Chapter 16: Part 3 – A Heart of Stone

Author's note: This is a continuation of Chapters 11 and 13 in which Klaus, while on the run from Mikael, seeks sanctuary and meets Caroline, a poor soul trapped by an unusual curse. He has vowed to break her curse by enlisting the help of his wild, irresponsible brother Kol — how could this plan possibly fail?

I finally found some inspiration to add more to the story with the help of Klaroline AU Week's Myths and Legends Day. I hope you enjoy it — happy reading!

Warning: Some violence.


"Yet each man kills the thing he loves
By each let this be heard
Some do it with a bitter look
Some with a flattering word
The coward does it with a kiss
The brave man with a sword."
― Oscar Wilde, The Ballad of Reading Gaol


Klaus and Kol arrived in the small, picturesque village of Aughrim, the site of one of the most violent battles ever recorded on Irish soil, with approximately 7,000 killed in 1691. It was considered a major European war for its time, but looking out across the gentle slopes of a vast meadow, one would never be the wiser to the area's turbulent past. In the starlight, Klaus could see the shape of a woman making her way toward them.

In a flirtatious tone, Kol introduced the strawberry blonde with a quick peck on her cheek. "Jenna! It's been ages, darling! Klaus, this is one of my favorite witches, whose given name is Jennyfer, but secretly enjoys it when I call her Jenna."

The witch favored Klaus with an enigmatic smile and asked, "Is this the beastly brother I've heard so much about?"

Klaus opened his mouth to argue, but Kol quickly said, "Yes, this is the one."

Cackling unexpectedly, Jenna clasped her hands together, her eyes turning black as she said in a gravelly voice, "Then we have what we need. What he requires of us."

Klaus sensed the shift of magic in the air, but before he could move, he was struck powerless by an invisible weight that kept him rooted where he stood. "What's the meaning of this? What have you done, brother," he growled at Kol.

Kol's normally airy tone was unusually serious as he said, "What have I done? What about what you have done? You threaten your family with daggers at the merest hint of betrayal. We are your prisoners and fear you nearly as much as our father." Eyes blazing, he stepped closer to Klaus and in a deadly whisper he vowed, "No more. I've seen the error of my ways and have aligned myself with Mikael. He has promised not to punish our family for protecting you and siding with you all these centuries. We will be free. We just have to give him you."

The pain in Klaus' heart made him look down at his chest to see if he had been wounded. There was no blade to be found, but the pain of betrayal by his blood was too much to bear. "You are nothing but a foolish little boy, Kol. Mikael's word is meaningless. He will destroy us all!"

At Kol's indifferent expression, Klaus turned his attention to the witch. If he could sway her or at least break her concentration, he should be able to escape his bonds. "And what of you, witch? What has Mikael promised you?"

Jenna smiled wickedly, stepping closer to the struggling Original without fear. "Power. He has promised me immeasurable power."

Klaus laughed bitterly. "I have power. Align yourself with me and I can arrange a meeting with some of my most devoted followers of the black arts. They can grant you what you seek." He thought he saw the briefest of hesitation in her black gaze, and he pressed his position with, "You don't understand what you've stumbled upon. The curse I'm trying to break is for an innocent. She does not deserve the wretched fate that has befallen her."

At Klaus' words, Jenna's face grew twisted and a hint of her true age seeped out. She coldly declared, "That girl is far from innocent. Alaric had been my faithful lover until he happened to wander into the marketplace where he saw her. He was instantly enthralled and immediately began his pursuit of the silly mortal. When he came to me after her rejection, he begged me to curse her. It was my pleasure to oblige him, of course. He eagerly agreed to add his blood the spell to strengthen the curse. I may have failed to inform him that the amount of blood I needed was more than he could spare, but perhaps in the afterlife, he can still appreciate how she will suffer for an eternity for taking him from me!"

This revelation stunned Klaus. He had come face-to-face with the demonic witch who had caused Caroline and her brother such pain. He had vowed to seek vengeance against the dark creature who had performed the curse, and now he would have the opportunity. He continued to struggle against her magic, searching for weak points he could exploit. He felt the dark veins crawl across his face as his fangs unsheathed at his anger. "Selfish, vile creature, I will carry your soul to hell for what you've done to her!"

Kol and Jenna's amused laughter was cut short when they heard the steady thrum of galloping hooves. Mikael had arrived. Sitting regally upon an Irish Draught Horse, his imperious gaze fell upon Klaus, who remained rooted to the ground by Jenna's spell. "Thought you got rid of me, boy? You don't have your pathetic pet beside you now," he said venomously.

