Chapter 2

I don't own The Vampire Diaries

Over the next few years, Caroline lived with Thora, and their days were spent working on the small farm and teaching Caroline her language. Every full moon they would make their way to the caves to spend the nights there. Wolves would roam the woods during this time, and it was very unsafe to remain outside. She was finally able to talk with some of the other children from the village while they were stuck in the caves. When she was about 12, she was finally able to hold a small conversation in the foreign language. Shortly after she began to live with Thora, she began having dreams. Some of them didn't make sense and some did. Some of them were about things she couldn't understand. They had strange things in them. Instead of a horse, people were riding around in large carts, but they had multiple seats for people. They had devices that showed people moving around in a small box. Caroline couldn't make sense of any of it. There was o e dream that really stuck with her through, she remembered a woman. This woman was calling her "Caroline" and would always smile at her. She got the impression that both her and the woman loved each other very much. She decided that that woman must be her mother, and that her name must be Caroline. When they both woke up in the morning, Caroline told Thora of her dream, the best that she could. Thora was thrilled to finally have something to call her other than "young one."

When Caroline was 14, she finally had a good grasp on the language and could make conversation with people other then Thora. There were girls in the village near them and it was nice to finally have friends. There was one girl whose name was Rebekah, who Caroline had gotten to know and became fast friends with. They started doing a lot of their chores together and became inseparable. One day, while they were gathering water, two of Rebekah's brothers came to the stream.

"Rebekah, father said we all must be at home within the hour. He has an announcement he needs to make" one of the brothers informed her. They smiled at Caroline, having seen her before, but neither of them had ever spoke to her before. The brother who spoke was tall with dark brown hair. He had an elegant air about him. He was wearing a plain tunic with leather pants. The other brother had murky blond hair and was wearing the same thing. He seemed almost shy, and seemed to be studying her out of the corner of his eyes. The other brother glanced and him unsure of what to think of his brothers behavior.

"I'm Elijah, and this is my brother Niklaus. We are the sons of Mikael." The brother with the dark hair told her.

"This is Caroline. Her and I have been doing our chores together for quite some time now." Rebekah said. Caroline just gave a shy smile and looked toward the stream.

"I'm sorry Caroline, but it appears I have to head home. I will see you tomorrow though." Rebekah told her as she headed back home with her siblings. Caroline finished up gathering the water and left to head to her home as well.

Once she reached home, Caroline noticed Thora standing outside with a somber look on her face.

"Hello, honey. How were your chores?" She asked.

"They were alright. I finally met two of Rebekah's brothers. They seem nice, but I didn't get to say more then hello. They all head to head home, apparently their father had some big announcement to make." Caroline told her as they walked into the house.

"Well, I actually have an announcement for you as well. I'm guessing it's the same thing that Mikael plans to tell his family." Thora stayed a little grimly.

Caroline eyed her suspiciously, but let her continue nonetheless.

"Well child, as you know, I'm old and frail. This farm was mine and my dear husband Eric's, rest his soul. Since he passed, it's been a struggle to handle the day to day chores. Sure, things got easier when you arrived, and I've loved every minute of having you here..."

"I've loved being here, seeing as I can't remember my mother, you have become one to me." Caroline interrupted.

"I know dear," Thora continued, "and I've loved you like a daughter. Which is why I've made arrangements as any mother would. When I'm gone, I want you to be cared for and to continue to live and work here. I've decided to make the farm your dowry and find you a husband. You're almost 15, if we wait much longer you'll be a spinster."

Caroline sat there with her mouth gaping open while Thora talked.

"But...but Thora, I don't want a husband. I don't NEED a husband. I can take care of the farm and myself just fine without help. Didn't I prove that last year while you were in your sick bed?" Caroline asked desperately.

"Well, you did do a fairly good job of taking care of things. But I was only sick for a few weeks. It's much harder to do everyday for the rest of your life. I should know, thats what I had been doing until you arrived. What should happen if you were to encounter thieves? Or men intent on raping you?! You can't live here alone forever. I'm sorry child, but this is for your own good." Thora was exasperated at this point. She knew how stubborn Caroline could be, she knew this conversation was going to be difficult.

"I'm sorry child, but I've made my decision. This is what every mother does to ensure her child is taken care of and safe. I've made this decision a long time ago, there will be no arguing!" She stated sternly.

"Yes, ma'am. I'm sorry. I just wasn't expecting this. It's too soon. I've never even thought about needing a husband." Caroline hung her head, knowing there would be no arguing with her guardian. They were both stubborn, and when either had made up their mind, there was no changing it.

"So, for the past year I've been talking with the men in the village about their sons. Mikael has agreed that one of his sons should be your husband. Since this is a small farm, and that's the only dowry I have to give for you, he agreed that you will be given to his third son, Niklaus." Caroline wondered what man would want to marry for this small farm. What father would be anxious for his son to receive such a small dowry? There were larger farms in the area, there were women who were much prettier then she and worth more. His father must hate him to stick him with such a small inheritance so far away from the village. Caroline just sat there and mused of this over for the next hour. She was apprehensive about marrying, but supposed that Thora was right. If her own mother were here, she probably would have done the same thing. The biggest problem was, she was going to marry someone she didn't even know. That needs to be fixed.