The Wonders of the Earth
The journey began by heading south and Caroline's gaze rarely left the window unless she and Klaus were having a conversation that would lead to them exchanging glances. During the silent times Klaus would watch her reactions to the changing scenery and learn what she liked to see and what didn't catch her interest; with the link giving him more insight than her facial expressions. When night began to fall they arrived in a good sized village that had an inn Klaus decided they would stay in for the night; he didn't tell her he planned on them waking before dawn, but didn't think she would mind once she saw what he planned to show her. He led her up the stairs to their room noticing how tired she looked but didn't say anything until he went inside the luggage and pulled out her nightdress. Noticing the room didn't have a washroom but a bowl with a pitcher of water next to it Caroline walked over to it to wash her face and neck before reaching behind her head for the tie of her dress. Klaus saw her reach for the ties and quickly took over and she dropped her arms to her sides until he was finished. She thanked him before going behind the divider to change into her nightgown and Klaus striped and got under the covers before she re-emerged.
Caroline kept her arms wrapped around herself as she approached the bed, noticing the covers were pulled back enough for her to climb in, so she climbed in and covered herself up as she laid down. For a moment she didn't know how she should sleep, if she even could, as she thought about which would give her a more guarded position if needed. She could feel his eyes on her but she didn't turn to look as she played with the blankets at her chest before getting a little frustrated and turning to blow the candle out on her side of the bed; leaving only the moonlight to illuminate the room. It didn't stop her from feeling him watching her, but it reduced the urge to turn and question him on it. Klaus was watching her with amusement as he felt the tension coming from her from having to share a bed with him; plus the added tension from having him watch her. When he felt her easing he started observing her breathing until she finally fell asleep. Since she appeared peaceful in her sleep he decided to catch up on sleep himself so he turned to face her and closed his eyes, drifting off within minutes not knowing neither of them would have a restful sleep. Caroline was beginning to get used to the nightmares plaguing her, but it didn't mean they terrified her any less as the scenes played through. It was still the middle of the night when she shot up in bed clutching at her chest and breathing heavy when she felt her back pushed back into the bed and let out a small shriek of fear. Klaus had been having a nightmare of his own when he felt something pull him awake and he reacted out of instinct thinking there was an intruder and pushed the other presence into the bed, crawling over them to figure out who it was.
"Klaus?" Caroline whispered shakily as she felt him holding her down. Klaus looked at her and lessened his grip, realizing it was only Caroline that had been in the room with him. He could hear her heartbeat thundering and felt her fear through the link until her heart slowed down slightly and the fear decreased. He couldn't figure out why he hadn't recognized her immediately or why he had reacted and was slowly getting lost in thought as he remained positioned over her. "Klaus…"
"It's alright love… just go back to sleep."
"Klaus…"
"Go back to sleep."
"I can't."
"Why not?" He asked as he looked at her face in the moonlight and she looked down before blushing and looking back to him.
"Well firstly you're on top of me. Secondly I don't think I can sleep again tonight; I had another nightmare."
"Is that why you were sitting up when I woke up?"
"I had just woke up and sitting up was the result of how fast I woke up. I tried to be quiet so I wouldn't wake you."
"I don't know if you did or it was something else. My dream wasn't exactly a good one either."
"Is that why you've pinned me to the bed?"
"Yes."
"Why are you still?" She asked part in confusion and part out of the sheer fact that she wasn't comfortable with them being in that position; especially since her gown had managed to slide up in her sleep and from Klaus moving on top of her. Klaus seemed to finally recognize he hadn't moved from her and shook his head before sliding to the side of her. Caroline sat up and stepped into the hallway to light her candle before bringing it back to the bedroom. She set the candle down and sat on the bed to rub her face when she felt the bed shift and Klaus pull her to lie back down. "I can't go back to sleep…" She said quietly as she tried to protest but he shushed her and turned her to face him.
"Why don't you get dressed and we'll leave a little early since I have a surprise for you."
"What surprise?"
"Now now sweetheart… you have a surprise you're keeping from me; it's only fair I keep them from you as well."
"You have plenty of surprises planned and I only have one; one that I didn't even think of to be honest."
