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She met him during a hot and dry summer while she and her parents visited the Mikaelson family.
Lord and Lady Mikaelson greeted them warmly as they received them into the sitting room, she and her mother curtsied and her father bowed. Such was how she had been introduced to the family. The Mikaelson siblings received them less cordially and with greater formality, back straight and impeccable manners as they gathered around Caroline, politely asking if she had had a good journey, but her eyes were fixed on Lady Forbes who drank large gulps of the refreshment offered by a maid. The journey had been five days long and particularly hard for Lady Forbes — more than once Caroline had worried seeing her faint out of tiredness as well as by the sweltering heat — and she looked with anticipation as color reappeared on her mother's cheeks.
Lady Rebekah cleared her throat and Caroline's attention shifted to her. She blushed violently at her discourtesy and politely replied that she had indeed had a — though tiring — pleasant journey, her cheeks coloring a deeper shade of red when she met the other lady's condescending gaze, feeling even more uncomfortable as Lady Rebekah scrutinized her; they had to travel by carriage during their entire journey and her forehead and hair were still sticky with sweat.
Lady Rebekah looked down on her, almost ostentatiously, as if she was committed to let Caroline knows how little esteem she had for her character.
Although eight years of age Caroline was a young, educated and intelligent lady, according to her governess, maybe without the education which she had been entitled she would have wondered concerning the antipathy show towards her, but things being what they were, she understood and accepted the complexity regarding friendly relations with people of higher rank.
It was not until later, after a well-deserved rest and refreshing bath, that she could fully admire the landscape.
The shining and sumptuous house that served as a summer residence for the Mikaelson family was not the most breathtaking thing to see here. The vegetation that stretching off into the distance as far as the eye could see was the greenest thing she had seen, the fruits growing on the trees randomly dispersed in abundance on the extent of the hectares were juicy and sweet, the flowers were of all colors and perfectly maintained by the gardeners. With wide eyes, Caroline stared longingly all the unexplored places before her, eager to make new discoveries — Lord Kol had shown her a nest of birds earlier and Caroline had spent half an hour cooing over them — now that she was temporarily free of the constant supervision of her father.
She had first deemed the situation of the household as better than hers but as the days passed she noticed the carefully constructed façade of formality and politeness displayed by the family of the Duke of Devonshire crumbling more and more and Caroline began distinguishing things like how Lord Finn's eyes shone with disgust when they saw her father and his laugh together and stand a little too close to each other at times, when they lowered their guard; Kol's mischief increasing, indomitable, and tamed only by his father warningly glares; the venomous glances passing between Lord Mikaelson and Lord Niklaus; how Lord Elijah stood on the watch as if he were expecting a confrontation; the way Lady Rebekah seemed scared to death, all her haughtiness forgotten in favor of a real fright; the deep affliction of Lady Mikaelson before such scenes. Caroline was herself distraught by such a picture.
Amidst that misery she nevertheless found unexpectedly joyful moments in the person of Rebekah, her new playmate. If the weather allowed it, they would play outside or read under a tree, otherwise, they would spend hours trying out dresses or choose new ribbons. Her company was pleasant, although Lady Rebekah was in no way complacent and helpful as Lady Elena, whom she often visited, Lady Rebekah was quick-witted and passionate, intelligent and sensitive and although Caroline felt a pang of shame in this admission she estimated her more than she did Lady Elena.
She however did not fully understood the extent of her attachment to Rebekah until she fell ill after a strong summer rain.
For days Caroline read stories by Rebekah's bedside, mopping her forehead constantly when she would succumb to a new fever attack, and sang ballads for her when she no longer suffered from headaches.
Once the doctor certified that Rebekah would recover within a short time Caroline's worries for her friend gave way to the despondency of being deprived of her company during her convalescence when Caroline's father judged it to be incautious for Caroline's health to spend more time with Rebekah when this one was still virulent.
Overwhelming with boredom, she decided to explore the property further. Kol had originally been determined to accompany her, but had changed his mind since to the benefit of riding his new pony and she found herself with nothing but her own company.
She raised a hand to her forehead to protect her eyes from the sunlight as she admired the landscape when the voice she recognized as Lord Niklaus's interrupted her. "You would have a better view from here," he said above her.
She jumped and looked up to see him perched on the branch of a medium-sized tree. "Lord Niklaus," she chastised breathlessly, "You scared me."
"I'm sorry," he said, having the decency to look apologetic.
Caroline shook her head. "It does not matter." After watching the tree in question with skepticism, she added, "But I am afraid I am unable to climb up due to the height of the tree."
She did not indicate having never climbed on a tree. When he had heard that Caroline could not swim Kol had mocked her until he grew tired of his own taunts.
"It is most easy, I assure you."
