Rebekah had tried to dislike her from the moment she came from her room but the broken expression ate at her. "Caroline?" She called, startling the poor thing. She was a frightened bird trapped in a cage with no door. "Come." Caroline turned to Anna who gave her a sympathetic smile before leaving. Caroline moved to her side and they walked down the halls towards the ballroom. "I apologise for my brother's behaviour and attitude," Rebekah offered to break the silence. She'd noticed over the past couple of days that Caroline was shrinking into herself, physically and mentally. She was losing weight and barely talked. When she did, it was to Anna when they were alone or she thought no one was listening. Caroline turned to her, eyes tired but curious. Rebekah kept her head high and looked ahead.
"He was kind once. The kindest of all my brothers. I adored him. He was sweet and vulnerable. Our father was cruel to him and… it is not an excuse but I hope you understand more of why my brother is how he is. Our life was not the best. Our father beat Nik for no reason. It was only when we were created did we realise it was because he was a bastard. Mikeal hunted us for centuries to kill us for being abominations. It ruined him, realising the man he tried to please all the time hated him and wanted to kill him and that our mother stood by. She cursed him to lose his wolf side and that was painful for him. We made enemies and Nik became Klaus. It wasn't until he broke the curse a hundred years ago that he began to come back to us. The changes are small. An affectionate touch here and there or a fond tone when he is pleased."
She paused before the doors to the ballroom and turned to Caroline who was staring at her curiously. "Nik is afraid of being weak. Should he fall in love with you, he would have a weakness far greater than simply having a mate. He calls your future child an heir as a way of distancing himself from it all. He believes he can push away all emotion, but he cannot. Give him time. He will not be cruel all the time." Before Caroline could reply, she pushed open the doors and strode into the room.
For three hours, Caroline stood and had silent women making alterations to the most beautiful wedding gown she had ever seen. Rebekah stopped her chattering and sat up in the chaise she was lounging in, looking towards the door a moment before returning her gaze to Caroline. "Would you mind if Elijah stepped in? He has something to ask of us," Rebekah asked her. Caroline felt she would never grow used to their enhanced senses. They could converse without her hearing anything. "No, he may come in. As long as Klaus does not," Caroline answered, motioning to her dress. "I sent Nik out of the castle," Rebekah smiled to her proudly as Elijah walked in to the room. "I knew he would try to see you so I sent him out to run my errands. I take great pleasure in knowing he must pay for our dresses – I took the liberty of buying you some that are more appropriate. Nik has no taste." Caroline offered her a small smile before turning to find Elijah staring at her in wonderment.
"You look…" He trailed off for a moment and she looked down at herself with a blush. "Beautiful, Caroline. You look beautiful." She thanked him quietly and the fitters dismissed themselves. "I do hate to be a bother, but unexpected business requires me to be away tomorrow. I was wondering if I could steal you away for the remainder of today and you can continue on with Rebekah in my absence tomorrow." Caroline turned to check with Rebekah who nodded. "I shall meet you in the library once I am ready," Caroline answered as she turned back to Elijah. He nodded to her and left her to change.
The library was grand and beautiful in every way. The walls were shelves, over filled with books and papers bound with everything from string to leather to human skin – something even Rebekah shuddered at. The light from the three giant windows met in the centre where Elijah sat at the large oak desk with books and papers strewn across the top. She tilted her head and smiled amused, seeing the usually stoic man frowning and muttering at paper. Both his hands ran through his hair and she giggled quietly when she saw he'd messed up his beautiful brown locks. His head snapped up and he frowned at her confused. "Apologies, Elijah," she offered once she'd calmed. "It's just…" She trailed off as she walked closer. Once she was stood beside him, she began fixing his stuck up hair. "Oh, I see," he muttered embarrassed."
"No need for apologies, Caroline. I should have heard you. I fear the business I mentioned earlier is worse than I thought and I became engrossed in trying to fix it." She sighed and walked towards him, glancing at the papers quickly. "Anything you wish to talk about?" She offered as she sat down beside him. He dropped in to the seat elegantly with a loud huff. "Niklaus and I, a long time ago, made a bad decision. A wolf challenged him with a fight to the death. Niklaus won, of course, but the story has warped over time in the pack. They are working with witches to take us down and I fear they may know of you. I only tell you this to prepare you, not make you afraid."
