The Cruel Prince || Klena

02.

The aura in the room was overpowering. Elena chewed her lip nervously underneath her mask as she entered. Lovely music drifted throughout the room. Violins, and cellos, and the piano, all in harmony. Dresses and tailored trousers swished about on the dance floor. Garlands of red roses fell along from the ceiling. Tables were set up. And it wasn't hard to tell whose table was whose.

Elena observed with her breath caught in her throat that the Vampyr table featured blood fountains with lit candles, and wineglasses filled with more blood. Is that all human blood? She wondered. The werewolf table featured various raw meats on large platters. That must be offensive. The human table featured silverware, fine china, and heaping piles of food. There was a clear difference. She sniffed.

All sorts of smells invaded her senses. Mainly the sharp metallic scent of blood. Her nose wrinkled. The dance floor was not much different. Werewolves danced with werewolves, Vampyrs with Vampyrs, and humans with humans. Hah! Some peace. How would there be peace if the Dark Ones would not even dance with humans?

As a show of good sportsmanship, and against her shaky demeanor, she invited a werewolf to dance. Of course eyes followed her. He introduced himself as Tyler Lockwood, son of the Alpha. Alpha. What a strange title. She was shot dirty looks by what she assumed to be other werewolves. They were much too...ruffled to be Vampyr. Vampyrs were elegant and smooth, like swans on water.

But she held her head high, despite being somewhat terrified to be this close to a Dark One. And there was something else. They did not have pitch black eyes, like she'd remembered. Once, she eavesdropped on her father's conversation with an Acerbus. He'd of course turned right around and stared her in the eye.

She was so terrified she'd sprung up and did not eavesdrop again for three years. But she'd never forgotten those pitch black eyes. Those eyes which were absent now. Tyler Lockwood seemed nice enough. But that didn't mean that all of his kind was. As the dance changed, Tyler swung her into a new partner which she immediately recognized as a Vampyr. His pale skin and cold demeanor were an immediate giveaway.

His mask shielded part of his face of course, but his crystal clear blue eyes peeked out from the mask. He turned her around as the new dance started. His fingers lightly trailed down her back, and she shivered. She'd heard all about "seductive" Vampyrs, who used mind games on village girls to lure them into the Dark Wood.

He swung her around in a flash. Their hands met and he spun her in a wide circle around him. Then she curled inwards, to his chest, and they swayed for a little longer. His eyes seemed to bare into hers. His hair curled slightly under his ears, stopping just above his shoulders. His eyes were certainly not pitch-black. Maybe only some Vampyr had them. She thought.

His hand curled around her hip, and the other entangled with her fingers. She could not stand the silence. "They're looking at us." She finally said, noticing more stares than before. Was it possible they'd guessed who she was? He chuckled lowly. "They're curious. They all want a look at their future Queen and her King, I'd assume." His accent was slightly tinged with British. He spun her into another circle. She'd barely had time to process.

Then her heart began beating rapidly as the realization hit. "Are...are you...?" Her pulse jumped underneath his fingers. They came to a stop with the music, and it seemed the entire room was holding its breath, not moving. He stepped back and removed his mask. Elena's breath stopped. He was...beautiful. Like...a fallen angel.

His crystal blue eyes seemed to entrance hers. "The one and only. My name is Niklaus. Niklaus Mikaelson." He bent over to sweep a kiss over the back of her hand, lifting it up to his lips. He stood up and straightened. "But you may call me Nik." Elena stood in shock as he took her hand again, to the new dance. She flinched as his hands brushed her collarbone, and then her face, where he slowly lifted her mask.

He blinked. "Beautiful. Just as I thought." He murmured. He tossed her mask to the floor, where it was discarded. Her lips trembled as his arm snaked around her waist once again, seeming to light the area on fire. They moved gracefully across the floor, like only a princess and prince could. "How did you know?" She asked, as he pressed his hands to hers and they moved in opposite directions.

"What, you mean besides the fact that only the princess would try to hide her face to this extent? Hmm, I don't know. Maybe your expensive jewelry and dress. No? How about the very obvious tiara? There are other princesses here, but you're very clearly the attention of the evening. Did you not notice how none of the others are dressed in such a splendor as you are?" She looked around.

He was right, of course.