❝ dream a little dream of me! ❞
·° 。: ✰ : ·° 。
SHE RAISED HER HAND to cover her mouth as she giggled, darting down the stairs in a blur of colors, winter coat billowing wildly behind her. It was probably unladylike of her to do such exertions, and her mother would most likely scold her for runningㅡif she could catch her, that is; but she was not, even remotely, worried about that. The brunette was too occupied by the thought of him waiting for her in the gardens.
It was no secret that she was completely besotted with the blond and everything he did. She just couldn't get enough of him, and he, who was not entirely welcome in the kingdom, clearly felt the same for her. The thought of him alone was enough to make her swoon, from his kind cerulean eyes to his charming personality. She wasn't afraid of the servants telling on her because she knew that they were on her side. At least they supported her relationship with him.
Unlike her parents, and most likely every member of her biological family.
She was relieved when the maids had told her that they were going to keep anything they see to themselvesㅡeven assuring the brunette that they would cover for her sudden disappearances.
The young girl leaned against a wall after seeing her mother talking to one of the guards. The brunette tried to catch her breath and begun running to the opposite direction. The atmosphere was thick and cold from the winter air, her staggered breaths creating white puffs with every exhale. It was definitely a challenge to take oxygen in, similar to inhaling sharp knives with every breath; but as priorly mentioned, the brunette did not care. She knew all the secret passage ways, every nook and cranny, like the back of her hand. Of course she would do what she could to ensure that they would meet.
After passing portraits of her ancestors along with antique furniture, she finally reached the castle's exit way. The brunette looked left and right to see if the coast was clear, making sure that there was no one around.
In a rush of joy, she sprinted from the place she called her living area, in search of the man that felt more like home. Her footsteps made soft crunching noises as she trudged across the snow-covered courtyard. Hedges of green shrubs formed an intricate maze, the once emerald shade now fading into a duller hue as a cause of the white powder dusting its corners.
Barefooted, the brunette nearly tripped over an exposed root on the ground. She picked herself up as though nothing had happened, continuing her journey to the heart of the labyrinth, where he would be waiting as always. She couldn't get lost for she had been meeting with him in the same spot for nearly a month and she had memorized the way in.
He was ever so patient with her, understanding that she could not wander out of the palace walls at her own accord. The man could not be happier when she first told him that she was in love with himㅡhe thought his heart was going to give up the very moment she uttered those words.
She arrived, panting, at the bottom of a huge tree; but he was nowhere to be seen. The brunette planted her hands on both of her knees, trying to catch her breath once more. While she was doing so, her eyes roamed the small circle of grass around the central tree.
Was she early or something?
Then, just as she was about to sit and wait on the base of the large oak, a pair of hands grabbed her waist and hugged her from behind. The brunette was about to pull away, thinking that it was someone else, but a laughㅡhis laughㅡresounded in her ears. She smiled, noting how happy he sounded.
She spun in his arms to face him, her own arms loosely wrapping around his neck. For a few seconds, the pair just stared at each other. There was a sparkㅡa glintㅡin their gazes that screamed affection.
"How are you feeling, my love?" he asked gently, voice sweeter than honey.
"In love," she grinned teasingly. He grinned back, a hand coming up to cup her cheek. With her holding her breath in anticipation, he leaned forward ever so slowly. Now, his forehead pressed on hers.
She felt her nose come into contact with his and smiled. The brunette played with the hair at the back of his neck, emitting a sigh of content from his lips, which was close to her own. Oh, how she wanted to kiss him!
Inching closer, the man brushed his lips against hers, barely touching at all. She pushed herself on her tiptoes, eyes still shut as she blindly tried to kiss him. In a swift motion, she fell forwards, arms falling as though he suddenly disappeared. She opened her eyes, utterly shocked.
He was nowhere to be seen.
The brunette ran around the tree, her gaze frantically searching for the man she beheld. It happened so abruptly, the way he faded from her embrace like he vanished into thin air.
