Part 9

5 days later

Nadine took a deep breath and enjoyed the quiet moment right before dawn. She was still sleepy, but she loved this perfect moment of peace when the first sunrays hadn't yet appeared above the horizon. She actually had a brief moment just for herself before getting to work and she had every intention to enjoy that moment. The smaller courtyard was quiet when she headed to the well. Cold fresh water was just what she needed to wake herself up. She hadn't slept nearly enough, Lord Tristan had kept her in his chamber until midnight last night, insisting her to massage him, serve him wine and do all kinds of useless chores.

And he had again made her to bathe in front of him, claiming that she had looked dirty. Obviously he had wanted to punish her for something, but she had no idea why, he hadn't said. No, he had just stared at her. She had hated him and felt sick to her stomach, but she had endured it better than the first time. If she would just know what she had done to upset him… He had acted strangely during the last few days. The worst part was that he had kept her so busy that she hadn't had time to see Lucien.

There were separate quarters for unmarried male and female servants and Nadine wouldn't have been foolish enough to ever enter the quarters of the male servants, she would have been asking for trouble. She slept in a very small room with three other servant girls who didn't usually speak to her at all, probably because she was Lord Tristan's personal servant. Most servants were afraid of Tristan and Nadine couldn't really blame them. Some girls looked at Nadine sympathetically and she had heard some very nasty rumors about the things Lord Tristan made her do. Fortunately those rumors weren't true, but she was pretty sure she would have no chance to ever get married, at least not with any honorable man.

Not that it mattered; she had no intention to get married. No, she simply tried to get by one day at a time. Lucien was the only thing that kept her going. Hopefully she could see him today; she wanted to know that everything was alright with him. She had seen a glimpse of him two days ago; he had been talking to Elijah, apparently explaining something to him. Nadine hadn't really seen any of the beasts after the celebration; they had been busy blending in. She had heard that Niklaus, Elijah and Finn had been hunting with Count de Martel and his party yesterday. Good for them, not many people were granted that honor, at least not so soon. She had also heard that many men in the court had noticed Rebekah and many women had noticed Kol. Well, good luck for those women. Nadine would have been glad if she would never have to see him again…

"Well, well, hello there."

Oh great… She looked up and saw Kol approaching her. His hair was messy, his clothes were dirty and he seemed to be more or less drunk.

"Good evening, darling," he said smirking. "Or is it morning already, I'm really not sure. I just returned from the village. What a night…"

So it seemed. Nadine glanced at him coolly, curtsied and offered him the bucket of water she had just lifted from the well.

"Thank you, darling," he said and washed his face. "How are you this fine morning?"

She shrugged and tried her best to keep her distance.

"Rough night?"

He sounded amused; she frowned and kept her eyes down.

"You poor thing," he hummed and took a step towards her. "Your master really isn't a nice man, is he?"

Look who was talking…

"Perhaps I can help you."

Cautiously she looked up, he was smiling at her. How drunk was he?

"Would you like me to help you, darling?" he purred and touched her cheek. He smelled like blood and alcohol.

She had no idea how and why he would help her and she preferred not to find out. Not that she thought he would actually help her anyway, he was just drunk. She shook her head, keeping her face free from emotion. He raised an eyebrow.

"Really? You enjoy serving your master? Satisfy his every little…whim?"

She blushed and wrapped her arms around her, he couldn't possibly know. At least she prayed that he didn't. Just the thought was nothing but humiliating, she didn't want anyone, especially Lucien, to ever find out about her abasement. She needed to deal with that by herself.

"Perhaps you are wondering why I would help you," he stated after a moment of silence. "Well, it's simple really, I find you an interesting little human. I admit that my behavior toward you has been anything but flawless, but I can assure you that I'm really not that bad. And you can say many things about me, but I'm very good at fixing problems. I feel bad for you and I really want to help. What do you say? All you have to do is nod and all your problems will disappear, just like that."

Right, sure… She curtsied and shook her head again. He didn't seem in any way annoyed or angry, he was still smiling.

