Hello everyone! A quick IMPORTANT update for you. I am making my drabble, The Girl, from chapter 16 into its very own separate story! You can find it NOW on my home page.
I also posted a very important Author's Note over on Above All Else, please check that out if you haven't yet. It contains answers to many of your questions as well as a summary about the upcoming, faster than you think, sequel, Above It All.
Trigger warnings: Physical Abuse towards Caroline. NOT by the hands of Klaus. Caroline also gets a little dark in this one but still remains herself.
Setting: AU. Caroline is NOT from Mystic Falls, she is a human girl born in the late 1400's. Klaus stumbles upon her after a harsh beating from her Father and bonds with her. Time frame is a few years after Katerina escaped the ritual.
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"Papa! Papa stop!" The young boy screamed as he tried to wriggle out of his Mother's arms.
"Shh son. Hush yourself." She whispered harshly to her son, pulling him tightly against her own trembling form, "William," She uttered hesitantly, "Do you not think that is enough?"
"Enough? Enough!" He roared, pausing his hand holding the horse switch, shifting so he could kick a broken bow on the ground with his booted foot, "Was it enough when the stupid chit broken my prized bow?"
The anger and drunken rage churning in his eyes silenced his wife and son. The power from the effect of his single glare aimed at them filled him with glee as he turned back to his daughter whose body was draped stomach down against a fallen tree.
With his arm holding the switch raised high above his head he sneered with malicious intent, "It will be enough when I hear her scream."
The sounds of whimpering behind him was met with the repeated thwack as he continued to crack the switch over her bloody back.
But his daughter was stubborn, she would not give him the satisfaction of allowing a single sound to excape her pressed lips, no matter how horrible the pain was nor how much she bloodied her own lip. She knew he would tire eventually, he would stubble away in a drunken haze, leaving her mother to tend to her wounds.
William finally stopped, his arm dropping to his side as his chest heaved. "You will not be welcomed back into the house until you have crafted me another bow." He spat on the ground beside her trembling form, "Sleep in the mud, sleep in the grass for all I care but do not think for a moment to seek shelter under any of my roofs!"
He turned stomping a few feet away from the shaking group, waving his arm in front of him, "Come now you two, my supper has been ruined by this worthless chit and now it is time for slumber."
"But William, she needs…I should tend to her…" His wife stumbled over her speech as her young son clung to her dress skirts with tears pouring down his cherub cheeks at the sight of his older sister's bloodied back.
"You will do no such thing!" He scorned, "Mayhap if she wasn't such a stubborn girl I'd allow you to tend to her wounds. Now come."
She dutifully followed her husband back to their modest home, ushering her son along who wished nothing more than to fight back, the only thing stopping him was the thoughts of how much worse he would make the situation. The guilt ate at him with every step his feet took as he formulated a plan to ease his sister's discomfort.
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It seemed like hours had passed until Caroline felt strong enough to move, though the moment she did she wished she had not. Her back burned in agony and what was left of the back of her shredded dress clung to her skin making every motion that much more excruciating.
She set her teeth against the pain, willing her body to move as she slowly crawled to the water's edge of the stream just on the other side of the fallen tree. Cupping water into her trembling hands she splashed her face clean of her tears before taking a few small sips, wishing she could swallow handful after handful. She had learned her lesson long ago not to over indulge after a harsh beating such as this. It would only curdle in her stomach and vomiting while her back was spilt open as it was would only make the pain so much worse.
Carefully she eased her body back and leaned her side against the tree, staring vacantly across the slow-moving water trying not to think of things that would never come to pass. Hopes and dreams that would never be fulfilled. For this was her lot in life, a poor farmer's daughter in an even poorer village. Where even marrying a local boy, would not led her to an escape. Chances were that most of the young men who tried and failed to capture her attention would either be scared off by her imposing Father or prove to be just like him. Her only dream that she held tightly to was that her little brother would get away from all this mess one day. He, as a male, would be free to leave this place, expected to even, so that he may seek out his fortune in greener pastures. She vigilantly prayed for such a day to come to pass before the horrors of their Father either crushed him or even worst, turned him into a cold-hearted beast as well.
Strangely, she felt as if eyes were upon her, though with the state she was in she gave little care to it until she heard the snap of a branch. With nothing more than a broken bow to arm herself she cautiously questioned to the dark night around her, "Hello?"
Her breath sped up as the rustle of leaves and fast approaching foots steps echoed around her.
As a small body crashed through the bushes she exhaled in momentary relief before scolding, "Peter what are you doing here? Papa will tan your hide if he catches you out here after dark, and with me."
Peter dropped the bundle he was carrying to the ground beside her, kneeling with his head hung in shame, "It should have been me anyhow."
Caroline pressed her lips at the pain as she leaned forward to lift his chin, "Hey. Look at me." His blue eyes that matched her own filled with shameful tears as he glanced up to her, "Don't you ever say such things, understand?"
"But it was me. I was the one who was playing with the bow and broke it when I tripped." His voice cracked, "You were hurt protecting me."