"Nik? This isn't funny," she whispered, craning her neck to find him. Everything was silent, and it was starting to feel like the whitish hedges around her were closing in. With her back to the tree, the brunette desperately asked, "Where are you?"
Her chest rose and contracted as she tried to calm down, wrapping her arms around herself in a self embrace. Looking left and right, the brunette now began to panic when she found nothing tangible that proved his presence. It felt like the hedges were closing in, threatening to crush her as she spun in dizzying circles. It felt like her heart was being clenched by an iron fist.
She felt suffocated by his absence.
You're being ridiculous, she swiftly reminded herself. Depending on someone for happiness was unhealthy, but she couldn't control the feeling of helplessness that clouded her reasoning at the moment.
"Nik, please," the brunette choked out, creating a puff of air in the cold weather. Something cold and sharp abruptly glided against her neck, making her gasp in pain. It was probably a blade of some sort, but there was no one to be found when she turned around for the umpteenth time.
Hot liquid flowed from her neck, trailing down to her covered collarbones. It was with great shock did she realize that her neck was indeed bleeding. The young woman pressed both of her hands on the recently acquired wound, desperately trying to stop blood from escaping her body. It was even more difficult to breathe now. She couldn't even speak.
Her eyes stung as she blinked back her tears before running inside the castle. Soft whimpers flew from her trembling lips, and curly chestnut locks flew behind her as she searched for anyone who could help her.
But there was no one around.
It was as though everyone had vanished into thin air. She didn't know how or why the phenomenon happened, but she knew she had to receive immediate care. A startling amount of dark crimson followed her, looking sinister against the cobblestone floors of the vacant castle. The echoes of her footsteps only added to the ominous atmosphere.
Then, everything began spinning. The stony, gray walls around her rotated, starting off slowly before speeding up in a dizzying manner. The air left her lungs and her knees met the floor. She squeezed her eyes shut, bloodstained hands covering here ears when the deafening sound of someone's screams became unbearable. Beneath her eyelids, the brunette's line of vision was dark, but nausea still engulfed her build in an emetic wave. Blood was sticky against her temples; and although it made her sick, it was better than hearing those anguished cries. It had only been a few seconds when she came to a staggering discernment:
The screams came from her.
·° 。: ✰ : ·° 。
A pair of warm hands shook her by the shoulders, jolting Rosalie out of her sleep. Her golden orbs contained a panicked look as she opened them. The dream felt so frightening, and so real. Even her chest was rapidly expanding and contracting as she tried to catch her breath. It seriously felt as though she actually ran, like she did in the dream, which she now considered a cruel nightmare.
"Whaㅡ" she startled, furrowing her eyebrows at the sight before her as though it was more confusing than the vision she had. "Elijah?"
The brunet in front of her raised his eyebrows at the incredulity lacing her tone; but he couldn't say that much for himself as he was just as confused as her.
"Rosalie." He slowly muttered as though her name was something his tongue recognized as foreign. It was the least of his problems, their common confusion. His hands were still placed on the sides of her arms, scared that she would suddenly faint. "What are you doing out here?"
The woman in question unconsciously scrunched her eyebrows as she tried to conjure an answer for the brown-eyed gentleman before her. Her breathing was still uneven as she glanced around, not surprised that she was no longer in the confines of her house. Nearly everything was dark, the only light source coming from a distant building near them. She couldn't make out the features of it due to the vast amount of trees surrounding them. Rosalie felt cold, literally and figuratively. The warmth from Elijah's palms seeped through the fabric of her sweater, but other than that, the coolness of the evening caused her body to shiver. The brunette was having a difficult time to make sense of what had happened, she felt like she was aloof from reality.
It wasn't until he shook her shoulders did she realize he had asked her a question. "Rosalie?" Elijah queried once more, this time a bit forcefully.
"Uh,"ㅡshe met his worried gaze, throat bobbing as she tried to dampen her parched throat. A shaky breath left the Monet as she licked her lips, feeling the chapped surface, and shook her head slightly. "ㅡI...don't know."
Like the majority of the pair's encounter together, she stared at nothing in particular, eyes glazed over and foggy looking. It was like her head was submerged underwater. She could tell that Elijah was saying something because his lips were moving and he had this serious look going on; but she couldn't tell what he tried to utter and trying to made her head hurt even more, so she looked away. There was a cluster of oaks near her right side and, for some reason, the brunette felt like the trees were judging her.
Elijah already knew something was wrong when he saw her walking alone in the woods. Her eyes were halfway closed, staring blankly at the forest floor. She looked so thin in the black sweater she wore, the clothing hanging loosely on the shoulders. Her face was somehow paler than usual, dark circles under her dead looking eyes. He could even see the bluish veins on her eyelids. She looked like a ghost.
The woman was so disoriented and detached from everything by the way she zoned out from the reassurances and inquiries that flew from his lips. The brunette was breathing so heavily, chapped lips desperately gasping for air; but Elijah heard her heart beating very slowly, and he instantly knew that this was not going to end well. The kind Original immediately leaned forward to catch her unconscious body when her knees buckled, successfully preventing her from further injuries.
·° 。: ✰ : ·° 。
Rosalie peeled her eyes open, groaning as she felt her head throb. The sun wasn't up yet from her view of the window. She lay on her back, staring at the ceiling as she tried to recall what happened the night priorㅡthe ball, the fun evening with Nik. She felt a different type of happiness around him, in the best way. If she'd had such a great night, why did she feel like something bad was about to happen? The brunette sighed to herself, at the ridiculous thought of dreading something in such a happy time. The Monet turned sideways and grabbed her phone to check the time: 5:48 AM.
Might as well, she thought, getting up from her bed. After her blankets were folded, the Monet set off to the bathroom for a shower. But before she could take some clothes from the drawer, she noticed a small box on top of it.
Curiously, Rosalie grabbed it. She pulled the white ribbon, undoing its knot, and opened the box. Inside was a roll of parchment, kind of like a scroll. It was a detailed sketch of her from the shoulders up, smiling in her crimson gown. The Monet smiled when she saw the note on the bottom right of the page:
Smile, Mi Amor. No artist can do justice to your beauty. Thank you for such an amazing night.
Love, Nik
(still not an axe murderer :P)
A ridiculous grin took over her features, feeling immensely giddy. She wanted to see him again today. And tomorrow. And the tomorrow after tomorrow. And after a lot of tomorrows. It was bliss to be in his arms the previous night. Although the dancing part was mostly initiated by him, Rosalie was willing to go through it again.
How outrageously irrational.
·° 。: ✰ : ·° 。
"Damn it, Caroline," Rosalie muttered, furiously tapping on her phone's keyboard. She was tired of waiting for the blonde outside of the Grill, so she stormed inside.
Her cousin mentioned that she was sitting in a booth. The Monet was ready to strangle her for being terribly vague. Caroline wasn't even responding to her messages. The moment she walked in, Klaus looked up from his glass of bourbon.
He felt his heart thud at the sight of her looking extremely, for the lack of better word, hot. She was angry, very much so. Unfortunately for him, it only enhanced her appeal. When he snapped out of his trance, Klaus was overwhelmed by a flood of worry for the brunette. He nearly fainted when his older brother came rushing in the house carrying her unconscious body the previous night. She looked dead, just the thought of its certainty was enough to make his heart stop.
Rosalie searched every booth in the area, but found nothing resembling a perky, blonde girl who about to be executed if she didn't answer her phone this instant.
Angrily, the brunette walked out of the Grill, Klaus following her after threatening to mutilate a few of Kol's vital organs.
Unbeknownst to everyone in the compound was Alaric's grin of victory, discreetly texting the gang that their plan had worked.
"Rosalie!" Klaus called out, unfazed by the fact that he nearly got ran over by a car. She didn't turn around, causing him to continue his pursuit of her walking figure.
"Rosalie," he gently placed his hand on her shoulder when they both reached the other side of the road. The brunette spun around, pulling out her earphones.
"Oh, hello there!" she beamed. Klaus returned the gesture, a feeling of warmth blooming in his chest at his view of her smile. He felt relieved that she was happy to see him, it had been so long since someone directed a gaze like this to him. This time, it wasn't just someoneㅡit was her.
"So, I, er," she blurted. "I wanted to say thank you for the sketchㅡit's really beautiful."
"I meant what I said in the note, love."
"Did you want something?" she asked, changing the topic as she desperately tried to stop the blush from reaching her cheeks. He looked at her confusedly, and she motioned to themselves, referring to how he called her attention.
"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to talk? If you're not busy, of course."
Rosalie grinned that saccharine smirk of hers and he felt like his knees were going to give up at the sight of it. His lips were parted a bit, a hand casually over his thundering heartbeat. Klaus sat down on a park bench nearby, still staring in awe at her.
"Well," she finally spoke up, "how could I possibly resist?"
"How are you feeling? Have you eaten yet?" The questions tumbled from his lips, unable to stop himself from worrying about her health.
Gah, this man. If he didn't stop being so kind and sweet and saying things that made her heart burst, Rosalie would be forced to kiss him into silence (just to shut him up, obviously...).
A smile took over her face at his concerned query. She smiled, nodding. "I feel okay, I guess. You?"
They continued to exchange questions, chatting animatedly with each other about the evening of the Mikaelson ball and how they mutually enjoyed the experience. The pair even exchanged cellphone numbers if they ever wanted to catch up with each other. Unfortunately, the conversation took a turn for the worst.
"So, what were you doing in the Grill? I saw you scour the whole place and left immediately." He furrowed his eyebrows. Klaus had already heard her frustrated mutters from a distance, but he wanted to hear her troubles, directly.
Rosalie rolled her golden orbs upon recalling her absent cousin. On the bright side, her wish to see him earlier this morning had came true.
"My cousin Caroline was supposed to meet me,"ㅡthe brunette shook her headㅡ"But I don't know, maybe something came up."
Klaus furrowed his eyebrows. He knew that Rosalie was close to Caroline and Alaskaㅡthey were her blood relations, after all; but it couldn't be a coincidence that he was also at the Grill, right? They could've met at their own houses, where he knew Rosalie would prefer to talkㅡshe was not a fan of crowded places during the night, as he knew from the time they had spent together.
Something was wrong.
Just as the thought of Elena and her guard dogs plotting against him appeared in his mind, Klaus felt a stabbing pain in his chest. He managed not to keel over, because doing that in front of the love of his immortal life without a reason would just be embarrassing. Niklaus Mikaelson had his priorities straight, thank you very much.
"I'm sorry, my love. I'm afraid I have some urgent matters to attend to, maybe we can meet up tomorrow if that's okay with you?"
Rosalie nodded, standing up as she prepared herself to leave as well. "It was great talking to you. I'll let you know if I'm good for tomorrow. Good night, Nik."
Nik was comforted by the fact that she didn't have to walk that far to reach her house. Walking the streets of her hometown at night didn't sound 100% safe, but there were five or so hybrids (Nik, feeling stupid that he didn't know Rosalie was coming to Mystic Falls a few days ago, was still on edge after the stunt Stefan Salvatore had pulled) lurking around the vicinity, ready to gut anyone who dared to touch her.
"Good night, mon coeur. Be careful." He smiled, suppressing the urge to show physical affection and rushed to see what idiocy Kol had gotten himself into.
author's note!
Mi amor ㅡ my love
Mon coeur ㅡ my heart
❝ be kind. ❞
➥ please consider voting and/or commenting to support the story, thank you!