"It's the only thing to do Nik, you're annoyed at the event, Rebekah is eyeing all the boys and Elijah is busy talking to a princess. I'm bored." He begins to slur as do some of the others. My eyes begin to droop and my vision goes blurry, something is wrong, definitely wrong. I glance around and see some of the people slumped in their chairs or with their heads lying on the table.

"Father…" I try to say but it comes out as a slurred groan. I look over at my siblings but their eyes are already closed as mother's glass falls to the floor. I look over at my father but the room begins to spin. I hear the doors slam open as dark figures move into the room but I can't focus let alone try to hold my sword. My eyes shut and the last thing I hear is a man's voice ordering us to be tied up. I can't help but fall into a dark abyss no matter how hard I try to fight it.

Caroline

"Caroline! Caroline!" My eyes shoot open as I hear Stefan's voice accompanied with banging on the door. I rush out of my bed in my nightdress and open the door to see my dishelved friend at the door.

"Stefan, what's wrong?!" He hands me a piece of parchment which I open immediately. I gasp as I read the words.

Princess Caroline,

I regret to inform you that the Mikaelson castle has come under attack where your family is currently residing. Please know that the guards are doing everything that they can to infiltrate the rogues' hostage situation. We will contact you further to release more information, please do not worry.

Respectfully,

Marcellus Gerard

The King's loyal guard and army leader.

My mind fills with images of captivity and brutality. I shake my head and pass the parchment back.

"Order the guards and army to rise, tell them to prepare themselves and the horses. We'll be travelling to the Castle. W leave in 30 minutes." I say as I rush around the room and take out my battle outfit.

"Caroline, is this a wise choice?"

"Stefan, my family is being held hostage in the King's castle whilst the guards stand idly by. The castle should have been safe and secure, whoever these people are, and they planned this. We need to get them out."

"Ok" Stefan runs off to the guards as Bonnie walks in.

"Care, what's happening?"

"The King's castle is under attack, everyone is being held hostage so we need to go there and get them out." I change in my clothes behind the screen as I talk to Bonnie.

"I'm coming with you, in fact I already have my battle clothes with me." I step out and run my fingers through my hair to tame it and pull it up into a ponytail as Bonnie hurries to her room to get changed.

"We're leaving in 20 minutes so hurry Bon." I move to the mirror as I place my serpent arm bracelet around my arm, a sign which shows I'm going into battle. I wrap my waist belt around me which holds my sword and a dagger. I look at myself and see a strong, confident woman in black attire ready for a fight. The black corset battle plate shirt fits me tight as the black skirt reaches my thighs and sits over black leggings with my black ankle boots.

"Care, you ready?" I turn and see Bonnie dressed in a similar attire but with an eagle arm bracelet and her hair is pushed back from her face with a headband which is attached to an amulet that sits on her forehead.

"Yes" I say as I stride out of the room to the grounds where men are already on their horses with Aria and Selina at the front waiting for me and Bonnie. I jump on and turn Aria to face the men. "Gentlemen, our King and Queen are being held hostage in the Mikaelson kingdom, let me assure you that we will bring them back and we will bring the people who did this to justice. Ride like the wind to the grand castle men. Their lives depend on us!" I bellow out which is returned with an almighty cheer, the men part and I ride through them followed by Bonnie, Stefan and the men as we make our way to the castle.

Mikaelson Kingdom

Klaus and Mikael's eyes flutter open and they regard the scene in front of them. Everyone has been tied to their chairs with the tables moved out of the way. Others start waking as well.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Mikael bellows out as he tries to break the rope which holds his hands to the arms of the chair he sits on.

"Father?" Rebekah whispers as she glances around panicked as do some of the others. Men with masks and black attire stand at the edge of the room gripping their swords tightly as they await their next orders.

"Let us out!" The men don't move, they stand frozen when the door suddenly opens and in comes a tall man with chestnut brown hair wearing a black cape followed by a woman with green eyes and a corset dress as well as a girl who appears to be 18 who is also wearing a red corset dress.

"Jonathan Marshall?" Mikael says in confusion as the man continues to approach with a smirk on his face.

"Hello Mikael." He says sinisterly as he stops in the middle of the room and glances at the various faces who are looking at him.