"And that is as it should be." She told him softly, "You are my little brother, it is my duty and honor to protect you."
"But I am the boy. I should be the one protecting you." He pouted with his lower lip trembling.
Caroline laughed softly, "And someday you will. Someday you will grow big and strong. You will be kind and loving yet fierce and unbeatable." She grinned at him cheekily, "Someday there will be plenty of young ladies swooning at your feet over your great strength and charms."
"Ew yuck!" He exclaimed sticking his tongue out, "I am glad that I am only eight, I do not want to be like those older boys who chase after you!"
"Someday you will not mind as much." She grinned knowingly, "Now you need to get yourself back home and into bed before Papa finds you missing." When it looked as though he would protest she gazed at him sternly, "It will only make matters worse for us both Peter."
"Oh alright. Here," His small frame stood and wrapped an old wool cloak around her carefully before pulling from his pocket a bracelet made of purple flowers, "I stopped to make you this on the way as a thank you. I know it is not much but…"
"It's beautiful Peter." She said tenderly as she allowed him to place it around her wrist, "I shall cherish it always."
He blushed sweetly at her compliment swinging his arms, "Well at least until they die."
"No, even then I shall press their wilted petals and stems into a cloth to carry with me for all of my days." She grinned with a wink, "Just so I can forever remember how sweet my baby brother was before he went and grew up and left me."
Peter stood tall despite his short stature, "I shall never leave you behind Caroline. And someday I will be strong enough to protect you. You said so, remember?"
Caroline smiled to hide her true fears of their future, "Of course dear brother. Now off with you and be mindful when you sneak back inside to not wake Papa or Mama, you hear?"
"I promise sister." Leaning down he gentle brushed a kiss to her tear stained cheek, his whisper a soothing ale to her sorrows, "I love you Caroline."
"I love you too Peter. Always." She whispered to the wind as she watched his body be swallowed up by the darkness.
Sighing at her fate for the night, knowing it would be pointless to go traipsing about in the dark for the proper stick to reshape into a bow. A fact that her poor excuse of a Father no doubt had in mind when he assigned her the task of completing it before being allowed within her own home. Instead she clenched her jaw tightly as she gathered the sticks from the ground around her to start a small fire for light and warmth. She sent a silent thanks to her brother for the wherewithal to place a flint stone and a small knife within the pocket of the cloak. She had no doubt in her mind that if she had to rub the sticks together to try for a fire, it would make for a frigidly cold night.
Settling against the tree on her side, she attempted to ignore the throbbing pain of her back while letting the small flames warm her. Her stomach gave a low rumble causing her to inwardly wish her brother could have smuggled her out something to eat as well.
A few moments later a snap of a branch and a rustle of leaves was heard echoing through the trees once again. Thinking that her brother had come back, she didn't look up from the flames as she warmed her hands, "Peter I told you to go home."
"Excuse me Miss, I do not mean to intrude but might I warm myself by your fire?"
A husky accented voice of a man left her gasping in fear, her eyes following up from his booted feet, his lean legs and torso to his shadowed face.
Thinking quickly, she snatched the small knife from her pocket, holding it defensively before her chest with a hard glare, "I swear to you Sir if you think to accost me in these here woods you have another thing coming for you. My blade may be small but I will fight to the death. You shall only take my virtue from my cold dead body."
The man stepped back as if offended, his hands raised in front of him and his voice apologetic, "I am dreadfully sorry Miss. I meant you no ill will. I was out for a hunt earlier this evening and it seems someone has taken my horse from where I tied him down. I was simply hoping to make a trade with you, some warmth of your fire for perhaps a morsel and a drink from my supplies." He tapped the satchel that was slung across his chest, "But I can see you are in no mood for company so I shall be on my way. Good night."
Caroline eyed him suspiciously; the more he spoke to her the more it seemed she had made a terrible blunder. Or he was just that good at charming people into believing him to be sincere. As he turned to walk away she clenched her eyes shut making a rash decision, "Wait!"
"Aye Miss?" The man asked as he slowly turned around.
"I am sorry for my mistrust of you, I rarely trust anyone to be honest. But I suppose you may sit and enjoy my fire for a small repast."
His grayish-blue eyes lit up with joy and his lips formed a small smirk as he sat beside her, "I appreciate honest, no matter how blunt it may be. Thank you kindly, Miss…" He nodded graciously as he awaited her name.
"Miss Forbes." After a few seconds of hesitation, she sighed, "Caroline Forbes. And you might be?"
He stuck out his hand in offer, "Niklaus Mikaelson. But please, call me Klaus."
Mesmerized by the twinkle in his soulful eyes she didn't think twice when she held out her hand out of decorum. She gasped in pain so loudly at the movement that she missed his low hiss as the flowers around her wrist brushed against his skin.
"What is the matter? Are you hurt?" Klaus asked as he moved closer to her.
"I'm fine." She panted breathlessly.
