A/N: Felix meets his future queen, who's much more different than he expected.

Felix had been ordered to guard the little human, so here he was, standing in front of her door. She hadn't been up to much, he had only heard her enter the closet and bathroom, then sit down near the window. She had been crying a little, but Felix had the feeling she wouldn't want to be disturbed, so he had let her be. It had been two days without her leaving her room or making a sound, apart from breathing, and he was growing a little worried. Didn't humans need to eat? Aro, Marcus and Caius had been busy with discussing this whole mate thing, which consisted of a lot of arguing and shouting, otherwise Felix would've been sure they would've come to see her already.

Fine. He would check in on the girl, just to soothe his conscience. Felix sighs inwardly, but knocks on the door three times, loud and clear.

"Who is it?" The girl speaks up, her voice sounding hoarse.

"Felix, I'm your guard. May I come in?" He answers. She pauses for a moment. Silence.

"Okay." She says then, carefully. When he opens the door, he slowly moves into the bedroom, closing the door behind him. She was sitting in the loveseat near the window, head leaning on her hand, as she stared outside. She turns around, brown eyes meeting his.

Felix hadn't had the chance to study her closely, mostly because of the awkward tension that had hung in the air when they travelled back to Volterra, along with his own fear of the three kings. She had big, brown eyes, which eyed him cautiously, but not with fear. Felix took notice of the bags under her eyes, indicating that she must be tired. Strands of brown hair framed her face, her hair long and wavy, lighter and darker shades visible to Felix' eyes. Her skin was fair, but a hint of freckles dusted her cheeks and nose. He had a feeling that they would become more apparent in summer. Her nose was delicate, her features soft, lips pink and full, and he had to admit that she was very beautiful, in a natural and human way. She was wearing a soft white sweater with a turtleneck, no doubt to hide those bruises he knew Caius had left, with a pair of dark brown slacks underneath, a pair of soft white socks covering her feet.

"You're staring." She speaks up, drawing his attention. She didn't seem upset at him, however, the ghost of a smile appearing on her face.

"Apologies, Miss, I did not have the chance to get a proper look at you earlier." He says, bowing his head slightly.

"It's okay, really, I was staring at you too. It's not often that I meet new vampires. Felix was it, right?" She answers reassuringly, standing up from the couch.

"As I do not meet new humans often. Yes, I'm Felix. I was ordered to be your guard, for the time being." Felix agrees, smiling.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Felix. I'm Ophelia." She says, extending her hand towards him. He's surprised by that, but takes her hand nonetheless, shaking it shortly.

"I actually came to ask if you wanted to eat. It's been two days now, you must be hungry." Felix admits. She seems surprised by that, like she hadn't noticed the time. Her stomach rumbles suddenly, making him chuckle.

"Come, I'll take you to the kitchens." He says, trying to be as non-threatening as possible.

"Okay, let me just put on some shoes." She agrees, hurrying into the closet. She comes out wearing a pair of white sneakers, and smiles at him. He's glad that she seems a little at ease around him. He offers his arm, which she takes, and they leave the room.

"You have the same name as someone else I know, he's a friend of Vladimir and Stefan. He's actually very funny." She says on their way to the kitchen, and Felix pauses in his mind. Then, he remembers the two Romanians who had been so fiercely protective of her.

"That's because it's a good name." He says jokingly, and she smiles at that. When they reach the kitchen, there's no one there, which Felix is glad about. He didn't want her to stress too much. The kitchen was large and modern, with all the equipment one could wish for, and tables and chairs scattered across the room.

"The human staff eat here, but if you come during work hours it should be pretty quiet here." Felix explains, letting go of her to let her roam the room.

"Do you come here often?" She asks, opening the fridge.

"I do, actually, I'm one of the few vampires who do. I enjoy human company, from time to time. They're amusing." Felix admits, flashing her a grin when she grabs a bowl of fruit salad. Felix knew that the fridge was always stocked with multiple prepared dishes, and the fruit salad was a favourite among the human staff. She hums at that, sitting down at one of the tables. Felix sits opposite her, watching her eat.

"Is that why you came to check on me? Because humans are amusing?" Ophelia asks, brown eyes looking up at him. She seems to be enjoying the food.

"That and curiosity. Also, the Masters would have my head if they found out I let you go without food for two days." Felix says jokingly, and she chuckles at it.

"Ah, here you are, cara mia! We were almost worried you had ran away." Aro speaks up, appearing in the doorway, Marcus behind him. It startles Ophelia, who jumps slightly. Speak of the devils.

"She needed food." Felix explains for her, deciding to help her out a little. Ophelia nods along, throwing him a thankful look. Aro speeds over to Felix, taking his hand before he can say anything else, and Marcus sits down next to Ophelia, giving her a gentle look. It was weird to see Master Marcus happy.

"Good, very good, Felix." Aro says to him when he lets go, sitting down next to him. Felix can't help but feel relieved.

"Have you slept well, Ophelia?" Marcus asks softly, clearly noticing the bags under her eyes as well. Felix hadn't heard her sleep once the entire time.

"Yes, I did." She lies, her heart rate picking up, and all three vampires notice it.

"Cara mia, I thought Marcus told you before. You don't have to lie to us, just be yourself." Aro reassures her with a smile. The slight fear in her eyes, along with some nervousness, tells Felix she doesn't quite buy it.

