C4
Previously:
"Are you tone-deaf or just discounting me?" The blonde grew hot with his oblivious state but was immediately taken aback when the man she scolded wasn't Stefan but someone else. She was in deep trouble. Yes! Very deep trouble.
"I could never ignore you love" the man answered and held his hand out for her to take. "Klaus. Klaus Mikaelson" he chimed in with a mysterious smirk plastered to his face.
Caroline's eyes grew wide as realization stuck into her. Did she just hear Mikaelson? As in the very Mikaelsons who were despised by the Salvatores and the Forbes?
He watched her reaction very closely. Observing every twitch of her eyes, every hitched breath and also the fact that she was chewing on her bottom lip. Probably still thinking how a Mikaelson entered her kingdom. She was exquisiteness. Even more so up close. He had seen many princesses over the years but no one was nearly as striking as her. Her blonde hair shone so bright they almost blinded him. She had a natural aura of light and purity surrounding her and from the rumors he had heard she was just that. Purity.
He noticed the wheels in her brain turning round and round. He laughed silently wondering what she could be thinking. He doubted she'd be thinking about his good looks.
"Can I be acquainted with what runs in that pretty little head of yours love?" he asked sardonically.
She sharply turned her head to him and her face hardened immediately. "Excuse me?" she was shocked by his behavior. She was a princess and no one except her friends of course was allowed to address her like that. Normally she would've just kept quiet but this was Klaus. Klaus MIKAELSON. And she had every intention of giving him her piece of mind.
"Don't worry love. Your council just approved of me to court you and I think so will your father but of course he doesn't have a choice. Much like you I presume? So- he was conveniently cut off by the blonde princess in front of him who was very much enraged by his words.
"Let me tell you something Prince Klaus Mikaelson!" she exclaimed angrily using his proper title to carry her message across that she was not intimidated by him or his name or title. "This is my kingdom. These are my people here. I may tolerate your presence for the sake of my people and for the respect I hold for the council but that does not mean you or anyone can force me into doing anything" she stated pointing her finger at him ignoring the cautious looks she was receiving from the audience all around.
"How dare you talk to me like that? You will live to regret that" he hissed back in warning. Surely she was pretty enough and he was always one to appreciate beauty so he wouldn't kill her but there were many worst things in life than death. No one had ever dared to talk to him like this and lived to see the day. She would but certainly without the brashness.
He watched in the background as the knights in the shining armor, Stefan and Damon, came to rescue their precious princess from the monster Klaus Mikaelson. He smirked at their presence and saw how Damon possessively came and stood in between Klaus and Caroline. Stefan stood beside her smiling at a few people who seemed too concerned by the situation.
"Damon. Stefan. Long time mate!" Klaus exclaimed exaggeratingly.
Damon for one rolled his eyes much like the blonde princess standing behind him. "Klaus. Didn't I tell you to stay away from Princess Caroline?" Damon asked menacingly.
Klaus merely smiled and pressed his lips together to form a thin line. "Let me tell you something. Your threats mean nothing to me." He said with a shrug. "Your council has so kindly approved of me to be more than eligible for Caroline here." He said sarcastically glancing at her with lust in his eyes that made her scoff. "I don't really see any need for your approval mate. Unless you're her brother or father." He added in an ominous tone.
"You're all causing a scene here." Stefan whispered lowly with a fake smile so no one could spread more rumors about their 'fight'. "We can talk about this later at night in the private gardens." He said and watched as both Damon and Klaus nodded in agreement.
They both glared each other for a few minutes before the elder Salvatore begrudgingly stepped back and turned to the princess behind him. "Let us go inside. The king and queen are waiting" he said nodding softly to her. She turned around and walked a few steps forward but then stopped to look past her shoulder at the Mikaelson prince who tried to insult her. He wouldn't get off that easy.
"You should come visit me when you learn some proper etiquettes on how to interact with a lady and how to address a princess" she called after him sweetly but announced it loud enough for the majority of the people in their surroundings to hear her.
Damon and Stefan both smirked and barely contained their laughter when they saw Klaus' flushed face as people started talking about how he had no manners to talk to ladies and how he disrespected the princess in her home. Rumors spread fast and got exaggerated easily too. So as of now Klaus Mikaelson was named as a fool with no respect for women.
"Well played princess" Damon commented, smirking as he walked besides Caroline as they made their way to the throne room.
