The day of the confrontation dawned cold and dreary. Snow already coated the ground even as the snowfall slowed to flurries. Tauren stared out into the forest, hands clasped behind her. "And so the snow sticks."
"You're brave for staying around," Garrett observed, standing beside her. "The Volturi will think you're human."
"Ah, let them. It's more fun that way. Like they could touch me anyway," She said with a scoff.
"This goes bad, you think you can fight them off?"
"Absolutely. Unfortunately I think it won't get quite so interesting. I have a bit of a sixth sense for trouble, and it's not exactly tingling."
Garrett chuckled. "Probably for the best."
"Tauren! Can I talk to you, please? Alone?" Bella asked, coming up beside them.
Garrett gave them a nod. "I'll leave you two to talk."
"I need you to do something for me," Bella murmured, after they went deeper into the surrounding woods away from prying ears.
"What do you need?"
"If it comes to a fight, I don't want you to stay."
Indignation was written clear on Tauren's face. "What? Why? You do realize that I am more than capable of killing your kind, right?"
"It's not because I don't think you can fight, it's the exact opposite. Jake is going to take Renesmee, if it comes to a fight, and I want you to go with them. Protect her for me, please. You're the only other person that I trust with this," Bella explained.
"Alright," Tauren relented after a moment's deliberation. "Don't worry, Bella. I'll keep her safe."
"Thank you, Tauren. Thank you." Bella wrapped her older sister in a rare, unexpected hug. The two were never close, but the were sisters, and Tauren loved Bella despite her many flaws.
Tauren gave Bella's back a jerky, awkward pat. "Of course, Bella."
Bella glanced over just before Edward appeared from the trees - she had heard him approaching. His face was grave. "It's time."
Tauren rolled her shoulders, feeling the muscles flex in her back, and followed after her sister and brother-in-law. The large, snow-covered field was empty when they arrived, and Tauren likely wasn't the only one to realize how small their numbers would be in comparison to the Volturi's if it came down to a fight. And yet Bella wanted her to leave, to protect Renesmee, when Tauren's best use would be in the midst of the battle.
Renesmee glanced back to where Tauren stood shortly behind her, alone, her brown eyes full of worry. In response, her aunt offered her an easy smile. "Relax, little flower. Everything will be alright."
"Okay," She whispered, looking a little comforted at the words.
Tauren tucked her hands into the pockets of her coat, her relaxed and open stance a stark contrast to those surrounding her. There were many things in this world that scared Tauren, but vampires had never been one of them. Her senses weren't as heightened as that of her vampire companions, but she could feel the opposing force's approach through the ground.
"The redcoats are coming, the redcoats are coming," Garrett murmured, bouncing on his toes with nervous energy.
They spanned the other side of the field, and Tauren suspected that they had widened their approach to be more threatening, not that they needed it. By sheer numbers alone the Volturi was an intimidating force. Even the Cullens, the second-largest and most powerful coven, was a mere blip on the radar compared to the might of the Volturi.
As they walked, some members split off, and Tauren easily made out the three that formed the head of the procession. Aro, Marcus, and Caius, the feared leaders of the vampire world. Fanned behind them were their highest, most powerful guard. The witch twins, Jane and Alec. Demetri and Felix, the lethal duo that were closer than brothers. Behind them was the rest, the lower guard, most of which who contained unique powers of their own.
Felix's power was perhaps the only one that could truly touch Tauren. His heightened strength past that of a typical vampire was solely a physical advantage, and Tauren could not combat a gift such as that.
"Aro is looking for Alice," Edward murmured. "He hasn't noticed the extra heartbeat yet."
He was, of course, referring to Tauren's heart, which was strong and steady and sounded entirely human despite the fact that she was anything but.
The wolves appeared now, slinking out of the woods to join the Cullens' ranks with low growls. Tauren was familiar with most of their members, though the size of the packs had grown since she had last saw them many months ago. She offered Jacob a respectful nod upon his approach, which he returned.
Their arrival gave the Volturi pause, and for a long moment they were still before in unison removing their hoods. Tauren suspected that their flair for dramatics could rival that of her own kind.
Carlisle stepped forward, speaking at normal volume to the opposing force. "Aro. Let us discuss things as we used to. In a civilized manner."
"Fair words, Carlisle. But a little out of place, given the battalion you've assembled against us," Aro said, his voice smooth and dangerous.
