Wow! I never ever thought I would get this far in this story! I'm so thankful for everyone who's loved it! I will try to update everything Friday or every other Friday, depending on my schedule.
Just to answer some questions I've been asked: Kol needs Bonnie for a certain plan so that's why he doesn't kill her. That's why he didn't kill her when she killed her mother, instead he killed Kai.
Now that its been explained, please enjoy Chapter Four!
Disclaimer: I don't own The Vampire Diaries or Originals characters or location names. They all belong to the CW and Julie Plec.
Chapter Four
Tyler opened the door just in time for Caroline to walk in, her blonde hair in curls, wearing a sky blue dress with white trim.
The princess didn't even spare a glance towards her old friend, instead coming to stand in front of her father where she knelt on the ground with her head bowed in respect. Kol smiled and leaned forward to grasp his daughter's chin in his hand, lifting it up so she faced him.
"Good morning my love. What brings you here?"
Caroline smiled at her father. "Oh nothing Daddy. I just wanted to see you." She glanced over in disgust at Bonnie. "But it appears you're in the middle of something?"
Kol laughed and shook his head. "No not at all darling. The servant needed to be taught a lesson in respect. Luckily Jackson's an excellent instructor." He gestured to the werewolf, who bowed towards the princess.
Caroline rolled her eyes, scowling towards Bonnie. "That little pest is always getting in trouble, Daddy. I don't see why you keep her around. Especially after what she did."
Her father gazed sternly at her. "You know exactly why." he growled, a sharpness in his tone. "I won't hear anymore of what needs to be done with her because her punishment was my decision, no one else's."
This caused the young vampire to look away from her father, a blush beginning to bloom on her pale face. While it wasn't what he said that made her feel embarrassed, but the fact that Tyler, the werewolf guard she fancied, was staring at her.
"Caroline!" Kol snapped, jerking his daughter's attention back to him. "Do you understand?"
Swallowing hard, the blonde girl nodded quickly. "Yes Daddy." She averted her eyes to avoid her father's fiery ones.
Caroline guessed that's where Katherine got her temper from.
Smiling and giggling, she rose up only to skip beside her father, wrapping her arms around his neck and down his chest. She usually acted like that when she wanted something. Unfortunately Kol knew that trick quite well, turning his head to face his daughter with a smile.
"Sweetheart," Kol began. "What do you want and will I be saying no?"
That remark caused the girl to playfully draw her lips into a pout, which was adorable unlike Katherine's. "Oh Daddy!" she giggled. "I was going to ask, whenever you go hunting, would you not put Marcel in charge, please? He doesn't let Katherine or I do anything!"
Marcel was below Jackson in rank but what he lacked in status, he made up for in sheer power and charisma. Kol often put the young vampire in charge of his matters whenever he and his second-in-command were away. Though it was never for very long.
Kol pretended to think about it, tapping his finger on his chin. "Hmmmm. Either I leave everything I rule over to my two precious little girls, who throw parties and leave the manor a total disaster. Or I put Marcel in charge to make sure you're both safe and on good behavior." He smirked to himself. "Such a hard decision."
Caroline couldn't believe what her father was insinuating. She and her sister were almost sixteen! They were practically adults, able to fend for themselves and certainly didn't need a babysitter!
"Well, Daddy." She began, batting her eyes innocently towards Kol, "Instead of Marcel, why don't you put Mason or Tyler in charge? Surely they're more competent."
Kol grew irritated because his daughter wasn't listening and trying to usurp his authority. Sure he was young and carefree when he was her age, but now responsibilities such as being a father and assuming a position of power changed his perspective.
"No. Marcel is in charge until I return." He turned to the side, holding up his finger to Caroline's nose while gazing into her eyes. "If I find that you or Katherine are misbehaving while I'm gone, you'll both become servants until you learn a lesson."
Caroline widened her eyes in shock. She? Become a servant? They'd never survive! Especially not when their father would be their master.
However when she saw Kol's eyes, the princess knew he was being serious. Kneeling beside him and looking towards the floor, Caroline huffed when she didn't get her way.
"Yes Daddy."
Kol chuckled, leaning down to kiss his daughter's head. His fingers ran through her blonde strands in a soothing motion, similar to the times when Caroline would get in trouble as a little girl.
"I'm just warning you because I want to protect you. You and your sister are the most important thing in the whole world to me." He twirled a lock of her hair around his finger. "I want my girls' safety most of all and if that means I'm a protective father, then so be it."
