I do not own or claim to own TO, TVD or any of their characters.
It is unlikely Klaus had never considered their existence. He was over a thousand now, and the universe just kept coming up with new things to throw his way. However, he cannot say an envelope literally falling into his lap, as though from thin air, does not phase him. He thinks it might be a spell that had brought it to him, but no smell of smoke lingered in the air, and he had heard the delicate tinkles of bells. He scans the air but sees nothing. Shrugging, he looks towards his lap where the envelope lays face up.
Niklaus Mikaelson, The Original Hybrid and King of New Orleans , it reads in a soft, silver calligraphy, the title much to his satisfaction. The print stands bold against the envelope that refuses to stay a single color, flowing from pastel pink to blue to colors he cannot even begin to describe. He picks it up, and when he touches it a wonderful tingling sensation flows through his fingers. Flipping it over, he sees the seal is completely flat, and he first believes it to be made of a gold wax. The emblem flashes for a moment, and he sees a pair of butterfly wings of every color he had ever painted in. Upon further inspection, when he holds the seal to his eyes the gold turns transparent and displays a tiny world within, with grass, a few trees, and a figure eating what appears to be an apple while it lounges in a hammock. Suddenly, it notices him, or at least the blue eye held to the small window. It bursts from the hammock, arms spread, and blue wings extend slowly from its delicate body. A blinding flash sends Klaus reeling, and when he can see out of both eyes again, the seal has become a much duller form of gold, no longer holding the envelope closed. Klaus then realizes the seal is real gold.
He is intrigued, to say the least.
When he pushes up the already slightly lifted flap, he pulls out a simple cream cardstock invitation, printed in the same handwriting, but with simple silver ink;
Her Highness, Queen Caroline of The Fairfolk
requests the honour of your presence at the celebration of her coronation
At sunset on March twenty-fourth, you will find the entrance to the land of the Fae at 30° 0′ 6″ N, 90° 5′ 34″ W
There you will receive further instruction. The royal court looks forward to spending a night of dancing, food, and celebration in your midst.
~PAGE BREAK~
Two days later Klaus enters his closet to find a large box resting on the bench in the center. He circles around it once with interest, intrigue still alive inside of him from the invitation. The box changes colors the same way the envelope had, and when klaus tugs on the ribbon it comes undone and falls to the side almost instantly. He pulls off the top layer of cardboard, and it leaves the familiar, pleasant tingling on his fingertips. He picks up a card laid on top of regular lavender tissue paper. Different handwriting in the same silver ink reads;
Save me a dance,
Fondly,
Caroline
He raises a brow, wondering what he'd done to gain the attention of this so called faerie queen.
He was suspicious, of course. He had never heard anything about fairies being truly real in his thousand years. This could very well be the lure for a trap. Even if the fairies were real, according to the lore he has spent two days absorbing, eating the food advertised on the invitation would mean this 'Caroline' could keep him in the realm of the fae for however long she pleased. He wonders if refusing any would be considered rude, and decides he does not care. He sets the card down gingerly on the seat cushion behind the box, moving on to the actual contents. He pulls back the tissue paper so it folds over the sides of the box, revealing a black suit jacket, folded so the lapels were showing. He picks it up fingers tingling in a sign of faerie magic. He registers a pair of pants, a button up shirt, and a bowtie, but remains focused on the jacket.
He would be lying if he said he had not gasped at the intricate threading the ran through the lapels. There were vines crawling up them, twisting and turning in the unnatural natural way that vines do. At certain points there are bursts of flowers that are unlike anything he had ever seen; lilies and snapdragons twined into one impossibly vibrant blue form. Running his finger over the thread, it feels exactly like running his fingers over real flowers, so much so that he does a double take, holding the folded jacket to his eyes like he had the envelope. Klaus is certain he is looking at threads, but when he holds his finger on one spot, he can see from his eye level view that it had come to life under his finger tip. He takes in a sharp breath, amazed.
~
Marcel is at the city park entrance when he arrives the next day, dressed sharply in deep red suit that looks black in the fading light, a bowtie wrapped messily around his neck. Klaus sighs and reaches out instinctively to fix it, grateful when the boy does not stop him. He makes a mental note that Marcel's attire is clearly not from the same source as his own, the white button up dull compared to his own soft blue one, not just because of the color difference.
"Hey." It is a bit awkward when he pulls away, as the rift between them never healed. "Did you get this too?" The younger holds an invitation exactly like the one he had received up between two fingers. Klaus nods absently, distracted by the writing on the envelope. He grins when he reads 'Prince of New Orleans.' "What?"
"Mine was for the King of New Orleans." Marcel rolls his eyes at the gloating tone.
"Nice suit," He squints, staring at the threads, registering the magic radiating off of them. "It's… is that from the faeries?"
"Yes." Marcel steps ahead, shaking his head as he follows the directions his phone gives him, Klaus a few steps behind him.
"Already the favorite."
"Did you expect any less?" They are quiet for the rest of the walk, not commenting on the strangeness of it all or the tension between them, even as the park turns from fields and statues to bayou and more bayou. Finally, they reach a stone bridge, their dress shoes echoing on the bricks. They stand in the center, hands in pockets and looking around, waiting for something to happen. Suddenly Klaus shoots forward and picks two thick rings up off of the railing, holding them both in the palm of his hand. They are silver, and magic flows off of them in waves, making him feel almost dizzy. Marcel comes over to look at the rings, picking one up, looking at the crest on it. It is a a crescent moon with a crown hanging off the bottom point, a pair of eyes glowing from in between both points.
"This one is yours," He says, switching it out for the other one. His own crest has the vines he used to slit throats with back when he was in charge, wrapped around a sceptre with blood dripping from the caged heart at the top. "Crazy detail."