"What in God's name are you doing?" Bill shouts as he looks over his wife and daughter to check that they are ok even though they are tied to their chairs.

"Ah, William, it's been a long time. Elizabeth, may I say you're looking lovely today."

"Jon, I won't ask you again, why have you done this?" He chuckles.

"Oh come on Mikael, it should be quite obvious. I want the kingdom, I will be King when you die. And let me assure you, you will die. Probably at my hand. Then I will get rid of all your children and your beautiful wife and take the crown for myself. Is that clear enough?" He smirks. "But first let me introduce my family, this is my wife Helen and my daughter Hayley. Otherwise known as the future Queen and the future princess."

"Go to hell!" Mikael shouts causing Jonathan to gesture towards Esther and Rebekah. The guards untie them and grab them.

"Get your hands off me!" Rebekah shouts as she struggles to get out of their grip, it's useless as she and her mother are dragged out of the room.

"Where are you taking the?!" Kol shouts as he tries to break the rope.

"Don't worry about that Kol, I suggest you be more concerned about this current situation. You see, for me to take the crown without argument, I need to kill each and every one of you so there are no witnesses." He unsheathes his sword and holds it out towards the King whilst he smirks. "The question is, who will be the first?"

Caroline

We arrived at the castle gates just as the sun had begun to rise. We were greeted by the site of men walking around, entering and coming out of a giant tent which had been set up. There were guard wearing the Mikaelson emblem walking around the castle, securing it. I got off Aria as Bonnie, Stefan and Alaric followed me.

"Who are you?" a man with blue eyes and dark blonde hair asked gaining the attention of the other guards who gripped their swords tighter.

"I am Princess Caroline Forbes, daughter of William and Elizabeth Forbes. I believe my family is in the castle." He bows as do some of the others.

"Princess Caroline, yes you are correct, your family is being held inside as are some others. Follow me." He leads me towards the rent and gestures for me to enter. It seems like a war room which is already surrounded by men, there are no women in sight.

"Yes Thierry?" a dark skinned man who seems to be in charge asks.

"This is Princess Caroline Forbes."

"Ah, yes, Princess Forbes, I see you got my message." He approaches me and takes in my attire and raises his eyebrow.

"Yes I did. You must be Marcellus." He nods. "Tell me, what the plan for the safe return is?" he leads me to the big table in the middle which covered with a plan of the castle.

"First let me introduce some people, this is Mason Lockwood, David Fell, Jeremy Gilbert, Samuel Donovan and Jackson Devereux. Each are advisors or have family in the castle."

"It's a pleasure to meet you gentlemen even though it is in dire circumstances." I move round analysing the plan that they've begun to create and see the flaws clearly. "Is this the plan?"

"We're still working on it. We were told that there are at least 50 men in there working for whoever it is that planned this."

"How long have they been in there?" Marcel sighs as he rests his hands on the edge of the table.

"The whole night"

"And you still haven't come up with a plan?!"

"We're having a tough time trying to balance the movements we would make. Look at it this way Princess, there are more than 50 men in there ready to fight us, the leaders of this plan are probably also in there, the King and his family as well as other Lords and their families. To get them all out safely is nearly impossible." He runs his hand over his face and I can see the bags under his and the other men's eyes. I call in Bonnie, Stefan and Rik.

"These are my advisors, I suggest we all work together to make a pan and then go in." Marcel looks at them but nods reluctantly.

"Good, Stefan?" Stefan moves forward as does Rik as they look over the plan of the castle. "Well?"

"It's going to be tough Care, going by the size of the castle, and the possible rooms that they could be in, we have no way to narrow it down." I nod slowly trying to figure out a way to work around that.

"Ok, let's think about this as if we were the ones planning this. If I wanted to hold so many people hostage I would need leverage or all of them to be unable to move. I doubt that enough leverage could be brought in, so they're probably bound somewhere in the castle."

"But you would have to find a way to bind them first without resistance, so…you drug them."

"Yes, probably through the food…which would be served in the great hall. So my bets are that they're all being held together in the great hall surrounded by a lot of men but some guarding the corridors to prevent intruders to come in."

"That's good, are you sure you haven't kidnapped anyone Care?" Stefan teases me and I roll my eyes.

"You can't prove anything." I say with pursed lips as I stifle a giggle. "Ok, so the plan is to get into the great hall, disarm the men and get everyone out."

