A/N: Thanks to the reviewers and followers, you guys make me really excited for the next few chapters! Special thanks to one review in particular:
AAG2649 (Guest): What I am hoping for you is to explore the struggle of control between Caroline and Klaus. Caroline is strong in her own right and is not afraid of Klaus, but he doesn't play nice and often finds loopholes to every agreement. Perhaps you could incorporate more dark elements of his character into your story. I would want to see the exploration of Caroline's strength as a person rather than monopolizing her usefulness to solely her ability to see the future.
I totally agree with everything this review speaks for. I love Caroline's character (in the show) in that she's so resilient; bending instead of breaking, so that will definitely be a big part of this story. I'll be sticking to both Caroline and Klaus' character traits because I think there's something great to be found in Klaus' past, in between his transformation and his present character on TVD/TO. So yeah, there will be a huge power struggle between the two, some not-so-great aspects of Klaus' character, and a hell of a lot of character development, at least that's what I've got planned. Thanks so much for the review!
Disclaimer: I don't own The Vampire Diaries or any of its characters.
The dreams had stopped. Caroline didn't know why this upset her so much, if anything she should be thankful. There was just something familiar and oddly comforting about them, about the glittering black hall and the dark stranger. She usually had them every few days, but she'd been in the same room Klaus had practically locked her up in for five days, and no dreams came. It came to a point where she even willed them to happen, lying in bed and envisioning the familiar scene, only to be disappointed as it vanished and was replaced by pitch blackness.
She stared out the window, concentrating on the wide expanse of the sky. After being holed up in one room for the better part of a week, she felt a sudden urge to grow wings and fly away. This was odd because humans didn't have the tendency to sporadically grow body parts, especially not the body parts of birds. She'd thrown tantrums that were closer to "bull in the china cabinet" tantrums than the kind children threw when they didn't get their way, but the best that got her was a nursemaid coming in to tell her to quiet down. That was just the first time. The second time, she got a sharp rap on the door and an empty corridor, and the third time, nothing at all. So she'd given up on that, focusing instead on the few books she was able to find around the room and the large crystal window in front of her.
Sitting there, surrounded by so much peace and the unspoken wonder of the trees and sky that lay before her eyes, she felt slightly ashamed for her childish displays. He probably enjoyed hearing her rage and isolation-induced outbursts. She was no longer going to give that pitiful monster the satisfaction of knowing she was frustrated…scared, worried, enraged, not broken but cracked and very close to coming undone. She rose from the window ledge, having memorized the amount of time between meals, when the maidservants brought her food. Just on cue, there was a knock at the door followed by a small woman squeezing through the doorway.
Caroline smiled as an apology for the amount of stress she had to have caused this woman, the one who had come in to tell her to quiet down. The woman pulled behind her a cart, but it wasn't wielding sliver cutlery and a five course meal as usual. At Caroline's expression, the woman, who Caroline had come to know as Mathilde, spoke.
"I'm here to collect your washing and to inform you that King Niklaus will be hosting dinner tonight." Mathilde spoke, her head bent toward the shining marble floors. Caroline cringed at the obviously rehearsed words. She was repulsed by the idea of dining with Nikalus, but she was also itching to escape these four walls. They'd only be replaced with more walls with a larger expanse of space between them, but at least she'd be able to walk freely. Caroline simply nodded, helping Mathilde gather up her dresses, trailing her down the hall to the grand staircase. She descended by herself, haunted by the lack of people around the cold palace grounds.
She couldn't see anyone, she couldn't hear anyone. It was almost as if she was all alone. She had the sudden urge to dance down the staircase and out the grand doors. Thankfully, before she could follow through with the stupid plan that would definitely land her another week in solitude, Klaus appeared. It didn't frighten her, she'd been expecting him. But the speed at which he moved sent chills down her spine. He was three steps below her, sickeningly bowing before holding out his hand. Caroline had to admit, he was quite charming. If she considered murder and evil endearing, they'd be a perfect match.
Play nice, she reminded herself, reluctantly taking his hand. At his touch, flashes of her dream flooded her mind, washing over her eyes in a matter of seconds. She composed herself quickly, not wanting Klaus to know about what she saw. He led her down the steps, a silent yet powerful presence. She shivered as flashes of the dream she'd been missing for the time she had endured here made their way across her mind, dancing in front of her eyes, almost tangible. As he held her hand, leading her toward the dining hall, she kept seeing these flashes, both relieved that she'd finally been able to see something familiar and horrified that she'd only seen it once she'd taken his hand. She felt as though she was actually dancing, though she knew her feet were simply carrying her across the room, one in front of the other. Caroline tried not to feel the tingling down her spine, but she couldn't. The vision had never been more real to her…and it chilled her to the very marrow of her bones.