She turned to him and shook her head, "Why didn't you tell me that the Mikaelson prince was here?" she asked disregarding his previous comment.
He sighed, "The King thought that he'd be able to handle the situation till then but then Klaus went directly to the council." He said in one breath. "Now the matter is out of his hands" he added scornfully.
"What do you mean the council approved? How can they approve of a Mikaelson!" she questioned half confused, half furious. She hated the Mikaelsons. The kind of rumors she heard about them were enough to show her dislike was justified.
"Don't fret. Just humor him." He said looking at her with his big blue eyes. "For a few days. For me" he added pleadingly.
She sighed knowing she could not deny him. At least not when he looked at her with those big blue orbs which made him resemble a loveable, young puppy. "Fine. But you will pay me back for this" she said raising her index finger to him.
He smirked in a very Damon-like manner. "Of course! After our marriage I'll…" he was cut off by the blonde.
"You seem a bit too confident that we are going to get wedded" she said raising her eyebrows questioningly trying to hide her smile.
"Your smile gives me all the confidence I need" he said cheekily. She blushed and before she could reply the guards in front of them bowed and they entered the throne room.
They entered the room and curtsied. Caroline took her place on the throne with her parents and was presented with gifts and favors from people of other countries congratulating her for the start of the festivities.
She was surprised at the number of princes trying to woo her with presents and flattery. She sighed knowing that all their gestures were a waste. She was going to marry Damon everyone in her family and friends knew that but of course no one else knew the secret pact between the king and Damon. Surely her father was a man of honor and always followed the rules but when the matter came to his daughter, he couldn't just hand her off to a stranger.
After a few hours, Caroline rubbed the back of her neck tiredly and tried to sit as proper as possible but her body was stiff by now. She had been sitting there for hours and was glad when the presenter announced the end of the session. But she was far from done, she still needed to discuss a few things with her father and as she suspected he dismissed the guards and the only people present in the room now were the Salvatores and the Forbes family.
"What were you thinking today Caroline? Insulting a prince in public?" Elizabeth hissed angrily towards her daughter. There was a part of her proud of the fact that her daughter had shown the prince what he deserved but people weren't only pointing towards Klaus. Caroline was also insulted in the matter. Even though she didn't need the approval of the other princes but in the eyes of her people she did because they had no idea that Damon would be the only prince marrying Caroline.
"Mother he is not just a prince. He is a Mikaelson!" Caroline exclaimed back dramatically. "Besides he was treating me like I were not a person but a piece of meat" she added pouting. All men looked at her like that except Damon and Stefan. She hated when they treated her like a pretty, little porcelain doll. She was not a doll. She was a princess, a very tough princess.
"Mikaelson or not. No prince is to be treated that way. You are a grown woman Caroline, conduct yourself as one." Her mother said back in a firm tone.
"But- Caroline tried to argue like a little child would but her mother held up her finger and shook her head.
"No but-s Caroline." Her mother warned. "No one knows of the arrangement between your father and Prince Damon. If you're as stubborn as you are now, everyone will be suspicious. Treat them all the same" she said in a much softer tone.
"Okay" the princess nodded sighing. It would be no use arguing with her mother once she had made up her mind.
"If I may say something?" Damon inquired wanting to speak. After the king's approval he nodded in gratitude. "I think you- he said pointing towards Caroline- "should be careful around them. They are obviously not here with good intentions" he said looking towards the Queen, who was nodding in agreement and the young princess who was narrowing her eyes at him.
"What do you mean them? Who else is there?" she asked worriedly. As in one Mikaelson wasn't enough, there were more of them in her kingdom.
Damon looked towards Stefan and the King for help but they all shied away to answer so exhaling again he answered her. "Kol is also here" he said and waited for the outburst.
"WHAT!?" she shouted and immediately covered her mouth with her hands when her mother gave her a stern look. "I meant what?" she asked again in a much more decent manner.
"Both the brothers are here. Everyone needs to be careful around them. We need to show them our inner strength at the moment. They think they can come here and strike us up but we have to show them we are stronger than that." Damon answered back seriously looking towards everyone.
"All of us have to stay together. No one should be alone at any time" Stefan added looking towards Caroline. She nodded respecting his suggestion.
"Well if that is all, we should get going. We proposed to talk to Klaus in the gardens tonight" Stefan said to the King and Queen who seemed a little concerned for their daughter.
"Don't worry we'll be there with her" Damon reassured her parents and they both nodded at him in gratitude.