"But how do we get in?"

"The kitchen!" Bonnie shouts. "The kitchen is underneath the great hall, and the floor is made up of tiles which could be lifted so we go in through the kitchens, get underneath the cloak room at the back of the hall and burst in through the doors giving us the advantage."

"Excellent, now we just need to figure out who goes in first." Rik says and I raise my head.

"Me." Marcel looks at me and stifles a laugh.

"I'm sorry, but that won't work. You're merely a princess, not a trained fighter like us men." I raise my eyebrow.

"And what evidence of that do you have?" His eyes widen as his mouth opens but no words come out. "Well? What makes you believe that I can't fight?"

"You're a woman…" he whispers and I laugh as I draw my sword.

"Well let's see how you are against a woman." He smirks and takes out his sword and swings it to me as I block and fight back. After a few moves I twirls my sword underneath his and whip it out of his grasp letting it fall to the floor. His mouth is open and I smirk as I put my sword back to my waist. "Now, since we've done that, Bonnie, Stefan and Rik will follow me and then you lot. Place some guards around the castle and in the courtyard. Also tell some to make their way through the corridors and disarm the men they see in the way. Tell them to make their way through the castle and then to the great hall to meet up with us." I say in a blasé tone as the others stare at me.

"Wait what was your name again?" Jackson asks.

"Caroline Forbes."

"Caroline, as in the warrior princess, the future Queen of Xenia?"

"Yep. Now should we get going, I'd hate to waste the daylight." I say as I walk out of the tent and relay my orders to the others.

"Is everyone clear on the orders?" The men nod as they tie their horses to the railings. "Ok, group 1 and 2 will enter from the east while the others will come in from the west." They all nod and move off with their leaders. "Marcellus, you'll be with me since you know the ins and outs of the castle." He nods.

"We should take the side entrance which passes through the cellars."

"Lead the way" I say as I grip my sword tightly and we keep close to the castle walls so that the enemy doesn't see us. We make it to an obscure door which is covered in vines, Marcel rips them off and opens the door slowly and we walk down the stairs leading to a dark room only lit up with a few candles. There are crates of wine and a smashed bottle on the ground. I kneel down and run the tips of my fingers against the cool liquid and hold it up to the light as it emanates an extremely sweet smell.

"Opium… the wine was laced with opium effectively putting everyone to sleep for ease."

"Clever, but opium is hard to come by Care, whoever these people are, they must be rich enough to secure large quantities for everyone."

"That narrows it down, there's only a few people who would have enough money but not be invited to the gathering." Just as we begin to move towards the door I stop and gesture for everyone to be quiet. I listen intently and hear muffled voice in the room beside us.

"Do you know what Lord Marshall wild do once the deed is done?"

"Hopefully he'll have a grand feast, I'm ravenous"

The voices drifted off as the people moved away from the door.

"It's Lord Marshall" Thierry whispers and we all nod in agreement. Mason slowly opens the door and peeks out into the next room which holds all the cooking tools and some food. We follow as Mason enters and we look around to see it empty.

"Where do you think all the servants are?" Jackson murmurs.

"No idea, they're probably tied up somewhere as well, we'll find them." Marcel says. I move to the door and press my ear against it trying to figure out if anyone is in there. I hear some murmurs on the other side.

"Guards…" I say as the others grip their sword tighter. I have mine at the ready as I open the door quietly and peek in to see five guards gorging on food with their back stop the door. I roll my eyes at them as they stuff themselves on bread and meat. I tiptoe out and take a small pan which sits at the side. Taking aim, I swing the pan and hit one of them on the head causing him to collapse as the others become startled and try to grab their swords but Stefan takes two of them down with swift hits to their head and Bonnie and Rik push their heads on the table, knocking them unconscious.

"Well that was quick." Marcel says impressed ä he puts his sword back against his waist and I roll my eyes at him.

"Not everything needs bloodshed Marcel, and we're going for the quiet approach if you hadn't noticed. Hearing screams really isn't the way to go." He smirks and lookers up to the ceiling which is tiled.

