Y/n has known Rafe since childhood but was never part of his inner circle. As Ward’s obsession with the gold escalates, Rafe starts using Y/n as a source of information because she moves comfortably between Kooks and Pogues. But eventually, Rafe realizes she’s becoming someone he genuinely cares about—and that makes his increasingly violent behavior much harder for her to ignore.
Y/n becomes the first person in a thousand years who truly understands him. Y/n sees the man beneath the monster, and is powerful enough to stand beside him. Klaus’s feelings eventually become fiercely devoted and possessive, though Y/n refuses to be owned. Declaring her his queen is his way of publicly acknowledging her importance and making it clear to New Orleans that she stands beside him, not beneath him. He doesn’t need to kneel before anyone, yet choosing to kneel before Y/n becomes an intimate declaration that he considers her his equal. He loves that she can challenge him, withstand his darkness, and still choose him. For the first time in centuries, Klaus doesn’t merely want someone beside him—he wants someone beside him for eternity, and he intends to make certain she never feels alone again.