A/N: Hello my lovelies! I was so discouraged that I wasn't getting reviews and I kind of was about to just drop it but then a person who I always review stories for because they're a flippin' awesome author told me that if I liked it, that was all that mattered! So I felt soooooooo much better and decided to continue writing!
Disclaimer: If I owned twilight, I'd be a Mormon. I'm not so I don't.
Chapter 3: Troubled Negotiations
Edward Pov
It was a long and hard day. All my duties were at last fulfilled and yet the Kingdom was still in total chaos. My father King Carlisle Cullen the fifteenth was lord and master over Volterra; many years ago his forefathers had overruled the Volturi winning the first battle and since then many battles have perused over lost lands and lost power. Father wasn't a bad King but he wasn't being given the chance to show his great skills and strength in leadership. As a matter of fact since he became King many smaller wars have taken place and a secret bandit and murderer whom we believe to have been hired by the Volturi and goes by the name of "The Flame" has been torturing our elite society for the past ten years! The Elite society was turning against my Father and if something wasn't done about it soon the entire Kingdom would fall under the vicious rule of the Volturi once again.
My father had called me into his chambers where he stood pacing by the bookshelf. His naturally blonde hair, which was usually combed down was sticking out in every direction and his evergreen eyes were bloodshot and almost lime colored from his levels of stress. When I came in he quickly motioned for me to follow him. Silently He pulled a secret and hollowed out novel from the bottom most shelves; tilting the book at a forty degree angle he grunted with effort and the giant mahogany bookcase slid rapidly but silently to the left revealing a set of spiraling black marble stairs. I followed allowing the bookcase to close as I descended behind him. He began to speak in a hurried and hushed tone as we descended into further blackness.
"My Son, Our Kingdom is in danger! As you know the Elite's children have gone missing and have been recovered killed, burned in the worst fashion. What you may not know is that I have discovered that the Elite's plot to overthrow me, especially Michael Newton. He has had his heart set upon courting and wedding your older cousin Rosalie and I shall not… will not allow it." He turned off the stair case and onto a long dimly lit and cobweb infested hall. He continued to speak, "Their plot has already been set into motion. They have ties with this "Flame" and they have even had ties with my own family- "My anger flared. Who on God's green earth would do such a thing in our family? Certainly not my dearest cousin Rosalie? Not my eccentric Sister Alice nor could it be my loving Mother Esme… who then!? I hadn't noticed that I had stopped walking until my Father's grabbed hold of me, "Son, your girlfriend… Tanya of Denali… she is their spy!" I wrenched my arm from his, "You lie!" I hissed in an outrage. His eyes drooped in sadness and I instantly regretted saying anything in such a harsh tone. "How can you be so sure?" I asked in a softer tone. He began walking again and pulled a file from within his golden robes. I opened the small package of scrolls and saw many letters addressed to magistrates and city officials cutting food rations, ordering the deaths of highly regarded citizens; there were even some that demanded that all churches be burned to the ground and all priests, ministers and men of the cloth be hung. All of these articles were signed in my name. In her print. I was outraged… no furious… no disgusted… no intensely and resolutely prepared to end her life! There was no word or phrase strong enough to describe the level of heinous evil that filled my mind. I snarled as my father made a sharp right turn into a brightly lit room filled with items for traveling.
I looked down at my feet as he scurried about gathering items to travel in. He must be going and leaving me in charge. "Son… Edward. Their plan is to overtake this castle by force and kill all of us. They have planted false documents in my name as well as your mothers and sister and even your cousin! They have created false letters from us to the Volturi stating that we have been harboring falsities about our loyalty to the people and the Volturi have falsified their own letters in response claiming valor and honor where we have none they claim to have much. When it comes time for the war, they will spare the elite's whose names are on a special list. Their Commander, "The Flame" has this list. I need someone trained in combat, stealth, and who is willing to die for what they believe in to undertake this mission. If I have this list then, I will be able to put an end to this madness. I will know who is a traitor to the crown. I can forge a new list with the names that aren't on the original and then this person must return the new list before it is missed. This is the most important mission of all… Can you handle it?" I stuttered, "M-m-m-m… me?" He nodded. His crystal clear green eyes seeming for the first time in years full of hope. I slowly kneeled before him, yes I was ready to die for this country, and yes I was ready to become a spy and a warrior for justice.
