LET'S REVIEW A BIT. CAROLINE IS HUMAN. A HUMAN NOBLE WOMAN WHO ESCAPED A TERRIBLE ARRANGED MARRIAGE. REBECCA SEEMS LIKE A NICE ENOUGH PERSON, IF A BIT DISTANT SEEING AS CAROLINE IS NOTHING MORE THAN A SERVANT AT THE MOMENT. LORD NIKLAUS HAS JUST ENTERED IN HIS GORGEOUS YET MYSTERIOUS MANNER OF HIS. AND THEY ALL SEEM TO KEEP QUITE A BIT TO THEMSELVES.
DON'T BE LIKE THEM THOUGH. DON'T KEEP IT ALL TO YOURSELVES...REVIEW!
It was becoming quite clear that avoiding Lord Niklaus was an impossible feat. The man was simply everywhere, reclining on the sofa to watch Caroline pick up stray papers, leaning on a door frame as she putted about in the kitchen. And always, there was a slight smirk playing about his lips as if he knew exactly what he was doing to her. Like he knew the little skip he made her heart do simply by appearing. For reasons she couldn't explain to herself, however, she allowed it, allowed him to invade her personal space. Every night, she would creep to her window, in bare and chilled feet, in the hopes of seeing him painting by the moonlight once again. He had yet to disappoint her, always appearing and setting up, his canvas place to that he could look at it while peeking up at her through his lashes. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she dared to wonder if maybe he was painting her.
Rebecca was less than pleased by this development in their interactions, going to great lengths to keep Caroline more or less concealed from him. However, Niklaus had made it one of his life's works to irritate his sister, and Caroline was such a delectable opportunity to do so.
When Caroline awoke one morning, her mistress was mysteriously absent from the room. It was still early, far too early for a lady of nobility to be up and about. Once Caroline had dressed, she went to tug open the large door, surprised when it budged not an inch. She tried again, using all of her weight, but was still unable to make a difference. Clearly, Rebecca had locked her in. But...why? Mystified, Caroline stepped back from the door and went back to her bed, sitting upon it with her legs crossed in front of her in a most unladylike fashion. There was no work that could be done in the room at the moment, so she sat back, her head lolling against the stone wall at her back, and her gaze wondering to the blue of the sky outside. The sun was warm on her face, and she took a deep breath, surprisingly relaxed considering the strange fact that she was locked up.
That's when she heard it. The strange scuffling at the corner of the room closest to her. Her eyes shot open, darting around the room in search of an explanation. There it was again. Frozen to the center of her bed, back well away from the wall as if it would bite her, she struggled to calm her suddenly erratic breathing. It was a mouse. Maybe even a rat. Her helpful imagination supplied her with a vision of a red-eyed monster curled up beneath her bed. In one graceless movement, she had launched herself off the bed and across the room, landing with her rump on the hard ground.
"Ouch." She looked about, finding herself level with a strange chest and its lock. Reaching out, her fingers encountered the cold metal lock. The whole chest was cold, as if the chill was coming from inside of it. Looking about, she quickly unfastened it, fearful of being caught going through Rebecca's things. Immediately, she recognized the fabrics that were locked inside there. Dresses and cloaks. All items that belonged to Rebecca, very fine and beautiful, but all mysteriously lost. Pulling out one pale blue gown, one that the woman had worn just yesterday eve, Caroline turned it about in her hands. What could have made Rebecca throw something so beautiful away?
The bodice. It was stained a ghastly shade of crimson red. It would be impossible to remove the color from the fabric, and it was hardly just spilled wine that covered it. Whatever covered it...Caroline froze, her fingers hovering over the crusted on stain. As a child, she would often prick herself on her sewing needle, her finger oozing blood over her pretty little dresses and leaving bright splotches that never came out so the dress had simply been discarded. Now, holding Rebecca's gown, the crimson color of the stain caused her to immediately drop it, throwing the lid down with a clang. There had been so many dresses, just hidden away as if meant to be forgotten. What was this place?
The mouse chose that moment to scurry out of his dark hiding place, out and straight across Caroline's feet. Her uncertain fear of the moment, and of that chest, evaporated, replaced by a very real fear that had her shrieking and lunging for a high up place. Less than three seconds after her scream, the door shattered open to reveal an unruffled Klaus.
"How did you-" She looked between him and the splinters of the door across the room.
"Caroline, love, I heard your scream and came running." She took his outstretched hand and stepped as gingerly as she could from the chair she had scrambled on top of. Her knees must have melted a little at his words, for she stumbled and was immediately clasped against him. "What is wrong?" He asked.
"Mouse." She mumbled, her cheeks going red. Honestly, the creatures caused no harm and were around constantly. But for some embarrassing reason, they struck fear into her heart. Niklaus leaned back to better glance at her face, one eyebrow raised and a grin on his lips.
"Mouse?" He repeated, the words rolling off his tongue like a bit of a chuckle. Irritated, she shoved him away, surprised when he allowed her to put distance between them.
"Oh, you are laughing at me." She fumed. "Don't you think I know how embarrassing it is to fear such small creatures!" His lips spread into a full fledged smile, dimples indenting his cheeks and a spark to his eyes. "Go away." She managed to say, though without much heat under the force of his amusement.
"Ah, but you are so adorable when angry." He murmured, obtaining one of her hands and pressing his lips to it. Her cheeks splotched with red but she glared at him nonetheless. she murmured his name. Lord Niklaus. However, all that managed to slip passed her lips was the syllable Klaus. His eyes flashed down at her and he stroked his knuckles across the soft skin of her cheek. "Call me that, love. I would like nothing better than for you to call me Klaus." She bit her lip, noncommittal. "And I shall call you Caroline." He seemed to still be pondering that part though.
His head, and those eyes, turned towards the door, and he shrugged a bit, his grip on her tightening. "My sister heard the noise I believe." He whispered conspiratorially. How could he possibly know that? She wondered. Then he left, strutting out the door, pausing to glance back. Back at the girl whose golden hair had escaped its braid and now tumbled over her shoulders, framing the rosy face and vulnerable blue eyes. Rebecca appeared less than a moment after he had vanished from sight. Yet, she seemed to not have seen him in passing.
Caroline glanced at the door, or what was left of it, her gaze lingering a bit when it passed over the chest she had left unlocked but with the lid down. Would Rebecca notice? There were secrets. So many secrets. How had Klaus...Niklaus, she meant, gotten to her so quickly, gotten through the heavy wood door so easily? Why was there blood-stained gowns hidden away? What had Caroline gotten into, escaping one life to land herself in surely a more precarious position?
I AM TRYING TO THINK OF HOW I WANT KLAUS AND CAROLINE TO GROW CLOSER TOGETHER STILL. I HAVE THE BASICS, BUT I WOULD LOVE TO PUT IN SOME SCENES THAT ARE JUST THEM HAVING FUN TOGETHER. IF YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS OR THINGS YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE, JUST LET ME KNOW AND I WILL SEE WHAT I CAN DO!