Hey there readers! So, confession time: I got really discouraged with the fandom this week because it just felt kind of hopeless and I almost pulled the story, but then I watched the comic con panels and I got irrationally angry when Julie straight out refused to comment on Klaroline and then incredibly inspired when Kat said Klaroline was one of her favorite couples and the chearing was sooooo loud. I realized that I'm not alone andhonestly if even one of you out there gets klaroline feels from my story then I'll count it a huge success! I love these two and I'm not giving up any time soon! So please enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 2

"That is it, I am officially putting an end to your moping Caroline Forbes!" Katherine says as she closes the door to the secret room behind her, taking in the sad puddle of a girl staring blankly into space. It is a familiar sight, one that broke her heart every time she entered the room for the first couple days, but now it has been long enough that she has just started to find it slightly irritating.

Caroline slowly turns her head to face her friend and the completely broken expression on her face makes Katherine sigh "my parents are dead, forgive me if I thought that allowed me some time to mope"

"Some time yes, but it's been over a week and the longer you sit in this basement crying the more comfortable those imposters become in your home" Caroline knows nothing of what has been happening in the kingdom! It is not the time for the only person who may be able to help to be crying in a basement. She will simply have to get over it.

"I do not want to hear about them, I can barely even stand to think about that night please Katherine I need more time" Caroline cries bitterly, wishing for the first time that she had asked Elena to help after all, the kinder twin would never rush her into action, she would have been comforting and… enabling Caroline realizes with a sigh. Deep down the princess knows why she chose this twin, but she never realized how hard it was going to be to have somebody trying to force her into action when all she wants to do is feel sorry for herself. Katherine's unimpressed huff makes it clear the she will not be giving up.

"I have not spent the past days avoiding my entire family and sneaking around villages to gather information on the imposters so that you can waste away in this room while they wear your crown" Katherine lowers herself to face Caroline directly, using her deep brown eyes to shoot every ounce of determination and fire she can possibly muster to make her friend realize what is at stake "normal girls get time to mourn their parents, but a princess has to think of her country. As your friend I am truly sorry for your loss and am here for you, but as your subject and a citizen of the Mystic Kingdom I am here to tell you that you need to get off your royal ass and take your country back!" she lifts her hands to grasp Caroline's shoulders, willing to shake the sense into her if necessary "The time to think of those who died has passed, you must think of those still alive. Think of me, think of Bonnie"

Caroline takes a deep breath and nods her head; she knows that Katherine is right. That is the thing about Katherine, she never tells you what you want to hear but she always has the best plans, "you are right, I am being selfish." But in order to get to the plan, she has to get through the worst "Tell me everything you know."

Katherine straightens up, hopeful "alright, I am going to start with the worst, so brace yourself"

One week ago- 2 days after attack

"Still no sightings of our missing royal?" Elijah asks as he enters the main room of the castle, pulling on his cufflinks in preparation for the family's address to the people of the Mystic Kingdom.

"No" Klaus replies casually, not even a little put off by the looming threat, not that he sees the runaway princess as anything more than a minor inconvenience "Kol made sure every new servant we picked up yesterday has their eyes open for her but not a single sighting reported. I believe it is safe to say she is far away from here"

"And that does not concern you at all?" the eldest Mikaelson wonders, Niklaus was the one of his siblings who worked the hardest to secure their throne so he could only assume the new king would be desperate to find and eliminate the true heir.

"Not particularly" Klaus says with a shrug, clapping his brother on the shoulder, his nonchalance making it perfectly clear just how not concerned he is "from what I am told she is the last remaining Forbes, how much trouble can one girl cause? She is probably on a boat to Austria or Spain to hide away in a foreign court as we speak. A scared little princess is not anything to concern us".

Elijah nods "I suppose not." But even as the words escape his mouth Elijah does not believe them. His brother may be arrogant enough to assume that this girl is scared and weak, but Elijah knows better than to underestimate anyone. That is how their grandfather lost the throne in the first place. Saying this to Niklaus would not change anything however, he is stubborn so Elijah decides to change the topic "Where are our siblings? We sent the new crier to announce that the town should gather at noon, it will not instill faith in our leadership to be late"

An amused voice echo's throughout the throne room "Oh Elijah you worry far too much about what these insignificant humans think" Kol says meandering slowly into the room with Rebekah trailing behind him, picking at her sunshine yellow dress in obvious distaste.

