A/N: Ophelia finds out that there is a surprise for her.

Chapter Text

When I wake up, they're gone. I realize they probably left to take things slow, as I suggested, but I still felt a little sad about it. On the other hand, this had been the first time in a long while for me to sleep without nightmares, and it left me well rested. I take a long hot shower, as my mind wanders off to yesterday. I quite liked how things were going. Hide and seek had been fun, and our moment in my room made my stomach flutter. Wait, what? I can feel my cheeks heat up, and groan in annoyance. This bond was making me act like a twelve year old.

To be honest, I think yesterday was exactly what I needed to relax a bit. The idea of having three vampire mates who were also the rulers of the vampire world was difficult to grasp, but yesterday had shown me that it was possible. It was like I was beginning to put together the puzzle that explained why this so-called Fate had brought us together.

I get out of the shower, put on a pair of soft beige pants, a black sweater, put my hair up in a loose bun, and off I go. Outside, Felix is already waiting for me with a grin.

"How you feeling?" He asks, as he follows me into the hallway.

"I'm good, no nightmares for once. You?" I ask in return, flashing him a smile.

"Well, considering I spent my evening listening to Caius reading the Hobbit out loud, a little crazy." Felix admits with a grin, as he goes through his hair.

"Sorry for putting you through that, pal." I say with a nudge in his side, and he halts for a moment, surprising me.

"I didn't say I didn't like it. You're changing them, in a good way." He states seriously, and I'm confused by him. Then, he drapes his arm over my shoulder, quickly pulling me towards him. I'm terribly confused, until I notice the vampire who's carrying a chandelier that's larger than himself with ease.

"You gotta be more careful." Felix says as he passes, though he flashes me a grin to indicate he's no longer so serious. We continue our walk after that.

"Thanks for saying that." I answer, though we both know it's not about the last thing he said.

"No problem. I assume you're headed to them right now?" He asks casually.

"I figured they'd be in the throne room, yeah." I admit, making him smile. On our way, I slowly begin to notice how the castle's busier and busier. There's a lot of vampires who are carrying things or discussing things heatedly as they pass us by, which confuses me slightly. It doesn't help that they all steal curious glances at me.

"Do you know what's going on?" I ask him, but when my guard merely smiles secretively, I'm no longer sure if I want to know.

When we reach the throne room, I quickly have to duck aside as I enter through the doors, barely avoiding someone who's carrying a huge vase full of yellow sunflowers.

"Ah, cara mia, what do you think of those flowers that nearly hit you in the head?!" Aro calls out. The vampire holding the vase mutters a quick apology before getting the hell out of there, making me chuckle along with Felix.

"Sunflowers are my favourite." I answer him, meeting his red eyes with a smile. He's standing in front of his throne, with Marcus and Caius seated in their own, a big smile on his face. He seems happy.

"Oh, we know." He says mischievously.

"How do you know that?" I ask him, confused. Had he remembered that from my memories as well? I don't recall mentioning it to anyone, except for…

"We told him, Princess."

I spin around when I hear the familiar voices speaking in unison from behind me.

"VLADIMIR! STEFAN!" I squeal. I run towards them, but they reach me sooner, wrapping me into a hug that literally lifts me off my feet. As they squeeze me so tightly all the air leaves my lungs, I can feel tears of joy streaming down my face, squeezing back as hard as I can myself. Was this really happening?

"I-I've missed you guys so much!" I bring out, sobbing in between my words, only making their grip on me tighten.

"We've missed you too. We've missed you so much." Stefan whispers, Vladimir mumbling something similar to it. For a moment, all I can do is cry in their arms. When they notice I'm wheezing, they loosen their grip on me slightly, allowing me to gasp, taking in deep breaths.

"Sorry, forgot our strength." Vladimir whispers, making me chuckle through my tears.

"I-It's fine." I mutter, the tears slowly coming to an end. After a while, I'm breathing normally again, so I let go of them, only for them to each grab one of my hands instead, our fingers tangling automatically.

"Why are you guys here?" I ask them, my tears slowly being replaced by a wide grin.

"Your... mates decided to throw a ball to celebrate that they found their mate. Marcus called to invite us, asked us to come a day earlier." Vladimir explains, struggling to get the word 'mates' out, luckily remaining very polite towards them. Wait a second, a ball?!

Surprised, I turn to look at Marcus, who's watching me with a soft smile dancing across his lips.

"Thank you, Marcus. And Aro, and Caius." I say, smiling at each one of them separately. Aro grins at it, Caius stops scowling for a moment, and Marcus just nods at me, his smile growing slightly.

"How wonderful that you could come so soon!" Aro says with a big smile, as he extends his arms welcomingly.

"Anything for her." Stefan says, glancing over at me. Vladimir hums in agreement, making me smile even more. I could barely believe this was really happening.

"Jane, can you prepare their rooms?" Aro adds, turning to her.

"Oh, there's no need." I say quickly, feeling panic take over. Were they going to separate me from them already?

"Relax, Ophelia." Vladimir mutters immediately, hearing my heartbeat quicken. Immediately, five pairs of red eyes give me worried looks, making me turn red in embarrassment.

"We appreciate your hospitality." Stefan says to Aro, smiling politely.

"I'll make sure you stay as close to Ophelia as possible." Aro answers, while looking more at me than at the guys. I smile gratefully at him. He had clearly noticed how I wanted them as close as possible now that they were here, and I appreciated the fact that he took that into account.