Lord Niklaus propped his sketchbook and pencil under his arm, and nimbly descended from the tree, hanging on each of the branches with ease. "I was already climbing there in order to draw the landscape when I was younger than you. I could show you," he offered, placing his belongings onto the fresh grass.
She bit her lip, looking at the tree with uncertainty and then at Lord Niklaus who was still waiting for her reply. Nodding, she smiled and thanked him for his offer.
As it turned out, climbing was not easy at all. And, glaring at him, Caroline declared her opinion to her companion in regard to his bold declaration she now considered to be entirely inaccurate. Smiling — too proudly to her liking — he replied that the activity of climbing would become easier once she would be accustomed to it and that the view was well worth it.
It was not until she had reached her goal that she admitted the truth of his statement, perched on a branch to which she clung with both hands and staring at the horizon to avoid at all costs to contemplate the height that separated her from the ground in a vain attempt to prevent the feeling of dizziness she already sensed.
"You were indeed right in your estimation, my lord, the view is remarkable," she said.
"I am pleased that you consider the reward for your efforts satisfactory," he replied.
"Has Lady Rebekah also taken a liking to this kind of activity?" asked Caroline who did not remember having heard her friend ever express her favoritism for climbing at any time.
"She joins me occasionally, but considers the activity tedious. Which is understandable since once here she has no other occupation but to look at the landscape that, although beautiful, she has already had the opportunity to see numerous times already."
"But you always find pleasure in it," she remarked.
"Yes." Lord Niklaus nodded. "The landscape is the same, but there is always something new to draw, something different. It may be the cause of a different perspective or my focus on a particular detail, but the rendering is always divergent," he said, furtively looking at the subject of their conversation with something akin to awe on his face.
She decided to continue with this conversation and asked him if it was not difficult to draw without any support except for his sketchbook and he replied that regardless the difficulty he still managed to capture all the details without grave inconvenience. She perceived his assertion as arrogant, but kept herself from commenting this time.
"I learned from my mother that you are yourself an artist," commented Lord Niklaus after a moment of comfortable silence. "You sing remarkably well, I have been told."
Her surprise to hear of Lady Mikaelson's praise was supplanted only by her joy at such a compliment for her singing talent. It was the discipline in which she excelled the most, along with dance, but Elena's talents in literature and foreign languages greatly overshadowed hers.
"You may be able to play tonight," he proposed.
She nodded, smiling graciously. "And you could accompany me on piano," Caroline suggested, suddenly finding the idea lovely.
"What have I done to deserve such a punishment, Lady Caroline? " He laughed. Before her surprised expression he explained, "I'm afraid I have no talent for musical disciplines. I believe I remember Kol once said that the thunder produced much better melodies than mine."
Now understanding the reason behind his comment, she giggled heartily. "My brother Elijah, however, plays this instrument perfectly," he added.
"I shall ask Lord Elijah to play with me then."
They sat in silence until the air became cooler and Caroline began to shiver.
Once they descended, Lord Niklaus picked up his half-finished drawing and his sketchbook, and they walked towards the house.
"Can I see your drawings?" she asked swiftly, stopping midway to their destination.
"Certainly," he consented, and granted her request as soon as they stepped into the house.
She ran her fingertips over one of his drawings — the image represented two fierce wolves in a brutal fight, one white and the other gray, above the snow and suspended in the air, the moon bright in a sky so blue that it looked almost black — subjugated by fine details.
"I was inspired by images found in books when I drew this," he said, the sound of his voice tainted by nervousness.
Looking up, she realized he expected her to venture her opinion on his work with an air that she perceived as anxious.
"It's beautiful," she praises his work sincerely.
He had no inclination for the activities she and Rebekah indulged in, and even Kol sometimes, and preferred Lord Elijah's company to theirs often, which made his desire to participate in their hobbies every day quite inexplicable.
"I definitely enjoy your company," she added quickly after having expressed her uncertainty as to his volte-face, "but I cannot find a reason for your sudden change of heart."
His eyebrows furrowed a bit and he contemplated the question long enough for her to fear having offended him until he finally answered reluctantly. "You're the only real friend I have ever had."
There was no doubt in Caroline that his answer was sincere and she felt her heart aching when thinking about the loneliness he had to endure. Caroline always had a remarkable ability to form friendships with others, those friendships were not always constant or disinterested but invariably a great comfort to her. Determined to provide the same type of solace to her companion, she took his hand firmly into her smaller and offered him to choose their next game.
He blinked, and then offered her the brightest smile she had seen on his face. "If we are to be friends then you must call me Nik."
She should have protested to such familiarity, but Rebekah and Kol had already convinced her to call them by their Christian names for so long now and what harm could come from it anyway? "Then you must call me Caroline," she ordered him firmly.
His lips curled into a sweet smile as he readily approved. "Caroline then," he agreed and left her uncertain as to why his silken voice could make her name a compliment in itself.