Midnight
I trudged silently up the slope, sweat trickling down my back making the thick wool stick to my skin and chafe horribly. I groaned inwardly, I had left the castle hours ago with the hopes of reaching the secret entrance soon but apparently this secret lair was heavily guarded and an excruciating twelve days from the castle by foot, ten by carriage, six by horseback. We were planning on riding horses. I fidgeted as my companion, Ben Cheney and I came upon his contacts who were right hand men to "The Flame" himself. The taller one with burly muscles and an extremely boyish face for his height and girth introduced himself as Lord Emmett of the McCarthy household and the tall lanky but lean muscular man with ice blue eyes and white-blonde hair was named Jasper. He looked familiar and he reminded me that at one point he used to be the son of General Horton Whitlock of my father's army (although I did not mention the King as being related to me). Jasper believed that his father had become corrupt and so denounced his rights as firstborn and became a part of the opposition… to serve justice. The two men had brought along one extra horse each, a butterscotch one named Yuma and a grey one named Ukase.
The deeper we travelled into the forest, the less light seemed to shine through. My back muscles were tense and sore from riding for days on end but according to Emmett we were close. I felt the mighty presence of many eyes watching us as we made our way through to the deepest and darkest part of the Forest which now resembled a jungle. I had to maneuver my horse around large holes in the ground where sunlight shone down into the dark abyss beneath us. Emmett and Jasper pulled to an abrupt stop in front of a cavern. It seemed far too small for all of us to fit inside and even worse than that a man who wore a billowing white shirt ( like a pirate), a pair of fitted black slacks and buccaneer boots stood with a large sword tied to his waist and gun in his hand. His olive brown skin emitted an eerie glow in this light. He grunted and held up his hand in a sign I didn't recognize, Emmett and Jasper responded by holding up their palms where the "Flame" insignia was burned into their skin in raised print. The pirate man nodded and all of us dismounted, he took our horses away while Emmett rummaged through a box the man had left behind. He shouted in exultation when he found exactly what he was looking for, pirate clothing similar to what the pirate man had been wearing. We all dispersed to change and re-congregated at the caves entrance. Jasper led the way grabbing a torch off the wall as he went. We walked for what seemed to be hours until we reached a fork in the dirt path and the dank and dark cave twisted into something completely and utterly different. The ground here was firm and the rocks were slippery with the slime. Above us were millions of bats, stalagmites and glowing crystals. The four of us took a left turn at the fork in the road to find a sharp decline and as suddenly as we had descended we reached a tall metal gate where there seemed to be hundreds of men walking, laughing and guarding the entrance to this forbidden place.
"Oye! Who goes there!?" A tall thin red headed teen asked from atop his perch on a piece of rock that was jutting out from the cave wall. "The King, Lad! Bow to your superiors!" I shouted back up too him. I wasn't usually this unkind to young children but sleep deprivation and nothing but moldy bread for six days can certainly make a man mad. The teen sneered while my comrades guffawed heartily, he jumped back further on his rock to watch for others coming. We walked straight up to the gate and after seeing who it was, the guards called out the command and the giant metal doors creaked open and a long winding trail with grassy knolls and nice colorful tiny houses were spotted all over the hills. I was in awe of a place so beautiful.
"Aw! Home sweet home!" Emmett inhaled the air greedily as Jasper made quick work of securing a cab to take us into the main village for lunch and into the training grounds later on for my branding ceremony. I inwardly shuddered, I had experienced pain before but having a red hot iron pressed to your palm was definitely not what I was used to nor was something I looked forward too.