Looking at her sternly Klaus lifted a single brow, "I can see the state of your back, Miss Forbes."
Caroline fumbled with the cloak that had fallen form her shoulders, "Tis nothing." She attempted to smile, which came off more as a grimace, as sweat began building up on her forehead.
"Tis not nothing. It looks to me as if someone took a switch to your back." When she looked ready to protest he silenced her with an empathetic tone, "I myself am regrettably no stranger to the wrong end of a switch."
The two shared a secret look, a look that spoke well of their shame and pain, at being at the mercy of another.
Klaus's soft voice broke the silence that surrounded them, his voice sounding strangely hesitant as if he was unsure of why he was offering such a thing. "I have a special tonic that will help to ease your suffering if you'd like?"
Caroline bit her lower lip before giving in with a nod of her head bringing an odd sigh of relief from Klaus. "Do you always carry such remedies with you on a hunt?"
"I never leave home without it. One can never be too careful while in the woods alone." He spoke with a chuckle as he carefully hid his hand at his side, digging his nails into his palm, allowing a few drops of his blood to trickle into his hip-flask. "Here, drink this."
She grinned thankfully before taking a sniff of the liquid, "What is this?"
"Just a bit of watered down ale and a few secret ingredients. I cannot attest for the taste but regardless you must drink it all."
Cautiously Caroline raised the flask to her lips and took a sip, the look on her face as the first taste hit her tongue brought a bout of laughter from Klaus, "You were not lying." She eyed the offending item, "Do I truly have to drink it all down?"
"I'm afraid so, though the taste does improve the more you drink it." He chuckled at her disbelieving glare, "Alright you caught me, though you do become desensitized to it."
Caroline huffed but continued to sip from the flask nonetheless, the effects taking hold of her within minutes. "This really does work wonders, doesn't it?" She exclaimed as she cautiously tested stretching her back.
Klaus smiled conspiringly, "That is does Miss."
"Well, since you have come to my rescue and all, I guess I can give you leave to call me by my given name." She announced with a small blushing grin.
"I'd be honored, Caroline." He tested her name, making it sound like nothing she had head before. Soft, almost as if he was caressing each letter.
After a few moments of silence, watching her inconspicuously as she stared off into the flames with the sweat drying on her forehead and her cheeks no longer looking quite as pale, he quietly asked, "So tell me, what is a young woman such as yourself doing out here, alone and injured, in the middle of the night?"
Truth be told Klaus knew very well why she was here, he had been watching after all. He had not lied when he said he was out on a hunt, she did not need to know just what or whom he was hunting.
He had caught word that the retched excuse for a vampire Katerina had traveled through this area not so long ago. Though he was beginning to think it was a false lead when there were no signs pointing that she had ever crossed through this poor and decrepit village.
Upset and angered at the clear waste of his time, he had set his sights on curing his frustrations with fresh blood when he had happened across the scene of Caroline being beaten by her Father. At first, he did not care enough to stop it, thinking to make the most of it by making all but the boy and the girl his meal for the evening, but then he observed Caroline's face and felt his heart pound within his chest.
Even with her tear soaked cheeks she was beautiful. It was her eyes that truly gave him pause, they showed such misery and pain yet they held such strength and light within them.
Just as he was readying to make his presence known her brute of a Father had stopped. He was left to watch as Caroline struggled to right herself, he felt a kinship with her, he too recalled a time of his live when he would rather have bit off his lower lip than give his tormentor the satisfaction of hearing his screams.
Klaus had begun to step from the forest's edge when he was stopped once more by her younger brother darting out from the bushes. After hearing her talk with him, that strange connection he felt with this girl had only strengthened. He recalled many times of holding such talks with his youngest brother.
She was beautiful, strong and full of so much light. Yet she was suffering in ways she did not deserve. Klaus could only hope that someday her brother would be strong enough to get her away from their lot in life.
"I do not wish to speak of it, if it is all the same to you."
Caroline's cautiously spoken words abruptly pulled him from his inner musings. Offering her a soft smile, "I understand Love. To speak of one's tormentors only serves to make it that much more difficult to cope with as well as gives them more power than they deserve."
Caroline wanted to deny what he was saying, she wanted to scoff and tell him he had no right to assume anything, but the look upon his striking face paired with the sorrow and understanding in his eyes lead her to believe he had not lied when he said he knew personally what she was going through, "Thank you. So, do you and your family live nearby?" She instantly regretted asking as Klaus's body went tense, "Sorry, I do not mean to pry."
"No, it is fine Caroline. My family and I had," He trailed off for a moment to formulate a response, "A bit of a falling out you might say."
Caroline studied his face, clearly reading that he felt guilt for whatever had transpired yet that he also felt it was justified. The biggest emotion she could see, that he clearly was trying to mask, was the loneliness in his eyes. Carefully she placed a hand to his arm, "I am sure it will all work out in the end. Who knows, maybe in time you and your family will mend what is broken so that you shall not be alone."