"I have a feeling we're about to enter a world of meticulous detail." Klaus responds, pushing the ring onto his finger. It tightens to fit him perfectly, and the world seems a little different, a lot brighter around him. He sees purple dust rise from one side of the bridge and hops on the railing without thinking. He holds his hand out and Marcel takes it, lifting himself up to join the man who raised hands both fall to their sides as they stare at the water churning below them in a perfect circle, endless shades of violets swirling among infinite shades of blue. In the center they can almost see something, but just as their minds register an image it disappears. They look at each other before Marcel springs off, whooping on the the way down. Klaus grins and almost laughs before he follows.
The feeling that washes over him is hot and cold all at once, pressing against him and then leaving him all at once. Smells and sounds fly at him too fast to register, then suddenly he lands on his ass next to a standing Marcel, who is looking around, bewildered.
"Did you land on your feet?" Klaus scowls as he stands, and pretends he does not hear the hitch in Marcel's voice when he answers.
"Of course." Klaus stands, looking around. They had landed directly under a wooden archway swallowed by vines with fat leaves and flowers the size of their heads. The air around them smells amazing, but Klaus still doesn't trust it. A path is laid out in front of them, lighted by flowers that grow as thick and as tall as trees, golden orbs floating in the center of the outstretched petals. The light casted on the trail reveals it is made of jewels that look like they had grown perfectly there in long tendrils, braided together on the path. Marcel holds out an arm. "Elders first." Klaus chooses not to respond, following the path. They cannot see past the curve, and it takes them a good five minutes of walking before they are able to. They both stop dead in their tracks.
"Is that…. a tree?"
"I believe it is."
"Wow." They stay staring in awe at the trunk that is as wide as a street block. Looking up, Klaus can't see where the trunk ends. There is a large archway with nothing but vines over it which serve as a door. They move forward as one, Klaus holding back the vines for Marcel. He takes in the entryway, noting that the walls are not raw wood, but rather soft red-wood like bark, meaning the tree has not been harmed. He moves his eyes from the decor, taking in two small men in green armor with gold, swirling details holding it all in place, swords made of what he assumes is iron hanging at their sides. They stand one shoulder each to the wall, the space between them opening up to a room where Klaus can see lively dancing and refreshments circling. One of the guard's skin is paper white, the other's midnight black. Their ears both come to points and their features are drastically sharp. Klaus sees that they are also looking Marcel and him up and down with their vivid eyes, one set of purple and one set of orange.
"Good evening, gentlemen. Invitations?" The dark skinned one steps forward and they both produce theirs, handing them over simultaneously. Klaus notices the pale one eyeing his suit. The other guard holds the pieces of paper above his head. A few quiet seconds pass before a venus fly trap much more alive than Klaus was used to snatches them up, a gurgling sound coming from deep within the tree. Marcel hits his arm excitedly until Klaus elbows him. "You may pass. Her Highness will make her entrance shortly."
"Thank you." Marcel offers, nodding to both kindly, scowling at the way Klaus shoves past him without a word.
Marcel catches up to a rare sight; Klaus' mouth hanging open in awe as his head bends upwards. There are gigantic fireflies that are almost cute clinging to the high ceiling, their lights more fluorescent than the neon yellow Klaus had always known. Trays of food and drink float around with seemingly no one helping them. Klaus notices several barefeet inches above the ground, his eyes traveling up. Their attire is all exquisite; skirts crafted from brightly colored tropical leaves, bodices made from some sort of sparkly flower petals, suits completely made from flowers to sewn with tree bark fibers. Hair is buzz cut or madly long, vines braided into it. Makeup ranges from none to an entire Urban Decay store, though the product seems to glow. They mostly all looked young; there were a few wrinkles, but they all seemed below the fifty years mark. Some faeries had holes cut around their wings, some had backless attire, and some had opted for no shirts at all. The wings are what he stares at the most. There are wings that he recognizes; wings that he had always known to be on bugs, wings he had always known to be on birds, and wings he could have never come up with in his wildest dreams. He is in awe, which was not something that had happened in a long time.
Klaus sees Davina and Vincent, as well as, surprisingly, Bonnie Bennett. Bonnie was talking to a man with dark hair, an annoyed look plastered on her face. Klaus sees a few other people with clothes from their world, though he doesn't recognize them.
"Holy shit." Marcel is the first to speak. "It's real." A tray finds its way to them with small, delicious smelling miniature pies balanced on it, and Marcel reaches out a hand before Klaus pulls it it back and holds it in place.
"We're fine, thank you." He feels a bit foolish speaking to the tray, but it obeys.
"What the hell'd you do that for?"
"One would think someone else raised you. Did you not do any research?" Marcel sighs.
"You're always so paranoid. Just have fun."
"If you consume or harm anything from this world the queen has the power to hold you here for as long as she wishes."
"What? But that's, like, all we do for fun." Klaus almost says something about the use of 'we', but decides against it. Davina notices them and flounces over, refusing to look at Klaus as she talks excitedly to Marcel. Klaus takes this as his cue and wanders over to Bonnie, who now has her back to him, speaking with a fairy with light green eyes.
"Bonnie, so good to see you alive and well." She stiffens, and the fairy watches with interest as she sighs and turns.
"I'm really starting to question this fairy's taste in party quests. First Kai Parker and now you." He clutches his chest in mock hurt, and the fairy walks away, seemingly disappointed.
"You wound me, love. After all these years this is how you greet me." She rolls her eyes, sipping from a tall glass of swirling red champagne, and Klaus decides against saying anything.
"I hear you're a father now."
"And who told you that?"
"Matt went to visit her, unannounced, and there was a kid there." Klaus nods, wishing he had a glass to nurse. "Poor thing, she's probably already cutting up stray cats."
"Hold your tongue, witch, unless you want it out of your head." Another fairy wanders over, a tight suit plastered to their body.