"Get dressed because it's a bit of a walk from here and I'll be carrying you at some point when it gets closer to time."
"Alright." She sighed before turning to stand and find a dress. When she realized the luggage was on the other side of the room she turned to go look, but stopped at the sight in front of her. Klaus heard her tiny squeak and turned but saw her covering her eyes.
"Caroline… what are you doing?"
"Why are you naked?"
"What?"
"Why are you naked? Have you been bare this whole time?" She asked as her voice squeaked again as she tried to keep from looking.
"It's how I sleep sweetheart."
"But… we were in the bed… and you are NOT supposed to be without covering…"
"Caroline do I look like I follow the rules set by humans?"
"No but…"
"But nothing love now get dressed."
"I'm not the one that is as bare as they were at birth." She said in a rush as she remembered why she had turned in the first place. "The luggage is with you and I need a dress. Will you cover up so I can get one?" She asked as she shifted in place impatiently but stopped when she felt him pull her hand from her eyes; she made sure to keep her eyes closed.
"I'm fully dressed love." He teased as he stared at her reddened face. She slowly opened her eyes and nodded before pulling her hand from his and walking around him to the luggage to retrieve a dress. She smiled when she found one she could tie herself and pulled it out before walking over to the divider to change. When she was full dressed herself she came back around the divider to see everything gathered for their departure and he told her to wait in the room while he got the carriage driver and loaded the luggage. When it was done she thought he was going to take her to the carriage as she forgot about the surprise, but as they started walking she remembered. As they walked in silence under the lightening sky Klaus kept his eyes fixed on her and Caroline focused on keeping her footing in the still dark forest. "You're awfully quiet sweetheart."
"I have nothing to say."
"I'm sure that isn't true. Are you still thinking of earlier?"
"I hadn't been but you just had to bring that back to my attention…"
"Might I say that I didn't think your face would turn that red when you noticed my lack of attire?"
"You knew exactly what reactions you would get from me." She stated and kept walking without looking at him.
"Perhaps but we are married so I don't want your eyes to shy away…"
"It's not proper…"
"So you think that when I have you in bed we'll still have clothes on?"
"Are you saying we won't?"
"That is exactly what I'm saying… you won't be disagreeing with it when the times comes sweetheart…"
"So you will not follow any rules that we set by the clergy defining when, how, and why to…"
"No we will not. Caroline I don't know how many times I need to remind you that I'm not human and will not be bound by such conditions. If we followed the standards you've been taught during your life ten not only would it reduce the chancing of conception, but it would definitely limit the pleasures of sight and touch…"
"Pleasure?! I still remember what you call pleasure and you should not have done that. Firstly I was not your wife yet and secondly that was just vulgar…"
"And if I recall correctly you still reacted to it the way you should…"
"Just stop. And don't get me started on how lewd you kiss… do you do nothing that is how you should? Are you really planning on using the act of making a child as a way to fulfil your lust?"
"Do you understand that by following the rules you want to follow so badly I would have had you multiple times since my sister took you to my room? I won't break tradition just for you sweetheart… and besides… when I do have you, you'll be begging me to break the rules more often…"
"I doubt that considering you promised me pain every time the day we met. Or did you forget that?" She stated as she stopped and turned to face him with a blank face. He didn't stop walking until he was standing close enough to feel each other's breathes but she didn't falter; she even managed to keep from jumping and controlled her breathing when his hands came up to grasp her hips and he backed her slowly to a tree. He could feel her emotions battling through the link but she kept her face stoic as he moved one of his hands from her hip to her neck to run his thumb over her pulse point.
"I thought we were going to try and get past how things started last week? We even made a deal to work on trust sweetheart… did you forget that?" He replied before he released his hold and scooped her up bridal style to flash them the rest of the way to the top of the small mountain they had been walking towards. Klaus was going to release her when he set her down but he noticed she could barely stand and was clinging to his shirt so he kept a hold on her waist until she released him. "We're here so I'm going to need you to turn towards the edge. The ground is wet so if you wish to sit you'll have to sit on me to keep dry." He said and she looked up to him in shock before turning and choosing to stand as she walked over to the ledge.