"I'll lead the way. You'll be sleeping in the room right next to Ophelia's." Jane speaks up before taking off. The next second, Stefan has me in his arms, carrying me bridal style, before speeding off after her. I close my eyes, and when I open them, we're standing in front of the door that's next to mine.

"I'll leave you guys alone." Jane says, subtly and eagerly getting the hell out of there.

-Marcus' POV-

"Gianna, did all our guests receive their invitation?" Aro asks the secretary. He's in an even better mood than usual, which is always the case when he's throwing a big party. The fact that it's for their mate doesn't help either.

"Yes, Master. All of them confirmed their presence." She answers.

"Good. You may go." Gianna does as she's told, leaving the three kings alone. It had been very busy today, so Marcus was glad with the break.

"Brother, is something wrong?" Aro asks Caius, having noticed the grumpy mood he was in. Marcus had noticed as well, of course. If Caius was angry, everyone noticed.

"No." He snaps, a scowl on his face. "She practically jumped into their arms! I don't understand what she sees in those annoying brats anyways." Caius adds after a moment of silence, jealousy seeping through every word.

"Oh, Brother, are you jealous?" Aro mocks playfully, a grin on his face. Marcus knew Aro wasn't too happy with it either. The contrast between her interactions with them were clear as day. Around the three of them, she was shy and reserved, and Marcus noticed how she always hesitated first before speaking, despite him having told her to just be herself. It could be understood, of course, especially considering her particular situation. Being mated to three vampires would scare away any other human, no doubt. With the Romanians, it was entirely the opposite. She cried, she laughed, openly showed her emotions for the two, and it was clear as day that they were incredibly close. Marcus didn't need his powers to see that. Aro knew exactly what had happened in her past for her to cling to them so trustingly, but Marcus could only base his opinions on the deep emerald bond the three had. Rarely had he seen such a close friendship, it resembled more the bond between brothers and sister. It was also why Marcus could not be jealous of them. Admittedly, it helped him immensely, if you looked at his brothers.

"Her love for them is stronger than anything I've ever seen, but it's a different bond than the one she shares with us. They're closer than siblings. It's clear that they are all she's had for a very long time. It must've been just the three of them for years." Marcus speaks up, trying to reassure his brothers.

Caius still seems angry, but it diminishes slightly.

"We can learn from them. They make her happy, and I wish to make her happy too." Aro adds, agreeing with Marcus.

"I still don't like them touching her like that." Caius mutters. Marcus understood. Aro and Marcus had their powers, and in the case of understanding their mate, this gave them a head start. Caius thought he hid his insecurities regarding her well, but Marcus saw it in his eyes at times his brother believed no one was watching. They were all afraid to push her away, Caius the most of all.

"This will benefit both her and us, you'll see. We're doing this for her." Aro says reassuringly.

-Ophelia's POV-

After showing Vladimir and Stefan their room, I drag them to mine, settling on the bed with them. We spend the entire afternoon talking and laughing, and it's like a weight is being lifted off my shoulders. For the first time since I arrived here, I feel completely at ease.

"So, what are the 'Kings' like?" Stefan asks mockingly, looking up at me from where he's lying on his back, my feet resting on top of his stomach. My head's lying in Vladimir's lap, his hands combing through my hair casually.

"They're different than what you guys told me they were like." I mutter softly.

"Tell us. Today, we're the gossip girls." Vladimir says with a smirk, making me chuckle.

"I don't know where to start, really. They're all… surprisingly nice? And patient. I don't know, I haven't had a lot of time to get to know them." I begin, a little hesitant. It was weird, you know, talking to your best friends about your mates, which they have hated for centuries.

"What about Marcus? He seems different than I remember." Stefan asks, urging me to continue.

"He's very sweet, and calm. Makes you feel at ease." I say, thinking about the brunette.

"He seems happier." Vladimir muses.

"I think he is." I mutter, unable to hide a smile.

"Is he the one keeping you company when you have nightmares?" Stefan asks. When I nod, he smiles softly.

"I thought so. He seems like the right guy."

"And Caius? Do you guys even get along? Because he seems perpetually angry." Vlad pipes up, making me laugh.

"Caius is... I don't really know. We had an... issue on the way to Volterra, and he's been on edge ever since. It's almost like he doesn't trust himself around me. He's been loosening up lately though." I say.

"I hope for him that he didn't hurt you, Princess." Stefan says, seeming to pick up on what happened.

"Yeah, he kind of did… but it's fine now. He got me the stereo." I answer, motioning towards it.

"How did he know you like those?" Stefan asks, noticing the brand.

"Aro told him. He designed this whole room from my memories." I explain lying my head back down.

"Sounds about right, it looks like your Pinterest." Vlad says with a grin, and we all chuckle at that.

"Yeah, he remembers all of it. It's a bit creepy, really. But he means well."

"I'm sure he does. He was already smitten with you back there on the field." Stefan mutters.

"You think so?" I ask him, locking eyes with him.

"I don't know if you can't see it because you haven't known them like we do, but you've already changed them, Ophelia. They're a lot less annoying than they used to be." Stefan explains with a shrug.

"With annoying he means cruel, murderous, sneaky bastards." Vladimir adds, making me laugh.

"You guys are insane."

"It's why you love us, Princess."

They're right about that.

""I'm really happy you guys are here." I say after a moment, making both of them smile at me.

"So are we, Princess. So are we."