"Hello, I am Gelsey, are you two enjoying the festivities?" Bonnie smiles, and Klaus is reminded that she was someone other than the ice queen she shows to him.
"I am, thank you. I love your shirt." The fairy begins to blush furiously, their medium skin tone becoming slightly red.
"Oh- uh- thank you. Your dress is… shiny." She giggles before sipping on her drink.
"If I may ask… who are you to be invited here?" Klaus sticks out a hand, introducing himself.
"Klaus Mikaelson, King of New Orleans." Bonnie rolls her eyes, guiding the confused fairy's hand into Klaus', who shakes it quickly before releasing it, watching amusedly at the way the fairie's own hand hangs in the air.
"That's how we introduce ourselves."
"Oh, I, my bad, did I disrespect earlier-"
"No, no, don't worry about it." She sticks out her hand. "Bonnie Bennett, leader of the Bonum Coven." Klaus smirks when the faerie shakes her hand for just a little too long.
"Clever name, Bonnie."
"I didn't name it, okay?"
"Excuse me." He doesn't offer a reason for his departure as he walks towards where he had left Marcel. Suddenly a booming voice floats through the room, though Klaus can't locate where it's coming from. Faeries freeze and turn towards but guests like himself swivel their heads around the room, searching. He follows the lead of the fairies.
"Her highness Queen Caroline has arrived." Abruptly, the lightning bugs on the ceiling scatter to the edges, their lights dimming. A prodigious bird cage descends from the ceiling, a woman in a golden gown resting on a swing in the center, her blonde hair nearly reaching the bottom of the cage. Her legs are crossed and a pair of black heels are on full display. The dress' front pools just below her breasts, delicate chains holding it up as a halter top. A silver crown which mimics branches of trees rests atop her head. Her skin is fair and her eyes a striking blue, even from the gaping distance. She is the perfect picture of power.
He gasps lightly as their eyes lock. The faeries begin to chatter, and Klaus can sense Marcel has appeared next to him speaking, but does not register what he is saying. The corners of her mouth lift and her eyes fill with something akin to recognition; Klaus wishes he knew why he was so affected. The queen looks away eventually, raising a hand to wave at the people below. He sees that the swing hangs from vines as thick as a young tree's trunk and the plank underneath her body is flowers grown thick and twisted together, somehow supporting her. When she hits the halfway mark she stands, and the crowd begins to back up from the center, following the instructions of the two guards who had taken his invitation. Suddenly the cage bursts into multicolored sparkles which fall through the air, disappearing before they reach the crowd. Noises of awe fill the room. Klaus loses her when the dust is thick in the air. When it finally clears, she is about two feet above the crowd, large butterfly wings stretched out. They are a beautiful blue outlined in a reflective black, white circles in the corners. Klaus feels a breeze as she lowers herself to the ground, landing directly in front of him, albeit a good 10 feet away, in the center of the circle the crowd has formed. The room bursts into applause, and she blushes, smiling widely. Klaus roves her up and down, appreciating the plunging neckline of her dress. He watches in amazement as her wings fold away. She turns in a full circle, revealing her bare from his world is shocked to see no mark left from her vanished wings. She takes in the room with her eyes, which rest finally on him.
She is magnificent.
He wants her, he realizes, but for the first time he is uncertain whether or not he will have her.
"Welcome, all. I am so pleased you could all join us tonight. We are celebrating not only my coronation tonight, but a new era for the fae. For too long we have lived in the shadows. For too long we have lived in secret, in fear of being discovered." She begins to walk along the circle, smiling gently at each and every person. "I did not enter into the revolution with the intention of taking over the crown; I entered with the intention of knocking the crown off a corrupt king's head and handing it to whoever would do right by the fae." Cheers and clapping fills the air, but Klaus does not miss the few people frowning; it seems the queen may have some enemies. "Nevertheless, I am honored to be your queen." She picks up a glass of what Bonnie had been drinking off a passing tray and raises it to the crowd. "To a better future, where we live in harmony with the world beyond ours!" She looks him up and down as she takes a sip of her drink. A few seconds pass before unfamiliar music picks up. He begins to advance towards her, but a group of guests passes in front of him, blocking his view. When it clears, she is gone.
~PAGE BREAK~
He twirls Bonnie, who has more than a few glasses of whatever form of alcohol exists in this realm in her. He even sees a hint of a smile.
"Who knew the murderer could dance." She comments offhandedly, a hand on his arm and one on his shoulder.
"Who knew the ametuer witch would become head of a somewhat respectable coven." She rolls her eyes.
"If you haven't noticed, I'm one of only four coven leaders invited to this party. Four covens on all of earth, and mine made the cut." He nods.
"I have." He nods as a sign of respect. "So, what is making you capable of touching me?"
"Stefan and Elena... they're actually happy with you. You're, dare I say it, not the worst." Bonnie steps away when the song ends. She points a finger at him, almost scolding him. He wonders why he hasn't killed her yet. "If you breathe a word of this to Elena, my coven and I will come at you full force." She turns, but before she can move away his hand is wrapped painfully tight around her upper arm. His breath is hot against her ear, and he hears her heartrate speed up as her breath catches in her throat.
"You would be wise to keep the non-viable threats to yourself, witch. You were unable to take me down then, and I don't believe that has changed." He sees her hand lift, feels the start of an aneurysm. He steels himself against it, prepares to resist for as long as possible, but a throat clears behind them, and they both whip around.
The queen stands before them, dress falling gracefully around her, head held high and a single brow arched. Bonnie is the first to wipe the awe off her face.
"Your highness," She bows, "Thank you so much for allowing me to be here." Caroline's hands are clasped together lightly, resting in front of where Klaus imagines her belly button would be. The queen gives a kind but tight smile.
"Oh, I never would have considered the contrary. I found your takeover of Bonum alongside your thorough eradication of all things corrupt within the coven most impactful." By now Klaus has plastered a well practiced friendly smile onto his face. Bonnie looks down and blushes.
