The Cruel Prince || Klena

13.

Elena's newly wet hair dripped down the satin robe. Esther brushed it, calmly detangling the knots. "I've never had beautiful hair like yours." Elena's eyes widened in shock. For the Queen to speak to her in such a manner...especially when her own golden locks were beautiful and flowing.  "Surely your hair is beautiful, Majesty." Esther only smiled kindly into the mirror.

"Not like yours. You have a special beauty, Elena. You are special. More than you know." Her tone had taken one of seriousness. It had an undertone underneath, which made Elena believe she was talking about something else entirely, though she wasn't sure what. These days, everything seemed to have a double meaning. Their species was absolutely infuriating! And...extremely cunning. Not so different from her own.

Ugh. Why did she keep doing that? Comparing their two species. Sure, they had differences. But it was no different than a village man having an eye patch, or a village woman not being able to bear children. If her mother could hear her now, she'd have her punished for thinking in such a way. She was one person Elena would not miss. She was cruel, perhaps moreso than her father. Though she was cruel behind closed doors, and not out in the open like her father.

"Come on. We're going to the village to have you a tailored dress. For the Ceremony. You didn't get to complete it properly." Elena paused. So the wedding was even further away than she'd previously assumed? "There. I'll call in my servant girls and they can dress you."

Elena didn't exactly like corsets, but she was used to them. She gripped onto her bedposts as the maidens pulled them tighter still. Her lungs were complaining by the time they were done. It was a little vulgar for her taste, what with her cleavage pushed up and more visible than usual, but she accepted it nonetheless. Esther pursed her lips outside the door. "Damned maids. This is not the dress I requested. You must be positively suffocating. I'll have them change it at once."

Elena waved her away. "Nonsense. It isn't too inappropriate. I shall carry myself with pride like a Queen should." She said with a confidence she didn't feel. A thin smile spread across Esther's face. "You really are a perfect match for Nik." Elena's own smile faltered slightly. She wasn't exactly afraid of marrying him now, it just seemed like a daunting activity. "He doesn't care what others think. It's also not exactly a good thing either. That boy will get himself into trouble one of these days." She sighed.

Elena slightly smiled at that.

Klaus's eyebrows raised at Elena's dress, but Esther silenced him with a look. They were guided outside the castle, where Elena hadn't been for days. At least, not that she knew of. She thought back briefly to her bizarre sleepwalking spell. Niklaus helped her up into the carriage, where they sat opposite of Esther. It lurched to a start as the excitement finally started to set in. She didn't get to have much of a view of the Vampyr village the first time she had been there.

But now, her confusion amounted. It was day. Despite the Mikaelson family being able to walk in the sun, all the other Vampyr were impure bloodlines. None of them would be able to be out. Elena looked at Niklaus, a silent question in her eyes. His own eyes reflected a mischievous spark. 'You'll see.' He mouthed, as if he could understand what she meant to say.

Or maybe he could.

Could Vampyr read minds? She looked at him in alarm, but he only gazed out the window. Hm. Elena's mouth soon fell open at the village. They were everywhere. Selling, buying, playing. In the sun. "Wh...." Elena trailed off. "How can they be in the sun?" She exclaimed. Some kids stopped playing to watch the carriage pull by in awe. Klaus sent her that mischievous look in his eye again.

"Magik." Her eyes widened even more. "M-magik?! You mean, what-"witches. For the right price, you can buy anything. Luckily when you're royalty, you happen to have a lot of money lying around." Elena frowned. "But then, why doesn't your...why doesn't the king do so?" Esther tapped her foot. "Mikael prefers the old ways." She said no more, and Elena didn't pry. It wasn't proper, after all.

The carriage lurched to a stop. Esther motioned for Elena to stay, then stepped down from it. The two remaining said nothing at first. "What're the customs, exactly?" Elena blurted. He turned, surprised. "What?"

"Um," she fidgeted with her fingers. "Are there certain colors? A certain length for the dress? A motion perhaps? I'm still growing accustomed to your ways." For a moment, Klaus said nothing. Then he bursted out laughing and even wiped a tear from his eye. Elena blushed furiously. Had she said something offensive? "My apologies." He shut his mouth and stopped laughing. "For what? Don't apologize. You didn't say anything wrong."She frowned, confused. "Then, what?"

"It's just, you think us so different from you. Like we're an alien species. But we originated here, and live here, same as you." Now, she was embarrassed for having insinuated such an idea. "I-"Come along now." Esther interrupted. "They're ready for your measurements. Niklaus, let her be. You may come in, but let her choose of her own accord. This is ladies business." She emphasized, with a slightly playful undertone. He sighed. "As you wish, mother."

The store was grand. Right off, she could tell it was for richer people. The garments were made of the finest silk Elena had ever seen, and was certain she did not have in her own kingdom. They sat on display on shelves and racks. She was slightly jealous. Ladies lounged about, and ones of higher statures, she could wager. Duchesses, ladies of court. She was ushered into a back room and hastily the door was shut behind her.

She stood absolutely still as she had done many times before and waited as the man wrapped and rewrapped the measuring tape around various body parts. He took care as he frowned at the corset. "Off." He commanded. At that, she flushed, but obeyed. Quickly and deftly, she unlaced it with skilled fingers. He nodded with approval and measured her accurate bosom and waist size.

When he was finished, she was allowed to put it back on. She didn't tie it quite as tight. Then she was ushered out again. Chewing her lip, Esther and Klaus were nowhere to be found. So she trailed her fingers along the clothing in the store, taking note that there were also various tailoring objects about. As she was examining a particularly strange-looking tool, a voice interrupted.

"You must be Niklaus's new plaything." She could just hear the sneer in her voice before she turned. It was a redheaded woman, certainly beautiful. A little too beautiful. And even that was hindered by the upturned smirk on her face. "I am no one's 'plaything'." Elena stood upright. She wouldn't be ridiculed by a jealous girl. "Hm. So you say. You remind me of her. Camille. What a pity it was what happened to her."

Elena froze. Camille? How did she know that name? "How-"that's enough." A strained voice interrupted. It was Klaus. He came to stand behind Elena and put his hands on her shoulders to steer her away. "Aurora." He stiffly but curtly acknowledged her. "The one and only, De Martel." She smiled with a wicked gleam as she curtsied. Then she turned to walk away. "Until we meet again, Red Queen." At that, Klaus's fingers dug into Elena's shoulders even more roughly.

"Red Queen?" Elena echoed. The words felt strange and unfamiliar to her. Klaus stiffened even more, if that was possible. "It's nothing. Ignore her." But the feeling kept nagging at her. Where had she heard that term before? And her earlier comment confirmed what Elena had already thought. Camille had died in a tragic way. So tragic, no one wanted to mention her name. But what could be so bad that everyone had to act like it was some sort of huge secret?