A/N- Here we go, a nice long chapter. Check out klaro-addict tumblr for pictures of Katherine's outfit and her jewellery.
Also I'm still on the hunt for anyone capable of making covers on tumblr for my stories, let me know if you're interested.
This was her first Court attendance in five years.
Katherine was nervous and hated that she would even admit that to herself.
"It feels hypocritical" she says glumly as she stands before the mirror in her dressing room, pouting as she was zipped into a dress Elena had brought for her, figuring that she wouldn't have any appropriate bereavement attire,
"Wearing black when the only people mourning Mikael will be those out of a job"
"Do you want me to find you something yellow to wear?" her sister jests, nodding her head to the portable rack of clothes she'd had delivered from the Salvatore estate,
"Something pink maybe? I wear a lot of pastels"
Katherine gagged at the thought of pastel colours and rolled her eyes,
"I'm just saying that it seems ridiculous for me to shower, change from one black dress to another black dress, reapply make-up and pretend to be upset when in reality the only person with more to gain from Mikael's death than me was Elijah"
In her own black gown- Elena had to straighten her hair so that the sisters wouldn't be mistaken for one another and her heels were shorter- her sister looked far younger than her twenty-one years.
"I am so glad that tradition denies the autopsying of Kings" she sighs, "Otherwise I have a feeling you'd be screwed"
Katherine curls her lip and glares, "See if I let you near the Crown jewels for the wedding"
"Elijah will" Elena returns as she crosses the dressing room to look in the other mirror, "He likes me"
"Everyone likes you" she points out, flicking her curls back from her face
"It's me they've never been able to stand"
"That's because you are an ambitious bitch" Elena teases lovingly, "Whereas I settled for the second son of a Count"
"Settled?"
They looked up as Stefan poked his head in the door, "I don't think I want to be overhearing this conversation"
"Get out!" Katherine picked up an ivory backed hairbrush and pulled her arm back threateningly,
"Petrova's only in this section of the palace"
Stefan made a face and Elena laughed, "I just wanted to let you ambitious bitches know that Nadia is down, I texted Nik and he told me that we could take the room for Katerina's lady-in-waiting in light of the fact that you know… you don't have one because nobody likes you"
The hairbrush hits the door with a resounding smack and Elena laughs, "Don't brain my husband, I only just finished training him"
"Really?!" he calls through the door, "Whatever happened to our epic love?"
"I thought you had that with Nik!"
Both sisters snicker as Stefan concedes defeat and leaves. Elena sighs happily and looks up at the chandelier lighting the room,
"You know, there are some perks to being in with the royals"
Katherine hums in agreement and slides into her heels, wondering how much of her sister's clothing she'd have to borrow over the next few days, at least a funeral meant you had to tone down on the jewellery and she'd get away with her necklace and ring. But the clothes she'd left in Rose Seng would be five years out of date, some wouldn't fit and the rest were covered in memories.
Hopefully her possessions at Whitmore had been packed up and flown over.
"Klaus and Stefan are friends then?" she asks and Elena nods,
"I don't know what it is they have in common but every holiday he had free from the Night Wolves he was up at Mörkt trä and he and Stefan hit the local pubs and drank the village dry"
"That's good" she nabbed the Hermes scarf Elena had planned on wearing and draped it around her own neck, "We need allies"
"We have all the allies we need" Elena corrected and buttoned up her own jacket before handing Katherine her coat,
"You need a friend to see you through those days you're your own worst enemy"
Both sisters check each other over one more time, ensuring that not a hair is out of place,
"I thought that was what family was for?" Katherine quipped,
"Family will keep you going forward" Elena contradicted, as they strode through her rooms through the palace to the front doors where they would be collected.
"But a friend will hold you when you can't bear to look at yourself or your mirror image"
Katherine conceded defeat and braced herself, she might have been able to avoid media attention earlier by being snuck into the back of the Cousin's Palace but by now word of her arrival would have spread and the future Queen of Valhalla couldn't sneak into the back of Kattegat Palace as if she were ashamed or something to be hidden.
She stopped before the closed doors and smiled at Stefan who was waiting there with a few of the skeleton crew of servants that existed in the palace. There would be more tomorrow once the Master of the Household began sorting out the housekeeping arrangements for the two palaces.
Elena reached out and briefly squeezed her hand before the servants opened the doors and they stepped out into the evening.
