Chapter Text
The sun shone hot above their heads, the green grass lush beneath their feet. The Castle became smaller and smaller as the two ran farther. Running, running, out passed the flowered patio, beyond the vast lawn. Finally the pair stopped, flushed for breath and desperate for each others’ attention.
The barefoot beauty plopped to the ground under the canopy of a large oak tree, the shoes she had been holding flung to the side, her white skirts clouding around her. Niklaus came down on top of her, his strong arms catching his weight and caging her lissome form to the soft ground cover beneath.
This was their spot, had been their spot for years and years, since they were mere children, gangly and awkward. The colossal hedge surrounding the great oak kept them shielded from the rest of the world as they reconnected under the immense tree.
This used to be Niklaus’ spot, a place he found that the nannies never thought to look. A place he could hide from being a prince of Indova for a moment, a place where he could just be the kid that he was. That is until one night during an intimate dinner held at the castle, when he apparently wasn’t the only one sick and tired of sitting quiet while the grownups spoke.
He had snuck out one of the back windows while the adults moved into the parlor to smoke and talk about money and politics and made his was to his private alcove. When he arrived, he saw the blond puff of hair, red cheeks, and teary eyes. It seemed that the girl, Caroline, wasn’t as trained at sitting still and shutting up as he had been and had gotten a harsh lambasting.
He found that he quite liked her rebellious streak.
It was here that a 12 year-old Niklaus taught the self-assured, blonde 9 year-old how to climb a tree. Two years later, he had taught her to wield a sword in the same spot. She would help him study his etiquette at the stone bench under the lofty clouds on summer days when he was nervous for an upcoming state dinner or grand ball. He would always tease her about her lack of decorum, but listened to her lesson anyways.
It was here that Caroline would hold him, perched against the oak, as he cried after learning of his true heritage. Where she would bandage him up as best she could after one of Mikael’s boozed rages.
It was here, on that small stone bench hardly fit for two, where they had shared their very first kiss; a 16 year-old Klaus nervous to attend his first courting ball, a 14 year-old Caroline unable to imagine him kissing anyone else.
By 20, having experienced 2 fruitless courting seasons and countless contrite dances, Klaus knew he had eyes for only one. And he knew that one would be coming out her first season this year.
“I can’t tell you how it excites me to know I won’t have to suffer another year of this without you.” He whispered as he kissed down her neck to the collar of her dress. “How I will be able to dance with you, and walk out with you,” he continued his kisses back up her jaw, to her lips.
“I will request to be introduced to you first thing, claim you before any other nit looks your way.”
“Believe me, they would want nothing to do with me if they knew what we do together.” Caroline teased back, holding his head in her small hands.
It seems that after their very first kiss all those years ago, they couldn’t get enough. Niklaus started kissing her cheek goodbye every time the world pulled them away from their spot. Then, her forehead to comfort her, the side of her lip when he claimed she had remnants of teatime there.
She later told him she required more practice with it, kissing, being the perfectionist that she was. Who was he to deny her? He had always been her best teacher for the arts not taught to young ladies. Their training sessions could go on for full afternoons.
Much like today, when they had snuck away from another luncheon and had already spent an hour in the shade, kissing, holding, caressing.
“Niklaus,” Caroline pushed his shoulder back. “We must stop, no sense in ruining me before I’ve even come out.” She was clearly flushed, the butterflies in her tummy making their way dangerously south.
He had to use every bit of willpower he could muster, but he knew he would never push her like that. They had all the time in the world.
“Mmmm, fine, but I assure you one day it will be me to do it.” He said hungrily.
“Only you, my love. And I you, we are for each other alone.”
He kissed her once more on the lips before shifting his body against the towering oak. He pulled her to sit between his muscular legs, uncaring if she felt the hardness there. It was not the first time they kissed until he was in pain and it wouldn’t be the last.
As she settled into place, regulating her breathing and resting her soft curls against his broad chest, she spoke. “What will it be like? I know you will ask to be introduced to me first thing but what if another bachelor does so first. If he is above me I will be expected to at least accept a dance.”
“They won’t, I won’t allow it. I am the prince, no bachelor will be above me.” He reassured sharply.
“Oh, thank you for reminding me my darling.” She rolled her eyes, “Remind me to bring my fire poker so that I may beat away the desperate debutantes with it.”
Smiling against her hair he responded, “No need, you may use mine.” He kissed the back of her head.
She softly chuckled and she caressed the forearms wrapped around her middle. The sat in silence, enjoying the company on such a beautiful day. They had successfully ditched the luncheon for nearly two hours but they needed to return soon.
“My mother will be frantic for my presence any time now.” She broke the quiet.
“Unfortunately I am sure you are correct.” He stood, helping her up with him. They began a slow pace back to his grand home.
“I will speak to my mother tonight to assure you are my first introduction at court.” He mentioned.
“Good.” She smiled and squeezed his hand, knowing the first ball of the season was in a weeks time. She couldn’t wait. Finally they wouldn’t need to sneak away to share affection. While they had to remain formal and respectful during courtship, she liked the guarantee that they belonged to one another.
- - -
It was later that night, after the maids had cleaned the mess of the earlier socialites and Mikael had passed out after hours of imbibing strong cognac, that Niklaus found his mother in her sitting room.
“Mother,” Klaus ventured, alerting her to his presence.
She looked back abruptly, having been lost in her thoughts before he came in. She smiled wistfully at him, a pain held in her eyes. “Yes, my son, what brings you here?”
