Chapter Text
Camelot was even more impressive than Caroline imagined it would be. The castle’s walls towered over the little town she was currently threading her way through, carrying all her supplies in a knapsack. She had heard there was an opening for a court wizard here, and that meant she could stake her claim as head sorcerer, begin to build her magical reputation.
Of course, that was before she saw the burnt body hanging in a cage.
Now she understood why there was an opening for court wizard here, the last one had been torched by what she had to guess was dragonfire. Nothing else could destroy a body that completely. “Excuse me,” she says, grabbing a passing woman’s arm. “What happened there?”
The woman looks at Caroline like she’s crazy. “The last court wizard killed one of the princes. His Majesty outlawed all magic for that.”
“He’s outlawed magic?” Caroline whispers in horror, then shakes herself. “But what about the dragon?”
“What are you even talking about, ‘the dragon’,” the woman scoffs, “all our royalty are dragons. Now excuse me, I need to get going.” Caroline releases the woman’s arm and studies the castle again. Apparently her research before coming here had been inadequate. The King, the princes, and the princess were all dragons in human form. Light, she hoped they were in human form. Though the castle looked a little small to hold four people’s dragon forms. She’s jostled by the crowd headed into the castle and gets swept along, into the courtyard. The castle’s courtyard was larger than most, likely for their dragon forms, she thinks critically, before noticing that someone on the other side of the courtyard is glaring at her. The man, dressed as a noble with perfectly coiffed brown hair, strides across the courtyard and the crowd parts, giving him a wide berth, as Caroline’s frozen to the spot.
“You’re new here,” the man says dryly, in a clipped accent. “What exactly brings you here, Miss…?”
“Caroline,” she squeaks out, staring at him. This man was a dragon, she could sense it. So he was likely one of the princes. Deciding to head the rumors that it was impossible to outright lie to a dragon, she says: “I’m looking for work.”
“And what type of work are you seeking?” The dragon says flatly. “Scullery maid, cook-”
“Healer,” she says hurriedly. That was closest to her true skill set, and she did sometimes heal people naturally without magic, anyway.
“Hmmm,” the man hums critically, eyeing her up and down, “You seem too young to have mastered the healing arts.”
“I can just go,” she offers, “try a smaller village.”
“No, you are coming with me,” the prince says, grabbing her elbow. He led her through the grounds almost like a courtier with a lady, except his grip was iron strong and impossible to get out of. Not that she’d tried.
“Where are we going, Lord…?” She trails off, realizing he’d never introduced himself.
“Prince Elijah, at your service,” he says with a quick nod, “and you may have come just in time. One of the courtiers is sick, we fear plague.” That explained why he was willing to give an unknown commodity access to the castle. How much worse could a 25 year old girl be than plague?
He leads her up a narrow set of stairs and down several hallways, before she ends up in a Lady’s room. The Lady in question was bedridden, her normally beautiful face was sunken and hollow. “Lady Katherine,” the Prince Elijah says softly, kneeling by her bed, “I have brought someone who may be able to help.”
Katherine coughs and gives him a weak smile. “Well, it’s not like she can make it any worse.”
Elijah stands back up and facing Caroline. “I’ve dismissed her servants, out of fear they may catch her illness and spread it. My sister has been tending to her needs, as we believe our family is immune to this particular disease.”
Caroline nods slowly, it made sense that dragons were mostly immune to human ailments, before making her way over to Katherine’s bedside. She lays a hand on Katherine’s forehead to find that the woman was burning up, a spark of magic making its way to Caroline through the contact. This was no ordinary illness.
“Don’t look at me with that pity,” Katherine says imperiously, though not without a slight cough, “I’ll be right as rain soon enough.” Caroline seriously doubted that, and went to work seeing if she could figure out the exact cause of the lady’s illness.
“You don’t have another healer to turn to?” Caroline asks as she gets her tools out of her sack, spreading out the mortar and pestle as well as several herbs.
“Our former court wizard filled the role,” Elijah says gravely and Katherine lets out a shaky laugh.
“That bastard killed Prince Finn, his death should have lasted much longer,” she says and the prince shoots her a look to quiet down. “What? Are you going to throw me in the dungeons for telling her?” Katherine asks, sharing a small smile with Prince Elijah.