"I can promise you that was never my intent. No laws have been broken."
"We see the child, do not treat us as fools," Caius said, staring at Carlisle in disdain.
For the first time Carlisle raised his voice, and it rang clearly throughout the field. "She is not an immortal. These witnesses can attest to that. Or you can look. See the flush of human blood in her cheeks."
"Artifice!" Caius spat.
Aro raised a hand to still his brother. "I will collect every facet of the truth, but from someone more central to the story. Edward, as the child clings to your newborn mate, I assume you are involved."
Edward stroked a hand through Renesmee's hair before approaching. Tauren stepped forward, placing her hands on Renesmee's shoulders as the girl moved to stand beside Jacob. Tauren watched the guard through sharp, wary eyes, knowing they would be the ones to make the first move.
Finally, Edward reached Aro's outstretched arm and placed his hand within the Volturi king's. After a long, taut moment, Aro let Edward's hand slip through his fingers, eyes transfixed on Renesmee, and Tauren who stood with her.
Tauren met his gaze, tilting her head in a challenging sort of way as a smirk played on her lips.
"I'd like to meet her," Aro said softly. Jacob growled.
"Calm, Jacob," Tauren murmured. She walked forward with them, dropping her hands from Renesmee's shoulders to take her hand instead. Jacob weaved back and forth behind them, teeth bared in a snarl. They paused for a moment, glancing back, and waited as Emmett stepped forward to join them. Tauren had never seen his face so grave.
He stood beside her when they finally stopped in front of the Volturi. Aro's milky red eyes moved over them, finally settling on her sister. "Ah, young Bella. Immortality becomes you."
"You bring a human with you? Dare you break two rules today?" Caius spat, interrupting his brother. His eyes were focused on Tauren.
Tauren smirked. "Not quite."
"Have some respect," He spat.
The ground rumbled underneath them as Tauren's eyes narrowed dangerously. "I suggest you show some."
"Peace. This is no human," Aro said, raising his hand. He was seemingly oblivious to the unrest that had stirred amongst his guard - both Felix and Demetri had tensed, bodies coiled like springs.
Caius hissed in response. "I hear her heart, Aro!"
"I am a guardian of nature, my heart connects me to the world," Tauren said levelly, looking Caius dead in the eye. "Will you risk inciting the wrath of a fae?"
Some of the guard shuffled uneasily, having run-ins with Tauren's kind before. This too Aro ignored. "What is your name?"
"I am Tauren Swan," She said, the square of her shoulders showing her refusal to be intimidated by them.
"Your family is truly extraordinary, Bella," Aro said, his attention drifting away. Tauren was acutely aware that the stare of many of the guard did not leave her. Aro let out a strange, incredulous laugh. "I hear her strange heart."
Renesmee glanced up at her parents before stepping forward. Aro stretched out a hand, expectant, but she bypassed this, placing her hand instead on his cheek. "Hello, Aro."
"Magnifico," He breathed, awed by what she had shown him. They drew away as he turned to address his guard. "Half mortal. Half immortal. Conceived and carried by this newborn while she was still human."
"Impossible," Caius said.
"Do you think they fooled me, brother?" Aro asked, a challenge clear in his voice.
Jacob gave a loud snarl as the group began to walk away. Tauren paused, placing a warning hand on his flank. "Jacob."
There was a growl from Felix, and for the first time Edward looked startled as Aro turned toward his guard, eyebrows raised. "Felix?"
"Master," Felix said obediently, pulling off his glove to offer his hand.
Displeased as he was, Aro obliged his guard, touching their hands to read whatever insight Felix had. "Interesting. Both of you?"
Demetri bowed his head. "Yes, Master."
"Marcus," Aro said, and the other Volturi leader briefly touched his hand to Aro's. "Remarkable."
"What?" Caius asked, displeased on being left out. If the other guard were confused, they did not show it.
Aro murmured so that only Caius could hear, and whatever was spoken left Caius with an expression other than his normal stony one - surprise. It only lasted for a moment before it was back to its impenetrable mask, and he did not voice his thoughts. "Bring the informant forward."
Irina Denali came forward, eyes seeking out that of her sisters. There was sorrow in them. Caius pointed at Renesmee. "Is that the child you saw?"
"I'm not sure," She said, her voice trembling. Tauren felt a stab of pity for her.
"Jane," Caius said.
"She's changed," Irina continued, before Jane could employ her gift. "This child is bigger."
