New Beginnings: Bella's True Mate
C11: Royal Visit
Standard Disclaimer: I don't own any of the recognizable characters
A/N: So we're finally getting closer to the battle with Edward and Carlisle, and with that also the end of this fic. The next chapter will be the battle and then there will be one more wrap up chapter which will be the Ball. For now enjoy this last fluff chapter and I'll see you for the next chapter.
Bella's POV
Two days later the entire mansion was abuzz with excitement for our King's visit. Everyone was dressed immaculately in their Volturi robes while the six girls were dressed in stylish uniforms. The oldest of the six was named Bethany and Tanya had chosen her as head of the help. She was fairly short for her eighteen years, and had blonde hair, but from what I had seen from her I knew she was a bit like I was when I was still human and we had bonded a little bit over the last few days.
Currently she was standing next to me with a bit of a blush on her face. "You all look really nice Bella, what's the occasion?" She asked softly.
Since Tanya and Esme believed in full disclosure, the girls had been briefed on what we were, and as I kind of expected was Bethany the one who didn't even flinch at the news, while the others needed about a day to get used to it.
I smiled at her "We are awaiting the arrival of our Kings, they want to come and check if we settled in okay, but you don't have to worry, they won't hurt you. You might even like them once you get to know them." I said with a wink.
She blushed a little at that. "If you say so Bella, I trust you on your word, but you will have to excuse me if I get a bit nervous. I'm not really used to high society company." She said with a soft smile.
"You'll get used to it Beth, and remember that both me and Alice are here to guide you through it, and if you have any questions, please don't be afraid to ask either Tanya or Esme." I said with a smile.
She nodded and I saw she was about to say something when there was a rhythmic knock on the door.
Two of the other girls opened the door and bowed as Aro, Caius and Marcus walked into the hallway with their Queens right behind them.
I smiled when Heidi came into the hall with a few cases, but my eyes widened when the woman behind her walked in.
"Mom, is that you?" I said softly before anyone could say anything.
Renee's eyes also widened and ran forward to pull me into a hug. "Bella, I'm so glad to see you." She said softly.
At the sight of her blood red eyes I could only smile. It meant I would have my mother around forever, selfish as that may be.
From the corner of my eyes I could see the patient smiles of both Aro and Esme. "We'll talk later Mom, I want to hear everything." I said before I pulled back with a smile.
She nodded and took her spot next to Heidi again. "Esme, Tanya, it's good to see you. How have you been?" Aro asked with a smile.
"We are well my King, thank you for asking, and welcome to our humble home." Tanya said with a smile.
"And what a lovely home you have, although I am a bit surprised to see you employ human servants." Aro said with a smile.
Tanya and Esme both smiled at that. "We noticed that it was easier my lord, it leaves us free to do our duty to you. Eventually all but one will be drained. Eleazar noticed that our head of staff is a lie detector, something we figured would be quite useful." Esme said softly.
Aro shared a glance with Caius and Marcus and then smiled at them. "We understand that Tanya, and we are grateful that you all have taken to your new task with such vigor." Caius said with a stern smile.
They nodded at that "Thank you for your confidence my King, but might I suggest we move to the sitting room?" Esme asked softly.
The Kings and Queens nodded and we then made their way to the sitting room, where Tanya and Esme launched into the story of everything that had happened over the last few weeks.
Of course Aro insisted on seeing everything in Alice's mind, since he also saw the visions she had seen.
"This is indeed a dire situation young ones, and we will make sure that this is situation is dealt with accordingly. We shall help you in any way we can, which I am sure you already knew." Aro said with a smile.
We all nodded at that and smiled at our Kings. "To make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible we shall stay here until Edward and Carlisle are dealt with, that way we also can personally oversee your training." Caius said with a smirk.
"That would be an honor my king." Tanya said politely.
He smirked at that. "The honor is completely mine, I have always loved preparing and planning battles, and to work with Christian on those preparations again will be interesting to say the least."
"As you which my King, it will be my pleasure to work with you again." Christian said with a smile.
"Now that we settled everything for now, we need to talk to Tanya and Esme about what is expected of them as Coven leaders, since this is something we have never done before." Aro said with a smile.
