A/N: All rights go to Stephanie Meyers. I do not own anything except for any characters not originally in the Twilight Saga.
Chapter Ten: Marcus
I stand under the full moon with a white rose in my hands and I look up at the moon with a small smile on my face. With my eyes closed, I can hear Didyme's laughter through the nighttime breeze and I can hear her soft voice as she hums to me and she plays with my hair. It has been many years since I have sat out here like this and it makes my frozen heart ache with the memories of the happiness I had with my darling wife those many years ago. I hear a soft sniffle and a little whimper from the rose garden and I walk over to see Leandra sitting in the roses and hiding her face in her arms. I remain in the shadows when I hear Felix call her name and run outside. Felix stops when he sees her and then growls as he runs over to get her out of the roses.
"Lea, what is the matter? What did Aro do to you?" Felix asks. I watch him pick her up and then stiffen when I see that the light that is usually in her eyes is gone. My mind begins to blur as I imagine what could have possibly happened to her from what Aro used to do. Felix holds her close and he rubs her back as she holds onto him tightly.
"Nothing, Master Aro just did what he thought was a reasonable punishment. I behaved badly and it was not right for me to do that to our guest," Leandra says, emotionless. I turn away and walk from hearing and see Leandra in her current state. My legs take me to Aro's office and I stomp in there with anger rolling off of me.
"Marcus, what are you doing here?" Aro asks, a little surprised I am in his office.
"You punished Leandra for what she did to Edward?" I ask through gritted teeth. Aro puts his pen down and folds his hands on the desk.
"Why does it matter to you whether I punished her or not? She is just your guard, she is not of any importance," Aro says dryly. I growl and walk over to his desk, slamming my hands on the top.
"That is my point! She is my guard and it is my responsibility to punish her if she misbehaves! What gave the right to punish her to the point she breaks and is not herself?!" I snap at Aro. The corner of his mouth curls into a smile and I growl lowly from the back of my throat.
"So, it is true," Aro says. He stands and then walks over to a painting that I have not seen in centuries. Didyme smiling as she stands before the setting sun on the balcony of the castle long ago. I close my eyes and turn away from my dead wife's smile. Aro touches the painting and chuckles softly. "You loved my sister dearly and you were broken she was killed. But, how would my darling sister and your mate feel if she found out that you have fallen in love with a little girl and that is your guard? She would be very hurt to see that you have moved on like this."
"Aro, stop this," I plea softly. Aro walks over to me and he smirks at me.
"No, you love little Leandra so much that you want to kill me for punishing her like that and I want you to listen closely to me. Leandra is nothing but a lowly guard. She owes me everything to allowing you to grant her pardon and allowing her to join the guard like you asked me to. I am not sure what it is you saw in her, but it does not matter. That is because you need to leave her alone, or I will finish what should have been done months ago. She will use your love for her against you and form a rebellion right under our noses. She will use you to get what she wants and that is to kill us and take over with the rest of the guards. Do not let her know that you have these... feelings for her, Marcus. She will hurt you just as Didyme did and I will not be afraid to kill her this time," Aro says. He turns and leaves me alone in his office with Didyme's painting staring into my empty soul.
Leandra is sitting at the window in the library when I go in search of her after my confrontation with Aro. She is lost in thought as she stares out the window and she looks like an angel watching the humans down below. I begin to walk over, when I suddenly see Caius walk over with a little goblet in his hands. Leandra looks at him and they smile at each other when she takes the goblet from him. Something inside me shatters at the sight of Caius and Leandra this close together and smiling at one another.
"You need to drink that our I will force it down your throat," Caius says kindly.
"Caius, please don't say stuff like that," Leandra says and pretends to pout. I watch them closely and quietly.
"Have you talked to Marcus about what you and I talked about?" Caius asks.
"No, and I am not going to talk to him about any of that. So, stop asking and trying to get me to talk to him," Leandra says with a sigh.
"He needs to know and it is goign to come out of that pretty little mouth of yours eventually," Caius chuckles. I flinch at his chuckle, it has been years since he has been like this to anyone like this.
"I will tell him my feelings to everything when I am ready, Caius. You are such an annoying friend right now with your pestering and badgering about this," Leandra says. Why is it everyone is able to get close to Leandra like this, but I am in the dark with everything? Even Caius is close and they are friends, yet she is my guard and I am in love with her. What is wrong with me?