Priest!Klaus taking Caroline's confession.
A/N - This drabble is about 3 years in the making, and probably not what the requester expected. But Here it is!
The Queen and the Priest
He runs, without looking back, without sparing a thought. He runs without abandon because he has no choice. He messed up. He listened to his heart when his head screamed at him to be smarter than this. She had chosen wrong. And before he left, before he dropped the most cherished item he owned into the hands of the woman who destroyed his life, he told her so. He warned her that she would regret her choice. And he reminded her that the day she’d realize this, the day she’d seek him, he’d be long gone.
And it would be all on her.
*
She runs, without looking back, without sparing a thought. She runs without abandon, because she’s messed up. She chose wrong. He had warned that she would regret her choice. She held onto the necklace in her hands tightly, remembering that fateful night years ago. She destroyed his life, and now when she seeked for him, he was long gone.
And it was all on her.
*
Klaus searched the grounds for any sign of his brother, nodding curtly as the new deacon passed by him, not having bothered to learn his name yet. He tugged on the collar of his clerical shirt and attempted to get comfortable in the ankle length cassock he had to adorn to perform his priestly duties. It had been close to three years now, and yet he couldn’t get used to the attire. The church was particularly crowded today, a fire had broken out in a town nearby and he assumed that a trip to ask God to spare their farms was only justified.
Although the reason for the mass of people could easily be that everyone’s beloved bishop, and his brother Elijah, had finally returned home from Rome. When Elijah caught his eye from halfway across the grounds, Klaus curtly nodded his head to the side, subtly asking Elijah to excuse himself. Klaus would never have survived if it hadn’t been for his brother, not something he’d ever admit to Elijah’s face obviously.
He could remember that day like it was yesterday; he had shown up here after running through the mountains for days. Tired, hungry and hunted like a wild animal he didn’t know if he was going to survive the journey, but he knew Elijah was his only chance. This was the first time they had met in close to a decade, and it was by choice. Elijah had made his life as a influential and respectable bishop whereas Klaus had chosen the path of politics, and within a few years he had gained the much coveted role of advisor to the King. Elijah hated most of his opinions on matters of state, and Klaus thoroughly returned the favor. But in Klaus’ hour of need Elijah had taken him in, secured him a position as a priest in his church, albeit begrudgingly, knowing that Klaus’ disposition was anything but priest-like. With his protection, Klaus had eluded the guards that were searching for him and avoided what was surely a death sentence.
Now he waited for any sign that would allow him to escape into Spain for safe haven. But there had been no relenting in the massive manhunt the King had ordered for his head, and it only seemed to gain more momentum than die down, forcing Klaus to stay hidden within the walls of the church. But a change was coming, Elijah had received news a few weeks ago of a French spy being caught in the heart of England, making the King heavily distracted. This was his chance, and Klaus knew he had to take it now, or spend another three years in this place.
“Elijah,” Klaus greeted, giving his elder brother a gentle nod as he finally reached him, at the far end of the grounds where no one would overhear them. “I hope your trip was successful,” he added in a mundane tone, wishing to be through with the formalities soon.
“I have good news, brother,” Elijah said, skipping the pleasantries and clapping him on the shoulder lightly. “King Damon is preoccupied with the threat of France looming over him.” Klaus let out an elongated sigh at the welcome news, listening closely as Elijah continued on. “Since the Queen is from Spain, the King has agreed to safely return three Spanish spies that were captured five years ago, one of the spies being the nephew of the Spanish King. He hopes to persuade Spain to stand by England if France attacks, and,” Elijah emphasized, smiling at his brother for the first time in months, “King Damon has entrusted me with the safe return of the Spanish prisoners. I can easily smuggle you into Spain along with them, Niklaus.”
“When?” inquired Klaus, his voice denser than usual as he looked at the monstrous gate of the church, he had been staring at them for three years now, waiting for the day they would lead him to his freedom. “When do we leave?”
“Three nights from today. The Queen must first write to her brother, appealing to him to stand by her, and consequently, England’s side.”
“And how is she?” Klaus probed, his jaw tense and his voice almost managing to sound nonchalant.
“Who do you mean, dearest brother?” Elijah hit back spitefully, lowering his voice to a whisper and taking a menacing step towards Klaus.
“You know,” Klaus said irately, “The Queen. Caroline, how is she?”
Elijah looked at him for a while, pondering whether to indulge in his brother’s whimsical notions or give him a piece of his mind. He chose the latter, “Your boyish fantasies are what landed you in this mess, Niklaus. Don’t you think it’s time to change your ways?”
