Disclaimer:

All Twilight characters - you all know who they are - belong to author, Stephanie Meyer. The rest, namely Artemisia, Akane, and Sigrun, belong to me. ^_^

From Within These Walls

*Twilight (Volturi) fanfiction one-shot from Kemurikat*

He came to them as a curious young nobleman from the British Isles on his Grand Tour of the Italian countryside. From a distance, he first appeared like a well-dressed meal, alone and easy to capture by the obvious expression of wide-eyed fascination that graced his handsome features. But as he drew nearer and spoke the customary introductions, what surprised the Volturi most about the cultured outsider was the color of his vampire eyes!

After he had revealed to them the nature of what he was, a vampire with absolutely no desire to ever drink human blood, the Volturi were appalled with disbelief. Even the normally disinterested Marcus had somehow surfaced from his centuries of numb detachment to hold historical periods of conversation with him. Thus the British nobleman's presence could only be described as a bolt of rejuvenation within the walls of Volterra, and oddly enough, most of its denizens welcomed the change with open arms and eager smiles.

Eventually, the British nobleman became an inseparable companion to Marcus, Aro, and Caius, the three Volturi leaders; the four of them often seen engaging in spirited debates over a wide variety of subjects. Solimena, the Volturi court painter at the time - also fond of the British nobleman - painted several portraits of him included with the ancient trio, others with elite members of the Volturi guard and even a few with the normally secretive, high-ranking wives.

There came a time when the British nobleman grew weary of the constant tirades from members of the Volturi pressuring him to alter his 'unnatural' aversion to drinking human blood - which was the natural food source of any vampire. It wasn't long before whispers of his departure were inevitable.

With great reluctance, Aro watched from a window in his private chambers the slowly retreating form of the British nobleman, Dr. Carlisle Cullen. Despite his best efforts, he failed to persuade the vampire nobleman to remain behind, and though he was intensely tempted to use Chelsea to cage him on more than one occasion, in the end, he found himself - remarkably - unable to do so.

"A splendid example of a nobleman despite his humble birthright," Sulpicia said from behind Aro and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Indeed, he would have made a wonderful addition to our ranks."

"Yes, he would have," Aro said distantly, patting the hand Sulpicia placed on his shoulder. "Alas, Carlisle is a tremendous loss to our kind with his bizarre refusal to drink human blood and the like." He shook his head. "Despite his odd qualities, I would have preferred that he stayed, if only to keep Marcus from returning to his lamentable state as an apathetic bag of sand."

"Didyme was a devastating loss for all of us, and even more so for Marcus," Sulpicia replied softly. "You, of all people, should know this."

He turned around and held her hand, forcing a smile. "Of course." Aro then bent and gave his wife's pale hand a quick kiss. "She was my sister, after all."

Something in her husband's eyes prompted Sulpicia to change the subject.

"A tremendous shock it was for all of us," she began on a lighter note, "when Marcus stood from the banquet table to personally welcome Carlisle, and to be the first of us to request that he extend his stay." She illustrated her tale with movements of her hands.

"Quite true," Aro said with a wistful smile, recalling the event in his mind. "What amused me most was Caius' reaction. I believe his mouth remained open during the entire spectacle."

As they laughed together, Sulpicia savored the moment, and in the back of her mind, mused over the length of time when they had last done so. When she realized how long it truly had been, it saddened her.

A presence at the threshold of the chamber's wide open double-doors caught their attention.

"Please, do forgive me for the interruption," Renata said meekly. "I have a missive addressed to Lord Aro from Sir Cullen who instructed me to deliver it once he had departed."

In the brief period of time that Carlisle had been a guest with the Volturi, (if you call nearly a hundred years, brief) he had left a significant impression on many of its members, most of whom wisely kept that fact to themselves.

Rising quickly to his feet, Aro took the folded pages of parchment from Renata and dismissed her with a curt wave of his hand.

Without hesitation, knowing her husband's need for privacy, Sulpicia rose in one fluid movement and left, closing the bedroom's double-doors behind her. Renata, as was customary, resumed her post, protectively lingering by the entranceway. She heard the short snap of a wax seal as she drifted down the hall.

"My Lady," Corin whispered, emerging from a shadowed area of the corridor and treading briskly beside her, clutching a small package securely in her arms.

