11th chapter

It didn't take long until the Romanians decided join the others at the campfire. If anyone would be able to tell war stories, it was them. The light of the bonfire shone in their red eyes and only made their hateful glance more prominent.

"When we ruled everything came to us. Prey, diplomats, favor seekers, such was our power", Vladimir started, his eyes trained on the fire. His voice was proud and strong and his posture straight and confident. Stefan looked into the fire as well, but he seemed more in his thoughts, though his appearance didn't lack any pride or confidence. Both clearly relived their old times in that moment.

"But we never put on white hats and called ourselves saints." The expression in his eyes changed, images of the fight and the destruction clear in his mind. "We were honest about what we were", Stefan continued, a quick smile spread on his face as he looked at the others, but his eyes showed a deep sadness. No one dared to interrupt them, they were rather fascinated what those old vampires had to tell.

"We sat still for a very long time", Vladimir continued and he turned his head to his companion, who looked completely lost in their past. The sadness could be heard in his voice. "We didn't notice, we were beginning to petrify", Vladimir finished. Stefan finally met his gaze and for a moment it seemed they would communicate through their minds. Wondering why they didn't see it coming. It was silent for a moment; the cracking of the burning logs was the only sound that could be heard.

"Perhaps the Volturi did us a favor when they burnt our castles", Stefan said. Another smile appeared on his face, and his voice was filled with sarcasm. A small scoff left his throat as he looked at the fire. His mind showing him images of the past in it.

"We've been waiting 1500 years to return that favor", Vladimir finished and his eyes showed a mixture of confidence and hate. His voice was passionate and his words a promise. Stefan could barely hide the hate in his eyes, but they also showed his anticipation for tomorrow's events.

Minna glanced over at Amun; she could clearly see the fear in his expression. She didn't know what kind of past he had with the Romanians, but he surely feared them. Her eyes travelled back to Vladimir and Stefan. Their story was tragic, but she was also sure that their reign was far from being all roses. Many probably suffered during that time, humans lived in fear, it must have been brutal times.

Minna looked back, she saw Carlisle and Edward standing a few metres away, looking at the tent they brought for Renesmee to sleep in. They seemed to share a special moment as Carlisle patted Edwards back in a fatherly manner.

The night was cold, but no one cared, as the time went by more and more witnesses spread around to spend the last few hours in the company of their dearest. Minna sat on the trunk next to Maggie, they shared quick smiles. "I miss my home", Minna said. "Me too." Maggie looked at her. "I can't wait to race at the Northern Coast." She giggled slightly. Siobhan and Liam sat next to her in a tender embrace. "I can't wait to sink my teeth into another British soldier", Liam remarked with a huge grin on his face, which resulted in Siobhan shaking her head in amusement.

The Denali coven sat with Garret opposite of Minna, they were lost in a deep conversation, though Tanya and Carmen seemed a bit off. They probably thought about their sister, who brought them all into that situation. Minna couldn't imagine how they must feel and how they would cope with the confrontation tomorrow. The German looked back at the fire. It slowly started to lose its intensity, the flame getting smaller by every passing hour. She understood the fascination some had with fire, the dancing of the flames, the sound of the wood; it could be quite relaxing. Though others would only be reminded of the destruction it could bring. Her eyes glanced at the Romanians who stood a few metres away in the dark. A soundless sigh left Minna's throat and her eyes travelled back, only to be met by her friends'.

The four of them used to sit around a fireplace whenever they met. Telling stories of what happened in the few years after their last visit. They played games from time to time, sometimes one of them even brought a board game. Where they got one from, Minna didn't know. She smiled when she thought about those times. She was happy whenever they met, but she was also glad as soon as she was back in her country on her own.

Her mind wandered. Did she miss something? Would she have been happier all along if she had stayed with her friends instead of running back home? They offered her to stay several times, they always told her that she didn't have to leave. Minna shook her head slightly. She wasn't ready back then. Now was a different time though, she changed, but her heart still told her that it wasn't her place to be. She loved them dearly, but joining them was a whole different matter. A small sigh left her lips, if only her heart would be so clear with everything else. Her head turned back to the Romanians and she thought about Siobhan's words.