"You saw that?" Caroline looks between the two of them, the smile falling off her face.
"I see many things, my dear. I would love to continue this conversation, especially in regards to what we may be able to contribute to each other, but for now would you mind if I steal your dance partner." Bonnie is clearly delighted by everything the queen had said.
"Be my guest. But, your highness, he's sort of the worst person in the world." The fairy laughs, her wavy hair moving slightly. Klaus finds himself enjoying the sound.
"You speak of your world, my dear." She moves her eyes to Klaus, dismissing Bonnie by stepping forward. Klaus smirks, holding out his hand. She places her palm in his, enjoying the way he takes a sharp intake of breath. They dance to a song that isn't like the last; that is clearly made with faerie instruments. Caroline leads, not only because the steps are foreign to Klaus, but because Klaus lets her.
He tries to think back to the last time he had yielded to anyone, comes up empty.
He stumbles over his own feet a little, and the Queen giggles. As soon as she does so she is looking away, and Klaus knows she is keeping an eye on the room. Klaus takes this chance to look at her. Her skin is fair, her high cheekbones graced by a rosy tint. She turns back to him suddenly, her vivid eyes locking onto his. He gasps softly and she tilts her head, eyes roving over his face with an interested curve to her lips.
"You are staring, your highness." She whispers, twirling them around so that her dress brushes up against his legs. He makes a smug face and feels a wonderful bout of lust when he hears the title, but doesn't comment. "I believe that is a sign that you find something strange, correct?" Klaus suddenly takes the lead, switching the position of their arms and spinning her out. He pulls her flush against him, puts a hand on her lower waist so that it tangles in her golden tendrils. He leans forward so that her breasts push against his chest and his scruff rubs against her cheek. He feels her chest move sharply with an intake of air.
"Or we find something so beautiful-" Another twirl, and he dips her low, her hair brushing against the lush moss growing on the floor. He keeps his eyes trained on her. "We don't want to look away." She looks flustered for a moment, the tips of her pointed ears heating up to a deep pink and eyes locking in on his. But suddenly her eyes turn cold; she seems to have remembered who she is. She rights them, making them step to the music again.
"I am too smart to be seduced by the man who starts quarrels at a ball held with intention of building the foundation of alliances." The music stops, and suddenly there is a cold spot where the heat of the queen's hands had been. She looks him up and down as she takes a step back and lifts a flower off of a passing tray and takes a prolonged sip.
"I quite like your suit, by the way." He opens his mouth to speak but a hand is on her arm and she is whisked away.
He had just been scolded, and he had liked it.
~PAGE BREAK~
"I believe I still owe you a dance." He sees her turn slightly towards him, say her goodbyes to the man Bonnie had been talking to earlier.
She turns, sighing.
"I already collected on that, your highness."
"You can call me Klaus, you know." She gives a smile.
"Well, Klaus, I really should go and talk to Tristan de Martel." She keeps a neutral face as Klaus' own falls.
"Do not fret, crescent king," She stops to whisper in his ear as she passes by him, "His sister is not here. She isn't worth anything. Besides, I'm sure Tristan is much better behaved than you, I doubt he will come after you at this party." She moves on, dragging a fingertip from his wrist to his inner elbow before she was gone.
~PAGE BREAK~
"Klaus, this is so sick ."
"You're talking like Jake again, Marcellus, I beg you to stop."
"It's Josh , and he's my son in law."
"He's gay, you don't have any children, and Davina is only sixteen."
"Oh, yeah."
"Did you really drink? After I warned you." He leans against Klaus, his forehead pressing into the top of his curls.
"You're not the boss of me anymore, Nik." He whispers, and the breath tickles his ear.
"I know." Klaus reaches a hand and rubs the back of his neck. "I know."
"I miss you, Nik. I miss the good old days. 1914 was the time of our lives ." He giggles. "Good old betrayal and turmoil." Davina twirls over, freezing when she sees him.
"Fuck!"
"Heeey! Language, young lady." He picks his head up from Klaus' hair and looks at Davina.
"If this is a trap he's screwed, Klaus!" She runs her hand through her hair.
"I love you so much, Davina, do you know that?"
"Were you not watching him?"
"I'd watch it if I were you Davina-"
"Don't threaten her, don't you dare." He slur-sobs into Klaus' shoulder.
"I'll take him." She says, cooing Marcel away from Klaus. He moves to follow, an instinct deep within him demanding so, but her voice cuts through the parental haze.
"I am curious, is your first instinct always to threaten young and powerful women." He scoffs, wishing for a bourbon as she appears next to him.
"They are incapable of beating me, and they should be reminded of that." She strokes a rat sized dragonfly that alights on the thin strap of the shoulder closest to him. Klaus looks on with interest, even reaches out to touch it, but it is gone before he's moved an inch. The queen giggles lightly.
"You have spilled innocent blood, Klaus." She reaches out a hand and it returns. "My subjects do not trust you."
"The insect is your subject?" He questions, a note of mocking in his tone.
"Each and every creature in this realm is. Would you like to take a walk?" The dragonfly shoots away once more, and the queen does not wait for an answer. He follows anyways.
She walks him along the edges of the dance floor, smiling and talking to people brightly along the way. Klaus is hyper aware of the whispers that follow them as they pass, and he holds no doubt Caroline is as well.
They reach an archway that is much smaller than the grand entrance of the palace; Klaus feels his hairs brush the top of it, his shoulders inches away from the sides. The walls have vines clinging to them, clematises bursting from them. They give off a comforting purple light and a strong, familiar aroma. He sniffs the air once more.
"Is that gin?" Caroline giggles again, and he feels a little foolish. No one had ever laughed at him as much as she has tonight and survived.
