Back in Mystic Falls

33. Frog Prince

Pairing: Hayley/Stefan (F/m) paddle, Hayley/Lexi (F/F) ruler

*Thank you to Phoenix_Queen on upcoming Damon storyline. 

"When a child can be brought to tears, and not from fear of punishment, but from repentance he needs no chastisement."

-Horace Mann

Mystic Falls Saloon

Mystic Falls, Virginia

August 1855

Late Morning

Klaus came into the saloon looking for Finn. He was feeling fine today, as though he had never been in the coma the night before. The staff got the two wolves and their witch settled in the guest house.

"Hello, luv, is my brother here?" Klaus asked a woman cleaning a table.

"He's with Miss Sage. I'll have the boy fetch him directly, sir," she said.

"Thank you," Klaus said, surveying the darkened room. Now that the Mikaelsons were silent partners here, Klaus was glad to see customers in the saloon this early. They had spent a great sum on the new house, or as Elijah reminded him, he had.

Finn came down a moment later, looking flushed and happy.

"Brother, you needed me? Why I just saw you at breakfast?" Finn said, without his customary frown.

Before Klaus could respond, Sage came downstairs with a young girl on her arm. Klaus assumed it was a new worker.

"Hello Niklaus, welcome," Sage said. "May I introduce you to Miss Elena Gilbert. She is going to be staying with me."
"My pleasure, Miss Gilbert," Klaus said, taking her hand. But as he looked into her eyes, a memory jolted into his brain. It was Katherine! But this girl was human, he heard her heart beating and could smell a light flower soap on her skin. Yet, he suddenly recalled the girl he met in England so long ago...

"How do you do, sir?" Elena said softly, looking down.

Klaus almost stumbled back in his shock, but he recovered quickly.

"I am sorry, luv. But you look like a lady I used to know," Klaus mumbled. Klaus held his breath until the girl met his eyes and gasped again. She had soft brown eyes that were warm and comforting. Her glossy brown hair was pulled back in a braid and her face looked young and innocent to him. She wore a simple white blouse with a pale blue skirt with a few flounces in it.

Sage ushered her off to the kitchen. The girl turned back and looked again at Klaus.

Klaus grabbed Finn's sleeve, "She looks exactly like Katherine, but she is human. She could not be anymore than 16 summers old to the day! They could be twins...or doppelgängers." Klaus stared after the girl in a daze, his thoughts were now jumbled with impressions of a girl in a fine dress in his English castle. That was centuries ago...

"But you said that was rare? How could it be?" Finn asked, sitting down casually.

"Either that witch did something to my head or it tis this town," Klaus said, sitting heavily, and taking the drink the boy set down in front of him. He gulped the whiskey and then held it up for another.

"It's 11 am, Niklaus...So are these doppelgängers dangerous? I do not see the problem. Sage found the girl and her young brother searching for scraps of food in the garbage today. They are orphans," Finn finished. The boy brought him a cup of tea.

Klaus recalled England, 1492, it was his birthday soon and he fancied the girl...until he found out that he needed her life to break his curse. If only he had been in possession of the moonstone. Yet, she had fled and he had to wait hundreds of years for his true self to be revealed.