Klaus offered her no response, only patting her hand she gently laid upon his arm with a melancholy grin. If she only knew what had transpired, he did not think she would be as open and optimistic. Out of all of his siblings Elijah was the only one left undaggered at the moment. Still, after Elijah's betrayal with helping Katerina to escape, ruining his chances to become who he was truly meant to be; he was currently hiding their siblings away, lording them over his brother's head as revenge.
"So then, where are you from? I have not seen you around here before."
Klaus smiled grateful at her change of topic, "I do not have a single place to call my home, the world is my home."
"So, you travel." That spark in her eyes grew excited and wistful pushing Klaus to launch into tales over what he had seen of the world and its wonders. It wasn't long before the soft cadence of his voice as he told her of far-off places she could only dream of seeing for herself lulled her into the first peaceful slumber she ever had.
One he was sure she was asleep, Klaus gently moved her to a more comfortable position, feeling an odd sense of relief that his blood had healed her tattered back as he moved her cloak to check. His keen eyes, even in the dark of night with nothing but the low flames of the fire, noticed through the tears and rips of her dress the multitude of scars that covered her skin.
Scooting away from her he leaned against the fallen tree his mind caught up in a riot of thoughts. This was not a once off; this beautiful creature had been beaten cruelly over the course of her short life. But no matter the connection he felt with her, no matter her captivating inner and outward beauty, she was in the end of little consequence to him. She was after all, nothing but a human and forming a connection with one such as her, would only damage her in the end. His darkness would no doubt smother her light long before some human ailment took her from this world.
Klaus withdrew a small sketchbook from his satchel and set to his honorable task of immortalizing her captivating face.
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Caroline awoke to the sound of bird chirping in the trees and the sunshine filtering through their branches onto her face. Sitting up slowly she smiled widely when she realized that the tonic Klaus had given her last night had worked like a charm.
Glancing around her she felt disappointed to find he was nowhere in sight, but having little choice than to brush such feelings off, she stood to gather her things and set about her task of crafting a new bow.
That was when she seen it.
Perched innocently against the fallen log was a crudely yet seemingly well-crafted bow waiting for her with a small roll of parchment tied to its riser.
Unrolling the simple paper, she gasped at the image so beautifully drawn upon it. It was of her face; somehow the simple charcoal drawing had captured the light from the fire, bathing her in an ethereal glow. Her eyes were what pulled her in the most; they held a dash of excitement yet were filled with such a wistful quality that it brought tears to her eyes. Down on the lower corner was a message left for her.
Thank you for sharing your light with me. I will remember it always. - Klaus.
Caroline smiled at the message before rolling it back up and put it into her cloak pocket, planning to place it under the loose board in her room for safe keeping so that for years to come she could recall that even though it had always seemed unlikely, not all men were absolute brutes.
Picking up the bow she ran her fingers over the wood and tested the bow string, marveling at its craftsmanship. Thankfully he had made it to be sturdy yet look as though she had spent all night working on it herself.
Worrying her lower lip with her teeth she could only hope her Father would feel the same. Knowing there was only one way to find out, she slung the bow over her shoulder and set off towards her home.
For some reason the closer she came to their small house at the edge of the village, the more she wished to turn away. Caroline chalked it up to her nerves over what waited for her with her Father; yet the hairs on the back of her neck stood at attention as she stopped at the front door.
She leaned back to glance towards the sky; with the height of the sun there should be the sounds of her Papa's grumbles, of her Mother fixing breakfast while Peter was outback feeding the chickens and goats. But there was nothing, no baying of the goats, no clucking of the chickens and the house sat in deathly silence.
Steeling her nerves and swallowing past her dread, Caroline slowly and quietly opened the door only to wish she never had.
Her chest began heaving with panicked breaths at the sight before her. Her Mother sat on the floor beside the dining table, her knees pressed tightly to her chest as she rocked mechanically back and forth staring vacantly at something on the floor just out of Caroline's vision.
Gulping down at the fear that clenched her throat at what it could be, she slowly inched closer to her Mother, "Mama, what happened?" Her whispered voice shook as her eyes quickly scanned the room for her father, feeling very little relief that he was nowhere in sight.
Her Mother continued to rock, her voice sounding so dead and shallow that Caroline could only make out a few words, "…found him sneaking back in…Peter he…he told the truth of the bow…your Papa was so angry...so undeniably angry…"
Caroline inched next to the long dining table where her Mother sat on the floor, two tiny feet and legs coming into view. Afraid to speak, not wanting to believe what her eyes were telling her, she asked calmly, "Mama, what's wrong with Peter?"
Her eyes never left the sight of her brother's body on the floor, with his neck twisted at such an odd angle as her mother explained stiltedly, "Your Papa was so angered at his deception and to make matters worse Peter argued back. Why would he argue back Caroline? He should have known better. He knows what would happen if he did."