"Any plans of pushing me off while my back is turned?" She asked as she looked down and backed up a little bit. When she backed into his chest she jumped slightly and held her breath wondering if his thoughts were guiding him towards her question. She tensed further when she felt his hands ghost over her sides moving around her waist to tug her down with him as he sat on the ground. When she was settled on top of his lap he reached up to pull her hair behind her shoulders to fix it how he wanted to see it; causing her confusion to grow. "What are you doing now?"
"Just watch the village below and all the grounds around it. You'll want to pay extra attention to the mist floating through as the sun rises. It really is quite spectacular to watch from a higher viewpoint."
"It's still a little dark…"
"Not for long… the dawn is coming and I want you to watch it from here; to see how it mixes with the mists, the trees, the water…"
"I've seen sun rise before…"
"Not like this… the view you're about to see is one that you wouldn't normally see from the ground. You'll see what I mean in a few moments sweetheart; just focus on what I told you." He said interrupting her as he worked the strands of her hair into an intricate braid until he was finished and he tied it off. When he finished he noticed she was looking at the ground below as he had told her and moved one of his hands to rest over her lower stomach and the other rubbed up her back until it rested on the top of her shoulder and he could rub her pulse point again.
"Klaus…"
"Just keep watching…"
"What are you trying to do?"
"I'm getting you used to being close to me while you enjoy the view I brought you here for."
"Did you plan me sitting on you while you keep touching me or did it just suddenly jump into your mind?"
"Although I like having a plan I do tend to be impulsive a times…"
"This is one of those times?"
"Yes. You should pull your hair back more often… it shows more of you."
"I don't like showing more…"
"Ever so modest aren't you sweetheart?"
"I may not have come from a prominent family but I was still taught how to be a lady and to abide by the rules of the church…"
"Do the rules of the church approve of you when you dance in the rain or you climb trees and play games with your friends even though you are not a child?"
"No and I do not act like a child… I can be a lady and still be merry with my friends from time to time."
"I didn't say you acted like a child… by the rules you keep bringing up you should not be frolicking with your friends; you would be sitting, sewing, and other boring tasks."
"I'm aware of what I should enjoy doing; I was often reminded by my parents and friends."
"So I was right to call you rebellious." He mused and paused before continuing. "You'd be surprised how many people actually follow those rules sweetheart… I haven't met one person that lives up to them completely. I make my own rules…"
"That you expect me to follow…"
"I do expect you to be obedient to me; I don't particularly care if you follow human traditions or not as long as they don't interfere with my plans." He explained and she started to turn to look at him, but he stopped her. "Just keep looking below us or you'll miss it."
"Then don't distract me." She quipped and forced her face to stay directed at the ground as the sun was breaking the horizon. When the first rays touched the ground the mist began to sparkle and reflected unto the trees and buildings making them shimmer. Caroline's mouth parted and she sucked in a breath from the scene she was seeing, barely realizing Klaus was moving his hand against her neck and his breath was getting closer to the other side of her neck. "You were right about the view. The sun makes the mist appear to have stars floating in it."
"You would think that the view below could be found anywhere but it takes the right circumstances coming together to create the natural wonder you see."
"It's beautiful." She whispered as she kept her gaze focused on the view as it slowly disappeared with the further rising of the sun.
"There are different kinds of beautiful… this is the natural kind that shows itself in nature; much like you. Then there are architectural wonders that you will find beautiful. Even disaster and chaos can show beauty at times…"
"I don't see how that is…"
"Many see destruction or devastation but do you ever watch anything afterwards? You persevere and rise again when you survive… you see the beauty of starting over; a new story."
"That is only when people band together and work to achieve it… if people didn't then the world would fall."
"Most people pretend to stick together but will turn their backs on each other and only look out for themselves in dire situations…"
"Some may but not all."
"When you have seen a century or two pass you by I will ask you if your opinion is still the same; to which I think it will change."
"I doubt it will; I may be young but I've seen how people can come together when it is called for."
"And when everyone mortal you know has grown old and perished, but you're still alive and unchanging on the outside, will you still cling to their memory or will you make your own?"
