Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or its characters, this is merely a work of fanfiction.
A/N : I did not send this Epilogue to my beta-reader due to its short length, so any mistakes are mine.
A/N #2: We are at the end of the story. I intend this to be the last chapter, but may do another Epilogue if I feel inspired. If you are interested in a sequel, please let me know! I will be focusing on some other ideas for a while but will come back to this eventually.
Thank you all for your love and support!
Marcus' POV
I clasped Didyme's ornate necklace behind her neck and pressed a gentle kiss to the spot above it. She shivered against me and I chuckled at her as I pressed closer to her body.
"Marcus, stop teasing! Bella will not be pleased if we are late!"
I sighed but stepped back to allow her room to turn around to face me. She was truly radiant, and I found myself overwhelmed with gratefulness that she was finally back at Court with us.
"You're right of course, she's been looking forward to this all week….well, let's go dear." I offered her my arm and she smiled impishly at me as she took it and we left our quarters.
Bella's mastery of her shield had allowed my precious Didyme to come out of hiding, and she had once again taken her rightful place at my side.
The Queens were nearly inseparable once again, and they could often be found causing mischief all over the castle, just like the days of old.
Bella fit in with them spectacularly, and Didyme and her took great joy in dressing like each other to "prank" the guard. They were incorrigible, but no one seemed to be able to deny them their fun, especially not Aro. He doted on his daughter and sister, delighted to be reunited with Didyme after such a long time.
Demetri and Felix focused on keeping the guard trained, and improving our surveillance systems. We had to keep the Romanians in mind at all times, lest they should try to capture our most precious treasures once again.
Jasper was an asset in this regard, as he thought strategically in ways that we did not. Emmett also provided strength nearly on the same level as Felix that kept the guard on top of their game.
Didyme cleared her throat and I looked down at her inquisitively. She was looking pointedly at a stack of wrapped presents on a side table. I took the hint and picked them up and carried them in my free arm towards the ballroom.
Bella had insisted that we celebrate Christmas this year, complete with an exchange of presents. When I tried to explain that we didn't typically celebrate holidays I had been elbowed by Didyme and glared at by Aro until I relented.
Bella missed the Christmas lights and traditions of her American Christmas, and she had attempted to recreate it in the castle. Esme had been of great help to her, somehow finding anything and everything Bella asked for and getting it delivered to the castle.
Carlisle had become Esme's assistant, and seemed easily satisfied to do her bidding, and help her in her tasks. It seemed that his error of judgement in Edward had affected him profoundly, and he wished to take a more passive role for a while.
Alec and Bella had more time to spend together now that the debacle with Edward Cullen was over, and their bond was extremely strong. Likewise, Jane's bond with Bella continued to grow and they could often be found with the Queens as well, plotting all manner of mischief.
I was content with how things stood for now, everyone I loved was within the castle walls, and safe.
I was filled with hope for our endless future.