“I hoped to speak to you, regarding the upcoming season.”
Her eyes averted from him. “Yes, of course.”
“I would like you to introduce me to Caroline Forbes as early in the night as possible. I wish to court her.”
“Ah, Miss Forbes. You two have always shared a kindred spirit.” She still had not met his eyes
Caroline’s family was plenty rich. It was how their families had met in the first place, the royal Mikaelsons hoping to secure the Forbes as an ally and donor, a major economic play. Caroline would be an ideal courting choice for the third-born Mikaelson, second in line to the throne.
“It seems we have grown fond of each other over the years, I believe we will be a smart match.” He appealed to the queen.
She cleared her throat but said nothing for a while.
“Unfortunately I cannot allow you to court the Forbes girl.”
Klaus’ face dropped harshly, his anger hot in his bones
“Why ever not? Her family has been loyal and generous to us and our kingdom.” He bit out.
“Niklaus, you are a prince. You do not get to take your pick in these matters. Marriage is business. I am sorry.” She spoke quietly.
“What the bloody hell does it matter? I won’t be king!”
“Yes. You will.” The room fell silent.
“Wha- what? Elijah is still young and perfectly healthy. He has been groomed for ruling since Finn passed. Mikael would never have me. He would never allow his kingdom to fall in the hands of a bastard.” He spit at her.
She flinched slightly but spoke calmly. “Elijah has left. He stole away in the night with a farm peasant. He has left the kingdom without a successor and he has left our reputation in shambles.”
“Wh-, he-, how, he’s gone?! He wouldn’t just leave, he wouldn’t do that. Not to me.” Klaus began to lose control of his breath, his eyes slowly welling but no tears quite falling.
“And yet, it seems he has.” Esther finally stood and spoke sternly. “He has embarrassed this household. In a time when we can’t afford to look so weak!”
In the years after the Forbes family came to Indova, Bill and Mikael became quite close, curiously so. Few made word of it, but eyes followed the two when they shared space.
“Word of curious relations are beginning to spread, our people are questioning us! We cannot have this!” She spoke frantically.
They were slowly losing the carefully curated control they fought for as royals. The economy was in decline word of anarchy was reaching more ears.
“We have to secure our image in order to secure our country. It falls on you now, my son. There is no other option. The Marshalls of Mundania have offered a curious reprieve. Elijah was set to court their eldest, Hayley, this season. They were meant to be married by the fall. It will solve nearly everything for us, Niklaus.”
The Marshalls ruled over a tiny country with strict borders. While they didn’t have much land, they had many people. It was as if something in the water made the woman superhumanly fertile. More children meant more slaves, more bodies to prop up the one precent, making the rich even richer.
The dictorial monarchy seeked alliance, believing they could become a true world superpower with the vast and healthy lands Indova had to offer. Advisors of the Mikaelsons jumped at the offer.
Klaus was inundated with these new developments. The poor young man had just lost his brother and was now expected to run a country.
“I, I can’t possibly. I’m not even a Mikaelson, not truly. I can’t be the only other option.”
“No one outside of the two of us and Mikael know now. Mikael will lose what last vestiges of prestige he has should he tell. No one will ever even now.” She took on a more pleading, placating tone with him as she stepped closer.
He scoffed and rolled his eyes at that, “Don’t forget Caroline, mother. She is the only one that seems to think it a good thing, to not be of Mikael’s blood, after all.”
She gasped, “You told her? How dare you, that is none of her business. That is not for her to know!”
“She knows EVERYTHING!” He shouted. “And she will know everything about this. She is the only one who cares. She is the only one to care for me after Mikael’s cruelty or your neglect.” He was nearly taunting the older woman now.
“You had better hope she has the sense to keep her mouth shut, I know how she can be. I will intervene if I need to. No one can know about this!” Esther replied.
“You dare threaten her, you dare push me? What holds me here? I will take her and we will run, just like ‘Lijah. Perhaps I’ll find him and we can enjoy a life away from this cursed throne.” He shouted, rounding up to leave the room. His life was falling apart before him. He wanted out. Ready to do whatever it took to get his girl and get away from the toxic future that lay ahead.
“You will abandon Rebekah and Henrik, then? You will have Kol take the throne at 16? He is wild, reckless, the people will behead him before his coronation. Is that what you want?” She spoke up on his way out. That had caught his attention.
A couple of minutes passed, nothing but his heavy breathing making sound, before Esther began her pitch.
“You will court Miss Marshall this season, exclusively. We will have you married in the fall and coronated before the first snow. I am sorry but it is the only way.”
The tears welling in his eyes stung, but not as harshly as the pain in his heart. How could he abandon his siblings for his cowardice? How could he abandon his love for a throne? He had never felt so cold.
Sniffling, he didn’t know whether he was begging for his freedom or asking for some sort of advice from his mother when he spoke, “I’m in love with her, mother. You told me stories of the love you had for my true father, of the regret at sorrow you carry with you at not following your heart. Do you really wish that upon me, that I may never have love?”
“Gods no, my son. I look at you and I see his face. I think about him everyday, whether he is still alive, if he found a new love, if he ever thinks of me. I think about him and it kills me inside. But I had no other option, Mikael would’ve killed the three of us. It’s a miracle I could keep you as my own.” Tears began streaming down her sallow cheeks.
“And now you have no other option, either. I’m sorry, my son, I truly am sorry. You cannot fathom my sorrow.” She cried.
They both stood there, in a dark sitting room filled with ornate riches, feeling completely empty.