AN: I don't own Twilight, S.M does. I just like to play with the characters.
It didn't take long for the state of bliss of running to wear off, or for me to catch a glimpse of silver in the trees nearby. I quick scan told me that there were others keeping pace with me in the trees, but I couldn't actually see anything. I felt them. I stopped in confusion and waited. No wolves approached me, and I couldn't even see a glimpse of them, but I could point out exactly where they were. I closed my eyes and paid attention to where the knowledge came from. It was almost like the trees and the grass told me where the others were. I looked down at my feet, which were surprisingly bare. I knew with certainty that I'd been wearing shoes when I left Sam's, but at some point I'd kicked them off. I hadn't stumbled once or cut my feet on anything jutting from the ground, it was like they knew where to land.
One of the wolves shifted nearby, the movement was silent and unseen, but I knew they had moved. There were the slightest vibrations beneath my feet that told me there was movement. The most baffling part was knowing what each vibration meant and not knowing how. I closed my eyes to figure out what I could feel; the birds in the trees, a squirrel running to hide, one of the wolves remaining completely still and the other shifting nervously from foot to foot. I was connected to everything within what felt like half a mile on either side. I could feel cars on the road, the waves on the beach, the animals hidden in the trees. I could feel everything, and it was exhilarating. Part of me wanted to spin in circles and squeal with joy, it felt like coming home after years away.
I realized then that it wasn't coming into my magic that awakened me to the feel of the forest. It was a truly Faerie thing, it was something that was born in me, but when Lily had sealed my magic, she sealed away the earth too. She sealed away the sensations I was feeling, and I was sad that I'd gone so long without it. It was something I'd probably felt as a baby, the books I'd read said that faerie parents introduce their children to the language of the trees when they were only a few days old. I knew what the language of the trees was, it had been described in the books; it was exactly what I was experiencing. Charlie had told me I was a few months old when he adopted me, and that meant I'd been introduced to the language of the trees before my magic was sealed.
My mind was circling itself as I riddled out my emotions. I didn't realize I was sobbing until I collapsed to the ground gasping for air. My hands reached out for a stronger connection and I sobbed harder. It wasn't sadness; it was pure and utter relief. I felt them approach with caution and there was no need to open my eyes.
"I've been told that you never know what you have until it is gone. That is nothing compared to regaining what you never knew you lost; what you never knew you missed." I told them, "I had no idea how much I missed feeling the forest."
One of them phased and I felt one leg lift, then another while he made himself decent. "Bella?" Sam asked me.
I opened my eyes and looked at him, "I'm okay, Sam, just becoming reacquainted with my first language."
My phone vibrated in my pocket and I jumped, pulling it out to peer at the screen.
At your house. Need to meet ASAP. I am an ally and will explain. -Alice
My expression must have gone blank, because Sam leaned over my shoulder to read the message. "That's one of the leeches, isn't it?"
"You think it is a trap?" I asked.
"Probably, but I'll grab some of the guys and we will face them together." Sam frowned, "You need to find out what she wants."
I was pulled away from my precious forest and dragged back to Forks to face off with a vampire I would have preferred to forget. I texted back a location, an open field near my house, where a battle could happen without fear of humans catching on. There were no cars, instead, I was forced to ride on Sam's back to the clearing. It was extremely strange for a few reasons, mainly, I was riding the Alpha, and because I could still feel the forest through him.
When we got close enough, I leaned forward to whisper to Sam, "There are eight of them, none hiding."
An approving rumble slipped through his teeth and he continued his brisk pace. We slowed as we came out of the trees and it must have been a sight to see. A woman on wolf back, coming upon a group of vampires in a clearing. Paul phased and helped me down from Sam's back as we approached the vampires, he remained in human form at my back so I felt more at ease.
I took a few strides forward, but stopped when every single vampire in the clearing knelt before me. Alice's eyes beamed with what looked like pride and respect. The others held respect, and I recognized all but two. Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie, Esme, and Carlisle were behind Alice and the unfamiliar couple.
