C2
A/N: I'm sorry. I didn't clarify earlier this is a KLAROLINE story with slight Daroline at the beginning. Nothing more. KLAUS AND CAROLINE WILL BE END GAME.
The three princesses had dressed and cleaned up fairly quick. The trio were making their way up to the throne room once again. Elena and Bonnie walked behind Caroline at her sides while Caroline being the leader of their group marched in the center. Caroline could feel her palms getting sweatier by the minute. Her heartbeat was elevated and her breathing was fast. She had never been so frightened in her life. The notion of getting out of the castle perimeters and sneaking into the public tavern seemed like a thrilling adventure with Damon and Stefan's encouragement but as the princesses were called in by the Queen, Caroline felt all her confidence shatter away.
As she entered the throne room, the guards bowed and let her in along with her friends. Her shoes clicked with the floor, her deep red dress flowing and sweeping behind her. The blonde haired princess inhaled deeply and held her chin high, preparing herself for the worst while the brunette princesses fidgeted fretfully with her fingers looking down. She saw her parents sitting on the throne with frowns and wrinkles on their faces but that was not what caught her attention. The Salvatore princes were standing beside her parents. Stefan was pacing while Damon was leaning against one of the pillars. They both didn't look anywhere near drunk. 'Why did they have to look so good while the girls looked like they hadn't slept in days?'
The three girls curtsied and stepped back a bit as the Queen stood up. "You are late. We have matters to discuss of great import" Elizabeth complained sternly.
The blonde princess rolled her eyes, "Of course" she muttered sarcastically under her breath. Her mother always only wanted to talk to her when there was something serious happening. She would never spend time with her for mother-daughter bonding.
Her mother passed her a stern look and Caroline lowered her head reluctantly. She only passed a quick glance in Damon's direction and saw him looking very serious. "Yes your highness. What do you need to discuss with me?" she asked with just a hint of mockery in her voice.
"The royalties from diverse domains will be arriving today. I expect you and the two princesses to stay inside. No one is allowed to have a glimpse of the princess before the festivity." Elizabeth ordered and ignored the protests from the princesses and looked to Stefan and Damon.
"I expect everyone to honor my regulations" she spoke sweetly looking to Damon which was very unusual. The Queen never liked Damon much because he was crazy and impulsive always getting Caroline into troublesome activities whereas she preferred Stefan to be a greater friend to Caroline.
Caroline eyed her mother suspiciously and turned to her father instead. "They were supposed to come after a week. Why the sudden change?" she asked boldly. She had been given seven days to adore her life to the fullest before being married off to an arrogant, egotistical prince of someplace. She hated her life right now. There was no escape from this. She knew her friends Elena and Bonnie would get great husbands because their parents actually wanted their happiness but hers just seemed to think of her marriage as an asset to gain more power.
"My deepest regret that you shan't have the time you were promised but there were… pressing issues that forced this course of action." He replied looking towards his wife for support who nodded bravely.
"What pressing issues? Is everything alright?" Caroline asked worriedly. When she received no answer from them, she looked towards the princes to help her case but Damon looked away sternly while Stefan just shook his head, ever so slightly to let her know she wasn't going to get any answers.
"I see" Caroline replied angrily. She couldn't believe her parents right now. They were just dismissing her and what infuriated her even more was that not Damon nor Stefan were speaking in her favor. "Well if that is all, I should head back to my chambers so that no potential suitors of mine can actually see me!" she spoke up sarcastically and not waiting for their answer, she strode out of the room into the private gardens.
As soon as Caroline left the room, Bonnie went after her while Elena moved to stand beside Stefan. The younger Salvatore elbowed his older brother. Damon, in return, rolled his eyes and sighed.
"Your majesty" he addressed the king and went to stand in front of him at a respectable distance. "Now that Princess Caroline has left, I have to discuss a matter of great ingress." He said formally and with a wave of the King's hand, he continued.
"I would like to probe your permission for courtship to the Princess" he announced. Elizabeth's eyes went wide open as Elena's mouth while the King looked pleased. He smiled genuinely and stood up from his throne to embrace Damon.
"Of course! I would have no objections, Damon. You are already a son to me and I desire that this courtship bids you both well so that I don't have to hand over my daughter to some stranger." He said rather proudly, patting Damon's shoulder encouragingly.
"I am sure father would be delighted to hear this" Stefan chimed in as he moved towards the men. Both the other men smiled while Damon smirked. "Now that that's settled. Let us drink to this" he said deviously and they moved out of the room to the King's study for drinks and cigars.
Elena stood there shocked, unable to form some sort of words. Firstly Damon courting Caroline was something much unexpected. Everyone thought of them as friends not courtesans but certainly Damon had other feelings. Secondly because throughout the day, Stefan ignored her utterly even after she stood next to him, he walked away. He seemed distant. Did something happen that he wasn't feeling comfortable around her? She clouded her mind with millions of thoughts.