“I only asked if she is alright. Can I not even ask that?” Klaus replied angrily.
“She is the Queen of England,” Elijah replied furiously, spittle flying from his mouth as he looked around frantically to ensure no one heard him. “She is perfectly fine Niklaus, and she has been for three years.”
When Klaus’ face fell and he looked off into the distance, avoiding eye contact at any cost and fisted his hands tightly, Elijah backed off slightly. The fact that Klaus was in obvious pain had only mildly dulled his anger and exasperation towards his brother. “What happened cannot be undone, Niklaus. But what happened needs to be forgotten, for it can never happen again,” he said somberly, placing a comforting hand on Klaus’ shoulder. “You need to forget it, and you need to move on. Do you understand?” He added warningly.
Klaus hesitated, shuffling on his feet and throwing his brother’s hand off his shoulder in reproach. “You love your God, don’t you?” Klaus asked sarcastically, pointing up towards the church. “If I asked you to just forget about it or him or whatever, and move on, could you Elijah?”
“Th-that is not even close to your…” Elijah began, clearly offended.
“Yes it is. I loved.. I love her, Caroline, the way you do your God and your beliefs. I can’t just forget her, or pretend like it never happened. Queen or not, it can’t be undone Elijah.” Klaus said definitively.
“Yes, well she chose the King didn’t she Niklaus?” Elijah jibed, taking two steps away from Klaus. “Just like any other woman would have. You do not defy the King, and you do not sleep with the Queen. It’s as simple as that,” Elijah added in conclusion, shaking his head and wondering why he had started this argument with his brother again. It never came to any end other than a fight.
“Be ready on Wednesday night. We leave at midnight.” He added partingly as he walked away.
Elijah had lied. He knew he lied, but he wasn’t about to admit it. His priority was getting his brother safely out of England. And if he knew, if Klaus had even an inkling that the Queen was far from fine, Elijah knew he’d ruin any and every chance of keeping his head. Queen Caroline had taken ill, or that was the official word. But in his past 3 visits to the Royal Palace, Elijah had noticed that the Queen looked rather frail and worrisome, something that was in stark comparison to how he remembered her; vibrant and charismatic. He knew that the consequences of her and Niklaus’ escapades had cost her dearly, perhaps even more than they had cost Niklaus.
Klaus sat down on the cold, hard cot in his tiny chamber mulling over Elijah’s words. As much as he would like to deny his brother’s steely words, he couldn’t. It was the truth.
“You have to run.”
Klaus buried his head in his heads as he tried to come to terms with the events of the evening. Damon, The King, his king had learnt the truth about his Queen and his most trusted advisor. And King Damon wanted blood, Klaus’ blood.
“Klaus,” A woman’s voice called out to him. “You have to run.” It pleaded with him.
He looked up from behind his hands to see Caroline, his Queen, standing in the heavy downpour right ahead of him. Holding up her skirts, and not caring that the rain was ruining her priceless dress, she didn’t look one bit of a Queen, she just looked like a girl, a girl he loved.
He knew he’d find her in the garden in the back of the palace, it was their place, secluded and closed off from the hustle and bustle of the court. He had to see her one last time, before he ran for his life. He knew what he had to do. He knew what he was going to lose, who he was going to lose, something he never anticipated having in the first place.
“Come with me,” he said, more of a statement rather than a question, extending his hand to hold onto hers but she backed away from him. Letting out a small laugh and crossing her arms across her chest, Car-The Queen looked away from him, as if looking at him would break her.
“Come with you where Klaus?” Caroline asked sadly, her tone flat and finite. She already knew the answer to her question, she knew what lay in her future.
“We’ll run away. Together.” He said with a small smile, taking two steps towards her he clasped his hands around her arms, trying to bring her in but she resisted, albeit meekly, and tried to move away from him. Keeping his hold on her and trying to get her to look him in the eye, he added, “I love you, and I know you love me. We’ll run away to Spain, live our life the way we’ve both dreamt of.”
“Live on what?” She pushed back bitterly, placing her palms on his chest in an attempt to push him away, but instead he brought his hand up to entwine over hers. “Even if we manage to escape into Spain without losing our heads, we won’t be able to live one day without looking over our shoulder.”
“Is that not worth it if we get to be together?” He probed back, anger coloring his tone as he watched her close her eyes and shake her head.
“Love isn’t always enough, Klaus.” Caroline lamented, finally looking Klaus in the eye as she took a voluntary step towards him, “Damon is powerful…”
“He was powerful because he had me at his side.”