It was an awkward moment as Elena currently outranked Katherine, being the wife of a Count's son but Katherine was the future Queen, so she took precedence over both her sister and brother-in-law. She settled for being only one step ahead of them however. It had begun to drizzle lightly and they waited under the arch above the doorway as the car pulled around.
"Even the weather's only putting in a token effort" Stefan muttered under his breath and Elena quickly trod on his foot before he made the two sister's laugh.
They were being watched after all.
The moment they'd stepped outside the paparazzi outside the gates had begun adjusting their lenses and snapping photos, shouting to try and catch their attention as they climbed into the car. Katherine in the middle seat while husband and wife flanked the windows.
Katherine took a breath and fixated her gaze straight ahead on the slowly opening palace gates, the paparazzi knew that to step into the grounds was cause for arrest and probably a sly beating by the palace guards but the moment the car slid out into the square the flashing lights were almost blinding as the cameras were pushed as close to the windows as they could get, her name being shouted repeatedly in the hope that she would respond, that she would even turn her head and give them a glimpse of her eyes.
With her placid courtiers expression on her face she counted the seconds in her head as the car slowly made its way to Kattegat Palace and they were behind closed gates again. There was a bevy of cars in the circular driveway of the palace, some standard black jaguars bearing the royal plates such as hers, others luxury vehicles of the elite that had been invited to witness the royal address in person.
The car waited in line and came to a stop right outside the palace doors and she inhaled and squared her shoulders, taking Stefan's hand as he helped her out of the car and she was momentarily tempted to keep a hold of it, let those less familiar with the Petrova sisters try to figure out which one she was.
However her hair was curled in her trademark fashion and she could no longer feign the sweet innocence that drew people to Elena.
So she climbed up the stairs and walked into the entrance hall, her appearance causing a stir, turning her head left and right and smiling at those who noticed her and offered their greetings.
She knew they were surprised to see her return. Five years is a long time but the heavy engagement ring was still on her finger and Aidan, Elijah's Private Secretary came forward to greet her as a servant took her coat,
"Milady Petrova" he shook her hand, "Lovely to see you as always"
Stefan and Elena lingered in the hallway to greet the arriving acquaintances and pretend to commiserate with them over Mikael's sudden and shocking death.
He escorted her to the Reception room where all royalty addressed the nation and Katherine blinked in surprise at the two thrones at the end of the room,
"Mikael stuck thrones everywhere in the last few years" Aidan explained to her as he tapped away on his phone, "He'd have stuck them in the bathrooms if they didn't already have one"
She laughed politely and he slipped away, phone to his ear as he handled whatever issue was arising for the next King of Valhalla.
The whole room was abuzz, the invited nobility milling against the walls, whispering to each other as they stared at the podium that had been set up before the thrones and cloth of state. The media team were rushing to and fro, setting up lights and electric cables, babbling into their phones and triple checking everything. Katherine took a moment to look over every inch of the room, from the liveried servants all with a hint of nervousness in their eyes to the power hungry nobles all eyeing the podium as if they could already picture Elijah behind it.
Prince Niklaus was standing by the window in the uniform of the Valhallan army, a soldier's mask on his face but the air around him warned against intruders upon his solitude. However, he'd always been nice to her and she didn't yet want to throw herself into the frenzied cruelty of the noble society.
He raised his head and smiled in acknowledgment as she approached, "Your Highness" she curtsied,
"Hello Katty, are Stefan and Elena here?"
"Around" she answers vaguely, "Elijah?"
"Being prepped by Mikael's…by his press team"
For a moment Klaus resembled nothing more than a lost puppy and Katherine remembered all the times she'd seen him look to Mikael with such hope even when all he could ever expect was a harsh word and beating.
It was common knowledge amongst the Royal Inner Circle that a great many of Ansel Wolfsbane's scars had been gained by his standing between the King and this prince.
In fact Katherine had been in the palace the night Mikael hadn't been able to find a ring that had belonged to his father and had been absolutely certain that Klaus had stolen it, he had beaten the boy half to death before Katherine had managed to find Ansel and seeing Klaus there, soaked in blood…
For an instant, Katherine had been sure Ansel would kill the king where he stood. Instead, he had simply picked Klaus up, taken him to her father to be stitched back together and then taken him south to the coast to join the military service.
She wondered if Klaus had been away from Kattegat for as long as she had been.
