was tell the guards her name. They rushed off to get the servants to get one ready. Katerina wasn't used to being waited on, not even at home when she had been pregnant. But this was something else. She liked it too - she could really get used to it.

As soon as the servants had gotten her into her room, they helped her out of her clothes. Katerina had been wearing the same dress for almost three weeks, so she was thankful to get it off. Once that was done, they helped Katerina get into the bathtub and wash. It was nice and reassuring - something that Katerina was more than happy to have. She had missed a good bath.

Once the bath was done, she had been put into a new outfit - though it was a night gown. She was slightly worried about having to put on her same tattered dress when she woke up, but the maids assured her not to worry about it. So, Katerina let herself trust them. After all, they weren't going to just let her run around in her nightgown. It wouldn't be proper decorum, and surely - whoever the Mikaelsons were - would chastise them greatly if they were going to allow that.

The next morning, Katerina had high hopes about the day, for the first time since she had been banished from Bulgaria. She was supposed to meet the famous Mikaelsons that night - at a lord's birthday party, according to her understanding. Lord Elijah and Lord Klaus. Even their names sounded intimidating to the young girl. But, she would put on a brave face and pretend to be someone of a higher extent than who she actually was. She had no choice, not if she intended to get herself a better - happier life.

"Miss Petrova," a voice summoned from the door, pulling the brunette out of her thoughts. When she turned to face the voice, she saw a young girl with raven hair standing in the doorway. Katerina's eyes narrowed slightly as she took her in, biting down on her bottom lip as she did so. "My name is Aileen. I'm here to help you dress for the party."

"Oh," Katerina said, batting her eyelashes slightly.

She hadn't been expecting to have someone to help her dress. Katerina came from a well-off family, but not one that was so well-off they could afford servants to help Kat dress. This was a shock to her, and it had the opportunity to completely throw her off of the facade she planned on holding up for the evening. But, she wasn't going to allow that. Katerina had everything resting on making sure she charmed someone at this party. Katerina needed promise of a good life, now that she had been forced out of her home. And that meant that Katerina needed a good husband, even though the thought of marrying sickened her at this moment in time.

"Of course," Katerina finally said, remembering that she had company, and knowing that she couldn't afford to waddle for too long.

"I was wondering if they would send someone or not. Though, I'm afraid they have taken my only dress." Katerina said, keeping her voice level and cold, making sure that she came across as someone who was used to having power.

"Miss Petrova, that dress was in pieces. We have a new dress ready for you, borrowed from Lady Mikaelson's closet. Lord Klaus said it would be alright to get one as Lady Mikaelson is, er, not around at the moment," Aileen's face twisted slightly, showing a slight blush on her face, but Kat didn't ask of it. She had no interest in making friends with the servants.

"I suppose that will have to do."

Aileen nodded, and soon began her work on helping Katerina into her dress. It was a lovely dark red dress, with the finest red linings on it. She found it quite nice to be in such extravagant clothing. Katerina wasn't used to such lovely things, but she knew soon after putting it on that she was going to rather enjoy wearing these things. She might never grow out of it. They made her feel worth something, while she'd spent the last little bit of her life feeling as though she was nothing.

She was determined that tonight, while she would pay attention to courting herself someone rich, she would have fun. This night was going to change her life.

She just wasn't aware how much.

By the time that Katerina was finished getting ready, the party had been ongoing for about ten minutes. She was afraid of having to walk down there by herself, but she soon found that Trevor was waiting for her outside off her room.

The brunette smirked a bit, tilting her head to the side. "Trevor, hello. Are you waiting on me?"

"Well, a woman like you can't walk into that party alone, now, can they?" Trevor said with a smile of his own.

Katerina smiled, her arms slipping around his as they started down the hallway to the room the party was taking place. "You look lovely, Ms. Katerina. Truly a beauty; it's a wonder I found you where I did."

Katerina stiffened a bit, shaking her head a bit. "I would appreciate it greatly, Trevor, if you neglected to tell anyone of that. Any more than you already have, that is. My family has been through a rough time lately, but we are back on top. Last night was a fluke, and I refuse for more than a few to know otherwise. I do hope that you understand, Trevor."

Trevor nodded, and that was that. They continued down the hallway, and soon arrived at the party. Katerina let her eyes slide around the room, taking in everything. The room was fancy, and one of the loveliest places that Katerina had ever seen before. She wished that she could tell which of the men the Mikaelsons were, but at the moment she was unsure. There were no two men who stood out. So, she did the next thing that she could think of. She turned to face her escort - Trevor.

"I would love to meet the Mikaelsons, should that be allowed. To thank them for letting me stay here."

"Of course, Ms. Katerina. I'll go see if they're available." And he rushed off.

Katerina's eyes followed him, before she saw him approach a man. The man had dark hair that hung at loose curls on his head. He was rather cute, Katerina couldn't help but note, and she smiled a bit. Perhaps meeting the Mikaelsons would be more fun than she thought. She'd wanted to do it for an advantage, but perhaps it could be a more... beneficial advantage.

Soon, the two of them began heading her way, and Katerina sought to look busy, so that no one would believe that she was waiting around. Soon, a servant passed with a glass of champagne. She grabbed one, sipping at it, until she felt a hand on her shoulder. Her eyes turned, meeting Trevor, with a smile, before he pointed to the man at his side. Katerina suppressed a smirk, tilting her head to the side.

"Hello." She said kindly. Upon his meeting her gaze, there was something about him that seemed awestruck. She wasn't sure what it was (though she did suppose that it would have something to do with her beauty. She was rather gorgeous, after all). But, it was more than that. The dark haired man wasn't just looking at her as though he found her beyond beautiful. He was looking at her as though he found her... well, something a bit different. Katerina inclined her head politely, in a fashion that signaled she was waiting for his reply.

"Hello," the man finally said, clearing his throat. "Forgive me. You just remind me of someone."

Ah, so that's what it was, Katerina thought to herself. But she didn't say anything. Instead, she looked to Trevor, hoping for him to further their introduction.

So, he did. "Ms. Katerina Petrova, may I present the Lord Elijah Mikaelson," he said, before ducking away.

Now alone, Katerina smiled at the Lord, ready to turn up her charms. "A pleasure, my Lord," she said, beginning to curtsey. However, before she could get very far, he grabbed her hand, raising it to his lips.

"The pleasure is mine, Ms. Katerina. All mine."