"Alright the first thing we need to get when we are done with this ridiculous announcement is a royal tailor because this princess' taste is just abysmal. The closet is full of so many pastel colors that it looks like a resurrection day celebration. I really look far better in jewel tones"

Klaus rolls his eyes, not wanting to deal with Rebekah's spoiled nature at the moment. She may not have had a tiara until now, but the girl has always been a princess. "Can we please just get this over with? I would like to get back to perfecting our empire" he growls, effectively silencing the girl's complaints

"There will be no empire if the people do not respect us as rulers" Elijah speaks up in a frustrated tone, ever the voice of reason "you are all children, so concerned with your blood and your gowns and your power trips." He looks at at Kol, Rebekah, and Niklaus pointedly in succession, "this is not what our parents gave their lives for. Our mother sacrificed herself so we could rule this kingdom and its people and we will not do that by murdering everyone. We will make these people trust us if it is the last thing we do because their loyalty is necessary or we will be open to attack from every other country in the new and old world" Kol fits a cheeky grin on his face and is about to argue but he is beat to the punch with a stern glare "and though they cannot kill us we will not be very great royalty if our kingdom is nothing but rubble"

The other three in the room are stunned into silence by their usually docile brother's outburst but they all nod in agreement.

"Always and forever" Rebekah says quietly after a moment of awkward silence and those three little words soften the hard façade of her three stubborn brothers just as they did when they were children. The four of them nod in respect to each other and move to open the doors of the balcony, staring at the crowd below.

The people stare up at them, unsure what to say or how to react, should they cheer? Should they be afraid or excited? It seams that every man woman and child gathered below the palace has silently agreed to stand perfectly still and do nothing but stare.

Klaus clears his throat and takes a step forward "Good afternoon citizens, my name is Niklaus Mikaelson, and I am your new king".

"Mikaelson!" Caroline gasps interrupting the story by wrinkling her face into a mask of absolute horror

"Yes, Mikaelson" Katherine nods her head solemnly, she skirted around the name as long as she could "they say they are the true royal family come to take the throne back" Caroline shakes her head in anger as Katherine continues to relay the entire story about how there could be Mikaelson's still alive.

Caroline stares at her friend as she speaks, unable to form a single coherent thought as the entire crazy tale unfolds before her. She should have known really, who else would be horrible enough to do as they did? She heard the stories growing up of the days before her family, of the tyrant king who married, bedded and murdered half the village women. They were pure evil.

Katherine pauses for a long moment once she is done with her story, allowing the anger to build within her friend before sharing her own personal opinions "they talk about wanting to rule and keep peace in the country, but something is off with them Caroline." Obviously the princess thinks sullenly. Everything is off with them. They are evil. "Their story, it doesn't line up, I can feel something not right about them. I do not believe that our new king truly cares about the people at all"

Caroline shakes her head sadly, realizing how naive she had been to assume that she was safe in her castle. She had always led such a privileged life that it was easy to forget just what a target the diamond band she wore around her head was. She had acted as though her gowns were bulletproof and her gossamer canopy was made of steel. Well not anymore. She is not safe and she knows it, but neither is her kingdom and that is not something she will tolerate. She stands swiftly, determined. "I cannot leave my people in his hands. I will not idly sit by as this man destroys everything I care about."

Katherine smiles "I was so hoping you would say that. Who am I kidding, I knew you would say that because I'm a genius and I have an even more genius plan. Though I must say first that I do not know if my suspicions have any truth to them. These people may truly want to be a just royal family" Caroline glares at her and she hurries to add "but regardless of whether or not this wannabe king cares for the people he does not belong on the throne"

"Alright, so what is your plan Katherine?"