"Then your allegations were false." It wasn't a question.
"The Cullens are innocent. I take full responsibility for my mistake." Her last words were barely a whisper, spoken only to her family. "I'm sorry."
"Caius no!" Edward yelled as the guard moved without verbal orders, a torch already lit.
"Stay where you are, Edward, there's nothing we can do," Tauren said sharply.
Irina was dismembered as her sisters screamed, and Tauren turned, snapping her fingers. The snow around the sisters feet surged up and turned to stone, giving them enough pause for the vampires around them to hold them back.
"Blind them," Edward ordered desperately, moving to approach them.
Renesmee mounted Jacob during the chaos, clinging to the werewolf's fur, and Tauren met Bella's eyes and gave her a small nod. "Say the word and we'll go."
"Not yet," Bella said softly, their voices inaudible next to the screams.
Edward reemerged at the front, and Tauren tensed as Jane spoke. "Pain."
Edward groaned and dropped, and Tauren's fist clenched. The wind picked up, howling in an eerie echo around them. Unlike Bella, the protective field Tauren possessed wasn't extendable to others. "Focus, Bella."
Bella started forward, jaw clenching as she closed her eyes and activated her shield, desperate to protect her mate. And then Edward stilled, gasping for unneeded air. Tauren smirked as Jane glanced around, her power useless against their numbers. Bella's shield was protecting them all.
"Well done," Tauren murmured.
"It's working," Edward said, returning to Bella's side.
Jane started forward, furious, but was caught by Alec. He was the more level-headed of the two, perhaps why his gift creeped forward when he unleashed it. Aro held a hand, and Alec stopped instantly, giving his master a confused look.
"Aro, you see there is no law broken here," Carlisle said.
"Agreed. But does it then follow that there is no danger? For the first time in our history, humans pose a threat to our kind. Their modern technology has given birth to weapons that could destroy us. Maintaining our secret has never been more imperative.
"In such perilous times, only the known is safe. Only the known is tolerable. And we know nothing of what this child will become. Can we live with such uncertainty? Spare ourselves a fight today, only to die tomorrow." Aro paused as his words took effect.
Tauren's attention was distracted as new footsteps disturbed the ground. "Alice," Edward said, even as Aro gasped in delight.
The Volturi guard stepped forward, slamming into Alice and Jasper as they did not slow their approach towards the kings. Aro looked thrilled. "My dear, dear Alice, we're so glad to see you here after all."
"I have evidence the child won't be a risk to our kind," She said. "Let me show you."
"Brother," Caius said, hoping to keep Aro back. But the head of the Volturi motioned Alice forward, and she harshly shoved the guard off of her as she stepped forward to meet him. She placed her hand in his, and for several moments all was still. He dropped it abruptly, as if burned, and Tauren was certain that whatever Alice had saw made him incredibly uneasy.
"Now you know," Alice said, contempt dripping in her voice. "That's your future. Unless you decide on another course."
"We cannot alter our course, the child still poses a grave threat," Caius said.
Tauren scoffed audibly, enough that all three kings' eyes snapped to hers. This didn't seem to bother her. Her voice was condescending. "She's half vampire. See, in my kind, hybrids tend to be weaker than their full-blooded brethren."
"Tauren," Carlisle said, warning in his tone.
She shrugged unapologetically, and Aro deigned responding despite Caius' indignant snarl. Both Felix and Demetri growled lowly at their master, and several of those from the Volturi and Cullen sides alike exchanged perplexed glances at their behavior - insubordination within the Volturi ranks was practically unheard of.
"What if you were sure that she could remain concealed from the human world?" Edward questioned. "Could we leave in peace?"
"Of course, but that cannot be known," Caius said factually. While Tauren was incredulous that they believed Renesmee could pose a threat, she had to concede that he had justification in his concern.
"Actually, it can," Edward said calmly, exchanging a smile with Alice.
Tauren smirked as two more individuals stepped onto the field, their footsteps light against the snow. They were wild, beings fully acclaimed to nature, and Tauren respected them at once, as she did the Amazons.
Alice turned back to the kings. "I've been searching for witnesses of my own. Among the Ticuna tribes of Brazil."
"We have enough witnesses," Caius said, even as Aro cut him off.
"Let him speak, brother."
"I am half human, half vampire. Like the child. A vampire seduced my mother, who died giving birth to me. My aunt Huilen raised me as her own. I made her immortal," Nahuel said.
