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Niklaus went through the forest, searching for the girls Elijah had talked about. He proceeded cautiously, not wanting to startle them. He felt someone behind him. Just as he turned around to see who it was, he saw a beautiful blonde flying at him from a tree, a snarl on her face. Niklaus did not know what to do. He just couldn't think. He was in awe at the beauty at the blonde angel flying at him, her hands outstretched, her face in a snarl. He had never seen a woman like her before. Before he could comprehend to act, he was knocked to the floor as she jumped on him, pinning him to the ground and her hand at his throat.
Suddenly, the blonde angel's eyes widened in surprise. His brother had told him that there were two helpless women in the forest. No one could certainly mistake this beauty for helpless. So, he thought it was wise to make himself known, and so, he raised his arms in submission and said, "I am sorry. My brother Elijah told me that there were two women here. I brought them some fruits. I am supposed to guide them to the village."
The girl got off him and helped him up, offering her hand. "Sorry," she said. "I thought you might be some prowler. I am Caroline, by the way. Caroline Forbes." She stuck out her hand. He took it and they shook hands. "Niklaus," he said. "I am Niklaus Mikealson." 'Wow...She truly is a beauty.' He then noticed the scandalous clothes she wore and lowered his head, not looking at her, blushing.
'Idiot.' he thought to himself. 'You are blushing like a woman.' Caroline seemed to notice this and frowned, "Hey! Why does everyone have a problem with my clothes? I am perfectly dressed for travelling and even though I know that it is a great sin to show some skin in this time, er, place, The shoes cover up nearly all the my legs."
Niklaus couldn't help but smile at this. "Yes, Caroline. May I call you that?" Caroline nodded. He continued, "You see, women do not travel in my village, so it is unnatural for us to see women travelling." Caroline rolled her eyes, "Of course there had to be gender discrimination here also. Well then, Elijah did tell us that he would be coming, but now that you are here, come on, I'll let you catch up with my friend."
His brows knotted in confusion, "Catch up?" Caroline nearly smacked her head. Obviously, people didn't catch up in this century! She cleared her throat and smiled, "I meant I'll let you acquaint yourself with my friend." Saying so, she led him further into the clearing and called out, "Elena, you can come out now." She watched as Klaus's eyes widened as Elena came out of her hiding place behind a bush from across the clearing.
"Tatiana..." he whispered. Caroline frowned. By the tone of his voice, she could out that he knew this Tatiana well. Too well. "Oh God!" she groaned. "Please tell me you too aren't going to kiss her." Klaus's head snapped in her direction, "Kiss? Did Elijah kiss Tatiana?"
Caroline put her hands on her hip. "First of all, she is Elena, not Tatiana, whoever that is. And secondly, why does it matter if Elijah is involved with this Tatiana?" Klaus just shrugged. "Nothing. Just follow me. I'll lead you to the village and oh, before that, here are the fruits." He sat down, untied the cloth he had tied around his waist and opened the knots. Inside it were a few fruits.
"Thank god." Caroline said and grabbed an apple. Klaus had brought a knife and a wineskin filled with water with him to clean and cut up the apples because none of the ladies in his village ever ate anything without first cleaning them and then cutting them. But to his surprise, Caroline plopped herself in front of him, grabbed an apple and bit into it. She closed her eyes in pleasure as the juice ran down her dry throat. "Hmmmm..." she hummed.
Elena came and sat down next to Caroline and timidly reached for a banana. She unpeeled it and began nibbling on it while Caroline was nearly finished with her apple. She finished it and threw the core on the ground. "Got anything to drink?" she asked him. He nodded and handed her the water. She drank it but hesitantly lowered the bag from her lips.
"Ummm...Don't mind me asking, but uh, do you have anything stronger, if you know what I mean? I have travelled a lot and really need something to drink. Really drink." Klaus's eyes widened, but he nodded. "Are you allowed to drink?" he asked her.
"Ummm... Yes. Why do you ask me? Aren't women allowed to have a drink in your village?" she asked him. Klaus shook his head but handed over his tiny leather bag flask of mead that he always kept on him. She muttered a thanks and took a deep drag of the mead. She closed her eyes in satisfaction as the strong liquid burned her throat. She only paused to take a breath as she drank. She had finished nearly half the wineskin before pausing. She turned to look at Klaus who was staring at her in a strange way.
"What?" she asked him. He just smiled and shook his head, "Nothing. Just haven't seen a woman that could handle that much alcohol." Caroline rolled her eyes. "I am not like other girls. Elena? Are you done?" The other girl just nodded. Caroline got up, gave the bag back to Niklaus and helped Elena up and said, "Well, let's go. Come on Niklaus."
Niklaus winced. He did not like the name Niklaus from the angel's tongue. He shook his head and said, "Niklaus is the name my father gave me. Please. Call me Klaus." Caroline raised an eyebrow, but just nodded and they continued their journey.
