A/N: I'm aware that according to the show, Mystic Falls wasn't founded until the 1800's. But for the purposes of this story, it was colonized much earlier than that. (Disclaimer: If you recognize it, I probably don't own it.)
II:HOIST THE COLORS:II
"Daddy!" When Caroline walked into the study and saw her father standing there she could not help but run into his arms. For the past two weeks Bill Forbes had been away on a trip to the northern colonies, on what Caroline could only assume was business. "Caroline, sweetheart." He smiled warmly and pulled her into a tight embrace. "How was your trip? Did the north treat you well?" She asked as she released him.
"Yes, it went very well." Bill stepped behind the large oak desk and motioned for Caroline to take a seat in the chair across from him. "I brought you a gift."
Caroline's grin grew. Because of his position as the governor, she did not get to see her father as often as she would like, but he always made good on the time they did have together; and whenever he was gone for long periods of time, he always returned home with lovely, thoughtful gifts. When she was a child he would often bring her toys or dolls. As she got older, he was more likely to return with a beautiful new gown, or perhaps a copy of those romance novels she enjoyed so much. This time, she could not help the small gasp that escaped her as he opened up a small box and lifted the cloth inside to reveal a simple yet beautiful pendant necklace. "My goodness," she brought her hands to cover her mouth as Bill lifted the necklace out of the box, "it's beautiful, Daddy."
Bill smiled at his daughter's positive reaction, happy that she was pleased with the gift. Caroline was very precious to him, as he had raised her to be exactly the daughter he wanted her to be. He got up to step around the desk and behind Caroline in order to put the necklace around her neck. It was made of a simple gold chain, and featured a small blue stone. She lightly grasped the pendant that rested in the space between her collarbones. "You know," her father moved back to his seat after he secured the clasp, "I was almost unable to have that here for you. A band of men attempted to rob us just outside of Pennsylvania. I was carrying that necklace in my personal pouch and one of the men took it off me."
Caroline gasped, "What happened? Were you hurt? How did you get away?" Caroline had a tendency to ramble, especially when she was worried, and she doubted anything could worry her more than the prospect of her father being attacked.
Her obvious concern brought a small smile to Bill's face. "No, I'm quite alright. The robbers were overtaken and brought to justice later that day. I stayed behind to see it was done."
"Justice..." Caroline repeated with a small voice, hoping it did not mean what she suspected.
"Yes, darling. Justice." He gave her a very pointed look, "They were hanged."
Caroline's expression immediately saddened at her father's words. She couldn't help but fell sorry for the men who lost their lives. "Caroline, you know what we believe."
"Right, of course," she straightened up and tried to imitate the strong, determined persona of her father, "A man who steals is a man who dies." She recited the saying that her father had been repeating to her since she was a young girl with the strongest voice she could muster up. Apparently it was good enough to please Bill, as Caroline could deduce from his grin of satisfaction. "That's my girl. Now, you are aware that the Lockwood's will be joining us for supper?" When Caroline nodded he continued, "Do you know who the they are?"
"Bonnie told me that they are people of importance."
"Yes, they are. In fact, Mister Lockwood has a seat on the Virginia Council. Once his son Tyler completes his education, he will likely follow in his father's footsteps."
"Impressive," Caroline murmured, not entirely invested in the conversation.. She was more interested about what would happen tonight after their guests left. Perhaps Damon could help us sneak out with a small boat, she thought. Caroline was not particularly fond of the Salvatore, but Elena seemed to be quite close with him. Also, Caroline could not help but sympathize with Damon. Four years ago, Damon found his father, Giuseppe Salvatore, dead in his home, and his brother Stefan missing. Because Damon was 18 at the time, he was rendered capable of taking care of himself. No one ever saw Stefan again, and Damon had been on his own ever since. He now worked on the docks. Despite his low status occupation, he continued to garner a bit of respect from the upper-class of the community due to the high position his father held when he was alive.
"Caroline, this is important." Her father interrupted her thoughts.
