Chapter 19

She had spent her days all locked up inside her room. The silence would be much easier to bear rather than face several persons. Jane had lost count of the days while being cooped up in her room. Her twin kindly left her all alone knowing she could snap at him any moment.

She heard someone fumbling with her door. The blonde vampire paid it no mind as she thought it was just Demetri messing with her. The tracker had a habit on pulling pranks at her in order to lighten the mood. Sunlight had barely seeped through her room as she had shut the windows close.

The passage of light amidst the dark room caught Jane's attention. Athenodora was standing by the doorway. The blonde vampire knew that the Volturi wife should not be even here in the first place. The fair haired woman had her hood over her head in order to be unrecognized by the guards.

She had escaped the tight security of their tower.

"Jane?"

Athenodora's gaze scanned her room as she saw her blonde charge who was sitting in the corner of the room. The fair-haired woman closed the door and took off her cloak. She then opened the windows that remained shut for the past few days. Sunlight seeped through her blonde charge's room.

She could barely recognize the vampire in front of her. Jane's eyes were pitch black and if it was possible for a vampire to look ill: her charge definitely looked ill.

"Are you supposed to be in your tower?" Jane asks monotonously. Athenodora could only sigh heavily as she sat down in the blonde vampire's bed. "You should go back..."

The fair-haired Volturi wife edged closer to her and tucked the loose strands of the blonde vampire's hair into the back of her ear. She had known Jane for a few decades already but she knew that sulking is not the blonde vampire's habit. How could the death of a person change a person?

By the state Jane was in, Athenodora knew that Marcus was far off worse. Her charge was her primary concern at the moment seeing the state she was in. For Jane to stay this way was a blow to the Volturi guard's strong image, which Athenodora was in no way concerned of:

She would leave that to Caius to worry about.

The fair haired woman was here to be concerned of her welfare. Athenodora opened her arms for her charge with a smile even if she knew

"It's okay." She said as she rubs circles on her charge's back as she sobbed once more. Didyme's death had hit a tragic blow to the blonde vampire. Athenodora could only offer comfort as she could not bring the dead back. The fair haired woman apologized silently for not coming sooner. "Let it out. No one would see you in this state but myself."

She had not intended to replace Didyme by playing mother. She had already stood as one of the blonde vampire's parental figures decades ago. No one can replace Didyme, the fair-haired woman knew that.

Nothing has to change today.

"It must have been so hard for you, grieving all alone. I'm sorry for not coming sooner," Athenodora whispers in her blonde charge's ear. In her arms, she felt her charge softly shaking while sobbing dryly. If vampires could weep, Jane would have no tears to shed already.

The blonde vampire falls apart as time stretches forward. In her mistress' arms, Jane silently appreciated the fair-haired woman's presence. Someone holding her was much better than crying all alone. There were no words to say after all, she could not escape the trauma that she witnessed.

The secrets she kept. To keep it even if she did not want to.

"Did i manage to ease off the pain somehow?" Athenodora asks silently as she faces her charge directly. The blonde vampire gave her a smile in attempt to assure the fair-haired woman.

It was a smile that she gave yet Athenodora knew the blonde felt like she was dying.

With the absence of Didyme's presence, the fair-haired woman knew that there would be changes in the blonde vampire's attitude. The absence of the raven-haired woman made Athenodora more uncertain on how the blonde vampire would turn out. She was terrified enough to see her drift away with the test of time.

How tragic it is for one's death to change a person? Athenodora did not know to what extent.

Athenodora pulled her hood closer to her head in order to be unrecognized by the people she will encounter. She had already coaxed the blonde vampire out of her hypnotic state. The fair-haired woman made a mental note to check on her blonde charge every few hours to see how she was farring after all.

"Athenodora..."

The fair-haired vampire nearly jumped when someone called her name. Paranoia had been sinking in her brain as she made her way back to the Wives' Tower unnoticed. Athenodora spun around to see the raven-haired Volturi king by the end of the hallway. She could only sigh in relief as it was only Aro.