"We delivered him as promised," Kol called out, somewhat uncertainly, "Now grant me my freedom from this wretched family."

"In due time," Mikael reassured him in a tone filled with condescension. "Once this abomination is naught but ash, you and the rest of your traitorous siblings shall be free to embrace whatever worthless pursuits you seek to waste your immortal lives upon."

"What of the power that was promised unto me," Jenna said bravely, stepping closer to Mikael as he dismounted.

"Patience, witch," the hunter growled at her impertinence, "You'll soon receive your reward." He advanced toward Klaus, pulling from beneath his heavy cloak the intricately carved white oak stake.

Klaus refused to show fear to the man that had terrorized him all of his life. He straightened his spine and lifted his head as much as his invisible bonds would allow. "You had to chain me with a witch's power to beat me." His lips curled into a sneer. "The mighty hunter is nothing more than a coward."

Mikael's angry bellow pierced the night and he backhanded Klaus in a blur of Original strength and speed, the ground at his feet becoming wet with blood as he continued the vicious assault with his fists.

An unearthly screech tore through the dark valley, causing Kol and Jenna to shout and Mikael to stay his hands and wildly look about the blanket of stars in terror. The gargoyle landed with a heavy thud in front of the hunter, its stone hide glowing in the starlight. With a fearful whinny, the gray horse galloped off just as the creature's curved talons shot out to grip Mikael's throat, effectively choking off his pitiful screams. Her powerful muscles rippled as she effortlessly raised the hunter into the air. She brought him closer toward her snarling, demonic face. A cold, calculating intelligence sat behind her gaze as she calmly turned toward Klaus and regarded him silently.

Klaus couldn't recall a time when he had ever seen a more beautiful vision than Caroline's majestic creature swooping down from the sky. He realized that he could move again; clearly whatever spell Jenna had cast was now broken. He stretched languidly, flashing a cruel smile before stooping down to grasp the white oak stake that had tumbled from Mikael's fingers during the attack. Noticing the commotion in his peripheral vision, he reached out to snap Kol's neck before he could cowardly flash away.

Jenna attempted to edge away unscathed during the battle, but Klaus quickly blocked her escape. "Where are your manners, witch? It's rude to leave a party without a proper farewell."

The Cailleach's dark eyes widened in fear as she waved her arms ineffectively in Klaus' direction. "I — I don't understand! Why is my power drained?"

He mockingly said, "Mikael trusts no one but himself. He is known for binding his allies' powers should they fail in their tasks or consider betraying him. He has other witches who cast these counter spells to ensure his survival. Obviously, you didn't fail in your task as you did trap me, but I'd wager that you intended to abandon him to his grisly fate once you spied the gargoyle."

Jenna was speechless as she nervously flicked her dark gaze between the creature and Klaus, clearly trying to calculate her best chance at survival. Before she could open her mouth in an attempt to negotiate her freedom, Klaus moved too quickly for her to detect, easily thrusting his claws into her chest cavity. At her helpless gurgles, he clenched his fist around her withered heart, leaning into her as he solemnly vowed, "For Caroline." With a squelching noise, he ripped out her heart, his claws curled around its worthless meat as he threw it to the ground beside them.

Caroline gnashed her fangs, letting out a screech as she watched the witch who had cursed her to this terrible fate crumple to the ground. She raised her cold gaze to Klaus, watching him carefully as she continued to hold Mikael in her powerful grip. She cocked her head to the side as though trying to read the numerous emotions that flitted across his face as he contemplated his enemy.

Klaus silently nodded to her, but his cold gray eyes never left Mikael's horrified face. He wanted to remember this moment. Understanding seemed to wash over the beast as she turned her attention back to the hunter who continued his useless struggled against her incredible strength. Releasing a savage screech that settled into Klaus' heart like a victory cry, she sliced her thick talons viciously through Mikael's neck, effortlessly decapitating him.

Klaus was startled to feel a few tears fall as he watched the head roll before settling next to the body. When the skin failed to desiccate, he did not hesitate to flash to the torso and drive the white oak stake deeply into the rib cage, piercing the heart and causing flames to engulf Mikael's remains.

Caroline seemed to hesitate, as though conflicted about something. Finally growling lowly to herself, she stalked toward Klaus and reached out her gore-streaked talon to lightly tap his shoulder. Her "light tap" nearly pushed him to the ground, but he had grown used to her strength and managed to lock his knees in place to prevent falling. Together, they stood silently before the fire, watching as it reduced Klaus' greatest nightmare into harmless ashes.