"Who says I can't do both? No matter how long I am to walk this world I will not stop being who I am and they are a part of that."
"You haven't even found who you are yet… you may think you have but you have not. Look at my siblings and I… none of us are as we were when we were human; we all became different…"
"You've had centuries to do so yet you can't say that there aren't still parts of your old selves hidden inside. You forget I've noticed things about everyone and at times each one of you has slipped and shown traits that are as human as I am; and I know it's not an act when you all don't even notice you're doing it." She finished and turned since the magical view she had been observing had disappeared. When she looked at him she couldn't quite tell what he was thinking but she assumed she had spoken too much since he didn't look pleased. Slowly she reached her hands to his to remove them from her so she could stand and his eyes shot up to hers. She didn't stop her actions until his hands were off of her and then she broke the stare to rise from his lap and move further from the ledge. "Shall we go? I suspect we have a long way until our next stop so I would think we should get to the carriage."
"We'll arrive at our next stop before night falls. Perhaps we can catch up on lost sleep when we arrive?"
"What did you dream about?"
"It's no matter… it was just a dream."
"I've been telling myself that all week. Thank you for showing me the view this morning; it was a good surprise. Although the next surprise you plan you might want to subtract the attempts of seducing me; it doesn't work the way you intend it to, just merely distracts me from taking in all the sights." She explained and began walking away. She didn't make it further than a couple steps before she felt her feet leave the ground as Klaus scooped her up again and flashed them down the mountain and through the forest; stopping just out of sight from the village. He made sure to hold on to her again until she got her footing steady while he chuckled. "I really don't like when you do that. Warn me next time so I close my eyes and I don't feel like I might get sick."
"It won't make you sick when you become a vampire…"
"Well I'm not one now so give me a warning the next time you decide to do that."
"Very well love. Might I add that it does make you cling to me..."
"To keep my balance…"
"Nevertheless… I'm sure in time you'll grow accustomed to it. Now… when we get back you are to go into the carriage and take some of the potion so it has time to build up in you and I'm going to go feed. The driver will begin the journey so do not leave the carriage…"
"I wasn't going to…"
"It would be in your best interest not to… I would hate to have to lock you up each time I left to make sure you are still where I left you."
"I'm not going to run, but… can I ask a favor of sorts?"
"Depending on what it is I may not grant it to you."
"I'm still asking… it's about the potion…"
"Whatever deal you are thinking about will not get you out of taking that potion…"
"It's just until after…"
"No."
"Let me finish… I'm only asking to not have to take it until after the first night we…"
"Why would you ask that?"
"Because I don't know how it's going to affect me and everything is already hanging over my head… that night is going to be hard enough as it is so I'm trying to make it easier to come to terms with."
"It shouldn't have any effect on you…"
"But you cannot guarantee me that and…"
"I'll give you the first night but every day afterwards you are to take the potion without resistance."
"What you see as resistance is me trying to take caution and still have some peace of mind…"
"I assume the next thing you'll ask of me is to wait even longer…"
"I wasn't going to…"
"We'll see."
"I never said I wanted to… I just decided I wasn't going to ask you wait and risk more pain upon myself." She explained and stepped away from him, knowing she could stand straight again. When she stepped away he offered his arm to walk her to the carriage. When she stepped into it she went to pull her hand from his but he held on and she turned back to look at him.
"Remember what I said Caroline. While I'm gone to feed remain in the carriage; it won't take long and I would hate to have to track you down and speed up our trip by speeding us to our first destination."
"I wasn't going to leave…"
"I'm only giving you a warning sweetheart… although it would get us there faster…"
"I thought you wanted me to enjoy the scenery during our travels… it would be a little difficult to achieve if they are a blur."
"Then you better stay…"
"In the carriage… I know. You realize I had to put a little trust in you when you took me up the mountain and was that close to the ledge; where we could have fallen. I think you should trust I know how to stay in the carriage…"
"You asked me if I was going to push you off…"
"I was only jesting and I did that because I was afraid of being so high up. But you can believe what you want… I think I'm going to catch up on sleep while you're gone." She finished and pulled her hand from his to turn and take her seat while looking for the pillow and blanket under the other seat. Klaus watched her for a moment before shutting the carriage door and walking away; not noticing she had turned to look at him disappearing before lying down across the seat. She didn't even want to think about the next couple days past experiencing new places, so she tried to block everything out to get some sleep before he would return and they would be back to disagreeing.
