Chapter 12

Every king needs an heir

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Klaus said as I flinched. I couldn't help it, cleaning the wound hurt more than I had thought. It wasn't deep, but it was still bleeding. I felt stupid for being so clumsy.

"No, I'm sorry," I muttered. "I broke your vase…"

"Don't worry about that. As Elijah said, we can easily get a new one." He paused and kissed my hand. "Your wellbeing is all that matters."

I smiled at him, he was very kind.

"Thank you."

"For what?" he asked.

"For your kindness. I really appreciate it."

He smiled and touched my hair.

"My pleasure, love. I promised that you would be safe with me, didn't I? I will protect you and your child."

Instinctively I touched my belly. All I wanted was my little one to be safe. Suddenly I felt it and gasped.

"What's wrong?" Klaus asked immediately.

I smiled wider than ever before; I had never been so excited.

"My little one just kicked!"

"That wonderful," Klaus said smiling warmly. "May I…?"

"Yes, yes, of course," I replied eagerly and guided his hand on my belly. "Can you feel it?"

He nodded.

"I can. That's…amazing."

I thought so too, I had never felt anything so special in my life. Tears of joy filled my eyes.

"My baby…"

Klaus smiled and took my free hand between his own.

"Your child is lucky to have a mother like you."

That was the sweetest thing anyone had ever said to me, I couldn't hold back my tears any longer.

"Oh sweetheart," he hummed and wrapped his arms around me. "It's alright, I'm right here. I'll look after you. Both of you."

I hugged him back and leaned my head on his shoulder. No one had ever been so kind to me before, it felt almost too good to be true.

"Alright," he continued after a moment of silence. "I should finish cleaning your wound…"

His eyes widened as he took my hand. I looked at it and saw that the wound was healed. How was that possible?

"Well… It seems that you are a very special young lady, Brie," he said.

"How…" I muttered.

"We'll find that out, no need to worry."

"I should talk to my daddy…"

"That won't be necessary; my sister is a very powerful witch. She can tell us everything we need to know."

I hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"I think my daddy is looking for me."

Klaus frowned.

"Do you want to go back to him?"

"Yes, of course. He's my daddy and he has always taken care of me."

"Hmm. Are you sure about that, sweetheart?"

"What?"

He cupped my face and leaned towards me.

"Tell me, Brie, how often does your father hurt you? How often does he say mean things to you?"

"No, no, he doesn't…"

"I think he does. And I think he has told you that you deserve it. Nothing could be further from the truth."

I blinked nervously, but he didn't let me to look away.

"You are special, Brie. You deserve to be treated like a queen you are. That is how I am planning to treat you, if you let me."

"I… I don't understand…" I murmured.

"It's alright," he said smiling. "I know all of this must be confusing, but you don't have to decide anything right now. What I am offering to you is my protection and everything else I have. You would have your own private living quarters and of course a nursery for the little one. Your baby would have everything he or she could ever want. No one would ever hurt either of you and you would never again have to be afraid. I can give you all of that, if you just let me."

"Why?" I asked quietly. "Why would you do all that for me?"

Gently he stroked my cheek with his thumb.

"As I said, you are special. A queen. I would like you to be my queen."

My eyes widened.

"Wha-what?"

"No need to fear, I have no intention to force you into anything. Being your friend is more than enough for me. However, I am hoping to eventually earn your affection, if you think you could consider granting it to me."

I had no idea what to say, this was the last thing I had expected.

"I… But…The baby…"

"I will treat your child as my own, I give you my word. After all, every king needs an heir. And a queen."

"What…what about Kol?" I muttered.

Klaus smiled.

"Well… I think he has made it clear that he's not planning to take care of you or this child. I would be more than happy to do that. The thing is…" He paused and sighed. "Just between you and me, I have always wanted a family."

"You have?"

"Yes. I remember how wonderful it was to play with my siblings when I was a child. Do you have any siblings?"

I shook my head.

"No."

"Oh. Did you ever feel lonely?"

"All the time," I replied quietly.

He looked at me sympathetically and took my hand.

"I'm sorry. You won't be alone anymore, I promise. And maybe… No, never mind."

"What?"

He bit his bottom lip.

"I shouldn't even say this, but maybe at some point Sunny or Bo could have a brother or sister. Does that sound foolish to you?"

"No, it doesn't, but… I really don't think that Kol…"

"No, no, Kol wouldn't be the father."

"You mean… You want to make a baby with me?"

He smiled and touched my cheek.

"As I said, I have no intention to force you into anything. If you decide that you want another child, I would be more than honored to be the father, but only if you want that."

"What…what if I don't…." I murmured.

"That won't change anything; I will still look after you and the child. I can give you a safe home. Could you consider giving me a chance to prove that to you?"