"May I see your neck?" Aro asks then, and her eyes widen. She sighs, then nods. Aro speeds around the table, sitting down on her other side, then gently pulls down the turtleneck. Dark purple bruises decorate her neck. Ophelia winces slightly when Aro darts out his fingers, gently skimming over the bruises. Marcus' eyes darken at the sight.

"I'm going to kill him." Marcus states, surprising Felix. He had never been the aggressive one of the three, more so the diplomat. But Felix completely understood, if he had a mate, he would kill anyone who dared hurt her like that.

"I-It's fine, really." Ophelia speaks up. "Your hands are very cold." She notes, looking over at Aro, who was still gently stroking her skin.

"Does it help with the pain?" Aro asks her, and she nods. Aro smiles, then gently places his hand over her neck, much like Caius had, only without a hint of anger. Felix can tell he's barely touching her at all. Ophelia tenses at it, but when she realizes he wasn't going to hurt her, she allows herself to relax slightly. Felix can tell the cold of Aro's hand was really helping with the pain. Marcus watches the two, and calms down a bit.

"You should really try to get some sleep. I don't think it's healthy for humans to stay awake for more than two days." Aro says after a moment, sounding so gentle that it actually scares Felix a bit. Ophelia looks up at Felix at that, with an accusing look.

"You seem to forget that Aro can read minds with a single touch, darling." Marcus speaks up, and she turns red at that, seeing as Aro was currently touching her and thus, reading her mind.

"I'm glad you like your room." Aro adds, making her turn even redder. Aro sighs at that, and lets go of her neck.

"I-I'm sorry, it's just really weird to have someone know every thought you've ever had." Ophelia brings out, clearly scared that she thought the wrong thing.

"Aro's gift is very intrusive, indeed. It can be scary for those who haven't grown accustomed to it." Marcus agrees, and she relaxes a bit at that.

"Do any of the others have powers?" She then asks.

"Felix is incredibly strong in combat, no other vampire has been able to beat him in a fight. There are many of us with powers, which you will get to know in due time." Aro explains with a smile.

"Marcus can see the bonds between people." Felix adds, amused by how Ophelia's eyes widen as she turns to look at the vampire in question.

"You do? That sounds amazing." She says in awe, making Marcus smile.

"It can be very interesting, yes." Marcus says mysteriously, obviously referring to their bond.

"How does that work? Do I have bonds?" She asks curiously.

"I see strings of colour between people. It's the easiest way to explain. I can see how strong bonds are and their nature, and I can tell when a bond is fading. For example, I can tell if someone has found their soulmate, or if they hate someone." Marcus says, as Aro is watching his brother closely. Felix and the guard had been told not to speak a word of the bond to her yet, to prevent her from freaking out. Such a serious matter could easily scare the human in a bond, sometimes even resulting in the opposite, with them rejecting the bond.

"I can see that you're closely bonded with Vladimir and Stefan. Your bond is a deep, emerald green, which signifies a close bond between family. They're like brothers to you, are they not?" Marcus asks. She smiles sadly at that, nodding in agreement. Felix realizes she was being reminded of them, and homesickness seemed to wash over her. Aro gives Marcus a look as if to say "good job, now you've upset her".

"I'm afraid that Marcus and I have more work to do. It was lovely to see you, Ophelia. Perhaps Felix can take you back to your room?" Aro says, standing up. She nods at that, and Felix realizes that being alone was exactly what she wanted, before she began to cry. Marcus gets up too, a guilty look in his eyes, then the two blur away.

"Let's go then, shall we?" Felix asks, and she nods, taking his arm once more.

She's more quiet this time, but Felix doesn't pry, merely accompanying her to her room.

"I'm right here if you need anything." He says before she enters, and she gives him a smile.

"Thank you, Felix." She says, closing the door behind her.

She begins to cry soon after.

"You ungrateful, useless bitch! You are nothing without me, nothing! You're an ungrateful excuse for a daughter, you will pay me respect!"

I have no idea where I am. When I open my eyes, I'm greeted by darkness.

"Vladimir? Stefan?" I ask, scared, blindly searching for them with my hands, but to no avail. I begin to panic, and let out a sob.

"Ophelia, are you alright?" a door opens, light illuminating Felix, who's standing in the doorway. Reality hits me. I was not home, not with them. I begin to cry even harder, unable to stop my tears, and bury my face in my knees.

"Get Master Marcus, now." I vaguely hear Felix order. I hear a gush of wind.

"You can go now, Felix. Thank you for calling me." I hear Marcus say, and the next thing I know, someone gently takes my hand. When I look up through blurry eyes, he's right there.

"Marcus?" I whisper, and he smiles.

"You're safe here, darling." He says softly, pulling me into his lap, holding me close to his chest. I allow myself to cry all over his cloak, needing this right now.

"I-I'm sorry, I had a nightmare. I didn't mean to bother you." I bring out after a long silence, when I've calmed down a bit.

"You are never a bother to me, darling." Marcus speaks up, reassuring me with a smile.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asks after a moment.

"I dreamt about my father."

His hold on me tightens at that, and he begins to stroke my hair softly.

"I'm sorry that you had to go through that." He mutters against my hair, genuine.

"I want to show you something tomorrow, if that's alright with you." He says after a moment. What did he want to show me?

"I-Sure, okay." I bring out, and he loosens his hold on me slightly.

"Great. Now go back to sleep, Ophelia. You need it." Marcus says, gently laying me down in the bed. I can't help but blush when he tucks me in, like I was still a child.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" I mutter tiredly, exhaustion taking over. I don't hear any answer, falling back to sleep instantly.

My sleep is peaceful and dreamless.