"How did you even breathe in this thing?!" I gulped, holding my hand at my stomach as Rebekah tugged at the strings to tighten the corset that I had somehow allowed her to talk me into wearing. It was beautiful, admittedly, the pattern and design alone something fit for a princess, but now I was starting to understand why rich people were so skinny back in those days. If they couldn't breathe, they couldn't eat, and if they couldn't eat, then they couldn't gain weight. Ingenious, really, but I'm a modern girl who love to eat, and this corset really wasn't being my friend here.
"It's not that bad, stop complaining. I had to wear one of these every day in the past, so you can manage one for just one night." I shot her a look.
"We did discuss that torture was a bad thing, right? It goes without saying subjecting your best friend to this horror show falls under the torture category." Amused, Rebekah merely tugged further to pull the strings taut so that my waist was cinched in and everything else pushed up, giving me an admittedly gorgeous figure. I had a nice hourglass shape anyway, but the corset enhanced it further, and the light slip I wore underneath felt lighter and softer than silk against my skin. "Is it over?"
"Yes you cry baby. Now, there has to be a dress perfect for you here somewhere. I am determined that if anyone is to outshine me tonight, I will only accept it to be you Lia." Rebekah, having made up her mind, could not be dissuaded so I simply accepted that I was going to be made to wear a dress that I would probably find impossible to walk in, and have to figure out how to dance in it as well.
"Is there any chance you could teach me the steps to the dances?" I asked her as I stood before the full length mirror, pulling at my hair as it lay in a fluffy cloud of flaming red around my shoulders, a mass of ringlets, frizz and curls from my lack of management.
"In a minute, once we find the right dress, you can practice in that to make it easier." She answered, still lifting one gorgeous gown after another, but she found fault with each one. "Too dark…too plain…too yellow…too flashy…" Even though they were all beautiful gowns and I would have been happy with any one of them, Rebekah still seemed unable to find the right one for me.
"Perhaps I could be of assistance?" Klaus suggested, standing in the doorway which neither of us had heard open. Rebekah made a sharp sound of protest and suddenly appeared before me, holding up a silk robe and wrapped it over my shoulders as if to protect my modesty, and after recovering from the alarm I laughed.
"Bekah? This isn't the fourteen hundreds. I can go around in my undergarments and still have my reputation intact." I reminded her, making her blush momentarily but she insisted on me wearing the robe anyway.
"Keep your beady little eyes away from her, Niklaus, it is rude to enter a lady's private rooms uninvited." She scolded him, and I had to agree on that one. What if I had been in an even less modest state of dress? I would have probably blinded him there and then out of embarrassment. God. "And what do you mean by offering your assistance?"
"Well since our sweet Ophelia has noted that she is concerned about not knowing the routine for the dance, perhaps I should educate her whilst you continue your search for her perfect gown." He said, stepping into the room still without an invitation, making Rebekah lift her chin haughtily, thinking to refuse him before she paused, reconsidering. "Come now, Bekah. There are a great many gowns and dresses in the attic left untouched, some worn by real princesses before they were persuaded to…part with them." I did not like the insinuation behind that tone, and quite frankly I don't want to know whether he meant it or not.
"Fine, but only if Lia says that it's alright." She insisted, turning around to me. "If you can stand to be in my brother's company for a few minutes, I'll come back with some more options for us both."
"I'm sure I can survive your brother, Bekah. Maybe I'll even teach him a thing or two." Rising to the challenge, I gave Klaus a broad grin which earned me his signature smirk in return, tinged with a hint of genuine cheerfulness as Rebekah quickly vanished in order to raid the attic. Putting my arms through the robe made from the finest silk I had ever come across, Klaus deliberately made his way over to me with slow and intimidating steps, but the intent to make me shrink back only fired me up all the more.
"Shall we?" Looking down to his hand, palm turned upwards and waiting for me to accept, I quirked an eyebrow at him before accepting, letting him lead me across Bekah's suite to an open space not filled with flouncy dresses of all shape, sizes and colours. We started off standing side by side, my hand still in his as he tucked his other arm behind his back, standing tall and poised rather strikingly whilst I just stood there looking lost. "Now this won't do at all. A lady must always walk with her head held high, with the grace and air of a royal even if she is but a lowly maidservant." He was messing with me, so I shot him a disgruntled look as he smiled and removed the silk robe before touching the heel of his hand against my back in order to straighten the slump of my spine.
"You know I asked to learn the dance, not how to become a lady." I drawled sarcastically but Klaus continued with a gentle hush, brushing his finger against my lips and I found myself being silenced by the rather intimate gesture despite knowing full well that he was merely being himself, trying to charm me into his spider's web.