“He will not stop Klaus, he will never stop hunting us.”
“Then we’ll keep running.” Klaus said firmly.
Caroline looked down at her feet, knowing that she had to break his heart. It was the only way he would survive. “I am a Queen, Niklaus. And yo-you’re an advisor. You are what my King made you. I will have brought shame to my family, my entire country. Spain will lose England as an ally. And without England’s support it will be open season for Spain’s enemies. It-it simply…”
“I understand,” Klaus interrupted crudely, letting go of her hand and stepping away. His face set in stone and eyes as distant as she had ever seen them, he finally spoke after what seemed like hours, “You choose him.”
“I am a woman in a man’s world, and worse than that, I’m a Queen!” She retorted angrily, frustrated that he was unable to understand her obligations. “My every decision must be for the better of my people, my country. I choose what I must.” She added in finality, clearing her throat and looking around for any sight of the guards that were surely searching all over the palace for them. “Now you must run, you have to run.”
He looked at her intently, like he wished to say something but held it back. Abruptly, he turned around and took his leave, only to stop five paces from her and return to walk towards her.
“No, Klaus, please I beg of you. Run! Don’t make this harder than it already is-…”
“There will come a day,” Klaus said brutishly, grabbing her right hand forcefully and striking out her palm, “A day when you’ll understand that you chose wrong. Because you did, My Queen. And that day, when you seek for me, I’ll be long gone, love.”
She furrowed her brow and tried to look away from him, tears threatening to loom over as she held in a sob. But she wanted this, for him to hate her, blame her for his broken heart so he’d run far away where Damon could no longer reach him. He held her chin tightly, forcing her to look at him as he dropped a necklace in her palm, the one his mother had given to him before she died, “I leave with you the only material thing I cherished in this world. For I have no more use for it. You destroyed the man I am. And now have to live with it, sweetheart.”
With a parting kiss that left her breathless, he disappeared into the rain.
Caroline fell to her knees as she finally crossed the lake, her breath ragged and harsh as she attempted to calm herself. After she caught her breath, she took the efforts to walk into the woods by the lake shore and find temporary refuge behind a large oak tree. Even through the thick canopy of the woods she could almost see the sun peaking out from the east, it was almost daybreak. It had only been a few hours since she had fled the Palace, but it felt like days.
Caroline had gotten lucky, if her lady Bonnie hadn’t warned her of what she overheard in the King’s chambers she would have been making the walk to the gallows right about now. The King had always had proof of her adultery, but he had resisted from taking her head because somehow, she had him convinced of her loyalty to him hereon, of her immense remorse for her actions. But more so, because she had been with child at the time, a child she was certain was the heir to the throne, the future of England. So her beloved husband spared her the beheading, for a while.
The unfortunate poor soul was born two months early, and stillborn. Within months she conceived again, only to lose it too early. Three more trials and errors as such followed before the King simply stopped trying. He thought her barren, touched by the devil for her indiscretions to her husband and the Crown. He taunted her, abused her and tortured her at every turn. But he let her keep her head. But now the threat of France kept his hatred for her at bay, war was now his greatest worry. It was a war England would not win.
He needed an heir. And she had long since proven she was incapable of providing him one. So, it was time he replace her with someone who could.
She knew she would be executed, her adultery proved in court and her death so sentenced, and no one would be able to help her. Not even the Spanish King, her beloved brother, could stand up for a woman who dared to betray her husband and King.
So, when Bonnie, her most trusted lady came to her with the news that the King had called upon his mistress from her keep, she knew it would be soon. So, with a small package of food stolen from the kitchen and an old, tattered dress of her lady, she ran from the palace under the cover of night.
It took two days; two days of trekking through the hills to the very edge of London. She only seeked one place here, and only one man; Bishop Elijah at the Sacred Heart Church. The Bishop had been the only man to show her any kindness in the past three years. Over the years when she saw him at court, she’d want to ask if he knew where his brother was, if he was even alive. But she was afraid of even saying Klaus’ name, and knew very well that Elijah and Klaus had been estranged for years, and it wasn’t likely that Elijah would commit treason to help a brother he barely tolerated. So, she’d find solace in the five kind words he’d direct her way. And now, in her most desperate hour she had no one to turn to. The only hope she had was Elijah, and that he’d show her the same kindness in action rather than words. All she needed was some place to rest for a few hours, and a way to escape back to her birthplace, Spain, even if her brother turned his back on her, she still had money and people she could trust there.