"Right, of course." She straightened up to show that he had her full attention.
"I expect you to be on your best behavior tonight. Tyler Lockwood is your age, he would make a good match."
Caroline froze. A good match? "You don't mean..."
"Caroline, you are at a sensible age to begin thinking about your future. About marriage. Though he will likely wait until his education is complete to wed anyone, if you caught his fancy now, you could be promised to him."
"Marriage..." Caroline tested the word in her mouth.
Bill could sense her wariness and attempted to reassure her, so that come supper time she would be relaxed and natural, instead of nervous and anxious. "It's nothing official, just something for you to start thinking about. Just make a good impression, alright dear?"
Caroline painted on the smile that she knew always pleased her father and nodded, "Of course, Daddy. I'll do my best."
"So, what do you think?"
Klaus gazed ahead to the shore in the far distance. This is Kol's big surprise? He thought, and as he pondered over what Kol was offering, a large grin grew on his face. That was all the confirmation Kol needed to know he had done well. "Ay!" Kol exclaimed, clapping Klaus on the back, "That's the spirit!"
"It is quite a unique thought. Tell me, did you really come up with this all one your own?" Klaus questioned.
"Of course I did!" Kol pouted at Klaus' inability to believe that he thought this up himself. "Finn did not even know it was almost your birthday! And when I approached Elijah, he told me he had no plans to celebrate! Can you believe that?"
"Yes, I can. You know we haven't celebrated a birthday in years."
"Well I actually enjoy a good party. I was bored of this no-birthday business. And we all know the best kind of party includes plenty of trouble." Kol's words were matched with a glint in his eye that anyone who knew him recognized as the sign of a devilish idea stirring in his mind.
"And what better place for trouble than Mystic Falls?" Klaus could not deny the thought Kol had put into this. Coming back to the place they were born (and all despised) in order to perform a good ol' cliche plunder. Tonight when the sun went down, Mystic Falls would become utter chaos. The crew will definitely enjoy this, Klaus thought.
While in North Carolina, Kol had secured plenty of rum (and wine, since Elijah preferred the classier drink)- enough for the whole crew to have plenty of drinks before they invaded Mystic Falls. Everyone would be at least slightly drunken, and no one would have any inhibitions about what would happen tonight. Not they would have them anyway- they were pirates after all. But Kol wanted to ensure everyone was on their wildest behavior.
"You know how Finn gets when he drinks," Klaus warned.
"Of course I do!" Kol grinned, "That's the whole point! Once we get rum in him, he becomes a completely merciless animal- similar to your good friend. I think I'll enjoy watching our usually docile elder brother behave like the true pirate he is, won't you?"
"Ay," Klaus had to admit- watching Finn lose it was most entertaining, "And what of Elijah?" Klaus doubted that the oh-so-refined Mikaelson would willingly take part in the festivities.
"He's agreed to stay with the ship," Kol muttered. Klaus could see the disappointment in Kol's face. While he may be the youngest of the lot, reckless, and often selfish, he had gone to a lot of trouble to ensure a night of great fun and he wanted all of his brothers to take part. The fact that Elijah was staying behind was disappointing.
"Well I can assure that we'll do just fine without him." Kol cheered back up at Klaus' words of assurance. The pair turned around to see that the crew had gathered on the deck and each man held a drink in his hand. Elijah and Finn walked up the steps and handed Kol and Klaus their own cup. Kol threw his arm over Klaus' shoulders, "Lads!" Kol called to the the crew, "Tonight we drink! To Klaus!"
"To Klaus!" They all shouted, raising their cups to him, "Hurrah!" Everyone gulped down their rum and began preparing the boat to sail inland. Klaus turned to his brothers. They were all smiling, "To Nik," they said and swallowed their drinks.
"To me," Klaus uttered with a devilish grin, downing his rum.
"Gentlemen," Kol poured himself more rum, "tonight will be a night to remember."