"Dancing begins with the way you hold yourself. If you were to walk in a room dressed as regally as a queen, then you must make them believe that you are far more than what they see, not just a queen, but something divine." Klaus said to me, using his hands to manipulate my body with surprisingly tender touches which remained gentlemanly polite all the while he pulled back my shoulders and tilted the angle of my head, drawing me up to my full height. "The enchantment begins the moment you enter the room, and the game is to see how long you can make that spell hold." Breathing lightly as his head came to rest beside my ear, Klaus then placed his hands slowly upon my hips in order to straighten the, positioning me along with the rest of my body like some kind of mannequin. "Poise, grace, elegance, beauty, everything combined is the key to creating the powerful image of a woman's strength."
"No one cares about that sort of thing anymore." I told him, thinking how uncomfortable it was to have to just stand up straight, especially in this corset. It's a wonder the female race ever survived through those excruciating times, I truly felt sorry for their sufferings.
"You make them care." Klaus responded smoothly, taking up my hand only this time, he held it in his furthest hand from me whilst the other slipped around my waist in order to help guide me. "And deep down, you also care. You hide yourself from sight, keeping yourself from being noticed in order to pass through life alone, pushing away anyone who could possibly come to care about you so that you do not have to care about them in return, but secretly you crave recognition. You want to be noticed, to be admired and seen for what you really are." I jarred slightly in alarm, looking to Klaus in surprise and slight confusion, as that wasn't entirely true.
"No." I answered, pulling away from him and in doing so, stopped the dance he had been guiding me through. "That's not what it is."
"Isn't it?"
"No." Getting a little flustered and irritated, I had a feeling that Klaus wasn't going to let this go. He'd either prove himself right or force me to admit the truth, and I didn't know if I wanted to. He goaded me, teasing me for wanting the same thing every other girl on the planet wanted whilst I steadily began to seethe, closing my hands into fists at my sides. "I said no, that's not it."
"Then by all means, love, enlighten me."
"Why should I tell you?"
"Because we were being so open and honest with each other last night, I had rather thought we'd struck something of a bond, you and I." He said, coming closer to me so that our faces were near enough touching. A hand ghosted over my face before brushing against my hair, feeling the light wisps become weighted with his hand before it settled and smoothed down against my face, palm resting against my cheek. "Let's at least be honest with each other now, Ophelia." Glaring at him, I knocked his hand away but refused to move back, obstinately denying him the satisfaction of gaining any ground over me.
"I don't care about people, because the less I care, the likely I'll be hurt if I lose them." Gritting my teeth as I forced the words out just to make him drop it, Klaus looked at me curiously.
"But you chose to become friends with my sister. Even my brother."
"You guys are pretty hard to kill, I figured I wouldn't lose them any time soon. Or ever, to be exact." It was a simple enough reason and Klaus seemed to accept it with a mere shrug, lightly rolling his shoulders.
"So this is about loss. You are afraid of losing the people that you love, you're afraid of…" His face suddenly dropped as it hit him all at once. He stared at me, mouth dropping open slightly as his eyes widened also, clear eyes shining in shock from the revelation before he spoke with a light whisper of disbelief. "You're afraid of being alone." Bingo, brother.
"Guess you and I aren't so different after all, Niklaus." I told him coldly, wanting to just learn the stupid dance and get him out of my hair. "So are you going to teach me how to dance like a princess or what? Maybe I should go find someone more up to the challenge to cure my two left feet." For a moment Klaus continued to gape before he clamped his mouth shut and recovered himself, taking a moment to tuck aside this new piece of information about me away, probably to use it against me somehow later, but I hardly cared.
Strangely, however, Klaus seemed to soften towards me, no longer teasing or making any passes at me and simply taught me the dance, occasionally correcting my posture or lifting my chin to keep me from staring at my feet, but otherwise remained professional and focused on the rather time consuming chore of teaching me how to make it through the dance without tripping or losing my place. Since Rebekah took a good while longer than just a few minutes rifling through the gowns in the attic, I had to wonder exactly what they had stashed away up there. Part of me wanted to go take a look, but before I could suggest we go searching for her, she returned with an armful of dresses, practically drowning in skirts before she threw them on the bed.
"Right, enough of that. Out Nik, men are not permitted here any longer. Leave or I'll throw you out myself." Impatient to return to choosing a dress, I gave Klaus a shrug before quietly thanking him for the lesson, to which he smiled and kissed my hand.
"My pleasure, Ophelia." He vanished in an instant, the doors breathing shut behind him whereby Rebekah then pulled my attention to the dresses she had found. It was no contest. When I saw that one particular dress, all others paled in comparison, and I knew instantly that that was the one I wanted to wear. Rebekah had been uncertain at first, but when I tried it on and it fit me so perfectly it seemed to have been sewn to sculpt to my body alone, she agreed that it was no longer a competition.