Pulling her hood up and above her face to make sure no one noticed her, Caroline made her way through the large gates of the church and into the grounds that surrounded the church on all sides. As Queen she had visited the Church every week, however never had the courage to confess as she desired. She couldn’t trust anyone in Damon’s court, not even the priest. Today however, was a different story all together. She wasn’t here as Queen, just a regular woman. She could only see a young man and woman with a newborn a few feet from her, and the silhouette of a man walking in the distance. His attire and long cassock made it evident that he was a priest, but he didn’t walk like a priest. He had long, measured strides, like that of a soldier. With the sun in her eye she couldn’t see his face properly, he walked inside the church and into the confessional box.
As if a gravitational pull, this priest intrigued her, and before she knew it she was making her way towards the booth. As a child she confessed once a week, she confessed to everything, from the jealousy she housed towards her older sister to the first sloppy kiss shared at the age of 14. Her mother, the then Queen of Spain, had strictly told her that Princesses don’t confess, or they never make a mistake. But Caroline had always liked the simple art of confession. She would go into that box, spill her deepest and darkest desires and come out feeling less burdened. And, now after everything that had happened, she felt more burdened than ever. She had no one to talk to for the past three years, no one to confide in.
She needed that reprieve more than anything.
Gingerly, she opened the door to the confessional box, waiting for any sort of acknowledgment from the priest, when she got none she sat down on the hard, wooden plank in the box and closed the door.
“Yes,” came the curt almost brash response from the other side, forcing Caroline to falter for a second
“Uhm,” Caroline stuttered, fixing the folds of her skirt and wondering where to begin. “I’ve come to confess Father.” She began meekly, pausing for a second when she heard what she thought was a subtle snort from the other side. “I think.. I think, I ruined someone’s life, I might have even killed him. And God punished me for it, over and over again” She added in a pained hush.
The priest made a soft humming sound but otherwise kept silent. “Go on,” he prodded when she didn’t respond for a while.
Sitting straight up in the booth, Caroline felt as though the dam walls were about to overflow as she started talking, “I rejected him. I embarrassed him. I turned him away right when he was offering me everything I’ve ever wanted.” She could hear him straightening up in his seat as he cleared his throat and leaned towards her, almost like he was trying to figure something out. Internally she wondered how much she could tell him. He was still just a priest and she was the queen. A queen on the run from a mad king.
What if he recognized her?
Across the thick walls of the confessional booth, Klaus ears perked up. That voice, he felt he had heard that voice before. He leaned to the side, closer to woman’s muffled voice as she continued to speak. “He was the only man who ever loved me, and I failed him.” The woman whispered, her voice extremely soft and full of regret. “I never thought I’d get to feel love like that, so pure and devoid of agenda.” Her voice trembled and Klaus could almost see the nameless woman closing her eyes in pain.
Where had be heard that voice before? It sounded so different yet so familiar. “Go on.” He spoke roughly, wanting to hear more so he could put a name to the voice. He was sure he knew her.
“I had to do it.” She continued after a few seconds, taking in a sharp breath. “I had to break his heart, I had to try and save him. I should have remembered my place before I got involved with him, I should have known who I am, what I am.” She spat those words with anger, and Klaus now had his ears pressed against the partition in the confessional box, a sinking feeling in his stomach as he waited for her to continue.
“But he loved me and I loved him.” Her voice was colored with mirth, and he could hear her leave out a dark laugh. His stomach squirmed and bile rose to his mouth, he’d heard that laugh before.
He could feel that laugh wrap itself around his organs, like a vine. Squeezing and keening every breath out of him. It had killed him to hear that laugh years ago, and it was killing him all over again.
The day he’d foolishly declared his love for her, and told her they’d run away. She’d laughed like that, and something ugly had reared within him. The urge to hurt back, like he had been.
And then she spoke again, “And now all I have left of him is this damned locket.”
It was her. Caroline.
Caroline leaned back and exhaled sharply. She felt like a load had been lifted off her shoulders. For three years she had carried the guilt of her decision, never having an opportunity to deal with her sorrow, always always fighting to stay alive.
She was almost startled when the priest spoke in a low, gruff voice and asked a most unexpected question of her.
“What brought you here? On this day, to my confessional?”
Perplexed at his question, Caroline softly whispered, “I had to run from….” An alarm seemed to go off in her head as she realized it was important that she not give away anything of her identity. “I ran away, Father. I feared for my life.”
“In what way?” Came the brisk, harsh retort.
Caroline knew she shouldn’t answer, she knew she should be alarmed by the priest’s questions. He was supposed to listen to her and guide her to the right path, not asking such questions. But instead she found herself speaking before she knew the words were leaving her.