Shooting up from her seat, the chair falling back with a thud. "Please tell me you brought my belongings," she exclaimed, spinning around slightly, unsure of where to go. "In the room beside your own," he began, but she didn't let him finish as she ran off. Kol dove out of the way, having ran up to see what the commotion was about. "Did you frighten her?" Kol asked as the men jogged after her. "I do not believe so," Elijah offered confused. She was fast for a human, too… especially in such a large dress.
The room beside hers was not just a room. It was storage, half the size of the ballroom but still packed with everything from her own castle that was of importance. The brothers stayed out of her way as she began pushing piled chairs from in front of a dresser, muttering about the importance of good storage and incompetent men's incapability to stack things correctly. "HA!" She shouted into the empty room, pulling out a pocket watch from the smaller drawer. "Werewolves, did you say, Elijah?" She mumbled, turning to him. "Catch." She tossed the pocket watch to him and began rifling through the larger drawers. Elijah inspected the pocket watch curiously, ignoring Kol as he whispered, "she's gone mad."
"Here!" They looked away from the watch to find her brandishing a sword. "It is specific to the species you wish to eradicate. My father had it spelled to kill wolves with even the smallest of cuts. He could decapitate or touch a wolf and they would die. Of course, the decapitation would be quicker, but the wolf dies anyway, doesn't it?" She put it back in the sheath and held it out to Kol as Elijah gave her a hand in clambering over the chairs she'd tossed everywhere.
"What will a watch do to help us?" Kol asked her confused. She huffed, grabbing it from him and stalking back towards the study with the brothers following. Once they were sat around the table again, she began her tale. "Matthew and I… we were not the only children our parents had. Victoria, she was between us. Wolves attacked the castle. I was six, I was too young to understand what was happening. Victoria, she was only nine, but she threw herself at a wolf to protect me. It tore her apart. Matt… Matt grabbed me and ran. We hid in a tree all night until our father found. We could see Vic's body from where we were. My father had witches spell the watch, Victoria's watch, to find any unnatural creature by species or name." She paused a moment before turning to Elijah. "Do you have a name? Full or surname, it does not matter."
Elijah nodded, writing the name on paper as instructed. She closed the paper in the watch and brought it to her lips. "Invenies lupus," she whispered. Pulling it away, the watch popped open and a compass revealed itself. "Now it will find the person wish. It will not confuse itself with Klaus' presence, either, if you simply ask for it to find wolves. He is a hybrid. It is specific. It follows Latin instruction. If you wish to find a wolf, tell it to. If you wish for a witch, tell it to find you one. It will always point to the nearest of the species if you look for that. Look for a person, it will lead you there."
Elijah and Kol shared a look before nodding. "Thank you for gifting us with this, Caroline. It will help us greatly." She offered him a small smile and handed it over to Kol. He bowed his head before disappearing with the watch and sword. "Now, I believe you came for your studies," Elijah sighed slightly, relieved to find some sort of solution to the previous problem. "I already know how to be Queen, Elijah. I was taught that a long time ago. Be attentive, polite, and do as told. I do not need to learn it all again, but I do wish to learn how a court of vampires works." He brought a book in front of them and began teaching her.
The vampire court worked as any other court, but ultimately Klaus made the decisions. He ruled over the wolves and the vampires as alpha and king. Elijah explained that she would be required to sit in on the first court hearing after their wedding, only two days after. The court hearing heard cases involving both humans and the supernatural. Anything from land disputes to men deflowering another man's betrothed or murder to petty theft. Elijah told her she would replace Rebekah as the main female influence but would have Rebekah beside her to help.
They spent the next hour going over the court systems and her roles as Klaus' Queen, rather than a regular queen. "As his wife, your... role is rather simple. You give him the heir he desires and then you spend eternity by his side." She shuddered a little and he looked over to her. "I apologise for your situation, dear heart, but that is how you have been fated." She scoffed quietly and turned from him.
