A/N: Goodness, I'm at it again.
Sitting at work again with nothing to do, and my imagination is running wild! Here's a new one for you all to read and rate. In Breaking Dawn, the Volturi arrives in Forks to 'battle' it out with the Cullens. Aro has set up his pawns and best fighters in the front, and yet…the wives are off to the side, protected heavily by other members of the Guard. This shows that the wives are more valuable to him and Caius than even Jane and Alec. It's a bit long; but I couldn't stop! Possible continuation...? I don't know. We'll see how much this is liked.
Retribution
"My Lord, we have them."
A vampire, assistant to his Master, stood in the doorway with a slight smile as he informed his Master of their progress in his plan.
A triumphant, yet completely wicked grin spread across austere lips. His breath left four times in a breathy chuckle.
Victory…
The ominous and looming figure stood slowly from the broken-down chair in which he sat. The only shelter above his head was a filthy canvas tent; one that was portable and easy to set up for a rapidly-needed Command Center. Pieces of rolled up, folded up, slightly ripped, and very beaten pieces of parchment lined the walls.
Parchment filled with the plans that would be his ultimate revenge.
The Volturi…with their three excuses for kings…Caius, Marcus…
Aro…how he detested the name - had stolen his own Master's empire, and continued to control it to this day.
But Aro had underestimated him; how foolish of Aro to let his guard down after all of these years. Of course, the Guard was still in existence, but were they as effective as they have always been?
The most recent report from the man's right-hand has proven 'no'.
"Bring them in," he growled excitedly.
"Yes, Stefan; my Lord,"
The vampire left, going to retrieve Stefan's weapons. The ones he would use to destroy the Volturi from the inside.
The vulnerability of the Volturi kings…
Their only vulnerability—the dreaded 'soft spot's.
Stefan straightened his cloak, almost in a condescending gesture, although he was alone, and no one would see. He was going to be in the presence of 'royalty' after all…
Before his right-hand returned, he could hear a series of struggling sounds. Gasps, grunts, and whimpers. All were feminine.
The sounds of their struggles only lifted his mood higher than it already was. He wanted them to fear for their lives…suffer…he was undecided whether to kill them or not—he would wait to see if either of them would prove to be entertaining for a short time before disposing of them foolishly—and he couldn't wait to get started.
The vampire he sent and a second one appeared through the flap of the tent, walking backwards, and working hard to hold something still in their arms. As soon as they cleared the entry way, they turned around, showing two females in their deadly grips, both being held by their upper arms. The one was still, stumbling forward as my right-hand held her steady; whimpering and grunting quietly in what sounded like flashes of pain as she tried to shift her position, only to be held completely immobile.
The other female was writhing angrily, hissing, grunting, and growling as she struggled to get free. Stefan couldn't help but smile; of course one of them was strong-willed and spirited.
She was Aro's wife, after all.
"Release me!" she hissed, wriggling in her captor's grip once again. Stefan laughed quietly to himself.
"Do keep struggling; it is so very entertaining." Stefan said while chuckling, one hand wandering up to touch the bottom of his chin as he examined the women. "Let me think…"
He stepped forward towards the whimpering and immobile female; her eyes widened and went coal-black in horror. She leaned her head backwards, as if that held any possibility of escape. Stefan stopped advancing, and craned his neck forward, mimicking her head gesture—which to his delight, seemed to alarm her as his face neared hers.
Stefan studied the female. She was fair-haired—not as fair as her coven sister to her side, but lovely nonetheless—with smooth, smaller features that gave her an innocent appearance. Her eyes averted to the side and closed, and Stefan swore he could hear her silent pleas as if they were said aloud.
"Look at me, my dear…" he urged, touching her chin with his finger. She shrunk away from his touch, squeezing her eyes tighter closed and sinking against the vampire that held her; deciding between two evils, she'd rather take the neutral one.
"Are you afraid," Stefan asked softly, as if trying to console a child. "Athenodora?"
Sulpicia hated the way he said her name; as if it was spoken by an admirer, lightly, almost longingly. She hissed in warning.
"Leave her alone!"
Stefan glanced at Sulpicia out of the corner of his eye, his attention still on Athenodora. "You haven't answered my question, poppet."
Athenodora kept her eyes closed, nodding twice quickly, and then flinching as if he was going to strike her.
It made Sulpicia's fury boil.
"Oh…" he sounded surprised, as if he would assure her that she was in no danger, however, he knew very different. "You are correct to be."
Athenodora let out a strangled sob as her lips tightened and began to tremble.
"Enough! Get away from her, you lecherous wretch!" Sulpicia snarled, eyeing Stefan with rage in her crimson eyes.