We rode into town past the rolling hills and the babbling brooks. Past the tall evergreen trees and little country school house, markets and post office; past the cemetery with its creepy headstones and withering flowers; and straight into what looked to be a city made of gold. There were no houses here and the streets were made of pure, flattened granite. Jasper laughed at my expression, "We're not there yet. This is merely the shopping center for the civilians." My eyes widened even more at the bronze colored buildings and fancy looking shops and people meandering on the streets laden with bags upon bags of expensive looking items. At last we headed downwards, going into a tunnel that seemed to slope at an almost 180 degree angle down into an even deeper part of the city. This was not a city, I thought to myself. This is a universe.
The Horses broke into a wild sprint and Emmett threw his hands in the air screaming like a little girl in excitement. The rest of us broke out laughing, too amused to find this break neck speed dangerous. We finally broke out onto a huge never ending plateau where the cave went on for miles and finally as the carriage pulled to a trot I pushed my head out of the window to see the most beautiful city I had ever laid eyes on… the old ruins of ancient Volterra! I had thought them to be lost but it was obvious we had not searched hard enough or in this case deep enough. My heart swelled with pride. This place was beautiful.
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I had wanted with all my heart to explore the city but both Emmett and Jasper assured me that there would be time between training sessions. The carriage hadn't been able to take us down from the plateau because the only way to enter this part of the city was on foot, down a series of naturally formed stairs and down into the heart of Forks. After a hearty lunch of Lamb and roasted garlic stuffed mushrooms, tomatoes and basil bisque followed by roasted duck and a side of vegetables and potatoes; we went our separate ways. I was told to head over to the four tiered fork by the giant evergreen tree and meet my guide who will be ensuring that I follow all the rules and arrive safely and promptly to the training camp. Here in this sunny place, it was as if I were up 'there' again. The breezes and the steady streams of sunlight flowing down, I wondered if this were real and not a perfect dream. An older woman with no teeth whatsoever pointed me to the right direction and I followed a steady path that led into the forest and past a farm into another part of the evergreen forest until the smells and sounds of this city were washed away and replaced by nature. I meandered forward, finally finding a thin worn trail where I could see wheel tracks from the carriages that come through here. I wasn't quite paying attention when a small framed body ran right into mine. I looked down to see the most gorgeous woman I had ever had the privilege to lay eyes on. Her body was flush against mine and her entire outfit left hardly anything to the imagination. It was not revealing but it did hug every curve just right. I smiled down at her and my breath caught when her creamy pale skin caught fire and her full luscious lips opened. I swear I lost all coherent thought because the next thing I knew the brown eyed vixen, Bella she said her name was, was sashaying my way making my friend downstairs – ahem- stand at attention.
I have never been a man for foul language but when she pulled my bottom lip into her mouth and slowly but firmly wrapped her tiny warm hand around my length, I lost it. If it hadn't been for the sound of a carriage approaching, I would have thrown her on the ground and fucked her into oblivion. I began plotting, as soon as we got in that carriage I would take her. The carriage driver laughed and asked her about how she could disregard the rules so easily and not be destroyed by the Commander "Flame". I didn't like the way he spoke to her with that… condescending tone as if she weren't old enough to make her own decisions. I proceeded to question him on how he knew her only to find out that she was the flipping daughter of the flipping FLAME!!!
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A/N: Sorry I skipped the lemon because I wanted to give you a new one next chapter.
Later that night
I sat in the carriage with Bella in my arms… naked. She was whispering my name and damn it all, I felt like a King above Kings. Never had I felt this way with Tanya or even Lauren. I had never in my life felt so in love with a woman before; pure, unadulterated, need for a person before. I admit, had I known that my Bella was a virgin before, I would've gone slowly and made love to her instead of fucking her senseless. Ah my Bella. I reveled in the thought, drowned in these strong sensations and resurfaced a man with one desire… to make her mine.