The girl smirks "the Mikaelson's gave it to me actually, in their nauseating little speech going on and on about how they need our trust in order to run the country. They said that they would pay handsomely for anyone with information about the missing princess though they assumed she was already sailing to the court of one of our allies in fear, knowing that she had been beaten by rightful royals-"

"How dare they!" Caroline spits, her whole body alight in anger at the news that they were speaking of her in this manner, making her people believe that she would abandon them "I would never run from my country, they are just-"

"shh, shh I know just let me finish" Katherine says grabbing Caroline's hand to quiet her "they think you ran to hide in some small country with no army to fight them, but they are forgetting what a beautiful princess we have" she says raising her eyebrows, moving her voice up an octive and taking on a cooing, joking tone "in fact, I heard from a very reputable source that last summer when she visited the English court the crown Prince was immediately taken with her and they were engaged to be married upon her eighteenth birthday, I am sure he would be very upset to discover that his future bride's homeland has been taken over and the king and queen would not stand to lose the country as trade ally's." She looks to her friend, giving the royal a moment to put the pieces together before continuing in a far more biting, malicious, Katherine like tone "Let us s see how these Mikaelson's stand against the entire army of England" an evil smile creeps onto her face as she fills with pride over her brilliant plan

"You want me to ask Tyler for help?" Caroline whispers in disbelief, this is the amazing plan that her most deceitful friend could come up with? Run crying to another country just as the Mikaelson's predicted she would? Admit that she cannot handle the situation on her own?

"No", Katherine says defensively, angered by the simplicity with which Caroline is understanding her plan "I want you to ask Prince Lockwood, your betrothed for the aid of his army to ensure that the merger between your two countries goes off without a hitch, you getting your crown and country back is just a happy side effect"

The princess shakes her head, holding her shoulders strong "no, I am not going to run away to England like some damsel in distress. I refuse to be the weak little girl they are portraying me as".

A sigh escapes Katherine's lips as she looks at her friend, how could she be so stupid. Help is a boat ride away but she is too prideful to take it? "Caroline, you are a woman, this is how we gain power. When you have the heir of the most powerful country in the world in the palm of your beautiful hand and someone tries to mess with you, you use that!"

Caroline glares "I can handle my own country Katherine I do not need a man to do everything for me, I am not you!" it is a cheap shot and she knows it, so much so that she turns her back to her friend, not wanting to look at her.

Most women would angrily storm out at that point, incensed at the accusation of being whores, but Katherine Pierce just cocks her head to the side and glares at the princess "no, you are not, because I am not the one sitting here rotting in a dungeon while everything I care about is taken from me by strangers, and I never will be because I do what I have to do. I will always do what I have to do in order to survive, so maybe instead of judging me you should try to be a little more like me because this 'I am an independent woman' crap is all great in theory but we do not live in some magical world of equality. Women run this world, we both know this, but they do it through men and you need to grow up and realize that!"

"Oh my god" Caroline says whipping her head around to face Katherine as her eyes widen in realization "that is it" she murmurs lifting her hands to her mouth in thought, tapping her finger against her lip "Katherine you are a genius"

"I know" she smiles "wait… why?"

"The Mikaelson's claim they want the people to trust them, right?" Katherine nods "but you do not think they really care about the people which means that they want to use them to gain power"

"That makes sense"

Caroline runs her hands up her face, grabbing her head as she lets out a groan of frustration "ughh, this sucks" she says in her most disgusted voice "but I know what I have to do"

XXX

"You will not get away with any of this you know; the true heir to the throne is still out there and even if she was not the people will never support a group of murderers" Bonnie says squaring her shoulders and straightening her back as she addresses the originals who once again dragged her into this ridiculous throne room to try and get her to pledge loyalty to them like the rest of this brainwashed castle. Well it is not going to happen. Bonnie Bennett cannot be threatened or bribed into betraying her friend and princess.

Her resolve angers the brown eyed boy who attacked her in the first place, every day he seams to grow more and more frustrated with her "You keep saying things like that darling, but perhaps you should remember exactly what you called us in the second half of that little speech and then rethink how you would like to respond to our requests" Kol growls in response from his throne on the right side of Elijah

