AN: hey guys! So since Game On is coming to an end soon I thought I'd bring this new story to you all. I'm super excited about writing it and hope you love reading it!

Also I beta-ed this myself so I apologize for any errors, if anybody would like to volunteer to beta I'd be happy for the help!

I did some research as to the time period that I'll be writing about but I'm not expert so please don't shoot me if I'm wrong! Enjoy!

When Caroline Forbes was born the sun was shining brightly -so much so that her mother almost wanted to name her Dawn. Though whenever she was placed in her parents arms they realized that Dawn just did not capture the beauty of their daughter. She needed something elegant, something that could roll off the tongues of others in adoration. After a few hours of pondering around they decided that Caroline was perfect and they never once doubted the decision. Not when she refused to follow rules of gender, not when she rejected the advances from worthy men as she entered into a mature age, not when she stole money from nobles and especially not when she was taken from them. Not once.

Ever since she was a child it became quite clear that Caroline lived life from her own handbook of rules. No matter how much her parents insisted that she do as they commanded Caroline kept refusing to play the way that little girls were supposed to. With their dresses in place and smiles on their faces. Caroline much preferred to hike her skirt and dive into the mud, throwing it at the village boys that dared to pull her hair. She could never fathom why that would make her parents upset -she was defending herself, she was making sure that those boys knew who she was; a girl that was not to be tested.

When Caroline was twelve years old she was playing near the garden in the middle of the village the dirt under her nails and stains on her dress separated her from the other girls. It was then that she spotted a bird hidden under the shade of tall grass crying out in pain. Caroline cradled the bird in her hands carefully realizing that the small animal had broken it's wing. She remembered her mother had supplies in the their home, not many but enough. So Caroline ran home as fast yet as cautiously as she could with tears forming in her eyes. She may cover herself in dirt and grim but she cared -deeply and viciously so. However upon entering her house she realized her mother was nowhere to be found probably out fetching herbs for their dinner. Caroline's Father was the town blacksmith but he didn't get much business -so he was the saviour she found waiting at the dinner table. Though he turned out to be nothing more than a masquerading villain. Once the injured bird was produced from underneath her protective hands Bill Forbes was outraged that she brought it into their place of living and promptly snapped it's neck.

She was stared at that bird for what felt like years, it's small eyes watching her closely with nothing behind them. Caroline cried for the animal -worried that it's family would miss him, would they even give him a second thought? Inside of her head she placed herself in the creatures position, what if she had broken her arm? Would her father simply kill her and never bat an eye? Could people be so cruel as to harm their own children in such gruesome ways?

Later that year her mother Elizabeth announced that Caroline would be having a little sister and at first she was angry that her parents dare try to replace her with another child. It had always just been her why should that change? But when Caroline turned thirteen and her sister Camille was born it was as if a spark went off. She held the hand of the baby, small, rugose fingers wrapped around her pinky so tight it was as if she would die if Caroline pulled away. That was the moment that Caroline knew nothing shall hurt Camille as her father had hurt that bird -killed that bird.

As Camille grew so did Caroline. She was no longer the girl that made a mess of herself and cut her knees -she was a woman. She knew that in order to protect Camille she had to provide for her, she learned how to charm the men of the village into giving her grain, she learned to pick the pocket of a passing noble that came to visit the castle. Caroline was sneaky -she knew that keeping herself in the shadows and only appearing whenever she needed to provide was the best way to make sure her family kept fed, or at least her sister. In that way, Caroline became almost nonexistent to most the towns people.

To Caroline it didn't matter if nobody knew her name, as long as Camille did. On sunny days Caroline would often take her sister into the village and pick out something from a shop with the extra money she had stolen that week. It wasn't much but it made the younger girl so happy that Caroline could forget about how she heard her fortune.

On one particular day Camille stopped in the middle of the pathway, the rock she had been kicking skittering to a stop near Caroline's feet, upon noticing she turned around and noticed Camille's small eyes peered up through the trees to appraise the castle on the other side. It was astounding to Caroline that her sister could be such a different person than she had been as a child. Camille enjoyed wearing dresses, picking flowers to put in her hair, she helped their mother bake and playing dolls with the other girls her age. It made Caroline feel guilty about the handful she had been.

