Outside the rain thundered down, splashing against the glass that rested in the frames of the north facing windows. As they were floor to ceiling windows that almost covered an entire wall, the occupier of the room knew how awful they would be to clean after this thunderstorm, but those thoughts were far from his mind as he poured over a thick volume from one of his bookcases. Thunder roared and lightening crackled outside, illuminating the whole room as oppose to the mahogany desk about a foot in front of the window which held the warm glow of a brass and green glass writing lamp. The fire on the west wall crackled in its grate reflecting of the dark panelled walls, giving the sensation of homely comforts in the otherwise fairly blandly painted room.

Sighing deeply, the occupant of the room looked up rubbing his neck. There was no pain there of course, there hadn't been for about three hundred and thirty five years. However, he had been pouring over these books for so long this evening he felt as if he should have a crick. Wearily, his eyes travelled over to the wall that held the door to the office, and flickered across the paintings that hung in front of him. They rested in various sized frames, and ranging from varying tones of sepia to hugely bright and vibrant colours. In the comfort of his office, Carlisle Cullen allowed himself to delve into the confines of his own mind.

Edward was away for the evening, hunting with his brother Emmett. Rosalie was down in the garage working on some form of car down at the Denali clan in Alaska, Jasper and Alice had gone to spend a weekend in Seattle and Esme was working on a house in California. For the first time in about a half-century Carlisle was alone and able to think. And, as he sat and thought his mind strayed, as it inevitably did, to that night about three hundred years ago. It was a night much like the one he was experiencing at the moment, however the setting was entirely different. He was in Italy, in a grandiose castle that reeked of gothic familiarity and the throngs of figures that inhabited the place drifted around in black cloaks with silver fasteners and blood red lining. The Volturi castle in Volterra had been his home for a few decades now…

Carlisle watched as a recently acquired Guard member by the name of Felix raced by. Instantly his curiosity was peaked. No vampire ever ran anywhere…
"Felix?" Marcus stepped out from underneath one of the arches in the main entrance hall. "What has you so flustered?" Felix turned around, his eyes still glowing the bright red that came with a fairly newborn vampire. Felix turned, and instantly bowed.
"My lord." He said his head bent at the neck. "There has been a disturbance outside the castle." Marcus's face barely showed any surprise, but Carlisle knew better than to think this news did not affect him.
"Disturbance? What kind of a disturbance? By whom?" Carlisle knew he should be on his way. However, for some reason he felt the urge to stay.
"A trespass sir, and as for the latter question… Well we aren't exactly sure…" Carlisle and Marcus's eyes visibly widened as Jane and Demetrius walked in, holding a struggling woman in their grasp. Carlisle stared in awe. Never in all his years had he seen such a beautiful woman!

Every feature was perfect, she was slightly taller then the average human woman but her figure was perfect. Slim, shapely, strong. She held herself with a regal air, as if she knew she held a higher status than anyone in the room. Her clothes were of the highest quality, an off the shoulder gown in a deep forest green silk with gold stitching and flower embroidery, a satin shawl again in gold hung at her elbows around the back, flowing like water around her deceptively delicate frame. At her feet he could see deep gold and silver simple shoes that hinted at master design, and she was ordained with the most intricate ornate necklace and earrings, a web of gold and glass inlaid with precious jewels. Carlisle's eyes widened further when he saw the satin rope belt that hung from her slim waist, in it a thin but lethal sword hung on the woman's left side and a dagger with a bleached ivory handle hung on her right. Strapped across her chest was a leather strap that held a light green leather quiver to her back, filled with arrows using eagle feathers and a perfectly strung maple bow. Beneath her gown he could see deceptively light chain mail. Her hair was a beautiful auburn colour that fell in softly curled tresses that framed her angular face and delicate neck and shoulders, and two plaits enlaced with real small rose buds wound around her head in the shape of a crown. Her eyes were a deep sparkling sky blue with a depth beyond mortal comprehension, the only apparent mistake of her makeup being the sharp, pointed contours of her ears, yet these also seemed to fit her ethereal appearance. But all this, all these inconsequential details he was seeing on account of his enhanced eyesight paled in comparison to the beauty, and sadness, of her face. For her expression was filled with panic, fear and pain. It was obvious she had encountered Jane before the others…