I realized we were getting closer so I dressed her in her clothing and when Billy (the carriage driver) opened the door, I carried her to her father's office saying that the blistering heat and lack of lunch had sent her body into overtime. Billy was frantic and the man ran ahead to open the office door where her Father whom my father's kingdom feared stood with barely an emotion on his face. Seeing his daughter in my arms, asleep and mumbling things almost made him smile, instead he rolled his eyes and in a gruff voice that sent chills through my spine he asked, "What'd she do this time? Trip over air?" I heard a snort and saw a man who was slightly taller than I and just as young with russet brown skin and long black hair encircling his face. He was well built and had the insignia on his upper left forearm. He laughed unnecessarily hard at the comment and turned to me trying to glare with a sense of violence but seemed to only manage an upset stomach look. I laid her down on the bed that Billy had unfolded in the corner. While my back was turned, I heard the "Flame" say in his gruff voice, "Meet me outside young man. We have things to discuss if you're joining me. Let's go, Billy, Jacob. Five minutes." He looked at me sternly and I noticed for the first time that he was a very fit man. If Bella was a young woman, 18 or 19 then He must be close to forty or maybe fifty yet he didn't look a day over 25. I sure hope I will look that good when I get older. I slowly began to trace her features with my thumb and slowly I leaned over with a kiss on her lower lip and she smiled and sighed contentedly in her sleep. "Sweet dreams, My Bella".
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The "Flame" held out his hand to me and I bowed before him before taking it and giving a firm handshake. He actually appeared pleased as we walked side by side in comfortable silence, which is before Jacob began to babble incessantly about Bella's clumsiness. I could see he tried very hard to make a joke and impress him as it seems I did but to no avail. Eventually night began to fall and the "Flame" began to question me, we had walked side by side reaching a large wooden circle that resembled a corral. There was a small iron stick with the insignia at the end and a bucket of water as well. The "Flame" leaned against the wood and looked at me and for the first time in a couple of hours stopped asking questions, then without breaking our serious eye contact he asked Jacob and Billy to go fetch his wife and younger daughter. They immediately took off, running about like chickens with their heads cut off. It was a humorous sight that I caught in my peripheral vision but refrained from laughing as the man spoke carefully, "You have a demeanor about you that I like. I can always tell whether or not I like someone when I first meet them. I like you. It seems my daughter would also have taken a liking to you." My eyebrows shot up. What?! Did he know about what we did? Maybe we weren't as quiet as we thought we were in the carriage. As if he were answering my question he straightened up and walked forward until we were face to face, "I don't condone what you did but I know my child like the back of my hand. She doesn't cave to pressure, smooth talkers or idiots. You must be one hell of a man to have stolen her heart that quickly." He now stood a couple of inches away from my face, still grimacing. "With all due respect sir..." I hedged with as much confidence as I could muster, "I believe that she has stolen my heart as well." He nodded and placed his hand on my shoulder. "I have a feeling that you are gonna bring this place great luck. Welcome to the family… son." Without another word he walked over to the branding stick and placed it into the fire for a couple of moments then walked over to my right arm and ripped away the fabric before branding me.
I don't know how long I was lying on the ground for but I do know that I looked up to see my angel running to me in nothing but a nightgown. I was instantly hard and the pain in my arm disappeared as if by magic. Perhaps it was because all of the blood in my body drained to one spot. I stood and stumbled to her wrapping my arms around her body before she crushed our lips together. It was heavenly, that is the last thing I remember before my perfect world went black.
A/N: Alright a bit of suspense there but just to recap, The "Flame" knows what they did and the only reason he condones it is because deep down he's still a dad and doesn't want to lose his daughter, also women in his family are fertile as HELL; he also suspects that Edward isn't who he says he is. In the next chapter I will reveal his alias and we will see how Jacob reacts to Edward and Bella's being together. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW
