Hello lovelies! I'm still floored by all the love you are showing this story-thank you so much for you reviews/follows/favorites! Oh, and if anyone is good with graphics and would like to make a cover for this fic, I would probably die from happiness.
Anyways, I'm super nervous about this chapter, it was very tough to write and took me longer than usual, but I hope you enjoy it. Happy reading!
Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries.
Chapter Six
The unwelcome feeling of several bodies jumping on her bed and shaking her soundly ripped Caroline from her pleasant dreams, announcing the dawn of a new day.
"Wake up, wake up, wake up, Caroline! The day is finally here!" Lexi shrieked.
Groaning, Caroline shoved her off the bed, wiping her tousled hair from her face.
"Alright, alright, I'm getting up! Katherine, get off of me! Enough with the tickling!" Caroline grunted, shivering when Elena ripped the covers off of her body and the cool morning air assaulted her skin. "Was scaring the ever-living daylights out of me really necessary?" she complained, crossing her arms furiously over her chest as she sat up in bed.
"Considering you sleep like the dead, absolutely," Katherine replied smugly.
"Seriously?" Caroline muttered, swinging her legs over the bed to wash her face, yawning and stretching her muscles.
"Considering it's already eleven o'clock in the morning, I'd say we were rather reasonable with the amount of beauty sleep we allowed you to catch up on," Elena added with a snicker.
"Eleven o'clock? Is it really that late?" Caroline asked, shocked and slightly ashamed that she had slept for so long. After a relaxing afternoon and evening yesterday, Bonnie had advised the girls to sleep in a little later that morning, as the ball would start at seven o'clock in the evening and last well past midnight. Apparently, Caroline had heeded her instructions all too well.
"Yes it is, Sleeping Beauty," Katherine teased. "Luckily for you, I, being the generous-hearted best friend that I am, took the liberty of fetching you a breakfast tray."
She gestured to the bedside table, where the delicious smells of toast and jam, sausage, eggs, and blueberries wafted up towards Caroline, whose mouth instantly watered.
"Hurry up and eat, sleepy-head! We only have a few hours to spare before we start preparing for the ball tonight," Lexi pretended to scold her.
"We were planning on visiting the gardens and taking in some fresh air before we're stuck inside all afternoon and night," Katherine explained as Caroline picked up her fork, picking at the sausages. "Meet us down there when you're finished eating and dressing, understood?"
"As you wish, oh Queen of the kitchens!" Caroline mock bowed, garnering titters from Elena and Lexi and a huff from Katherine.
"Yes, yes, we've established that I enjoy the food here immensely," Katherine rolled her eyes. "As I was saying, we'll be outside, alright, Care?"
"I'll be down shortly," Caroline smiled. "And thank you for the food, Katherine."
"Anytime, Forbes," Katherine drawled, as she and the other two made their way out of Caroline's room and shut the door.
Alone at last, Caroline ate slowly, willing time to slow down as her anxiety for tonight's ball reared its ugly head, freezing her insides with terror.
Tonight, I will see the king. I wonder if his temper is as vicious as the rumors claim it to be? She supposed she would find out tonight.
With a shiver that had nothing to do with the coolness of her chamber, she dressed quickly in her simplest dark green woolen day dress, cleansing her face with water from the washbasin and ingesting a large gulp of vervain-water. Exiting her room, her mood brightened considerably at the thought of spending her free time in the gardens before the ball.
Her lips twitching into a smile, she set off in search of her companions.
Running about the gardens for the afternoon had the desired effect, as Caroline felt less agitated about the evening's events. Every once in a while, though, her gaze flickered to the line of trees concealing the river, and her thoughts were inevitably drawn to a certain handsome stranger with keen blue eyes and golden stubble.
She had not been able to banish him from her mind ever since their awkward encounter, and she still wondered what he meant by his parting words to her.
No matter, I shall most likely never see him again, she thought, with a tiny pang reverberating through her chest.
Ignoring the odd sensation and snapping her focus back to the present, her faced flushed with exercise, she and her friends retired back up to their rooms to catch a quick snack and to prepare themselves for the long-awaited ball.
When Caroline arrived in her room, a steaming tub of rosewater had been placed over near the window, along with a fluffy white towel and various scented soaps. Relieved at the thought of cleansing her sweaty body and soothing her rather sore muscles, Caroline wasted no time stripping out of her dress and sliding gratefully into the tub with a sigh, taking her precious time to clean herself of any dirt and grime.
After a good half-hour of cleaning and simply relaxing in the warm water, she decided she may as well dry off and begin the process of getting dressed. Whimpering at the rush of cold air on her skin as she rose, Caroline grabbed the towel and dried herself off, rubbing the towel vigorously all over her skin and through her dripping blonde tresses.
Let the fun begin, she grimaced to herself, pulling on her undergarments and bringing out the beautiful blue dress Bonnie had given her. Lifting it over her head, Caroline shimmied into the gown, the fine silk caressing her body and rustling as she moved it in place. Glancing at her reflection, Caroline stifled a gasp.
The dress looked breathtakingly gorgeous. It hugged her body flawlessly, flowing gracefully over her curves. The rhinestones twinkled in the fading sunlight, and Caroline was inclined to agree with Bonnie's opinion that its deep blue color made her eyes shine more radiantly.
This ball may not be so terrifying, after all. I actually look like I belong at here, at least. If only Stefan could see me now!
With a surge of confidence and recalling the promise she had made to herself to make Stefan proud, Caroline set to work on taming her blonde curls. After a brief internal struggle, she decided to put her hair up instead of leaving it down. She twirled her hair and pinned it into an elegant twist on her head, leaving a few loose curls to hang down, framing her face.
Now for the finishing touch.
She carefully picked up her mother's lapis lazuli necklace, clasping its thin silver chain around her neck. Standing up, she took a proper look at herself in the vanity mirror, tilting her head to the side to take in her appearance.
She almost didn't recognize the lovely young woman gazing back at her.
Without warning, the homesickness that had been pent-up inside her since her arrival at the castle tore through her heart, making it ache with loneliness. Caroline breathed deeply several times, eventually calming down from the emotions swirling within her.
Fingering her mother's necklace, she thought once more of Stefan, and it was only the thought of staying strong for his sake that drove the threat of tears away.
Katherine, as the self-proclaimed leader of the quartet of friends what with her commanding personality, designated her room as the place for the girls to meet at a quarter to seven to walk down to the ballroom together. "Strength in numbers," she had explained with the air of a strategizing general preparing for battle. Once Caroline had finally finished dressing, it was close to the appointed meeting time, so she stole out of her room, running into Lexi at the same time in the corridor.
Caroline beamed at Lexi. "Lexi, you look fabulous! The green really suits you," she said in awe.
Lexi smiled, running her fingers through her long, straight blonde hair.
"You look quite lovely yourself, Caroline! You'll be in no want of dance partners!" she responded sweetly.
"We shall see!" Caroline just laughed, turning to knock at Katherine's door, who answered and dragged the pair inside.
Caroline and Lexi spent the next several minutes fussing over Katherine's gorgeous purple outfit, her dark hair falling in ringlets over her shoulders.
"If Prince Elijah does not ask you to dance at least once, I will think him the most idiotic man in all of Mystic Falls," Caroline teased.
"I'm more interested in how Damon will react to dearest Lexi here," Katherine wiggled her eyebrows at her, prompting a faint blush from the cheerful blonde.
"Where in the king's name is Elena?" Lexi quickly changed the subject. "It's exactly a quarter to seven. We don't want to be late!"
The door slammed open as Elena rushed in, almost tripping over her lovely pink gown in her haste. "I'm here! I apologize for being late, my hair was not cooperating with me and took longer for me to arrange than expected," she moaned, throwing her plaited hair over her shoulder to emphasis her point.
"It's alright, Elena, you look wonderful," Caroline replied sincerely.
Elena smiled in gratitude.
Katherine clapped her hands, prompting the others to fall silent. "This is it, ladies. The entire vampire aristocracy and royalty await our arrival. Let us descend with dignity and prepare to break some poor men's hearts by our cool indifference," she recited dramatically, waving her arms in emphasis.
The others burst out laughing.
"Always so melodramatic, Kat." Elena chuckled.
"Yes, not all of us have the privilege of being friends with princes with breakable hearts," Lexi grinned. "Some of us are hoping to capture the attention of at least one dance partner!"
"Prince Elijah and I are not friends, we are mere acquaintances," Katherine pronounced airily. "Now, are we ready or not?"
"As ready as we shall ever be, I suppose," Caroline stated bravely, a nervous pit growing in her stomach.
"Alright, then. Forward!" Katherine cried, leading the way out of her chamber.
And with that, their hearts beating erratically in anticipation, the four descended to the ballroom.
Caroline held her breath as she entered the grand ballroom. It was even more splendid than she remembered, with long tables along each wall boasting a variety of food and drink. The musicians were situated at the far end of the ballroom, consisting of a variety of string and reed instruments. Although it was not quite seven o' clock, the room buzzed with the excited chatter of hundreds of vampires, whose number increased as the guests kept pouring into the ballroom. Caroline noticed that most of the other candidates were already there, making small talk and no doubt arriving early to ensure that they would not miss the king's entrance.
Pushing their way through the crowd of guests, Caroline and her companions stopped at one of the refreshment tables to grab a drink. Popping open a bottle of champagne, Elena poured them each a flute.
Katherine raised her glass. "To us, that we may survive this night without embarrassment," she toasted, clinking her glasses with the others.
"Cheers!" Lexi exclaimed, drinking deeply from her glass.
Caroline just smiled and took a sip, praying that the alcohol would help in calming her nerves and racing heart.
As she continued absently sipping her wine, she scoured the crowd, wondering if the king had made an appearance yet.
She spotted Prince Kol across the dance floor, surrounded by women and flirting outrageously as he held his customary drink. To his right, she spotted Damon conversing jovially with gorgeous blonde woman dressed in a magnificent yellow gown whom she had never seen before.
Before she had time to study Damon's companion further, she was roused by someone clutching her upper arm in an iron grip.
"Katherine? What is it? Whatever is the matter?" she asked her friend with concern, taking note of Katherine's wide eyes and terrified expression.
"Look, over there, near the entrance. It's Prince Elijah. Oh no, I think he's coming over here! What do I do?" Katherine muttered frantically, her head moving back and forth in search of an escape.
Caroline grasped her hand firmly.
"Katherine, calm down. Take a deep breath, and smile."
Katherine followed Caroline's soothing instructions just in time for the prince's unexpected arrival at their little circle.
"Miss Gilbert," Elijah smiled, bowing politely to Katherine, who curtsied in return.
"My lord Elijah," she murmured back, with a tremor in her voice.
"Will you do me the honor of introducing me to your friends here?" Elijah asked warmly, looking around at Caroline, Elena, and Lexi.
"Of course, my lord. This is my twin sister, Elena, and my friends Caroline Forbes and Lexi Branson," she gestured to each of her friends, who dropped the prince a curtsy as he nodded to each of them in turn.
"It is a pleasure to meet each of you. I hope you are all enjoying your stay at the castle?" Elijah continued making small talk in a mild voice.
"Yes, my lord, you have a beautiful home," Caroline spoke up.
"I thank you for your compliments, Miss Forbes," he replied graciously.
"I wonder, my lord, if the king will be making his entrance soon?" Lexi cut in politely, a hint of hopefulness creeping audibly into her voice.
"I'm afraid my brother never was one to abide by court traditions, Miss Branson," Elijah laughed. "He likes to appear unexpectedly. It's an old habit of his."
As Elijah finished speaking, a voice right behind Caroline interrupted their conversation.
"Brother, I hope you will not keep all the beautiful women to yourself this evening. Won't you introduce us?" the suave voice carried over the dull roar of the other guests.
Caroline stiffened.
I know that voice...oh no...
She spun around so rapidly that she almost sloshed her champagne all over the speaker. Raising her eyes in utter amazement, she came face to face with a pair of familiar blue eyes and a mop of burnished gold hair.
She instantly froze, staring in disbelief.
"Certainly, brother. Ladies, it is my pleasure to introduce to you my brother, the King Niklaus. Brother, these are some of the candidates—Katherine and Elena Gilbert, Lexi Branson, and Caroline Forbes."
"King Niklaus?" Caroline blurted out without thinking, confusion and alarm written all over her face.
The king just laughed.
