A/N: Oh. My. God. It's been ages since I last posted anything in here, and I feel so bad. For the followers of Destiny, I don't exactly know if it will ever be finished, but I will try.
The reason: I have been doing a lot of my own writing. Like, actual storytelling with my own characters and plots. It feels amazing! I have two different novels I'm working on + a bunch of smaller things. I cannot entirely let fanfiction go, though. I return, now and then.
This one is an old thing I had laying around, and I just thought, today, I will finish this MF. I really like the plot behind this one, and I hope you will too!
The Unnoticed
She watched. She watched the young ones defend themselves, and the older, but still young to her, the dark-cloaked ones try to find a hole in that defense. She watched as the older ones swerved from one side to the other, poking tender spots that immediately became patched up and protected. She watched as the final, unyielding defense appeared together with the small, very powerful one with the scarred, feeling mate. She whispered in the black-cloaked leaders ear. The children will cause no harm, she had whispered light as a feather, unnoticeable for anyone else than him, almost like his own consciousness. She watched as he made his decision. She watched the dark-cloaked ones leave. She watched the celebration, and the grief for the lost one. She whispered words of comfort to the ones left behind. She watched them go home.
She watched.
She waited for them in a big meadow several miles away. It had been many centuries since she spoken to their leader, and after something as big as this, she wanted to talk.
When the dark-cloaked figures emerged from the trees, the didn't immediately see her. They were a third of the way through the meadow when she appeared to them, making the guard hiss and snarl furiously in surprise. A few crouched down as if to attack, but her laugh made them halt.
"Dear Aro, it has been a long time," she voiced across the distance between them, holding out her hands with her palm up. Her voice was deep for a woman.
Aro stepped forward, breaking through the Guard's line. He looked at the woman, easily recognizing her features as if it wasn't seven hundred years since he had seen her the last time. The woman was tall, more than six feet. Her limbs were long, thin and gracious, a thing that came with time. Her face was excruciatingly beautiful, even more so than Rosalie or Heidi. Her snow white hair was barely longer than an inch, but wasn't spiky like the young, fortune-seeing one's. It laid against her head in a very beautiful style, and together with the dusty green, flowing top with lace in the square neckline and loose brown slacks, she looked extremely elegant, modern and old fashioned at the same time. He'd know her sparkling amethyst eyes anywhere.
He bowed his head in respect for her, holding his palms forward in the same gesture as her. "Ma Zetia."
She beckoned him forward and stepped up to meet him in the middle. A girl followed with her fingers at his cloak, whimpering slightly as they came closer to the woman. Aro gave her an irritated look.
"Calm, Renata, go back to the Guard," he ordered. She protested weakly, but a single hard glare sent her back. The woman laughed lightly.
"Young Aro, how many times do I have to tell you to call me by my name?" she asked with a welcoming smile and grabbed his hands. His eyes glinted shortly in anticipation, but the spark quickly died. He had never seen all her thoughts, and he would never be able to if she didn't want him to. And she never gave anyone all her secrets.
"Lady Ayenóra, you know I am not worthy," he answered with another bow of his head. She smiled and put a finger underneath his chin, making him look up at her again.
"Aro, you are the head of our world. If you're not worthy, who would be?" she said with another soft smile. Her gesture made Aro feel like the child he truly were compared to her. She let him go, and stepped a small step back.
"No one would ever be, la mia donna," he insisted and took her hand to kiss it. She laughed lightly again before she turned serious.
"Aro, my child, I am disappointed with you," she said in a disapproving tone. He nodded his head slowly.
"I can see so much from your thoughts, but I assure you, I will make it up to you -" he began, but she held up a finger to silence him. He shut up immediately.
"Young Aro, you shall not touch that family, or any of their supporters again before I say so," she said. It wasn't an order, but her words had the same effect. Her words were law to any vampire. But poor Aro was still shocked.
"But lady Ayenóra, they broke the law," he said astounded. She laughed again, the sound reminding everyone listening about the deep ringing of old church bells. It was a pleasant sound.
"No law has been broken. Not even when the mother was human and found out about us. They were destined mates. The bond between the mates are sacred," she chided slightly. Aro lost his voice and could only bow his head again.
The Guard watched with shock as their great leader bowed to this unknown woman. None of them had ever seen her before, but they could easily, despite the distance of a hundred yards, feel the aura of highness and royalty that floated around her like a cloak. They didn't know the words being spoken, they didn't notice, but they watched with awe as the woman touched his shoulder briefly.
"My child, I must leave again. Remember my words, you will know when you are allowed to see them again. But stay away unless they seek your presence. I bid you goodbye, young Aro," lady Ayenóra's last words was only like a whisper, and she disappeared just as suddenly as she had shown up. Aro sighed and walked back to the Guard.
"Master, what do we do?" A male voice asked. Aro looked up at the sky and smiled slightly as he heard her laughter in his ear.
"We go to Volterra, Demetri. We go home."
The next morning, everybody was gathered in the Cullen living room. Nahuel and his aunt had just left, and the contentment hung thickly in the air, making joy radiate from the scarred empath and put a smile to every face. Nothing could interrupt the happiness of the moment.
Nevertheless, suddenly a frown appeared on the mind reader's face. He could not only hear every member of his family's thoughts - except his wife's - but he could also hear a... silence. There were someone here beside his family, the person just wasn't thinking anything. Unlike his wife's mind, he could feel the presence of an extra mind in the room, but couldn't get to read the thoughts of it. Every time he tried to prod at the silent mind, his own mind seemed just to... swerve around it and focus on something else. Like it didn't want to notice it. But it had a clear female "vibe".
His concentration was broken by the burnt orange eyes of his wife.
"Edward? Whats wrong?" she asked, the frown also marring her face now. He kissed her lips lightly.
"Someone's here. I can feel her mind, but I can't read it. Jasper?" he answered and looked at the empath. Jasper gave him a short smile to show that he'd heard him, before a frown appeared on his face too.
"I can feel an emotional spark, a person, but I can't get to read the emotions," he then said in his deep bass voice. His mate came around the kitchen and her eyes was unfocused for a second.
"Someone as going to show up in a minute, but I can't see who," she complained. Jasper sent her a wave of calm to make the irritation go away.
"Okay, this is starting to get bad," the dark-skinned wolf man grumbled and edged closer to the small child in their midst. The shield with the orange eyes suddenly gasped as her eyes hefted onto something by the door.
"Who are you?" she demanded. Everyone looked at her with a mix of surprise and suspicion. They didn't notice the tall, majestic woman standing right in the line of the shield's sight.
"Bella, who exactly are you talking to?" the big curly-haired Emmett asked with a twist of the humor he always had. Bella hissed.
"You don't see her? She's standing right there by the door!" she snarled and changed her body's position enough to seem protective.
Suddenly, a woman's deep laugh echoed through the room. Everybody jolted, except Bella, as a tall and extremely beautiful woman appeared right were Bella had claimed her to be.
"Indeed a powerful gift, new one, use it wisely," she laughed and stepped a single step closer. In a flash, Edward and Jasper was in front of Bella, and every one else went to shield their mate. The smallest vampire, the fortune-seeing one skipped in front of Jasper to put a hand on his chest. He made a motion to grab her to swing her behind him, but she foresaw it and dodged.
"How can you be so disrespectful?" she hissed, "She wont do us any harm, I would see it if she did."
Her mate immediately dropped the snarl, straightened and bowed his head in apology. The tall woman smiled and nodded that she accepted, but the mind reader didn't budge.
"Expand your shield to your mate, new one," she told Bella, but not in a commanding voice. Bella narrowed her eyes a tiny bit, and shifted her attention to her husband. He shuddered as he felt the shield pass him, and the gasped by the mind that met him.
I mean truly no harm, mind reader. My name is Ayenóra, but some have given me the title Ma Zetia, she spoke through her mind to him, and his eyes widened while he straightened and stepped a few steps back. Then his hands flew to the sides of his head and he moaned lowly in pain.
"Bella, remove the shield, please," he gasped. Bella looked at him with a glint of panic, but did as he said. He immediately relaxed his features and let his arms fall down with a sigh. Bella went to take his hand.
"What's wrong, my love?" she whispered. Edward just smiled.
"Too much to listen to," he mumbled. The woman, Ayenóra, smiled apologetically.
In the mean time, the coven leader Carlisle had walked closer while examining the woman. Her voice seemed oddly familiar to him, but he couldn't quite place it. He stepped forward to stand slightly before Edward to greet her.
"Welcome to my house. My name is Carlisle and this is my coven," he greeted her and his palms forward in a peace-making gesture. He was surprised though, when she went and grabbed his hands in her own.
"Carlisle, my dear child, long have I awaited this moment," she said as a wide smile showed on her beautiful face. Her beauty very nearly hurt his eyes, the difference between her beauty and Rosalie's being the same as the difference between Bella's and Rosalie's. "My name is Ayenóra - some may call me Ma Zetia, a title I was given by the Romanian empire."
Carlisle eyes widened, and as Edward saw his thoughts, his eyes turned wide too. The rest of the family was confused, and even more so when Carlisle moved to bow deeply in front of the woman.
"It is the greatest honor you have shown us, Lady Ayenóra, by gracing us with your presence," he whispered, but no one had any trouble hearing him. Everybody was shocked to see their proud leader be so submissive to a stranger.
"My child, raise to meet my eyes," lady Ayenóra said, laughing lightly, "I see you know my reputation."
Carlisle straightened, but nodded. "Yes, my lady. How would I not know? I spent many years with the Volturi."
"I already know, young child. I have been watching you sometimes throughout your time in my world. You have always caused a fondness in me, strong child," the lady said, stepping forward to rest a hand on his shoulder. If Carlisle had had the ability, he would have blushed. He was surprised by lady Ayenóra's touch. He thought it would be featherlight and only lasting for a second, but her hand rested on his shoulder with just as much weigh as any other's, and she gave his shoulder a short squeeze before letting her hand fall gracefully back to her side.
"Yo, why does the lady talk about Carlisle like he's a kid? I mean, he's centuries old!" Jacob finally said, breaking the strange silence that had fallen on the rest of the family.
Carlisle shot him a horrified look, but Ayenóra laughed heartily. Edward grimaced at the mutt's stupidity, but then again forgave him. The wolf wouldn't know the vampires' ancient history.
"My dear friend. It is a strange sight to see you speaking calmly with your family's fiend, but I see why," Ayenóra smiled, and as her eyes fell on Jacob, he shivered. Her purple eyes did not match her otherwise very vampirical looks, but he couldn't help but feel honored too. She had an air around her...
"Many things has happened here, and many things will happen," the lady said, blinking uncharacteristically at the fortune-seeing vampire, who grinned, "but as I said to Aro, I see no harm in it. The Volturi will not bother your family anymore," she ended, nodding at Carlisle, but gesturing at everyone in the room.
"How do you know?" Jasper asked softly, not provocative, just curious. Ayenóra smiled, but Edward spoke before her.
"Because everyone listens to her. She is the first. She is the Queen," he said clearly, and then bowed his head in respect to his Queen. She acknowledged him with a nod.
"I am the first," she confirmed, "And though I have not asked for it, the last three vampirian empires has recognized me as their Queen. The first Vampirian Empire in what is now South Africa, the Romanian Empire and the Volturi. You think of centuries as a very long time, but to me, Carlisle's life is mere minutes, even seconds. I myself was creator of Vladimir, whom you already know, and Aro, and countless others, but what is more interesting is all those I helped create."
She turned to Carlisle with a wistful smile. "To this day, my dearest child, I have been looking forward to for a long time. I have watched you and your progress throughout time, and been happy by it. What you have created here – because you are truly the creator of it all – is something that will leave a mark greater than the Volturi will ever be capable of. The Volturi has for a long time taken liberties with their power," she said, her amethyst eyes briefly flashing red, "and for that I am sorry. The power in our world is shifting. They will not bother you again."
Carlisle bowed his head at her small speech, feeling enormously privileged. The lady smiled.
"You have many questions, and not all should be answered now. Yet I will tell you something about the future, more accurately than your own fortune teller can see," she said with a smile at the tiny woman with the short black hair. She smiled back at the lady.
"How can you know the future better than Alice? Your gift is clearly something about being invisible," Rosalie said smoothly with a nod of her head. The great lady smiled at the young beauty.
"Time has come to mean very little to me, and because of that, I see no limits in time. I can be here now as well as tomorrow, at the same time. You will not understand. And as of my gift, it is the gift that has let me live for long enough to be what I am today. I am unnoticed. I can make my thoughts and emotions unnoticed like now, to avoid hurting the young ones," she explained. Carlisle, Esme and Edward nodded, the rest seemed only more confused. The wolf surrendered to the hurting in his legs and sat down in the couch. The vampires continued to stand, comfortable as if they were laying in bed. The lady looked at the ten people of different species, though mostly vampirian, and then walked up to them one at a time. She laid a hand on Carlisle's shoulder as the first.
"You, my beloved child, is the patriarch and leader of this family. Many will come to seek you out, to learn them the way of abstinence. Your fight with the Volturi has alerted many of the wrongs in their way of living." Carlisle seemed overwhelmed for a second, but bowed his head gratefully.
Beside him stood Esme. "A more loving mother cannot be found on the entire face of earth, though your children is not biologically yours. That is a rare gift, and many lost children will come to you to seek help. You will be of great help for your mate."