"What do you want, Alice?" I asked, ignoring the kneeling.
"We have come to offer ourselves as your allies, we are aware of how you feel about our kind, especially after what you've suffered because of our coven alone, but we will lay our lives on the line to keep you safe." Alice announced, standing with the others and stepping back.
The unfamiliar man looked like he might cry at the sight of me, "Highness, forgive me, but you look so like your mother."
"Highness?" Paul asked from behind me.
"She is the elemental queen of the Fae, the last hope for our people." He explained as if it were obvious, causing my face to heat up.
"Our people?" I asked.
"Like you, I was hidden among the humans, I was turned before my magic awoke and I helped to conceal your parents from Aro. Lily was a friend of mine." He bowed, "I am Peter, this is my mate, Charlotte, and the Cullens are my allies."
"Why should I trust any of you?" I sneered.
"You do not have to, we will lay down our lives anyways. We will not linger in this area after this meeting, but should you need us, you can call on us at anytime using the number Alice contacted you from."
"So easy?" I frowned. I'd expected a lot more drama.
"Bella, if you do not trust us, that is fine, but believe me when I say we are tired of living under Aro's thumb. He is crossing lines that he shouldn't because he has gone mad with power. We want to overthrow him, but do not know how to begin, like you, we are gathering allies." Carlisle explained.
I almost told them what I knew about the brothers, but I chose to keep that card and play it when I needed it. "So be it. I'll call on you if I need you, but until then you are to stay clear of this area. I don't want anymore of my people being effected by the presence of vampires in the area, too many boys have had to shoulder the responsibility and I'd like to avoid anymore having to grow up too young."
A snort to my left made me roll my eyes, "Fine, too many of our boys, and girls."
"Understood, your highness. We are all fighting the same war now. Aro has been collecting the gifted and tearing apart entire covens to acquire a single gift. It has come to a point where something must be done. He has had a tool at his disposal this entire time and we were all blind to it until recently."
"Tool?"
Alice was the one to respond, "Edward, he's been turning humans that will prove gifted and taking them to Aro. He's also been getting friendly with covens to discover any useful gifts to report to Aro. He's causing a lot of trouble."
"Well, you are right about that, Edward is a tool, but why not just cut off Aro's informant?"
"Edward is many things, but he is still my son." Carlisle whimpered.
"Carlisle, you created a monster. As the mad scientist, it is your duty to ensure that your creations behave themselves, if they do not, it is your responsibility to dispatch them." I snapped.
"I cannot kill Edward."
"I have no problem doing it." Paul announced from behind me, "Little prick did a lot of damage before leaving here."
"I didn't say kill him, exactly. Make it so he cannot do Aro's bidding." I shrugged.
"We will find a way."
"Good, and if he comes back here, the wolves will kill him. Do you still want to be my ally, Cullen?" I asked through my teeth.
"Even if it comes down to that, I will still align myself with you." Carlisle nodded, "Edward has done damage, and while I don't want to see him perish, if it is a choice between Edward and you, I would choose you. You have done nothing to hurt anyone and have been burdened with too much too young. I can tell you will make a marvelous queen to your people and a wonderful leader. Call on us should you need anything."
Nothing else needed to be said, so the vampires left. Seeing them didn't hurt as much as I thought it would, and that was probably because there was still so much I needed to do. When they were gone, Paul looked over at me, "Think it might have been a good idea to tell us that you are freaking royalty?"
"I don't have jewels or a castle, as far as I'm concerned, I'm queen in title only." I shrugged.
"You are much more than that." He noted as we left the trees.
Paul walked me to my front door and then took off to join the others while I went up to my room to try and get my head to stop spinning. The meeting with Peter, Charlotte, and the Cullens was anticlimactic. I'd expected horror and bloodshed. I expected seeing the Cullens to hurt, but it just made me tired. I was exhausted and just wanted to sleep for a week.