Chapter 3: The Evil
The dark sorcerer was scarcely seen or heard of, but there he was, encased in the evil flames. He strode proudly forward out of the flames, stopping after a few feet. With one crack of his staff on the floor, the green flames were instantly put out. Every word halted in the Great Hall as everyone waited to hear what he had to say. Demitri, his crow, soared through the window and landed on the tip of his staff to scowl at the court.
"Why, it's Aro!" Bella breathed, covering her mouth with a gasp.
"What does he want here?" Alice snapped, her hands on her tiny hips.
"Shhhh!" Rosalie quieted them. "We need to hear what he says!"
And she was right. Aro was not to be trifled with. He hadn't made an appearance in the kingdom of Forks for many years, and was usually the subject of gossipers and scary tales told late at night.
Aro had been a tortured conjuror of dark arts and terrible magic since before anyone could remember. Carlisle's grandfather had banished him from the land nearly two centuries ago. He was rarely seen or heard from, yet he still held a grudge against the kingdom with every fiber of his being. Silence fell over the Great Hall as they waited for the evil sorcerer to speak. He stepped forward, his greenish skin a bleak contrast with his drab, black cloak as it dragged heavily across the polished floor.
"King Carlisle, what a glittering assembly!" he suddenly cried out, a phony smile decorating his features. Everyone in the room jumped in shock. Aro leered menacingly at the cradle, his eyes falling on the baby inside. "Nobility...royalty...and..." he turned to the three fairies, his lip turning up slightly, "and how quaint. Even the riff-raff."
"Oh! I oughta..." Alice growled, lunging forward. Rosalie and Bella gasped, their hands darting out to grab their sister.
Aro ignored her.
"I really felt quite distressed about not receiving my invitation," he replied smoothly.
"You weren't invited or welcome!" Alice chimed again in her dainty voice.
Aro feigned surprise. "Not...not wanted? Oh...well well well...what an awkward situation I'm in. You see, I had hoped that my invitation had been merely overlooked, but now...now I shall take my leave since I'm not wanted here..." he trailed off, turning to leave.
Esme felt her stomach lurch. There was no way Aro would make an appearance such as this and leave without something else. He had been a fixture of her worst nightmares since she was a small girl, and he wasn't known for leaving anywhere peacefully.
"You're not offended?" she heard herself ask. Carlisle clutched her arm, glancing down at his wife in shock.
"Why no, Your Majesty! And to show I bear no ill will, I too shall bestow a gift upon the child."
All three fairies and all three knights crowded closer around the cradle with the baby princess, their eyes wide and fearful, yet ready to protect.
"Listen well, all of you!" Aro suddenly cried out, stabbing the stone floor with his staff. The resounding crack made everyone in attendance jump. "The Princess shall grow lovely indeed. Beloved by all who know her. But," he growled, raising his staff, "before the sun sets on her seventeenth birthday, she shall prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and DIE!"
The room was shrouded in gasps as Aro raised his staff high in the air, the whites of his evil eyes showing. The fairies quivered in front of the cradle, trying to muster the courage to step in. However, the power of Aro was known throughout the land and no one dared defy him.
"Seize that evil creature!" Carlisle bellowed suddenly, his anger getting the best of him. Despite his fear, he stood tall. He knew that Aro might strike him dead where he stood with a flick of his wrist, but no being should speak ill of his newborn daughter, least of all an evil sorcerer.
The guards trembled for a split second before leaping to action, ready to protect their new princess. Aro lifted his arms, his black cloak nearly cocooning him as the green flames returned. Another loud clap of lightning sounded, shaking the room as the panicked guards rushed towards the evil sorcerer. The flames grew, making them shield their faces and eyes in fear. With an evil, menacing laugh, Aro and his accomplice, Demitri vanished.
Silence rang out through the Great Hall, everyone's faces ashen with shock. An evil sorcerer had just appeared and cursed the new princess! They were all aghast as all eyes turned to the king and queen. Esme whimpered, scooping her baby out of the cradle and holding her to her chest, tears falling down her face. Carlisle patted her shoulder, his other hand reaching out to touch his daughter's head.
"We'll get him!" Sir Emmett boomed. "We won't let him get away with that."
"No spinning wheel shall ever come near her, Your Highness," Sir Jasper assured the queen.
"We will die before any harm comes to her, Your Majesties," Sir Edward added solemnly. Esme wept into Renesmee's blanket as Carlisle gave them a stern nod.
"We will have council over this until we come to a conclusion. Tonight," he said firmly.
All three knights nodded as the fairies rushed to Esme's side. "Don't despair, Your Majesties," Rosalie spoke gently, "for Mistress Alice still has her gift to give."
Everyone in the room looked up with hopeful gazes towards Alice, who was standing beside the cradle, biting her lip nervously.
"So...Mistress Alice can undo this evil curse that Aro has placed upon our innocent child?"
Alice shifted on her feet. "Well...no, sire," she admitted woefully, clasping her hands behind her back.
"But she can certainly help," Mistress Bella pointed out, putting her hand on the Queen's shoulder. Esme looked up, her gaze desperate and full of despair.
"Aro's dark curse is far too powerful for me to undo, but...Bella is right. I can help soften it," she said quietly.
"Then, please proceed," the king begged, rushing to her side. He gently pushed the tiny baby towards the queen. Esme carefully placed little Renesmee back in her cradle so that Alice could do what she could.
Alice looked around the silent hall, still chewing her lip as she glanced over her shoulder. With a wave of her little golden wand, she took a deep breath, tiptoeing over the cradle. Sparks of emerald green began to fall from the tip as she spoke.
"Do your best," Rosalie whispered at her.
"I'll do my best," Alice whispered before turning to the princess.
"Sweet princess, if this evil spell comes true and all is lost, a ray of hope there still may be; the gift I give to thee. Not in death, but just in sleep, the faithful prophecy you shall keep. And from this slumber you shall wake, when true love's kiss touches thee, the spell shall break!" she exclaimed. Settling back down on flat feet, she whispered softly, "I give you the gift of true love."
The Great Hall remained silent as Alice backed away from the cradle, her jaw set in a determined fashion. One by one, the people left, hanging their heads in sadness. For no one had ever lived to tell the tale of Aro's malice. Once his mind was made up, he was certainly not known for going back on his promises.
The fate of the new little princess was sealed.
They knew that in seventeen years, she would undoubtedly be dead.
Little Jacob turned to his father with a stern look. "Father, I don't like girls, but I don't want that wicked warlock to get her either. Can we get him?"
William put his hand on the shoulder of the little boy, woefully nodding. "We will do our best to trick him into peril, dear boy. Let us make a promise to Renesmee's parents to do whatever we can to keep her safe, shall we?"
Jacob nodded firmly, his mind made up. Of course he didn't want to have to like this girl, however; he didn't want any harm to come to such a helpless little baby. Why, she couldn't even pick up a sword to fight that evil man off! She needed his help, he had decided.
"I promise to protect the princess," he said solemnly to the queen. Esme smiled through her tears, resting her hand on the little boy's cheek.
"Little Jacob, my love for you has blossomed more with each passing second. I take comfort in your words, my dear boy," she replied, sniffing back her sobs.
William patted his son on the shoulder as the king and queen were escorted from the room with their daughter. Yes, Princess Renesmee could certainly count on the people to do whatever they could to protect her.
Thank you to NinkyBaby for Beta-ing! : )