"Caroline, you look absolutely...lovely this evening." Klaus complimented, pulling out a large oak chair, which she promptly sat in as he pushed it gently toward the table. It was a lie. She looked horrible, having not bathed for days on account of not being able to leave her room. White porcelain plates were set for two seats, one at the head of the table and one to the side, where she currently sat, idly touching her cutlery, her eyes roaming over the succulent dishes before her. The pair made little conversation, Caroline not really caring to speak and Klaus not having any words. They ate in silence until Caroline noticed that he wasn't eating at all.
"Why aren't you eating?" Caroline asked.
"I assumed you knew...perhaps not. I don't eat-"Klaus started to explain.
"Of course I know. What I meant was: why aren't you sinking your teeth into some helpless person's neck and drinking to your fill? That is how you sustain yourself, is it not?" She said rather crudely, biting into a juicy steak. Klaus laughed at this, both amused and slightly surprised at her nonchalant behavior.
"Call it an attempt at being considerate…" Klaus started, only to be interrupted once more.
"But you don't really care what I think of you, do you? If you did, you certainly wouldn't have threatened to burn my home to the ground and feast on my family... After all, a considerate person wouldn't kidnap or murder or...well do anything that you spend your time doing, and as a matter of fact-"
"Keep talking and I might consider ripping your thrumming little heart out of your chest." Klaus threatened, extremely agitated by her rudeness.
"Forgive me. I've crossed a line," Caroline said quietly after a long pause, "I forgot you were the only one permitted to do that." The rest of dinner was accompanied by silence and loathing on both parts. Suffice to say Caroline dined by herself for the next few days, though she was allowed to explore the corridors as she pleased. However, she was strictly forbidden to enter the North Wing. Making assumptions about what and who resided in the North Wing, she was very much pleased to avoid it. He probably wasn't even there. Maybe he was off conquering some poor nation or feasting on innocents. She could feel him everywhere, though. No matter where she went, the walls seemed to whisper his name, the statues all seemed to be carved in his liking. Everything was disgustingly and perversely covered in his…stench.
So, over the next few days, Caroline tried to make herself useful by first finding the servant's quarters and then asking what she could do to help. Surprisingly enough, there was help needed in the kitchens. How can there possibly be help needed in the kitchens when there aren't any people here to feed? Caroline thought to herself. It hadn't worked out well, anyway. Upon the head cook's arrival, she'd kicked Caroline out for being too skinny and annoying. Her exact words were, "What is this wisp of a thing doing in my kitchen?"
Caroline happily avoided her kitchen when the woman came after her with a broom. She tried to find other work, but the servants either insisted on serving her or disappearing around a corner when she tried to speak with them. Instead, Caroline wandered aimlessly around the castle, avoiding the North Wing. There was plenty to see inside the stone walls: corridors filled with paintings and oddities, rooms with luxuriant furniture, extravagance everywhere she looked, something new and wonderful in every room. She'd probably been through one tenth of the castle before she got bored of winding up in corridor after corridor, trying to find something that would occupy her time. Surely, there had to be a library of sorts around somewhere. That had been her main objective, to find the library. But nothing had made itself known, so she retreated to her room. Caroline collapsed, falling into the silky sheets in exhaustion and frustration.
She soon grew restless, even in sleep. Her dreams were vivid and vibrant, though she couldn't remember them when she woke. And she woke after what seemed like only ten seconds of sleep. This must be what going crazy feels like, she thought to herself, hoping desperately for something, anything to come and save her from how she was feeling right now. Around hour three of the morning, she came to the conclusion that what she needed was not something to save her from this place. She could do that herself.
Caroline absolutely adored dense woods. Sometimes a person could get kind of lost in heavily wooded areas, but Caroline had no worry for that; her mind was a compass. Being lost is fun, anyway, scary, but exhilarating. Most of all she loved how she could just rest in them, either in the grass with the hoppers and lightning bugs or up in the trees with the birds and the wind, feeling as if that's where she belonged, not in a tent, telling fortunes to townsfolk. There's just something about nature, it accepts every type of person, it cares not for anything another being would; social status, clothing, behavior, etc. Nature only is and it invites you to be right along with it.
As a young girl, Caroline often went into the forest with her Father. They spent their time hunting and fishing and trapping, though it was highly frowned-upon for women to do these things. Mr. Forbes thought traditional ideals were ridiculous and, dressing Caroline in trousers and boots so that she looked like a young boy, took her into the woods, teaching her just about everything he knew. He had needed the help and anyway, she hated staying home and helping her Mother weave threads. She'd basically grown up with the vegetation, so, naturally, this was the first place she thought to go when she found the passageway.