"Niklaus is the name my father gave me. Please, call me Klaus," he addressed Caroline, smirking widely at her.
Caroline, her cheeks stained a rosy pink from embarrassment, almost forgot to curtsy, she was so flustered.
This cannot be happening to me.
"Now that we have been properly introduced, Miss Forbes, would you care to join me for the first dance?" the king asked smoothly, holding his arm out to Caroline, eyebrows raised in question.
Speechless and feeling panic rising like a cloud of smoke to choke her, she glanced at her friends, hoping against hope that she could talk her way out of this situation with their help.
If she wasn't so flustered, she would have burst out laughing at her friends' expressions, their mouths agape and eyes flickering between the pair in front of them. Even the normally impassive Elijah had a look of mild surprise playing across his face.
"Come now, sweetheart. I won't bite," the king—Klaus—urged softly, lips still quirked in that cocky grin that she was beginning to find extremely irritating.
Defeated, Caroline nodded slowly, still trying to process all of the emotions threatening to overwhelm her. She felt rather than saw the king take her hand gently and place it on his arm, pulling her body close to his and leading her out onto the ballroom floor.
Low murmurs rose from around the guests at the unusual sight of the king joining the dance set with a beautiful blonde stranger on his arm.
Valiantly resisting the urge to flee, Caroline took her place at the head of the set across from Klaus, who was studying her intently, his gaze slowly roving over her form. She avoided his stare, instead looking to her left, and was pleasantly surprised to see Elijah leading Katherine to dance next to them. Her small smile at the couple widened even more when she noticed a shy Lexi further down and opposite none other than the infamous Damon, who had a smirk on his face to rival that of Klaus.
Maybe this will not be as painful after all—at least my friends are here next to me.
The anxious knot in her stomach lessened considerably, and she felt her usual courage slowly but surely returning. She lifted her head high as music soared through the hall, playing the first strains of a stately pavane.
The pair moved slowly towards each other as the dance required, joining hands as they met in the center. His skin was so warm on her cold hand, his calloused palm encasing hers gently but firmly. An involuntary shiver ran down Caroline's spine at the contact.
Judging from Klaus' half-grin, he had noticed her body's reaction to him. Damn him!
They slowly turned, now facing the entrance of the ballroom, moving slowly in time with the music. She took the opportunity to glance up at him surreptitiously, taking in his handsome face now displaying a contented grin.
Suddenly, she couldn't bear the silence that had fallen between them, and her anger at his deliberately withholding his identity from her when they first met by the river rapidly rose to the surface. Capitalizing on her burst of courage, she forced herself to break the silence.
"I would like to thank you, Your Highness, for catching me off-guard in front of my friends and your brother just now," she forced out coldly, staring straight ahead. "Humiliating people so thoroughly seems to be a happy talent of yours."
Klaus chuckled, tilting his head towards her. "I shall take that as a compliment, love. I have had centuries of honing the art to perfection," he replied smartly. "And I believe I asked you to call me Klaus. 'Your highness' sounds far too formal a name to be used between such great friends as you and me."
Caroline scoffed at his audacity. "And I believe I decided to disregard your request, Your Grace," she replied emphatically, refusing to give in to his wishes.
"Very well, then, Caroline," he said smoothly as they continued dancing, his grip on her hand never faltering. "Onto more mannered subjects, then, such as how ravishing you look in that dress." His lips twitched into that aggravating smirk again.
"Yes, well, if you must know, I was more or less forced into it by Bonnie," Caroline stated, deflecting his obvious compliment.
"Did she really? I shall have to thank her profusely later," he said lightly, glancing over to where Bonnie stood on the sidelines, conversing with Elena as they watched the line of dancers. "Although I must say, the gown itself isn't half as ravishing as the woman currently wearing it," he added boldly, gently squeezing her hand with his own and giving her a lingering, heated stare.
Caroline blushed, choosing not to acknowledge his open admiration of her person.
"Do you recall what I said to you about flattery, Your Highness? It will not work on me so easily," she retorted.
"Ah, but your statement implies that it will indeed work, with the proper investment of time and effort," Klaus parried, clearly amused at her irritation.
Determined not to allow him to get the best of her, Caroline remained silent, focusing once more on the dance.
They turned back slowly to face one another again, and then proceeded to turn again, now facing the opposite end of the room and able to look down the set of dancers. From her new vantage point, Caroline noticed Katherine and Elijah deep in conversation, while Lexi laughed at some silly remark of Damon's. She smiled slightly at her friends' good fortune in finding gentlemanly dance partners, wishing her own luck had been more rewarding.
"What are you smiling at?" Klaus' amused tone interrupted her musings.
"Nothing in particular, Your Highness. I was merely admiring the general splendor of the ball itself, as I have never had the opportunity to attend one before."
Why am I suddenly willing to engage him in conversation? Focus, Caroline!
"Is that so?" he murmured, intrigued. "Then I am honored to be your first partner at your first ball. You're quite the dancer."
"I have had some training. My cousin taught me from a young age," she replied, again wondering why she bothered answering his intrusive and unwelcome inquiries.
"Ah, your cousin. Might I ask for the name of your dance tutor?" Klaus asked.
"Stefan, Your Grace," she answered, deciding at the last second not to give away his last name. "He is acts as a guard at the city gate," she elaborated, proud of her cousin's service to the city.
"A guard? Is that so? That does surprise me. I take it that you are not from an aristocratic family, then?"
"No, Your Grace. I am not. I am but a poor, ordinary, humble citizen of Mystic Falls who was not raised on a silver spoon," Caroline stated proudly, meeting his curious gaze head-on, a defiant glint in her blue eyes.
"I meant no offense, love."
"Of course you didn't, Your Highness," she muttered sardonically.
Klaus turned to face her then, his hand tightening around hers into a grip of iron. "Caroline, if I have to ask you a third time to call me Klaus, I might lose my temper, and we can't have that, now, can we? I should hate for there to be blood spilled and spoiling such a magnificent evening, and it would be a shame if it were caused by your stubbornness. Would you like me to start by ripping out the hearts of your little friends? Elena, perhaps?" he said in a low, dangerously sweet tone, his blue eyes flashing angrily in contrast with the polite smile plastered on his handsome features as his head jerked in Elena's direction.
Pure terror flooded her senses. She internally cursed her idiocy in almost forgetting that her dance partner was the Original hybrid—the only hybrid, for that matter. Knowing she had overstepped, Caroline lowered her eyes in fear and shook her head, her entire body trembling.
"N-no, Your—Klaus," she responded faintly.
"Fantastic," he said cheerfully, all signs of fury gone from his face as if it had never appeared.
Just in time, the music began to slow, signaling the end of the dance.
As they finished and made their respective bow and curtsy to each other, Caroline let out a sigh of relief.
Wishing to put as much space as physically possible between herself and Klaus, she immediately made to walk away in search of her friends, when she felt a tug on her hand.
She slowly turned back to face Klaus, whose brilliant eyes blazed with a mixture of emotions she couldn't quite discern. Raising her hand to his full red lips, he planted a lingering kiss on the back, his eyes peeking up at her through blonde lashes.
"It has been an honor and pleasure dancing with you, Caroline," he purred in his silky accent, a wolfish grin spreading over his face. "I look forward to our next meeting."
Resisting the urge to roll her eyes at his cavalier behavior, Caroline managed a quick nod. "I am at your service, Klaus," she responded quietly, ripping her hand from his grasp and walking as quickly as she dared away from the perplexing and enigmatic ruler of Mystic Falls, feeling his stare boring into her back as she went.
"I cannot believe that you did not tell us about your chance meeting with the king! How could you keep such a thing from your best friends?" Katherine demanded in a furious whisper as Caroline drained an entire glass of champagne in one mouthful.
Lexi had been asked to dance by a few other men, as had Elena, but the three managed to corner Caroline during a lull in the festivities and interrogate her ruthlessly about her acquaintance with the king. Distressed and not wanting to keep the secret any longer from her friends, she explained her meeting with Klaus by the river—although she chose not to regale them with certain details to preserve her dignity.
"Because I knew this would be your reaction!" Caroline hissed back, throwing her arms out frantically. "It is a small matter of little importance, Katherine, can you not just let it go? Dancing with the man was torture enough!"
"Was it really?" Elena asked mildly. "It looked like you rather enjoyed his attention, at least from what I could see. He seemed extremely interested by you and your words."
"I did not enjoy it one bit, Elena Gilbert! His questions were as intrusive as his endless supply of charm," she retorted.
A small nagging voice in the back of her head whispered that she was not entirely truthful with her statement, however.
Suppressing that line of thought, she took advantage of the brief pause and seized the opportunity to deflect the conversation away from herself. "Enough about me—what about you, Katherine? Prince Elijah is certainly very interested in you, considering you danced with him three times," she asked the curly-haired Gilbert.
Katherine scowled. "Elijah and I are just friends. Friends dance with each other," she shrugged offhandedly.
"Oh, so it's just 'Elijah' now?" Lexi teased.
Katherine groaned in response. "You have no room to talk, Lexi Branson! I saw you out there with Damon, wrapped up in his enticing blue eyes," she said mischievously, smirking at the blonde vampire.
"He's a talented dancer. Not to mention quite handsome," Lexi grinned, her face flushing a little from the combination of alcohol and dancing. "He even introduced me to Princess Rebekah! She is absolutely lovely, but rather cold and intimidating, I must admit," she lowered her voice.
"My reputation precedes me," a feminine voice drawled nearby.
Caroline turned towards the speaker and saw the woman with the beautiful yellow dress she had seen earlier conversing with Damon.
Lexi jumped in surprise at the woman's appearance.
"Princess Rebekah," she curtsied hastily, visibly trembling in the presence of the female Original.
"Lexi," Rebekah acknowledged her curtly. "Are these your friends?"
"Yes, this is Elena and Katherine Gilbert, and Caroline Forbes, Princess," Lexi introduced them with a falsely cheery voice.
Rebekah looked them over haughtily as they curtsied.
"You're the tart who danced with Nik, aren't you?" she directed her blunt question at Caroline.
Caroline felt her blood boiling at her insinuation. How dare she insult me!
"Yes, I did dance with your brother, although I fail to see how that makes me a tart," she answered coolly, steadily meeting Rebekah's blue eyes with her own.
Elena shifted uneasily beside her, while Katherine watched the princess with narrowed eyes. Lexi looked on in plain terror.
Rebekah opened her mouth to respond, but her reply was cut off by the arrival of an inebriated Kol, who stumbled up and threw his arm over his sister's shoulders, Bonnie hurrying just behind him.
"Insulting guests again, are we, little sister? I see the green monster of envy rising from the ashes!" he said loudly, causing some heads to turn in their direction.
"Kol!" Bonnie hissed, attempting to pull him off his sister in vain.
"Get your drunken arse off me, Kol, or the next thing to come out of your mouth will be your teeth!" Rebekah screeched, shoving Kol away from her.
She glared back at Caroline, whose mouth twitched in spite of herself.
"Don't think for a moment that because Nik charmed you with his little show of attention, he won't dispose of you the minute he sees fit. He'll bed you once like he has all the others and then bleed you dry and leave you to rot. You're nothing but a little blonde distraction to him. Just a friendly warning," the blonde princess spat out viciously, pushing in between Elena and Katherine and stalking off, tossing her hair over her shoulder as she went.
Hot tears spilled into Caroline's eyes, her throat closing in anger and shame. What have I done to deserve this?
"I need some air," she muttered, walking off before her friends could say anything in comfort. She caught Bonnie looking at her sympathetically as she passed.
Caroline quickly made her way over to the glass doors leading out onto a large terrace, which was thankfully deserted. The cool night air caressed her face, which was now wet with fresh tears. She couldn't tell whether they were tears of anger at Rebekah's cruel insults and lack of manners, or tears of sorrow that there might be some truth to her words about a certain infuriating individual.
She stood for some time, silent tears pouring down her face as she looked up at the velvety-black sky dotted with shining stars, the luminous moon casting a silvery light over the grounds. Even in her distress, Caroline couldn't help but admire the natural beauty.
She inevitably thought of Stefan as her fingers were drawn to her necklace, knowing that he would be the first to wrap his arms around her in a comforting embrace, soothing her and easing her suffering as only he could.
Closing her eyes, she shivered, the cold air finally catching up with her. She crossed her arms over her chest in an attempt to block out the chill, sniffling and stifling another sob.