Bonnie grits her teeth in anger, preparing to yell and scream at the boy in front of her, but before she can his blue eyed brother who falsely wears her best friend's crown puts his hand up to silence both parties "death threats Kol? While I appreciate the tactic, there are so many better ways to get what we want" Klaus smirks leaning forward "Bonnie, is it?" the witch nods "well Bonnie, I'm going to level with you here" he says folding his hands "you see this whole time you have been refusing to help us because of these delusions that you hold that make you believe your beloved princess is going to come storming back in here and overthrow us, well look around" he pauses "it has been a week, have you seen any sign of her? Because I have not" he leans back in his chair, raising his eyebrows "and neither have any of the commoners or servants. I hate to tell you this but your little friend is long gone, hiding away in some little country- I hear Austria is an ally? Oh wait; I did not hate to tell you that at all now did I? Oh well, no use obsessing over details, the point is- she is not coming back so I would suggest you choose where to put your allegiances very carefully witch"

Bonnie turns her head very slowly, sets an incredulous look on the 'king' and takes a deep breath "go to hell"

"Alright" Klaus shrugs "well I tried, this really is a pity, but " before he finishes the sentence Klaus is out of his throne in the blink of an eye, wrapping a strong arm around her waist, smiling down at her as his fangs descend. He is just about to close his teeth on her throat when a strong female voice sounds throughout the room

XXX

"DO NOT TOUCH HER!" Klaus' head snaps up to see the double door of the throne room has been thrown open to reveal possibly the most intriguing sight he has ever seen. A woman, not more than eighteen years of age if he is guessing ,but with the authority in her voice of one three times her age and fire in her eyes that could frighten any soldier he has ever met. She walks calmly into the room and his eyes follow her, inspecting her from head to toe. He smirks, quite pleased with what he sees. Golden tresses spun in perfect curls and clipped artfully atop her head save for two ringlets framing her face, invitingly creamy porcelain skin revealed in her slim neck and the tops of her round breasts which threaten to spill out of the sinfully tight bodice of her blood red dress. Her full skirts sway as she moves and he can tell the garment must be made of silk by the soft sound they make. She's an audacious little thing to barge into their throne room at all, but to do so wearing the color of royalty- the vision in front of him must have a death wish.

Caroline musters every ounce of courage she has to walk confidently into the room, noting the changes they have made to it in just a week, already four thrones sit in the room rather than the three that had occupied it when she left. Such a minor detail that manages to sadden her so intensely. This is no longer her home. No longer her safe haven. She pushes these thoughts from her mind and fixes her gaze on the smirking man holding tightly onto her best friend, seeing her father's crown atop his head fuels her with a fire that she knows will take her through this ordeal. She looks up to the thrones, seeing one of the middle ones empty; to its left sits a bored looking blond woman in a pale yellow dress that seems vaguely familiar. To his right is a dark haired man with a broad chest who is eyeing her curiously but not unkindly, and the chair on the far left is occupied by a young man with dark hair and manic eyes.

"And who exactly are you to tell the King of this country what he can and cannot do?" The man who fancies himself king says as he stares down at her.

Caroline stops moving and plants her feet directly in front of him, taking a deep breath she tries to steady herself and speak with as much authority as possible "My name is Caroline Forbes" she watches every set of eyes in the room widen "and I believe you have something that belongs to me"

The man is in front of her almost inhumanly fast and she just hears Bonnie's scream as she drops to the ground before his hand closes around Caroline's throat. "Well unfortunately for you princess a dead woman can possess nothing" he says giving her an evil smile as he places one hand on either side of her head and-

"AAAGHH" every person in the room except for Bonnie and Caroline falls to the floor in agony, Caroline turns and smiles at her friend

"I would not act so fast if I were you your highness" Caroline says giving him her sweetest smile "I have an offer you will not be able to refuse"

The man growls in anger, trying to stand up but still incapacitated, having no other choice he yells "Fine! Fine I will hear you out! Just make her stop" the princess nods toward her friend and the room returns to normal, the man rights himself and turns to glare at her "now what is your proposition. And keep in mind I promised to listen to you, not to let you live."

"hmm, not so fast" Caroline hums, taking advantage of the small amount of power having Bonnie on her side affords her "I will only speak to the person in charge, judging by the crown I'd say that is you- you are the only one I am interested in making a deal with please send the others away"

Protests immediately break out from the two youngest Mikaelson's but the very unimpressed looking man in front of her simply raises his hand and they fall silent "I will hear the girl speak, leave us" he says without taking his eyes off of her. If looks could kill...