"How is your sister?" she asks politely and he grimaces, "Kol will be bringing her down shortly, she's…upset to have lost father and become an orphan"
Katherine resisted the quirk of her eyebrow. Mikael had never been a hands on father, unless he was laying hands on Klaus, in fact she figured Rebekah would have enjoyed the new freedom afforded to her as the sister of the King as opposed to the daughter.
Certainly her yearly allowance would be higher and the restrictions on her lessened.
She senses Elena behind her and turns her head to see that her parents have arrived also, hand in hand, her father being besieged as politely as possible as people try to wrangle details of Mikael's death from him.
Good luck, the Spanish Inquisition wouldn't be able to get information on what Alexander Petrova had for breakfast, these gossip-hungry nobles wouldn't get a single word from her father that hadn't been carefully thought out beforehand.
Stefan and Klaus are chatting warmly, catching up when they all hear a loud sob and the entire room glances to the doors closest to the thrones where the Princess Rebekah is being led through, clinging to Kol's arm as if she'd been mortally wounded.
"Bloody hell" Klaus muttered under his breath and Katherine found herself agreeing.
Whereas everyone else in the room was barely managing to look properly sombre for the event, Rebekah had swung in completely the other direction and was apparently barely able to stand in her grief.
Although the high black wedges she was wearing might also have had something to do with it.
Or perhaps she was having trouble seeing through the black veil fascinator.
She was wearing a full length black gown with long sleeves and tight skirt, trying to look older than her seventeen years, she'd also used a heavy hand on her mascara, eyeliner and lipstick, all of which might have been labelled water-proof but were struggling to stay in place under the weight of her tears.
"Dili*" Elena muttered under her breath, her tone low and mournful so nobody would suspect that she was calling the princess crazy, Katherine bit her tongue to stop from giggling, just because nobody outside of the Petrova family in the Valhallan nobility understood the Romani tongue, didn't mean that they couldn't guess what they were talking about.
Aidan came out to do a final check and froze with a dear in the headlights expression when he saw how much trouble Rebekah was having standing on her own two feet and quickly darted out again.
Any servant worth their salt would try and delegate the handling of the dramatic Princess onto someone else.
By now Kol had managed to drag Rebekah over to their group and she all but threw herself into Klaus' arms, weeping into his uniform,
"Oh Nik…we didn't even get to say goodbye"
Katherine glanced at Kol and widened her eyes purposefully. In barely ten minutes Elijah would be addressing the nation and was supposed to have his family behind him, how could he speak if Rebekah was causing a scene behind him?
A hush fell over the room as a page entered, "His Majesty King Elijah the Fifth of Valhalla"
Most of the nobles in the room dropped to one knee while a select few were able to merely bow or curtsey. This was a telling moment for those who had to take the knee were seeing the new King for the first time that day whilst those who did not had clearly already performed the ritual of obeisance and seen him already. It showed where people were ranked in this competition for the Royal favour.
Katherine curtseyed and Elijah made his way towards her, his script in hand and he smiled politely in greeting Stefan and Elena,
"Rise and greet your new King" he tells them quickly and they bob up smiling, he turns to his siblings and his own smile falters before he extracts Rebekah from Klaus' arms,
"Dearest sister" Elijah held her hands in his own, "If you are too heartbroken by the loss of our father then you don't have to be here while I make the address, you can return to your rooms to grieve privately"
That shut Rebekah up immediately. Katherine shared a knowing glance with Elena, both sisters had endured Rebekah often enough to know that the one thing the Princess couldn't stand was not being in the spotlight.
She broke into quiet sniffles and then wiped under her eyes, composing herself in a matter of seconds and turning to face the rest of the group, starting in obvious surprise when she realised that the two Petrova sisters were there and doing that double-glance people often performed when they were trying to tell the two of them apart,
"What are you doing here?" she snapped at Katherine who blinked and feigned confusion,
"My fiancé asked me to be with him tonight…" she trails off, her hand over her chest displaying the large engagement ring.
Rebekah's glare could kill a man at ten paces, "You're still bloody engaged to her?! Don't tell me that you're actually planning to marry her?!"
The Princess' loud voice carried and around the room people stopped what they were doing and didn't even pretend to be making conversation, blatantly listening in. Elena had apparently stopped breathing and her nails were digging into Stefan's suit, Stefan's hand was hovering on Katherine's back, whether to comfort or restrain her she wasn't sure.