Caroline's blue eyes filled with fire and tears as she snarled through her teeth, "You are blaming Peter for this? My brother, your son, lays dead at your feet." She choked on the words but powered through as she began screaming, "At the hands of your retched husband and that is all you can say! He should have known better?!" She chuckled humorously, "Pity us the fouls for angering that bastard; for then it gives him full rights to slaughter us in our own home!"
Her mother stood rapidly from the floor, tears pouring from her angered eyes, "You will not take that tone of him. He is your Father!"
Caroline shook her head, doubling over and clutching her stomach as she laughed in disbelief, "You stand there and dare to cry?! All the while defending him?! He who killed your own son!"
Something snapped within Caroline, something cold and dark, something she never knew existed within her very bones. She charged her mother, pushing her roughly against the wall, roaring in her face, "And what did you do, you worthless bitch?! Did you stand idly by and do nothing as always? Watching on as he killed him?!"
Caroline gasped as the realization set it when her Mother's eyes flickered around the room, looking anywhere than at her own daughter who's face was directly before her. Growling lowly Caroline pushed her nose against her mother's demanding, "Tell. Me. Now."
"I did nothing. I did not try and stop it." Her Mother whimpered as she cowered in fear at a side of her daughter she had never seen.
Caroline's lips, with tears streaming down her soft cheeks, pulled into a vicious smirk as her hand went into her cloak pocket, "Then I fear Mother, your fate has been cast."
With a savage snarl filled with pain Caroline thrust the small knife directly into her Mother's heart.
Letting her Mother's body fall to the floor, Caroline's chest rose and fell rapidly with all the emotions coursing through her like a storm. So caught up in her immense pain she failed to hear the rapid footsteps charging towards her until it was too late. She choked out a garbled breath, glancing down to find the end of a bloody sword sticking out from the center of her chest.
Her Father yelled behind her, the words lost to her as the sword was viciously yanked out once again and her body collapsed to the floor beside her dead Mother.
Wanting nothing more than to die beside her dear baby brother, Caroline dug her fingers into the soft wood of the floor, crawling her way to him even as her Father pierced her again and again with his blade, his yelling drowned out by her own screams.
His words meant nothing, the pain and sorrow meant nothing, giving into the screams meant nothing to her as she took her final breath with her hand firmly wrapped around Peter's small cold one.
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Caroline awoke with a gasp, clutching the lush comforter to her chest as she felt a wave of dizziness assault her. The light creeping in through the crack in the heavy and expensive looking drapes seem harsher somehow as she tried and failed to collect her thoughts on her whereabouts and what had occurred.
And then it hit her.
Her Mother. Slayed by her very own hands.
Caroline whimpered.
Peter. Her poor sweet baby brother. Killed by their own Father by trying to be brave.
She croaked out a sob.
Her own Father had finally killed her. And now she would be damned to Hell for all eternity for turning into him and taking a life.
Her eyes rounded and she quickly shoved the blanket away from her, pulling the soft cotton nightdress away from her chest. Glancing down at her findings, Caroline wasn't sure which occupied her mind the most; the fact that she was in a nightdress that was by far more luxurious that anything she had ever owned or that the skin of her chest was free from any scars or markings that should be there from her Father's deadly blade.
At the sound of the door creaking open she quickly let go of the neckline of the nightdress, scrambling to reach for the lush comforter to shield herself from whomever the intruder might be.
"Oh good, you are awake."
Her eyes rounded as she sat stunned, instantly recognizing the man from the night before, "Klaus?"
He smiled so widely that two matching dimples appeared on his scruff covered cheeks, dimples that had she been able to see them in the dark of that night she certainly would have blushed at how much they gave him a boyish charm.
"Aye, I apologize that I was not here when you awoke. I was drawn away by ah, shall we say an unwanted but much needed guest." Klaus's smile held a hint of devious intent as he walked further into the room.
Running a hand over her forehead, Caroline blinked in confusion, "I do not understand. What is happening? How am I here? Why am I here?" She gasped in horror, "You did not change my clothing yourself, did you?"
Sitting calmly in the chair he had stationed next to her bed, the place he had surprisingly found himself in quiet often as he waited for her to wake. Thoroughly entranced by her rambles he bit back an awed chuckle at the many facets of her character knowing it would only offend her in this delicate state. He placed a single hand over his chest while lowering his chin slightly, his eyes spoke of nothing but honesty as he gravely told her, "I swear to you Caroline, I would never take such liberties upon your person unless they were direly warranted. In this case however, I would move to soothe your concerns and tell you that I commanded a housemaid to handle cleaning you up and changing your tattered clothing."
It was at that moment that the sounds of the maids working throughout the house, every scrape of a brooms bristles, every clank of a pot, every hum of whatever ditty they sang crashed into her ears, making all the sounds bleed together and echo throughout her mind. And beneath it all she heard soft wet poundings so deeply it was as if her could feel them, as if they were calling to her like a siren's melody.
"Hey, hey. Look at me Caroline." Klaus's gentle cadence lured her in, once he had her unfocused eyes resting upon him and the veins beneath her eyes receded he continued, "I know that it is all overwhelming right now. You are feeling and hearing things beyond what you reckon as normal. But allow me to assure you, all will be well and I shall explain everything."
