Part 19

France, 3 months later

Dafne tried to make herself comfortable in the carriage, she really hoped to get some rest. She and Lucien had traveled the whole day. He was sitting opposite her in the carriage, but she felt safe enough to fall asleep. Obviously she wasn't foolish enough to trust him, she was well aware of what he was. Yet he had been a perfect gentleman toward her, he had never even tried to touch her inappropriately.

She had been able to sleep without fear. No one had come to her room in the middle of the night, demanding her to feed them or listen to their problems. It had been strange at first, she had got used to it for so long. She was supposed to always be available. Now she simply did what she was paid to do, nothing more. No one bothered her when she wasn't working.

Even now when they were traveling, Lucien let her rest when she needed to and made sure that she had her own room when they were staying in a tavern. As he had said, he traveled a lot and he needed a scribe with him. Dafne didn't mind traveling; it helped her to keep herself occupied. There had been days when she had barely thought about Elijah at all. Then there had been days when she had wanted nothing more than to run back to him.

She missed him and worried about him, but she also knew that she couldn't go back to the life she had lived with him. She refused to torture herself like that anymore. Putting her own needs first was very foreign to her and she couldn't deny that it made her feel guilty and selfish. Elijah had done so much for her, taught her and looked after her and… Used her, broken her heart over and over again without even realizing it.

She didn't think that he had ever seen her as a real woman, more like some kind of pet. Maybe he hadn't knowingly thought like that, but the truth was that he had never even considered treating her like those women he had courted. He had simply took her for granted, bedded her and spent time with her when it had suited him. Not that she could blame just him, the fault was just as much hers.

She had settled for what he had been willing to offer her, she hadn't demanded anything more. The reason for that was very simple. She had known that he wouldn't be able to offer her anything more. She couldn't force him to feel the same way she did. Accepting that had been more than difficult, but she was pretty sure that she had finally succeeded.

Her feelings for him hadn't changed, but she no longer hoped that he would suddenly start to feel the same way. It hurt, it really did. Then there was Klaus. He was another reason why she couldn't run back to Elijah. She wasn't going to be his plaything anymore. A part of her hated him for taking her blood for so long and finally taking her body.

But to be fair, she had come to him, not the other way around. And as strange as it was, another part of her pitied him. She had gotten to know him pretty well during the last centuries and she had seen more than he had realized. She had seen how damaged he really was deep down. Just like Kol. Two monsters who were desperately craving for something. Love, loyalty, acceptance. But it was Rebekah Dafne pitied the most. They had become more or less friends and Dafne felt bad for leaving without saying goodbye to her. Dafne blinked her eyes sleepily, she couldn't sleep.

"Are you cold?" Lucien asked.

"No, I am fine, thank you."

"You could not sleep?"

She shook her head.

"Not really."

"Well, we shall stop soon and you will have a nice meal and a soft bed."

She smiled.

"Thank you, that sounds very nice."

He smiled too.

"Yes, I agree. We have had a long day and the sun is setting already."

Dafne glanced outside through the window; she hadn't noticed how late it was. Lucien was also looking outside.

"I lived here a long time ago," he stated absentmindedly. "When I was still a human."

"Oh?"

"Yes, in Marseille. I was a servant."

Dafne had to admit that she was surprised; she would have never guessed that he had once been a servant. He seemed like a man who had spent his whole life giving orders.

"I served a very cruel man," he continued. "He enjoyed tormenting his servants."

"I am sorry to hear that, my lord," she replied as calmly as she could.

"Well… It was a long time ago."

"There are things a person simply cannot forget," she muttered. "No matter how much time passes."

"Yes, I suppose that's true." He paused and looked at her. "I would guess that you have also experienced things you cannot forget."

"I think we all are," she replied. "But I believe we can use those things to become stronger."

"Indeed. You are a smart woman, Dafne. And very beautiful."

"My lord is too kind," she stated, she didn't like where this was going.

"Forgive me," he said quickly. "I did not mean to make you uncomfortable."

"That's alright." She hesitated for a moment before continuing. "The truth is that kind words are nice to hear sometimes and you have been very kind to me, my lord. I want you to know that I appreciate it."

He smiled.

"I cannot imagine who could treat you unkindly. I certainly never would."

She didn't have time to reply when she suddenly heard the cries of the horses and felt the carriage moving faster. A lot faster.

"What…" she started. The next thing she realized was that the carriage was crashing to the ground, falling on its side and skidding across the ground before coming to a stop. It all happened so fast, Dafne was lying on her back, feeling pain on her head, her right leg and left wrist. Lucien had fallen on top of her, but she barely registered his weight.

"Dafne, are you hurt?"

"I…"

"Damn it… Hold on, I will be right back."

Then he was gone. She heard someone screaming outside and tried to crawl towards the carriage door. She had to help him.