Katherine herself felt as if she was miles away, watching the scene from a distance as Elijah shot her an apologetic glance.
"That is typically what happens when you propose to someone and give them a ring signifying your commitment to one another" Elijah remarks drily,
"But let's discuss this later, when we aren't surrounded by media and nobility hmm?"
Aidan came forward and led Kol, Klaus and Rebekah to the podium and showed them the tape markings on the floor for them to stand on, Katherine waited expectantly and wasn't disappointed.
"Come" Elijah lay a hand on her back and guided her to the podium as well, she held her breath as the entire room watched her, she glanced down and saw that her name was marked next to the Princess Rebekah but Kol and Klaus took one look from their brother and stepped aside so she could stand between them.
They were almost ready.
"Sorry!"
There was a shout across the room and they raised their heads to see Henrik racing through, Ansel right on his heels,
"I was camping with my friends and we were out of range and the guards couldn't find me but Ansel tracked me…he actually tracked me and I'm here now"
He skidded to a stop and stared up at Klaus, "Wow Nik, you look badass, do you have a gun?"
Klaus snickered, "Not on me little brother, it's forbidden to carry arms in the palaces"
Henrik moaned, "Boring…oh hey Elijah" he performed the quickest knee bob ever and Elijah could barely get the words out before he was up again, "Am I going to be on television?"
Katherine resisted the urge to smile at Henrik's boisterousness, clearly he'd had the least parental influence on him and was all the more alive for it.
He couldn't be more than eleven and was at that gangly stage where his limbs were too big for his body.
"Not looking like we've been keeping you in the dungeons you're not" Elijah commented with a disapproving air, taking the mud splattered shirt between two fingers,
"Honestly Henrik, one of the richest boys in the world and you run around the forest like our ancestors never even built the palace!"
"Your Majesty" Ansel approached taking something from a servant, a black wool sweater,
"This should cover most of the dirt,"
The media team was getting antsy now, checking their watches and trying to look impatient while remembering that the man before them was the King of the nation.
But they were still only a few minutes out now from going live and showing the country an empty podium and unready family behind it.
Henrik allows himself to be dressed with little grace and ushered into position on the other side of Kol, he leans past his brother and studies Katherine,
"Didn't you and Elijah once have sex in a closet?" he questions,
"Henrik!" Elijah turned around at the podium glaring at his brother while Katherine covered her mouth,
"Your Majesty" Ansel whispered as he quickly retreated out of the cameras view and in one instant they went from a group of young adults to respectful royals and nobles.
"Good Evening" Elijah said looking straight into the camera, projecting a commanding presence, the presence of a king.
"Citizens of Valhalla, I come to you this evening with the sad news that my father, King Mikael X died in the night. He went peacefully in his sleep and suffered no pain. My family and I are saddened by the loss, we grieve with you, the people. My father was a good man who ruled fairly and justly over the kingdom which he loved so dearly. He served our gods well and has left his mark on our great nation, I can only hope to honour his memory in my own service to this country. I humbly accept my calling as King of Valhalla, I solemnly swear that I will dedicate the rest of my life to the service of our nation, to its betterment and its protection. The blood of my ancestor's runs through my veins and like so many before me, I would gladly shed it for the good of us all. So I ask for your continued support of the monarchy and swear to you that you shall be rewarded for your faith in us. Thank-you"
He finished the speech and waited for the signal before stepping back from the podium. The room waited on baited breath before the cameraman waved his hand and they broke into polite applause, Katherine smiled proudly at him while Rebekah beamed and wiped under her eyes as she had been doing continuously throughout the speech.
Elijah had been performing royal duties his entire life but this time he was clearly full of nervous energy. There was quite a large difference between knowing that you will one day be King of Valhalla and suddenly finding yourself addressing twelve million citizens and realising that you lead the entire nation.
Katherine stepped forward and squeezed his hand,
"You were wonderful" she assures him before Rebekah sashays past and pushes her out of the way, "My big brother"
The nobility were all coming over, discreetly trying to outpace one another to congratulate their new King and capture his attention. Katherine felt a hand on her arm and her mother appeared at her side,
"You've said your piece" she told her quietly, "Now come away before you're seen floundering and crying for attention amongst the masses"
She smiled and swept over to where Elena and Stefan were chatting with Alexander, their conversation in low volume so they wouldn't be seen to be attracting attention but in English so that the contrast between that and the ancient Norse tongue would be noticed. Elena kissed her cheek as she approached and whispered encouragement in her ear, Katherine smiled and joined the conversation about Rose Seng, listening to all the changes that had occurred there over the last five years and pretending not to notice how they were being watched by the nobility.
