[Chapter Twelve]

As I prepare for the day, I will sneak Mele into the castle I study everyone around me to see what their routines are so there are less obstacles ahead for us.

King Marcus traverses towards different areas in the castle, with an obsidian veil covering his crimson eyes reminding me once more how he will not ever stop mourning Didyme.

King Caius is often in the training rooms with the guards, he spends the day making sure he has the finest guards in all the world, and it's not too uncommon for there to be one less guard at the end of the day due to King Caius's expectancy in their skills.

King Aro often can be found in the throne room, lounging haphazardly in his chair while seeming to have conversations with himself–laughing some at what the voice says in his mind while other times he has a person's hand in his so he can read all he can about that person. He doesn't really pay any mind towards me or Demetri, he only takes the hands of Jane and Alec to see what they've seen when it comes to their spying on us.

Queen Sulpicia and Queen Athenodora don't ask for me to come back to them, to report to them when I will bring Mele to them. The last thing we need is for the plans to be intercepted.

Who knows what the kings will do to the queens?

If they were to torture them in front of the other, partly because of the treason and also for falling in love with each other?

Would Jane and Alec laugh at the sight of the queens dying?

Oh, who am I kidding?

The twins would be delighted at the sight of the two women being ruthlessly tortured in front of the other, a moment later having themselves ripped apart and burnt till all that would be left would be their ashes and the scent of lavender from the fire wisping through the air.

Claiming I'm going into the city to spend some time away from the castle, I'm pleased when the kings allow me to leave. King Caius peers at me from the distance, from one of the stained-glass windows with hatred brimming through those crimson eyes. He wants nothing more than for me to die most likely, or at least be tortured more until my loyalty is completely directed towards them instead of mostly towards Demetri.

The townspeople and tourists flock to all the businesses throughout the city, some of them having just gone to the food stands and having their baskets full to the brim with fresh groceries.

Children having their arms wrapped around their parents' arms, some of them skipping merrily while others cling close to their said parent due to them having social anxiety. I shoot them all, ensuring smiles, allowing them to know they don't have to worry about me. I have more important matters to attend to than being wicked and following children around so I can get them alone.

The portrait of the kings is still in the window display, having been one of the few items within the store that isn't for sale. I don't stare at it too long; I've met the kings in person, and they don't have a kind and welcoming aura as they fool people into thinking within the oil representations of themselves. I want nothing more than to burn the painting, and instead replace it with a portrait of the queens to show those who truly are the kind and welcoming rulers.

I'm on the outskirts of the inside of the city when I notice a figure standing in the shadows, further away from others but still nodding towards those who look at her.

She's young, the way the queens had described her.

I would have thought she would be in her early or mid-twenties but instead she seems as though she is fifteen. She is malnourished and her chocolate hair is cut short on her head, she wears clothes that are simple but easy to move in. She has the hood of her jacket covering the top of her head but when she turned, I could see the height of her hair.

Her eyes, those crimson orbs I have become familiar with seeing on others, flicker towards me.

Casually moving into the shadows, I reach her, and she cranes her head to the side.

I nod my head to let her know I'm the one who will bring her into the castle.

She narrows her eyes at me, seeming as though she'll believe it once she is in the company of the queens. I motion for her to follow me a moment later and she trails after me, the both of us still staying in the shadows and making sure none of the humans turn to try and start conversations with us. The last thing we need is any distractions, especially anything which would keep us from getting to the queens faster.

I've barely made us go towards the castle once more when a robed figure comes towards us with that ethereal stance. The majority of the person is completely covered with a cloak, but I can tell the person is masculine. It's not King Caius, he wouldn't come out of the castle to take care of me. Their reputation matters to them so he would have someone else come to take me. Demetri is too busy doing training at the moment to be the one who is coming towards Mele and me.

The person reaches both me and Mele, and as the person takes their black leather gloved hands up, the man pushes his hood away to reveal King Marcus in front of us.

He's only nineteen in appearance, barely any older than me when it comes to the age bracket in appearances but there is this type of aura around him which lets others know he's lived a thousand lives over and over again.

He's ready for his own death.

He's seen too much.