A loud cracking noise interrupted the oddly peaceful moment as Kol's body began to heal itself from his broken neck. Klaus immediately flashed over to him, hauling him to his feet with both fists grabbing his cloak. Dark veins crawled under his eyes and his sharp fangs unsheathed in his anger as he bellowed, "How dare you betray me! I always knew you were shiftless, but I never thought of you as a coward until today!"

Kol's normally warm brown eyes were cold as he spitefully spat, "It's not cowardly to want to survive. I saw an end to this wretched existence of constantly running and I took it."

"You want it all to end, dear brother? Allow me to help you with that, just as I did with Mikael," Klaus threatened menacingly.

His brother chuckled darkly. "Your only weapon against me has burned to ash with Mikael's pitiful remains. You have no teeth in this fight, brother." At Kol's venomous words, Caroline growled, twitching her wings in irritation as she glared at him. Kol visibly paled, but he continued to taunt Klaus with, "I suppose you could ask your pet to take my life, like a coward."

Seething with rage, Klaus pulled out a sharp dagger to hold to Kol's throat and hissed, "I will end your life when I see fit, blood traitor. However, you are foolish to forget that I still have your dagger and will put you down unless you tell me where the tablet is buried that contains Caroline's curse."

Kol shook his head, his eyes barely glancing to the weapon. "It matters not what I say, Klaus. I tell you, and you dagger me. I refuse, and you dagger me. By remaining silent, I can prolong your misery, knowing that I've kept you from breaking the curse of your lady fair."

At the gargoyle's enraged shriek, Kol merely laughed. "And you'll never discover it. Between the dim-witted leprechaun and your lovely maiden whose head is literally filled with rocks, you should mark the curse tablet as lost forever, dear brother." As Klaus roared at his words, Kol continued his cruel laughter before adding, "Even I have to admit, the Celtic witch's humor is a sight to behold." He froze suddenly, and a curious fear flashed through his eyes.

Caroline stiffened as well, stomping the ground with her cloven hooves as though deep in thought. She favored Klaus with an inscrutable look before she gave him a short nod. She abruptly leapt high into the air, unfurling her impressive wings and flying away into the night.

Klaus was momentarily confused until he thought back to Kol's words about the witch's humor and his earlier information regarding the likely burial locations of curse tablets. His eyes darkened with rage as he yelled, "Your witch had to bury it in a place of death to retain its power. She maliciously buried it in the cathedral's cemetery, didn't she? So that all these decades that Caroline and her brother suffered, they would never realize that the key to breaking her curse was merely steps away."

At Kol's sputtering denials, Klaus stabbed him through the heart with the dagger, desiccating him. Picking up his brother's corpse, he flashed back to the cathedral's cemetery, his heart pounding in anticipation as he formed an idea about where to look for the curse tablet.


Upon his arrival, he was unsurprised to see the beast already had torn huge swaths of earth throughout the cemetery. He noted that even in her desperate state to find the tablet, she was careful not to disturb the coffins as she quickly swept past each row of gravestones.

Matthew had come running from the back of the cathedral, gripping a splintered shovel. He stopped in front of Klaus and cocked an eyebrow when he saw the way Kol's desiccated body was dumped unceremoniously at his feet. "Vampires' family squabbles get settled with a bit more finality than regular folk," he observed, nudging Kol's grayed cheek with the tip of his shovel.

"My brother is only temporarily dead." At Matthew's questioning look, Klaus explained, "I've desiccated him for now. I am deciding on how permanent his condition should be."

Matthew wisely chose not to comment and instead jerked his head toward the whirling dervish that was Caroline as she continued clawing at the graveyard. "I take it the curse tablet is buried here?"

"Yes," Klaus said urgently, "It was implied that the witch buried her curse tablet here. Apparently the Cailleach was actually Alaric's lover before he met Caroline. Her name was Jennyfer or Jenna. She apparently bled the bloody bastard dry to use his life force in the curse. I assume this is the only cemetery for miles — if Alaric is buried here, the witch likely buried the curse tablet in his grave."

The caretaker's green eyes widened as he processed Klaus' words. "It was said that that evil man had run afoul o' a bandit's blade." He seemed to sense the seething anger that Klaus was experiencing as he thought of how Caroline had dwelled for decades within the same place where that vile human's rotting body lay. "It tore me heart he was granted peace here. I wanted that wretch far away from me sister, even in death."

