The next morning was tense to say the least. It was Caroline's first court and Klaus' first court with full emotions. Though they sat with their thrones together, the arms joined on each, they managed to keep some distance. It was the way they sat; Caroline straight and proper with her hands on her lap and Klaus with his arm closest to her bent over his stomach away from her reach.
Elijah had explained that there were rebellious wolves raiding lands at the edge of the border between the Mikaelson kingdom and the minor region of the Free Lands – the independent mountain range under no rule for the werewolves that do not see Klaus as Alpha or wish to be under monarchy. She could see the appeal to an extent, but remembered how poor the regions were.
The man in charge of battle strategy was an imbecile. She knew Klaus was about to kill him as he went on about a weak tactic of attack. He straightened, his anger at her momentarily forgotten, and dropped his arms on the sides of his throne. Once he was in reach, she calmly laid a hand on his arm and he stilled. Some noticed the hesitation from the King at the Queen's touch.
"Stop talking," she ordered slowly, the man's voice stopping immediately. "You are incompetent and if you wish to keep your head on your shoulders and your heart in your chest, I would advise you to leave your position. Now."
The man seemed to understood and Elijah raised his eyebrows whilst taking the cloak from the man – the blood red cloak that was a sign of membership in the King's Court. Only the King and Queen didn't need one but they had the crowns.
She absently heard Klaus muttering, wondering aloud whether the man was Rebekah's lover at one point and that was why he had a fool in his presence.
"Would anyone else like to try?" She questioned with no reply. "Should I, then?"
"No offence to you, Your Highness-"
She cut the man at the far end of the table off. The further from the royals they were, the less important. "That is a terrible start to your sentence already and, quite frankly, I don't care for your opinion. Are you the king? Or are you the queen? Do risk a kingdom at the failures of those entrusted to serve you and protect what is yours? I may be new, this may be my first court, but I am a Queen for a reason."
That silenced every worry of the men at the table and also silenced all their words. "Now, will I be interrupted are you all willing to listen to the only brain at the table?" She taunted, feeling Klaus' arm muscle flex at the jibe as he balled his fist.
Looking at every man, he saw a distinct look in all their eyes (all except Elijah's, that is) for his wife – for his Queen. Her extraordinary techniques of warfare were not from Elijah. He may have explained the basics but her strategy was something else. It was all her.
The men looked at her with lust in their eyes and he knew it was not only for her glorious body and stunning beauty but for her brains and soul also. She was his. He may have neglected her as a good husband should but he was no good husband. He as a wolf; a passionate but volatile lover -
- He did not lover her of course. Love was a vampire's greatest weakness -
But you're not a vampire, a voice in his head mocked sounding oddly like Caroline. You're a hybrid. Something in a league of its own. You are not a bloodsucker. You are not a beast. You are a hybrid, something in between; neither one or the other completely.
Turning to look at his arm, he found her hand sneaking down to his own without her awareness. Tilting his hand, he let their fingers slide together. If he could not take her on the table in front of these leering men to claim her then he would be subtle about it... Until they were alone.
It was clear that she was surprised by his ease at which he allowed her to take his hand. Her fingers lingered when running over the wedding band around his ring finger before they split to slide between his own.
There was a strange feeling settling in his chest as he listened to her command his court with a cold and stern tone but hold his hand with a gentleness he knew he did not deserve from her.
The meeting was over before he realised and the men were leaving just as he snapped out of his stupor. "What is on your mind?" She asked as she looked over his face. "You," he answered honestly whilst turning to face her warily. "You confuse me greatly. These... emotions that I feel, I cannot even name them and yet I welcome them as easily as I welcome your hand in my own. I know the lust I feel for you every moment of the day that I am conscious. I know the frustration that other men look at you similarly. But this... this warmth that fills me entirely I cannot name or control. It makes me uneasy."
A soft smile appeared on her face, tinged in sadness. "I believe you may be falling in love with me, Klaus," she whispered as she took her hand from his. "I cannot be. Vampires do not love."
"You also told me that vampires do not feel, yet I have seen Elijah and Kol and Rebekah feel every minute of their lives that I have shared with them. They are vampires and they feel. And now you feel. So you must love also."