"What is happening to me?" She stuttered out as she panted.
Klaus smirked, though his eyes bled with compassion and just a touch of sympathy, "Well that is a long story."
"Well then how about you start at the beginning." Caroline snapped before covering her mouth with her hand in surprise, "I…I am sorry, I have no idea what is coming over me. It is as if…"
Klaus winced grimly, "It is as if you are feeling every single emotion you could possibly think of all at once and more intensely than you could ever comprehend. I promise you that does get easier to cope with and sort out in time."
A spark of hope rushed through her, the beginnings of a brilliant smile gracing her lips as she leaned over the bed to grasp his hand, "You saved me the night by the fire did you not? That is why I am here! You brought me here and I have been down with a terrible fever." She released his hand, leaning back against the headboard with her hands pressed together against her lips as she giggled, "That means it was all just a horrendous nightmare!"
There were not a great many things that Klaus felt remorse over in the past five hundred or so years of his existence, but this moment here and now, of having to destroy that brilliant light of hope from her stunning and elated blue eyes ranked just below having failed his own baby brother in such a way that set them all on this course they were all on now.
"Caroline."
"Yes?" Her smile fell instantly by the look on his face, the remorse and sorrow in his eyes, the tight set to his jaw told her more than words ever could. Shaking her head frantically she began to scream louder and louder with each denial of the truth.
"No. No, no, no! He's not! He can't be! Please! I can lose him. Not him! I was to protect him! She was supposed to protect him!"
Amidst her cries and wails of agony Klaus made a judgement call and heaved himself out of the chair and onto the bed, scooping her up into his arms. He shushed her softly, running his fingers through her golden hair as she wept against his sturdy chest all the while thinking that he had never expected this to happen. He had given her his blood as a way to ease her pain, he had no idea that her poor excuse of a Father would kill her. It was by complete chance that he passed by her home, hearing her screams. Klaus had a hard time deciding which was the better fate for her, dying by the hands of her Father and ceasing to exist all together or completing the transition only to be cursed to carry her suffering for all time.
Once her sobs had quieted down to soft hiccups and sniffles Klaus began weaving his tale of who he was and who she could become if she saw fit to choose. It marveled him beyond his kin of how she tears affected him. With most he found their cries abhorrent; unless they were due to the pain he had inflicted. Where with his own sister he often found her tears an annoyance, with Caroline he discovered he only wanted to console her, to be the one to help ease her pain. It was the oddest thing. For once, after so long, to want to be something to someone other than a living nightmare. To want to connect with someone he hardly knew yet felt deep down within his very bones that somehow; they were the same. And not only by their circumstances of life but of something that was far beyond his recognition at this time.
Klaus fell silent after his explanation, watching her intently as she pulled her soft body from his embrace and began to pace the room deep in thought.
"So, I am a vampire? Or more accurately, once I feed on human blood I will be a vampire."
Klaus knew she was not looking for a response from him, she was simply sussing out the details of her new life in attempts to come to terms with it. Truth be told he marveled at her control and her ability to think things through. Few in her current condition, not to mention the situation that placed her here, would be able to think calmly and rationally with the echoing sounds of the human hearts of the staff swirling around them.
She was utterly extraordinary.
Caroline suddenly stopped, her hands frantically rubbing over her wrist, "The flowered bracelet, there was a flowered bracelet upon my arm. Did you come across it?"
Klaus stood from the bed walking towards the dresser next to the washroom, "I have it here." He waved a hand towards the sentimental object in question, "I admit that I had overheard your discussion with your brother and upon discovering your body I knew it would hold immeasurable value to you so I had the maid place it here."
Caroline sighed in relief and with tears welling in her eyes she reached forward to touch it only to give Klaus a questioning looking when he stopped her.
"You will not want to do that Caroline." He regretfully explained, "This bracelet, lovely as it may be, is crafted of the flower I warned you of."
Her shimmering blue eyes stared at the flowers, "So not only do I have to endure his demise, I cannot touch the one thing I have left of him without feeling even more pain? Is there no end to this suffering?" She asked rhetorically, "What is the point of living forever if it is to only be filled with such agony?"
Klaus took hold of her shoulders gently smiling tenderly to her, "Hey, remember I spoke of witches and their many talents." She nodded, "I am sure with the witches in my employ they can find a way for you to hold this priceless treasure and keep it with you for all eternity. As for the point of this life," He forged on with a shrug of his shoulders, "That is entirely up to you Love. You can travel, see all that the world has to offer. Art, music and," He brushed the back of his hand over her cheek, "genuine beauty. You can have all of it; all you have to do is feed. Or you can choose to die, to leave this life and all its pain and beauty behind." Klaus gulped, completely enchanted by her vivid blue eyes and in utter disbelief at what his was about to offer her, "But, if you choose to live, to see the wonders of this world and create your own; I would be honored to be the one there beside you through it all."