Klaus took his time finding the right victims so he wouldn't draw attention; normally he wouldn't care but Caroline wouldn't need caught in the middle if someone became aware of him. He ended up hunting on the edges of the village near the forest where he saw a camp with some stragglers resting. He didn't bother healing them, but he made sure to keep them alive and compelled them to think it was an animal before moving on; he wanted to get the most amount of blood he could before returning. However, it wasn't long before he started feeling the link between him and Caroline stopping his movements; he figured she had just woke up but he could feel fear beginning to bubble up and decided to flash towards the carriage.
Caroline had been awakened from her sleep by the screaming of the carriage driver and the neighing of the horses as they reared back to thwart something in front of them that Caroline couldn't see. When she saw the carriage driver fall to the side covered in blood she clasped a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming and slid the inside lock of the carriage in place; just in time to keep the men that appeared out. She listened to them taunting her and could tell there was at least one or two people on the roof of the carriage because they were throwing the luggage to the ground below. When no amount of pulling on the door opened it for the men, Caroline breathed in relief until she saw them bringing a torch towards the carriage. She had been doing well hiding her fear of them until they threatened to light the carriage on fire to lure her out; then she couldn't stop thinking of the deaths that would come if she didn't survive and shuddered. The men were laughing as the flames spread and she kept herself in the floor in the middle of the carriage to avoid the walls and roof. When their laughter turned to screams Caroline looked up to see what was going on, but the flames were starting to cross over the door and she had to pull back. The smoke inside was beginning to make her breathing become labored and she tried to slide the lock out of place. The flames were starting to show on the inside and it was beginning to burn her hands as she kept trying to move to lock but it wouldn't budge. Without having an escape and barely able to breathe she fell back down to the floor of the carriage to wait for what would happen soon; she could barely think as she started passing out from the lack of clean air to breathe.
Klaus had come through the forest to see the carriage on fire and a group of men surrounding it; immediately flashing forward to begin slaughtering them. He couldn't see Caroline anywhere so he tried to focus on clearing the immediate danger before he could look for her; thinking she must have run or she was inside the carriage. As he let the last body fall he focused on listening for her and found she was indeed inside the carriage; which was totally surrounded by flames at that point. Cursing loudly he flashed over and pulled at the door, noticing she had locked it from the inside so he put extra pull in it to quicken the process. When he got the flaming door open he saw Caroline huddled on the floor barely breathing and pulled her from the inside, flashing far enough away to give her clearer air and lying her on the ground. He bit into his wrist and opened her mouth to give her his blood to make sure she would heal from everything and she came awake fighting.
"Shh shh… it's alright. You're safe; it's over." He spoke to calm her and she stopped fighting but pushed his wrist away to sit up as she cried and shook. "Caroline you're fine… calm yourself…"
"Don't tell me to calm myself! They came out of nowhere and killed your driver! I barely locked the carriage in time… and when they couldn't get in… they…"
"Why didn't you try to run?"
"That's what they wanted me to do. They couldn't get in to drag me out so they lit the carriage on fire to make me come out. How far do you think I would have made it had I run? I wouldn't have gotten far and I'd be dead right now!"
"You almost died by staying…"
"You told me to stay in the carriage so don't blame this on me! I did what I could to keep them away from me; and so did your driver." She finished and started crying again without holding back, but turning from him. She knew she wouldn't be able to stop crying for a few minutes, but she wasn't about to let him see her do it.
"I wasn't blaming you for this Caroline..."
"Maybe this trip wasn't a good idea."
"One group of bandits has you wanting to go back?"
"Not just them… someone has to be watching for this and those dreams to happen. If something is going to happen every day then I don't want to go any further…"
""We proceed as planned… if there's something I think you'll want to see we'll stop; if not then I'm shortening the routes."