The grumbling patrons of the room begin to slowly move out and a thought occurs to her

"Except Bonnie" she says hastily "she stays- just in case you try anything"

The man places a hand to his heart; looking almost offended "You really think that low of me love?" he smiles, trying to throw her off guard

Caroline looks him directly in the eye "yes"

The door closes and the three of them are left alone, Caroline takes a few steps back wanting to create some much-needed distance between them

"Alright we are alone, say what you must, though I assure you I am not very inclined to strike a deal when you are easily ended"

She cocks her head to the side "ok first of all, you just tried to kill me- that was very rude, try it again and I walk. And trust me, you need me."

He exhales loudly in derision, slightly impressed by the girl's bravery and so he grants her a small promise "I give my word I will not kill you until you have said your piece"

"Thank you" the princess nods her head "not that your word means much"

"Careful" he warns in a low growl

She nods and continues "I hear from my sources that your family and yourself wish to actually be respected as rulers, to gain the support of the people and have them accept you as their new royal family, is this correct?" he looks agitated but nods his head "I take it then that you also wish to maintain the positive trade and peace agreements with our fellow countries, a country at war is really quite the hassle to run-"

"Get to your point" the man growls, no longer wishing to entertain this girl as she wastes his time

"My point is that the people will never accept you. They will never respect you and my family has friends in very powerful countries with very large armies, but there is an obvious solution that will make everyone happy" She stops for a second to think about what she just said "well, mostly happy"

He tilts his head, looking at her through slitted eyes, highly suspicious of the deal she is about to offer "and what, pray tell, is that?"

Caroline takes a deep breath, really not wanting to go through with this but knowing that it is the only way. She begins to speak quietly "I have no brother, there is technically no direct Forbes male to claim the throne as of yet which makes me next in line, if I am the queen of this country that line is upheld, all foreign allies will be retained and the people will support their royal family as they always have. I am a woman, which means that my name would not carry with me, this kingdom would officially be considered under the rule of the name of whomever I marry. I have no care for titles or names, my care is only for the citizens of the Mystic Kingdom and what is in their best interest. I believe that the people would be best served if… if we- your family and mine made a… a merger"

"Caroline no!" her friend's voice echoes loudly through the room

"Silence!" the king calls to the outspoken girl in the corner of the room, turning a glare on her before letting his eyes fly back to the pretty little thing in front of him currently offering herself up on a silver platter

Klaus smirks, loving the way this strong, confidant woman slowly becomes more and more nervous, slowly loses her edge as she grasps for the words to explain what he already understands. He must admit she has surprised him; surprised him by coming up with a plan that had not occurred to him. She is clever- he will give her that. He takes a moment, letting her sweat it out as he realizes just what a perfect arrangement it is, he does not really care about the kingdom, he just wants the power whereas she cares not for power but for people, she can deal with all of that and he can merely reap the rewards. He lets his eyes slowly travel up and down this Caroline Forbes' body and smirks. Oh yes, he would certainly be reaping the rewards.

He takes a few steps closer to her, circling one of his hands tightly around her narrow waist as the other reaches carefully up to brush a curl from her face, letting his fingertips trail slowly down the side of her cheek, gliding over her neck and down the bodice of her dress. She closes her eyes, flinching in obvious discomfort and he smirks, oh how he will enjoy breaking this one. He keeps his hands on her waist as he slowly circles behind her, pulling the back of her body tightly against the front of his and speaks quietly into her ear "so you have come to surrender then? To offer yourself up as a prize to the new king? It is admirable how much you care for your people princess, that you are willing to give yourself so easily to the man who murdered your parents" Klaus pauses "well technically only your father, Kol took care of mummy dearest" he can feel the girl's body go even more rigid in his arms as he speaks 'good' he thinks, a wife who is afraid of him will be infinitely less trouble than the spitfire who walked in here. He abruptly lets go of her and walks back towards his throne "lucky for you I happen to like prizes. I accept your offer to become my pretty little wife, but I am warning you right now that is all you are, do not try to cross me and do not try to play me, it will not end well for you or your people. You will lend your name and support to us as rulers and in exchange I will allow you to see to the welfare of the citizens. You must understand now that you are not my equal, you are my wife and you will do as I say. Do we have a deal?"

Caroline rolls her eyes and curtsies, replying sarcastically "yes my lord"