It was that time just before dawn. The time that Volterra Castle became just another castle. During the night it was a hub of vampire activity as guards came and went, violators were brought in for trail, then punishment or execution and the kings saw to what they felt was their duty to the species of vampires that they had appointed themselves the monarchy of. During the day Volterra castle became a tourist trap, funneling in funds from clueless patrons with cameras, sun visors and fanny packs, though on occasion the last tour of the day was a literal trap as the tourists that entered never came out. No one questioned, as had been the pattern for years. But even as the day and night were set with their actions, dawn and dusk showed the castle as it was meant to be; a home. The castle had been the home for the Volturi for over a millennia and would remain so for the foreseeable future. Marcus sat in what Aro liked to call 'Marcus' study'. The large room contained the many books, artifacts, paintings and other items that Marcus had managed to collect over his long life, though the number of items joining the collection has dwindled largely over the last millennium as had Marcus' will to live. Aro and Caius were away in their own chambers while Marcus sat alone in his study staring at a painting that he had commissioned at least 2000 years ago. The painting contained the figured of a slim, dark haired woman dressed in the finest linen of the day. Her hair was pinned up in an elegant style with golden embellishments for decoration. She stood in the castle's garden surrounded by a variety of beautiful floral that she had planted herself and stood in front of a fig tree that Marcus had paid to have brought over to Italy from their homeland. She was beautiful and Marcus could almost feel the joy he had felt when he had watched the old master bring the image in front of him to life and could almost hear the joy she had expressed when the painter had complimented how perfectly she had fit the role of Eve from the Bible.

She had been his wife and how did Marcus miss her so. She had been his everything and in many ways his total opposite. She was the light to his dark, the soft to his hard, the kind to his cruel, and the bringer of life to his destruction of it. He had once been so happy when she had stood beside him, but then she was taken and he felt empty. He felt that her death had brought his own, but that his body still remained, a husk of the man that had once inhabited it and felt the body of it had lost.

As Marcus saw it, he had died twice. Once when he lost his human life to become an immortal beast and the second when he lost her. Now Marcus spent every day praying for the day that the gods would grant him his final death and he would be able to leave this world and rejoin with her in the world after.

Though he had been around for millennia, Marcus still didn't know everything about life on Earth, at least not in the way that Death did. Death looked on as humans and beasts a like went about their lives thinking that God or their gods watched over them and cared about their daily lives. If only they knew that it wasn't the gods or God that watched over them, but Death himself. Death watched over man and beast alike and waited till the right moment to bring an end to their lives so that the next life could be brought into the game.

Death had been watching Marcus for a very long time. Death knew everything about him, from his childhood in Greece to his human wives, to his change into a vampire, the meeting of his final wife, the love of his existence and then his loss. Death had been watching for a very long time trying to decide how Marcus' story would end. There had been several occasions when Death had almost saw fit to bring Marcus' life to an end, but none of them had seemed right. Death had an instinct that Marcus still had a purpose he had yet to fulfill and he would let the story play out a little longer till the next time when he would hesitate again.

Today was different though. Today when Death thought about granting Marcus what he desired, the feeling was gone. Their was nothing holding Death back this time. Death tilted his head in thought. He had no idea what could have done away with the feeling, but he wasn't going to think about it too hard. Marcus had lived a long life, much longer than he should have and the next life had been sitting in queue for too long, it was their time.

It was quiet when Death walked into the castle. The guard and the other two kings remained oblivious of the guest within their walls as Death walked down the far corridor and allowed himself entrance to Marcus' study. The day was peaceful and Death thought it fitting that Marcus should go on such a peaceful day and he had been searching out his own peace for years.

Marcus remained staring at the portrait of his wife, unaware of the presence in the room with him. Death allowed him a few minutes with his thoughts before making his presence known.

"It's your time, Marcus." Death said slowly, with what seemed to be great effort as he stood across the room from the vampire king. Marcus' shoulders relaxed and he slowly turned to face Death.

