A/N: A quick thank you to everyone who added this story in their alerts and/or added it to their favorite list. It truly means a lot to me.

Chapter 24-

Bella's POV-

'I was born to be free, not to be a bird with their wings clipped.'

Marcus tells me that I need to work on my poetry writing skills; I agree with him. He says that for a person with as much charm, my poetry isn't as worthy of being cherished. I reckon though that it would get any better. I have lived a while now, and if it hasn't improved in all these decades, the scope of its' betterment lay lesser than one could hope or wish for.

Saying that I miss him would be an understatement. He is a part of me, and for as long as Aro deems my life worthy of continuing, Marcus will remain in every thought that I consume. He is in the air that surrounds me, in the wind that howls its presence every time I peek out of the smaller than small window provided in the room. He is in my dead heart; if only I knew a way to contact him.

I don't know what he believes happened to me. I trust him to know that I wouldn't have abandoned him; that's a thought that could never cross my mind, not even in the last second that my eyes remain open. I suspect Aro lying to him, a story made up to convince my husband and this world that I left by choice…or rather I have died. Marcus wouldn't give up on me, were Aro to simply state that I left. No, my husband and I share one soul, and the body could never survive without its' soul.

At times, I imagine reuniting with him. I dream of him breaking down this single door that holds me a captive and pulling me into his strong arms, kissing every fear and worry of mine away, as he promised to never let us be apart. Alas, if only my dreams had a way of becoming reality.

I should have paid more attention to Aro and his growing greed. I had seen him grow up, and as his age increased, so did his desire to conquer the world and have everyone bow down to him. He was severely dissatisfied with what we had, or what I could provide for him. No. He always wanted more. Was I to give him one fruit, he would want two, no thought given to whether he was even hungry for two; it was always about more the better with him. I had ignored his maniacal greed, convincing myself that he was simply a child, and this was a phase. Had I known what my blunder would do to him, I would have punished him there and then. I would have assured that his nip be cut in the bud itself. I would have ensured that Marcus be harsher on him. Marcus was older and wiser; he did not need to bow down to every ridiculous whim of Aro. He believed that he was being a good brother, but truly he was doing our brother no favors. Had he been stricter…had we been more cautious…had we recognized the devil resting in Aro's eyes…I probably wouldn't have been here today…

I had begged Marcus to leave with me. I had warned him of the danger heading our way; I could sense it. He had refused to believe me though. He was determined to see the good in every being, refusing to admit that not every soul can be rescued from damnation. I had tried to convince him of otherwise. I had begged, pleaded, blackmailed…anything and everything…all I wanted was to leave the castle for good. I did not want the power, or the position of being the rulers of a kind. I did not desire the money, or the jewels that lay unattended in my room. Marcus believed they offered me happiness; I did not have the heart to reveal the truth to him.

For me, happiness lay in the smaller things. I liked to be free. I liked to sit on the wet grass as the afternoon sun sprinkled its beautiful rays on my marblelike skin. I liked to read a book, or to paint. Or to write poetry, even I wasn't any good at it.

Marcus was the artist between us. He was the one with the magical hands, be it a piano or a piece of word that needed to be carved, Marcus was someone you could trust to deliver better than even imagined. I knew that I was luckier than I should have been. Living with Marcus…being married to him…I could only have hoped to find a man as perfect and loyal as him. Back when he had approached me, his gift guiding him to me, I had been skeptical to his advances. My parents, or any married couple that I had seen before, had lived in an adjustment. The woman tended to the family and the domestic chores, while the man provided with the necessities for the family to live comfortably. There was no desire in the equation, no passion or want for the other's mind, body and soul. I hadn't imagined any different for myself. I had believed that I would live a life as unimportant as the generations before me had. I hadn't even thought that my body would be worshipped one day, that I would realize what passion is, or how it feels to crave someone's body. I had always craved Marcus's mind- from the very first day that I had known him, but craving his body was something unimaginable. It feels like a sin; Marcus states otherwise.

The several ways in which he makes love to me…it could never be a sin. The things he does to me…that feeling of sheer bliss as he enters me…first slowly…and then that rocking movement with his hands on my waist. I play around with the mole on his back. He does not like it when my hips are arched. He considers it a distraction. He likes to play with my lady parts, worships them in a way nobody should. I was wary in the beginning of having his mouth so close to my modesty. My mother would be appalled were she to know that I agreed to a sin of this kind. She had always educated us that making love was for the purpose of reproduction, and it was a simple enough process with a man's part entering the woman's modesty. There was no requirement or scope for experimentation. Anything other than that was a sin in her eyes.

I had tried sticking to her views in the beginning of our marriage, unwilling to disappoint her in the other world that she lived, but a naked Marcus could be rather persuasive, and I had given in, agreeing to every experiment that he deemed worthy. Not to say that it wasn't pleasurable. It rather was, and Marcus was a rather giving lover. The hours that we spent in our bedroom, our legs tangled as we laughed and shared the love that we held for the other. I could never not wish to be in his arms. I was a part of him, as much as he was of mine.

I don't know for how long I shall see the sun rise, or the moon return to where it came from. It could be a few hours now, a day, a year, or even a whole millennium, my end a permanent event that resided in my future. Aro had proved himself unreliable and merciless. He had forgotten that we shared blood…and that killing me wouldn't change his destiny.

For I believe with my entire dead heart that I will return. I don't know the when or the form in which it will be. It could be a thousand years from today, but all I know is that nothing is permanent, and that Aro's tyranny too has an end.

And that I will be the one to end it.

I will be the one to push the pointed dagger into his chest as he cried for mercy.

I will be the one to rip apart every body part of his and throw it into the raging fire, smiling as he burnt in the torture that he forced upon everyone he considered a threat.

He has destroyed several lives before he decided to play with mine, and I in the form of karma will return someday, vowing revenge for every evil-doing of his.

I will be strong. I will be his equal. I will not hold any sympathy in my eyes for him. I will end his miserable existence with my very hands…that day being my ultimate destiny.

But in order to see that day appear, this life of mine will have to come to an end. I will have to leave, in order to be born again. It could take a few births, but my path with Marcus will cross once again. He will find me, his mate, once again. He will fall in love, dream a million dreams, and with his help will I succeed in my revenge.

I will kill Aro. And that is a promise.

.

.

.

"Bella."

I looked up, tears in my eyes, as the letter that Didyme had written all those centuries ago fell from my open hands.

"Are you okay?"

I could see the sheer concern visible in his eyes, and all I could do in response was shake my head, stating that I wasn't alright. This would take some time to settle in.

"Dad?" I whispered the word out, a million thoughts swirling through my mind at the moment. "I…can you change me? I need to be like you. It is important. I…I um…I need to fulfil the reason for my birth. I need to keep Didyme's promise. I need to…kill him, dad. Please."