"The cloakroom?" he points up and I nod. Stefan grabs a ladder with Thierry and they hold it up for me. I climb up the rings as they steady the ladder and push up one of the tiles moving it to the side and revealing a room rich in red interior decorations. I pull myself up as Stefan, Rik, Marcel and Jackson follow. Mason lifts Bonnie up and gets a crate and jumps up as well. I gesture for everyone to be quiet as we listen in.

"You see I would kill you first Mikael but maybe I should leave you till the end and savour the moment. Hmm, so many decisions."

"You won't get away with this Marshall!" I hear my father shout followed by some other people. I open the door again slowly and look through and see everyone tied to chairs with the King at the head as they're surrounded by guards who are holding their swords. Jonathan Marshalls standing in the middle facing the King whilst he's flanked by two women who I presume to be his wife, Helen, and his daughter, Hayley, who I met at the Summer ball. I still remember her being the spoilt brat and judging by her posture it seems nothing has changed. I count about 20 guards in the room from my view when I notice the two empty chairs beside the King. I close the door softly and look at the others.

"20 guards, swords, Jonathan Marshall and his daughter and wife. They're all tied to chairs with rope but two people are missing who should be seated beside the King. I think it's the Queen and Last Rebekah."

"They must have been taken somewhere else." Marcel whispers back. "What should we do?"

"Ok, Rik and Thierry, once we storm the room, you two head out through the doors and try to find the Queen and her daughter whilst the rest of us take the others down and free them."

"Are you sure we can rake them all down, there's only 6 of us."

"We can do this Mason, don't underestimate our advantage. They don't know that we're here." Bonnie smirks as she raises her sword.

"Everyone clear?" they nod. "Ok, Stefan, Mason and Bonnie you go through that side whilst we enter through these doors," they move over to the other doors and Stefan grabs the handle and opens it slightly to see what's happening. I do the same and listen in as I flatten my hand to show that we're not entering yet.

"Actually, I'll kill your eldest first, Elijah, take your children and then the rest" He chuckles as he approaches the brunette who I assume is Elijah. Instead my hand not signalling yet. "Or I'll just watch and look upon your face at the kill. You, guard, kill him." A guard raises his sword and approaches Elijah.

"Jonathan, I will kill you!" The King roars as Elijah tries to get himself free but fails.

"Jonathan please, don't do this" My mother screams but he just laughs sinisterly.

"Oh sweet Elizabeth, tell me how is your husband's bastard child, I heard that you're stupid enough to pass the crown to her. Maybe, once I'm done here, then I'll kill her and take the crown of the two lands for myself.

"Don't you go near her you bastard." Kat screams.

"My, my, she does have a mouth on her doesn't she?" I grit my teeth but keep my hand flat as I focus on the guard mow standing in front tot Elijah with his sword raised. I grasp my dagger and open the door even more waiting for the order.

"Darling, as future Queen, would you like to give the order?" Helen smirks and raises her head. I look over at Stefan and gesture to my dagger and then raise my hand which he understands immediately. I look back at the scene as the King and his son's start shouting for him to stop. Helen coughs and the shouting stops.

"I hereby sentence you, Elijah Mikaelson, to death… kill him" The guard raises his sword and gets ready to swing when I push open the door and throw my dagger at the guard causing him to drop to the floor as his sword clatters to the ground. I pull back Hayley and raise my sword against her neck as everyone gasps.

"Who the hell are you?!" Jonathan bellows as he sees me take Hayley.

"Caroline, Caroline Forbes." I say with a smirk. My family looks at me with wide eyes. "Sorry I couldn't wear the blue dress mother, I had other things on my mind." I say as I keep my eyes focused on Jonathan.

"Father, help me!" Hayley screams as I roll my eyes.

"Let her go." He says as he draws his sword. I glance over his shoulder and see the others enter surreptitiously without anyone realising since everyone's attention is on my. I hear the metal hiss of swords being drawn behind me. "Let her go and I won't kill you… yet." I smirk.

"Let them go and I won't kill your beloved daughter." He narrows his eyes and I press the blade against her neck causing her to gasp.

"Father…" she murmurs as I feel the teardrops splash onto my hand from her eyes.

"Shut up, give me a minute." He hisses. "Do you really think that you'll get out of here alive?"

"I know for certain I will."

"And what makes you think that?" he says with a smirk.

"Turn around" I murmur but he shakes his head until the cold sword blade touches the back of his neck.