His eyebrows are perfectly groomed, his eyes are monolid in shape and the crimson hue is stunning, his lips plump and his cheekbones are strong. He reminds me of one of those private school boys in those European romances. His obsidian hair falls in a soft wave around his head, and he lets his eyes turn away from looking at me to Mele. He's not wearing his veil and his beauty is so pure one could sob at its beauty, especially the sadness that is etched in him.

I can't help but go curtsy for him only for him to reach one of his gloved hands up, allowing me to know there's no need for me to be like this. His crimson eyes are drowning with sorrow but also acceptance. He knows what this means, he's most likely been waiting for something like this to happen. He motions for me and Mele to follow him.

Mele has one of her hands out, prepared to use her ability, but he doesn't show any fear at her having an upper hand over him. She sticks to my side but her hood is over her once more so she can be hidden away properly. She knows she can take care of herself, but this is unknown territory for her, she isn't in the dangerous rainforests or any other wild landscapes where she can kill anyone who comes across her to tie up loose ends or take away their abilities if they are vampires. She is at the mercy of me and King Marcus for the current time.

King Marcus moves us through the city without doing anything which could catch the attention of the humans all around us. He doesn't turn to look at us, he merely strolls through the many alleyways and hidden passageways. I note how there is this steadiness as he moves, there is no hesitation as he walks. He knows he'll be dead in the future, whether or not he ends up helping us. We'll give him the death he deserves, the chance to reunite with the late queen.

We stop at a tunnel that is built into the side of the cliff and he pushes away the overgrown vines and plants that have grown over the door. He takes out a key from one of the pockets of his cloak and unlocks the door, allowing the door to open carefully so he doesn't break it due to its fragile age. I turn and glance over at Mele. She can see into the darkness of the room we are going in, the building of which is built against the side of the cliff and doesn't seem as though it has had visitors in a long, long time. Who knows when the last time the door was opened?

There is the rustling of fabric within the darkness and then every few seconds there is a candle which is lit. The room slowly but surely begins to lighten up some. The room slowly reveals itself as a temple, meant for someone to go to and reflect or show respect.

Who it is meant for, I do not know, until I slowly but surely walk into the room as King Marcus finishes lighting the candles. There are so many white candles around me, and there are a lot of plants that have become overgrown, growing through cracks while there are open element windows that look out to the field to the left of me. It reminds me of the temples of Greece, not a small but beautifully intimate temple that would be found underneath the castle and the majority of the Volterra city.

In the back wall of the temple, there is a tall thirty-foot marble statue of a woman that is on a marble platform.

A thick, plump woman with sensual curves that make up her hips, breasts, and butt.

There is a veiled dress she wears; it sticks to her body like a second skin and ripples in an ocean like manner. Her hair is a wild mess on her head, large and out of control, there are flowers that are twined throughout the hair of the woman. Her features are soft but there is this fierceness that radiates from her deep-set eyes which would let you know she would kill you if she had to. She has on a flower crown nestled in the middle of her hair and she has her chin upwards, her arms out in a warm and beckoning manner.

"She's beautiful," I breathe aloud as my feet caress the floor of the cave, gradually stepping forward until the statue looms over me even more. There are a few cracks that are here and there but there are no plants that were on her.

She is pure.

She is broken.

"Yes, my Didyme was the most beautiful woman in the whole world. She was too pure for this world. Her ability to make everyone around her happy was often scoffed at by her own brother and Caius. Sulpicia and Athenodora understood her. Didyme looked at the glass half full but even if it really were half empty it would still end up being a glass of poison. Didyme was too trusting to her own brother, she told me he would let us leave," King Marcus speaks, his gentle voice having this hardness to it that makes anyone shiver. It's cruel and unforgiving, he will never forgive the other man for killing her.

Nothing would bring her back.

I don't say anything, nor do I feel as if I need to say something. It feels inappropriate to say anything about Didyme, since I never met her. I'm not one who had to go through the horror of having my mate being murdered. My mate is alive, my mate has waited for me. We will be together from now on, it's not like this for King Marcus. Everything stopped for him when she died, he's just as lifeless as the marble version of her.

"Mele, you are to stay here. No one comes here."

We don't ask him how he knows her name.