Caroline search his eyes and, even though she knew so little of him, she felt a connection beyond anything she could ever imagine. For the first time in her life she felt as if there was finally a single soul in this cruel world that she could learn to trust.
Klaus's eyes rounded, a hushed breath ghosting from his lips in awe, as she cupped the side of his face with tears in her eyes, "We shall never have to be alone again. We shall have each other through it all. Thick and thin, come what may; I shall never betray you. Though from you, I only ask the same."
Such loyalty was never given as sweetly nor offered as honestly as it was from her. No hidden agendas like from the many vampires and witches abound, no secret whispers behind closed doors as a way to overthrow him. No, not from her. Not from Caroline. She offered him more than even his own blood ever had and only asked for the same in return.
Steadying his shaking hand, he in turn placed his palm to her delicate cheek, "No lies, no betrayals. We will be each other's truest confidant." He could only hope that once she learned how dark he truly could be she would not regret this choice, for now that it was spoken aloud the connect he felt to her deepened within his breast and he would never be able to let her go.
Caroline nodded once before stepping back with her hands folded demurely down her front, "Good. Now that that is settled, whom shall I be feeding upon?"
Klaus smirked devilishly as he held out his arm for her to take, "I happen to have the perfect blood source for you Sweetheart." She quirked a finely shaped eyebrow at him as he led her down the hallway, "I think you will find this means of your transition quiet satisfying."
Klaus guided her down a set of stone steps and through a twisting corridor of cells in the lower depths of his estate. The scones firelight cast shadows up the stone walls and helped to set the ominous mood with a dripping sound echoing through the hall.
Klaus stopped them just outside a large wooden door with a tiny barred window. He leaned his body against the adjacent wall and waved her forward, "Go ahead Love, have at it."
Rubbing her arms for warmth she slowly walked towards the door and opened it slowly with trepidation, glancing for reassurance from Klaus one last time before inhaling deeply and walking in the darkened cell.
Her nervousness fled her the instant she seen who awaited her there in that dark cell.
Her Father stood sluggishly from the soiled ground, his mouth opening to no doubt berate her. But he never gained the chance.
Caroline launched herself across the room with a bellow of rage, her fangs dropping and instantly sinking into the soft malleable skin of his neck. She clutched him so tightly she heard bones break within his quivering body. His arms that had been trying to fight her off beginning to lose their grip.
"No!" Caroline snarled as she released his gapping neck allowing his body to crumple to the floor. "This is not enough for the likes of him. I care not if it is evil, I care not if it damns me to Hell. He should be made to suffer, over and over again, for all that he has done. All that he had stolen from me! Granting him death is to grant him a kindness he does not deserve."
Klaus was stunned in sheer disbelief at her control. A freshly turned vampire, with the blood of a human, her very own tormentor no less, should not have such a tight rein on her control. She amazed him and enthralled him with each and every moment he spent with her.
Strutting slowly towards her, his eyes slid over her beautifully dark face, her inner light still shining brightly through her reddened vampire eyes. Brushing his hands over her cheeks and down her neck he leaned in whispering seductively into her ear, "Hell cannot contain us Sweetheart. Ones such as us will live on forever." He pulled back slightly, their eyes locking and hypnotizing the other before he shook his head slightly. Allowing his gaze to flicker to the cowering and sobbing man on the dungeon floor, "Now with that being said, ones such as the filth upon the floor; there is a special place in Hell for them. But you Caroline hold his fate in your hands. You and you alone may decide when he shall meet that maker or you can become the maker of his own Hell and whichever punishments you deem fit to dole out upon him."
"How?"
Klaus smirked darkly, "Turn him. Let his suffering be the balm to your soul. Let his screams ease your pain and once you feel you have had enough, then and only then will you send him on his way to death with a stake straight through his black heart."
Caroline jutted her chin up, "No."
"No?" Klaus questioned, wondering if he had pushed her too far.
"His suffering is not to soothe my soul. His suffering will be made as payment for all that he has done, all that he has taken. His screams will be penance for snuffing out my dear brother's light and laughter." Caroline swiftly turned and was suddenly kneel right beside her dying father. She looked up startled, not used to her newly acquired speed, but letting that go for now she looked to Klaus for direction on what to do next.
"You must feed him your blood, Love." Klaus watched on in intense anticipation as she bit into her wrist of one arm while holding her flailing father down with the other before forcing her blood into his mouth and down his throat. Her calculating eyes drifted back to him and Klaus felt the breath all but leave his lungs at this magnificent creature. This avenging angel set out to extract revenge against the weak, yet somehow able to fill the most powerful and darkest creature on the planet with her warmth and light.
"In a moment, you will kill him." A malicious smirk grew over his lush lips at the pure relief the man held in his eyes, Klaus so looked forward to crushing in under the weight of his next words, "Then after a few hours he will awaken and need to feed upon human blood to complete the turn." Caroline nodded her head at the information he had given her just a short time ago, "And then his real torture can begin. Over and over again you can kill him, but unless you cut off his head, yank out his heart or drive a wooden stake through that offending appendage, with every death he shall arise again so that you may continue his everlasting Hell."