"Now, now Lord Marshall. I suggest you lower the sword." Stefan says with a smirk. Jonathan swallows hard as Mason, Bonnie, Marcel and Jackson surround us. He narrows his eyes and glances around.

"ATTACK!" my eyes widen and I push Hayley away from me as I turn and see 10 guards circling me.

"Now boys, I'll make this easy on you-"

"Argh" a guard runs at me and I twirl his sword round making him lose grip and then kick him in the chest sending him back into the wall.

"Who's next?" I smirk as the rest begin to attack and I swing my sword round hitting each one as Marcel hits them from behind and takes 4 down. I flip above them ending up behind them and take thereof them down by surprise. Another hits my sword from my hand causing it to clatter on the floor.

"Caroline!" I hear Kat shout. I glance at her as she gestures to their feet and I smirk. I slide through the guard's feet and grab a free chair and use it to hit his head causing him to fall. I grab his sword and stab one as I elbow the other who comes from behind. They both fall and I look up to see the other guards being kept busy by my friends. I spot the Marshalls trying to flee when I grab a silver platter and throw it at Jonathan who falls to the ground as it hits his head. Taking some robe from the floor I quickly run over and tie them together to a pipe at the side as they struggle to get out. I turn back and run to my father.

"Father." I rip out the dagger which I threw earlier and use it to try to cut the ties.

"Behind you!" I look up and see the blonde hatred man shout, I twist run immediately as blade hits my arm but bounces off my arm bracelet but slashes the skin causing blood to flow out, I swig g my leg out hitting the guard and then slam his head to the floor knocking him out. I move back and cut off the rope as my father stands and hugs me.

"Care, a little help here!" I hear Bonnie shout and I see her up against several guards. I slash Kat's ropes off and throw her a sword as I grab one for myself. We run over and join Bonnie.

"I missed you Care." Kat shouts over as she swings her sword and takes a guard down causing me to laugh as I hit one and make him fall.

"You too Kat." I glance at her and see a man behind her. "Kat!" she turns and swings her blade stabbing him in the stomach as blood begins pouring out from his mouth. I move back to the King.

"Your Grace" I bow slightly as I approach and cut through his bounds as he stands and flexes his wrists.

"Thank you Caroline." He says as I move to Elijah and untie him as well. I look up and see the blonde man and cut though his ropes as well. Just as I open my mouth to speak an earth shattering scream pierces the air.

"Rebekah…" I hear him whisper, I get up and run towards the doors which Thierry and Jackson went through and look down the corridor to see a woman being dragged down the hallway.

"Stop!" I shout but the man lifts the girl and runs. I chase after him as the blonde man before runs beside me. The girl is screaming and kicking as she tries to get out.

"Rebekah, Niklaus!" I hear the King shout behind us as we keep running, this must be Niklaus with the blonde hair. Rebekah screams again and I know they're heading towards the weapon room. I turn off to a passage at the side which I remember on the plans. I run faster as I try to make it to the room as I pass grand paintings on the walls and beautiful tapestries. I make it to the room as I hear Rebekah sobbing and the King, Niklaus, Elijah and my father trying to calm the man who is holding Rebekah down but it doesn't work. Fortunately, the man's back is towards me and there is no door just an open entrance for me to go through.

"Let her go and I'll spare you."

"You lie, I know I won't make it out of here alive." I move forward as he presses his sword into her neck. I grab his face and twist causing a crack to echo through the room. The man drops to the ground and I hold Rebekah as she cries. I look over her shoulder and slowly pass her to the King who cradles her. I'm embraced in a warm hug and I make out my father's scent.

"Caroline… you could have got yourself killed." He pulls back and looks at me sternly whilst I shake my head.

"My family was being held hostage by a maniac, did you really expect me to stay at home just wondering what was happening?" I say with a raised eyebrow and he sighs as he pull me in again for a hug.

"No honey, I know you better than that." I pull away from him as he turns towards the King.

"Lady Rebekah, are you hurt?"

"No." she sniffles as she walks to me and hugs me tightly. "Thank you Caroline, I owe you my life." I run my fingers through her hair and then pull banc, to wipe away her tears.

"No, you don't Rebekah, nut you wouldn't happen to have a bandage." I gesture to my arm which is bleeding and her eyes widen. She nods frantically.