"The flower's aroma is of your happiest memory." She lovingly cups one of them as they continue to walk. "It only makes sense that yours has to do with alcohol." He smirks.
"You seem to know a lot about me, your majesty. Yet, I know not the slightest detail of you." She keeps walking, silent. Her heels click softly on the stone floor, the echo swallowed by the lush foliage on the walls. Eventually they reach another doorway, and she pushes past the hanging vines easily, holding them back for him to pass through.
Klaus is enveloped in a soft, orange glow emanating from the leaves of the trees that surround them. The trees have grown so thick here that he cannot see the dark blue sky. They form walls, and where he thinks he may see a break in them another one lies directly behind it. There is a raised pool in the very center of the circular room. Klaus moves towards it to investigate, but a love seat appears off to the side, a small table with iced champagne next to it, a familiar label attatched. Klaus raises an eyebrow.
"That is your favorite kind, is it not?" He turns back to face her, grinning at the unsure look on her face.
"Are you trying to put the moves on me, my queen?" She turns a deep shade of crimson, feeling heat pool in her stomach at the title.
"I am not sure what you mean by that, Klaus."
"Oh, you know. Hit on. Pick up. Make a move. Flirt. Seduce." He takes a step with each term he lists, until he is right up against her, mouth inches away from hers. She turns her head to the side, studying the stone floor.
"Wh-while I find humans, and you in particular, aesthetically pleasing, this is a professional meeting." Even with the stumble, her voice is strong. She steps away, sitting on one corner of the seat and offering him a glass of champagne. He sits on the opposite side, but closer to the middle than she was. He shakes his head at the champagne. "You have not indulged all night, Klaus." She tilts her head, and Klaus can sense the false innocence from a mile away.
"I did my research, and would rather not be trapped here for however long you see fit." She grins as she takes a sip, swallowing before she tuts.
"Always so paranoid."
"There's that suspicious knowledge of me." She sighs, setting down her glass before she speaks.
"Ask anything you would like to know. If you did your research, you know that I cannot lie."
"But how do I know that that is not a lie." She grins at him, folding her legs underneath her and facing him, sitting up straight whereas he is relaxed, ankles crossed.
"Do you truly believe I am capable of defeating you?"
"No," He shoots back, "but I would rather avoid tedious altercations right now." She rolls her eyes.
"Says the man who threatened two people tonight."
"The night is still young, why not shoot for three?" She scowls at him, but moves on from the subject.
"What do you want to know?" He is quiet, and she mistakes it for disregardance. "Come on," She coaxed, features softening. "take a chance. Get to know me. I dare you."
"Fine." He sighs, letting her believe he had been refusing. "How long have you known about our world?"
"It has been common knowledge since long before I was born. Contact was merely rare."
"How do you know so much about me?" Her eyes downcast for a moment.
"You must promise not to tell anyone, Niklaus."
"You know my name. How?" The force he often uses in conversation does not come out, despite his best efforts.
"Promise first."
"And if I just lie?"
"You will not."
"Why are you so sure?"
"I know you, remember?" They are both equally as defiant in this moment, eyes blazing and energy fizzling in the air between them.
"Fine." She takes a deep breath.
"I am only three fourths a faerie." It all comes out in one breath. A moment of silence hangs between them. In which Klaus can tell that she is waiting for an explosive reaction.
"And that means…" She seems to realize he has no semblance of her culture.
"By the laws of this realm I have no right to the throne."
"You overthrew the first throne, love." She looks away and smiles slightly at the pet name "You didn't have a right to the throne by the law anyways."
"It's… the laws here… the previous government was corrupt, but even when he did refuse to acknowledge the fact that a certain law was broken or not broken, the people still would. It was their one source of defiance. It was what poked the embers of the revolution." She sighs, picking an invisible piece of lint off her dress. "The laws are sacred, they have been in place since the dawn of our civilization. Some of them have become blurred; do not take what is not yours, do not love things more than people; there are a few more. But some are alive within the very soul of my people. One is that only a pure blooded faerie may hold the throne. It is said that if a…" She takes a deep breath, voice shaking with the next word, "mutt, takes it, they will be turned to ash. So, if the people know they will no longer accept me as their leader." A dark cloud has seemingly passed over her bright features. In a strange occurrence, he finds himself wanting to comfort her.
"It seems most of them more than accept you, love."
"I have my fair share of opposition. Some… some are afraid to step into the light, to make ourselves known to other worlds. Some are just loyalists, through and through." He nods, unsurprised.
"Faeries are incapable of lying, correct?"
"Yes." He still does not know if this is the truth, but if it is it may offer her some solace.
"So this rumor, this myth, that the throne will reject anyone who is not worthy had to come from someone who was telling the truth."
"I do not understand."
"Perhaps the person to start the rumor simply said the throne will reject those unworthy of leading the fae, and perhaps someone merely believed this to mean a faerie who is not full blooded. Perhaps the throne knows who best fit to lead and perhaps it is you." She thinks about this for a moment, then shakes her head as though to wake her up. This time, a hint of a smile plays at her lips.
"Perhaps." A comfortable quiet hangs between them, until Klaus breaks it.
"We got off track, how do you know me?"
"For the first three years of my life, I lived in the human world, with my father. My mother did not wish to raise a mutt in her world, and she had never even told my father of what she was. She disappeared without a trace. He… he hated what I was. Around my third birthday, like any faerie child, my wings came in. I was so excited, I thought it was so cool… I ran to show my father…" Klaus sees that her eyes are watering. He watches as she stands and takes a shaky step forward, her the bare back to him; her wings burst from her back, the stretching of the skin rather beautiful. He gasps again, gasps as everyone always does. This time, though, he notices a iridescent scar at the base of the right wing. It is jagged and long, reaching to almost the base. Without thinking, he rises, stepping between her erect wings, just an inch away from contact. The faerie knows he is there and does not seem to care. She takes a deep breath before she speaks, voice steeled against her emotion. "He screamed at me, told me I was a freak and a monster, that the devil lived within me. And then… then he tried to fix me." The two of them are quiet, Caroline's eyes glazing over. "Humans… you always were so good at destroying everything you touched." Her voice is distant, like she is somewhere else. "I'm so glad I ended up here, where we work with nature instead of fighting her."