"Alright, as you wish. Come to me when…I'm sorry, if you change your mind. My door will be open and I won't ask any questions or involve any… shall we say third party in the matter. No, I will simply fix your problems and it will stay between you and me, you have my word. And no need to worry about the price, it will be more than reasonable, I can assure you."

What was he talking about?

"Something tells me I will see you soon," he stated and winked before walking away.

Nadine was nothing but confused, what had that been? Why would she want him to help her? She had dealt with Lord Tristan for almost two years without anyone's help. He was a cruel bastard, but she had got used to it. She sighed and decided to forget the whole thing, who knew what was going on in Kol's head. It felt good to wash her face with cold water, she was so lost in her thoughts that she jumped when someone suddenly touched her shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, it's just me," Lucien's voice said. "I did call for you."

She hadn't heard him, but that made no difference. She turned around and wrapped her arms tightly around him, she was more than happy to see him. He was clearly surprised; she didn't usually show her affection so openly. Right now she just needed her big brother. The pathetic little girl in her wanted him to protect her from all the bad things, as ridiculous as that was. She wanted to beg him to take her far away from here. Far away from Lord Tristan. She truly was pathetic…

"Hey…" he muttered and rubbed her back. "Is everything alright?"

She nodded, but she didn't let go of him, she didn't want to.

"Nadine?"

Tears were burning behind her eyes, but there was no way she would let them out. She needed to get a grip. Right now. She looked perfectly calm when she pulled away and kissed his cheek.

"Oh… I missed you too."

He tapped her back when she leaned her head on his shoulder, thankfully he allowed her to stay there for a moment. She needed that moment to gather her strength and remind to herself why she had to keep going. For him, her family. The only person in this world who loved her. He looked worried when she pulled away.

"Are you sure everything is alright?"

She nodded and rubbed her eyes, letting him know that she was tired.

"My poor sister," he sighed and touched her cheek. "I wish… I wish you could speak to me. I miss the sound of your voice."

She wished that too, but she didn't have a voice anymore. Her mind had buried it somewhere so deep she wasn't sure if she would ever be able to find it. She pointed at Lucien and touched the corner of his eye, he looked tired too.

"Yes," he sighed. "The last few days have felt very long. I have had to guide Lord Niklaus and his siblings a lot along with taking care of my normal duties."

She nodded, she had suspected that much.

"They still have a lot to learn, but I think they are doing alright. Except maybe Lord Kol." Lucien paused and looked Nadine in the eye. "Has he bothered you?"

She shook her head. It wasn't really a lie.

"That's good. Lord Niklaus promised at the celebration that he would talk to his brother, tell him to leave you alone. He seems like a good man considering… you know."

Yes, Nadine certainly knew and she agreed. Whether he had talked to Kol or not, Lord Niklaus seemed to be a good man. Nadine would have wanted to stay with her brother for longer, but unfortunately the sun was already rising. Her moment of peace was over. She hugged Lucien tightly before she had to hurry to work. First she needed to pick up Lord Tristan's breakfast from the kitchen. He usually got up quite early, but he was still asleep when she entered his chamber. Silently she walked over to the bed and placed the tray on the small table. She startled when he suddenly rolled on his back and groaned in his sleep. It sounded that he was having a nightmare. She was nothing but pleased by that, he deserved all the nightmares he got.

"Oh God…" he groaned. "Don't stop… That feels so good…"

No, he wasn't having a nightmare. Nadine's face turned red when she understood what was going on. She left as quickly as she could, she really didn't need to see that. Not nice… She headed to the laundry room to pick up some of Lord Tristan's clothes when she passed the staircase and noticed Niklaus. She was just about to go and greet him when she saw that he wasn't alone. He was talking to Lady Aurora. She was smiling at him sweetly and blinking her bright green eyes. Right, of course. Nadine turned her head away and marched towards the laundry room. For some reason she felt unpleasant. Oh please, what had she thought? Maybe this man had been polite to her, but why would anyone notice her after meeting Lady Aurora.