"Of course, we have, I'll get the nurse to come to you." I shake my head.

"No, no, its fine, I just need to clean away the blood and wrap, no nurse needed." The King steps forward as he looks over my arm.

"Please, we insist. It's the least we can do." I look at my father who nods as Rebekah leads me out of the room and back to the great hall.

"Caroline, how did you know?"

"A parchment was sent to me by Marcellus, I wasn't going to wait for news so I readied the guards and we rode through the night and arrived just as the sun came up. I met some of the other family representatives once we arrived."

"Lady Forbes, thank you for saving my life I am indebted to you." The brunette says as we w's along the corridor.

"Prince Elijah, right?" he nods. "No thanks needed, seriously, anyone would have done it." I turn to the blonde with sharp blue eyes. "You must be Prince Niklaus?" he smirks at me.

"One and only love." I roll my eyes at him as he continues to smirk.

"Well thank you for warning me before." He nods at me as he was with his arms behind his back.

"I guess you owe me then, sweetheart".Just as we're about to turn I see a reflection in the mirror opposite of a guard waiting with a bow and arrow. My eyes widen as Niklaus steps forward and the guard releases and arrow which is rift in his line. Without winking I pull him back and slam him into the side so that the arrow flies past us and pierces the tapestry. I grab a flower vase from the side and throw it at the guard knocking him out. I look back at Niklaus, our faces are only inches away and I look into his eyes as he stares at me. I slowly release my grip on his shirt and smooth it down.

"Call that evening out the scores, sweetheart." I smile as he smirks. I move away from him and turn back to the others who stare at me in awe. I shrug my shoulders amusedly "What?" I smile and continue down the corridor. As the others follow and we make it to the hall where the others are waiting.

"Mikael" the Queen says as she runs to him and they embrace as do my parent.

"Caroline, it seems the others would like their orders." Stefan says to me as a large group of men gather from various kingdoms.

"Um… thank you for helping me and cooperating. You did a great job, you should all be proud of yourselves." I say as they cheer and Kat hugs me.

"You'll make a fabulous Queen Caroline, darling." Lady Lockwood says as she moves closer bringing her son forward. "This is my son, Tyler Lockwood, I'm sure you two will get in great." He strides forward as his eyes run down my body and I hold back the urge to vomit.

"I' must say, your fighting skills are excellent, but I thought that women didn't learn how to fight." He smirks at m suppress an eye roll.

"Well I'm not like other women."

"Clearly" he murmurs as he licks his lips" I suppress the urge to hit him.

"You two have so much in common." Lady Lockwood beams and I force a smile. I glance around for a way to get out of this conversation when my eyes meet Niklaus' and he walks to us.

"Sweetheart, let me escort you to the nurse." He holds out his hand.

"Oh goodness, you're bleeding, Tyler take her to get cleaned up." My eyes widen and I quickly grab onto Niklaus' hand.

"No please, I insist." He says with a smirk and I didn't wait for a response as I pull him out of the doors and breathe sigh of relief.

"Thank you." He chuckles and we look at each other.

"Well I saw a damsel in distress and I acted, you don't need to thank me." He says smugly as I scoff at him.

"I'm not a damsel in distress, I'm perfectly capable in saving myself. In fact, I distinctly remember you being the one tied to the chair and needing me to save you." He narrowly eyes but doesn't say anything. "What's wrong Niklaus, cat got your tongue?" I smirk and nudge him as he chuckles.

"You don't hold back do you sweetheart?"

"Of course I don't." he looks back to my arm.

"That's an interesting arm bracelet, love." I brush my fingers over the metal. "Why a serpent?"

"A serpent is quick, sly and agile. It's the way a warrior should be in a battle. I was raised like that."

"Interesting, you showed all those features when you were taking the enemy down. You'll make a fine Queen sweetheart." I nod as we arrive at a door which he opens.

"Thank you, but those features alone don't make a queen, Niklaus." He leads me not the empty room.

"Lexi, the nurse, must be busy at the moment, and please call me Klaus." He gestures for me to have a seat on the chair as he got a bowl of water and clothe. "What other features do you think a queen needs?" he brushes the damp cloth over my arm causing the blood to run down.