Nodding her head in response, Caroline got to her feet only to embrace her father, who pulled her into his lap and cradled her in his arms in the same fashion as when she was young. She buried her face into Kol's shoulder, feeling her head being stroked.
"I love you Papa." Caroline murmured, her voice becoming smaller.
Kol laughed, kissing her head. "I love you too darling."
It broke Bonnie's heart when she saw the display of affection. It would be so different if only Caroline knew of what her father did to Bonnie's mother. Then his daughter would despise him like she did. Unfortunately, the lie of Bonnie killing Abigail was embedded so deep within Caroline's head that there was no convincing her otherwise.
Caroline lifted her head from Kol's shoulder, noticing Bonnie staring at them. Forming her mouth into a scowl, she faced her former sister and friend, narrowing her eyes.
"What are you looking at?" she spat.
Bonnie quickly bowed her head, her body still in too much pain to be punished again. She decided to play it safe, even when it went against her every instinct. Besides, she still cared about Caroline, even with the nasty rumor.
"Nothing madam." Bonnie quickly responded, acting like she had been caught seeing something she shouldn't have.
Caroline took a moment to stare at her closely. Removing herself from Kol's lap, she approached Bonnie, regarding her subservience.
"You must've made Daddy very angry for Jackson to punish you like this." she noted, taking a good look at the marks on the other girl's body. Her eyes landed on Bonnie's bleeding lip and nose. "That one looks particularly nasty."
She gave the witch a smile, one that never reached her eyes. "I hope you have a quicker recovery than the last time Father had you almost beaten to a pulp. It was embarrassing when asked why your eye was swollen or what the large bruise was on your cheek by my friends."
It took all of Bonnie's self-control not to give her stepsister a dirty look. Not while her stepfather was watching anyway. If it was Katherine she would. But never with Caroline, no matter how horrible the vampiress was to her.
"One more thing, sweetheart." Kol spoke from behind Caroline, causing both her and Bonnie to give him their attention. "Bonnie will attend to anything and everything you girls ask for while I'm away. However, it has to be approved by Marcel."
Directing his gaze towards his daughter, Kol gestured with his finger. "If I hear about you two doing anything behind Marcel's back, your punishment will be worse." He smiled in thought. "Perhaps by cleaning the dungeons from top to bottom?"
Bonnie could swear she saw Caroline turn even paler after hearing her father's words, making her giggle quietly where no one could hear.
Except for Caroline.
Whirling around, Caroline glared at Bonnie. "Have something on your mind, servant? I hope it wasn't disrespectful as I would hate for Daddy to have to punish you, again."
She sneered. "Come on, spit it out. What were you about to say that was so funny?"
This time it was Bonnie's turn to smile at Caroline. She tilted her head, stroking her chin with her finger. "Oh, I was finding it really funny if you and Katherine had to scrub those nasty walls of the dungeons. Knowing your father," Bonnie glanced at Kol. "He would command it to be done with toothbrushes. What would make it even worse is if you were caught with Tyler. Oh what a scandal!"
She gasped at the last part, waiting to see what the princess's reaction would be.
Well, Bonnie wasn't disappointed as she watched Caroline's smile dissolve into a scowl. That was supposed to be a secret!
Trembling in anger she shot a glare towards her former friend, then slowly glanced behind, with widened eyes, to see her father's reaction.
To say Kol was angry with his daughter was an understatement, as could be seen by the way his hand gripped his glass. Cracks began to form until it loudly shattered, causing pieces to fly in the air around him. The vampire lord's eyes turned black and his mouth pressed in a thin line upon hearing the news that Caroline had been sleeping around with the guards.
Trembling in fear, Caroline knew she was in very, very big trouble. Oh if only Katherine was here, then she would currently be in the same pickle her sister was in. That whore!
"Caroline." She heard her father call in his normal tone, sending chills down her spine. "Come here, sweetheart."
Slowly standing up, the princess made her way back to Kol, praying he would be merciful. Kneeling down beside him where she put her pale fingers on his knee, Caroline stared up at her father in fear.
Kol stared off in the distance, taking his daughter's hand in his. He held it to his lips, giving a kiss only to quickly let it go and sharply backhand Caroline.
The sound heard from the impact caused everyone in the room to be silent. Even the servants stared in shock and horror at what had occurred, hoping it would never happen to them.
Caroline fell to the floor, immediately lifting herself to her knees while she held the side of her face.
Shocked that her father would do such a thing, especially to his own daughter, tears sprung to the princess's eyes. However, Kol was not in the mood to hear the pleas she would undoubtly give to try and seek his forgiveness.