Klaus could hear the anger in Matthew's voice. "How could you allow it," he asked, needing to understand.

"I planned to pull his worthless corpse from the ground meself and hurl it from the tallest cliff I could find, but Caroline stopped me. She was still getting used to her strength and managed to land so hard next to the grave that the stone marker split in half. Her eyes told me that any evil I did would do nothing to erase that bastard's own."

Klaus struggled to comprehend Caroline's unfathomable capacity for forgiveness. "Your sister is a remarkable woman," he said in awe.

"And best ye not forget it, lad," Matthew warned with an edge to his voice as he whirled around with his shovel, pointing its tip in the far corner of the cemetery. "He's over there." In a loud voice, he called out to Caroline, "Quit tearin' up me grounds! We think it's buried with that devil man!"

With a high-pitched screech, the gargoyle leapt across several rows of graves until she reached the edge of the cemetery. She paused, quietly staring at the split marker with her piercing gaze. Just as Klaus flashed beside her, she reached out a sharp talon, tentatively grazing the damaged stone as though reflecting upon the memory Matthew had shared. Klaus kneeled beside the tombstone, carefully resting his hand over her claws. She snorted gently before moving to the foot of the grave to begin digging with her powerful arms.

Klaus helped her excavate the moist earth, its sickeningly sweet, decayed smell permeated the night air. Matthew soon joined them with his shovel, wheezing and grumbling good naturedly about monsters forgetting that not every bloke could run without getting winded. The scrape of Caroline's talons signaled that she had reached Alaric's coffin. She gingerly lifted the lid, her gaze unreadable as she quietly stared at the rotted corpse. She reached inside, removing a small object before shutting the lid with surprising care.

Despite Klaus and Matthew's exasperated shouts to break the object, she stubbornly ignored them and instead patiently began sweeping the earth from the disturbed grave back into its hole. The men grudgingly helped her, and soon the despicable soul's resting place was refilled once more.

The beast held out its talons to show them a broken pottery shard, no larger than a human hand. It was streaked with odd rust-colored stains until Klaus realized it was likely bathed in Alaric's blood. There was a bit of golden rope braided and wound around the curse tablet. The witch had used a piece of Caroline's hair. Revolted, Klaus opened his mouth to urge her to destroy the object once and for all, but Matthew stepped forward instead, to place a comforting hand upon one of the gargoyle's folded wings.

As though drawing courage from her brother's presence, she clenched her fist tightly around the pottery shard until it turned into nothing more than dust as her human hair fell softly to the earth. The heavy night air seemed to ripple around the creature, and suddenly the demonic shape twisted and seemed to melt before their eyes, leaving a stunningly beautiful woman in its wake.

Large green eyes blinked rapidly at Matthew as she said in a sweet voice, slightly raspy from disuse, "Matty?"

The caretaker cursed softly, sweeping her into his arms as he spun her around, laughing and crying hysterically. "Caroline!" He set her down, grasping both of her hands as he shook his head in disbelief. "Blimey, ye look exactly the same as when ye was cursed at 17!"

Caroline giggled, playfully brushing at his thinning hair. "And yet wee baby brother seems to have aged up a bit." They hugged and their joy seemed to light up the cemetery as they laughed heartily.

Klaus shifted awkwardly on his feet, feeling like an intruder upon the siblings' joyful reunion. The noise drew their attention and Caroline's eyes lit up as she studied the Original. "Klaus," she said in delight, blushing prettily as she stepped out of her brother's embrace to move toward him.

Klaus felt his heart soar as he gazed upon the young woman that had saved him from Mikael. "Caroline," he replied softly.

Snorting derisively, Matthew rolled his eyes at the pair and said, "Go on then, don't mind me. Me sister's made a bleedin' mess o' the grounds and someone should tend to it." He took her ivory hand and kissed it gently. He nodded toward Klaus and said solemnly, "Thank ye for restoring me sister. Ye've done a kindness that won't be forgotten."

Nodding absently, Klaus couldn't tear his gaze away from the angelic vision before him to acknowledge Matthew's retreating figure. He found himself inexplicably at a loss for words, despite months of planning what he would say once her curse was broken. How could he possibly begin to convey what he was feeling? He clumsily blurted out the first thought that came to him: "Would you care to watch the sunrise with me?"

Caroline's blush deepened as she favored him with a brilliant smile that pierced his heart. She gently took his hands and pulled him toward the cathedral's tower. "I know the perfect place."