We all nodded and Renee and Heidi immediately came towards me and Alec. "So Bells, you have to tell me everything, how did you end up with the Volturi?" She asked with her ever present smile.
I smiled at that. "It's really not that big of a story, Edward left me in the woods of Forks three months ago and while I was heartbroken for two of those months. When Christian came to get me everything faded and he promised me I would get to see the Cullens again. And once we arrived in Volterra I found my mate in Alec, from there everything is history. Aro offered me a place in the guard and a promise of revenge against Edward. But what I am more curious about is why you are here now."
Renee smiled at that. "It's simple really, Phil and I went on a holiday to Italy and my dear mate seduced us in visiting the Castle, and when the Kings started their feeding, Heidi kept me back in her arms, already sensing the mating bond between us. Of course I was turned immediately and besides having exceptional control, they discovered I had a similar gift as Heidi. I only have to look someone in the eyes and I can make them do whatever I want."
I smiled and pulled my mother into a hug. "It seems like early mating bonds are run in the family. I felt the mating bond with Alec before I was even turned. And as you might expect, I have a gift too. Aro got curious when he found out that Edward couldn't read my mind, only to find that he also couldn't read my mind. We found out that I am a shield, and I am immune to most physical gifts."
"Well, your mind always was your best asset dear, it's only natural that it is enhanced now that you are immortal." Renee said with a smile.
"I'm just glad to have you in my life again Mom, I really missed you." I said softly.
Renee smiled at that. "As I am glad to have you back Bella Bear, I really missed you."
I saw both Heidi and Alec smile at us, both of them clearly touched by this moment.
After a while we pulled back from each other and smiled at our mates, Renee and I quickly sharing a look before she pulled Alec into a hug and I went to hug Heidi.
"I'm sorry for ignoring you Heidi, and congratulations." I said with a smile.
She smiled at me. "It's no problem at all my dear Bella. Renee told me a lot about how close you two were. I'm just glad you have your mother back again." She said softly
I only nodded at her, relaxing in her embrace. We hadn't really had a chance to bond before we left for Denali, but I really hoped that we would have that opportunity now.
We made our way to one of the other sitting rooms, so we could talk in peace.
Esme's POV
As we talked with Aro, it became quite clear that there was a lot that the Kings were expecting of us in our new role, which we kind of expected.
"Now that we have covered the essential things of your new Coven, we can talk about what to do with Edward and Carlisle. I know you have the same information I have seen in Alice's mind, all that is left for us is to plan." Aro said softly.
We both nodded at that. "We agree, the coming battle will be nothing short of a war and we need to prepare for it any way we can. They will bring an army of newborns, which will be one of our few advantages. It is well known that Edward can't fight without his gift and Carlisle doesn't like to get his hands dirty at all. If we can train Bella's shield a bit, we can render Edward's gifts useless on the battlefield." Tanya said with a smile.
"Then Christian, Jasper and I shall begin working with Bella to expand our gift." Caius said with a smirk.
"I wish there was another way we could solve this, I really wanted Edward to join our Guard someday. But unfortunately he has forced our hand by creating an army." Aro said with a soft sigh.
"Edward and Carlisle were lost the moment Bella came into our lives. They both feared her, and once they failed to chain her they abandoned her, leaving the girl alone once again. I am sure they cannot be redeemed. Carlisle always has been controlling for as long as I've known him, and since Edward was the first one he turned he is exactly the same. Carlisle always said that Edward could do no wrong, even calling him his Golden Boy." I said softly as Tanya wrapped an arm around my shoulder.
Aro merely nodded morosely at that. "I know that my dear Esme, I was merely hoping if we got rid of Carlisle that Edward might be persuaded to join us, but I know that he too is beyond redemption. But I don't see this as a loss. We have gained a lot more than we have lost."
Tanya and I both smiled at that. "That we have my King, and I want to take this opportunity to thank you for forming this Coven and helping me find my eternal mate." I said with a soft smile.
Aro smiled at us. "That speaks for itself my dear Esme, young Alice foresaw who your mate was, and Marcus confirmed it. So I just did what I do best and gave you a little push."
"I think it is best if we wrap up this meeting for now, I can see you are dying to spend some time alone together, which is understandable, being newly mated as you two are." Marcus said with a kind smile.
We both smiled shyly and nodded. "I'm sorry for being so obvious my King, but it is hard not to have my mate in my arms." I said softly.
They all smiled at that. "And we understand my dears, which is why we will talk more at a later time." Marcus said with a smile.
We both nodded and stood up with the Kings, bowing respectfully to them before they walked out of the room with an arm slung around their respective mates.
Once we were alone in the living room again Tanya flung herself into my waiting arms, kissing me deeply. "I thought that meeting would never end, I missed your arms around my body." She said huskily.
I smiled and pulled her down to the couch, letting my hands roam beneath the skirt she was wearing, which got a nice moan from my mate. "You like it when I wear skirts don't you my love?" She asked softly.
"Oh immensely my love, it makes it so much easier to grab that delicious ass of yours." I said between kisses.
She smiled and gave me a peck on the lips. "Such dirty talk baby, I love it when you talk like this."
I only smiled and pulled her flush against my body. "How about we go to our bedroom and continue this before someone walks in on us fucking each other senseless." I purred huskily.
Tanya nodded vigorously and ran after me as we raced towards our bedroom, knowing we probably wouldn't be back until later.
As soon as we entered our bedroom we wasted no time in rendering each other naked all the while we never broke our kiss.
"I don't know how I survived all these years without you my love." Tanya said once we were on the bed.
I smiled and kissed her deeply. "The same goes for me baby, but we found each other, we don't need to worry about the past anymore."
She smiled and nodded before she pulled me closer to her body and into a kiss, which quickly became heated again.
We moaned in each other's mouths and let our hands roam across each other's bodies, groping every bit of flesh we could get our hands on.
Alice's POV
Once we were dismissed by the Kings Jasper and Emmett made their way to the training room, probably wanting to train some more.
Rose, Christian and Jane smiled at that and Jane looped an arm through mine. "Did you want to see Bella's surprise before we give it to her Ali?" Christian asked with a smile.
I smiled and nodded at them. "I'd love to, but I'm sure you two built it to perfection, because I know you two will not accept anything less."
They both nodded at that. "Of course it's perfect, Bella deserves only the best after what Dickward did to her. And you know we wanted to do this even before we moved away from Forks." Rosalie said with a smile.
"Oh I know, you never failed to remind me how much you hated Edward for never letting Bella spent time with you two. I'm sure she will love her present." I said with a smile.
They smiled and led us to the garage. When I saw the car they had built for Bella I had to contain my excitement. I hadn't seen it yet and they had purposely kept from making conscious decisions to keep me out of the loop. "It looks amazing, I'm sure she will love it." I said with a smile.
"I hope so Ali, otherwise we ruined our clothes for nothing." Christian said with a wink.
"How long will I continue to hear that? I already said I was sorry for yelling at you two for that, I was just a bit on edge thanks to those visions of Edward." I said with a slight pout.
Chris and Rose smiled at me. "We were only teasing you Ali, we know you weren't mad at us." Rose said as she hugged me.
I relaxed in her arms, which made her smile brightly at me. "You okay Alice?" She asked softly.
I nodded and smiled at her. "I'm fine Rose, just a bit on edge from those visions I got. I'm just worried about everything that can go wrong."
"We'll be fine dear sister, we will finish this once and for all. Edward and Carlisle will rue the day that they abandoned Bella and betrayed us all. They will pay for everything they said about us, which you still haven't told us I might add." Rose said softly.
I sighed a little at that, knowing what their reactions would be if I told them, but I also knew that I would be like Edward if I thought it was best for them if they didn't know. "Okay I'll tell you, he called you am impure whore, Christian he called the Witch Girl's bitch, Jane was the Witch Twin whore and he called me a pixie slut, Bella was the pathetic human and Esme was called a dumb slut on several occasions, and for the others he had nothing new to say." I finished softly.
I heard all three of them growl at that and I really couldn't blame them for it. "I swear that they will pay for everything they have done and said to all of us, but I still think that Bella should have her opportunity for revenge as well." I said softly.
They nodded at that. "And she will Alice, and we will make sure it will be as painful for them as possible. I'm sure Bella won't have any problems with that." Jane said with a wicked smile.