He's always in the background, never really revealing himself so it doesn't surprise me if he knew her existence longer than I had known.

My brown eyes flicker away from the sight of the statue to King Marcus saying this to the girl. She has her lips pressed together still and she studies the area around her. She then turns and looks at me, which in return makes me nod my head. We can trust him.

After informing Mele how she can't eat any of the people in the city, he tells her when all the vampires feed in the castle he'll make sure to send a human down for her. She doesn't seem pleased with this but when she turns her attention towards the statue her jaw clenches and she nod her head, allowing both me and the king know she understands. She doesn't have to like it in order to do it. She was free roaming in the past but now she's to be contained in a cave temple.

Leaving the temple with King Marcus next to me, I turn my eyes towards him as he calmly pulls the hood of his cloak over his head again. He reaches one of his arms out and puts his hand onto the mid part of my back. He directs me calmly and surely through the shadows. His crimson eyes aren't on anything in particular, he's content with hiding Mele in the temple since it's going to be the only way we can get her near the castle for the time being. He'll make sure to bring her in later I'm certain, King Aro doesn't even bother paying attention to his brother-in-law, he's stopped touching him since I've come into the picture, and he has more interest in protecting his reign through me.

"I don't have to know minds through touch or mere presence to know you are determined to do something both stupid and brave at the same time," King Marcus comments, there is no emotion that is resonating from him as he tells me. He turns his head in my direction and his crimson eyes show no surprise but there is still that exhausted essence in him. The one where you are tired, not just tired, you're tired of being tired.

"I've had many offers to help me, but they've been stopped before. I've gotten used to not feeling anything, there is no disappointment and there is no happiness. I'm just here," he adds a moment later.

We reach the last mile towards the castle, and he continues forward, but I reach my hand out and put it onto his arm.

"I suggest you take your hand off of me, Bella. They have spies everywhere; you have had the demonic spawn spy on you continuously. They won't hesitate to report back to him if they see any type of progression between you and me," King Marcus warns me as he pulls my hand away from him. I let my hand drop down by my side again.

"The mail has been delivered and one of the letters was for you. It was handed off to Demetri. They should be finished with their training. Farwell, Bella Swan."

King Marcus continues forward but branches off from the main path to the castle.

He heads around the side of the castle and then he's gone.

There's no evidence he was here other than the slight scent of mint that clings to the air and the feeling of his leather gloved hand touching my skin. He's astral projecting from his body, not a ghost yet but waiting for the dirt to be thrown over him so he can finally pass away. He can finally have his rest. He can be at peace.

Frowning, I stand there for a minute or two before shaking away those thoughts, heading through the front doors of the castle. There's a normal tour that is happening, but the throne room is locked away. I'm certain that they'll be upset about not seeing the throne room, but they don't realize how their lives have been saved. An execution had recently happened and the last thing the humans need is to see cracked marble from the intense fight.

Traversing through the castle I dismiss the human employees that are here during the day, I ignore them as they try and do whatever I ask of them to do. That is if I had something I wanted from them. I might already be a vampire in their eyes. I'm the mate of one of their four head guards, I'm in favor of King Aro more than a normal person is. I'm also supposed to be extremely talented when I am turned into one, my shield being what will keep this monarchy thriving.

Reaching Demetri and I's bedroom, I open the door and step through before shutting it behind me in a soft click. Leaning back against the door I give out a loud sigh before turning so my back is up against the door instead of my side. Demetri is patiently waiting for me to situate myself in a proper manner while he sits in his signature chair. There are a few letters that are on the side table next to him, some of them are in different languages while there is one that has my name written across the face of the envelope in the familiar handwriting of Renee.

Coming forward, I grab the letter and squeak when Demetri grabs me by the wrist and pulls me so that I fall on top of him. I blush hotly as he situates me onto his lap in a better position. He kisses the top of my head as though to tell me to get over being startled and to get settled in. I shoot him a look before I lean back against him timidly, smiling some when he's not showing any type of annoyance of my slow progression from being startled to being settled.

Opening the letter, I put the envelope down onto the side table and opened the letter to see what Renee had written. I can't remember the last time Renee had done something like this. She had never done this before, well except when I would have birthday parties and she would write thank you letters back to the gifters. I would be too busy wanting to play with my gifts and she would drink her wine before she would start writing the letters with a sparkly purple pen.