Maybe she was right and she should embrace her feelings, whatever those were. But she was scared as well. Minna couldn't even put down in words what she felt, it was a strange new feeling for her. She would love to run to him, but she was scared of what his reaction would be. Would he stay or would he run away? After all, he was so much older and revenge was his most prominent motivator for survival in the last centuries. Why should he care about a 'newborn in comparison' to him? Minna shook her head again, reminiscing Siobhan's words once more. She was clearly talking about 'love'. The German frowned and stared deep into the fire. Was it really love, what she felt? She never loved anyone in a romantic way, so she wasn't perfectly sure about it, but one thing was for certain. If that was what love would bring, she wouldn't have missed a thing so far. She was just glad that she couldn't get headaches anymore.

'Love', it's a strong word. Nothing that should be said easily to another one, only if it came from the depths of your heart. Minna couldn't tell. She did long to be near him, indeed, and by the thought of his touch a strange feeling erupted inside of her. Strange but not unwelcoming. Minna closed her eyes for a moment and thought about all those fancy love stories she heard about. Everything seemed so simple, both knew they were in love, confessed and married and lived happily ever after. Sometimes she wished things could be as easy as in books.

By the time the fire was out it was almost dawn. Carlisle informed the covens that they would pack up and move on soon. The tent, Renesmee slept in, was quickly packed together. The shapeshifter, which name, Minna finally learned, was Jacob, left to meet with the others of his pack. The tension amongst all of them grew intensely and it didn't take long until Edward announced their leaving.

The Cullens started to move and coven after coven followed. Minna waited a bit, standing under a tall tree, she watched the witnesses following the vegetarians in human pace. It didn't take long until she felt a well-known presence next to her, she turned her head to the right and looked at him with a forced smile. The fear showing in her posture again. "Don't be afraid, dragă", his voice was low but sincere. "Easier said than done", she murmured and let her back rest against the tree. She had more than enough time to catch up with the others. Shaky breaths left her lips as she watched the other vampires slowly disappear into the forest. "I'm sorry, I'm not used to situations like these", Minna added in a low voice. Suddenly her view got blocked by a body appearing in front of her. It happened so fast she couldn't even react, when she looked to her left, she saw Stefan with a grin on his face. His eyes on her for a moment until he looked ahead in the direction they needed to go.

Minna got pulled out of her thoughts as soon as she felt a hand on her chin. With a soft but firm motion her head got turned back to the person in front of her. A quick gasp escaped her lips as she looked into the piercing eyes of Vladimir. For a moment it felt as if he would tower over her even though they were almost the same size. She felt small, but protected and this strange feeling inside of her was back in an instant. "I told you", Vladimir started in a low voice, "you don't need to apologize, Minna." As soon as her name rolled over his lips, she felt as if her dead heart came back to life, she almost lost control over her legs, but quickly got herself together. She couldn't form a word, she couldn't even breath, it felt as if the world would have stopped for a while.

Minna blinked a few times when Vladimir took a step back, turning into the direction the others disappeared into. "Come now", he said and Minna started to move slowly. "You won't be harmed." The three vampires walked in human pace for a moment, Minna always a step behind them. After a few minutes they increased their speed and just before the others got to the clearing, they joined them. Minna walked over to her friends, but couldn't hold herself from shooting a quick glance at the ancient vampires.

They made their way into the clearing slowly, Minna walked beside her friends only a few metres away from Vladimir and Stefan. The tension in the air was nearly unbearable. She heard Garret and Kate exchanging quick words, Carlisle and Esme held hands and looked at each other. Their eyes full of worry, but desperately trying to comfort the other one. The Egyptians stood not too far from Minna as well, even though Amun looked like he would run any second, he stuck to his word and stood alongside his coven. When Minna wanted to take a closer look at the others, she heard distant footsteps, along with Garret's chanting.

"Red coats are coming; red coats are coming."