Beta'd version, thanks vairetwilight as always
10. Consequences
Something changed. This was the first thing he felt upon stepping into the throne chamber to meet with his destiny. The nobles, all stunning and empty, were watching him just like the first time he arrived at the palace. The silence was deafening and full of tension, yet no one moved or tried to break it, but that wasn't the reason for his uneasiness.
His Master squeezed his arm for a moment; the movement perfectly hidden by their linked arms, but it was enough for him to know Sanguini felt the change in the air as well. Their heads were held high, not showing any sign of remorse or regret, walking proudly and calmly in the direction of his judges.
The Leaders of the Volturi sat on their thrones, they were the epitome of rulers; perfect, impressive and alluring, yet this enthral was dangerous and always came with a price. And now it was time for him to pay the price of his foolhardiness and naiveté.
His eyes sought out Caius unconsciously as he tried to suppress the slight worry that wanted to pool in his chest, but the white haired vampire sat next to Aro and looked as impeccable as always; his marble like face void of emotions while his fiery red eyes burned like the flames of Hell. His sensuous lips twitched almost unnoticeably as Harry caught his gaze, and the intensity of his irises reached an entirely other level, when the man took a breath.
Hatred and insatiable rage flooded the carmine pools and the sound of scrunching exploded in the chamber like a thunderstorm would. Caius fingers dug into the armrest of his throne, smashing them into pieces although it seemed as if he didn't even realise what he had done.
"Ah, finally our prodigal Childe and his Master grace us with their presence!" Aro clapped his hands jovially however his act didn't convinced anyone. "How are you, little Harry? Shall we move onto your execution immediately or shall we chat a little bit before your meeting with your unfortunate end?"
The man's cheery attitude made his dead stomach churn, filling him with dread and some kind of eerie calmness and confidence. For some unfathomable reason, Harry was sure, this overly dramatic and flamboyant act was only a part of a bigger plan, something that would be worse than the death he was threatened with at the moment.
"I'm here to make amends with you, Lord Aro," he said in a controlled tone.
"Amends, Childe? I do not think you can offer anything I need, so no, amends will not be made on this lovely night," the manipulative bastard had the audacity to smile pityingly at him. "Or will it? What would you like to offer to us that could be enough to excuse your mistake?"
"My vessel–"
"No!" Caius growled spitefully. "You are mine and I will not allow anybody to–"
"That's quite enough, Caius." Surprisingly it was Marcus who cut in before the youngest Lord could finish his sentence. "Aro, cease this childish game of yours, we do not have time for impudent mind games."
"Marcus you always spoil my fun," Aro answered a little sulkily, but he dropped his mask none the less and turned into something cold and openly calculating. "The court wants to see your blood paint these walls, little Harry. You have broken your promise which means punishment is in order."
Harry could almost see the wheels whirl in Aro's head, weighing the pros and cons of his already made decision. The statuesque face didn't show any of his thoughts, hiding his chances of surviving perfectly between another mask which was cruel and emotionless instead of grotesquely happy, and the young vampire felt as uncertainty tied his stomach into icy knots.
Next to him Sanguini became tenser too, his hands clenched on his left arm, but his Master remained silent, mutely waiting for the Volturi's judgement. The black eyes bore into Marcus' mahogany ones in a submissive yet demanding way. What did his Sire wanted from Marcus? What was he waiting for? Harry didn't know, but it seemed Aro finally had enough of the dramatic pause as he started to speak again.
"Our court wants you dead Childe however we, the Leaders of the Volturi, value power above anything else and this is the only reason we will let you live," the ancient vampire's voice echoed through the hall, causing an uproar among the audience.
"Silence!" hissed Marcus viciously and the effect was immediate.
"As I said, we will allow the Childe to live. But as part of his punishment we shall strip him of his powers by taking his sight!" Aro announced in an impassive, uninterested tone. "Harry Potter, Childe of Sanguini, from now on, you shall become the Royal Executioner of the Volturi Clan!"
There were several gasps among the nobles and guards which couldn't mean anything good for him. However Harry was still too young to know every term of vampire traditions and he was sure he had never heard this disgustingly pompous but foreboding term before.
"Lord Aro, this is too much, please reconsider your decision," Sanguini said, speaking for the first time since their arrival. "My Childe is still too young to leave the Castle–"
"No." It was one simple word yet it had the power to change Harry's life forever. "You have no place to make demands, Sanguini."
"Master?" Sanguini turned to Marcus, his face totally empty, but Harry could clearly see that his eyes were full of horror.
"I can't break my own oath, Childe, no matter how much I want to," Marcus sighed. "It was Aro's decision to make and either you take this or Harry will be destroyed."
"I... understand," Harry's sire said after a few moments of hesitation and he released the young vampire's arm from his grip with a broken expression on his face. "I will always stand behind you, no matter what," Sanguini whispered before he took a step back.