Stefan pulled away from Athenodora and side-stepped over to Sulpicia—a smirk teasing his lips.
Stefan chuckled, returning her stare with pure amusement. "I must say, you do not disappoint. I've only heard rumors of your behavior, but I have not had the pleasure of experiencing it in person. This is an honor indeed," he tacked on, a tone of condescension in his voice.
"Still your forked tongue," she seethed.
"And so feisty…" he smirked, resisting the urge to touch her cheek. He knew she'd try something ruthless, like biting his finger if it came anywhere near her mouth.
Her luscious-looking, inviting, full lips almost beckoned to him. He could see why Aro was so helplessly attracted to such a siren. And of course she was strong-willed; to be the wife of a ruler is to be constantly under scrutiny. She must have toughened over the years to accommodate her husband's position.
How tragic.
But of course, his purpose was not to seduce Sulpicia. At least…not presently.
"Why have you snatched us from the Fortezza?" she snapped. "Why have you brought us here? What do you want with us?"
Stefan laughed quietly in her face. "So many inquires! Where should I begin?"
Sulpicia scowled. "Why. Have. You. Taken. Us?" she enunciated insultingly, pulling against the hold of her captor again, only to be stilled by a violent and annoyed jerk by her arms. She stilled immediately.
"Very well then; you are both a part of my plan." He was careful not to give away too many of the details, but then again…it was not like they were going to escape and blabber his carefully-constructed plans to their husbands. They wouldn't be allowed to leave the camp. They were to be executed in front of their husbands once they came to retrieve the wives. That, or stay with him forever; claimed as his own mates. Both were dastardly, and completely guaranteed to bring the Volturi kings to their knees.
Then their empire would be his.
"You are merely…'bait', for lack of a better word," Stefan said, eyeing Sulpicia up and down quickly. She growled as his eyes lingered on her Volturi crest that splayed across her fully-developed breasts—and on the soft flesh beneath the symbol.
"What?" she spat.
Stefan grinned evilly, taking a step backwards in order to give himself more space. He began to pace, as if this speech he was about to give was well-rehearsed for an audience.
"Your husbands took something very precious from me," He began, clasping his hands behind his back. "My kingdom…" he whispered.
Sulpicia rolled her eyes, making sure it was elaborate enough for him to see.
And he did.
But to keep this siren from casting her spell, he ignored her motion.
"I, with him, have tried many times over the centuries—"
"Yes, I know; I'm not daft, I was there." She muttered. Stefan stopped in mid-pace, sending her a warning look before continuing.
"And I've finally discovered a weakness." He finished, turning in a half-circle and continuing to pace.
"If you think that kidnapping us and keeping us here is going to cause them to willingly surrender, then you are the one who is daft. If anything, a threat to either of our lives would only strengthen them more. Our deaths would seal your fate." She spoke bravely, unafraid of anything he might rebut with.
Stefan laughed again, malice creeping into his voice. A chill—not similar at all to the ones she only felt around Aro—crept up her spine.
"For being so confident, you truly are so naïve. Keeping you here will be ineffective; there is no doubt. Instead…I am going to destroy your husbands from the inside."
Sulpicia paused. She knew that there were only a few things that could happen that would cripple Aro and Caius beyond repair. The death of Athenodora and herself—proven by Marcus' current apathy and disinterest in the world from his loss of Didyme—and Stefan claiming one or both of them as his own through intimacy.
The very thought of Stefan touching her was enough to make her spew venom.
"No," she grunted against her captor, wriggling again. "No!"
"Yes…" Stefan hissed, becoming more and more excited as the seconds ticked by.
"You are a sick bastard."
"I prefer to think of it as long-awaited genius in a breakthrough plan."
Sulpicia let out a screech, writhing against her restrainer again. "Let go! Release me! Your blasted plan will not work! My husband will surely see to your death-!"
"Ah, but not if his head is severed from his body,"
Sulpicia gasped and froze; images of Aro's lifeless corpse swimming through her mind were enough to reduce her knees to gelatin.
Not my Aro…not mia amore…no…!
"Your husbands know that we have you; they will come soon. And when they do…they and their guard will be ambushed and destroyed."
"But—"
"Do not think that I have forgotten about your husband's collection of formidable gifts. I've collected a few of my own; including a personal shield, berserker, and professional strategist. Your husband and his 'collection' have about enough of a chance of defeating me as a vampire getting into the kingdom of heaven."
Athenodora let out a fully-audibly sob; her face scrunched up in agony.