Without breaking stride, Sulpicia continued down the hall at a much faster pace, materializing with her companion in front of a guarded shrine-chamber located in a disused wing of the Palazzo dei Priori. A subtle downward movement of her fiery pupils prompted the young vampire sentry to glance away submissively, stepping aside to allow them entrance, and resuming his post once the heavy door was bolted shut from the inside. It was in the sanctity of this unoccupied chamber that Sulpicia finally accepted the small, wrapped package from Corin with a sigh, as she measuredly made her way toward a cushioned Roman daybed. The moment she sat down, the chamber's interior was lit instantly with candlelight, the heavily embroidered satin curtains drawn carefully over every window. Sulpicia pursed her lips when she allowed her eyes a moment to scan her surroundings. Every item and piece of furniture inside the chamber was reverently preserved and in immaculate condition, her personal memorial to a cherished member of the Volturi who had perished many centuries ago during their war with a powerful coven in Romania. The unbeating heart within her chest, long since turned to dust, never failed to ache with renewed anguish over Didyme's loss; her eyes shutting reflexively against the onslaught. Corin sat quietly on the floor at her feet and waited patiently for her to compose herself.

"Alas, child, had you known our Didyme, you would have loved her as we all did," Sulpicia said gently, stroking the length of Corin's hair. She then settled back onto the daybed, curling her body against the many pillows and watched her handmaiden tear open the decorated paper wrapping of Carlisle's package. He had left her a letter and two, black, 8x8 sized satchels. Rather than a wax seal, her letter was bound with a red, silk ribbon. Smiling, Sulpicia unraveled the ribbon and unhurriedly read the first of her twelve-page, handwritten letter.

Corin contented herself by watching Lady Sulpicia's reactions while she read, glancing constantly toward the two satchels, their contents well-protected by oil-treated leather. Her fingers traced the worn, weathered patterns left behind by the satchels' former owner, his distinctive scent still lingering strongly - one of the more prominent traits that set Carlisle apart from the vampire majority.

Sniffing her fingertips, Corin closed her eyes, concentrated, and began to employ one of the techniques that Leonius had taught her. She dissected the scent in her mind, breaking apart what was flora, fauna, vampire and human. Yet a novice, identifying the many complexities of a scent took considerably longer for her to accomplish compared to Leonius, a very short period of time for more experienced members of the Volturi guard, and instantaneously for their premier tracker, Demetri.

Unaware of how long she sat unmoving, Corin opened her eyes and was startled to find Lady Sulpicia smiling down on her, Carlisle's letter stacked neatly on her lap.

"What had you so delightfully distracted?" Sulpicia asked curiously.

"I was practicing. Leonius has been teaching me the skills of a tracker, but I'm afraid I'm failing rather miserably," Corin said, slightly embarrassed. "It takes me far too long to identify the myriad parts of an individual scent, and whenever I think I've succeeded, I only have a quarter of what he's found. I'm fortunate that he's an extremely patient teacher."

"Sadly, I can't say the same for Santiago when he was instructing me on the finer points of scent trace, once upon a time," Sulpicia remarked. "Make no mistake, he's an excellent teacher...but severely lacking in patience."

The two tittered quietly as Sulpicia set Carlisle's letter aside, eagerly unbuckling the belts that held both leather satchels closed when they were presented to her. She gasped softly when each satchel produced two 7x7 leather-bound journals, each Sulpicia knew quite well because they were her favorites. Two of the many in a series that Carlisle carried with him during his travels.

"What a dear, thoughtful man," Sulpicia said, clearly touched, as she leafed carefully through the first journal, each page containing a sample of a pressed rose. "Carlisle was determined to catalogue every known species of rose in all of Europe."

"What could be in this one?" Corin asked curiously, pointing to the second journal.

"Carlisle's trip to Africa," Sulpicia answered, marveling at the numerous detailed sketches of various creatures with corresponding samples of gossamer wings, feathers or preserved animal hide he'd collected by bartering with the local tribesmen. "The man's quite the adventurer." There was a look of intense longing that Corin caught.

"Then you should see it."

"See what?"

"The African Continent. Perhaps Lord Aro might allow you a short visit there?" Corin said with a practiced smile. It was her duty to periodically test the drug-like effect of her psychic ability which kept anyone exposed to it, complacently content. As a valued member of the Volturi guard, she was given the primary duty of safeguarding the lives of the Lady Sulpicia and the Lady Athenodora. It was a task that gave her both great pride and enormous regret.

"Dear child, it's not that simple," Sulpicia said in amusement. "As much as it would thrill me to see other places and seek adventure as Carlisle has, sadly, these walls would miss me terribly if I should leave."

The heavy tone of her words and the unfathomable expression on Lady Sulpicia's face bothered Corin. Centuries of long association with both her Ladyships, she knew them well enough to detect when underlying emotional conflicts tried to manifest themselves.