"Camille what is it?" She enquired, bending down to meet her sisters height. Camille's blond curls hung loosely off of her face, just as Caroline's always did. Their mother would always stop when they sat near each other in the yard, watching clouds that made stories, and comment that there was no denying their sisterhood.

The child turned her head, pointing up with her still petite fingers and asked, "What's that?" Caroline explained it was the castle. "Can we live there?" She sounded so innocent and pure, only five years old and so fragile.

Laughing the older girl shook her head, "Sadly we can not. That castle belongs to the royal family. King Mikael, Queen Esther and all of their children." Caroline stood up to her full height, extending her hand out to her sister, "Come now Camille let's go to the village."

They walked away quickly, Camille kicking any rock that she could find and laughing whenever it would fly away from them. Caroline smiled down in fondness but couldn't help wonder about the royal family she'd never actually seen. Ever since she was a small girl there had been rumours that they didn't even exist because nobody had ever seen them. Her father reassured her that there had once been a time when the King and Queen walked among them and made sure everybody was comfortable but then suddenly one day they locked themselves away. She didn't know if she could trust her fathers tales because what could she truly know if she did not see it for herself?

-o-

As spring turned to summer and the nights became shorter Caroline soon found herself and her family hungry more often than not. The men of the town grew wise to her trickery and barred her from their homes with vulgar remarks, even the nobles that she stole from became far and few in between and from the money she did get it lasted for only a few days.

The worst part about the situation was the way Camille would wallow around holding her stomach, crying at night when she couldn't get enough to eat. Caroline began saving her roll from supper and sneaking it to her sister after it was time for them to sleep. Bill had a strict policy against eating when he did not allow it -they had to ration and one person getting more than another was unfair. Caroline did not care about her own hollow stomach it was Camille that mattered.

The worst came when Caroline was aiding her mother in bathing Camille and noticed that her bones were far more prominent then they ever had been. Her collarbone stuck out so far Caroline was sure that she could place something upon them and they would stay there. She gasped in shock but quickly realized that Camille did not need to know about Caroline's distress, so she quickly contained her emotions and continued to help her mother. That night when she returned to her room – if she could even call it that it was so tiny- she climb onto her cot and cried herself to sleep. She had no more rolls to give to her sister.

Caroline traveled to the market that day by herself, hoping to catch the eye of a man that would take pity on her and her family. She wasn't doing this to feed herself -she needed to protect Camille the way she couldn't protect that bird and surely the men would understand they would help. She spotted Mr. Sanders from across the way and began to make her path towards him but she was halted by the familiar sound of an old woman's voice. Shelia Bennett was the towns physician and was rumoured to practice magic, but Caroline knew that such things were not real. She admired Shelia for her understanding nature and caring soul.

"I would advise you not to bother Thomas, Miss Forbes." One of her eyebrows rose higher than the others which was generally an indication that she was disproving of Caroline actions. "He knows of your deceit and would not take kindly to you trying it once again."

She sighed heavily in disappointment and misery. "All I want is to provide for my sister Miss Shelia, she starves away to nothing!" Caroline felt herself becoming panicked to the point of tears, what would happen if she could not secure enough food for them in during the winter?

Shelia shook her head sorrowfully, "Most of us have been suffering from the same fate. Our local royalty has stolen our villages food and wheat. Stuffing their faces while we rot away to nothing but brittle bones." Her voice was laced with disgust that Caroline could understand all too well. "I have not much but I can offer you at least this my child." From her pocket Shelia produced a slice of bread folded in a cloth.

Caroline didn't want to except the gift, but her mind started to bring forward the sight of Camille's body stretched thin against her bones. It was strong enough to force her to wrap Miss Shelia's gift in her own cloth and put it away. "Thank you, this means so much to me." Shelia smiled before ushering her on back home to feed her sister.