"How old are you?" Bella asked, surging forward. Tauren understood her concern - Renesmee was aging much faster than a normal human.
Nahuel turned toward them. "150 years."
"At what age did you reach maturity?" Aro asked, edging forward. Caius and Marcus, who flanked him, did the same.
"I became full-grown seven years after my birth," He said. "I have not changed since then."
Tauren glanced up at Renesmee with a smile, giving her a small wink. Bella, too, looked back to exchange a smile with her daughter.
"And your diet?" Aro asked.
"Blood, human food. I can survive on either."
"These children are much like us." For the first time Marcus spoke, his voice low and hoarse.
"Regardless the Cullens have been consorting with werewolves," Caius inputted, still desperate for a fight. "Our natural enemies."
Wordlessly, Aro placed a hand on Caius' shoulder and shook his head. "Dear ones, there is no danger here. We will not fight today."
Caius was among the first to turn and race off. Tauren grinned, no longer interested in the Volturi as she flicked her hand, the air lifting Renesmee off of Jacob's back and on to the snowy ground. "What did I tell you, little flower?"
"That it would be alright," She said with a radiant smile.
Tauren glanced up, eyes locking with the last of the Volturi to remain - Aro, Demetri, and Felix, their eyes trained solely upon her. The two guards held wistfulness in their gazes, and Aro's held intrigue. Tauren gave them one last smirk before turning and snapping her fingers.
Abruptly, a load of snow fell on Bella's head.
"Tauren!" She shrieked angrily, shaking the snow out of her hair. The tension that had been so thick before vanished as Tauren's impish laughter rang through the air.
"Can you do that to Daddy, too?" Renesmee asked, delighted.
"You have to catch me first," Edward said with a grin, which faded as he attempted to move and nearly fell over. The snow around him had turned to stone, and he too was dumped with a pile of snow as he pulled his feet free. Unlike Bella, he was a much better sport, and laughed along with everyone else even as the Romanians left with snarls, displeased.
The wolves turned, walking off pausing to glance back at Tauren. Sam gave a small, questioning bark, and Tauren shook her head. "I can't. It's not safe. If they find out I'm here, even all these combined forces could not save me from their wrath. Tell Emily I said hello."
Sam bobbed his head in acceptance before turning and following his pack into the woods. Carlisle came to squeeze Tauren's shoulder. "Thank you for your help here today."
"It was a pleasure. I do enjoy a little mayhem every once in a while," She said with a grin.
"Will you stay for much longer?"
"You're welcome to stay with us if you'd like," Esme inputted.
"For a few more days. I want to spend some time with my dad. Then it's back to Wyoming. I can't risk Adira or myself by staying here for too long, it could get us all killed," Tauren said as they walked at human pace back towards the Cullen home. "You and your family are always welcome to visit."
"That's very generous of you," Carlisle said. "I'm sure Rose will be, Adira made quite the impression on her."
The trees whispered around them, bringing a silent message. Someone was waiting. Tauren stopped. Esme looked back. "Everything alright?"
"Keep going, I'll meet you back at the house. The forest carries a message for me," She said calmly. The mated pair shared a glance before nodding.
"Very well. Be careful," He said, and they disappeared in a blink.
Tauren pressed her hand to the bark of a towering pine. "Many blessings, ancient one. Show me the way."
The tree whispered to her, telling her what awaited within the forest. After several moments, she rested her forehead against the bark. "Thank you. May your roots run ever deeper."
She dropped her hand and stepped purposefully into the forest, guided by the tree's directions. For several minutes she traveled, the snow crunching under her boots as she walked through the trees.
Her steps slowed as she caught sight of them, black blots against a palette of white and green and brown. Tauren stopped several yards away, facing the two men with an unfazed expression.
Their hoods were still down, not that they needed them for warmth, and for a long moment there was nothing but silence as they regarded each other. Finally, Tauren spoke. "Felix and Demetri Volturi. I'm surprised to see you away from your masters. What can I do for you?"
Hey everyone, it's me again! I hope you all had a good holiday, I know that I had a nice one! I've got the second part here for you (which has actually been done a couple days) so I hope you enjoy it! Thanks to all those who have commented, I appreciate the support! If you're enjoying Tauren's story so far, consider following/favoriting and dropping me a comment to show your support. I'll appreciate it more than you know. Later guys!