The lady turned to Emmett and Rosalie and smiled. "The two of you will have your greatest wish fulfilled. It will be hard, almost impossible, but you will succeed." Rosalie turned to stare into her strong mate's eyes, her lips wide in a grin. Emmett smiled happily as well.
"You two have a long time ahead of you," the lady said next to Edward and Bella, "And the time will do you great. It will give surprises of both good and bad nature, but live it through and you will be stronger than ever."
Next, she turned to the child in the arms of the young shield. "You, little lady, is one of a kind. It does not matter that there are three others like you in the jungles of the south – you are not like them. Grow strong and happy. Your mate will not leave you." The child held out her hand and the Queen touched her fingertips to her palm briefly, smiling, before turning to the wolf, that stood up at her gaze. "Like your imprint and mate, you are different from your brothers. You have brought a peace that will last longer than anyone will remember – except me," she said, winking. Chuckles filled the air shortly. "Together, you will create something more special than ever before seen."
Lastly, she went to take the hand of Jasper and Alice. The gesture surprised not only the two, but everybody in the room. Jasper held her right hand, Alice her left.
"You two have been through more than anyone can imagine. I am so very proud of you, my child," she said with fervor, giving the hand of the empath a squeeze, "For everything you have been through has left its mark, both physical and not. Even then, you are strong, fighting your way through the horrible things, you were told were the truth. But from now on, you will not suffer. You will not fail."
The words surprised everyone much more than her gesture had done. The scarred man looked at her with a pained expression, full of hope.
"Truly? I will not slip up again?" he said, his deep voice betraying his rough emotions. Ayenóra smiled and nodded.
"There will be times where it will be close. But remember my words and be strong," she said, and the breath left him in a loud huff.
"I will not fail you," he said, but the lady shook her head.
"You will not fail yourself," she smiled. He bowed his head, his hair flopping down to hide his expression. The lady turned to the small woman.
"My girl," she said softly and released Jasper's hand to wrap her long, slender arms around the smaller woman. Alice, having seen it coming, hugged the Queen back, but she was still stunned as of why she got a hug. The lady stepped back, but took one of Alice's hands again, letting the other touch her cheek softly. "Right from you were born, I knew you would be powerful. I was sad to see what happened to you."
"But what happened? Why can't I remember?" the seer asked almost desperately. Ayenóra sighed and let her hand fall to take her other hand.
"What happened, I will not tell you. If you find out, you must find the truth yourself. Why you can't remember is my fault."
Gasps filled the air as the vampires let out unneeded air. The great lady looked up at the faces of the surrounding people and turned back to Alice.
"I hid your memories from your own mind – I made then unnoticeable. One day, my power might wane, and they will come back, but I dread the time of that day. You do not need to know," Ayenóra said softly, looking into Alice's golden eyes. They stared at each other for a short second before Alice nodded.
"You're right. I don't need to know, though I sometimes want to. I will let it rest, my Queen," she said softly, bowing her head as well. The lady smiled as an answer and let her hands go, watching as they immediately was on her mate. Then she turned and walked to the door where she faced the family again. Carlisle took a step forward.
"Thank you for coming here and helping us. Truly, thank you for everything you have done, whether it has been noticed or not," he said with a smile. Ayenóra laughed lightly.
"It has been my greatest pleasure."
"Ermm," a sudden, rough voice interrupted. They all turned to the wolf, whom blushed delicately. "Can I ask you why your eyes are purple?"
"I thank the mighty powers everyday that the youngs have grown so daring," she laughed, but then turned serious. "Yes, I will tell you. Like I said before, time has come to mean very little to me. The bloodlust does not touch me as it do you," she nodded towards the blood drinkers, "And time has proved to make my powers only stronger. Exactly why they have turned amethyst, I do not know. Over time – a lot of time – the same will happen to you. It might prove to actually be the original color of your eyes, so that yours -" she nodded at Edward, "will turn emerald, and yours -" she nodded at Carlisle this time, "will turn the color of the deep sea again. Though I think they will be more... luminous than before," she said, her own gemstone eyes twinkling. "But now I must depart. I am to be elsewhere. You might see me again, but then again, you might not," she said, her last words fading away as she did herself. Even the shield, Bella, could not make out where she was.
A silence rested heavily over the family for a while. Then a humorous voice broke the silence.
"Well, that was interesting," Emmett murmured, making all of them laugh.
THE END
Soo, let me know about you opinion. Grammatical errors would be nice to know about if you spot them (you probably already have seen a few), but I'd like you general opinion too.
Thanks for reading! Please review!