I nodded and felt myself slip into a vision once again.
Edward and Carlisle were once standing in their cave and they were surrounded by their newborn army.
"We are ready sooner than we thought Carlisle, we can begin our assault in a few days." Edward said evilly.
Carlisle smirked at that. "That we are my son, and we will make sure none of them will survive. Our tracker reported that they have only a small force, which we expected. It's Tanya and her band of sluts with Esme and the rest of that dumbass family, of course with that pathetic human by their side."
"I have to admit that changing Charlie was a good idea Carlisle, Bella will never expect to be ripped apart by her own father, maybe we can find her mother as well and make the shock complete." Edward said in that evil plotting voice we had come to know so well.
"I have to be honest that I wasn't sure if it would work, but thankfully it did. But are you certain that Alice still is clueless?" Carlisle asked softly.
Edward nodded at that. "Of course she is, she is probably too busy sucking up to Bella to pay any attention to us, and even if she would see anything, we have no reason to be worried. We have the numbers to win this battle easily."
Carlisle smirked at that. "You are probably right son, but we have to be cautious none the less. A lot can happen in two days."
"I doubt it, but we will be careful anyway. But let us discuss strategy. You will take half of the army around the back of the mansion and wait until I have drawn them all out to the front. I will sent you a signal when you can attack." Edward said softly.
Carlisle nodded at that. "I suppose we attack in two days then, that way we can all feed before the battle."
I saw Edward nod before the vision faded and I returned to reality and the worried faces of my brother and sisters.
"Are you okay Alice?" Jane asked softly.
"No Jane, far from it, we have even less time than I thought, We need to gather everyone in the living room right now. Everyone needs to hear this." I said frantically.
They all nodded and I quickly made my way back to the living room while the others went their separate ways to find everyone.
Within minutes everyone was standing in the living room and I explained what I had seen, not sparing any detail, knowing how important this could be.
"That is grave news indeed, this means we have the rest of today and tomorrow to train. We shouldn't waste any time." Aro said in a serious tone.
"I can't believe that self-righteous, egotistical, lying, conceited, manipulative self-centered piece of fucking shit. I will flay his skin from his bones with my bare hands! How does he dare to kill my father and turn him? Charlie didn't deserve this." Bella said with a loud growl.
"I know you are angry now love, but please, try and stay calm, you will have your chance at revenge for everything he and Carlisle have ever done to you." Alec said as he pulled Bella in his arms, which seemed to relax her a bit.
We all nodded at that and made our way to the Training Room immediately.
Caius' POV
As I watched everyone train in separate pairs I couldn't help but smile. I always loved a good battle, and finally there was a proper battle looming on the horizon.
Currently everyone but me, Athenodora, Christian, Jane and Bella were training in separate pairs and they switched sparring partners often.
Bella was making amazing progress over the last few hours and was able to extend her shield over a single person at a time.
"Have you been training by yourself recently Bells, because this is new even for me?" Cristian said with a kind smile.
She nodded and smiled at us. "Of course, when I heard Edward was planning something I started training my mind in any spare time I had, which helped me develop my shield."
I smiled a little at that, seeing the girl as the prodigy she truly was for the first time. "Well done Isabella, you do the Guard proud with your ability to think ahead. Now let's try again, try shielding Athenodora and me from Jane's and Christian's gifts."
She nodded and focused herself before giving Jane and Christian a nod that they could unleash their worst.
"Pain, Fear" Jane and Christian said in unison and my mate and I grasped each other's hands in preparation for the pain, but none came. It was a slight throb in our minds but nothing more.
Christian and Jane's eyes both softened and I felt Bella's shield releasing its hold. "Very well done Bella, you are a true prodigy. I didn't feel a thing, how about you my love?" I asked with a smile.
"Nothing at all my love. All I felt was a dull throb in my mind." Athenodora said softly.
"Thank you my King, your praise means everything to me." Bella said with a bow.
I smiled at that. "And you know I do not give praise easily. But for now there is nothing more we can teach you, the rest is up to you to learn for yourself."
She nodded and bowed again, and from the corner of my eye is saw that the others were also done for now.
