Author's Note
Here's the next chapter, ya'll. I hope you like it as it give some background on Caius and the unknown species. I didn't forget this is a Klaroline fan fiction, lol! I am building up to his arrival, don't worry. I just wanted to throw in a little disclaimer, I do not own any of the TVD/TO characters or their canon storyline.
Chapter Two (Caius)
"Dead," he said. "Again," he told her. Caroline sighed. She tried attacking him from below this time but he was faster than her. He easily blocked her sword with his, knocking it out of her hands this time. Sword to her neck, "I've killed you again," he disappointedly stated.
"This has bored me, Caius."
Caius shook his head, "Princess, if you do not pick up that sword and swing at me with it, you will never learn." She huffed, she was stubborn, spoiled, and was not in the mood for training today. "And besides," he added, "Prince Noah had already mastered the art of sword fighting just last month." Her eyes widened with envy. "You are kidding," she said in disbelief.
"He is not, dear sister," a playful chuckle erupted. Caroline flashed around (not vampire speed flashed around, of course) to see her older brother standing behind her. She squealed and jumped into his arms. "Oh brother, oh how I've missed you." Noah chuckled again. They have only been separated for five days. But his little sister was attached to him like glue. Even being away from him for two hours gave her anxiety.
"Come on now, sister," he had picked up her tiny sword and handed it to her, "hurry along now before father gets back. You know how he feels about you handling swords." Caroline had always dreamt of becoming part of the Royal Guards when she came of age. But her father told her that princesses were not allowed. They were not allowed to yield swords or have any combat training. She was supposed to learn the Unity Dance, practice proper food etiquette, and memorize The Book of Spirits on top of her everyday princess duties.
Caroline wanted to be like her brother though, whom she looked up to. He was kind, loyal, and brave. And being the heir to the throne he had very different responsibilities than her. When he was not off with their father tending to diplomatic duties with the witches, it was disputing matters with the werewolves. But whenever he was back at the palace, he'd spend most of his time with his little sister. He, along with Caius, would secretly teach her how to fight. Instead of reciting lines from The Book of Spirits, they would teach her about the history of witches and werewolves.
Stories about other supernaturals interested her the most, especially werewolves. Her father hated the wolves, claiming they are a diluted version of their species brought to life only because a vengeful witch wanted to curse her tribe. Caroline disagreed. Though werewolves were stronger than her, they did not have the ability to control the elements. They were also forced by the presence of a full moon to painfully shift and that's why she did not hate them. She felt sorry for them.
She loved the transition from human to wolf. It was relatively quick and painless for her. The feeling of every bone in her body morphed and how every scent in air started to become more dominant, gave her such a thrill. It saddened her that werewolves could not enjoy the shift like she could. It saddened her that they saw it as a curse.
Quickly grabbing the sword, she tossed it over to Caius, and kicked her brother, causing him to stumble a bit before finding his footing. It was a cheap shot. She smirked at him, "If I am to continue to train today, I want you to teach me, brother."
Caius smiled. He knew if anyone could get the young princess to corporate, it'd be Noah. The prince held a hand over his chest and faked surprised, "Do you think so highly of my skills?"
That earned him a scoff from her. "Oh please, brother. I just want to see your face after I beat you," she grinned evilly. Noah laughed before lunging forward with a ball of fire. Sword fighting could wait til later.
Caius smiled again. He was Captain of the Royal Infantry, therefore it was his duty to train the prince into becoming a fearless commander. He hadn't expected to be tricked into secretly training the princess as well. He continued to observe the siblings for the next few hours as they countered each other's attacks with various elements. Noah's favorite being fire and Caroline's earth.
"You know I am just going to burn down every dirt wall you put up, sister!"
"Then use something else," she offered back from behind her newly constructed dirt wall. He didn't need anymore encouragement than that. He shook the flames from his palms and with one swift shake of the wrist, knocked her wall down with a soaring gust of wind. She screamed in annoyance before engulfing her brother in a blob of water.
She internally thanked her father for having such a magnificent fountain placed in the gardens, giving her an access to the water element.
Before they knew it, they were pinned onto their backs and held down by thick vines. The blob of water exploded and soaked both siblings. Noah coughed out what he had accidentally inhaled. "Caius, what is the meaning of this," the angry king demanded.
Noah and Caroline stared at each other, eyeing the other to speak up for the captain. "Father," Noah began but the king held up a hand. "Speak only when you are spoken to," he stated. The prince frowned. Their father was always harsh on him. He was never shown the same kindness and tender tone as the princess. He always had to work harder to gain their father's attention and praise.