Stefan thought back through his carefully-constructed plan. Keeping both of the wives would be dangerous enough; they could escape if they pooled their resources. Perhaps his destruction of the kings could begin before they arrived. Perhaps he should end one of the queens now. And once they did arrive, Aro or Caius would immediately fall before the battle had even begun.
But which one?
Aro was his main target, but he wanted a slow and agonizing death for him.
Caius, then.
Stefan smirked and walked towards the back of the tent, to a small old-fashioned wooden stove with a fire burning, and an iron rod sticking out of the jarred door. He picked up the rod and pulled it out completely, revealing a blazing red-hot tip, sizzling as it came into contact with the cooler air.
Torture? Perhaps.
Part of his plan? Of course.
Entertainment? Yes.
Stefan turned to Athenodora and gave her a crooked smile; Athenodora's eyes squeezed closed once again as she began to scream and writhe. Her captor covered her mouth, muffling her screams.
Fire without flame…lethal to a vampire the same as fire. Or at least…to their limbs.
"No!" Sulpicia screamed, bucking furiously to escape her captor's hold, "Please…no! Leave her alone!"
"Hold her still," he commanded. He raised the molten rod towards Athenodora, watching smoke rise and dissolve into the surrounding air with almost a fascination.
"What are you doing? Stop! What do you want?" Sulpicia shouted, all traces of her rage and stubbornness disintegrating, leaving a horrified and weak queen. "What do you want?" she reiterated, voice audibly quaking now.
Stefan neared Athenodora with the hot poker. His plan was to slowly torture her; not to death—not just yet—but to show the women that he was not afraid to hurt them. Being women only made the torture more grisly and difficult for him, but it was indeed much more fun.
Oh, what a sadist I have become…
He imagined Caius' reaction when his fellow vampire colleagues would drag his wife out—void of arms and perhaps an ear or eye—and dropping her onto the ground at his feet. He closed his eyes and relished the imaginary sounds of Caius' rage.
Cutting off the limb of a vampire with flame and burning the edges of the skin would ensure that the limb could not reattach. This was something he had researched and proven thoroughly with his experiments on some unfortunate newborns to cross his path.
His path of unyielding vengeance.
But then again…this torture was unjustified. Sulpicia demanded his terms, and a voice in the back of his head prompted him to share with her what was on his mind.
Her luscious lips inches from his, and he ran his hand up her bare back slowly; savoring the soft and perfect flesh…her breathy moans and sobs in his ear as he claimed her; smothering her with his scent. He knew Aro would rather be killed than surrender his mate to someone else.
Especially his enemy…
Perfect; progression of his plan and personal satisfaction in one, fell swoop.
Stefan stopped, looking to Sulpicia with a serious expression.
"Dearest Sulpicia…you have asked for my terms, and they are as such: you will succumb to me, else I will cut off your coven sister's limbs, and sprinkle their ashes over the body of her husband."
Sulpicia stared, her pupils constricting.
How dare…!
"Never…" she hissed, raising the volume of her voice, "Never!"
Stefan sighed. "Very well then," He feigned disappointment and sorrow as he swung the poker through the air and touched the top of Athenodora's shoulder; the flesh seared and sizzled immediately.
Athenodora let out a blood-curdling scream, collapsing her knees. Her captor lifted her with his inescapable hands, and held her suspended from the ground as the poker cut into her flesh like a hot knife in soft butter.
"STOP!"
But Stefan did not. He didn't need to force the iron poker down; it fell and cut through her skin easily enough without any effort from him. Athenodora ceased screaming, and began moaning in sheer agony. Her face was twisted into an expression of anguish and despair as she felt her arm begin to detach; never to be repaired.
"Stop, please! All right! All right! I'll….I'll do it! I will…!" Sulpicia spluttered, sobs beginning to echo from her.
Stefan raised the poker from Athenodora and dropped it to the ground; hearing it smolder in the dirt. Athenodora wheezed and gasped for air as her arm hung down lower than normal; half-cut off from her shoulder. Venom leaked out from the wound, trailing down her body.
"I'm glad we can come to an agreement," he said quietly, approaching her slowly. She inclined her head and gave him a defiant stare; but saying nothing from her lips. "Come, we shall be brief. Your husbands are due to arrive anytime now."
Sulpicia's captor shoved her forward out of his hold, and straight into Stefan's arms. His hand tightened around her upper arms in vice-like grips. She struggled against him once, but then stopped; as if accepting her fate.
As Stefan planted a passionate and rather rough kiss on her perfect lips, she could only think of one thing.
No, Aro…don't come…
I love you…
Translations: 'Fortezza'-fortress (Referring to the castle in Volterra)