With the dress picked, I quickly set it aside and helped her swiftly put the others away as much as we could before leaving the rest, opening the space in front of the broad vanity table in order to pamper and preen ourselves to prepare for the dance. It felt like something out of a novel, two princesses preparing for their ball, though with a modern twist on the tale. Hair stylists and makeup artists came piling into the room, taking a look at our chosen dresses before matching our looks with them. At first I was hesitant since I didn't particularly like strangers touching my hair, but Rebekah persuaded me to relax and just enjoy the full spa treatment.
I'll admit, it was great being treated like a queen. We got pedicures and manicures, our nails now perfectly shaped and filed with a French style look, as well as facial treatments such as masks and massages. Hell, I think I could manage the corset all the time if it meant I could have this treatment every day. I felt like an entirely new person. My hair was washed, brushed, dried and straightened, which surprised me. I'd never actually straightened my hair before, so when I saw the bright copper redness laying in glossy streams down my back, I couldn't help but just stare.
It suited the frame of my face, having my hair slinky and straight like that. The wild mane of hair before had made my face seem even smaller than it already was, but now it looked ordinary, and it made my eyes look larger as well. Before I could properly appreciate how different I looked with straight hair, the hairstylists returned with a vengeance and continued with their work which I had assumed had been done, but apparently not. My hair was curled into light beach waves before being twisted and coiled into romantic tuck at the base of my neck with several braids wrapped around and over it, loose strands curled to frame either side of my face with the parting being shifted further over to one side.
"Look at you Lia. If my brothers do not fall in love with you tonight, I shall view them as having a very poor taste in women." Rebekah mused, having been taking photos of my transformation without me being at all aware.
"Hell, I think I've just fallen in love with myself." I retorted, still in slight disbelief as Rebekah laughed, leaning over in order to take a picture of the two of us together, one of her favourite modern day pass times. I smiled on reflex, looking up at the camera before I was forced to wear a blank face as the hairstylists were swept away and replaced with the makeup artists, the two groups now exchanging. "Is everyone in here compelled?"
"Only to keep quiet and get on with their work. Don't worry, mother has already paid them."
"Huh." Making a noncommittal reply, I was then made to close my eyes as I felt brushes and creams being put on my face, though thankfully it all felt very light and fairly pleasant until I opened my eyes and looked at my reflection. The most prominent feature had always been my hair before now, but since that had been tamed into a more natural look, my eyes now took the stage. The intense green had always been startling, but now lined with a delicate line of black with full lashes darkened to match, they stood out all the more. The slight smudge smoothed at the sharp lines, making my eyes appear sultry and captivating yet innocent at the same time. With the folds of my mouth painted with a deep crimson red, my lips looked fuller and more succulent, like ripe cherries glossy and moist.
"Now for the jewels."
"Wait, what?" I thought it would be over after Rebekah dismissed the stylists, but nope. She opened up another door in her room and walked into what I could only describe as a vault, because everywhere I looked there were jewels of every kind and shade. Necklaces sat upon velvet busts behind thick glass panes, tiaras and crowns glittering under the spotlights as she then pressed a button and the drawers began to slide open to reveal more necklaces, bracelets and god knows what else. There were earrings from the tiniest pearl droplets to heavy diamonds that looked like they would pull your ear right off. Rings that would probably pay for my entire college tuition if I were to sell just one of them, and everywhere I looked it was dazzling.
"Take anything you like."
"Anything I…? Bekah, you have more jewellery than most royal families!" I breathed, completely overwhelmed by the grandeur around me as I began to walk around. Some jewels I recognised, such as a necklace with the letter 'B' with pearls. "Is that Anne Boleyn's necklace?"
"She was a capricious little thing, I found her annoying. Niklaus of course enjoyed her, he always did prefer the wild types, though of course this led to her execution as she was caught committing adultery." Bekah mused like it was nothing as I went around some of the older looking jewels and reading the small plaques to find out where they had come from like it was my own museum. "Does nothing suit your taste?"
"I think we have the opposite problem. There's no way I could wear anything like this." I gestured my hand, still spluttering from disbelief. "Pretty much everything in here is worth more than I am. What if I damage something or lose it? I'd never be able to pay you back."
"They're just jewels, nothing more than costume jewellery really." My jaw dropped at her flatly. Rebekah really did not see just how valuable half these items were, though I suppose having lived a thousand years and being able to compel whatever she wanted out of anyone, material possessions probably don't hold much stock with her anymore. She selected some earrings and a necklace for herself, already dressed in her deep silk green dress with one off shoulder sleeve that sat neatly over her upper arm. I helped to slide the earrings into her earlobes, then she set out finding the perfect jewellery set for me.