"My king, I -" Caius began to lie but knew he should not if he wished to keep his head. King William had a knack for catching lies and it was in his best interest to just not. He got down on bended knees and held his clasped fists out. "Please forgive me, my king."
"Leave," was all he said before ushering the scared man off. He undid the vines and gave his children a few seconds to pull themselves up. The vines retreated into the earth from which they came. "The Royal Garden is meant to be admired by the senses."
"Yes, father," they whispered. "Speak with confidence," he snapped. "Yes, father," they barked louder this time. "Dismiss yourselves," he sighed. They scurried off as the king moved the earth back together. There, he thought. Beautiful yet again. He had just gotten back from a meeting with a group of Travelers. He had gone to the hillside of a neighboring country hoping to crush the rumors of an attack on his own.
Later that night, King William summoned his son to his chambers. He had paced all night, debating if the young man should share his knowledge. Concluding it was best Noah learn to deal with such matters early on, he called for him.
Knock Knock Knock
"Come in," the king motioned from behind his desk. "Father," Noah bowed. "Have a seat, son."
Noah stared at his father nervously as the man continued to read the scrolls in front of him. Every few minutes, he'd frown, sigh, or shake his head. Ah, there it is. "Here," he said, handing his son the scroll. The prince looked at his father with skepticism, but took it from him nonetheless. After skimming the accusations, he looked up at his father, unable to produce coherent words.
"Surely you do not believe this? Caius could never be a spy."
The King sighed. But from the intel he had personally gone to receive last week, one rumor beared truer words than he had hoped. The Travelers had informed him that far and wide and across many seas, humans had learned of his species existence. His suspicion on that issue finally confirmed, only to be raised with another about Caius. It can not be a coincidence.
"My boy, there is something I must tell you." He sighed once more before spilling the beans. "Caius, he is not one of us. He is a witch who was exiled by his coven because he did not have his own magic but siphoned it from others. Your mother, while renewing the peace treaty with the witches down south, stumbled upon him. Caius was a broken man and had nowhere to go. She took pity on him and begged me to let him stay."
"But - if - how - I don't - Caius -" Pull your thoughts together, Noah. He mentally kicked himself for sounding so incompetent right now. "Father, has his years of servitude not shown you what kind of man he is?" The prince could not, did not believe his mentor could be behind the impending attack on his home.
William, to please his queen, agreed to let Caius stay in the palace. He had the then young man, no older than eighteen, placed in the Royal Infantry where he would grind harder than he ever had to in order to become the respected captain he is today. The witch had been in their life for fifteen years now, give or take. Ten of those years, he served as captain.
Squeezing his son's shoulder, William leaned down at his son, and met his teary eyes with his own. "On countless occasions, he had proven his loyalty not only to our family, but to our species. He had trained some of our finest soldiers. I have witnessed the love in his eyes when he looks at you and Caroline. I've seen what kind of man he is."
"Then why do you not take these rumors for what they are? Just rumors, possibly conjured up by a couple of jealous soldiers to stir up trouble within our ranks."
The king caught himself letting out yet another long sigh. "Because that is not all I see when I look at him. I have seen the way his eyes sparkled every time he witnessed a painless shift. I have seen the way his eyes sparkled every time the elements are manipulated. He craves it, my boy. He not only craves love and acceptance, but our powers as well. He is hungry for it all. And a starving man will do anything to satiate the hunger."
"If what you say is true, why had he not simply siphoned our powers?"
"Do you not retain any knowledge from The Book of Spirits," the king was disappointed, "we simply cannot be siphoned." William wanted to trust Caius wholeheartedly, but he was not a frae. He was a siphon, a witch. William believed that Caius would do anything to be accepted by his people again, even betraying his frae family. In just a matter of days, King William had conjured up a conspiracy theory that Caius had planned this from the beginning.
Never in the hundreds of years that fraes have survived, had they taken in an outsider. Sure they had witches and werewolves visited the country, but none had ever taken up residency. Even a few humans have had the luxury of seeing the beautiful country over the centuries, oblivious to its supernatural citizens of course.
But William Forbes let his love and eagerness to please his wife cloud his judgement the day he agreed to her request. He did what no king before him had done and it may turn out to be the biggest mistake of his life.
Ending Summary
I hope that wasn't too confusing! Leave your thoughts and comments below, please. I would really appreciate it. Have a wonderful day!
