19th chapter

Minna walked slowly through a small bedroom on the upper floor. It was obvious that the humans put some old-looking furniture in those rooms to show the tourists. But Minna couldn't deny the fact those beds, cupboards and wardrobes were beautifully crafted. An old chest reminded her of one her mother always used. A late gift from her great-grandmother; when Minna was still a child, she sometimes hid in it when she played with her sister or mother. A smile formed on her lips at the thought, she kneeled beside the chest and felt for all the carvings on it. The German opened it carefully but it was empty. Slowly she closed the chest again but remained in her position, her left hand still on the lid and her thumb stroked tenderly over the old wood.

Suddenly she heard footsteps coming from behind her, but she didn't turn around. "Be honest," Vladimir started and looked at the woman. "Why did you ask me if we lost our mates, back then." The question honestly surprised her. She tilted her head a little and a soft sigh escaped her lips. She stood up slowly, her eyes trained on the small window in front of her.

"Like I said, Siobhan just told me about them." Minna walked over to the window, still not looking at the man behind her. "I learnt that if a vampire would lose their mate, they would do anything to avenge them. It would be their most important task." She put her hands on the stony window sill and took a deep breath. "I just imagined, that it would be the reason for your actions over such a long time." Another wave of silence filled the room. The sun rose over the mountains and Minna couldn't take her eyes from the view. After a short while she heard footsteps behind her, they stopped when she could already feel a presence right behind her. "I was honest with you as well," Vladimir said in a low voice. His eyes followed her gaze to the mountains in the distance. "We lost our wives in the war, but both of us still don't believe that they were our mates." An amused chuckle escaped his lips. "What a coincidence would that have been," he mused and stepped a little closer to her. He laid his left hand tenderly on her waist without a second thought and she instantly got a little closer to him. "You asked me what you are to me," he continued after a minute of silence.

Minna finally looked to the man on her right, but he kept his gaze on the horizon. "You are different," he started, "everything is different. You weren't afraid of us; of me. You listened and somehow you radiate a sense of calm and understanding that affects me more than anything. Usually, Stefan and I wouldn't talk to anyone as freely as we did with you." He closed his eyes for a moment, confessions weren't his strong suit but he needed to say it. "Your presence soothes my mind. It feels like our meeting was meant to be." He finally looked into her red irises, a genuine smile on her lips. With a careful motion her hand reached for his right hand on the windowsill. She laid her hand softly on his. For a moment she looked at their hands before she returned to look at his face. "Thank you," it was only a whisper. Hearing such sweet words, spoken in all honesty, without any bad intent was like a gift for Minna. She always dreamed about such situations, never believing that it could happen to her one day. She was grateful for his words as she knew it was hard for him to speak about such emotions. He was used to rule, to command and order, there were barely times to have the luxury of being on the softer sides. He had a reputation, that still stood to that day.

A minute passed in pleasant silence, many words were spoken and unspoken at the same time. Slowly Minna leant into him until her head rested on his chest. "When I'm with you I feel seen, I feel heard," she whispered, "I could stay here forever." He looked at the woman in his arms, he still couldn't quite believe what happened. Vladimir still wasn't sure if she was his mate, but it definitely felt different. And yet, she was so fragile, he didn't know if she was ready to be on his side. He shifted slightly. Would she be willing to get through all of it? Was she even aware of all the dangers that laid ahead?

"But are you ready for what you get yourself into?", his voice was low. Minna released herself from his embrace and made a small step back to look at him again. "What do you mean?" The words came hastily out of her mouth, a deep frown appeared on her face, while she put a strand of her hair behind her ear nervously. Vladimir sighed soundlessly and caught her hand. "I told you that the Volturi still hunt after us. When they find out about you and our bond, you will be on their list as well," he paused for a moment. His serious gaze met her insecure one. "You will never be free from them once that happens."

Minna turned her head and looked out of the window once more, her eyes wandered over the green fields and mountains and a small smile appeared on her lips again. "Aro already said, that he wants me in the guard at the confrontation. I will never be free anyway." She looked back at the man next to her. "But with you, I can finally live again. At least until he sends his guard to get me." His face hardened at her words, his eyes grew dark and his posture got defensive within a mere second. "I won't let him near you." Her smile grew a little wider and she laid a hand softly on his chest. "I know."

Both vampires stood at the window for another hour. There were no words needed, no matter how hard Minna tried she could not explain what was going on between them. Within their silence it felt as if they had a whole conversation just through their eyes and tender touches. She finally felt at peace. It was as if he could see right to her heart, through the walls she oh so carefully built.

