Requested by lulubun03

"Marcus came to visit you...again." Athenodora stated.

"And?" Ingrid didn't bother looking over to the threshold of her bedroom.

"Sulpicia sent him away," Athenodora crossed the space between Ingrid's bedroom and sat at the foot of the mattress. "A lie about you napping."

"Good." Ingrid threw a glare as Athenodora made herself at home on Ingrid's bed. "At least someone in this Godforsaken place has my back."

Athenodora picked off some lint from the skirt of her dress. "Would it be smart of me to assume that is a jab at my expense?"

"I don't know is it?" Ingrid turned her angry stare at the queen, "Last I checked Sulpicia isn't the one always trying to force me and Marcus together!"

Athenodora was unfazed as Ingrid threw her little temper tantrum, in fact she had grown used to the woman's outbursts. The queen took a sigh of resign, clearly Ingrid was more of a stubborn stock and needed to be handled as such. 

"Has Marcus ever explained his behavior to you?"

"The blood thirsty monster? The kidnapping? Or him having me locked away like Rapunzel?"

Athenodora scrunched her brows together. "Why did someone lock away lettuce?"

Ingrid turned her attention to the immortal. Now it was Ingrid's turn to be confused. "The Disney Princess...never mind...no Marcus never explained himself to me. Only that I'm his mate and future queen of this place."

Athenodora took a look around Ingrid's room. It was terribly...lifeless. Ingrid had refused to decorate it, leaving the walls the disgusted color of white, the displeasing brown rug the bedframe rested on top of, and the sturdy wooden bedframe as is. The only splash of color the room held was Ingrid's overfilled bookcase and clothes in her open closet. Athenodora and Sulpicia had both tried to encourage Ingrid to make her room more...bright for herself yet they were always met with a wall of anger and hostility. 

Athenodora stood and moved to the nearby window overlooking the garden. It was a day of overcast, leaving the queen with nothing to fear if people looked in her direction. "Long ago," she began, "before we became the rulers of our world, we were merely nomads, roaming from place to place."

Ingrid watched on in silence as Athenodora continued her story. "There was six of us. My Darling Caius and I, Aro and Sulpicia, and Marcus and....and," Athenodora took a breath, "Didyme. We were happy but no one was more happy than Marcus and Didyme. They adored each other and Marcus worshipped the very ground Didyme walked on."

Athenodora toyed with the pendant on her necklace as she remembered fonder days. "Marcus was not the Marcus you now know. He was bright, always smiling, always joking, he was....lively. If only he knew what the future held for him..."

"What happened?" Ingrid asked softly.

Athenodora turned from the window, her lips twisted into a sad smile. "Aro always hungered for more. More food, more land, but there was nothing he hungered for more than power. Aro didn't like how our world was run by the Egyptians and Romanians, people viewing us as Gods and vampires free to kill whenever they wanted.

"He wanted change and talked both Marcus and Caius into his grand scheme, telling them how we can set our world right. Before you know it we're off to battle, easily defeating the Egyptians and seizing their lands and thrones for ourselves but it was the Romanians who were our true challenge.

"They had armies and allies, we were sadly outnumbered but we had that devious mind of Aro's. The Romanians, as clever as they were, were quite foolish. Their armies and guards consisted of only impossibly strong vampires, they didn't think to focus on gathering the gifted as Aro did. Every vampire that joined our side was given a rank based on the usefulness of their powers and strengths.

"Slowly we built up our strength and began to weaken the Romanians. We first targeted their allies,  Marcus and Didyme would find out who the power players of each coven was and that is when I and Caius would destroy them, letting their covens dissolve amidst themselves. Once the allies were gone or pledging loyalty to us we turned to the Romanians."

Athenodora took a shaky breath as she turned glassy eyed back to the window. "By the time the last battle came we had Jane and Alec. It was to be a quick victory and we were to be the new rulers but everything changed. Marcus and Didyme had grown tired of the war, they wished to leave..."

Ingrid felt uneasy fill her stomach. "Marcus had promised to help Aro with this last battle and then he and Didyme would return to our nomadic way of life only that never happened. Our mates wanted us far from the battle, seeing how Stefan had lost his mate during the battle before this one. We were positioned on different sides of the battlefield, our jobs to pick off anyone who tried to run away. I...,we..." Athenodora's voice cracked, "Demetri and I heard Didyme scream. We forgot all about our post and ran into the thicket, looking for Didyme..."

Ingrid scooted herself to the edge of her bed. "Did you find her?"

Athenodora nodded, "Yes but not the way we wanted to find her. Her....her...her head was removed from her body and she was set aflame. There was no way to save her, she was already being reduced to ash. Marcus could sense something was wrong and had come to where he last saw her."