"We found her walking around the gardens. When we approached her she tried to fight us…" It was at that moment Carlisle noticed that Demetrius was hiding his hand in his cloak. His curiosity peaked further. Had she injured a vampire? "We thought we best bring her here as we did not know what to do with her…" Marcus walked forward and took the woman's chin in his hand and forced her to meet his eye.
"What is your name woman?" He demanded, cautious in front of such an unnatural and obviously inhuman being. The woman's blue eyes became pools of ice, that froze even Carlisle to his core and with a sudden movement she yanked her face free of a vampric kings grip.
"It is discourteous," She said her voice dripping with disdain, "To ask a lady her name without offering your own first." There was silence throughout the whole room for a long moment and as Marcus rearranged his face into a more suitable bored, passive look Carlisle felt a jolt of fear for this beauty's safety. He was right to.
"Felix." Marcus demanded, and Felix sank to his knee once again. "Go fetch my brothers. Tell them I call for their presence in the throne room." Felix rose and drifted off, casting a surprised yet curious look behind him. Marcus had never taken charge of anything before. "Jane, Demetrius, take her to the throne room." As they took the struggling woman off again he turned to Carlisle. "You are of course, welcome to join us." Were his only words before he swept away. Carlisle wasted no time in following.

"So." Aro stepped forward with Marcus and Caius sitting regally in their thrones. "This is the woman who has my dear brother so unnerved?" Caius looked as he always did, murderous. Marcus did indeed look somewhat unsettled.
"We found her in the gardens my lord." Jane said, receiving a touch to the shoulder in return as Aro checked her thoughts. "We thought her to be trespassing."
"I was not trespassing." Carlisle's head snapped back to the woman as her strong voice spoke with a cold seriousness, as if she were addressing an underling. "I was merely lost, searching for a city." Aro raised an eyebrow.
"Which city?"
"I do not know. I have not visited this land before." There was silence again, to Carlisle's knowledge no one had dared speak to Aro with such disrespect. It appeared however to only amuse the head leader. He chuckled.
"And what land are you from?" He questioned stepping closer. The woman opened her mouth as if to offer a sharp retort but she seemed to sense his lethality, and stopped.
"That is none of your concern." She said coolly, standing in front of the Ancient council as if she were talking with a too-nosey parent or sibling. Aro chuckled again, and raised his hand to remove the black glove that covered his hand – he had replaced it after finishing with Jane. The woman's eyes narrowed. "What are you doing?" She received no reply, still being held still she was unable to escape as Aro's hand brushed her cheek. There was a soft gasp from her as her eyes widened and she stiffened, and for a long second there was no movement breath or sound. It was like a room full of statues…

Then Aro started to sweat. Infinitesimally he started to tremble, his face flashed with pain and he pulled his hand away and took a sudden step back. The whole exchange had lasted under a minute. Instantly the woman dropped to the floor shouting out in pain as Jane glared viciously at her, and Caius and Marcus rose to their seats, teeth beginning to bear. Chatter broke out around the room…
"Silence." Aro said in a calm tone with an unmistakeable authority. And as that word was spoken, the room returned to its statue like scene except with the woman panting and gasping, kneeling on the floor. She was pulled back to her feet but only for a second as a crack echoed around the hall. Carlisle tensed, staring in horror as the beautiful and proud creature was struck across the face. Her head snapped to the side and rested there, chest still heaving from her mental attack. She slowly turned her head back round, beautiful ivory skin stained by a flushed red mark, and she shot Aro a glare that could freeze hell - a look that made him take a physical step back, before he reclaimed his calm.

"Kill her." Aro said as he turned away and walked back to her throne. There was a terrified gasp from the creature as her beautiful face formed the expression of total fear, she was forced to her knees and she looked frantically for an exit, for a sympathetic face, for help… Carlisle turned away, feeling physically sick. He walked swiftly out of the room, hearing her strangled scream as she was executed and walking faster in response. Fear had touched his heart. These civilised and educated monsters that shared his species were neither civilised nor educated. They were barbaric, cruel and cold and Carlisle felt a shuddering feeling of loneliness and horror at the fate of that woman. She had posed a conundrum to the Ancients, something they could not label or eat. She was strong, powerful and proud, she like he was not human. And she had been swiftly and mercilessly extinguished…

Carlisle had realised then that no matter how many years he lived he would never truly learn everything, no matter how strong he was there was at least one thing out there stronger than he. Since that day that he decided to leave Volterra he had searched for information on the terrific and dreadful beings that may walk the Earth other than him. He had told no one of that day, not even Edward knew of it, he never thought of it while he was within range. However on his dark days alone he found himself pouring through his books, searching for evidence of other non-humans such as himself. In his years he had met vampires, werewolves and shape shifters but he had never seen another one of those fair folk. Ever since that day he couldn't shake from his mind the feeling that he had seen a great wrong that would haunt him, that he should have spoken out, that he should have helped that pleading face… Sighing he gazed at the portrait of him and the three Ancients on a balcony gazing down at the rabble. As he entertained these dark thoughts, his own portrait seemed uglier in some way, as if he should be a member of the riot below…

He looked down to his book and turned the page. He had not mentally rested since that day, and he would not until he had faced the wrong he had committed and atoned for it appropriately.