“Maybe once you’re feeling better,” he says softly.
Caroline’s been hard at work, trying to ignore their flirting. She pauses when she figures out the illness was the result of a hex. She couldn’t cure that with herbs. She would need to use magic. Eyeing Prince Elijah warily, she asks: “Did the old court wizard leave anything behind? I need eye of newt, among other herbs I don’t have here.”
“I’ll have someone fetch his supplies for you,” the Prince says and Caroline curses internally. So much for getting him out of the room. “Is something else wrong?” He asks mildly, though Caroline can hear the threat of violence in his tone.
“It’s a magical curse,” she admits softly. “How long has she been sick?”
“She fell ill shortly after the last court wizard was killed,” Elijah says gravely. “So it couldn’t have been him.”
“Maybe he cursed me with his dying breath,” Katherine suggests, “he was always mad he couldn't get in my skirts.”
“Perhaps,” Elijah says, eyes still searching Caroline’s face. “How do you plan to cure her, then?”
Caroline tenses, trying to figure out how to answer without lying. “There are some herbs that can keep her healthy until I come up with another solution.” Even though she already knew what the other solution was. Magic. The real trick was how she’d use magic without ending up in a cell herself.
Katherine coughs hard, drawing up blood into her handkerchief. “Lord Elijah,” she says sweetly once she’s done hacking, “could you fetch your sister? I’m afraid I need help only a lady can provide at this moment.” She lowers her eyelashes demurely and Elijah stands swiftly, exiting the room.
The moment he’s gone, Katherine grabs Caroline’s hand, surprisingly strong given her overall fragility. “What will it take for you to cure me?” She says harshly and Caroline stammers. “Tell me what you want. Gold? Jewels? A position as a lady’s maid? I hold power here in court, I can get you those things. But I swear to you,” Katherine coughs again, “you let me die and Elijah will kill you in a rage. He’s not as noble as he seems.”
Caroline finally gathers her courage and snaps at the lady. “I can heal you, and I will, but I can’t do my work with death threats. And I can’t do it with people breathing down my shoulder.”
“So you need me to keep Elijah out of the room,” Katherine says shrewdly. “Probably his sister and anyone else he sends to keep me company as well.” Caroline nods, in shock. “I can do that. And I’ll even ignore any mutterings you do in foreign languages, witch.”
“Not a witch,” Caroline complains, as the term was insulting to true sorcerers and wizards, then places her hand over Katherine’s forehead again and closes her eyes, focusing her inner power. She finds the hex in Katherine’s body and yanks it firmly out. Katherine immediately falls into a deep slumber, and Caroline can only hope she assumes her accusations against Caroline were a dream.
A gaudily dressed noble woman comes into the room at that moment. “Why am I playing nursemaid if she’s not even awake?” The young woman complains, and Caroline immediately bows.
“Lady-”
“Princess,” the young woman corrects her sharply. “Princess Rebekah.”
“Your Highness,” Caroline says with another bow, “I do believe I can heal her, it will just take time.” She’d force feed Katherine herbs until a few days had passed and she could admit the woman was cured.
“I didn’t know we had a new healer,” Rebekah sniffs, “why didn’t anyone tell me?”
“I just arrived today,” Caroline says hesitantly. “I haven’t been offered a formal position or anything.”
“Well, you will if she survives,” Rebekah says, plopping down on the one chair in the room with a surprising amount of grace, “Elijah’s inordinately fond of her.”
Caroline doesn’t say anything, having already observed that between the Dragon Prince and the Lady in her sickbed. She spends the next several days with only Katherine for company, as Elijah and Rebekah flit in and out of the room, delivering meals for the two of them, though Elijah usually spent longer in the room, intent on Katherine’s welfare. “You going to give up the façade?” Katherine says shrewdly, three days after Caroline’s arrival. Color had been restored to her face and she had insisted Caroline brush her luscious locks, if Caroline wasn’t going to let her out of bed to do it herself.
“There is no façade, you need the herbs to finish healing,” Caroline says stubbornly.
“Of course,” Katherine says with a roll of her eyes, “but can’t I be mostly cured yet? Able to leave this godforsaken room? I’ll keep taking whatever you prescribe, but don’t you want to enjoy the spoils of your triumph over my disease?”
“What spoils?” Caroline sighs.
“Your new position in court, of course,” Katherine replies, “you’re quite a miracle worker. I’m sure everyone will be availing themselves of your services.”
“I don’t think I want to stay in court,” Caroline admits cautiously.
“Too bad,” Katherine snipes, “no one is letting you leave after this. Best enjoy the courtly life then.”
Katherine was right, Caroline was appointed court healer the moment Elijah was assured the lady had been healed. She was given a workshop with an attached bedroom, plus a new wardrobe. “Can’t have you stinking up the place with peasant clothing,” Rebekah had sniffed when she’d arrived with a pile of dresses for Caroline, spread out on her bed. Katherine seemed dedicated to helping her navigate courtly politics, sitting with her at every banquet. It was at these banquets that Caroline first laid eyes on the other dragons. Prince Kol was rambunctious at best, and a menace at worst, constantly chasing after both women and men. Princess Rebekah ignored her for the most part, as she didn’t seem very fond of Katherine, who was practically joined at Caroline’s hip when she wasn’t working. It was Katherine who told Caroline that the King, Niklaus, wasn’t the eldest, but neither of his older brothers had fought him for the title. Elijah was a saint, Katherine proclaimed with a waggle of her eyebrows, and Finn had been a bore, she said in a hushed tone, before his untimely death. Caroline had almost asked what could even kill a dragon at that, but thought better of it.
The first time she sees the king, she’s blown away.
It was unfair how attractive he was, how attractive they all were, Caroline thought mulishly. King Niklaus looked positively….lickable. She knew he had to have lured many people to his bed on looks alone, but there weren’t any rumors at court of anything of that sort. Perhaps people were too scared of him to talk behind his back. Because it became very clear in Caroline’s first month that there was a reason he didn’t employ any executioners. Klaus enjoyed killing those who disobeyed his rule himself.
So Caroline avoids him, and the other Mikaelsons, as much as she can. It was easier than she expected it to be, since dragons rarely got sick. A month after she arrives though, she startles awake in her bed, sweat soaked from her nightmare. And it wasn’t just any nightmare. It was a prophecy. Someone was out to kill the king.
Caroline’s been trying to figure out who at court was the traitor, asking Katherine if she had any idea who at court would want the king dead. “You’re ridiculous.” Katherine says flatly. “Everyone here is too scared of Klaus to try and kill him.”
“Well, who do you think tried to kill you?” Caroline asks calmly and Katherine blanches. “Because I’m hoping this court isn’t so traitor-ridden that there’s more than one person with a hit list.”
“Why would I be on the same hit list as the king?” Katherine queries, “I’m not that important.”
“So you aren’t sleeping with Prince Elijah?” Caroline needles the other girl, who looks unimpressed.
“I am the model of propriety,” Katherine says and Caroline snorts. “I am, and I’ll poison anyone who says otherwise. There’s more games at court than you realize, sweet thing,” she says, patting Caroline’s head in a condescending manner, “you should probably look out for yourself more too. Our alliance only extends so far.”
So Caroline resolves to figure out who the traitor was on her own, spending her time investigating the other courtiers. She tried to tell herself she just didn’t want to deal with political upheaval at her new home, but maybe she just liked to look at Klaus. And Elijah was the reason she had her new job in the first place, she had to make sure he wasn’t on the traitor's hit list either.
She’s deep in thought when the door to her workshop opens. “You’re a spy,” King Niklaus says flatly. He was taller than her, and dressed down for the day, no crown and only mildly expensive clothing on.
Caroline lets out a nervous laugh. “What?”
He strides over to her until he’s backed her up against the wall. “You watch me like one. You watch everyone like you’re reporting back on us.” Caroline just stares at him, inches from her face. She couldn’t tell him she was trying to save his life, not without admitting to having prophetic dreams. “Well, no protests, sweetheart? You’re not going to beg for your life?”
Thinking fast, Caroline raises herself to her tiptoes and presses a kiss to his surprised mouth. “That’s not why I watch you,” she says quietly, letting him assume what he would.
Klaus stares at her for several seconds, before storming out of her workshop, the door clanging shut behind him.