"They're still beautiful, you know. Perhaps even more so." Without thinking he reaches forward and brushes his finger lightly down the scar. She gasps and stiffens. He jerks his hand back. "Did I hurt you?"
"No, no. Quite the opposite." Oh, he thinks, oh. "Our wings are sensitive, is all."
"I will take note of that." She doesn't acknowledge the flirtation, just continues.
"All the pain and frustration was enough for me to channel my magic into; I opened a portal. Not on purpose, of course, I had no idea what I was, no idea what I could do. My father fled in fear, and I passed out. When I woke up I was here, in this room, with stitches in my wing and a family who was ready to care for me. They were servants to the king, they had heard my cries and felt the world shake with the portal was easy for them to lie and say I had always been their child years; the king took no interest in his people." She turned to face him, the edge of her wing brushing his face as she does so. They are farther apart than when they had danced, but in the quiet privacy of her childhood home it felt like they were so very close.
"So this is where you grew up." A whole family, in this one little room. He tries to imagine a livable space, can see
"Well, I don't know about that. I was only here for about a hundred years. I served the king, and one day me along with four other servant children were chosen to further our educations." She considered herself a child at one hundred? She continues. "As a goodbye gift, Donella, one of the people who took me in, gave a shard that she kept from when she rescued me. I… it appeared as a mirror, but if I focused… I could see your world. I would look often. One night, I was doing so, and suddenly the image blurred and I was… I was in a hut. There was a man and a woman, and their five children." Klaus' eyes widen, realizing what she's speaking of. "And he slaughtered them all… but you… he made you kill your sister, but it did not require any force for you to kill yourself." Klaus takes in a shaky breath, eyes watering. "He made sure you were a monster before you turned. He made sure there was not even your human life to resort for in a belief that you were once good. But I knew you were good. I could see it in your eyes when you looked at your sister's corpse, I could hear it in your voice when you begged for her forgiveness, I could feel it in my bones when you drove a knife through your heart."
"Stop." She doesn't listen, does not seem to hear him.
"This isn't the first time we have met, hybrid. I stayed with you, in the endless moments of your strength and the scarce moments where you allowed yourself to be weak. I always just… knew when to watch." She pauses, remembering what was so long ago. "A long time ago you along with four other artists decided to trek along the Andes. For some reason, I wanted to join you. Maybe it was the landscape we don't have here, maybe it was the fact that it was one of the few things humans hadn't yet destroyed… or maybe it was you." She searches his eyes, trying to see if he understands. "I took my sister form, one I had chosen based on a little bird I had seen at a market when I was a girl, and I opened a portal. I broke three laws just to hover in front of you, and it was ever so worth it." Klaus thinks back to the hummingbird, it's purple and blue chest shining in the hot sun, its black head tilting intuitively, and Klaus swears he sees something in her eyes. He focuses his ears, hearing the group laughing ahead of him, their footsteps sloppy and their breathing labored from the climb. Past that, he hears her heart slamming against her chest, faster than anything he had ever heard.
What a thing , he thinks, to have to work that hard everyday just to stay alive. To be constantly on the verge of death… how satisfying everyday of survival must be.
I wonder if I could have done it, had we never turned.
"Klaus?"
"I remember." He says, staring her down. "It seems we are old friends, then." She smiles so brightly it seems that there is nothing wrong in either of their worlds. She smiles too brightly for a queen. She is a marvel.
"It would seem." They are silent, small smiles tugging at both of their mouths. Suddenly Klaus remembers himself and the game that they're playing.
"How old are you?"
"Two thousand and six." The hybrid opens his mouth to speak, then closes it. He repeats this motion a few more times.
She's older than me?
"You're older than me."
"Yes."
She looks seventeen.
"I've never met anyone older than me."
"Well of course you have!" She exclaims, and he is once more struck by the unwelcome feeling that she is generally more knowledgeable than him; something he had not encountered for many decades. "Gelsey, the one who was speaking to you earlier, was born only fifty years before me." He tilts his head, observing her with interest.
"What is the average lifespan of a fairie?"
"Five myriaannum, give or take." He looks at her, incredulous. She doesn't notice his shock, she is running her fingers over his lapels. The hybrid is almost too surprised to notice the flowers bursting from where the threading was so intricately laid. He barely registers as she tucks a step behind his ear gentle, dragging the back of her hand down his face as she finishes. "I have been designing this for you since the revolution started." She says offhandedly.
"Fifty thousand years?" She giggles.
"Oh, no! The revolution was only about six hundred years in the making."
"A fifty thousand year lifespan?"
"Oh, don't get me wrong, it's not perfect. There are murders and disease and the occasional suicide. No where near as bad as your world, of course-"
"Of course."
"But fairies usually make it to the fifty thousand mark. As long as I hold the throne, though, I am immortal. Is something wrong?" Klaus looks sort of a sickly pale. She reaches out to touch the side of his face gently, the pads of her fingers burning pleasantly. He sees concerned etched across her face."Your complexion has lightened drastically, do you need to feed?" Klaus smiles just enough to notice. He doesn't pull back but shakes his head a little, the color returning to his face.
"No, no." He chuckles. "When humans feel…" He considers his next word carefully, refusing to admit fear. "Nervous, their faces just sort of pale. Something to do with adrenaline and whatnot. Some bodily functions you just . . . never shake." Their eyes are locked, and Klaus is once more reminded of how vibrant her eyes are compared to those of a human. She licks her lips so that Klaus stares at them for a moment too long.