Caroline needed to know there was no mercy for anyone who broke her father's rules or disobeyed him. Not even his own daughters.
She was grabbed under her arms by Jackson and brought back over to Kol, where cold fingers grabbed her chin hard. Caroline winced at the bruising grip, feeling her father lightly stroke her cheek. A chuckle escaped his lips.
"This conversation isn't over, young lady. We will have a chat later, along with Katerina."
Swallowing hard, the vampiress nodded her head, wanting to be anywhere else than where she was right now.
Kol smiled in approval, releasing his daughter's face. He watched Caroline wriggle out of the werewolf's hold, only to turn around and stare murderously at Bonnie.
"You little bitch!" she hissed, her eyes narrowing into slits. Tiny black veins protruded from the sides of Caroline's eyes, her fangs unsheathing themselves. Bonnie gasped in fright as she watched Caroline let out a horrible angry shriek before she leaped into the air at her.
Both girls fell to the floor, their screams and shouts filling the room as they fought. Bonnie tried to push the crazy princess off of her but Caroline's strength pinned her to the floor. The vampire's fangs lightly brushed against her neck, preparing to strike, but not before Bonnie reared her head back.
Slam!
Caroline screamed out in pain from the head-butt, giving Bonnie a chance to shove her off and roll safely to the side. Getting to her feet, the witch tried to painfully run towards the door, suddenly feeling herself slammed against the wall unable to breathe.
Opening her eyes, Bonnie came face to face with Caroline giving her a fanged grin, her hand around the witch's throat squeezing so hard Bonnie could hear bones cracking. She was already in a lot of pain from her punishment earlier, now Caroline was about to make her black-out.
Struggling for air, the witch thrashed against the wall, digging her nails into the vampire's hand to be released. Only, the more Bonnie moved, the weaker and weaker she got. Losing oxygen, her vision became blurry so all she saw were dots.
Bonnie closed her eyes, hearing her stepfather yell at Caroline to stop and let her go. Caroline, however, didn't seem to listen as the witch's gasps began to sound painful.
"You're gonna die just like your mother, you bi-!"
Unfortunately Bonnie never got to hear the rest of the statement, feeling Caroline's hand release its grip. Sliding down the wall with a trembling hand on her neck, she lifted her eyes to watch Caroline being pinned across the room by her neck.
Kol's hand held his daughter's neck tight while she squirmed, screaming at the top of her lungs for him to release her. Her struggling only earned her body being knocked against the wall, causing her to grit her teeth painfully. Opening her eyes, Caroline gasped in horror upon seeing veins sprouting around Kol's eyes, his fangs bared menacingly at his daughter.
"Enough." Her father growled coldly.
Before Caroline could blink, she was dropped to the floor, watching Kol whirl around to Jackson, his face back to normal but still furious. He jabbed a finger in Bonnie's direction where she was picked up by Mason and Tyler.
"Take her back to her cell. She will remain there until she's summoned."
Jackson said nothing, simply bowing to his master. Approaching Bonnie, the werewolf glared, observing the shocked expression upon her face while she rubbed her neck.
It irritated the captain of the guard when the witch decided to act the way she did. Fanning the fiery temper of his master and daughters often gave Bonnie more injuries than he did. Oftentimes she'd have a reason, but it eluded Jackson as to what it was other than stirring up trouble in his opinion.
Opening the door, Jackson led the way back to the dungeons, Mason and Tyler following behind him with Bonnie who winced painfully with each step she took.
As the doors closed, Katherine watched them take Bonnie away. Having stood outside the entire time, she heard everything as her cloaking spell hid the princess from being discovered.
Her smile became mischievous when she thought of Caroline and Bonnie's bond. It'd once been so strong making Katherine think she had lost her sister forever, now coming apart at the seams all thanks to one misplaced bit of information.
Now little Bon Bon had no one, making her suffering all the more entertaining for the eldest princess.
The witch would be alone forever.
Jackson, after returning Bonnie to the dungeons, arrived back at Kol's bedroom door to find Caroline closing it behind her. Her head was bowed and the werewolf could swear he heard sniffling. Reaching out a hand, he laid it on the princess's shoulder only for Caroline to slap it away.
When she lifted her head, the young vampire narrowed her teary eyes at him. Jackson was her father's second-in-command and did nothing as Kol punished her, meaning she couldn't trust him.
Jackson watched the princess make her way down the stairs, then turned to open the door. Before he could touch the handle, it opened on its own revealing his master standing with his back facing him.