The sound of a vehicle closing in disturbed the silence and when the bus slowed down on the road to the castle, the pair slowly disengaged from the window. "Tourists, I assume?", Minna asked and Vladimir only nodded in annoyance. He could hardly put in words how much he wanted to tear each and every human apart, that set foot into his castle unauthorized. But he wouldn't give Aro the satisfaction of starting another hunt. Minna concentrated when they heard voices from outside the castle. Her face lit up when she heard that the people spoke German. It must be her lucky day.

"We need to get back down," Vladimir said monotonously. Both vampires made their way out of the room, thanks to their enhanced hearing they heard the tourists chatting outside perfectly. The tour guide explained something about the landscape and history of that part of the country. A light shone in Minna's eyes with every word. "May I follow them, please? I want to know what they have to say." An amused chuckle left Vladimir's lips at her remark. "You already know everything about this castle." He enjoyed her curiosity. "Just be careful." She nodded eagerly and he disappeared downstairs. Minna on the other hand searched for a dark spot on the open balcony in the entrance hall. Once she hid in the shadows, the door was opened and a woman in her mid-thirties led a group of people into the castle. With a heavy accent she gave the tourists some safety instructions, strangely she explicitly said that no one was allowed to enter the dungeons, due to bad air circulations. Minna could hardly suppress a laugh; she quickly held her hand in front of her mouth and let her eyes wander over the group of people. There were people of all ages, from young kids to elderly people and most of them listened to their tour guide eagerly, others let their eyes wander through the hall and some of the children strolled around, even attempting to climb the stairs already.

The information about the castle were mostly false as Minna already expected. But the tourists still were surprised and enchanted by the beauty of the old but charming castle. Once the tourists visited everything that was allowed for them to see, the tour guide gave them an hour to explore the rooms they already visited on their own. She stood next to entrance to the dungeons to make sure that no one wandered there.

Minna had not much space to go unseen at that moment. There were people everywhere and she couldn't just walk among them all of a sudden, the humans would ask question she wouldn't want to answer. Thankfully the hour passed quickly and the tour guide called everyone back to the bus. A relieved sigh escaped Minna's throat once the main door was closed for good and the engine of the bus started. She walked down the stairs to the entrance hall as the sound of the bus died away. Her hand laid barely on the railing as she took step after step. In her mind she imagined what it must have looked like in there all those years ago. She knew it wasn't used for big celebrations or balls, but it must have been busy still. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't really paint a picture of the cruelty in those dark times. Maybe it was for the better that she never experienced them, she would probably see the men downstairs in a completely different light. Maybe even feared them like so many others did, maybe she would have never fallen for one. She sighed deeply. Maybe she should really be careful around them, but they had no advantage in tricking her. She was shy and weak in comparison and she never had the feeling they would play with her.

Minna made her way back into the dungeons. She still couldn't remember the way, but she had time. With each step into the dark, she calmed down again. Her insecurities had gotten the better of her for a moment. After a while she finally made it back to the room, where she was greeted by the Romanians. They sat around the large round table, studying the scrolls and books that were spread on it. "Interesting, wasn't it?" Stefan had a grin on his face as he looked at the exhausted woman. "Draining," she started, "but still interesting to hear what they tell them. Not as fascinating as the truth, but still." She walked over to the fireplace and put another log into the fire. Minna stood next to the chimney, rearranged the logs with another piece of wood and watched the flames. The Romanians exchanged a short look, both wondered about the rising confidence of the woman, but remained silent. While the men shove their attention back to the papers in front of them, Minna sat down on the couch again. She didn't want to bother them and since she couldn't understand what was written, she would be of no help either. She watched the flames and secretly enjoyed listening to the Romanians speaking in their mother tongue. The sound of the language was appealing to her and deep down she could never get enough of hearing it.

Due to the lack of windows or clocks, Minna didn't know what time it was; if it was dark or even already the next day. She stood up and stretched her back in a human habit. "I'll go take a walk." She didn't expect to get a reaction from the men but both of them stood up as well. "Sounds good."

The three vampires made their way to the main hall and out of the castle. It was a cloudy day and they walked freely into the fresh air. Minna inhaled deeply and a smile spread on her face.

"There is one thing you should know about this region," Vladimir started as he stood next to her. "Werewolves and shapeshifters live here as well and they are not as tame as the puppies in America," Stefan added in amusement. Minna frowned and looked at him. "Will they attack?"

Stefan looked at Vladimir with a dark grin and back to the woman. "The shapeshifters wouldn't dare once they know who you are." Her frown only got deeper but before she could ask Vladimir continued. "But the werewolves would definitely. They are a danger to be reckoned with."

"Why wouldn't the shapeshifters dare to attack?", Minna asked and the men chuckled darkly.