“My husband.” She wouldn’t be the first or the last woman to escape her abusive husband. “I lost so much because of him; my home, my dignity, my children, my chance at love but I won’t let him take my life. So I ran.”
All she heard later was silence until a sharp intake of breath, and then the wind was knocked out of her as the Priest said the one thing she wasn’t prepared to hear.
Her name.
There was only one person who called her by her name, by Caroline. She had been everything - but just Caroline since she was born. But he always saw the real girl with real dreams hidden under the layers of royal training and etiquette. And to hear that name from that voice took her breath away.
It couldn’t be. Could it?
Before she could process any further, the door in front of her flew open and there stood the man who had plagued her every nightmare and dream for the past three years.
“Caroline.” He stood there looking at her like she was a ghost.
She challenged that she perhaps looked exactly like a ghost at that very moment; pale and sweaty, rooted to the spot in an emotion she couldn’t quite place, her knuckles white where they gripped the edge of her seat. She had a myriad of things she wanted, no needed to say to him and yet when she went to say them all that came out was a choked sob.
Her eyes first fell to his dwindling appearance. He was no longer as she remembered; toned and strong from the hours of training. He looked leaner and older. The weight of their indiscretions had affected them both dearly. The lines of his face ran deeper and his eyes more sunken that she remembered. The eyes she once loved, were devoid of the spark and mischief they once carried. He was lost, looking desperately for a tether, just as she had been.
“Caroline,” He said again, his voice now softer and she could hear that he was struggling with the idea that she was sitting in front of him as much as she was. “What did Damon do to you?”
She startled in an instant, springing to her feet at his words. Of course, that would be the first question Niklaus would ask her. Post his initial shock, she wasn’t surprised that her life being put in danger was the first thing that struck him.
“It’s… it’s really you?” She murmured half-heartedly, taking a step towards him as a small disbelieving laugh left her. “What are you doing here? In a church?”
“Elijah.” Was Klaus’ one word response as he moved to step into the confessional box. It took everything he had in him to not gather her in his arms, but he wasn’t ready to let his guard down. She had rejected him, sent him away when they could have run away together.
Caroline nodded at his responses and looked down at her feet in contemplation. He knew her well enough to understand that the crinkling of her brows meant that she was trying very hard to control her emotions. Her clasped hands wriggled as she sucked in a sob and looked up at him with her blue eyes pooling with tears. And Klaus wondered if he’d ever know another human being as well as he knew Caroline, if he’d ever be rendered so powerless by just one look.
Because even at this moment; after breaking his heart, ruining his life and forcing him to go on the run from his own King, he knew he’d give his own life for her.
“I meant everything I said.” She said, tilting her head and decidedly looking at a spot above his shoulder. “I had to send you away because I loved you and I would have run away with you. But then we would have both died, this way… this way I’d hoped at least you would survive. I was doomed the day my brother handed me over to Damon, but you - you could have lived.” The last words came out in a rushed whisper, like all she’d hoped for was that he’d lived a full life not just for himself, but for the both of them.
“What kind of life would I have without you, Caroline?” Klaus spat, whether in anger or frustration at her inability to understand this simple fact he didn’t know. “Do you think I’ve lived these three years?” He asked almost mockingly before he stepped foot into the confessional box.
He could see the anger rear inside her as she retorted, “I didn’t exactly have a grand time either Klaus.”
His demeanour changed in an instant as he waved caution to the wind and moved towards her in an instant. He steadied her with one hand while the other snaked up the back of her neck, tilting her head back as he said, “What did he do Caroline?”
She took a deep breath before answering, the tight line of his jaw telling her that she needed to be careful in her response. The concept of vengeance was one Klaus held dear to his heart. “Nothing I cannot handle Klaus.” She replied with a sad smile, leaning in his touch, “Nothing I didn’t know was coming my way.”
“But you said,” he stumbled, his well known anger struggling to stay at bay, “You said he took everything from you. The children…?” His face twisted into a grimace as if he already knew the answer to his question.
“I was too weak, too consumed in trying to keep my head.” She gulped nervously as she answered, “Damon did what Damon does best, Klaus. But I survived, and when I saw no way out I ran.”
“Elijah said you were fine.” Klaus said tightly.
“I’m glad he did.” She smiled knowingly, sighing deeply and finally letting herself go. In one step she stepped into his embrace and laid her head on his chest. She was no longer going to live as Spain’s Princess, or as England’s Queen, but as Caroline.
And all Caroline wanted was him.