Considering my dress and everything else about my look for tonight, we both carefully looked at her jewels in order to find something to match. I tried to go for simpler, less expensive looking things but Rebekah wouldn't hear of it, and in the back of my mind I was wondering if she was doing all of this for me as a means to pay me back for letting her crash at my place for so long. Anyway, the both of us looked around for a while, until Rebekah suddenly appeared behind me. "Try this." Blinking, I saw a flash of something that looked large and bulky pass over my face before Rebekah settled it around my neck and secured it at the back with the slender velvet ribbons that tied together.
My hand naturally rose in order to touch the broad pendant that was set within ornate gold metal, feeling several smooth stones and one flawlessly cut gem which was larger than the rest and nestled into the crease of my chest neatly, settling against my neck and collarbone like it was meant to be there. It was made up of links with each set of metal holding a gemstone, and it was only when Rebekah turned me around to face a mirror that I could see properly what they were. Unable to hide my awe, I stared openly. Brilliant stones of deep crimson ruby glinted at me, each one perfectly rounded and shaped to catch the light as they seemed to breathe with flashes of fiery light, each one about the size of my smallest fingernail and perfectly set against the gold, but most impressive of all was the large gemstone that rested like a broad pendant just above the upward lift of my chest from the corset. The pure white diamond glinted at me, set upon the metal clasp with a carefully wrought border with small details jumping out at me the longer I looked.
It felt heavy, the pressure of knowing just how expensive and valuable this thing was practically choking me until I took several deep breaths to calm down. "They're not rubies, before you ask. Those are red diamonds." Okay, that didn't exactly help alleviate the pressure, in fact it only made it worse. "I think this one will do."
"I can't wear this Bekah, it's too much."
"Nonsense, a few diamonds are exactly what every girl needs in her life, and tonight I am determined to see you outshine everyone else. Especially that Elena bitch and her dumb, annoying friend, you know the one who used to be with Matt?"
"You mean Caroline?" I quickly caught on, sending Bekah a curious look. "You've got your claws out already. Just calm down Bekah, tonight's supposed to be something to celebrate you guys all being a family together again. Let's leave the cat fights until tomorrow, okay?" Begrudgingly agreeing but not promising anything, Rebekah still insisted I wear the necklace so I frowned at it as she went to find some earrings to match, bringing me the set where thankfully, they were a lot smaller than the diamonds around my neck. They were antiques and I rather liked the style of them myself, though literally the only occasion you would wear them would be for formal occasions or if you were visiting royalty.
With the more delicate earrings now fixed on my ears, little rubies surrounding a single diamond with larger pearls dangling to brush against the slant of my jaw whenever I moved, I hardly even recognised when I looked at my reflection, and that was still without wearing the dress. I had to be helped into it, Rebekah pulling at the laces at the back in order to secure it before I then slipped on a pair of black lace gloves that came just below my elbow, hooked over my middle finger like a triangular sleeve. By the time we were both ready, the ball had already begun and I could hear the sound of music and people murmuring downstairs.
"Are you ready?" Rebekah asked me as the two of us stood back from the balcony that overlooked the main entrance to her home, out of sight from the crowd below so that we could take a moment to collect ourselves and mentally prepare for the evening to come. I had started to panic slightly, breathing heavily so that my chest rose and fell as I tugged at the dress, feeling like it was all too much.
"I'm overdressed. Can I get changed?"
"Don't even think about it. Besides, I've already had a look and there are other ball gowns out there as well. Ah, even that precious Elena is wearing one." Rebekah noted, so I took a little look over the side to see Elena with both the Salvatore brothers at her side, her arm looped through theirs. She did look amazing, clearly one of the most beautiful girls in the room with her dark, doleful looks and radiant dress. "Just look at her. She practically parades them around like accessories."
"Jealous?" I teased her, making Rebekah roll her eyes.
"Of her? You insult me." Lifting her chin proudly, Rebekah started to move towards the stairs, intending to go down and I immediately felt another flush of panic. With this dress, these shoes, the jewellery…I can't do this. This isn't me at all, I'm no lady and definitely not some dumb princess from a fairy tale in a ridiculously oversized dress waiting for her Prince Charming to sweep her off her feet. If he could, I mean, this dress is pretty heavy. I feel like I've gained several hundred pounds even without the massive diamond at my neck. "You'll be fine, Lia. You're beautiful. Wear the gown like armour, that way you don't have to be afraid of anything." She suggested, though it hardly helped me calm down any.
Seeing that I was still struggling, Rebekah smiled and offered me her hand, letting our fingers entwine so that we could go down together and with her being so close, her strength and confidence somehow giving me that little boost I needed, I took that first step to follow her, preparing myself to face whatever the night had in store for me with readiness.