"Ay," they all agreed. Tonight, Mystic Falls would be at the mercy of the Mikaelson's and their crew. Their drunken, ruthless crew. Yes, it would be a night no one could possibly forget.
Elena hummed along with the rhythmic sloshing of the paddles hitting water. Bonnie was singing a song Caroline was unfamiliar with, so she just swayed along with the rocking of the small paddle boat (which Elena had convinced Damon to bring out for them after the dock quieted down and everyone went home for the night).
"Yo, ho, haul together, hoist the colors high. Heave ho, thieves and beggars, never shall we die."
The lyrics reminded Caroline of her father's words, repeated to her throughout her life. A man who steals is a man who dies.
"The king and his men stole the Queen from her bed, and bound her in her bones. The sea be ours, and by our powers, where we will we'll roam."
Caroline closed her eyes and lifted her face up to the moonlight. She felt very airy and carefree in this moment. Bonnie had brought along some hemp that she pinched from her Grams' herb supply. Initially, Elena protested to having any, but not too long after she agreed and joined Bonnie and Caroline. Damon only rolled his eyes and insisted on going out on the water with them. "Neither Elena nor Bonnie are able to swim," he argued. So eventually Caroline conceded and allowed him to join them. He was now sitting quietly behind the three girls, looking out on the water.
"Yo ho, haul together, hoist the colors high. Heave ho, thieves and beggars, never shall we die."
"How was your dinner, Caroline?" Elena questioned as she ran her hands back and forth through the water, staring intently at the ripples.
"Some men have died, and some are alive, and others sail on the sea- with the keys to the cage, and the Devil to pay, we lay to Fiddler's Green."
"It was well," Caroline replied absently, opening her eyes to stare at the stars. She attempted to find the only constellation she knew- the Big Dipper. Her mother had taught her about the patterns in the stars, but that was the only one Caroline remembered.
"That's good," Elena hummed.
"The bell has been raised from it's watery grave, do you hear it sepulchral tone? We are a call to all, pay head to squall, and turn your sail toward home."
Caroline tried to recall the evening she had, but it had mostly been a blur. Tyler seemed decent, very proper in fact. Her father was right, he would make a smart match. But Caroline could not ignore the fact that there had been nothing special. No spark, no chemistry. Bonnie was right, I have surely been reading too many romance novels, she chuckled to herself.
"What's so funny?" Caroline couldn't be sure, but she thought it was Damon who asked.
"Do you believe in true love?" She asked to no one in particular.
"Of course!" Elena was quick to say. "Love is... everything." She sighed. "And we all know Bonnie does," Elena chuckled, nudging their friend. Bonnie smiled happily; she claimed to be in love with a man who worked on her Grams' little farm. Elena and Caroline had yet to meet the man, but whenever Bonnie mentioned him, she always had the dreamiest look on her face. It was so unlike the usually practical Bonnie that the two never doubted for a second that what she felt for this mystery man must be real.
"Damon?" Caroline turned to him, curious to hear his thoughts on the subject.
He sighed and Caroline thought it sounded like sadness mixed with annoyance. "Sure."
She scoffed at his half-hearted reply.
"And you?" He asked.
Caroline opened her mouth to respond, but before she could get anything out there was an explosion of light, a loud bang, a gush of wind, a sharp pain on her head, and then darkness.
Damon's head burst above the break of the water, gasping for air. His head whipped in every direction, trying to figure out what happened. One moment Bonnie was singing and Caroline was talking about love, and the next moment there was a loud explosion and Damon was thrown underwater. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself, and noticed the sound of screaming and canon fire in the distance. He turned in the direction of shore. He couldn't make out the specifics from his distance, but he could clearly tell that the town was under attack. Damn. Damon could not decide if it was a blessing or curse that they had chosen this night to sneak out. On the positive, they were away from all the chaos. On the negative, out of the four of them, only two knew how to swim. As he tried to stay afloat, he felt something poking his back. He turned and saw that it was a scarp of the paddle boat they had been in. As he looked around, he saw planks of their boat floating throughout the water. A canon must have blown by them and that was what threw him in the water. As Damon came to this realization, he felt the panic start to creep in.