Kol gazed into the flames, the embers reflecting in his eyes. Taking a sip from the new glass in his hand, he furrowed his brows in concentration. His mouth sat in a firm scowl while his other hand rested on his hip.
After a few moments of silence, the vampire spoke up, his voice giving the air a cold chill. "I think it's time I show you something. It'll explain the true reason of why I've kept Bonnie alive other than to serve me."
Before Jackson could ask what he was talking about, Kol withdrew from the fireplace to suddenly appear beside the mantel. Placing one of each finger onto five stones, he pressed against the wall only for the stones to sink in. The vampire glanced up at his captain, a grin on his face, while the werewolf watched, amazed and waiting for what was to come.
Suddenly Kol's daylight ring glowed, causing the ground to shake underneath the two men, only for the entire fireplace to swing around and reveal a passageway lit with torches on either side. This made Jackson stumble a little, his eyes widening in surprise. He had never seen this place before!
He was shaken out of his thoughts by a hand on his shoulder, only to see it was Kol standing beside him, gesturing towards the opening. "Well? Shall we?"
The two men made their way down the long hallway. What took Jackson by surprise was how elegant everything was. Only one door sat at the end, white wood with polished golden accents, but lining the gold hallway were matching statues holding torches against their chest.
Reaching the door, Kol turned the knob and pushed it open to reveal a room filled with charts and papers. In the center was a table, a unrolled parchment laying in the middle. On the paper was drawn what looked like a diamond followed by notes pointing to it on either side.
Jackson stared, not understanding why his master had brought him here. "Forgive me, my lord, but why have we come here? And why have I never seen this place before?"
Smiling to himself, Kol went over to the table, placing his hands on either side of the paper. "This is why." He swept his hand over the drawing. "This, my friend, is what I'm searching for and the reason I married Abigail."
Looking up at Jackson with a smirk, he continued. "The diamond you see in front of you is called the Perennial Diamond. It allows whomever controlling it to exert their will over supernatural creatures. With this in my possession, vampires, witches, even werewolves will be my obedient slaves!"
Kol's smirk grew wider, showing his fangs. "The amount of power I'll have at my disposal will overtake King Damon, forcing him to bequeath his kingdom to me, making me the new ruler of Mystic Falls!"
His laughter echoed through the room but was interrupted by Jackson clearing his throat. "A fine plan master, but the question is, why do you need the girl? What use is she to you and your grand scheme?"
Kol grew quiet, his finger on his chin as if he were pondering something. His eyes gleamed while he grinned. "You really want to know? That wretched girl has the magic needed to power the diamond for this to succeed! I just need to force her to enchant it, then voila! The kingdom of Mystic Falls will be mine!"
The vampire chuckled to himself. He had heard about the Perennial Diamond from a witch who served him while Kol had been married to Caroline's mother. She told him there were whisperings among the other witches about the Bennett's having it in their possession.
His plan was to wait until Lord Bennett died in order to marry Abigail, gain control of her household, then ask her about the diamond's whereabouts. Unfortunately it was foiled by Bonnie and her friend's little failed assassination attempt, leaving him without a source.
Kol grit his teeth in anger over how he had been so close to finding it until that little brat ruined it all! Now he was back to square one. One of the witches in the village must know the diamond's location and the vampire wouldn't rest until he found out where it was!
Nothing would stand between him and his goal of becoming king! Nothing!
"Would you like for me to lead an effort to find the jewel, my lord?" Jackson asked. "My werewolves could scour the village while asking the witches the whereabouts."
Kol considered Jackson's suggestion, waving it off with a hand. "No. The witches don't need to be roughened up by the soldiers." He smiled at his captain. "What they need is charm. A gentleman's touch. These are predominantly women after all, who took my word for it when I lied about Abigail. I'm surprised I didn't think about this sooner!"
That said, the vampire leaned closer to Jackson, whispering his plan. The werewolf's eyes widened a little, then were normal, listening to what genius idea his master came up with. Stepping away, Kol winked with a grin. This would all work out in the vampire's favor and the goal would be in his grasp!
He would be king. No matter what.
Wow! What a chapter! I'm sorry I had to split it in two parts…again, but I hope you guys understand! Finally we get to the meaty parts! I didn't tell all of Kol's nefarious plan just because it would ruin the story, for me at least. The girls are totally unaware of what their father's doing, although Katherine might be able to figure it out. She's smart like that.
Anywhoo! Please read and review and I'll see you guys in the next chapter!