"Would you, please, hide these items away inside my chest in the floor?" Sulpicia said, passing Corin the two 7x7 notebooks and refolding Carlisle's letter, which she tucked between the pages of the European Rose Journal. She had hidden away many precious treasures over the centuries and the walls of Volterra were filled with them.

A knock on the shrine-chamber's door prompted Sulpicia to help Corin quickly hide away Carlisle's presents to her.

"My Lady? It's Leonius."

"You may enter," Sulpicia said swiftly.

Visibly delighted, Corin admitted the handsome Leonius into the shrine-chamber and saw that he was dressed in traveling clothes.

"Lord Caius and Lady Athenodora have summoned me to accompany them to Florence," Leonius reported. "I'll be among the guard they've selected."

"Have they now?" Sulpicia said, amused. "I'm surprised they convinced Aro to part with you."

"It was I who insisted that I be included in their entourage," Leonius said, clearing his throat and mildly annoyed with Lady Sulpicia's smug expression. "His Lordship has been rather...amorous of late. Therefore, an interval without his presence is something that I've sorely needed." He was clearly uncomfortable...or was it just embarrassment?

"Well then, you must prepare yourself for his full attention the moment you return," Sulpicia said with a sly smile, fully aware of her husband's lustful pursuit of the spirited young vampire. "Absence does make the heart grow fonder."

Softly mumbling a string of curses, Leonius sighed and replied, "I'll try to remember that."

"Corin, will you leave us to speak privately a moment?" Sulpicia requested.

Nodding without question, she promptly left the shrine-chamber.

"Well, Leonius, has Carlisle given you a parting gift?" Sulpicia asked curiously, approaching the handsome vampire with an open smile.

"Ah, yes. He's left me a letter and one of his journals. He has also written letters to many others within the city," Leonius reported. "Here are their names, as you requested."

Once Sulpicia read the list, she casually held the piece of paper above a candle flame and watched the paper turn to ash. "Send my gratitude to Artemisia and summon Akane to this chamber after she's seen to you. You may go."

Bowing respectfully low to her Ladyship, Leonius left the shrine-chamber and spared a moment to bid farewell to Corin as he walked past.

"Be careful on your journey," she said, accompanied by one of her radiant smiles.

"Always," Leonius replied, winking playfully. "Be well till I return, little sister."

With a flutter of air and the metal clank of the shrine-chamber door, he departed.

At that moment, Sulpicia gathered writing implements and proceeded to scribble her thoughts into the pages of an oversized journal - one of many such diaries signed and dated by her over the centuries that were systematically hidden, buried and scattered throughout Volterra. (A few of which she'd secretly given to Carlisle for safekeeping.*)

Her first diary began as a form of therapy to help her cope with the loss of Didyme. It then turned into a hobby, a welcome form of release. Over time, her diary-keeping developed into a detailed chronicle of events depicting significant periods of Volturi life and her reflections on them. Regrettably, once she leaves the warmth of her personal sanctuary, the overall magnitude and accomplishment of her meticulously written diaries would vanish from her recollection. It was a small sacrifice for her subterfuge.

"That's that," Sulpicia said, carefully closing her oversized journal and lacing the cover closed. "Another volume done. Onto another when it's needed."

After Corin helped bind the book inside a waterproof wrap, Sulpicia held the precious parcel in her arms, whispered a silent prayer of protection and surrendered it to her handmaiden.

"Santiago will know what to do. Talk to no one and make sure to deliver that parcel directly to him."

"As you instruct, my Lady," Corin answered obediently. She was familiar with Lady Sulpicia's careful hobby over the centuries and vowed to help in any way she could.

Akane's arrival was swift and silent as she sat herself down on the Roman daybed of the shrine-chamber and waited. She was one of a dozen hand-picked by Lady Sulpicia herself from the 'lesser' Volturi guard, a special gift from Aro who wanted to insure his wife's safety.

When Sulpicia was ready, Akane stood over her and held out a smaller journal bound in soft, black leather. Using a pen attached to the black journal, Sulpicial wrote a series of paragraphs detailing her strong personal opinions on certain persons and events, thoughts she wisely kept to herself. Akane stood patiently by her side, and when she was finished, returned the small journal back to its keeper. Using a series of gentle hand gestures over her eyes, across her forehead and along her temples, Sulpicia was placed in a form of sleep-trance by Akane. Though Sulpicia remained seated upright, her features had drifted to a place of untroubled calm, her body weightless and tranquil.

"Be at peace, My Lady," Akane said gently. "You awaken to a new day and leave your sorrows behind you."

Cleverly concealing the smaller notebook under her cloak, Akane left the shrine-chamber.

Blinking twice to clear the momentary fog in her mind, Sulpicia stood and left the guarded chamber. She meandered through the many corridors and archways of the Palazzo dei Priori which now served as Volturi living quarters in the recent centuries after the destruction of their original fortress by invading hordes. Eventually, Sulpicia found herself in the small chapel that Didyme once favored. It was a silent, peaceful place where Aro's younger sister often read a book or used it as a refuge from the politics of her older brother's ambitions. She sat herself in the exact spot where Didyme once sat, remembering that the young woman's pretty face never failed to radiate a wonderfully contagious smile.

Sulpicia's fond reminiscence stopped abruptly and she inwardly sighed. She was no longer alone.

"Is there something you want of me, Sigrun?"

A soft laugh like the patter of spring rain on smooth stone echoed within the empty chapel.

"Santiago taught you well."

"I've had a fairly decent go of his teachings," Sulpicia replied dismissively.

"I've yet to fool you."

"It will take more than the mimicry of Athenodora's footfalls to mislead me," Aro's wife replied, refusing to turn her head.

"Apparently so."

Sulpicia stood up, walking languidly toward the chapel's front row of wooden pews and sat down. She kept her head forward, watching the delicate rays of sunshine that streamed through gaps in the stained glass windows which crisscrossed around a large, gilded wine cup carefully centered atop the marble altar of the chapel. She found the many reflections of sunlight on the polished gold surface of the cup quite beautiful.

"What a strange vampire, that Carlisle Cullen," Sigrun spoke again. "I can't believe he's training to be a doctor, of all things! His very existence defies convention."

"These walls shall miss him. Carlisle made quite an impression during his stay here," Sulpicia commented.

"His freakish abnormalities intrigue you?" Sigrun declared in surprise.

"Why should they not? I find him absolutely refreshing. He's the finest example of a phenomenon that those of us in our endless immortal lifespan hope to encounter."

"I see."

"Do you?" Sulpicia countered in amusement. "The winds of change can only bring disaster to the Volturi."

"My Lady, I urge you refrain from saying such blasphemous statements out loud," Sigrun warned.

Tinkling laughter filled the chapel. "Blasphemous, indeed! Hmm...perhaps I should repeat myself shortly to Aro."

"Such recklessness!" Sigrun exclaimed, her mouth partly open. "Have you grown tired of your immortality, dear Lady? Do you now spend your days longing for death?"

"Keep your voice down," Sulpicia commanded, smiling to herself when the woman behind her sputtered indignantly. "Your petty assumptions concerning my well-being are laughable and easily ignored. I care not what the arrogant children that wander under this roof deign to think of me." She paused, smiling to herself. "I'm feeling rather generous, Sigrun, so listen carefully to this bit of advice," she said and paused again for effect. "The minute you think you've come to understand what's happening around you within these walls, is the day you find your head torn free from your shoulders."

There was a loud hiss from Sigrun behind her, then silence.

Now alone in the chapel, Sulpicia resumed her private musing. With an entranced stare, she watched the vibrant patterns formed by the refraction of light on the polished golden goblet that sat in its solitary place upon the marble altar.

End one-shot

Author's Note:

I realize that Carlisle only stayed for 20 years with the Volturi...but it seemed to be too short of a visit...so I extended it to give more credibility to the events of my main story.

Also, not sure when, (so don't anybody hold their breath xD), I've been meaning to do a stand-alone story on the Volturi and my personal spin regarding their personal histories. The idea was originally meant as a supplement to the events I've set in motion for my multi-chapter crossover fic, Vulcan Twilight. (There's no doubt my choice of actors and actresses - if I've ever mentioned them - will raise some eyebrows. LOL.)

(*Secret Sulpicia Journals? Not exactly. Aro was aware of their existence but paid little attention to his wife's personal activities. He was totally unaware of Carlisle being given certain volumes and one in particular that contained very sensitive information. How was he kept in the dark of this? Simple. Because Sulpicia herself has no memory of ever having given them away!)

This fic was inspired by Carlisle's finding 'civilized' vampires in the 1720's during his visit to Italy.

I've been fascinated by the Volturi and their seemingly complex nest of members. The bit of back-story I read in the Official Illustrated Guide on Didyme was the catalyst. It's an explosive tragedy that would inevitably result in a devastating civil war if Marcus ever found out the truth about the death of his beloved wife. (evil grin)

My heartfelt thanks to everyone's who's read my stories and I sincerely hope they've provided you with some entertainment.

Cheers!