The boat was in pieces.
And only two of them knew how to swim.
He turned frantically, trying to spot the girls. "Elena!" He shouted. "ELENA! BONNIE! CAROLINE!"
"Damon!" He heard someone calling his name and recognized it as Bonnie. He saw her then, only a few meters away, hanging desperately onto a plank of wood to stay afloat. "Bonnie! Hold on! I'm coming!"
"No, you need to get Elena!" Bonnie called.
Damon looked around for her but did not see her anywhere. Realizing that she may not have been so lucky as Bonnie to be near a piece of wood, he dove under the water, and there he saw her sinking lower and lower. He sped off in her direction and grabbed onto her, pulling her above the water, and throwing her over his shoulder. But even in the open air, she still wasn't breathing. "Come one Elena." Damon hit her on her back, in an attempt to get the water out of her lungs and stay afloat at the same time, "Breathe Elena!" He pounded harder and let out a breath of relief when she finally gasped for air. He made his way over to Bonnie then and grabbed onto her with his other arm. "Where's Caroline?" He asked he began to make way for the shore. Bonnie pointed into the direction opposite of land and Damon followed her finger to see Caroline in the far distance, floating on a piece of wood. From what he could tell, she was unconscious. She lay unmoving, draped over it stomach down. "Dammit," he muttered, and tried to go in that direction.
"You won't be able to reach her," Bonnie shouted over the waves and canon fire in the distance. "The current's already caught her!" Damon could see Bonnie was right. In that short amount of time, Caroline was already twice the distance from them she had been a minute ago. Damon glanced between the shore and Caroline a few times, feeling torn. "Dammit Caroline." He hoisted Elena farther over his shoulder and pulled Bonnie tighter, turning in the direction of the shore and swimming there as fast as he could while holding on to two other people.
"What are doing?" Elena shouted when she realized which way Damon was headed. "No, we have to go back for Caroline!" She insisted, but Damon ignored her and kept on his path, knowing Bonnie was right- there was no way he could get to her now. "Damon stop! We have to save Caroline!" She pounded on his back and tried to wiggle her way out of his arms, but he only gripped her tighter.
"Caroline knows how to swim," he reasoned, "She'll be fine." He took one last look in the blonde's direction. She was so far out now that she appeared as little more than a piece of drifting rubbish. "She'll be fine," he repeated, hoping he was right, trying to convince himself. "Caroline will be fine."
Caroline woke up with an awful pain in her head. She also woke up wet, and lying on a hard surface. Feeling the sun attempt to pierce through her shut eyes, she turned her head to the side and brought her hand to the spot on her head that was throbbing.
"Kol, what is this?" Caroline's eyes shot open at the sound of a man's voice.
"A drifter," a different voice said, "I fished her out myself." In front of Caroline's face she could see only a stack of wooden boxes covered in nets. She could tell the men were standing behind her.
"Yes," the first voice said, "but why?"
"Wh-why?! I honestly do not understand why my brothers keep you around, Trevor. Ah, Elijah, brother, let Klaus know I have one more present for him will you, this one looks like a tasty treat."
Next: Klaus has an unexpected reaction to Kol's latest "gift," and Caroline ends up overboard- again! Caroline becomes reacquainted with an old friend, and Klaus attempts to put the headstrong blonde in her place. And much to Klaus' dismay, the crew seems to take a liking to the newest member.
A/N: I was going to make this chapter longer, but this felt like the best place to end it. Sorry for anyone who was expecting a Klaroline meeting in this chapter, it's coming soon! Also, when I was in high school I kind of dozed through my APUSH class, so if I make any mistakes that you history buffs recognize, feel free to call me out!
Thanks to everyone who reviewed the first chapter, you guys fuel my fire. I'd love to hear what everyone thinks. (Comments, complaints, and I'd especially like to hear you theories!)
Also, you can catch me on tumblr if you like at curtlemons.