Chapter 9: Russia, 1435:
The wind flew through Karenina's hair and her smile was enchanting as the gold flecks that sparkled in her eyes. She was as beautiful as the sun itself, the way her blonde hair flew wildly around her like an eagle spreading its golden wings. Her eyes danced when she caught sight of him. He rode in on his magnificent stead, the white stallion of heaven. He was attired in blue and red, his blue eyes matching the color of the sky. His golden hair sat on the top of his head and his smile was caressing and honest. He was Lord Niall Danbury, the man of England and Russia. Their eyes met and Karenina felt herself melt in his gaze. He dismounted the horse and handed it off to a horse hand. She tilted her head to one side as he approached her. He bowed low, his hand moving in an elegant gesture. And in his poetic and lilting Russian he spoke,
"My Lady, we meet again," he whispered, his breath on her ear. "You look beautiful and I was hoping to seek you again since our meeting yesterday." Karenina had only met Niall the previous evening, but it seemed to her that he and her were meant to be lovers of the present, past, and future. Their hands entwined as they left the public of the open air and moved into the grove of trees. Niall could almost feel Karenina's heart beating as one with his. It was the beauty of it. He was stunned by her ability to entice him with no effort at all. He turned her to face him and carefully he bent low and kissed her lips. Their first kiss sealed their fate and love. Niall felt the world of paradise erupt around them. They were both completely lost.
England, 1533:
Niall sat up aware that the memory that had formed in his mind all of a sudden had made sense. Karenina of Russia had been his first love whom he had met not long after he was turned into a vampire. Karenina hadn't lived a day past her twentieth birthday when she was pushed into the river by her jealous sister, Jessika. Niall had remembered grieving his lost love for years until he met Sabine, a low born French girl. She had enticed him into a romantic affair and he fell in love yet again. Sabine had died during a fire when she was thirty, three years after she started the affair. Niall had yet again lost another love. After Sabine it had been Pomona who after five years of falling in love with the dashing Lord Danbury, had collapsed and died when she was seventeen. Niall could see an obvious pattern and tried to keep himself away from women. And for years he worked to evade them, but now he knew what the meaning for all this was. Karenina, Sabine, and Pomona had been the same person. The same demon girl reincarnated into different lives, not far apart from each other, that same girl who had enchanted him thrice. And she would do so again. Niall had connected the dots, forming the vivid picture of understanding. He wasn't that educated in demon history, though he had respected their ways because of the Great Alliance which had been formed years back. It was why he considered Jane his sister. But she was more than just that. When she had proved to be half-demon, he realized that so had all his other loves. They had all had the aura of something peculiar surrounding them, yet he had denied any suspicion. Jane had blatantly told him before doing so. She was his next destiny and he would do anything in his power to keep her alive. And that would include fulfilling her wishes. He was going to murder Katherine Pierce. He would drink the life out of her and throw her corpse upon the mountain of sorrow. His love requested it and he would do it.
Anne's drawing room was crowded with ladies-in-waiting doing specific jobs for the Queen. It was raining outside and the patter against the room acted as a mantra to soothe Katherine's troubled mind. She eyed the dresses laid out with care as another lady-in-waiting; Alice Howard made comments about random things next to her. But Katherine was only listening to the rain and pretended that her only concern was choosing the perfect gown to befit her Queen. And she wished that for her own sake that that could be true. Her eyes met her sister and she found a strange intoxication mixing into the look she gave Katherine. Adelaide suspected something, but there was another anxiety that she had that she wasn't telling her sister. Katherine could see that, after all they were sisters and close ones at that. She shuddered at the thought of Adelaide keeping something dangerous from her, but then she banished the thought just as it came. She held her sister's gaze for a few more minutes, before Adelaide turned her eyes downward to the thread she was working with. Katherine sighed softly and realized that Jane Seymour was watching her intensively. Katherine felt her eyes scorching heat waves upon her and she glanced at the girl. Jane's lips twitched into a madly bewitching smile. Katherine frowned, suddenly feeling a sharp pain in her head and a strange language that she couldn't understand burst out loud and clear. Her eyes watering she searched the room frantically, but no one had seemed to hear it. She gasped understanding her growing insanity. She clutched her head and felt her knees wobbled underneath her. Alice grabbed her arm as she fell.
"Katherine!" she screamed and soon everyone was staring. Adelaide jumped up and rushed to her sister's side.
"Kat! Kat!" she yelled. "Stay with me, Katherine. Please." But Katherine could no longer hear anything except the strange words bellowing in her head. She let out a cry.
"Make it stop! Make it stop! Tell it to stop!" she managed to scream above the words. Adelaide stared horrified and clutched her sister's arm.
"We need to get her to the infirmary, now!" Alice said. Adelaide pulled her sister up with one arm, as Alice supported her with the other. They lead her out screaming in a panic. Once they were far enough from the room, Katherine went completely limp in their arms. Adelaide let out a sigh as she led her fainted sister into the infirmary room. And back in the drawing room, Jane had a strange smile playing at her lips. Jane left the room seconds later and walked out into the stables, covered in a cloak as it was raining. Niall was there and he smiled when he saw her.
"Jane," he said. "Well done my dear, Katherine has lost any proper thought. I just overheard Dana Linville speak of it."
"She'll recover by tomorrow, but she'll be weak," Jane said. "Easier to get to and kill on your part." Niall smiled and nodded. There was silence between them, yet it must have sounded an inaudible sound as Niall bent down and kissed Jane. Jane pressed her lips against his in heat and passion. The kiss lasted for minutes and they broke apart. Niall grinned and got upon his saddled horse.
"Where are you going in the rain?" Jane asked.
"A ride in the rain, I suppose. It has no destination." And as he moved his horse out of the stables, Jane felt a surge of victory. She had him tied around her little finger now; she could use him for anything. And anything included aiding her in her secret campaign to one day see herself as Queen of England.
Niall moved his horse around the stable door and saw a familiar girl in a red cloak. He looked at her and her eyes met his instinctively. Her eyes were warm, which was not what he expected. He expected complete ignorance from what he had said yesterday.
"Niall," she said her words tumbling out quickly. "I'm sorry for how I just walked away yesterday. I was upset by what you said. But I know now, I…I figured it out. I can't keep myself in lies forever. And keeping away from you would be a lie…" He heard her voice almost break and he watched her try to compose her emotions.
"A lie? Why?" he urged.
"It's a lie because I…I love you." The words had come out strong, like a ringing bell in his head.
"Adelaide," he said curtly. "You and I have our own paths. Follow yours and do not seek me again. I wish you a good future, but nothing more. There are things I need to attend to." His words cut through her like a sword to her heart. She watched him go, ride out into the distance and ride out of her life. Then the tears came in a horrible flood that wanted to drown her and kill her. She let them come and she cried until there was nothing left. Until there was no more sorrow or pain, just dejection.