The smell of the quivering man soiling himself overtook the cell, with her lips curled in disgust Caroline forcefully grabbed his chin, yanking his head to look her in the eyes, "See you soon Papa." She sneered his unworthy title before the crack of his neck resounded off the stone walls.
Caroline shoved his body away from her and stood on shaking legs, ready to collapse from the sheer emotional stress. Klaus quickly flashed to her, scooping her up into his arms and scanning over her face worriedly, "Are you alright Caroline?"
"No." She said honestly with a quick glance at her Father before looking up into Klaus's eyes so trustingly with her inner strength and convictions shining through, "I do not like whom I turned into just now. But with him, it was justified."
"You did wonderfully Sweetheart." Klaus praised her as he carried her from the cell, "Now let us go and get you cleaned up and fed, shall we?"
Her grip tightened on his shoulder, "You will not let me kill anyone, will you?" She blushed at the look he gave her and rushed to explain, "I do not wish to become him. I shall deal out his punishment as he so rightly deserves, but when it comes to others, I do not wish to kill."
"You are a stunning creature Caroline." Klaus responded in awe before regretfully having to explain the realities of just who and what they were, "But there will come a time or two when you may not have the luxury of such a choice. If it is discovered just who and what you are now, people will try and kill or harm you."
Tilting her head to the side sweetly as he carried her up the stairs of the dungeons she asked, "Do these people come after you often?"
Klaus chuckled smugly, "Of course, though they are often surprise with the strength behind my fangs." Glancing at her face he rushed to assure her, "But worry not Love, I shall protect you."
Caroline's big shinning blue eyes looked deeply into his own so intensely that it, along with her next words stopped him in his tracks, "Then I shall only kill when it is warranted in my protection as well as yours."
Gulping down passed the rush of emotions Klaus whispered in wonder, "You wish to protect me?"
"Of course." She scoffed as if it was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard, until she took notice of his posture and of the amazed wonder and disbelief held within his stunning eyes. Lifting the arm that was slung across his front, she moved her hand from his shoulder to cup the side of his handsome face, "Has no one ever sought to protect you?"
With his jaw opened on a gasp Klaus slowly shook his head no.
"Well then, it looks as though there is a first for everything. I gained myself a protector, a dark knight that stormed in on his own feet to save me from my horrible fate. While you…"
Klaus stopped her from speaking, his tone reverent as he gazed at her in astonishment, "I have gained myself an avenging angel of light. One that I hope will not be set on leaving my side any time soon."
Caroline's smiled so brightly that it was as if it was made of the purest of sunbeams, "If he will allow me to, I would be honored to keep his company. To learn more of this supernatural world I am now a part of as well as the man himself."
"It would be my greatest honor to offer you a place within my home." Klaus smiled with a hint of boyish charm before warning her, "But I am a dark man Caroline, filled with a dark past."
Caroline huffed as he began to carry her down the hallway to take her back to her room, "I gathered as much with all that transpired down below. I tell you truly now that I am not frightened of you."
"And I'd have you no other way." Stopping outside of her door he gently set her to her feet, picking up her hand and laying a gentle kiss upon it before stepping back at a respectable distance, "I shall send a maid up momentarily to assist you with your bathing and to guide you down to the study once you are finished." He glanced down to her bare hand, "I wish to remind you to steer clear of any sunlight, the burn is not a feeling you will wish to discover. I shall have a daylight ring crafted for you within a days' time."
Caroline's bare feet slide across the space separating them, her body moving as graceful as any royalty he had met. Standing up on the tips of her toes she placed a soft kiss upon his cheek whispering, "Thank you Klaus." Pulling away slightly, her tone firm, "For everything."
He stood there in stunned disbelief long after she had disappeared behind her closed door. He huffed bashfully and rolled his eyes at himself mockingly before setting off to the tasks at hand. His mind wandering over what having her in his life could mean, his hand rubbing his chest at the unfamiliar feelings bubbling up within his breast. It frightened him to no end to think that she could become such a drastic weakness to him, that he could be doing nothing but dooming her to the fate that all those around him and close to him ultimately suffered.
A flash of her eyes, of her smile, of her golden locks and her enthralling personality ran through his head and was enough to stamp down such thoughts for the time being.
He wanted her, by any means and any dangers it required. And if he was not mistaken, she wanted him as well.
Passing a maid in the hallway he stopped her, "Miss Forbes requires assistance with her lady's bath. You will be sure to pass along the message to all those within my staff that she is to be treated with the respect the Lady of the house requires."
The maid complied with a curtsy and was off to do his bidding leaving Klaus whistling a jaunty tune as he walked into his study to pen a missive to the local witch. He needed to find a daylight ring fit for a Queen.
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I don't even know where this came from, but I hope you all liked it. Don't forget to check out the new chapter to The Girl.
As always, thank you so much for reading!