The Queen snapped her out of her thoughts, "Elena, I hope you won't speak of this with Caroline yet. She doesn't need further matters stressing her. When the time is right, her father and I, will discuss issues with her" she spoke sweetly. Elena smiled and nodded confused as to why she wanted to hide such a news from Caroline.
Elizabeth smiled at the young, brunette princess in front of her. Elena was always very special to her. She was the perfect sweetheart princess every mother would desire. It was a shame, her own mother couldn't have seen her to become such a beautiful young woman. If the Bennett kingdom had not done it first, Elizabeth would've adopted Elena the moment she laid eyes on her. She loved her own daughter more than Elena but sometimes she wished Caroline would not be so stubborn and would be more submissive like Elena but that wasn't in the Forbes bloodline so she couldn't argue.
Caroline was out in the garden, inhaling the scent of the flowers and nature around her. Light shone on her face and provided her with the warmth of the summer Sun. She loved the summers and they were exceptionally brilliant in the Forbes kingdom. Just a slight mixture of spring and summer with light winds. One of the many reasons she loved staying in her own kingdom during the summertime.
But another reason why she hated living here like a princess was the tall, grey, concrete wall in front of her with guards patrolling above it. The sunlight could barely reach her face when she was in the garden so she mostly visited the balcony from where she could view all of her kingdom and also hope to see the world beyond it, one day.
She was pulled out of her thoughts when her dark-skinned friend came and stood next to her. They both stood there still, facing the grey structure, trying to absorb as much sunlight as possible.
"I don't know why my parents treat me like this. Sometimes I wish I wasn't a princess!" Caroline exclaimed sadly as she saw the sentinels approaching them. Her friend passed her a tight smile and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder before moving inside the castle, not wanting to gather anymore unwanted attention.
Two days passed more quickly than Caroline could have ever imagined. She stayed mostly in her chambers and was only allowed to visit the dining hall or the balcony since the arrival of the sovereigns had begun promptly. She hated being confined in her room like a little caged pet but she had no option and what made it rather worse was that Damon had grown distant ever since. At least Stefan came to visit her twice, but Damon didn't even bother. It was like he was disregarding her presence deliberately. Her only sources to communicate with were Bonnie, her mother and sometimes Elena. The adopted princess, too, had grown detached and avoided her at many moments.
This was all very unnerving for the blonde princess. She could no longer even roam freely in her own home or that was at least what she thought. It looked like she wasn't even going to get the last week of her life, as herself, to enjoy. She sighed and slumped on her bed staring at the ceiling. It was made of the most colorful glass that Caroline had ever seen, all the colors she had ever seen or heard of swirled together in a fantastic, mesmerizing mess of pure light. It would glisten and transform the plain stone tiling into a sea of color that Caroline would spend her childhood dancing across and imagining she was inside a rainbow. When she was sad and the day was dreary the glass ceiling seemed to weep alongside her.
She was so consumed in her memories, she didn't hear the opening of the door or the clicking of a pair of heels on the tiled surface. She finally realized she wasn't alone when two bodies collapsed by her sides on the bed, trapping her in the middle. She turned on her right to see Elena and on the left, Bonnie. They both didn't look at her instead just stared at the ceiling. It was something they all did when they were little, only then, there only problems were not having matching accessories for their dolls. Now all three of them were the dolls and they could only hope and pray for the best.
"My parents gave away my battalion's facility to some 'noble guard' in the council claiming it was well than a lady to command" the dark skinned princess complained theatrically.
"My parents have caged me in my chambers to hide me like a distressed little, naive girl and promised to wed me off to an unknown man for power!" the fair haired princess exclaimed melodramatically.
"Stefan is disregarding my presence in every conversation as if I'm not even present." Elena said sadly staring at the ceiling like it had all the answers to her problems. It was a common practice for the princesses to each share their problems and then work together to come forth with a solution.
Caroline moved her body up supporting herself on her elbows looking to her straight-haired friend, "I thought you and Stefan were about to announce your courtship to the council?" the fair-haired girl asked knowingly.
"I might've done something to upset him otherwise he would've done that already. But he hasn't…" she answered back sadly. Elena was always the one who blamed herself for everything that happened around them.
"I'm sure it's nothing. He'll come around. Doesn't he always?" Bonnie added the last part a bit harshly. The truth was the men fawned over Elena because of her fragility and delicacy and regarded her as a true princess instead of Bonnie. Or even Caroline for that matter. They were both headstrong and fierce and that is the reason why suitors lined up for Elena and Bonnie was cast in the sidelines. Caroline still had pretty features and only a few people had seen Caroline due to her parents' strict rules. Which was, in one way, a good thing because once they got a glimpse of Caroline, they were crazed by her beauty.
Not that Bonnie wanted the attention but it always felt a bit petty around Elena.
Bonnie turned to her head to her other friend, "Your parents must be doing what's best for you. You need to trust them." She said calmly. Her parents were a bit too controlling sometimes but that was always for Caroline's good and it was a reminder there were still people who truly loved and cared for her.