Even as Caroline entered her house she knew that one slice of bread could not satisfy her sisters needs, she was a growing child who wasn't growing at all. However, it was what Caroline could provide, plus the money her father could bring home it would have to do for the moment.

Camille was so excited when Caroline showed her the slice she began to clap, her smile brighter than that of a thousand suns. "Is it all for me?" She asked. Caroline nodded, passing the bread towards her sister, watching her take a bite and sigh in happiness.

-o-

There was a growing anger inside of the blond as she began to fall asleep. How dare the royal family keep all of the food for themselves while the rest of them starve? Camille was five years old and she was so small Caroline was positive she'd stay that way forever. Even she herself was becoming too slim to be called healthy- only eighteen but the size of nearly nothing. In frustration she pounded her fist into the wall. The pain struck her first, an unbearable blaze against her knuckles that caused blood to trickle from the wound. She groaned in pain, knowing that she wouldn't have a good enough excuse to tell her father for the injury. Caroline ripped off a piece of her dress to wrap around her hand so that she could stop the bleeding.

Once she had bandaged herself the reason for her rage came back to the surface and she knew that something had to be done, because if not then they would all certainly die. Whether or not the royal family were real and or mere figments of her dads imagination it didn't matter – Caroline was going to find out.

She moved quietly towards the front of their house, noticing the door that kept Camille safe in her room was cracked open. Caroline peaked inside, watching her sisters tiny chest rise and fall, her golden curls spread out against the dirty pillow she slept upon. "Don't worry Camille, I'll protect you." She whispered before exiting the house and rushing into the night.

Caroline followed the path that usually led her to the market but instead of continuing straight she took a left near the end of the lane. Once when she was younger she had followed the village boys down this path until they reached a stone wall the size of a house. She had seen the castle in the distance then and as she approached it in the present it was obvious that the wall had been built to keep everybody out. Or keep somebody in.

It seemed much smaller now that she was grown but still difficult to climb. Caroline pulled up the sleeves of her dress, the chill night air wrapping itself around her skin. Shivering Caroline dug her fingers into a protruding stone on the wall, then placed her foot near the bottom. It became a routine of that sort, her grasping onto whatever she could and then her foot following suit. With each heavy breath Caroline pulled herself further up the wall and within a few minutes she managed to make it over the wall and onto the other side.

She took a few minutes to rest, panting aggressively as she tried to catch her breath. Caroline dug her fingers into the cold ground just to remind herself that she was there, she had made it over the wall despite the fact that it hurt her freshly wounded hand like hell. She mentally began to thank her seven year old self for disobeying social norms and learning that girls could too climb trees in the forest.

After what felt like centuries she moved from her crouching position and stood, her knees cracking as she did so. Ignoring the feeling of the blood rushing back into her legs Caroline moved towards the castle at an alarmingly fast rate. She kept herself quiet as she got closer to her destination, careful to watch for lurking guards. A noise startled her and she plummeted herself towards the grass, laying flat on her stomach. There was a crack of light coming from a door near the back of the building, and from it emerged a woman wearing an apron with flower speckled across her face. Caroline immediately knew that she worked in the kitchens, her mother often wore a similar mess of flower on her when they used to be able to afford such royalties.

The woman placed the box she had been carrying beside the door, brushed her hands on her apron and then returned into the castle through the same way. Caroline knew that she was going to have to be sneakier than she ever had been, keeping close to the ground or the walls. Her job was more important and dangerous than she had ever faced. This time she wasn't stealing from a nobleman or a foolish idiot that deserved it – she was robbing a family of royals who had the power to destroy her in a simple snap of their fingers.

She waited for awhile on the grass just to make sure that nobody was around, then carefully she peeled herself off the muddy ground. Caroline knew her mother would have an outrage at the sight of her dress but it was worth it if she was going to feed Camille. Making sure she was barely visible she crept towards where she'd seen the woman, once she arrived Caroline leaned her ear against the old wooden door but not a peep could be heard from the other side of the door. Taking in a deep breath Caroline knew that it was now or never, with a spurt of might she pulled it open.

Surprisingly it led to a hallway that seemed to go on forever, illuminated by torches hung on the walls but not a single soul was inside. It was then however that Caroline was suddenly aware that she was not alone in the night -not at all. "Just where do you think you're going Miss?"

She spun around quickly to face a guard who looked old enough to be her father. He was glaring at her the way that hunters stare at their prey. The door she had been holding open slammed shut, causing her to become startled. Caroline swallowed back her fear hoping that if she looked confident the man may leave her with only a warning not to do it again. "Nothing Sir I was just leaving." She attempted to pass him but he caught her by the arm, pulling her back so forcefully that she was slammed against the brick wall. Her head began to pound at the sudden impact, blood pounding in her eardrums like sirens of worse pain to come.

"You will be punished for your crimes, I will bring you before the Prince." It wasn't a threat it was a promise. Caroline began to feel herself becoming dizzy as she watched the guard in front of her start to blur out of focus. With her free arm she managed to check the back of her head, feeling a hot liquid pool over her skin. "Now pull yourself together girl I haven't got all night."

Caroline didn't get the chance to do as the guard instructed, for she was too buy falling to the ground. It was all blackness from there.

-o-

When she awoke it felt as if her whole body was layered in cement, hardened onto the ground to never more again. Caroline groaned in protest of her sudden awakened state wishing that she could have just slept for awhile longer. Her head was pounding, her body was sore and she if she remembered anything correctly she'd been capture by a castle guard before she could finish her mission.

"You're awaken then are you?" She heard a voice ask from her left, slowly she turned her head its direction feeling her neck crack at the movement. Why must everything be so painful? She cursed God for the treachery He had bestowed upon her as she attempted to lift her body off of the ground.

Within the shadows Caroline could make out a few key points of her location, there was no soft ground to lay on, only the notable coldness of stone. It chilled her entire body, right down to the bones hidden under her skin. But that was not what caused her heart to palpitate in fear – it was the cage in which she knew she could not escape, the metal bars that lined up evenly from one wall to the other. Caroline had to be stuck in a dungeon or something of the sort, a prisoner for all of eternity. How could she care for Camille if she had to spend the rest of her life locked away with the dust in the bottom of a castle?

"Oi! Are you deaf or not then?" The voice was filled with mockery, Caroline watched an unfamiliar guard waltz out of the shadows, his hand placed strategically on top of his sword. Even in the dimness of her prison Caroline could see the shine of his weapon and wondered if it would still glow the same if he pushed it through her heart. "Do you hear me girl?"

She wanted to bite her tongue and remain silent, the thought of the man getting satisfaction nearly nauseating to her but she knew that it was either talk or die. "Yes." That brought a wicked smile to his face. Caroline placed her eyes away from his, not able to handle the smug expression he held.

With almost a burst of joy he told her, "I'm going to inform the Prince of your awakening, and when he comes down here, you best get to more talking." She didn't spare him a glance as she heard the loud sound of footsteps moving away from her.

How had this happened? How had her bravery on behalf of her family cost her an eternity down in the depths of whatever hell she'd been thrown into? Caroline didn't want to cry, she wanted to be strong but the scent of death and rotting snaked it's way down her throat and she felt water reach her eyes. Hold it in Caroline, you're a Forbes and you are not weak. She repeated that mantra in her head hoping that a sudden burst of adrenaline would somehow come to her and she could escape before the Prince ever showed his ugly mug. This was unfortunately not the case seeing as Caroline felt weaker than ever. She realized that she could have been down there for days before she woke up, all that time with no food and water would surely kill her! Oh, and poor little Camille she would be worried sick about her sisters whereabouts. There was one thing Caroline knew for sure, she had to make sure Camille was alright.

She began to feel around with her hands but all that she found was straw and cold ground, not a single instrument could be found that would allow her to help herself. "What am I going to do?" She sighed in self pity, holding her stomach as it began to ache. She knew the feeling of hunger, when your stomach starts to eat itself in desperation, trying to find nutrients for the body. God it was horrible. "Help me somebody, please." Her pleas were spoken to an empty room, it bounced off the walls and vibrated back into her ears with forceful vengeance. Caroline could see her end coming soon, death was reaching it's long and boney fingers around her neck -ready to snap it half at any second.

Finally she heard the noise of the door being pulled open. She braced herself for the worst and decided that if they were going keep her prisoner than she was going to look respectful. Using what little strength she had Caroline managed to pull herself up into a sitting position so that she could flatten out her skirt and stare the Prince in the eye. Classy till the end.

She couldn't see his face at first, he walked slowly and menacingly so that the only part of him that was visible was his boots. It did not matter to her, she glared into the darkness hoping he understood that Caroline Forbes would not go down easily -she didn't kneel before absent royalty. The guard she had dealt with before was standing at the Prince's side, his face was illuminated by the light and she could see the sneer of his lips. Caroline ignored it, focusing all of her attention on not falling over from exhaustion.

She knew her next few words were dangerous but Caroline couldn't help it. "Are you going to say something or are you just going to stand there?" She questioned, hoping that the more she provoked him the angrier he would get and the sooner the whole ordeal would be over.

He chuckled, well she was happy that he found her so amusing. "I'm wondering what you were thinking when you tried to steal from my family." Caroline could hear the rage growing in his tone, but she knew that sound. He was protecting the people he loved.

Ironically enough Caroline had been doing the same thing, "My sister is starving, I was trying to make sure she stayed alive." His feet alternated in the light, she wondered if he was going to step forward and reveal himself anytime soon -or was he just a coward? "I hear you have siblings, would you do anything to protect them?"

There was a sudden movement from the man and he charged forward at the bars, his anger seeming to have gotten the best of him. The Prince's fist curled around an iron rod that held her in place, but the violence in those movements was nearly identical to the emotion in his eyes. Now that he had moved forward Caroline could clearly see him. The man's hair was down to his shoulders, dirty blond curls that he decided not to pin back but let flow freely. She admired the way his lips glistened almost red in the moonlight, looking hungry and vicious he pressed them together so that he could try and control himself. It was the foolish girl inside of her that made her want to run her hands along his delicate cheekbones, to kiss the tip of his button nose and watch him laugh. Yes, that was just the child because the real Caroline saw his face and wanted to spit in it, vile feelings of murder sprung to mind when she looked her capture in the eyes.

"How dare you speak to me of my family girl!" His eyes crinkled at the sides as he yelled, Caroline noticed. She supposed that being afraid was an appropriate option but at that point she had nothing to lose and there was a cell door separating them. So what if he killed her? If he sliced her head off clean? She would be dead and life would go on. Camille was going to parish if she was stuck down here anyways, so if he were to kill her what would be the difference?

Attempting to rial him up more Caroline countered, "We all have family, yours is no more important than mine!" She was sure he would act dramatically then and give into her dying wish but he surprised her. The Prince glared at her with detest at first, however it slowly began to turn into curiosity and that was the only thing she felt any fear over since he walked into the room. What was there about a village girl to ponder over? Maybe if she was truly worth killing or not. Despite her worries about his change in attitude Caroline continued to keep her eyes locked to his, knowing that it made no difference to him but it helped her in dealing with her inevitable doom.

"What is your name?" He asked, his voice calm. She felt as though she had whiplash from his change in mood. No wonder their village was starving seeing as the Prince couldn't even keep himself emotionally stable.

Nevertheless she decided to answer him, "Caroline." Saying her name out loud felt as though she had stripped herself naked and was bare to the entire world. But she was merely in a prison with the Prince watching her every breath, every move.

He hesitated for a moment before announcing, "I am Prince Niklaus." She had never heard his name spoken before, not in any of the stories that her father had told her. Then again she had never heard about any of the royal children. "Tell me Caroline, would you do anything for your family?" He was recycling the line she had used before. Upon realizing this a weight felt as though it had been placed on her chest. What would be the consequences of answering him? Would she be run through with a stake because she cared about her sister? Caroline wasn't sure so she remained quiet at first to consider. "I asked you a question." He growled.

Taking in a deep breath she could feel pain shooting throughout her body, even breathing was becoming a dreadful event. "Yes, I would do anything." She hated how weak her voice sounded, hated that every passing second she felt the blackness swimming through her brain like a coming storm. How long had she been unconscious?

Prince Niklaus knelt down then so that his face was at her level, it made her feel like a small child being reprimanded by their elders. It brought her back to many years ago when her father chastised her for running around with the boys of the village, Caroline stop that nonsense you are a woman and you shall not behave in such an unruly manor. She knew that those were not his exact words but it was something along those lines.

"Then I shall offer you a way to keep your life." He smiled at her with the face of a devil and Caroline wanted to smack it off of him. She would have used the last bit of energy she had to make sure that the Prince never set that expression upon any other person. However, she heard his words and curiosity got the best of her so instead of letting her anger consume her she listened. "See my siblings and I have an issue. Our dear sister Princess Rebekah has run away, abandoning us to face the wrath of the King and Queen because of her absence. Though that problem could vanish quite easily if you were to help us."

She raised an eyebrow with disbelief of his tale. The Princess had run away? Surely that was not true, and even if it wasn't a lie than how could somebody as simple as Caroline be of any use to them? "I do not understand."

Niklaus took in a large breath, "The King and Queen are planning a visit home, they expect that their daughter will be among the inhabitants of the castle and when they find that she is not they will have all of our heads." Caroline noted that the Prince seemed to hold a large amount of angst within his face. Despite his pause he continued, "I'm proposing that instead of facing death you join our family long enough to convince my mother and the King that their precious daughter remains safely at home."

At fist she wondered what the hell the Prince was trying to tell her, surely he wasn't saying that Caroline should deceive the King and Queen by pretending to be the Princess? Though the more she ran it through her head she realized that was precisely what Niklaus had been speaking about. "You wish me to become Princess Rebekah? They will surely know I am not their daughter and kill me on sight. I do not resemble the Princess surely! And what of my family? Of my sister?" She was enraged that he could be so selfish, though she should have seen it coming since he was a royal after all.

He shook his head, "They have not seen my sister since she was just a babe, as long as you play your role there will be no bloodshed." Caroline only stared at him, he was spouting nonsense. "As for your family, well you should have thought about that before you tried to steal from the castle."

She nearly growled like an animal, using the strength she had Caroline propelled herself towards the bars so that their faces were merely inches away. "Go to hell." She spat at him with all the courage she contained.

The Prince was obviously inflamed, he stood up from his position and yelled, "Than you shall rot here until you learn the value of cooperation and the generosity I am offering to you foolish peasant! Perhaps your sister will die will die along with you, maybe I will run her through with a sword myself!"

Caroline couldn't keep herself up anymore, she landed on her side feeling as if the world had collapsed upon her, "No!" She cried out in such a broken voice it felt as though her throat had shattered. However the Prince seemed to enjoy the sound of desperation, each tortured cry she made was like music to his ears. "Please don't hurt her!"

"I will be back in two days and then you shall learn then the fate of your sister. Think of what I have offered you." The Prince held no shame in his threats, he cared not for the lives of the villagers, for Camille. How could somebody be so vile? Caroline didn't know true evil existed until she met that man, and she vowed that somehow she would get her revenge on him. If he dared to touch one hair on her sisters head Prince Niklaus was a dead man walking.

So that was the first chapter of my new story, that will probably be worked on more after I finish Game On, hopefully ya'll will enjoy it. I know that start is a little slow but trust me I plan to make it more exciting and more klaroline!

I know a lot of people hate the character Camille (myself included) but I wanted to give Caroline a little sister and since JP basically made Camille a Caroline knock off I thought, who would be a better option?!

Review if you like it and think I should continue!