By the time they reached the village, twilight had set in. Niklaus led both the girls to his family's house. He thanked God twilight had set in. He certainly did not want any man, or woman for that matter, to look at Caroline in her skimpy clothes. As they neared the house, he could see Ester chopping vegetables, sitting on one of the benches that surrounded the now unlit fire outside the house. There were many huts that circled the great fireplace. All the huts belonged to the Mikealsons – a hut for each member of the family.
Caroline walked upto Ester and confidently held her hand out for Ester with a grin on her face. Ester, obviously pregnant, set the chopping board aside, got up and shook Caroline's hand, a warm smile on her face. She asked, "Now who is this beauty, Niklaus? I don't think I have seen her around from here. If I had, I would have certainly remembered such a pretty face."
Caroline blushed, letting go of Ester's hand. "I am Caroline." she introduced herself. "And this is my friend, Elena." she said, urging her friend to come forward. Ester's eyes widened as she saw Elena. "Tatiana?" she whispered. Caroline giggled. "No," she said. "This is Elena. Though I am clueless as to why everyone is mistaking her for this Tatiana."
Ester just smiled, "I am sorry, Elena. You look like someone in our village. Anyways, come, sit down next to me. Tell me about yourselves." They all sat down. Ester smiled, "Elijah told me that you both. I think you both should remain in our house. We have plenty of space." Caroline grinned. "Thank you so much. I hope we are not imposing ourselves on you. I promise, we shall try to help and run errands for you. It looks like you need help. You can't do much work in your state." she said, referring to Ester's growing stomach.
Ester smiled, "Thank you so much Caroline and um... would you like to change clothes?"
Caroline frowned, but just nodded, "I am sorry, but could you please tell me where I could buy one?" Ester shook her head. "No, my daughter Rebekah has many. You can just borrow from her. Niklaus, lead her to Rebekah." Niklaus nodded and guided Caroline and Elena politely.
They stopped outside a hut. "Bekah!" he called out. Rebekah came flying out of the house with a big grin on her face and flung herself at her brother. "Nik!" she cried out in joy. Klaus patted his sister's head. "Look sister." he said. "We have guests. Caroline here needs some help with clothes. I was hoping you could help her." Rebekah pulled back and nodded at Nik.
She turned to look at Caroline, a curious expression on her face. She smiled at seeing that she was blonde. She left her brother and came to hug Caroline, "Nice to have another blonde in the village." she pulled back from the hug to look at Caroline, smiling. She spotted Elena and immediately, her face turned unpleasant. "Tatiana. What are you doing here?" she asked, hatred filling her voice.
Elena smiled, "Sorry, but I am Elena. Caroline's friend. Though I have no idea why everyone keeps mistaking me for this Tatiana. But judging by the look on your face, I think I can conclude that you do not like her." Rebekah nodded. "I think it is safe to tell you that it is because both my brothers fight over that whore like two rabid dogs over a piece of meat." Klaus growled, but before he could say anything, Caroline moved forward and hooped her arm through Rebekah's and lead her into the hut, chatting with her. Elena gave him a strange look before following them into the hut.
Caroline sat patiently as Rebekah braided her hair. But suddenly, Rebekah unravelled it and just pulled her comb through Caroline's hair. "Your hair looks good left open." she said. They all went outside to take a breath of fresh air before dinner when Kol came running up to them.
"Bekah..." he trailed off. "Now who are these two beautiful women?" he asked, grinning. Rebekah rolled her eyes. "This is Caroline and this is Elena, not that whore, Tatiana. Don't make a mistake in telling them both apart. They may look the same, but they do not act the same. I like Elena and I am sure I don't have to elaborate about my feelings for Tatiana."
Kol nodded seriously, "Lord forbid I have to listen to your ranting about what a whore Tatiana is again. The men are back from the hunt. Father has returned. He wishes to meet you for dinner. That's why I came to call you." Rebekah nodded at him and gestured the two girls to follow her. They all went to the big fire in front of the Mikealson huts. Mikeal sat next to his wife, holding her hand in his. He looked up as the four of them approached the fire. He smiled at them. "Bekah. Kol. And I assume that you both are Caroline and Elena." Both the girls nodded.
He smiled and said, "Welcome to the Mikealson fire. We sit around the fire everyday and have dinner. Today, we had a good hunt. Today, we all shall eat venison!" he announced, looking at his family. Rebekah clapped her hands in delight while everyone else cheered.
They began to eat. It was a kind of stew, with cooked vegetables and meat. After they ate, Elena and Caroline helped Rebekah to clear away the dishes and Kol went to fetch something. Finn too came and introduced himself to Caroline and Elena. Kol came back soon after the girls had finished clearing away the plates.
"What is this?" he asked in confusion, holing up Caroline's shorts and tank top. Caroline went upto Kol and took it from his hands and went to sit down in between Rebekah and Elena. "They are mine." she said. "I wore them for the comfort of travelling."
"But are you allowed to wear such clothes?" Rebekah asked, shocked at the skimpy clothes. "Won't your parents forbid you?"