It had taken a while for her to come across it, and longer for her to even consider using it. But it had been too long since she'd seen the sky without a glass barrier separating her from it, too long since she'd tasted fresh air, not the stale, dank atmosphere of the castle halls. She needed to be free, and that pure desire outweighed any thought of caution regarding the wellbeing of her or her family.
That was the exact reason she'd stayed so long, and she really had thought she could do it: stay here, do what the monster told her, keep her family safe. But as time had gone on, Caroline realized how wrong she had been. This realization caused her a great deal of anguish, but also lifted a weight from her chest, knowing there was a solution.
She'd escape through the passageway and make the best time she could to the village, by whatever means, gather her family, and persuade them to leave. She thought, only for a moment, that this running away might never end, that Klaus might dare to chase her until the day she died. Caroline quickly pushed the thought out of her mind.
Perhaps she could make her way to the stables from the passageway and steal a horse. She'd always had a good connection with animals. Something about her nature charmed them. Caroline's only fear was of what lay in wait for her in the woods, that the creatures there might pose more of a threat to her than the very one who inhabited this castle.
She hadn't seen Klaus around for days, and that sort of surprised her. Not that she was at all disappointed about this, but it sort of confused her. For someone who had made such a big deal about bringing her here in shackles and detaining her for evil purposes, he wasn't doing too much to prevent her from escaping. Maybe that should have told her something about how hard it would be to get away from him, but thoughts like this were pushed from her mind. All she could think about was getting out, of not being locked away in solitude. It sounded horrible, but…somehow she thought that she wouldn't mind it that much here if it weren't for the bleak, coldness of the halls. If only there were just some people around to keep her company…it might not be so infuriating.
It's not that she didn't miss her family, her old life. She really would be insane if she didn't miss that…but the change in scenery somehow brought her to the realization that her life wasn't meant to be wasted away in a tent, reading palms. She was meant for greater things and she knew it. He knew it. A part of her hungered for…that. She wasn't quite sure what that was yet, and that's probably why it was so enticing. She wanted to big things, to live up to the power that was bestowed upon her, the one that was making itself more and more of a burden each day. But not like this, not under him.
Caroline was pondering these thoughts as she walked down the hall, and she had been so distracted that she hadn't seen the cloaked figure at the end of the wide passageway. As soon as she saw it, it had vanished. She wasn't about to let the most exciting occurrence for days vanish around a corner. As she ran, a vision flooded her senses.
The cloaked figure ran down the hall, but was stopped abruptly by another figure, one that she knew too well these days. It was him, he had appeared from nowhere and had somehow started strangling the person beneath the cloak. She was young, only a few years older than Caroline herself, and beautiful. He snapped her neck.
"No! Stop, don't do it!" Caroline screamed breathlessly before the vision had even ended, her legs somehow carrying her faster down the hall. She rounded the corner, almost slamming into the wall on the other side and tripping over her feet, but still she ran harder. She had just come to the figure in the cloak as he stepped out from the shadows.
"Don't." Was all that Caroline said as she came to stand in front of the girl, "I know what you're going to do. Don't."
She didn't know who the girl was, or why she was here, or why he was going to kill her, but she couldn't let it happen. A few years ago, she had a similar vision…and she hadn't been able to stop it from happening. She couldn't let anything like that happen again.
"Oh, darling, aren't you cute?" He chuckled. It was an actual, genuine laugh. He really was twisted. Klaus stepped closer to her, but she stood her ground, "I'm afraid that you don't know the whole situation, dear. If you did, you'd surely step away from your little damsel."
Before the words could sink in, Caroline saw it. In her vision, the girl behind her drew her hood back…and lunged for her neck. Caroline gasped and flung herself to the far wall, holding both her hands up to defend herself, though she knew that wouldn't do her any good…and neither would running. She knew that both of them could easily catch her, and she didn't want to get herself into either of their clutches.
"Oh, relax. I was only thinking of killing you. It's really a shame that he wants you alive…" The girl said in a tone that wasn't at all fitting for her angelic face.
"You'll have to forgive my sister, love. She's not the best at showing restraint." Klaus uttered amusedly, a smirk on his face. Neither are you. Caroline thought. Sister. There are two of them. Two monsters in one castle, and I've managed to pin myself right between them.
He pushed himself off the wall before extending a hand toward her, "Well, I suppose there's no purpose in hiding them from you, now. Come along, darling."
A/N: Yeah, I haven't posted in months…and months and months, sorry about that. Also sorry that this one was super ramble-y, but hopefully you guys will like the length. Once again, I love getting feedback, so if there's something that you'd like to see in this story, by all means, tell me! If I like it, I'll put it in the story and give you credit for your idea. Thank you, thank you, thank you for reading!