They were inseparable for weeks, playing outside all day and once inside exchanging their impressions on their readings and often she would sing ballads on piano, accompanied occasionally by one of the Mikaelson siblings while he drew and Rebekah embroidered.
That her father was opposed to this association was, however, a most surprising thing. He had always agreed, and even encouraged her friendship with Rebekah and Kol yet he, first of all, asked her not to spend too much time with Lord Niklaus and spare more time for her other friends, which had seemed an incongruous request to Caroline considering Rebekah was as close as could be to Nik and that Kol, favoring his company over his two older brother's — whom he considered boring — and his sister — whose passion for dresses, dance and ribbons scared him off —, spent as much time with him; but Caroline nevertheless consented. However, when William Forbes simply forbade her to find herself in Nik's presence that he called an insult which brought red of shame on Caroline's cheeks as she heard such a slight to her friend, she had no alternative but to lie, asserting to acquiesce to his request and swallowing her guilt only by rethinking of his rudeness.
She reported the altercation between herself and her father only to Rebekah and the latter confided to her that it had been her own father who had required Lord Forbes to do such a thing, to Caroline's utter indignation. "But why?" Caroline cried, crossing her arms over her small chest. "Your brother had been nothing but pleasant and attentive!"
"I know! Nevertheless, our father always showed himself harsher to Nik than to his other children. He imposes him the perfection in all disciplines and demands his submission in all things; he shows himself particularly severe in his punishment when Nik does not meet his expectations."
Rebekah lowered her head and Caroline noticed that the usual pinkness of her cheeks was missing, giving her face the same sickly whiteness which she had been subjected to during her illness, her eyes were oppositely red and her eyelids heavy, even her hair seemed to lack their natural brilliance.
"What kind of punishment is thus inflicted to him?" She gasped in horror, uncertain as to whether or not she wanted the answer to her indiscreet question.
Her friend opened her mouth in what Caroline thought the intent of answering her question but then shook her head. "I let it at my brother's discretion to inform you about that matter," she muttered with a newfound composure.
"Of course," Caroline nodded and blushed at having been unthinking enough to question Rebekah on such a personal topic concerning her brother, a lord, who was not here for himself express agreement or disagreement on the nature of the discussion.
And undeniably Niklaus did not wish to discuss this sensitive subject for he merely declared her concerns to be unfounded. It was easy to be convinced by him despite her worries and be persuaded by the plans he concocted in order to see each other without the knowledge of their fathers. The idea that something could go wrong did not even cross her mind that night they both escaped of the constant supervision on them to climb up a tree and watch the moon and the stars.
They were both laughing, so happy to spend time together and proud to have duped their parents that Caroline did not pay the indispensable attention needed for an exercise as difficult as climbing down such a large tree in the night, and Nik did not remind her to be prudent as he usually did.
The velocity of the incident caused Caroline to not understand what had happened until she hit the ground. The force of the impact cut off her breathing and she gasped desperately, trying to catch her breath, inspiring and exhaling through her nose.
"Caroline!" she heard Nik screaming.
Above the sound of her labored breathing, she managed to hear the din caused by Nik once having descended from the tree. He called for help, yelling loud enough to wake the dead themselves. Once Caroline felt able to, she straightened up and was to inform him to be in better condition but instantly stopped, moaning in pain as she pressed her foot onto the grass. Nik's head snapped toward her and he rushed to her.
"Do not worry, the housekeeper will be here soon," he whispered into her hair, taking her hand, worry clear in each of his words.
Caroline nodded slightly and looked up at him through eyes obscured by burning tears.
When he touched her ankle she could have sworn the searing pain had passed through her whole being and asked her friend not to attempt anything of the sort again. He nodded, apologized and repeated that help would arrive soon. And indeed, Caroline saw several members of the staff house lead by Mrs.Huge, the housekeeper, coming towards them and soon she was raised in the air and in someone's arms who carried her into the house.
Her father and Lord Mikaelson were both awake and were the first to come down to see what had caused "all the fuss". As soon as Lord Forbes spot her injured ankle he rushed to cradle her and wiped her tears, urgently asking what had happened.
Caroline stared at Nik over her shoulder, doubtful as to what would be his version of the story and not wanting him to obtain any undeserved punishment. Taking notice of the look exchanged between the children Lord Mikaelson snorted and quickly advanced toward his son and struck him so hard that he knocked the boy of thirteen years of age down.
In her stupor Caroline did not react immediately, it seemed that time itself had stopped like all watched with bated breath. She struggled in her father's arms in hope to provide some help to her friend, discarding her injured ankle even when her father remembered her this unfortunate fact. Niklaus was now facing her, his pleading eyes seemingly wanting to reassure her as he opened his mouth to say something, but found himself the victim of another attack from his father.