Aidan came over and politely interrupted, "Milady Petrova?"
She nearly asked him to call her Katherine before remembering that within Valhalla her name was Katerina, "Yes?"
"The Lord Chamberlain and Master of the Household will be meeting with you tomorrow to discuss the running of the Cousin's Palace" he informed her with a knowing grin and she nodded in thanks,
Elijah met her gaze through the crowd and she gazes longingly before someone moves into their path, blocking the line of sight. She exhales in annoyance and turns on her heel to see Klaus and Kol approaching,
"That went well" she comments politely and they both nodded,
"Except we forgot to invite Finn and Freya" Kol mutters, "Whoops!"
Finn and Freya, Mikael's illegitimate twin children by his one-time mistress Dahlia. Utterly boring brown-noses who had truly resented Mikael's legitimate royal children, if they had come they likely would have caused trouble or tried to ruin the evening.
Katherine wondered whether they'd turn up at the Cousin's Palace and demand her rooms or open their own house in the city.
"I'm sure they'll release a statement of their own later" Klaus murmurs before turning to Stefan, "You and the family all set up for the night?"
Stefan smiles, "We are thanks…I'm hoping the palace is large enough that Nadia can wear herself out, usually we just give her the back paddocks and let her roam free till dusk"
The group laughs politely before Kol yawns and Katherine catches on, "Long day"
She smiles in agreement, "And a long night before that"
He gazes about the room, "From what I can see this isn't a drink and nibbles affair, you want to grab a bite to eat?"
She would actually, she was starting to get hungry but she knew that 'a bite to eat' with Kol meant a five course dinner at some bizarre restaurant with the paparazzi on their tail.
Right now, for the first time in years, she found herself craving a smoked salmon open sandwich and a rose lemonade.
"My family and I are headed back to the Cousin's palace" she answered apologetically,
"You're welcome to join us of course"
For a moment he looked like he was about to take her up on that offer but then Rebekah came out of nowhere and linked her arm through his,
"I'm starving" she announced, "Let's order something from the most decadent restaurant we can find. I'm thinking gold flaked sushi"
She turned her shoulder and the family recognised a dismissal when they saw one, especially one that rude.
"Your Highness" Alexander and Stefan bowed while the women curtsied and Katherine in a rare spurt of anger swept back across the room and just by appearing, managed to distract Elijah from Duchess Genevieve and her ridiculous bevy of daughters,
"My family and I are leaving" she told him, lifting her face and receiving a perfunctory farewell kiss, one that lacked the spontaneity and emotion of the last one but was publicly appropriate,
"Good night Your Majesty"
"Good night Katerina"
Alexander and Miranda had chosen to stay at Hotel Gaular, a sprawling hotel just outside Lothbrok square where the nobility often chose to stay when they were attending events in Hjart but had not received invitation to stay in one of the palaces.
Of course Katherine probably could have got them one of the many rooms currently standing empty in the Cousin's Palace but they had refused for the moment, wanting her to have some privacy and time alone, also so they could be approached by anyone offering overtures of friendship.
Elena and Stefan raided the kitchen with her, the fridge having been stocked once a week with necessary food stuffs and they were able to make sandwiches for dinner.
Or rather, Stefan was able to using a site on his phone as a reference while Elena and Katherine were ordered back at knifepoint.
Both sisters were legendary in the family for kitchen disasters.
But Stefan and Elena went to bed shortly after, leaving her to meander to her bedroom where she found an envelope on the bed telling her that her possessions had arrived and been unpacked. She pulled her wardrobe open with relief and changed into one of the many Victoria Secret nightgowns, throwing the matching kimono over the top before bouncing onto the bed and gazing around.
The only things that weren't turquoise in the room were either another shade of blue, varnished wood or gold.
Strangely enough she momentarily missed her tiny by comparison dorm room at Whitmore, with the shared bathroom, the tiny bed, the thin walls and the never ending music played by some inconsiderate asshole.
But this was her life.
The dream was over.
She slid off the bed and moved to her state room, feeling scandalous for standing there in nothing more than a nightgown but the palace was empty and nobody would be the wiser.