It was not bad after all compared if she had run into her husband.

"Do you really think you are unrecognizable with your cloak? Do not worry, i shall not tell a soul that you are out of the tower." Aro said as he walks closer to the fair-haired vampire. "Judging by where you came from, i take it that you visited Jane?"

Athenodora nods.

"How is she?" He asks her with anxiousness laced with his tone.

"A mess." Athenodora remarked. "Do not worry, your head of guard will be back to her feet soon. Just give her time." She assures the raven-haired vampire.

"Can i have a word with you, Athenodora?" Aro began. "I prefer we talk in my study as it is a sensitive topic."

Athenodora fell in step behind him as they made their way towards his study. There was something in the air that she could not shake off. Something felt not right yet she tried to calm her nerves. The Volturi king closed the door once they were inside. Athenodora sat by the desk as he resumed his place behind the desk.

"You were my sister's trusted companion for several centuries. Have you sensed something different in her actions?" He inquires.

Athenodora then caught on to what Aro was implying. She knew that the Volturi king was secretly questioning her. However, Athenodora chose to play along.

"What do you mean?" Athenodora asks innocently.

"May i?" Aro held out his hand to gesture he wished to see her thoughts. Athenodora stared at him and smiled as she delicately gave her hand to the raven-haired king.

She immediately felt that he was probing in her mind and searching for any information. She kept her guard on and projected several memories of her nights with her husband. Athenodora could have laughed yet she knows that shewill break her cover. To do that would result in Aro suspecting her for something she did not know and did not want to know.

She clearly saw him being uncomfortable for he witnessed moments between a married had projected in her mind with various images of passionate nights in order to throw him off. The memories would mask the truth she wishes to protect. It was the only way she could protect her thoughts without being a shield. It was a matter of deception. Aro had loosened his grip on her hand and she casually retreated back.

"What about the letters?" Aro inquires as the fair-haired woman looked at him in alarm. "I saw that Didyme gave you several letters in the music room."

Athenodora tensed. Her mind has unconsciously lost its guard which she fought so hard to perfect. Before she could say anything, Caius barged in. It gave her a moment to think of what to tell the raven-haired king in order to throw him off.

"There you are!" Caius said as he made his way towards his wife. "I was looking for you, mi amor."

Athenodora's brows furrowed with how her husband acted in front of her. Caius was not affectionate until they were at the comfort of their chambers. He was not the one to show affection in front of other people even if it was Aro. There eyes met and he wordlessly told her to play along.

"If you may excuse us, Aro. I have a lady that should not be kept waiting." He smirks as he entwined his hands with hers.

"Of course, brother. I do not want to disturb one of your passionate evenings." Aro said with mischievous tone which Caius rolled his eyes at him. The fair-haired woman stopped in her tracks by the door of his study.

"About the letters. She did ask me to keep it safe, however she took it back before she died." Her statement would suffice in order for him not to be suspicious of her. She left his study together with Caius.

Aro could have sworn that there was more to Athenodora than what meets the eye.

Once inside his chambers, the fair-haired woman kissed her husband. The blonde king picked her up and carried her to the bed. Their clothes were discarded on the ground as moans echoed throughout their chambers. They had spent the entire sunset making love to one another without telling a word about what happened. She only brought up the subject when she laid in his arms.

"Thank you for saving me back there." Athenodora said quietly.

"If you do know something, Athena. Do your best to forget about it or protect your thoughts." The blond king gave her a piece of advice. "I cannot alway save you, mi amor."

Caius was right after all, he could not protect her forever. Athenodora knew that she was in this alone.

His grief cannot be measured by the highest mountains or the deepest oceans. Didyme came to him like a sunshine that shone on him dazzlingly. It is with her simple affectionate touch that he could not say no to. Her smiles were so contagious that to see her happy would bring a smile to his face as well. Marcus did not intend to fall for Aro's sister.

Yet at some point, she became his greatest love. He had the greatest love of all time, yet still lost it.