Dear Bella,

By the time you have received this letter and read it Charlie and I will have left Forks behind.

The Cullens have moved, there is nothing they feel which can keep them here. They did not offer for us to go with them to wherever they will go next but then again we did not ask them or inquire where they would be going. The town was absolutely heartbroken at losing their precious doctor and his family.

I was going out of town to hunt and got too close to the treaty line between the shape shifters and where the Cullens had dwelled. I didn't think too much about it, but the wolves had seen me and managed to grab me. Jacob, who is now a shapeshifter, had to call in his dad to make sure I am who I said I was.

They had to not only have Billy come and confirm my identity, but they also had called Charlie. Charlie said he wouldn't forgive them if they killed me. He told them all that had happened here, but since I am not a Cullen and I do drink humans they said I had until the next day to leave Forks or else they would kill me.

Charlie ended up resigning from his position at the police station. They didn't think too much about it since you have recently been reported as missing. It still terrifies me at the thought of them killing me and leaving Charlie without me.

So we left. Charlie begged me to turn him, he didn't want to be unable to take care of me like I have taken care of him. The next time you see us he will be a vampire too. We are on our way, but it will take some time.

Your Mother,

Renee

My blood has run cold at the thought of the Natives trying to kill Renee.

It doesn't surprise me though how the Cullens had left and allowed the Natives to find out Renee is not an animal drinker like them, and leaving her to her own devices. She survived, she's a survivor, and she'll continue to be a survivor. It might be part of the reason I am the way I am, she had a second chance to truly learn who she is. She turned out to be stronger and braver than either of us, even Charlie, had ever thought she was.

Demetri cranes his head to the side and I wordlessly hand the letter to him for him to read. I don't have any secrets from him and he should see the update when it comes to Renee and Charlie. I rest against him and wish a little bit for him to be able to breathe.

It would be nice to hear his heart beating and for his skin to be warm and for me to imagine us being a normal human couple. It didn't last long, that wasn't destined for us. We were destined to meet each other while I would still be human, and he would be a vampire. I will join him into immortality soon, but I don't know how soon other than the fact it will be around the time the rebellion happens.

"It's a shame Carlisle lost his way."

"He had confirmation on his diet, as we have found out, and having his so-called family members stay with the diet makes it worth it to him. Edward and Alice only have to bat their eyelashes and tell him what they plan to do is for the good of the family and he'll listen to them. He wants to make his family happy, they come first," Demetri says, his voice tight and irritation flaring from him like a rash that has been rubbed raw while it's in the middle of healing.

I don't say anything about the two vampires, the memory of the dressing room in Port Angeles and Edward never showing any type of kindness towards Renee makes the confirmation even more apparent.

I could have died in that stupid dressing room because Alice had forced me to come along with them, she had wormed her way into joining us, and acted as though she had been invited since the beginning. She held Renee's fate over my head and reminded me constantly how they could easily leave her to her own devices only to be killed by the Volturi.

"I don't want to think about them anymore than I have to."

"Of course, I completely understand. You've had a busy day, would you like to take a nap before supper? I can have Giavonna bring up supper for you instead of us having to sit at the dining table with the kings watching you," Demetri offers, my lips tighten at the fact both King Aro and King Caius make sure to have me eat in the formal dining room while they sit there sipping blood from their wine glasses. Conversing about whatever they want to talk about while giving me looks, making sure I know my place in their world.

Nodding my head, Demetri leaves me so he can tell Giavonna to bring up a meal for me.

I'm still surprised the woman is alive.

Apparently she's one of the few secretaries that has lasted this long. I want her to still be alive after the rebellion happens, she'll have the choice to either continue and be turned or she can leave willingly having decided she didn't want to be a part of this world after all.

Curling up on the bed I drape the blanket over me and rest against the heavenly soft pillows that are sprawled out. My eyes flutter closed and for the first time in a long time I feel as if things are going to go in a better direction. Mele is here and my parents are coming, we are getting closer to having our happily ever after.

AUTHOR'S NTOE: as always Twilight doesn't belong to me

-it'semmynotemma