"I need to have a word with my daughter… alone" the King suddenly said as the trio were about to leave.
Damon and Stefan shared glances and nodded respectfully. "We'll be in the gardens" they said in unison and left swiftly.
Caroline stood up and faced her father who seemed conflicted. "What troubles you father?" she asked softly. Her father had been under more stress than she had ever seen him.
The King exhaled and rubbed his temple with his hand, "I don't know how to place this exactly but I need you to stay away from Damon a bit" he said somewhat shyly.
Now Caroline was genuinely confused. First he said for them to stick together then in private he told her to avoid being in Damon's presence. As if her mother read her thoughts she quickly answered.
"What your father means is that no one knows of the arrangement we have with Damon but if you continue to only give Damon all of your time the others will get suspicious. You know that such pacts are not appreciated by the council. Try giving time to other princes too. Mathew from Donovan seems to be a nice young gentleman." She suggested and then Caroline understood exactly what her parents were playing at.
They wanted a backup plan in case Damon would not be the best option for her. She frowned but nodded right away knowing that their concerns were not totally incorrect too.
"I understand" she simply said and walked away. She walked to the private gardens. Her life was going to be hell if this all kept going. First Damon was distant and now that she convinced him to be normal with her again, she had to create some distance between them. Stefan wasn't talking to Elena. Bonnie was unhappy with her position. Her parents were burdened. In one day her life had turned from upright to bad again.
She snapped out of her thoughts when she saw Stefan pacing in the end of the hall. He immediately saw her and smiled in relief. She smiled back at him and walked to him.
"Damon's talking to Klaus. We should give them a moment" Stefan said awkwardly. Maybe Damon was discussing something with Klaus that he didn't want Caroline to know about. She shook away her thoughts and decided to make the best of the time she had.
"I noticed you and Elena are never together anymore" she said idly fiddling with the sleeves of her dress. "Did something happen?" she asked sheepishly.
Stefan smiled widely at her friend's antics to get information for Elena. "Nothing has happened. I just want to keep her out of harm's way with the Mikaelsons here as I want to keep you safe." He said confidently.
"Then why have you been disregarding her?" she asked confused and looked straight into his eyes.
"What you hear now only stays between us. Not a word to Damon or the King and Queen" Stefan whispered in a very serious tone. The blonde princess nodded for him to continue.
"I fear that the Mikaelsons are targeting your kingdom only on the basis of their enmity for us. I have no wish to bring Elena into harm's way. If she is seen with me, it will draw her into their focus as you. But unlike my brother I am not selfish enough to let anyone harm the person I love." He said in a tone that showed his dismissal for Damon's decision.
"Damon's not in love with me" Caroline said blushing. Damon didn't love her. They were simply very great friends helping each other.
Stefan chuckled at her and patted her shoulder reassuringly, "Whatsoever you say Princess" he remarked.
She quickly recovered from her embarrassed state and looked at him seriously, "Don't change the subject of our conversation. I understand your concern but please talk to Elena. She is miserable." She pleaded and batted her eyelashes at him innocently. She knew this trick always worked on the Salvatore brothers and it did. Stefan nodded and smiled at her frolics.
They were both pulled out of their thoughts when a grumpy Damon came marching to them. He disregarded Stefan's presence completely and turned to Caroline.
"He wants to talk to you alone but if he even blinks in the wrong way, you tell me okay?" Damon said in an angry tone. He seemed less cocky than usual. Caroline could only wonder what Klaus had said to make him so angry.
When she didn't answer he raised his voice. "Do you understand?" He asked shaking her shoulders which shocked her.
She nodded and watched Damon walk away with a worried Stefan on his tail. She shook her head and inhaled deeply before entering the private gardens.
He was standing there with his back towards her. She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Why are you here?" she asked directly not wanting to waste any time in pleasantries.
He turned around and raised his eyebrows at her good-humoredly. "You're in an awful mood today princess. Does that have something to do with my presence here?" he asked innocently placing a hand over his heart forging a hurt expression.
She rolled her eyes and shook her head. But before she could answer, Klaus spoke again but this time his words didn't leave the impact he was hoping.
"Don't fret. Whatever I'm here to do won't harm you in any way. I am a collector of beauty not a destroyer and you, sweetheart, seem to possess much natural beauty" he said seductively.
