The Cruel Prince || Klena

07.

Bright sunlight flooded Elena's senses as she slowly came to. Thomas bustled about her room happily. "Morning miss!" He chirped. Elena yawned and sat up. A dress was laid out on her vanity, along with accessories. "The Master is waiting for you at the breakfast table." Then he left, closing the doors swiftly behind him. The curtains on her balcony were thrown open.

To say she was confused was an understatement. Maybe the dining room did not have any windows. Were they deterring from their normal sleep schedule because of her? She frowned, and climbed out of bed. She flinched as her feet touched the cold floor. She noticed various hair creams and makeups set out.

Elena inspected the dress. It was a light lavender color, made of velvety material, and it had no corset. It was accompanied by several jewelry pieces, stockings, and a pair of flat shoes. A note sat beside it. Scrawled in fancy looping handwriting was a note from Niklaus.

Please join us.
-Nik

Who's us? She wondered. Then put on the dress and marveled at how easily it slid over her skin. She selected only a necklace from the jewelry and the tiara set out for her. She let her hair run free. It wasn't frizzy, and her curls were still in good condition, despite not wrapping them up as she usually did.

She didn't exactly know where the dining room was, but could follow sounds. Distinctly, voices could be heard. But they sounded very far away. Elena wasn't even sure she'd heard them at all. But nevertheless, she traveled down the corridor, and then down a spiraling staircase. There were no Vampyrs present anywhere, and curtains were drawn everywhere.

There were few subjugates in the corridors, and the ones that were went along their own business. Finally, Elena saw a brightly lit hallway. It was the only sunlight she'd seen in a half hour. She followed it, and noises became heard. Voices, it sounded like more than Niklaus. A server passed her on the way there, not sparing her another glance.

She paused in front of the entrance, and listened. Laughter drifted out, and conversation stemmed. "Elena? We can hear your heartbeat, darling. Do come in." Elena jumped. It sounded kind, the voice. It was a woman's. She couldn't quite pinpoint the age, but it sounded older.

Taking a deep breath, she turned the corner. But the sight was not what she expected. Eight pairs of eyes turned on her. A long table was present, overflowing with food and plates and glasses filled with a certain red fluid.

An older woman sat at the head of the table. On the left and right sides of the table sat seven people. Two  girls, four boys, and one smaller boy. The older woman smiled warmly at her, and gestured at an empty seat lower down the table, across from Niklaus. She sat down next to him and looked down, trying not to look at any of the eyes on her.

There was a slight nudge on her foot. She looked up, surprised. The little boy stared at her with wide, curious eyes. "Can you really not run fast?"

"Henrik!" The older woman scolded him. Elena shook her head. "No, it's okay. No, I cannot run fast. I do not have the strength of a bear. I'm just human." His brown eyes flicked to the woman. "Sorry Mother." Elena looked at the woman again. She had blonde hair, which was piled into a crown of braids on her head.

"I'm Esther, and these are my children. My oldest, Finn, Freya, Elijah, Niklaus, Rebekah, and my youngest, Henrik." They all nodded politely. Rebekah waved. Closest to Esther were Finn and Elijah, across from each other. Then Rebekah and Freya, then Klaus and Elena. Then Henrik at the very end of the table.

"I'm sorry my husband couldn't be here. He is not of the Daywalker line." Elena didn't know what that meant, and she didn't ask. "I hope you like it here. Well, don't let your food get cold. Have a bite." Elena stiffened. Then she forced a stiff smile and took a bite of her eggs. They were light and fluffy. "It's delicious. Thank you." Esther nodded. "Glad I could oblige."

Elena noticed the one named Kol staring at her. His hair was shorter than Klaus's and darker, only reaching to the nape of his neck. He had a trimmed mustache and beard. He winked at her, and she almost dropped her fork. Friendly. She took account of the other sibling's appearances.

Elijah, the third sibling, also had dark brown hair and eyes. He had a stubble of a beard along his jawline. Freya had the shortest hair Elena had ever seen on a girl. It only reached her shoulders. Rebekah had long wavy hair. Like her mother and sister, it was blonde. Her blue eyes sparkled.

Finn had dirty blonde hair and green eyes, and certainly seemed significantly older than the others. The one thing they all had in common though, was that they all sat there, unscathed by the sunlight. It went against everything Elena had ever learned about Vampyrs. She didn't understand how it was possible. And if Finn was the oldest, then why was Niklaus taking the crown?

Elena breathed deeply and looked up. "I do not understand. If you are the oldest, then why does your brother take the crown instead of you?" Finn regarded her. "It is Vampyr custom for the King to choose which of his sons will take the crown. Or daughters. And of course, the crown must be accepted. I did not accept."

Things were so different there. Elena was not sure she'd ever truly learn their ways. But she'd have to try. They'd never accept her if she did not first accept them.

Niklaus excused himself from the table and he walked Elena out. Midway down the corridor, he began speaking. "So, what do you think of my family?" She tilted her head. "They seem...nice. That Henrik sure is curious." He laughed. "That he is." They walked for a little while more.

Elena winced as quietly as she could when she accidentally bumped her shoulder on a particularly close corner. Niklaus frowned and stopped. "What's wrong? Are you injured?" She nodded. "It's just my shoulder from last night." He sighed. "I forget you are human, and you do not heal as swiftly as we do." He chewed his lip, and looked around.

Then he grabbed her non-injured arm and ducked down into another hallway. "Hey-". She protested. He clapped a hand over her mouth. "There are subjugated everywhere." He hissed. She quirked an eyebrow. "You are not very good at being sly."

"I'm not exactly familiar with it." She shot back. He rolled his eyes. "That much is obvious. God, Mother would throttle me if she knew what I was about to do." Elena shuffled backwards on her hands and knees. "What are you about to do?"

"Oh, please. I'm not going to kill you. I'm going to help you." He promptly bit into his own arm, hard enough to draw blood. She shrieked and he shushed her immediately. "What are you doing?!" He sighed and contemplated. "You must swear that anything I tell you about us will never meet a single human or werewolf ear. Swear it!" He said with a note of urgency.

Timidly she swore. "Good. Vampyr blood has extreme healing properties, but especially mine. I come from two very powerful Original bloodlines. The very first Vampyrs. There are seven different bloodlines. My mother and father were both born from Original bloodlines. That is why we can walk in the sun. Some Originals...evolved. They passed their abilities to their descendants and so on. My mother is from the Daywalker line."

"My father is not. We do not turn humans so as to prevent blood taint. Now drink." Elena hesitated, processing the information. So there were Vampyrs that could walk in the sun? And they'd never known?  She wavered unsteadily. Then slowly, meticulously, she placed her mouth on his open wound and tried not to gag as the hot liquid ran down her throat.

But, she immediately felt the effects like a warm compress on her shoulder. There was a slight pressure, and then nothing. She let up, gasping. Blood dripped down her chin and she wiped it off quickly with the inside of her dress skirt. Then she removed her bandages. Surely enough, there was not a mark. Not even a scratch to show she'd ever been injured.

She stared at her own shoulder in wonder. Then at Niklaus. She became aware in the moment that their knees were pressed together. His gaze softened significantly. "Better?" He asked in a quiet voice. She nodded. Then they stood up.

Elena watched as he walked ahead of her, and shook his head, as if he was dispelling something. Then she caught up.