When did his hand move to grip the side of her neck?
"What made you nervous?" She moves a centimeter closer.
"For the first time since I was human I was faced by the idea that I am not the most infinite thing in the world." He mimics her actions. A smile breaks out on her face in response to her words.
"You are arrogant." He can feel the breathy laugh brush over his lips, but he cannot hear it.
"Don't I have reason to be?"
"Yes, you do. But perhaps you should adjust your perception of time." They both move closer this time, their noses a hair away from brushing. "Besides, I truly believe you will live much longer than fifty thousand years." Her eyes flit down to his lips. "You can call me Caroline. I never said that, did I?" He shakes his head no, eyes searching hers.
"Tell me, Caroline, why the sudden change of heart?" She grins, both hands coming up to hold his face.
"Humans… you all think everything has to mean something." His hands move to her waist, looping around and pulling her closer. Their noses touch, the little laugh he pushes out falls over her lips. He can hear her heartbeat, familiar in his ears.
"You keep calling me human."
"I suppose I do."
"It's rather insulting." She giggles, turning her head to the side a little, exposing her jugular. Klaus is once more hit with the entrancing smell of her blood. He feels his fangs drop. When she turns back to him, her hand climbs and she traces the veins around his eyes.
"You are so beautiful." She says to herself softly, follows by a blush when she realizes what she had said. He closes his eyes, willing his hunger away.
"I apologize, Caroline. I usually have better self control."
"Do you want to feed on me?"
"Yes." He answers with no trace of hesitation. She leans forward so that there is just the ghost of a touch on his lips. She forgets what she had sworn to herself the day she had written his name on the list of invites.
"Then do." He turns away, still holding her close but refusing to look at her.
"What happened to professional?" The hybrid's voice is hard; he is still unwilling to take a chance. She tilts his face back towards her. They are so close that when she talks her lips move over his.
"You have always been so paranoid…"
"The way you talk about me is eerie."
"How so?" A grin falls upon her face.
"Like you know me." Her eyes are as blue as sapphires, they remind him of a necklace he has locked away at a safehouse in Europe.
"I do." There is a moment of quiet where they are both reveling in the spark of electricity in the air, looking from each others eyes to their lips. They collide at the same time, lips coming together hungrily, a small moan leaving Klaus' mouth. She is the first to push past his teeth; her tongue tastes like cherries in the summer. He pulls away, causing her to whine, but her displeasure is soon remedied when he begins to kiss down her he reaches her neck he brings a hand up to push the strap of her dress off her shoulder so that one side of her dress falls. She gasps as his mouth closes over her nipple, teeth nibbling at it before his tongue darts out to soothe it, his hand working the other through the fabric of her dress.
"Klaus, wait wait-" A gasp falls from her swollen lips as his hands moves to her ass and his tongue swirls in a motion that leaves her fingers digging into her scalp. She pushes him off her, taking all of the discipline she had. He looks up at her, pupils dilated, a smirk over his red lips.
"Would you like attention elsewhere?" She sighs, pulling him to his feet and then pulling her strap so that her dress covers her pert nipple. His head tilts only slightly to the side as he looks at her in confusion.
"Klaus… I want this," He looks up at her, still a little bent over. His features are softer than she had ever seen them. "I want you, but I also know you."
"What's so bad about little old me?" There is a false innocence plastered to his face. She laughs, bringing him up by the jaw so he is standing straight, planting a small kiss on his lips.
"The last lover you took and left alive was Stefan Slvatore. Your brother Kol fled your beloved city because you threatened to dagger him if he didn't. You took your son's throne without thinking about simply because you were annoyed that he had the nerve to call it his city. Elena Gilbert and her boyfriend, the one you did not kill, live in your house which she cannot leave so you can create your army, despite having a rather large one and now your daughter's blood. You banished Hayley from New Orleans, which was honestly unnecessary." His eyes turn cold, calculating.
"In spite of it all… you want me."
"Not in spite of, Nik." It is the first time Caroline lets herself slip. Her forehead presses against his as she calls him the name she knows him by. "Because of." He is taken aback for a moment, hand coming up to cup her face. "The dark parts of you… I want them just as much as I want the light ones."
"You are the only light thing here." She strokes his cheekbone, smiling adoringly while she speaks.
"I have darkness in my just as you have light in you. It is just hiding." She whispers the last part. The next words, however, are strong. "I have done it before, Klaus. I cannot afford to fall into my darkness again. Not now. Besides," She kisses him, long and slow, a goodbye kiss that he does not want. When she pulls back her voice is breathless. "relations are considered a form of consumption. You wouldn't want me to be able to keep you here, would you?" She moves past him, guiding him at the elbow.
They return to the party.
~
"Go home, Giselle." Caroline says to the woman scrubbing the deserted floor on her hands and knees. "I heard your daughter has a fever."
"Y-yes your highness, but-"
"No protests. Your family will always come first, Giselle. Remember that." Giselle rises, bowing deeply and talking fast.
"You are so very kind, your highness." Caroline smiles.
"Kindness is the only way we can change this world, Giselle."
Klaus is pressed up against the far wall, watching. He whips around abruptly, fangs bared, when he senses a presence behind him.
"The guests were asked to leave hours ago, sir. I must insist that I escort you." Klaus is about to press him up against the wall when the voice he already knows so well freezes him in place. "You may leave him, Fiona." The guard, Fiona, looks between the two, then to Klaus' suit jacket, then nods, clearly flustered as she scurries away. Caroline turns and he follows. They walk side by side, and to anyone from the outside they would have been lovers. They cross the large ballroom floor and reach a grand elevator he hadn't noticed before. It was made from silver metal poles and resembled a small bird cage. The door was only half door and between the bars were faerie wings serving as walls. Caroline opens the gate for him and motions for him to step in before she joins him. He reaches out and traces a wing. "To pay homage to those who fell in the battle that allowed me to take over the throne." She waves her hand and the elevator begins to move. "Faeries have no need for this contraption, you see -we could simply fly- it is for otherworlders; it represents the new beginning we all fought for." He nods, appreciating the symbolism. He turns toward her suddenly, words falling out of his mouth faster than he can think about them.