The Volturi king can still feel his wife's presence in the chambers they shared. Her scent was still here as every aspect of their chambers remained untouched. He did not dare to go out in fear of losing her scent and her identity. He spent days in isolation to surround himself with her memories. She was here with him.

Didyme was still here.

Marcus can still see her even if darkness and sorrows had covered his eyes. Her voice was repeating in his head like a soft whisper. He spent his days in seclusion in fear that if he did not, her entire memory would dissapear.

"Brother."

Marcus could hear the unmistakable drawl of Caius' voice. He knew that both of the Volturi kings were standing near the doorway. He paid him no mind as he the Volturi king did not face his brothers.

"Pull yourself together, Marcus." Caius said with such straightforwardness that he could muster. Aro elbowed the blond king for his insensitive words towards his fellow king.

"You would have been the same if this happened to your wife." Marcus said with a monotonous voice. He still did not face his brothers, in fear of what he might be able to do. Caius opened his mouth to retort but Aro beat him to it.

"What Caius means is that we found a way to relieve the pain you are feeling." Marcus faced the raven-haired vampire with a blank expression. Aro continued on. "We found a very talented individual. Her powers could console your grief-" Marcus was the one to cut his brother-in-law off.

"I do not need a woman, brother." He hisses.

"Oh no, brother. Not that type of comfort, this talented young lady could ease the pain you feel. I know it feels quite burdensome," he said with an understanding tone that infuriated the one who sees the bonds.

Marcus knew to himself that Aro knew nothing of the grief he was dealing with.

"You must not love me, Marcus. Crush those feelings while they are far from the point of no return. I could only bring you sorrow and grief."

She had told him of what might happen if he happened to love her. All those times, he had been aware that she would meet her horrible demise as Didyme had been open to him.

She told him everything but never the identity of her murderer.

"I do not need her powers in order to recover from Didyme's death. You do know how much i loved your sister, to not grieve for her death would be as if i wished her harm. It would be as if i did not love her after all…"

Marcus did not want to shortcut the pain he felt. He chose this fate, therefore, he will learn to live with the emptiness and sadness that comes with his selfish choices.

In some ways, both Aro and Marcus had their similarities with selfishness towards love. Marcus became selfish to let her feel his love yet he knew his time with her was limited. He chose to forge the path of loneliness and despair for the coming years in exchange of a temporary lifetime with Didyme. Aro, however, chose to crush his feelings by marrying a woman that could not endanger his position nor his sanity like Marcus. It was a selfish act of losing a woman but can pull through it.

The two kings walk a similar path after all, of one's own selfishness. In such solitude, Marcus would pay for the repercussions of his own choices. If he did not pursue her, would she still be alive?

Was it really Aro to blame for the death of his Didyme? Or was it his own selfish self led her to her death? Who was at blame, the murderer or the one who enabled her death?

"Do not love me, Marcus." She said one fateful day. "Save yourself from the pain i will bring to you."

He wished that he listened to her yet part of it wished that he did not yet Marcus knew the truth.

This was their destiny. One of which she had warned him of the sorrow she would bring to him. Didyme walked into her death that was already written down for her. She told him to not love her for love brings both happiness and sadness. He had no one to blame for it was Marcus himself who chose their own paths to take.

This was their destiny.

To love one another separated by the veil of death.

For him to move forward for the coming years while she continues to be stuck in the past.

For Marcus to live while Didyme could only be a fragment of a memory.

A painful fate it is.

That is what he will learn to live with.

The Volturi wives spent their days in seclusion in their tower. Athenodora and Sulpicia usually had themselves for their company. When Athenodora came back the next day, she found an unfamilliar woman in the tower. She had pulled out the dagger that was hidden in her skirts and aimed it at the newcomer.

The woman eventually put her hands up to surrender.

Sulpicia had heard of the commotion and rushed out of her private rooms. The dark-haired woman could only chuckle at Athenodora's paranoid nature. She placed a hand on the fair-haired woman's shoulder.

"Dora, put down the dagger." Sulpicia said softly as the fair-haired woman's gaze flickered towards her. "She is a new addition to the coven. Corin arrived last night, when you were with your husband." She attempted to explain.