"So now you're just going to carry me from place to place? What about the luggage?"
"We're still a good distance until we make it where we're going. I'll get us there and have someone retrieve our things. It's only a matter of some compulsion…"
"Why are you going to compel anyone?"
"Because I want to make sure our things are still here to collect when the servants come."
"So we have to go back to the village and then go on?"
"Yes… I don't quite fancy leaving you here to do it either." He answered and stood up. She looked back at him before pushing herself off the ground and walking over to the still-blazing carriage as it crumpled to the ground and the horses ran off. She didn't know what would happen to the animals since they were still hitched together but she hoped they would make it to safety. She looked around at the belongings scattered around on the ground before looking back to catch him watching her. Breaking the stare Klaus walked over and started pulling bodies over to the carriage to throw them on the fire and she walked over to a little stream that was close to them. When she caught sight of her reflection in the water she groaned before reaching out to cup enough to clean her face and hands; not to mention rinse the blood from her mouth. She barely noticed when he joined her to remove the blood from himself until she went to cup more water and saw the blood flowing past her, stopping her movements instantly. "We need to leave."
"I know."
"Good." Was all he replied before he moved behind her and picked her up. He looked down to make sure she had her eyes closed before flashing them just outside the village and telling her to stay there and hidden. She nodded and he flashed away to compel a couple of the villagers to ride out, gather their belongings, and deliver them to the next destination before flashing back to Caroline. He explained the change in plans before picking her up and telling her to close her eyes before flashing them away to the place they would be staying for a week. Arriving at castle that was smaller than his had Caroline confused but she didn't question it; instead she focused on keeping herself together as the couple that owned the home questioned them about what had happened. Klaus did most of the talking and eventually the woman reached out in invitation to take Caroline to clean up and change clothes; which Caroline accepted gratefully. Klaus watched them walk away and kept his hearing trained on her as she spoke quietly with the woman while she was cleaning up; barely focusing on the human man in front of him as he spoke. By the time the women came back into the room, the man had rattled on and on about purchasing some new servants that he had been breaking in; in more ways than one and Klaus had compelled the man to keep a distance from Caroline thinking the man's discretions would try and reach her. When the man noticed them enter he offered to show them to their room and dismissed his wife; who Caroline noticed listened to him, but had a small look of fear in her eyes. She figured she would have to ask Klaus about it to find anything out, but she didn't know how he would react to her questioning. Caroline noticed they were heading the same way she had just come from and asked if they were going to the same room as she had been before; after hearing it confirmed she asked if they could go the rest of their way alone, but the guy sneered a 'no' before leading them the rest of the way. After arriving at the door, the man informed he would send a servant up to ready Klaus' bath before taking his leave.
Caroline had already decided to just keep quiet until Klaus spoke with her, but she was surprised when he went straight to the washroom without a word to her. She could hear him moving things around but she tried to ignore it until the maid came in to draw his bath and her attention shifted. After the woman disappeared into the washroom Caroline looked around the room until her eyes fell on a couple of books that were a small shelf close to the bed and picked them up to choose between them. After settling on one book she took a seat at the table to read until Klaus decided to talk to her again since she didn't want to go exploring and run into the owner of the house. She could hear snippets of the conversation the servant was having with Klaus and looked up curiously wondering when he would even bother with a human servant. She heard the woman laugh and closed her book as she stood to walk to the bedroom door and exit the room; no longer caring who she ran into as she tried to find the way outside. She didn't make it far before the servant caught up to her telling her Klaus had sent her to bring her back. After dismissing her she proceeded on her path to go outside; following the footpath around the back to a small pond and outlying gardens.
Klaus was trying to remember to not let his anger get away from him when the servant came back and said that Caroline hadn't listened to her and had proceeded outside. Klaus finished washing and tried to get his clothes on quickly as the woman kept trying to gain his attention again; eventually having to compel her to bother someone else. When she left he could finally dress in peace and he set out to find Caroline, tracking her scent all the way to where she was sitting by the edge of the pond staring ahead of her lost in thought. Stopping to further observe her from a distance he could see the area below her eyes getting dark and the look on her face resembled being lost, but he wasn't for sure; regarding her curiously he stepped forward thinking she would notice him but she didn't move.