Caroline could swear she could only see red. The nerve of this arrogant prince to come into her home and repeatedly mistreat her and not only that but also to threaten her.
She pointed her finger at him and glared him. "I am not some little, weak girl who can be threatened and humiliated. I am the princess of this kingdom. I will tolerate you as a guest in my home and nothing more. But portend me or my people one more time and mark my words, you will be repentant" she threatened him and she could already see he was a bit taken aback by her outburst but she had every right to be angry. He was the one provoking her, not the other way.
She turned on her back to walk away from him thinking of a hundred excuses to kick him out of her kingdom but little did he know she was far from done.
"Hold up princess!" she heard him call after her.
She turned to look at him and pouted slightly.
"I have no wish to bring harm to you or your people. Perhaps you misunderstood my intentions." He said apologetically but firmly. "I only wish for our kingdoms to be united. May it be by friendship or marriage" he said and whispered the last part dramatically.
"Well I have no desire to marry you. I am spoken for" she said with finality holding her head high. Damon would've been proud of her if he saw her now but he was too busy being grumpy and angry as usual.
"Spoken for by whom? Damon? Stefan?" he asked as if it were a matter of jesting. "I assure you will want to reconsider after you hear what I propose" he said smirking. He stepped forward and moved towards her.
His confident smirk was what caught Caroline off guard. What did he have in mind? She backed a few steps
Subconsciously her eyes went to search for help nearby. Damon had left guards with her. Where were they now? She looked around and saw no one except two guards who seemed to be blocking her exit. They didn't seem like the people of her kingdom. The Mikaelsons.
"What do you want?" she asked. Her voice not as poised as before.
As if he sensed her fear, he smiled cruelly and inched closer and stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. As expected, her eyes went wide open and she jerked her head back (as much as she could with avoiding to collide with the guards behind her).
"What are you- she started but was cut off by Klaus again.
"Shh! Shh! Do not worry. Just listen to my proposition." He cooed in a false soothing voice. When she weakly nodded, he smiled and continued while playing with a strand of her golden hair.
"Well as you already know I have people inside your kingdom. There are only two courses you can choose from now." He said looking at her face momentarily as if memorizing her features. "Either my brothers and I will everyone here including your beloved Salvatores. Or you marry me and we avoid further bloodshed" he offered and smiled at her horror stricken face.
"What do you mean further bloodshed?" she asked afraid to hear the answer but she needed to know how many souls had been struck down in this war.
He merely shrugged. "Well no royals. Only a few guards or so but that's not what is important" he started again. "I forgot to tell you that my brothers Finn and Elijah are leading our army here and at the moment your whole beloved kingdom is surrounded" he added as if the first threats weren't enough.
Caroline could hardly breathe at the moment. Either it was because of the tight dress she was wearing or the extortions she just received. She could feel herself losing control. How did this happen? One moment they were strong and had alliances and the next moment they were and helpless.
"I need time to think" she blurted out immediately. She needed to buy time. Enough to avoid bloodshed and enough to give her time to find a solution that didn't involve her being sold off as a trophy. She really didn't want to marry a man like Klaus.
"I will give you one night my dear Caroline but only because it is you. No one else would've gotten this leniency" he whispered and caught her hand and kissed the top of it.
"I'll be looking forward to hearing your answer. See you in the morning then" he said and stood back watching as Caroline turned on her heel.
She ran senselessly to find anyone. She ran and didn't once look back fearing he might change his mind and just kill her. She needed to find her parents and her friends. She ran and next to her room. She opened it to see it was empty. Her friends should've been there.
She sprinted to the Salvatores' chambers and next to her parents and saw them all to be empty. At first her thoughts shifted to the worst but then she heard someone whispering her name.
"Princess. Princess" he called out. It was one of the royal guards. He was one of the many trusted people of the kingdom.
"Richard! Where are my parents?" she asked worriedly tears pricking at the corner of her eyes.
"Follow me" he said in a hushed tone and took her to throne room where she saw her father, Stefan and Damon talking and then at the other end she saw her mother, Elena and Bonnie laughing about something totally unaware of the trouble that was surrounding them.
Damon was the first one to turn and look at Caroline's whitened, pale face. He frowned and rushed to her disregarding any formalities.
"Are you okay? What did he say?" Damon asked immediately dismissing Richard. She looked at him once and then to everyone in the room. The laughter ceased and everyone turned to look at her.
"He declared war" was all she said that everyone in the room gaped in horror.