She ached for him, her eyes filled with tears of compassion for her friend, and her heart tightened in her chest as she cried out to her father to do something and then to the servants but all ignored her pleadings.
"Did I not tell you to stay away from her, boy?"
Lord Mikaelson's harsh words were punctuated by another punch and caused Caroline to let out a shout of such distress among her erratic sobs that it alarmed her father and convinced him to demand of Lord Mikaelson to put an end to his punishment.
Lord Mikaelson opened his mouth with the obvious intention to protest, his eyes furious as he looked at his son, but like her father glanced sharply at herself and then added a pleading "Mikael", he complied.
Lord Forbes sent a maid to fetch the doctor and ordered another to take Caroline to her bedroom ensuring she would receive all necessary care until the arrival of the doctor.
She asked to see her friend all the way back, and also when her mother woke up to inquire about her state, and when the doctor arrived, and when she went to sleep. And Caroline started again once awake and dressed, provoking her father to snap dryly at her.
"I like to think that your mother and I raised you better than this," Lord Forbes said harshly. "But I understand by your obstinacy that we have indulged in your whims too many times already and you have formed a false idea of your duties as a daughter and a Lady."
From her comfortable position — she was lying on a sofa, her bandaged foot posed on a small stool and her back resting against a pile of cushions — she met her father's gaze and objected to this unreasonable accusation.
"I admit having been wrong to leave the house to go play outside and I'm sorry to have caused you any concern," she looked at her mother with guilt, knowing that Lady Forbes had been at her daughter's bedside all night, "but it was my mistake and not Lord Niklaus's and I find it unacceptable that he should receive a cruel punishment because of me."
"Lord Niklaus had to be wiser and lead by example," retorted her father appearing to lose patience.
She could not deny that as being anything other than the absolute truth for during her entire childhood, it was something that had been said to her by her parents as well as her friends and that it was a male's duty to lead by example to a Lady.
She blushed, understanding what her father suggested and squirmed uncomfortably under his gaze.
"This is true," she said, "but his punishment was, however, undeserved." she would not be moved on that point, not even by her father.
"You are unfit, Lady Caroline, to judge the relevance of a Lord as to the punishment he decides to exercise on his offspring." His tone was brittle and merciless and Caroline knew better to reiterate her request to him and settled for pretexting to be in need of a rest to obtain some solitude.
The afternoon that passed was one of the longest of her life, she received no visits except from her mother and the maids who occasionally asked her if she was in need of something. Each time she would shake her head, her mind actively occupied, creating plans to see her friend and make sure he was alright...
"Caroline."
She recognized the voice whose distinct timbre she had become accustomed after hours in his company and almost jumped into his arms when she saw him.
"Niklaus," she breathed. She gestured to rise, stopped only by her sore ankle. "How did you manage to come here? Leave immediately! If your fathercatches you—"
Taking place beside her, he placed a calming hand on hers. "Fear not for me," he earnestly solicited.
His face was swollen and bruised, his right dimple was almost purple and below his lip was split, one of his blue eyes was inflating, nearly closed, and as she examined his face with her right hand he flinched at her touch. How the devil could she consider not to worry about him when seeing proof of what his father had inflicted him?
"Rebekah is guarding the door," he quickly reassured her.
Caroline breathed a sigh of relief and immediately inquired about the reason for his unexpected visit.
He appeared downright embarrassed then, reddening and refusing to meet her eyes. "Are you not happy to see me?"
Her heart broke a little as she heard his assumption. "Of course, I am," she reassured him immediately, "but I do not want, in any instance, to cause you trouble."
"You shall not." Then his smile faded considerably as he confessed, "And I wanted to say goodbye."
"Goodbye?"
Caroline was certain that there must be a mistake because her family was supposed to stay at least two more weeks and—
"I heard your father and mine discuss this. Lord Forbes believes me to be a negative influence on you, and, encouraged by my father, decided to leave the property tomorrow morning."
Frowning, she decided she would make their plans fail. Her father would listen when she would ask to delay their departure, once she would explain that her aching foot would make their journey very uncomfortable for her.
But when she pleaded with tears and cries he remained unmoved.
They left and she did not even had the opportunity to see Nik one last time. She promised to write to Rebekah and Kol and swore she would visit soon, then politely said goodbye to Lord Finn and Lord Elijah, surprised when the latter slipped something into her hand with an insistent gaze that convinced her not to inquire further. When she arrived up to Lord and Lady Mikaelson she struggled to maintain a semblance of courtesy in her voice and thanked them for their kindness and generosity during her stay.
Once she was in the carriage, she unfolded the note Lord Elijah had slipped in her hand. The missive was short, but the words scrawled on it made her smile again.
I hope you spend a pleasant journey. I will write you soon. Ever your friend, Niklaus.