"I despise that word. Fate. What is it? God's word? A little man in the clouds that I am to pray to. Or is it a witch's word? The mad old woman in the shadows that dances in the woods and casts enchantments... Fate is not real. Fate is a lie. Destiny is wrong. Nature intended me to be your brother's mate. I was born at the appropriate time to the appropriate people in the appropriate way with the appropriate traits. It is more coincidence than fate. If fate is real, it should be as pleasant as it sounds. It should not damn me to the life that I have been told I will have."
Taken aback, Elijah's jaw dropped but he had no reply for her. She turned then to face him with a sigh. "I apologise. I have held resentment for the Oracle since the day she gave me that damning prophecy. I fear it finally exploded within me and you were the unfortunate victim of that." He placed his hand over hers, leaning in closer. "You are welcome to unload any emotion you feel upon me, Caroline, if that means you are well and untroubled. I give you my word I will not judge you." A small smile crept up on her face and she tilted her head forward. "I fear you will regret that offer, Elijah, when I come to you and spew out all my womanly emotions towards you."
He chuckled quietly and squeezed her hand as she giggled. They were interrupted by a clearing throat and they span around towards the door. Elijah's hand left hers and she sat back as they found Klaus leaning against the doorway with a tight jaw and cold eyes. "I do so hate to be a bother and interrupt," he rolled out with cold sarcasm, "but the matters of tomorrow need to be dealt with today, brother." Elijah nodded, seemingly understanding the vague riddle.
Turning to Caroline, unafraid of his brother, Elijah picked up her hand and kissed the back of it. "We shall see each other soon, Caroline," he smiled before rising with her. Nodding with a small curtsey, she watched Elijah turn and leave the room. Once he was out of sight, she waited for Klaus to leave. He straightened, but did not move from the doorway as she collected the book Elijah had given her earlier.
"I do hope you do not fall in love with Elijah, Caroline," Klaus' voice broke through the silence like a blade through flesh. Turning to confront him, she jumped when she found him inches from her. "You may just find something terrible has befallen him and he disappears." Narrowing her eyes, she studied his stoic face and stormy eyes. "What you witnessed was an act of kindness," she snarled back at him, "not an act of budding romance." She brushed past him, graceful on her feet as she began to leave.
A gasp escaped her when she found herself with her back against the closed door. The clattering of the book echoed as he ground his hips against hers to keep her put, one hand rough at her waist and the other gentle at her throat. He wanted to hurt her, oh did he want to, but he could not find it in him to do so. He damned the mate bond for it's effect and he damned her for her stubborn rudeness.
"Be careful, Caroline. You do not wish to anger me more than you already have." His warning was clear, but she still retaliated. "Do not fear for me falling in love with your brother," she murmured icily, gathering her strength again. "I find it hard to imagine me falling in love with anyone bearing the name Mikaelson." He shoved at her as he pushed away from her, giving her a moment of respite before swooping in again. His face brushed hers, lips at her ear. "You will be punished accordingly, Caroline, I promise you that. I also promise that one day you will love me and I will relish in knowing that I will have won."
She swallowed, blinking against the viciousness of his words, but he was gone from the room before she respond. Her legs began to fail her and she slid against the door until she was a pile of weak human and excessive layers of skirt. Her heart was thudding throughout her entire body and her hands shook violently. He terrified her more than she would ever admit to anyone, even herself.
The moonlight was brilliant white as Elijah and Klaus stalked towards the clearing. The smell of wolf was strong and Klaus picked up a particular feminine scent he recognised, followed by another masculine one. The fire cast shadows that warped and danced along the ground and faded into the darkness of the surrounding trees. The chatter of the pack died down at the new guests and Klaus smirked coldly at them all.