Athenodora took a seat on the bed and took Ingrids hands into her own. "I have seen many vampires die but never had I seen one lose a mate. Marcus....he wasn't the same after that. He became a shell of his former self and so twisted with anger and fury, I could hardly recognize him. Aro and Caius vowed to help him find whoever had taken Didyme away from him yet they never found the culprit. Marcus still looks, chasing down leads and revisiting old ones."

"What does this have to do with me?" Ingrid asked. "Do I look like her or something?"

"No, you look nothing like her," Athenodora replied. "You don't act like her either. You, dear Ingrid, are Marcus's second chance at happiness. A new mate."

"But he's scared," Ingrid concluded, "that he'll lose me like he lost Didyme, isn't he?"

Athenodora nodded once more. "Vampires are difficult to kill yet it's not impossible. As for you, you're a human, everything can kill you. I'd be more surprised if Marcus didn't try to protect you form everything."

It finally all made sense. Ingrid pulled her hands away and quickly started throwing on her shoes.

Athenodora watched. "What are you doing?"

"I need to see Marcus." Ingrid crossed the room to her vanity and began fixing her hair into a ponytail. "I need to apologize and tell him I'm not dying anytime soon."

Athenodora had begun to rebuttal but Ingrid was already out of the room and running down the stairs. She ran as fast as she could, passing human staff and guards as she ran down the halls.

"Demetri!" Ingrid yelled as she turned a corner and saw the infamous tracker and his friend, Felix.

"Lady Ingrid?" Demetri looked around, half expecting a horde of guards to be after the troublesome queen. "What are yo-"

"-Where's Marcus?"

"What?"

"Don't make me ask in Italian we both know I suck at the language!" Ingrid argued, "Where is Marcus?"

Felix came to the rescue. "He's in the Throne Room."

Ingrid beamed and caught the giant off-guard with an abrupt hug and was on her way. "Thanks Felix! I owe you one!"

"If you're talking to the masters I could use a raise!" Felix shouted back.

"I'll get you one!" Ingrid shouted back as she headed to the elevators.

Ingrid bounced on the balls of her feet as she waited for the elevator to reach her. She let out a growl of frustration as the doors slid open and she ushered herself inside, smacking the 2nd floor button. The elevator took its time, much to her dismay.

She needed to speak with Marcus before she lost her nerve.

"Hold the doors!" She yelled at two guards about to close the throne room doors.

She rushed in, not paying attention to the unsuspecting tour group and an equally pissed off Heidi.

"Marcus!" Ingrid yelled, panting and hunched over.

"Ingrid?" Marcus asked, coming down from his throne swiftly and holding Ingrid's arms. "Are you alright? Did something happen?!"

"Give...give me...give me a minute," Ingrid said in-between breaths.

"What are you doing here? Ingrid, this isn't the right time for you to be here." Marcus stated, his eyes looking from the growing number of angry guards and confused looking tourists.

"I'm sorry," Ingrid started, holding onto Marcus when she noticed Caius motion for two guards to take her away, "for everything."

"-Ingri-"

"-Im sorry for running, I'm sorry for my anger and hate, I'm sorry for attempting to put Nair in your shampoo that one time-"

"-You what?"

Ingrid paused. "Forget that last part." Ingrid   stepped closer to Marcus and rested her hand on his cheek, "but most of all I'm sorry about Didyme."

Marcus stepped back as if Ingrid's touch burned him. "Wha-"

"-Athenodora told me," Ingrid could feel her tears forming, "about how happy you were, how you rose to power, how you lost Didyme. I get it now, about how you're so protective of me."

Marcus shook his head but Ingrid continued, stepping closer until she was within arms reach. "I get it, I really do," Ingrid reached out for Marcus, "but I'm not Didyme. I'm shield for crying out loud! Everyone in here knows that. I can easily defend myself! Please Marcus, don't compare what's happening between us right now to what happened to you and her."

Marcus reached out to tuck a strand of Ingrid's hair behind her ear. Only this time Ingrid didn't smack his hand away as he did so.

"What are you saying My Dearest?"

Ingrid wrapped her arms around Marcus's waist. "Don't put me back in that tower and stop acting like I'm going to break."

"But-"

"-If you want this to work and for me to be your queen, you have to meet me halfway."

Marcus looked around the room once more, his eyes landing on his fellow kings. Aro, gave a subtle thumbs up, his way of encouragement and Caius tapped his finger against the arm of his throne, ever the impatient king.

"I will try..." Marcus didn't sound so sure of himself.

Ingrid smiled and got on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "That's all I ask."

Marcus watched as Ingrid skipped out of the throne room, giving half hearted apologetic smiles to the guards around her. She turned back once she was at the door and casted a wink at Marcus.

"I'm going to pick out my new room, find me after you're done with..." Ingrid trailed off as her eyes moved to the tour group.

Marcus gave a curt nod. "I'll see you soon."

Ingrid smiled and left the room, closing the door behind her and locking it. Soon the sounds of terror filled the air but she truly didn't care.

She had a room to pick and to ask her fellow queens to help her decorate it.