Caroline opened her mouth to say something but Elena's muttering cut her off. "Of course. They love you and whatever decisions they are making must be for your own wellbeing. Besides you know that Damon is-
This time Caroline cut her off. She sat up straight and narrowed her eyes at her friend accusingly. "Wait! Where did Damon come in all of this? And what decisions are my parents making?" She asked suspiciously.
Elena looked around nervously for some kind of distraction but couldn't find one. "You did not hear this from me" Elena warned holding up her finger. She breathed in deeply and began, "The other day when we were summoned in the throne room, a short while after you left, Damon …" she trailed off not wanting to be the one to say something she wasn't allowed to.
"Damon what Elena?" Bonnie asked impatiently. Elena turned her head to the side and prepared herself for the moment.
"He asked for permission to court Caroline for a week or two and then he wants to marry her" she stated and looked over to her friends who were in deep shock. At least Bonnie was.
Caroline didn't need to be told something twice. Her anger and frustration were at the top and she literally saw red. She could imagine smoke coming out of her ears and nose. She stomped out of her room ignoring the pleas of her friends who knew better than to get in her way when she was angry.
Caroline made her way to the dining hall where Damon, Stefan and a few members of the council were seated along with two unknown men she didn't recognize. She chose to ignore the audience and was about to enter when someone stepped in her path.
"Apologies duchess but her majesty has requested for you to stay inside your chambers and away from this wing to avoid from prying eyes." A guard said as he glanced inside the hall towards the strangers and then bowed his head again.
"I do not care what my mother has said to you! I need to talk to Damon right now. So get out of my way" Caroline practically yelled at him catching the attention of the spectators inside the room.
Damon quickly glanced at her and called out, "I'll meet you shortly after I'm done here" he called out at her. Stefan scowled at Damon for being so discourteous towards the princess but the elder Salvatore paid him no attention.
His attitude and words further enraged Caroline and she could pull out his hair if he didn't come out this instant. "Damon, come out now! You can be done with 'that' later" she pointed towards the people inside.
Damon excused himself politely from the group of people and hurriedly made his way to Caroline. The golden haired princess couldn't help but notice the two stranger on the table gawking at her constantly and sharing looks as if she was sort of a meal. She didn't have much time to think as Damon grabbed her upper arm, softly, and led her out of the view of the spectators towards the private gardens.
"Is my life a jest to you Prince Damon?" Caroline asked venomously using his proper title to add a bit of bitterness and to let him know that she was upset by his actions. She spoke freely as the gardens were just for the royal family even the council was not allowed there.
"Where are you going with this? Have I done something to upset you Caroline?" Damon asked bluntly. He did not like the way Caroline was talking to him distantly and after tonight they'd all need to keep their strength up by staying together as one.
"What have you done to upset me?" Caroline laughed abruptly turning to face him. "You asked the king and queen for my hand in marriage. Do you not think I should be distraught that you did not even consult with me on the matter?" She questioned him but her voice going softer as she stared into his big blue eyes which were like a stormy sea.
"Caroline" he spoke softly and held her hands in his own. "I asked for your parent's permission to court you. Not marry you" He clowned. Everyone knew Damon was only asking to court Caroline because of the council otherwise he'd have no problem just espousing her off directly.
"We all know why you did that Damon. I'm not a child anymore" She argued with him. "I'm a woman" she declared jutting her chin in the air.
"Yes you are and a very beautiful one if I may add. So Princess Caroline Forbes will you do me the honor of marrying me?" He asked straight out looking into her blue eyes with his own.
"One on condition" the princess spoke up and smiled deviously when the idea appeared in her mind. "On your knees" she demanded. Damon's pride was the biggest thing for him but he'd have to swallow that if he wanted to marry her.
Begrudgingly Damon lowered himself, still not leaving her hands. He bent 'on his knees' as the princess told him to. This had been the hardest job for him but then again Caroline Forbes was no ordinary woman. She challenged everyone and Damon was ready to accept her every challenge in their life together. It would be the only way to keep Caroline safe and with him.
"Is everything to your liking now Princess?" Damon asked sarcastically, still on his knees.
Caroline rubbed her chin with her finger and thumb thoughtfully and then laughed. "The prince could've been better but you'll do fine" she joked and then turned serious waiting for him to proceed.
"Princess Caroline Forbes will you, now, do the honor of marrying me?" He asked in his sweetest voice possible. Caroline's smile was enough to light up the whole town and when she nodded, it was all the permission Damon needed to kiss her temple.
They watched the happy couple from a distance, laughing, smiling and giggling, totally unaware of the destruction that was about to follow. He'd let the girl have her choice though. She was a beauty and it'd be a shame if he'd have to force her in the right direction but then again life always had a way of disappointing Klaus Mikaelson.
"Everything is prepared for tonight. It is going to be a fun evening" the younger Mikaelson brother said with a smirk plastered to his face, watching the couple interact.
Klaus turned to him and patted his shoulder, "I'll see you tonight then." He smiled deviously and walked away.