"I am not in the best of moods," he warned with a falsely jovial tone, "I would hurry to the purpose of this meaning if I were you." His eyes landed on Tyler Lockwood and a female wolf he once had during a drunken stupor. She was adequate, but he took no satisfaction from it. He had bumped into Caroline and the touch of their hands activated the mating instinct within him. He had tried to convince himself that he had not felt it, but the wolf in front of him had just confirmed it. He should have killed her. she had no pack, no one would miss her. He just did not wish to bury another body that night.
She stepped forward, head tilted high as if she mattered. She was an orphan peasant with no home or status. She was a prostitute, a whore, nothing more. He wanted to laugh. "Apologies, what is your name again?" He asked, tilting his head as Elijah side eyed him. She bristled, wincing at her worthlessness. "Hayley," she answered coldly. "You should learn it. I am carrying your child."
Even Elijah allowed himself to smile as he ducked his head. A loud rumbling laughter escaped Klaus as Hayley looked over her shoulder to Tyler for help. "Oh, no. You are not," Klaus chuckled, clearing his throat so he simply smiled that dead smile at her. "I am. I am pregnant. A witch confirmed it was yours," she tried, her pout doing nothing to gain anything from him. He wondered how he even found her attractive. He placed blame on the alcohol. "Oh, you city wolves have no clue of your heritage and species, do you?" Klaus drawled out, leaning back against the tree amused. "Wolves only bear children with their mate. I have my own. The witches did not confirm me as father. You simply decided to leech on to the richest man you opened your legs for within the time of conception."
He turned to Tyler and smirked. "Take your mate and leave before I rip all of your hearts out. Including hers. Child be damned." Hayley's eyes widened with fear and she span around to Tyler. "You said this would work," she hissed, "You said that he had a human." Tyler growled back at her, "She's just a human whore. It's his child. Not mine." All amusement left Klaus and he moved at a pace inperceptible to the human eye. Holding Tyler by the throat, he let the boy kick at the air beneath his feet whilst choking.
"If you so much as speak of, look at, or think of my mate, I shall rip you limb from limb." Klaus threw him away and the pregnant liar began towards him. Grabbing the back of her neck, he held her in place. "If I see your face ever again, I shall rip your head off. The same goes for all of you. Lockwood included. Leave now. Do not return. If you ever plan to manipulate or overthrow me again - which is what I know you planned to do, Lockwood - I will ensure that you feel so much pain that you beg me for death. I will not give that luxury to you. Do not come near me, my family, or my mate again." He shoved Hayley towards Tyler and they both fell to the floor again.
Elijah followed, unsettled by his brother's strolling and ignorance of his presence. "Niklaus, was that truly the best means of dealing with this? We do not know whether the witches are working with them or if there is a larger plot at stake than infiltration of your bed chambers through a child." Klaus span around suddenly, inches from Elijah though the eldest brother felt no intimidation. "Wish to protect your new beau, brother?" He taunted darkly, eyes flooded with a fatal burning. "Tell me, what exactly did your session with my mate consist of?"
Elijah snapped and slammed his hand into Klaus' chest. The hybrid flew back but landed on his feet. "You question me? I am your brother. We may have made that mistake as humans but I see now that you, as my family, mean more to me than anything. My kindness towards Caroline comes from your pathetic ill-treatment of her. You are afraid of feeling for her, so you hurt her. I am not that petty, brother. I am kind to her where you fail to be. I am being the brother in law she needs, the brother she needs. She has nothing here that is familiar with and you make her time here harder with your every meeting because you refuse to open yourself up to her. Your mate is your eternity and you are making her despise you. Do you truly wish for her to hate you?"
They stood, one glaring with fury at being challenged and one with disappointment in his narrowed eyes. "Do not cross me," Klaus simply warned once more before disappearing back to the castle. Letting out a sigh, Elijah ran his hand over his face and looked around. He hoped his words struck his brother as they intended, but with Niklaus he never knew.
AN: I'm trying to get the week up to the wedding done in this chapter and the next. I want the one after that to be the wedding and the wedding night. It might be a little fast paced in the writing, but it's just so I don't drag out the inevitable and bore you all. Anyway, I hope you like the chapter. Feel free to review and let me know if I'm doing it right.