Harry didn't understand anything. He looked at the three Vampire Lords, examining their faces, but they were just as expressionless as his Sire's was. They seemed so lifeless and empty, something he had never seen before in the four years he spent with the large coven. Nobody said anything, and the silence once more was filled with tension and it started to get on his nerves. What had they done now?
He tried to observe the situation before him rationally, repressing his fear by trying to put the pieces together however it was just too hard for him. Of course he knew that Aro sentenced him to something horrible, something that wasn't even common among the Volturi as well as he could see that they somehow took him away from his Master... like he was property...
"Would somebody kindly explain me what had just happened?" he asked finally, fed up with the dreadful stillness.
"You have just become the sole property of the Volturi," came the answer from Caius, who was smiling at him ruthlessly, his blood red eyes were still shining with rage and some dark unfathomable emotion. "From this moment you belong to us and we can do anything we want with you."
'Impossible', was the first coherent thought that reached Harry's mind. They couldn't sentence him to eternal slavery, could they? They couldn't strip him of his status as a person, he would not allow them to do it! He won't be a mindless puppet anymore, consequences be damned!
"No," he repeated Aro's word, but he just didn't care. "You may have the power to rule over the Vampires' World and everyone that belongs there, but I will not turn into a mindless thing just because you say so! So try again."
"I don't think you're in any position to rebel against our decision, do you?" Aro raised one of his eyebrows mockingly. "You seem to forget it was you who had broken his promise–"
"And it was you who wanted to test my limits, wasn't it?" he interrupted in a similar manner. "I may be still a simple child in your eyes, but unlike any other vampire, the memories of my past are perfectly in place and I won't be turned into another weapon without my consent, do you understand this, Lord Aro?"
"As if you could do anything against the Leaders of the Volturi!" one of the nobles scoffed hatefully. "You are nothing but a disgusting pest that should have been destroyed immediately after its Rebirth!"
"Then why don't you ask Lord Caius about that lovely bandage on his neck? Or about his enchanting wife?" Harry replied with a cold smile looking into Caius' darkening gaze.
The older vampire's hands twitched as if he wanted to touch the covered bite mark on his neck, but otherwise he didn't reacted to Harry's bait. They stared at each other, picking up on their little game, challenging one another to do something, yet neither of them moved an inch.
"This is neither the place nor the time to start childish arguments. Harry Potter is a member of our coven, the sole heir of Sanguini, the Childe of Marcus and he has to be punished according to these details!" Aro stood up to gain the audience's attention again, carrying his gaze over the perfect figures before continuing his speech. "You, Childe wanted to make amends with us and offered your vessel, but a body is not enough for a broken oath, you should have known this already."
"Then what do you want from me?"
"Your absolute loyalty."
He looked at the files of his next assignment, sneering in disgust before he grabbed his traditional crimson and black cloak that showed his position as the Royal Executioner of the Volturi Coven. He couldn't believe how fast the last five years had flown by and how much his life changed.
He knew he wouldn't be able to escape his Fate no matter how hard he tried. He had been foolish enough to fall for Aro's bait and walked into his trap, just like the arrogant leader wanted. And in exchange Aro claimed his loyalty and powers, shackled them and ordered him around, allowing him to use them only if the man thought it was necessary.
At that time, Harry thought death would have been better than his new position as the Vampire Lords' slave, however after five year he started to see the reasons behind this act although he didn't like it any better.
"In a few weeks the first letters will arrive, my Childe," his Sire said from the doorway causing him to raise his head.
"I don't have time for idiotic vampires who only want to choose me as their mate because of my position and relationship with the leaders," Harry answered in an uninterested tone. "I have more important things, like our dear Aro's next mission."
"I will handle the propositions then," Sanguini nodded slightly, pointedly ignoring the topic of his missions.
It was part of his Master's punishment for not starting his training soon enough; they reduced him to a simple healer, stripped him of his rights as a noble vampire and Harry hated them for this even if he knew that his Sire and Marcus' coddling and over protectiveness were the reason for his lack of control.
Fortunately they couldn't break their bond which meant Sanguini could still be a part of his life even though they were unable to talk about anything that concerned the coven's businesses. His Sire lost the right to control his actions and Harry could not acknowledge him as his Master anymore, because that title was now claimed by Marcus.
"Do it as you wish." He couldn't bear the emptiness in those endless black eyes, so he turned his back to the other man waiting for him to leave.
"I love you, my dear Childe," Sanguini whispered. "And I'm sorry."
"I know," Harry breathed resignedly. "And I wish I could go back in time to make everything better, but we've already chosen our paths and can't do anything."
"I will inform... your... Master about the propositions."
"Do as you wish," he repeated, closing his eyes in despair upon hearing the soft click of the door. "I'm sorry too."