She left the lights off, moving by the electric light coming from the square outside and tread over to the window. Members of the press were still outside Kattegat, reporting on the death and some idiots were holding a candlelight vigil. She squinted and saw the red and blue uniform with matching beret, Klaus must have been sent down to thank them for their strange act.
Valhallan kings weren't mourned with candles and standing around in the night. She wondered if they were going to make a grave for him next instead of the ship off the coast where all rulers had been sent to their fiery grave, their spirits standing watch over the seas and guarding against enemy invasion.
She ignores the creaking noise at first, any building more than fifty years old made noises in the night. There were no ghosts who had any reason to haunt her and the priests and priestesses of the Royal Temple would perform the rituals to keep Mikael's ghost from mischief.
When she hears the door close however she spins around with a surprised gasp,
"It's alright" Elijah's voice calls across the room, "It's only me"
He doesn't turn on the lights either and it isn't until he steps into the glow from the window that she can see he's discarded with the tie and suit jacket he was wearing before, rolled up his shirt sleeves and generally appeared more relaxed.
She unclenches her fists, "You startled me"
He grimaces, "I'm sorry" he slides his hands into his trouser pockets and leans against the wall, facing her, "But I couldn't even begin to wind down, nor could I stomach the Valhallan-Asian fusion food the rest of my family was gorging on, I couldn't pace my palace like a restless spirit, not while half the staff are still up and about…"
She listens to him but her attention is focused on his tapping foot and the rapidness of his speech, he was running on adrenaline and had needed to escape all the buzzing activity of the Palace before he could even think of relaxing.
She lets him talk himself into silence and then turns back to the window, he moves with her and they stare out into the night, enjoying the companionable silence, Katherine ignoring the fact that she's practically naked in front of him until he speaks again.
"I'm afraid I can't reward your father" he begins, murmuring softly, "Despite him being faultless in my father's death if I were to give him title or position now or within the next year, people would talk"
Katherine shrugs daintily, "That's fine, he's been a lowly baron his entire life, he can handle a paltry castle and sustainable farm for a little longer"
Especially when his daughter would be queen.
"Well" Elijah gives a one-sided smile, "Just because I can't reward him without being accused of regicide doesn't mean he'll have to live in disappointment, he'll be pleased to know that I am making Stefan a Gentleman of the Privy Chamber, which is completely honorary at this point but he'll be in my train for every state event and I'll be granting him and Elena the Marquis and Marchioness of Orelands which will give them a decent allowance, and I'll be changing the hereditary laws as soon as possible so first born females can inherit" he shifts and she feels as if her whole body is tingling,
"I'd also like to make little Nadia the Duchess of Ensamhet once we're married but I'm worried that she'll be quite annoyed if I dispute her title of Queen"
Her heart catches at his casual mention of these titles and her family and she's unable to handle her emotions, so she confusedly settles on outrage.
"Why are you doing this?" she demands, "Earlier today you went out and head hunted a progressive pro-democracy academic for the sole purpose of modernising the monarchy and evening out the socio-economic gap in this country and now you come in here and tell me that my family is going to get any title you can throw at us? Am I supposed to thank-you?! Do you finally want me to kneel?"
She sweeps away from him to the centre of the room, her silk nightgown fluttering about her thighs and drops to her knees in challenge, staring at Elijah even though with his back to the window she can't see into his eyes. He stands there motionless for a few moments before moving towards her, his footfalls silent on the plush carpet, his hands lifting to undo his belt buckle, clearly about to take her up on her offer and her mouth drops open in surprise.
He can't expect that she will actually suck him off here, in the middle of the State room where anybody could walk in!