"It is a weakness," he seethed, leaning in closer to her in attempt to have her leave him in fear. She did not even flinch.
"It is not a weakness. It is a strength. Love is a genuine cause to fight, a noble part of any life to defend and protect and win for. Love is a reason to live, Klaus. Besides, if you have never loved, then why do you stay with your siblings? Why protect them from outside influence? If you have never loved Rebekah as a vampire, then why kill all the lovers she has ever had to keep her from being held back by someone unworthy? If you never cared, you never would have stayed and been in their lives."
With that, she rose with grace and strode out of the grand hall with him staring after her. Claiming her would have to wait for when he didn't feel this ridiculous feeling she called love.
He returned to their bedroom that night to find her with her back to the door as she tied the robe for her. Anna stood beside the emptied bath but looked up and caught his eye apprehensively. He motioned for her to leave and she did so silently.
She knew he was there. There had been a chill from the open door but it was his burning gaze on the silk robe clinging to her slightly damp skin that told her it was her husband. He was up against her in an instant, hands on her waist to keep her in place. His lips brushed the bare side of her neck as she swept her wet locks out of the way.
"Did you see how those... men stared at you today?" He questioned, surprising her greatly. "I did not pay attention. All men look at all pretty things that way, be it a woman or riches or power. They are not my husband or my mate. They are nothing to me but a means to protect the people in our kingdom." Her response sated his mild concern that she would seek comfort in the arms – or bed – of another should he not please her but did not sate his possessiveness.
"You are mine and if I cannot show them any more than I have then I will show you." A shiver ran down her spine as he began with open mouthed kisses on her neck. "K-Klaus," she stammered. Whatever she wanted to say was lost as he tugged on the tie of her robe and it fell open, exposing her front to the cold air.
With eyes fluttering shut, she felt his hands pressing over her skin under the open robe. His hands covered her breasts and he tightened his grip on them. His harsh action made her jump, swaying for a moment on her toes before falling back on to flat feet. His hands moved from her breasts to her shoulders and pushed off the last piece of covering. Once she was completely naked in front of him, he took a light hold of her neck and turned her to face him.
He leaned in closer until their noses were brushing. "You may be a Queen but are still mine," he purred before bringing her with him over to the bed. Lifting her by the waist, he tossed her on to the bed and watched with hidden delight as her breasts bounced and her legs parted upon her landing.
She watched, lay in the position she had landed in, as he pulled off his clothes slowly whilst keeping his eyes on her own. There was a storm in those beautiful but deadly blue eyes; a storm of burning gold that flashed like lightning as his inner wolf yearned for her.
Swallowing thickly, she stared back as he kicked away his trousers and crawled on to the bed on top of her. "Klaus," she breathed out as he loomed above her. When he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, she was so surprised that she opened her mouth to him. He only ever kissed her on the hand in public and stopped kissing her in private once she was comfortable in bed with him – after only the third night together. His tongue dove in to her mouth and she moaned as she let him take control of her.
He slid in to her slowly, swallowing her moan as he deepened the kiss again. Grinding against her, he rocked in and out. She had expected him to be rough, to completely own and use her body as he had before. The slow approach not only confused her but it made her mad for him.
He knew she was stuck thinking about him. It was what he had wanted. Taking her slowly meant her mind was trapped in a cycle of wonder trained on him. Securing his arms behind her back, he pressed her against his body and sat up on his knees. Her head fell back with a moan as she fell down until he filled her but his lips just found her neck instead. With her arms wrapping around his neck, he lifted her up by the hips before dropping her back down. His fangs broke through her skin, sending a shiver through her.
Another moan broke from her whilst she shifted her legs from around his waist to kneel above him. In the position, she could move herself without his crushing grip on her hips. He tugged her hair so she pulled away from his body enough to latch his mouth on her nipple. Sucking and biting the peaks one by one, he teased her until he could feel her growing wetter as she bounced up and down on him.
Satisfied that she was transfixed on him, he began meeting her thrusts and running his pelvis against her clit until she came with a scream. She fell against him spent, rolling her hips as he thrust up in to her until he released.