A sudden warmth around her shoulders made her squeak in surprise. Startled, she spun around, not caring about the tears that betrayed her inner misery.
Klaus stood in front of her holding a warm shawl, his blue eyes serious as he intently assessed her.
She immediately pulled away from him, furiously swiping at the remaining tears on her cheeks as she strode over towards the balcony's stone railing. She held her head high, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing her weak and vulnerable. Not that he is capable of any sort of compassionate feeling whatsoever.
She heard him pause for a moment, and then his footsteps sounded on the hard stone pavement as he closed the distance between them to stand directly behind her.
He once more placed the warm shawl around her, his hands lingering on her shoulders as she shuddered slightly. Subconsciously, her hands came up to grasp it and hold it tightly to her body.
They stood there like that, staring out into the night, the breeze ruffling their hair and slowly drying the tears on Caroline's face. Sounds of music and boisterous laughter drifted through the door, though neither of them seemed to hear it, lost in their own thoughts.
"I heard what my sister said to you."
"Don't. Seriously," Caroline spoke sharply, straightening up and squaring her shoulders. "I don't want to hear any excuse you've come up with for her behavior towards me. Her words had the intended effect, in any case."
He did not answer her, instead remaining silent behind her.
She exhaled and faced him then, her gaze boring into his. "Is any of it true?"
His gaze, formerly soft with a hint of what in any other being she would describe as pity, turned cold at the accusation that hung in the air.
"Yes. It is," he responded without emotion, returning her glare with his own. "Not that it is any of your concern, love."
"Do not call me that, Klaus" she spat ferociously, taking a step back from him.
He moved so fast that she hadn't even had the chance to blink in shock before his arms were wrapped around her, holding her back flush against his hard chest.
"Careful, sweetheart. You're treading on dangerous ground," he growled in her ear, his warm breath raising goosebumps on her skin as he lifted one hand to graze against the side of her neck.
Caroline froze as raw terror ripped through her body.
One decisive twist of his hand could end her life.
Her courage crumbling, she inhaled shakily. "Are you going to kill me?"
His arm around her waist flexed briefly at her barely audible question, his hand still brushing back and forth along her neck. Her entire body trembled in fear, waiting for the blow to fall.
The moments passed, his hand on her neck exerting a little more pressure on her skin, provoking a shiver not entirely of fear from her body.
At last, he spoke.
"Do you really think that low of me?" he murmured huskily, his hand moving to play with the curls framing her face, his warm breath still caressing her skin.
"Yes," she responded, her voice still shaky but with a confident edge to it.
He hummed in response, not once relaxing his grip on her waist or removing his hand from her hair.
Caroline slowly began to relax, her racing heart returning to its normal pace as she unconsciously leaned into him slightly, her brain gradually registering the pleasant feeling of his hard muscular form pressed against her.
After a few more long minutes, his grip slackened, unwinding his arm from around her waist and spinning her gently around to face him again.
Caroline sucked in a breath as she beheld the pure intensity of his gaze. She vaguely wondered if it were possible to drown in his oceanic blue eyes.
Klaus broke the heavy silence between them.
"You should get some rest, Caroline. It's been a long evening for you," he said lightly, gesturing inside.
Reluctantly, she nodded.
As she moved passed him, he fell into step beside her, his hand resting lightly against the small of her back. Ignoring the unexpected gesture, she allowed him to lead her inside, back to the music and chatter of the ball, an unspoken understanding passing between them.
Are you still alive? Or did I manage to kill you with feels? Either way, let me know your thoughts! I hope you don't mind my throwing some canon lines in there, I couldn't resist! And you can follow me on Tumblr, my url is klarolinessecondbreakfast
Also, I have some notes that I thought might help you visualize some things in the story (because I know I'm rather abysmal at describing things in detail!):
1) The castle: My love of Disney led me to picture the Mikaelson castle as a sort of cross between the castle from 'Beauty and the Beast' and Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany.
2) Clothing: If you've seen any of the Lord of the Ring movies, that's essentially the style of clothing I'm going for!
3) Dancing: I loosely based Klaroline's dance off of a Renaissance pavane, which is a slow couples dance. If you go on Youtube and search "Renaissance pavane" it'll give you a bunch of demonstration videos that you can watch and give you a general idea of how it looks.