She can hear the click of buckle and the hiss of leather and she can feel the reaction of panic on her body, her armpits growing moist and her throat growing dry as he stops before her, his finger trails up from her throat to her jaw…
She yelps in surprise as he suddenly shoots down and scoops her up into his arms, holding her close as he turns into the faint light so she can see his smile,
"The look on your face" he murmurs, his voice warm with good humour, "You would have bitten my poor appendage clean off and eaten it"
She glares playfully, surprised that the prim and proper prince was still able to jest,
"With salt and relish" she returns and he chuckles, stealing a gentle kiss which she steals right back, cupping his face and thrilling at his moan when she pulls away,
"Again" he requests and she shakes her head,
"To kiss you would be to fall in love with you"
She had whispered the same words to him all those years ago. He blinks and holds her tighter against him before he begins moving,
"And where do you think you're taking me?" she demands putting on the most ridiculous dignified tone she can,
"To bed of course" he tells her, walking through her interior apartment to her bedroom, she had thankfully left the door opened and laying her on the turquoise duvet, turning on the bedside lamp as his lips curled in amusement,
"You did offer me your heartfelt gratitude"
"No" she shakes her head playfully, kneeling on the bedspread "Shan't"
"Not even a kiss?" he suggests, mimicking her position on the bed, and she shakes her head,
"Not even a touch?" he moves closer to her and she finds her gaze fixated on the undone button at the top of his shirt, the hint of chest, she shakes her head again but can't remember what it is she is refusing, he moves closer on his knees,
"Not even…"
He doesn't even finish that jest before their lips are colliding, hungry, passionate kisses as her hands tangle in his shirt and her flimsy silk kimono and nightgown are clenched in his fists, she tumbles back on the bed, taking him with her and he pulls down the silk until her breasts are exposed.
Breaking for air they are lost in each other's eyes for a second before he brushes her hair aside and begins kissing her neck, her eyes flutter closed as she moans and spreads her legs so he is between her thighs, his weight atop her. She wraps one arm around her shoulder and buries the other in his hair, and gasps when his teeth nibble on her skin,
"What are you doing?" she breathes in his ear, shifting her body underneath his, enjoying the heavy feel of him,
"Love bite" he murmurs, kissing and blowing on the wet skin, "Now that I can finally give you one on your neck"
She giggles and lets him resume his ministrations, rubbing her breasts against his shirt, remembering all the hickeys they'd given each other and the creative places they'd had to find where they could wear each other's mark without detection.
Once she'd spent a day walking around the palace with a secretive smile on her face and the tell-tale mark on her left bum cheek.
Another time he'd had to go swimming with a t-shirt because she'd left a love bite on his stomach, rather low down as well.
It had been childish of them but love and the desire to stake a claim on one another when any connection they'd had was forbidden…
She pulls his head up and kisses him again, their tongues rubbing against each other and his left hand palms and plays with her exposed right breast, teasing and squeezing the nipple and she's arching her back until his hand releases her and slips down under her nightgown to her bare vagina and she almost imperceptibly stills.
Pretending not to notice, Elijah's hand trails up to her thigh, holding it in his hand and kissing her deeply, and then less deeply, less and less until their lips are just brushing against each other and he rests his forehead atop hers, exhaling deeply.
Katherine's eyes flicker open and she sees the exhaustion on his face and knows that not all of it was physical.
Reaching up, she ran her fingers lightly across his cheekbone, cupping his cheek and allowing him to rest his face against her palm,
"I am sorry that your father is dead" she tells him, deliberately not referring to the man as Mikael or the late King.
If nothing else, he had been Elijah's biological father.
He sighs and opens his eyes, "Truly, I am not"
They kiss again and he slowly slides backward until he is kneeling, he checks his watch and sighs, rubbing his face,
"I have to get back to the Palace" he groans, rolling his shoulders.
She nods and settles herself against the bedhead, "Have they moved you into the King's chambers yet?"
He shakes his head, "They're still clearing the rooms, taking their time packing everything up for the preservation while pretending not to notice if one of us sneaks in there to take a memento, after the debacle following the clearing of mother's rooms and the fact that I now have the right to imprison and execute, they're going to bend the strict laws and love of history this occasion"
"Besides" he adds, "The longer they take labelling and wrapping everything up, the longer they remain employed which is fair, I won't be able to justify keeping them all when I have my own household and at most I can shift five to your employment, seven if you get a lady-in-waiting that isn't Elena. Still…for all our engagement it wouldn't be fitting for me to spend the night in your room until we're closer to the wedding date"
She nods and smiles to show she's not offended, she holds out her hand and he kisses the finger before frowning,
"Are we no longer engaged?" he asks teasingly, wiggling the bare digit.
She taps the bedside table and he sees the ring standing beside the lamp, "I adore that ring but sleeping with it risks injury"
He chuckles and kisses her wrist before standing up and straightening himself. "Good night Katerina"
"Good night Elijah, I'll see you soon"
An hour later she is completely sleep, wrapped up in a terry cloth dressing gown 'borrowed' from Elena and under the calming influence of the Valium her father had left in the bedside table for her.
A/N- Read and Review my Kalijah pretties.