Chose the forked path

Bella sat back in her chair. Only vaguely aware of the sun rising in the libary window, she closed the last book, a chronicle of offical Isle history. She felt conflicted. She knew for sure only a few things. Tatyana loved her. She loved Tatyana, the way a child loves a mother and the way a lover loves all at once. Tatyana had granted her the only real answers and real affection she had ever received. Tatyana desperately needed Bella's help to release Darkness. Finally, releasing Darkness could spell the end of the world.

What did all that mean? Bella could not rest those few truths with each other. Did it have to be them verses us? The world seemed destined to be vampire verses man. They could not coexist with out one hurting the other. Or could they? Bella didnot need feed on humans -- she sustained herself on the blood of animals. Something deep within her told her that despite her yearning for it, that despite everything nature would tell her, killing innocent humans was wrong. She might kill if she had to defend herself. She did not know how feeding herself to survive was different than killing in defense so she could survive -- only that it was.

She also knew this - If killing one person even to survive is wrong, than the death of thousands would be horrific. That truth was hard to admit because of what it lead her thoughts to. Darkness would kill thousands, had killed thousands. How many had Tatyana killed. She refused to think about that and instead focussed her thoughts back on Darkness. Was making it possible for Darkness to kill thousands the same as killing them herself? She wrestled with the concepts of right and wrong. Not doing something right was as wrong as doing something evil. That is what the Paladins believe and what the Isle teaches. However, Tatyana had told her the Paladins were killers and would destroy her if given the chance.

She also knew that despite Tatyana's wishes and however much Bella loved her, it was wrong to release Darkness. She stood up and began to pace. If Tatyana was wrong about this then her will is not infalliable. That rattled her to the core. Her musical voice filled Bella's head. She decided to change her thought process -- this was just too much to digest.

She looked down at the small note a page had dropped off the day before. The note stated Galan wanted to speak with everyone after breakfast. The note said it was a matter of importance and the group had a mission.

This was more important than any paladin mission. Was it? The paladins and Greyson had really only ever tried to help her, all be it only to the best of their limited knowledge. Though, Lucian and mentioned more than once his hatred of Vampires.

The two sides could not be reconciled. Tatyana and the Vampires hoped to release Darkness and with that the end of mankind. The Paladins hoped to rid the world of all the Vampires. No compromises. Then, there was Bella caught directly in the middle of this great divide. The war was already being fought regardless of who knew. Which side was Bella on? Her kind or her friends? She overheard two people talking behind the shelf of books to her left. She peeked around the corner to see the two lovers stealing kisses where they thought no one could see. The way they looked at eachother was different than how Tatyana looked on her or how any one had looked on her. It seemed the site of the other brought honest joy to the eyes of the other.

She knew something else and knew it for a certainty. She knew if she was not with them she was against them. She went to meet with Galan, if she was going to oppose Tatyana and the Volturim she had to do it with all she was.