AN: I don't own Twilight. Early on in the story, I'll be taking directly from Breaking Dawn.
Prologue
They came with Pageantry, with a kind of beauty.
They came in a rigid, formal formation. They moved together, but it was not a march; they flowed in perfect synchronicity with the trees-a dark, unbroken shape that seemed to hover a few inches above the white snow, so smooth was the advance.
The configuration folded outward. The motion was too stiff, too square to resemble the opening of a flower, graceful but very angular. The gray-cloaked figures spread to the flanks while the darker forms surged precisely forward in the center, each movement closely controlled.
There were thirty-two of them. Even if you did not count the two drifting, waifish black-cloaked figures in the very back, who were assumed to be the wives-their protected position suggesting that they would not be involved in the attack-the Coven were still outnumbered. There were just nineteen of this Coven who would fight, and then seven more to watch as they were destroyed. Even counting the ten wolves, they had the Coven.
"The redcoats are coming, the redcoats are coming." Garrett muttered mysteriously to himself and then chuckled once. He slid one step closer to Kate.
"They did come," Vladimir whispered to Stefan.
"The wives," Stefan hissed back. "The entire guard. All of them together. It's well we didn't try Volterra."
And then, as if their numbers were not enough, while the Volturi slowly and majestically advanced, more vampires began entering the clearing behind them. They were wore a kaleidoscope of emotions.
It was easy enough to understand their mindset-the faces were that explicit. This was an angry mob, whipped to a frenzy and slavering for justice. Their faces held the vampire world's feeling's towards immortal children.
It was clear that this motley, disorganized horde-more than forty vampires altogether-was the Volturi's own kind of witness. Most looked like they hoped for more than just an opportunity to witness-they wanted to help tear and burn.
Even if the Coven's powers could neutralize the Volturi's advantages, they would still be buried in bodies.
Irina's horrified gaze was locked on Tanya's position in the front line. Edward snarled, a very low but fervent sound.
"Alistair was right," he mumured to Carlisle.
Carlisle glanced at Edward questioningly.
"Alistair was right?" Tanya whispered.
"They-Caius and Aro- come to destroy and acquire," Edward breathed almost silently back; only this side could hear. "They have many layers of strategy already in place. If Irina's accusation had somehow proven to be false, they were committed to find another reason to take offense. But they can see Renesmee now, so they are perfectly sanguine about their course. We could still atttempt to defend against their other contrived charges, but first they have to stop, to hear the truth about Renesmee." Then, even lower. "Which they have no intention of doing."
The Volturi stilled when the pack joined the Coven.
On either side of the uneven line, the wolves branched out in long, bordering arms. There were seventeen wolves in total. With so man vampires encamped in the neighbourhood, a werewolf population explosion was inevitable.
More children dying. They had gambled their entire species on this stand.
And they were all going to lose.
Aro, Caius and Carlisle began to exchange brief words. Before Carlisle could prove anything, he was in agony under Jane's pretty gaze.
"No law has been breached!" Edward roared but was just as quickly smothered. A mist was at their feet already.
"Jacob run!" Bella whispered. Her last words before they fell into a black abyss of Alec's creation.