napalm skies <<>> kol mikaelson

04

"blue skies are coming."

04 | MIKAELSON

Febuary, 1865

She woke up to jazz music once more.

The beautiful symphonies of the trumpets and horns and everything in between flooded her sesnes, and a small smile graced her lips even before she opened her eyes. The music danced between the houses of the town, leaking through the walls and into her bedroom—despite the windows all being closed. With the curtains drawn tightly in her small room, it felt like the night was still upon her, but she knew better, opening her eyes with that small smile still on her face. She shifted out of the bedsheets, standing up and approaching the window curiously, grabbing onto the drapes.

She thrusted the curtains open, the sunlight streaming in the room and dancing across her skin as she sighed contently. No matter how many times she did it, she couldn't help but relish in the sunlight she could now enjoy. The time that she had spent hiding in the shadows was long over, and she loved every second of the warmth falling gracefully into the room. She remembered the first time she'd felt the sun on her body again, and with heightened emotions, it was easy to get lost in her own euphoria.

She tilted her head as she peered out the windowpane, seeing a parade of some sort waltzing down the city streets just like usual. She couldn't find a time in New Orleans where it wasn't filled with music and liveliness. Every day there seemed to be another party, another festivity that needed to be celebrated. Charlotte's dark hair fell down her back in waves as she shifted slightly, letting the curtain fall back before calling out for someone.

"Lola!" She chimed, and almost immediately, the bedroom door opened and in rushed a young girl—practically a teenager—dressed in a handmaiden's clothing. Charlotte smiled gently at the young girl, not wanting to scare the servant when she looked so flustered.

"Apologies Miss Charlotte," Lola curtsied to the floor, and Charlotte was slightly surprised, having forgotten what it felt like to be respected and have servants like she did as a child. Lola's brown eyes flickered up to meet her own briefly before returning to the ground, her legs slowly straightening back to normal. "I was running an errand for my mother and was unable to bring your usual glass of tea for the morning—"

"It's quite alright," Charlotte interrupted the girl with a soft and kind voice. Lola and her mother, Jamie, were both being compelled to serve Charlotte, but Charlotte found no reason in hurting either of the women. She simply needed someone to lace her up in her corsets, and would rather not harm either of them. She had grown to like them quite a bit already, so it would be too great of a waste to kill the pair.

Lola looked up at her hopefully, and Charlotte couldn't help but see herself in the girl. She could practically feel the timidness that lived inside of the girl's heart, and she remembered experiencing that feeling many times with her own father. Despite speaking back multiple times, Charlotte had always held that timidness in her heart, at least before it stopped beating.

Now, she was much more cruel, but not to children. That was where she had drawn a line long ago.

"Are you sure?" Lola asked, and Charlotte laughed a beautiful, tinkling sound.

"Yes I'm sure, now help me into my dress," Charlotte told her playfully, and Lola let herself smile widely for a second before following Charlotte to her closet—which was filled to the brim with clothes. Lola looked at it all with barely concealed awe, hoping one day that she would have dresses as nice as these.

"Which one, Miss?" Lola asked in confusion, circling around herself once before gasping as she caught sight of the dress hanging comfortably on Charlotte's finger. The dress was a beautiful satin blue, with different shades amongst the many fabrics of the skirt, but the top caught the most attention—blue lace climbing up to her neck and around her arms. She would look sophisticated and proper and beautiful in it, and Lola wanted to gasp again at how gorgeous the material was.