"Enjoying yourself sweetheart?" He asked with a little edge still in his voice but she didn't answer nor did she show any physical signs she had heard him. "Caroline…"
"I don't want to be here." She whispered but didn't move otherwise.
"And why not? This place is close to everything you will see this week and is appropriate for status…"
"I don't like it here." She replied still whispering.
"What's not to like sweetheart?"
"The only decent person I've seen here so far is the lady of the house and she fears her husband; I don't want to watch him mistreat her all week. Nor do I want to deal with the servants here and the way they look at me." She replied and shifted her eyes down to look at her reflection before looking back to the flowers bobbing in the wind.
"So you plan on spending all the time I give you to yourself out here? We won't be here much as there are plenty of things I have planned for us to do and we will still have our meals with the lord of the house and his wife."
"What's the real purpose of us being here?"
"I've told you; it was an ideal place that would provide what we need or want and it is close to everything you are to see soon."
"Are you sure it wasn't so I would see how that woman in there has become a fearful submissive to her tyrant husband; who no doubt is bedding his servants in the night?"
"He is doing as you think and has a couple illegitimate children with them as his wife is barren. She has no purpose for him so he means to have her earn her keep here…"
"It's repugnant…"
"It's how the human world you value so much survives… in time everything will be different and you'll remember how the changes came about. Had you been raised during the time my family and I were you wouldn't be alive… you're too outspoken for even this time; much less then."
"I've had to be since you came into my life…"
"You were you long before I came to get you. Just remember you need to do as I tell you; you need to remain alive for all of this to work."
"I did as you told me earlier and you still weren't satisfied…"
"And I also told you before we left that you were to run to me or safety if you were in danger… and you didn't. You could have died Caroline… had I been any later you would be."
"There was nowhere to go that wouldn't have been blocked by one of them… I did the only thing I could do; I am human if you remember and I'm limited with options in those instances…"
"Did you not hear them coming or fighting with the driver?"
"I was asleep until the carriage stopped and I heard fighting… I tried to see what was happening and when the driver fell I locked the door. It wasn't but a couple seconds later at most when they swarmed the door and took turns trying to open it. They would have killed me before you ever got there had I tried to run so I'm certain I did well prolonging what they had in mind until you could come."
"I knew you were afraid from the link between us… it started fading before I pulled you out of the carriage; you started fading."
"Is that what we should expect everywhere we go?"
"I think we can agree we've had some difficulties in our trip so far, but I would think that it would be free of further problems along the way. Come… it's time for dinner and we retire early tonight."
"Why?"
"I would have thought you remembered why sweetheart… we're at our first destination; I gave you until here to prepare yourself."
"Even after everything that happened today?"
"You want more time..."
"I didn't say that; I'm just… tired."
"With the nightmares and your mortality an issue it's best to be timely; you need to be a vampire sooner rather than later to better keep you alive and that will only happen after you've had our child. You know very well what must be done for you to do that."
"I know."
"Tonight is a full moon… it's another reason I let you have until now. The full moon lasts for three days and I would prefer to claim you during that time; the wolves will be roaming during the full moon and it isn't safe for you to be unclaimed."
"What do you mean?"
"Wolves can sense when a female is the mate of another wolf; if they are unclaimed they are free to challenge the mate to take her. Of course they would lose but you would be put at risk and I don't want to chance it."
"But as long as we don't go around the wolves you wouldn't be challenged and I wouldn't be at risk. One day… just give me one day to recover from today and I won't ask again."
"Do I have your word?"
"I give you my word I won't ask again if you wait until tomorrow night."
"Not even IF we happen to find trouble between then and now?"
"Not even then… and I won't look for a loophole either."
"Very well then… let us go to dinner." He answered and extended his hand to her. Not wanting to begin another argument she took it and let him pull her up, wrapping her arm with is when she was on her feet. They didn't speak anymore as he led her inside to meet with the owners of the house at the table. As they took their seats Caroline and Klaus both had the same thought running through their heads, for completely different reasons… "Only one more day".