Athenodora lowered her guard and tucked the dagger away. The newcomer whose name was Corin could only breath a not much needed sigh of relief. The fair-haired vampire scanned the newcomer from head to toe. She was too womanly to serve the guard and she did not seem imposing like the Elite Guard. Corin could not be a bodyguard for the both of them either.

"Forgive me, Madame." Corin starts off. "I was sent by Master Aro in order to accompany you here in the tower. He must have thought that you would be bored here. Therefore, i act as both of your lady-in-waiting."

"Isn't she a charming young lady? How thoughtful of my husband, i nearly lost hope that he truly cared about me." Sulpicia's voice was perkier than usual. The fair-haired woman remembered a few days after Didyme's death that the raven-haired woman was too paranoid for her own good.

Athenodora remembered the time where Sulpicia had shut herself out. She had been a pitiful mess for the past few days, yet why does it seem that nothing happened?

Something was definitely off with this newcomer.

Athenodora was then left with the newcomer when Sulpicia had left for her room. Silence engulfed the Wives Common Room as Athenodora sat by the window. Corin sat furthest to her and the fair-haired woman sensed the awkward nature between them. She needed to get to the bottom of this. There is no way that Corin could be a normal lady-in-waiting for the both of them.

Did Aro grew suspicious of her?

"Corin." Athenodora stood up and the newcomer eventually stopped picking on the fabric of her skirts. "Follow me to my study."

The fair-haired woman's study was filled with various books and paintings. Athenodora opened the giant drapes that covered the sunlight and it immediately illuminated the room. The two vampires sat near the huge windows that overlooked the whole town of Volterra. The fair-haired woman was facing the newcomer directly.

"What are you?" Athenodora questions.

Corin looked at her with wide eyes. Apprehension could be seen in the young vampire's eyes. Athenodora knew she could get this newcomer to talk easily. The fair-haired woman remained stoic as she stared at the newcomer.

"I was sent to accompany you, Mada-" Before Corin could finish, Athenodora cut her off with an icy tone.

"Don't you dare deceive me." Athenodora scoffs. Her cold red eyes met the terrified burgundy ones that Corin possessed. "Do not forget that i am a Volturi wife, young lady. I hope you know my husband's reputation." Athenodora's eyes flickered from the dagger that was twirling in her hand towards the young vampire.

She stabbed the dagger in the table in order to frighten the newcomer. Corin jumped at Athenodora's unpredictable nature. The rumors were right, Caius' wife was just as crazy as the blond king. She refused to falter however, as it was Aro's instructions for the Wives should not know about Corin's true abilities.

"Speak or i shall have your head on a silver platter," Athenodora threatened as she shot the newcomer an icy glare.

"I had no hidden motives, Madame. I was simply sent here to be Mistress Sulpicia and your attendant." Corin attempted to lie straight into the fair-haired woman's face. Corin could only duck her head as the dagger went flying towards the wall and had nearly missed her.

"Do not play coy with me." She hissed. "What is your purpose here?"

"I was supposed to keep the two of you content." Corin confesses as she was growing terrified of the fair-haired woman. She continued talking. "My affinity is inducing contentment for your situation. I bring out the contentment and ease regardless of your situation. My first task could have been with Master Marcus yet he refused. Master Aro placed me here to keep you two content."

Athenodora's hands balled into fists. Corin's gift was more of manipulation in her eyes. She had not bowed down to any men in her life. She will not be submissive like Sulpicia whom she knew was someone who is replaceable after all.

"I can keep you safe." Athenodora chuckles yet her face became serious. "How can i counter your gift? Is there anyway i could avoid it?"

AN:

I hope you are still alive after the roller coaster of emotions i put you through. How many buckets of tears have you shed? (HAHAHAHAHAHA) Anyways, thank you for reading another update. I'd love to hear it from you, whether it may be a private message or a review. Lets be friends on tiktok,my username is blueskies02 and i do post contents related to Desideratum.