"Hello, old friend." Marcus welcomed with his first smile in a century. Death strode closer, his cane clanking with each step.

"I've been waiting for you a very long time." Marcus said, his voice just as strained as Death's when he spoke. Death too gave a small smile as he stopped in front of Marcus.

"I, too, have been waiting a very long time. But everyone has a purpose to serve even if that purpose is small." Death said and Marcus nodded.

"I understand." Death raised his chin a little before raising his hand toward Marcus.

"You will feel no pain, my friend. I will grant you that small mercy."

"Thank you." Marcus said as he stood tall, awaiting the reunion with his beloved. He could remember back when he was human. Marcus had been a Greek soldier and on more than one occasion he had been at the cusp of death and he would see a man with his failing eyes. A man the same as the one who stood before him now. Each time he would 'not yet, it's not your time yet' and Marcus would drift into a deep sleep only to awake hours or days later, very much alive. The last time Marcus had seen Death had been the day he was changed. An especially bloody war had attracted the attention of scavenging vampires. Marcus had been deemed a waste of resources and had been left to suffer his last few hours on the battle field till he would succumb and be buried along side his fellow soldier in a mass grave.

Death had appeared before him and had bent over him once again telling him it wasn't his time yet. Death's face had then been obscured by the face with eyes the color of rubies and as quickly as the face appeared, it disappeared and the pain began. The last human memory Marcus had was of seeing Death peering down on him with an inquisitive expression.

Now Death stood in front of him once again and Marcus knew this would be for the final time. He closed his eyes as Death moved his hand closer, giving Marcus those mere seconds to prepare before Death laid his hand upon Marcus' shoulder. Marcus didn't feel a thing as his body petrified and turned to dust in front Death, collapsing into a pile that would blow away with the wind.

Death looked down at the pile of ash at his feet with a feeling of bitter sweetness. Death calmly walked away from the room and back out into the hallway. Death stood by and watched the happenings around the castle for the hours that ticked by before Aro sent one of the guards to retrieve Marcus from his study. The guard was horrified to find the pile of ash that smelled strongly of their king. In a panic the guard ran back to Aro and reported what he seen. In a matter of seconds both Aro and Caius barged into the room and too were confront with the pile of ash.

Aro and Caius were terrified to see that such a fate had befallen their brother and after sending out a guard to obtain an urn, went to Aro's study to ponder and plot. Neither remaining king wanted such a fate for themselves and hoped to track down the culprit of such a swift execution that no one in the castle had heard or seen anything before finding what remained of Marcus.

It was once Marcus had been swept up and placed in the throne room as his final resting place that Death made himself known to the two remaining kings. Just as easily as one would walk down the street Death walked through the door into the throne room disturbing the kings and the guard that stood around watching.

"Who are you?" Caius spat viciously as Death meandered into the room.

"I am an old friend. I only wished to inform you that Marcus is exactly where he belongs." Death said calmly as he folder his hands atop the head of his cane as he stared lifelessly at the kings.

"I beg to differ." Aro said as he stepped down from his throne.4

"If that were true then Marcus would sitting on his throne as he has done for millenniums." Aro continued.

"Marcus is once again in the presence of his beloved. A position in which he has desire of centuries. Let this be a warning Aro, Caius, even kings die, even immortal kings." The room was left silent and terrified as the mysterious and gaunt man suddenly disappeared before their eyes. Everyone remained staring at the spot where he had once stood, incapable of processing what they had just seen. Aro was the first to come back to his senses.

"Find out everything you can about that man and find him, I want him back in this room! No one rests until he's hear and I know the meaning behind such a threat!" Aro's ever present smile was nowhere in sight as his eyes burned with the transgression he perceived before him.. Caius fumed from his seat, the fire in his eyes promised death to the man that had been before him. Little did they know that they would have that man within their grasps again and they would spend thousands of years looking before Caius and Aro each saw him again, but only in their final moments before they took their last breaths and joined many others in the form of ashes to ashes and dust to dust.