Caroline was going to be beheaded. She was sure of it. She spends the next several days after Klaus’s visit to her workshop plotting escape routes should they try to capture her. She wasn’t confident in her ability to escape, though. Not if King Niklaus or one of his siblings tried to apprehend her personally, for either spying or taking liberties with the king. But no guards or dragons come to arrest her, so at the end of the fifth day she finally lets her guard down. Which was of course a mistake.
The king was waiting for her in her workshop when she got back from gathering herbs. “You’re not a spy,” Klaus says dryly to her and she shakes her head. “Say it, love.”
“I’m not a spy, Your Majesty,” Caroline declares, “I don’t even know who I’d be able to sell any information to.”
Klaus chuckles. “You need to work on your court savvy then, to not know who my enemies are.”
“Yeah, well I’m new here,” Caroline replies, resisting the urge to stick out her tongue. “So is it true? Can dragons really tell when people lie?”
“When humans lie, yes,” Klaus says, stretching out as he gets up from her workbench. Caroline wonders if that applied to her then. She wasn’t strictly human, what with the magic flowing in her blood. He approaches her carefully. “Are you in love with me?”
Caroline can’t help but giggle. “No! I don’t know you!” Klaus gives her a chagrined smile and steps out of her space.
“That’s a relief,” he says, smirking along to her laughter.
“Is that a problem you have often? Courtiers or servants becoming obsessed with you?” Caroline says, giggling again.
“Perhaps,” Klaus admits and Caroline forces herself to quiet down, biting her lip but unable to keep from smiling. “You were the one to say you were watching me because you found me attractive.”
“Yeah, you’re amazing to look at,” Caroline admits with zero shame, “but that’s pretty far removed from love. Girl has certain needs that need to be met before she reaches that point.”
Klaus grabs the chair and straddles the back of it, looking at her intently. “Like what?”
Caroline freezes, wondering if she was blushing at the intensity in Klaus’s gaze. “Actually having a conversation with me, for one. Multiple conversations,” she says when Klaus opens his mouth. “And none of those conversations can involve threats, you know.”
“Interesting,” Klaus says, and he does seem very interested. “Where are you from originally?”
“Small village by the name of Ealdor,” she says immediately, ignoring the fact that she’d left home early to study magic. “Outside of your realm, Your Majesty.”
“For now,” Klaus says with a small laugh. “So what brought you here?”
“His Highness Elijah, very forcefully,” Caroline quips and Klaus laughs.
“I haven’t heard that story,” he says, and she understands that means she should tell it.
“I had just arrived in town, was still gaping at the castle like a peasant,” she says with a smile, “when the Prince noticed my obvious staring and decided to interrogate me. Upon hearing I was a healer, he took me straight to the Lady Katherine’s rooms, without giving me an option one way or the other.”
“That sounds like Elijah, alright,” Klaus says warmly from where he’s sitting.
Caroline kneads her hands in her skirt as she stands across the room from him. “I was basically a prisoner for several days, until she got better. And now, I work here,” she says, twirling around as if to show off her modest workshop.
“I hear you and Lady Katherine are very close,” Klaus says, and Caroline’s immediately on guard. Klaus picks up on her unease. “Is she sleeping with my brother?”
Caroline keeps herself from freezing, and bites back her first retort, that he should really ask his brother that question. “She’s never given me a straight answer about it, Your Majesty,” she says and he nods.
“But you have asked,” he says with a smirk and she laughs.
“Of course! They may act proper in front of the court, but I saw his concern when he thought she was on her deathbed.”
“And how did you heal her, precisely?” Klaus asks and Caroline doesn’t freeze, having fielded this question before.
“Talent,” she chirps, smiling widely. “I’m extremely talented, Your Majesty.”
Klaus laughs and gets out of the chair, coming over and threading a hand through her hair. “That doesn’t answer my question.”
“I wasn’t aware you were so interested in the healer’s arts,” she says slowly. “With all due respect, I don’t think you’d make a very good apprentice.”
Klaus smirks at that and drops his hand. “Perhaps not. I’ll call on you again,” he says, striding past her toward the door.
“I thought dragons rarely got sick, Your Majesty,” Caroline replies.
He gives her a dimpled smirk as he goes to shut the door. “I’ll call on you again.”