He barely managed to roll on to his back on time so as not to crush her beneath him. They lay there, unable to move. He found it ridiculous that he, the immortal and centuries old hybrid, couldn't move after only that, but he felt as though he had ran in to an emotional brick wall at his top speed and the whole castle then crumbled on top of him. Oh, how he hated emotions.
She breathed heavily as she stayed on top of him, trying not to move her hips at all in case he reacted inside her. She couldn't take another round. With his emotions clear in his mind and free to be felt being with him was exhausting.
Rebekah rolled off Stefan with a sigh. He instantly fell asleep, exhausted from her stamina. She felt sick. She had just compelled Stefan to tell her the secret he'd been keeping from her for the past month and it was horrifying.
Sneaking out of the bed and flashing out as she pulled on her dress, she ran straight to Elijah. "Brother," she sobbed as she fell in to his waiting arms. "You were right. They always betray me."
He soothed her, running a hand over her hair as she continued to cry. "Tell me what happened, Rebekah," he pleaded as he sat them down on the edge of his bed. "S-Stefan. He was spelled. My compulsion overpowered it. He was spelled to love me but he is a part of the movement against us, Elijah!"
"How so?" He held her face in his hands, wiping away her tears. Kol entered and sat down silently, wanting to hear who he would kill for breaking his little sister's heart this time around.
"He told me that mother came back to kill us. She has witches in our care and vampires in the court under her spell. They are to rise against us and kill Caroline when the time is right. She wants to bring back father but doesn't have the power yet. She needs Caroline's blood. I-I don't know why but she can't do anything until she has Caroline's heart. Damon, his brother, he was the man Kol saw take the doppelgänger. That is the only name he knows."
"We must tell Niklaus."
Kol stopped Elijah from standing with a raise of his hand. "Not now. He and Caroline are experiencing the beauty of marital bliss with his emotions on. It was disturbing enough to listen to as I passed by. I do not wish for the horrifying image to be etched in to my memories forever. Believe me, he can wait until morn to find out. Now, where is this Damon fellow? I wish to have him acquainted with a few of my favourite toys."
At Kol's smirk, Elijah rolled his eyes. "We are not torturing him until Niklaus knows. Rebekah, where is he now?"
Rebekah paled as she looked between them. "Guarding Nik' door," she breathed out in horror. The three of them flashed to the room after sharing a look.
The witch smirked as she raised her sights to the one of the human bound before her. "My dear, there is nothing to fear," she said softly to the wriggling girl. "You are doing the world a great justice with your sacrifice. With you, I will be able to finally destroy the monsters I created centuries ago."
"But you'll kill innocent people," she tried to explain but the witch was mad with power and would not listen.
"More than they have? My dear, all vampires are monsters. I am saving the living by killing them. That includes you, your betrothed, and your dearest friend Caroline."
"You'll kill her though!"
"Before Niklaus does!" She screamed, leaning in close enough for Elena to feel the spit from the witch's words.
The witch turned her back on Elena and stared in to the fire as an image appeared in the flames. Caroline lay on top of Klaus, the covers barely over their hips and both too spent to hear the door open. Even Klaus with his hybrid hearing wasn't able to detect Damon sneaking in due to his deep slumber. Klaus' arms were possessively around Caroline's waist, tightening on her as cold air from the hall drifted in to the room.
Esther's smile grew as she saw Damon approaching the bed with the spelled dagger in his hand. If it broke through Caroline's heart, there would be no reviving her or saving her. It ensured the certain death of anyone it entered.
AN: Some have told me that this story is getting 'lighter' when I promised dark stuff. I know it is. That is the plan. I said there would be warnings on the chapter for the darker stuff that will come in a few chapters. There may be a time jump to keep the story moving along, too. Rest assured, I will deliver what I promised and this will be darker. Please, be patient. This is the first dark story I have done so bear with me.
When I wrote this, I had a start and a middle and a vague end. The start (sort of) and the middle were the darkest parts that I could think of and will certainly address some worrying issues. I have experienced a few of the dark themes I am using in this story but the rest is guess work and research.
Finally, I hope you like the chapter despite it not being so dark. I am still exploring this story freely as well as writing style. If you do not like or do like the writing style and chapter, please review. I like constructive criticism as it pushes me to be a better writer but if there are rude comments, I may just abandon the story because I'm sick of them.