Caroline just shook her head, "No. Where I come from, people do not differentiate between men and women. Women are as good as men, and sometimes even better. Women have their own rights – they can marry a man of their choice, they can work above men and they do not have to listen to anyone. Once they are above eighteen years of age, they can do anything and no one can stop them. Not even their parents. And anyway, I am not a girl who gets ordered around. No one tells me what to do. I do what I what I want to do and not what I have to do. " she added to Rebekah, smirking.
"So, Caroline. Are women excelling in every field in your society?" Mikeal asked, unexpectedly joining their conversation. "Yes." Caroline nodded, but squirmed uncomfortably in her seat, feeling that she had given away too much. She had seen Mikeal only once at Tyler's party and that too from a fair distance.
"So are they even in your hunting parties?" he asked. "Well, we don't have hunting parties, but yeah, women do hunt." she said, wondering where this conversation was heading.
"So does that mean that you know to hunt?" he asked. Caroline nodded, now confused, "Yes, but I don't hunt so much."
"Now, Mikeal. Stop harassing the poor thing with questions." Ester chided. "It's time for music."
Kol nodded and took out a flute-like musical instrument that he had gone to fetch. He blew through it, a low hum filling the air. Soon, the tune got livelier and one-by-one everyone except Mikeal and Ester got up and joined the dancing Rebekah. They all held hands and circled around the fire, dancing, but Kol stood aside and continued playing his instrument. They all circled the fire and twirled on the fourth beat. Then, the men on the right inter-changed positions with the women on their left. And then the pattern repeated.
As the melody grew higher, their steps grew more quick and livelier and everyone was laughing. But, Klaus had eyes only for a particular blonde angel who was laughing at Kol's increased tempo and enjoying herself.
The melody got higher and with it, so did Caroline's laughter. Soon everyone was laughing, but Klaus had eyes only for the blonde angel. Every time she held his hands while dancing, he felt a surge of happiness.
Soon after the bonfire, all the siblings and the guests went to take a walk in the forest. As they walked, Caroline heard a gurgling sound. "Is there a stream here?" she asked, surprised. Klaus, who was walking beside her nodded and replied, "Yes, our family uses it for cooking and various other various domestic purposes."
Caroline flashed him a grin and grabbed his hand and pulled him to the stream-side. She sat down; her hand still connected to his and pulled him to sit down next to him. She looked around for the others and beckoned Rebekah to come and sit next to her. She couldn't see Elena anywhere, but Caroline assumed that she would be somewhere nearby. She folded her hands behind her head and lay down with Klaus and Rebekah, and just stared at the stars.
"So beautiful..." she whispered. "Yes. Very beautiful." she heard Klaus whisper. She turned her head to look at him, only to find that his head was turned to his side and he was looking at her. Caroline blushed and averted her eyes, not sure whether he was referring to the stars. Rebekah just grinned. She was very happy at the turn of events. She did not like that Tatia, but she liked Caroline. Very much. Already, they were very good friends. True, she liked Elena, but she liked Caroline more. Things were working perfectly according to her plan. She didn't mention that she had dissuaded Kol and Finn from coming on this walk and had persuaded Elijah to distract Elena.
After a while, Caroline yawned, exhausted at the day's happenings. She had walked a very long way, not to mention that she hadn't had any sleep, thanks to Elena's whim to go on a little journey through time. Klaus got up and offered his hand. "I think it is time for you and Bekah to sleep. You looked wearied." Caroline stifled another yawn and just got up, accepting his yawn.
"I usually don't take orders, but I am feeling very sleepy." she said, yawning yet once again. Klaus smiled at her. Yes, she wasn't like any other girl.
Rebekah too got up, smirking. She very nimbly went to stand between Klaus and Caroline, looping her arms through theirs. They made their way back to their village. As they reached the village, Rebekah went to her sleeping quarters. Just before entering, she turned to look back a Klaus innocently and said, "Oh Nik! Do you think you can show her the hut where she shall be staying? I am too tired." She faked a huge yawn. "Oh, and it is the hut next to yours. That was the only one free after Elena claimed the one next to Elijah's."
Klaus grinned and just shook his head. He knew what she was trying to do. His sister was very devious. No doubtingly, she would have been the one who had made the sleeping arrangements. But he didn't mind. In fact, he was quite please to have Caroline so near him. He just led Caroline to her hut as Rebekah turned back to her hut, a smirk on her face.
"This is your hut from now on. And if you are in need of anything, I am just in the next hut over there." he told her. Caroline turned to thank him, but her breath caught as she saw the intensity of his gaze as they bored into her eyes. They both stared at each other for one long minute before she broke eye-contact and fled into her hut, seeking shelter from the confusing man standing outside and that fuzzy feeling in her chest.
Her heart raced as she threw herself onto the bed, her breath ragged. She decided that she would think about what the bloody hell had happened the next morning and closed her eyes with a sigh as sleep overtook her.
Hey Guys! Hope you liked it! And I have been meaning to introduce Tatiana in the next chapter. So, tell me, do you guys want her to be a bitch who'll create Hell in Klaroline's life or a sweet misunderstood who got unwanted attention. Please tell me! LOVE you guys!