I saw this as a perfect opportunity to relay my plan to everyone. "Now that we're all done with our training for today, I have a plan for the battle. Since they plan an attack on two fronts, I suggest we do the same. We split our forces and fight on two fronts. What we lack in numbers we make up in gifts, with six couples on either side I am sure we will be victorious."
Everyone nodded but Alice, whose eyes were glazed over a bit, but she was back to reality soon enough and when she was she had a smile on her face.
"What did you see young one?" I asked curiously.
She smiled at that. "I saw how we would position ourselves for the battle my king, and the outcome of each possible decision."
"Then please enlighten us of the best course of action, young Alice." I said with a smile.
"Our best option is to have six couples on either side of the battlefield. I saw Bella, Alec, Jane, Christian, Laurent, Irina, Kate, Victoria, Renee, Heidi, Aro and Sulpicia at the front of the mansion against Edward and half of his army, which includes Charlie and the rest of us will face Carlisle and the remainder of the army at the back. As far as I have seen we will suffer no losses and their army will suffer great losses very early. But there is one that we can't kill, since she will be the mate of our servant Bethany once she is turned." She said with a soft smile.
"Then we will have to turn her after the battle. Only then we can keep the girl Alice saw alive." I said matter-of-factly.
Tanya nodded at that. "That seems fair, it's a pity we can't turn her now and have an extra ace up our sleeves against those two." She said softly.
Aro smiled at that. "There might be a way, it's the same we used when we turned Christian. It involves all three of the Kings biting her and that way she should be turned within mere hours, because of the ancient venom."
I smirked at that. "That is simply brilliant brother, we shall make it so."
"I'll go and get her and propose it to her." Esme said as she stood.
Aro, Marcus and I nodded and waited patiently for a few minutes before Esme came back with a blonde girl that I recognized as their head of the help.
She looked a bit nervous and took a seat next to Bella and Alec.
"Hello young Bethany, I understand you know what we are?" Aro asked in his overly sweet voice.
"Yes my lord, Tanya and Esme have informed me of everything." The girl said with a nervous tone in her voice.
Aro smiled kindly at her. "There is no need to be nervous young one. We have been informed of your gift, but with your permission I would like to take a look at your thoughts."
She nodded and approached him, placing her hand in his when he held out his hand. "You have endured much in your short life young Bethany. I want to offer you something that I don't offer a lot of people. I want to offer you to join our ranks as a vampire."
The girl seemed to think about it for a moment and nodded. "I would be honored my lord." She said politely.
"Wonderful, I think you shall be a great asset to our ranks. Usually when a human is bitten it takes three days for our venom to change you. But due to the coming battle we are forced to do things a bit differently. My brothers and I will bite you together and by doing that we can make sure you will complete your change within a day." Aro said with a smile.
"I'm honored my lord. Thank you very much." She said as a few tears leaked from her eyes.
Aro smiled at her. "There is no need to cry young one. We have our reasons for doing this, but I have seen in your memories that you are truly happy here, surrounded by your friends."
She nodded and was quickly pulled into a hug by Isabella as she started to cry in earnest.
"Everything will be alright Bethany. If you want I'll be right beside you during your change." Isabella said with a soft smile.
She nodded and relaxed in Bella's arms while the others looked on with a smile.
"Then it is settled, we'll turn you tonight and Isabella shall stay with you during the change. But I must warn you, because of the speed of the change it will be very painful, but once it is done you will never feel pain like that again." I said in a serious tone.
She smiled and nodded at me. "I know, Bella told me about her change and how painful it was, but I have always been the type of person that takes everything one step at a time, and I've endured a lot of pain already over the past few years." She said with clear determination.
I merely smiled at her. "Never again shall anyone hurt you. You see we of the Volturi believe in protecting our own. And with your dormant abilities you will be a valuable asset to our ranks."
She nodded and took a seat next to Bella again, who wrapped an arm around her shoulder in comfort, while her mate did the same to Bella.
"I think we are done for now, we shall make our preparations to turn Bethany, may I suggest that you take this time to prepare her as best you can for her new life." Aro said with a smile.
Everyone nodded and after bowing to us they made their way back to their own rooms, while Bella, Jane, Alice and Rosalie went Bethany to prepare her for tonight.