"Well, any leader needs compassion and kindness to be able to connect with their people since they make up the kingdom. They need to bear in mind that no matter what, the people always come first and that they should have the ability to achieve goals in a diplomatic way as well as being able to differentiate between rift and wrong and not be swept up in corruption." Klaus gazes at me and I look back at him. "What?" he shakes his head and laughs as he resumes cleaning my injury.

"Nothing, it's just I've never heard an answer like that, most people worry about land as a whole, never about the people. It's a refreshing view to have." I smile at his complement. The clothe moves over my cut and I hiss at the texture but he runs his thumb over the back of my hand to sooth me which works.

"It's ok, nearly done."

"Thank you." He looks at me and smiles showing off his dimples.

"It's my pleasure" he whispers when the door is suddenly opened to Katherine and Elijah.

"See, I was right, Caroline is with Niklaus." Kat rolls her eyes and moves to me.

"Yes, yes you were right, what would you like a gold medal?"

"Katherine." I scold her but Elijah just chuckles. "I'm sorry Elijah, someone doesn't seem to understand when to keep her mouth shut." I glare at her but she rolls her eyes.

"Its fine Caroline, I've dealt with temperamental women before." He teases her to get a rise out of Kat who releases me and glares at him.

"I'll show you temperamental…" she murmurs as she gets up and follows him out of the room as I roll my eyes.

"You do realise that she might kill him" I say to Klaus as he looks up and shrug.

"He's always been a bring sod, might make his life more interesting." I can't help but giggle.

"I'm sorry… but… what the hell is a sod?" he chuckles as he wraps a bandage around my arm.

"I don't think I should tell you, love"

"Oh come on, please" I say with a pout causing him to laugh. He looks around and gestures for me to come closer. I move forward as he does the same and brushes his lips over my ear.

"It means bastard." He whispers as his silk accent flows in. I pull away slightly as he smirks. Our faces are only inches away as we stare into each other's eyes. I can feel the tension in the air which is suddenly broken by the knock on the door causing us to pull back from each other.

"Caroline, there you are. Your mother is looking for you." My father says as he enters the room a d narrows his eyes at Klaus. "Niklaus. Where is the nurse?"

"I think she's taking care of the others father. Klaus was just helping me." Klaus nods and gestures to the bandage.

"Didn't want it to become infected." Father nods but stands at the door.

"Well, it seems that you've done a splendid job Niklaus, we should return." I nod as does Klaus and we follow him out. "Darling, I hope you don't mind but I had the guards bring Aria into the stables in the garden." I smile brightly.

"Aria, she's your horse is she not?" I nod. "May I ask where you acquired her from?"

"We travelled to Spain and I saw her there, she's beautiful, you really should see her."

"Niklaus is quite the horsemen darling, he's the one who built the stables by hand, if that is correct, right Niklaus?"

"Yes, Lord Forbes but I was thinking of extending it since I'm having more brought in. Caroline, I was wondering if it's possible to see Aria, she is an Asluian horse right?" I smile at him.

"Yep, she's my pride and joy, seeing as we'll be staying for a week, I'm sure I could let you visit her." His blue eyes light up as he grins and I smile back. The moment is broken by my father's cough who seems to stifling a laugh. Klaus coughs awkwardly as he blushes and looks to the floor.

"Yes… um… that would be great." I look towards my father who tries to suppress a smile and I narrow my eyes at him.

"Caroline!" I see Lady Lockwood beaming at me as she drags Tyler along. I roll my eyes but force a smile on my face again. "William. Caroline, darling I was hoping to find you. Tyler would like to take you on a walk." He smiles at me and I panicky trying to think of a way to get out of this.

"I'm sorry Carol, but it seems that Caroline will be busy." Carol's smile falters for a moment.

"Oh, what will you be doing, maybe Tyler could help you?"

"Um... actually I'll be tending to my horse with Klaus' help, I'm sorry maybe next time."

"Yes, maybe next time, but it was lovely seeing you Carol." She narrows her eyes at Klaus but walks away with Tyler and I breathe a sigh of relief.

"Thank you father." He smiles at me and kisses me on the cheek.

"Well love, it seems we'll be spending much more time together." Klaus murmurs with a smirk.

"Great…" I murmur sarcastically but I can't help the smile on my face.