He was only half a year away from turning ten, but the familiar bond of Sire and Childe still pulsed with so much potency and life that it pained him almost physically every time they had to see each other yet couldn't touch or show the emotions they longed for. But he couldn't do anything, because no matter how powerful he was, against an entire coven they had no chance.
But maybe someday...
Harry glided down the hallways like a lethal predator; his cloak billowed behind him dangerously while his eyes glowed eerily in the subdued light of the halls. He was late and he hated to be late. It was a sign of tardiness and he had a better and more thorough training than to allow himself such a weakness.
Oh yes, he could perfectly remember the cruel lessons he had with his task masters. The sadist instructors loved to torture him, tested his limits endlessly and mocked him because of his freakishness.
"This is your best? No wonder some weakling lady could tear into your peachy flesh!
"Why don't you show us the monster you are? Call it, lure it out and show us what a disgusting thing you are!
"You are no prince to us. You are nothing but a grotesque, helpless little infant that was given too much power. You should be ashamed of your pitiful performance!
"Those nomads will kill you in an instant if you cannot control your emotions! What are you? A miserable little baby? Act like the predator you should be!" He could still hear their taunting in his ears, but in a twisted way he was grateful to them, because he would never have learned how to control his powers without them.
"You are late, princeling," Demetri smirked at him as the tracker leaned against the wall next to the door of the throne chamber.
"Shut up and move! We don't have all day," Harry bit back in a cold tone.
He was irritated and nervous because of this mission and his last encounter with Caius just added to his problems. Their little game had started to become too serious and they were slowly losing their control over the situation. Just like it happened five minutes ago.
He was collecting his things for the next mission hurriedly as he was running late. He had wasted too much time pondering about his miserable relationship with his Sire and now he had to hurry. However the next moment the door opened softly and a low growl reached his sensitive ears; a too familiar growl.
"Caius," he stated in a bored tone. "What do I owe the pleasure?"
"He was here, wasn't he?" the leader hissed strolling into the room, slamming the door behind him.
"If you mean my Sire, then yes, he was here. What is it to you?"Harry didn't look up from his bag.
"He has no right–"
"He has more right than you have, dear Caius. He is my Sire, but you are only the brother of my Master."
It seemed to be the wrong thing to say as the arrogant albino asshole appeared in front of him in a flash, while long, alabaster fingers enclosed around his neck, forcing him to look at the other's dark red eyes which were sparkling with unsuppressed fury.
"You can delude yourself into believing you have free will, but in a half a year I will become your mate no matter how much you protest," a long, marble arm snaked around his waist pulling him closer to the taller vampire. "I won't give up and I don't care who I have to destroy to have you."
"You can try, Caius, but nothing can change the fact you are still married to that... bitch. And I will not share with her," Harry answered shamelessly staring at Caius' lips. "My Sire expects hundreds of proposals in a few weeks, so you have to move quickly if you not want to be left out of the lovely competition."
"You were mine from the moment you decided to mark me. And I can assure you, my marriage with Athendora is null and void as well," the crimson eyes flashed with smugness and those perfect lips quirked upwards as well. "You defeated her and claimed me in the same process, do you know what this means?"
"You're lying," he spat angrily. "I was too young! I shouldn't have been able to mark anyone!"
"But you did."
Harry shook his head a little, shoving those memories to the back of his mind. He had no time for this nonsense as he had a bunch of rebellious nomads to kill off.
A/N: Hey guys,
here is the new chapter. Finally a little action, huh? Actually I wanted to put this up yesterday, but I wasn't satisfied with the first part of the chapter, so I had to rewrite it two times. I hope this explain some things if not, feel free to write me a PM or an email. You can find it in my profile or if you're not a member,
lilithduvare(at)gmail(dot)com
Those who worry about Athendora's absence I can only say that she won't give up easily even though in the eyes of the vampire laws she no longer is Caius' wife because she lost the "duel" she had with Harry.
Well I still feel like sh*t, and my test results weren't too good either, but I have some inspiration at the moment, so it's all right I guess.
Aaand, you'll see Edward in the next chapter finally! I'll stick with the first plot plan, as you wished, so Edward will come to the Volturi, seeking to be destroyed. But I won't tell you anything else for now.
I plan to put it up on Saturday alongside with the first chapter of a two or three shot about Marcus and Aro's relationship and past. So check it out then ;D
Take care,
Lilith
Next Prompt: Delusional Martyrs
P.S.: Some of you were confused about the terms Harry used before this chapter. Back then he only called Sanguini Sire and Master (or I hope I wrote it that way, I still have to check it.) and Marcus was Marcus. Now Sanguini can only claim the title of Harry's Sire while Marcus claims the title of Master as he is the Sanguini's Sire and Sanguini had been stripped off his privileges.