As they left in the carriage, Emily sat in silence, her heart heavy with the secrets she had carried for so long. The night air was thick with the unspoken weight between them, but Niklaus, sensing her turmoil, leaned forward and whispered something to the driver. Moments later, with a swift snap of his fingers, the world around them blurred. In an instant, they were no longer in the carriage but standing in his private chambers, surrounded by the familiar warmth of the room.
Emily stood still, her breath shallow as she gathered the courage to finally reveal what had been gnawing at her soul for months. She could feel Niklaus's gaze burning into her, his concern, his love—both palpable, both suffocating.
"Emily," he said softly, though there was a command in his voice. "Tell me everything. Now."
Her lips parted, but the words she had been dreading to speak for so long caught in her throat. She closed her eyes, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill. But it was time. She couldn't keep him in the dark any longer.
"My mother's bloodline," she started, her voice trembling, "they were cursed. I inherited that curse. The powers that flow through me, they're not a gift—they're a curse. A curse that will kill me."
Niklaus's face remained stoic, but she could see the storm brewing behind his eyes. She pressed on, her voice breaking, "There's a prophecy tied to my family… If a woman of the Crescent bloodline gives birth to twins of both genders, the girl child shall inherit the power of water. Though she will be powerful beyond measure, her life shall be short, destined to perish at the age of 24. That's why I'm dying, Niklaus. I was born under that curse."
She watched his jaw tighten, the muscles in his neck straining. His silence was louder than any scream, but he said nothing, letting her finish. His hands clenched at his sides as if holding himself back from reaching out to her, from destroying something in his helplessness.
"I didn't want you to know. I didn't want this burden to be yours too," she whispered, her tears finally breaking free. "I thought... maybe if I kept it from you, you'd be free of this pain. Of me."
The room was still. Silent, save for the sound of her heart beating erratically in her chest. She waited, expecting him to break—expecting the weight of her confession to crush him, to drive him away.
But he stood there, unmoving. His eyes, dark and intense, were locked on hers. The tension in the air was suffocating, a thin line between desperation and fury. When the silence became too much, she broke it, her voice barely a whisper.
"Niklaus," she said, her voice fragile, "after I die, I want you to find someone else. Someone to love, someone who can give you the happiness I couldn't. Please don't—"
Before she could finish, Niklaus moved. In one swift motion, he closed the distance between them, gripping her arms with a fierceness that made her gasp. His eyes blazed with a fire she had never seen before, a mixture of fury, pain, and something even deeper—an undying, unrelenting love.
"Stop," he growled, cutting her off. His voice was rough, filled with an intensity that made her heart race. "Stop talking like that."
Emily's tears fell harder, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from him. The depth of emotion in his gaze was overwhelming, and she realized in that moment just how much he loved her—how much he would give to protect her, to save her.
Niklaus's grip tightened, but it wasn't painful—it was desperate. His voice was low, dangerous, filled with a conviction that sent shivers down her spine. "Listen to me, princess," he began, his words a raw, fierce vow. "I know where I'm going when I die. Hell is waiting for me, and I've made peace with that. But if it's heaven where you end up, I will tear heaven apart to find you. I will fight angels, gods, and the stars themselves if I have to, to bring you back."
Emily stared at him, her breath stolen by the sheer power of his words. His eyes burned into hers, making it clear that this wasn't a romantic declaration—it was a promise, one that he would see through to the end, no matter the cost.
"You are the only woman I will ever love," Niklaus continued, his voice shaking with intensity. "The only woman I will ever be with. Do you understand?" He shook her gently, as if urging her to truly hear him. "You don't belong to Aquarion. You don't belong to the curse. You don't belong in hell or heaven. You belong to me."
The force of his words crashed over her like a tidal wave. She opened her mouth to protest, but he wasn't finished.
"I will find a way," Niklaus said, his tone hardening with unshakable resolve. "I don't care how impossible it seems. I will search every kingdom, every world, every realm, until I find the answer. We still have 25 days, and I will use every single one of them to save you."
His voice grew darker, almost a growl, filled with the kind of promise only a king could make. "And if I fail—which I won't—but if I do… there will be war. Not between kingdoms, but with the gods, the heavens, and hell itself. I will tear open the gates of every world, bring death to every throne, and bring you back. I will never stop fighting for you, Emily. Never."
Emily was trembling now, her body shaking with the intensity of his words. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't feel anything but the raw power of his love for her. It was suffocating, overwhelming, and utterly beautiful.
With trembling hands, she reached up, cupping his face, her voice shaking. "Klaus... I don't want you to destroy the world for me."
Niklaus leaned down, his forehead resting against hers, his eyes closing as he whispered, "The world means nothing without you in it."
Emily's breath hitched, her heart aching with the weight of her love for him. She wanted to protest, to tell him that he didn't have to fight for her, but deep down, she knew he would. He would fight the universe itself if it meant keeping her by his side.
At that moment, she realized there was no running from this. From him. Niklaus wasn't just her husband—he was her salvation, her warrior, her king. And no curse, no fate, no power could keep him from her.
They stood there, wrapped in each other's arms, the world around them disappearing as they clung to each other, knowing that no matter what the future held, they would face it together.
Because Niklaus wasn't just willing to fight for her—he was willing to burn the heavens and hell itself to keep her.
That night, Emily stirred from her sleep, shivering as the cold air replaced the familiar warmth she had grown accustomed to. The warmth of Niklaus, always so steady beside her, was now absent, and the emptiness tugged at her heart. She blinked against the darkness, her hand reaching out to find his side of the bed cold, untouched.