"I want you you. I like the way you laugh and the way you look at me. I like the way you treat your people because I don't know how you're not terrified to show weakness. I want to rip this crazy dress off of you. I mean, what is this made of, fucking… what the fuck is this, stardust?"
"It's made from a spiderweb and pollen from a sunflower. My version of a sunflower, not yours."
"Right, of course. Common knowledge." He says sarcastically. Then, sincerely, "Caroline, you are strong, you are beautiful, you are full of light. I fancy you." She watches as he talks, her smile spreading with each word.
"You have never… I have never seen you like this before."
"Like what?"
"Desperate." A wolfish grin spreads over her face as she moves closer, forcing him against the wall.
"I am not-" She clamps a hand over his mouth and moves so that her soft hand is the only thing between their lips.
"You are, Niklaus. And so I will give you this. I will take you to my quarters. I will fuck you so good that your eyes will turn to your brother form's and your screams will be so loud that the Aubergine Forest hears. I will walk you to the portal in the morning. I will kiss you goodbye. I will see you again." His pupils are blown, his cock twitching in interest. "Understood?" She slowly moves her hand away. Klaus nods, licking his lips before he speaks with a ragged voice.
"Yes."
"Yes, your highness ."
"There's no reason to call me 'your highness', love." She laughs as she steps back, pushing her straps to the side so the dress falls to the floor and pools around her feet. She steps out of it in only her heels and crowns, every inch a queen. She turns just as the elevator stops, and so he follows, nearly panting.
~PAGE BREAK~
He ends up spending two days in her bed. Two days of the most mind blowing sex he had ever had. Two days of a connection deeper than sex, he must admit.
Her blood had been gold; it had tasted like beignets. Something about ichor runs round and round through his mind.
The staff stare at him as the two of them exit the palace, which had recovered from the ball. He is wearing a set of his clothing from home, one she had ordered some pixies to retrieve, his suit in a box in his arms, the flower she had pulled from it earlier re tucked behind his ear, still alive. She is not wearing shoes and is donning a simple blue sundress made from regular cotton.
"What, we don't always wear giant flowers. We have normal, comfortable fabric."
"I know there's a catch."
"One harvest can produce enough clothing to dress the whole kingdom for five years." He rolls his eyes, rolling over on top of her while she giggles.
They walk down the forest path in a comfortable silence, Caroline watching as the hybrid takes in the beauty around him. She slips her hand into his and feels a flush of relief when he squeezes it. The faerie unfolds her wings and stretches them.
"You obviously hate having them hidden away; why don't you keep them out?" She moans as he scratches at one, stretching her arms across the windowsill.
"The scar… I don't always feel great about it." He gets down on his knees and kisses along the length of the scar. Caroline's back arches.
"You should." He whispers. "It is a symbol of strength; it is beautiful."
When they reach the portal, it is too soon. They look down at it and then back towards each other.
"I suppose this is goodbye."
"It would seem."
"Forever?"
"I hope not." He smiles, looking down, and Caroline cannot believe she has made him flustered. "There is still much, politically, to discuss."
"Good." She smiles fondly.
"Not to mention, a queen must have her lovers. For stress relief, of course." The queen reaches into the pocket of her dress and pulls out a shard of mirror, handing it to him gingerly. "I want you to have this." He looks down at it in his hand, realization dawning on him.
"This is all you have left of your father, Caroline."
"That is not exactly true, is it? You tossed your father's sword because there are scars on your back from a whip. I do not require an extra reminder, either." He nods, looking down at it. "My spying on you was wrong, Nik." She admits. "I give you permission to return the favor. So take it, take it and the next time we see each other, I expect you to know me." The hybrid nods, a grin spread over his face. She flaps her wings to level the three inches of height difference, kissing him hungrily. It is a see you soon kiss, one that he wants.
He doesn't look at her before he jumps; he does not think he will end up leaving if he does.
~~~ Author's Note ~~~
I had so much fun writing this! Creating all the lore was just super cool.
So this is for the Klaroline Vacation Gift Exchange 2017, the first one I have participated in. It's for lyndrydlionhart (lyndrydwrites on tumblr), so check them out!
Here is some additional info:
Since Caroline wasn't in Mystic Falls, things clearly turned out a little different; Damon is dead (killed by Klaus), Stefan and Elena live with Klaus (so he can make hybrids), Bonnie left town after he did, Tyler still adores Klaus, and Klaus ended up banishing Hayley and keeping Hope.
Bonnie's coven name is just 'the good coven' in Latin.
Caroline's wings are those of a male blue morpho butterfly, but without the eye pattern meant to scare predators on one side. Rather, they are the same on each side and are about three feet tall and four wide; they're considered exceptionally large. Some consider it disrespectful and unpatriotic that she keeps them hidden so often.
Other faeries have all kinds of wings ranging from dragonfly to ladybug to bald eagle.
A sister/brother form is a part of faerie culture that is basically an animagus, which is why Caroline calls his wolf eyes his brother form's eyes. Caroline's sister form is a velvet purple coronet hummingbird.
Her dress was a long, gold version of Kylie Jenner's 21st birthday dress.
While I tried to break gender roles in this, Caroline's shoes are only three inch heels because I couldn't shake the whole 'woman must not be taller than man thing', despite being gay? I know, I'm dumb. This left them the same height because Joseph is 5'11 and Candice is 5'8.
This takes place in late 2013.
Thank you so much for reading! Leave your thoughts!