A/N: Thank you for all the reviews, I can now answer them properly again. Happy reading!
Chapter 14 – Changes, part I
Bella had thought that they would go through the corridors, but instead Athenadora headed down inside the King's Tower and exited on the second floor. The two Guards at the door immediately fell in behind the lady, obviously being her escort. The hallways had started to fill with people heading toward the Hall of Judging, and despite Athenadora's speed, Bella could hear the chatter all around her. Everyone moved out of the way for the lady, though, and soon Athenadora set Bella on the dais. They stood beside one of the empty thrones, and Bella recognized it to be Caius'. When Bella turned around to look out over the Hall, she saw Edward, Rebecca and Charlotte. They stood just below her on the floor, and both Edward and Rebecca smiled at her, even if they looked a bit worried. She also noted that Charlotte wore her cloak. Bella dropped her backpack to the floor and then let her eyes wander, trying to see if she could spot Jasper anywhere. The bleachers were already starting to fill, and she spotted Peter down by the door together with the other woman from Aro's entourage, not Chelsea. The woman looked distraught and seemed to be pleading with him about something. There was no sign of Jasper, though.
Soon Alec and Jane came in, escorting two other women Bella had never seen before. One of them wore an elaborate, blue dress. Her face was strangely blank and void of emotion. She moved through the room like a sleepwalker and stepped up to the middle throne where she stood to the side of it. The other woman followed her up on the dais to stand behind her. Athenadora leaned down so she could whisper in Bella's ear.
"That's Sulpicia in the blue dress," she whispered. Bella nodded. Alec and Jane stood to the side below the dais, heads close together and glancing over the room. They looked nervous and anxious, and Bella could see that expression mirrored on every face in the Hall. More and more people came in, and soon the bleachers were full. Then people started to fill the floor.
Finally, the seemingly endless stream of people stopped. Bella recognized Demetri and Rhona as the last two to enter, and they stayed by the now closed doors. Bella looked out over the throngs of people. Carlisle and Esme waved at her and smiled, but she could see that they were apprehensive like everybody else. Bella looked around for Gertrude. To her relief, she couldn't find her. Whispers filled the room and travelled up into the shadows. Then, as if on a signal, people quieted down. Demetri and Rhona opened the doors wide. First walked Caius and Marcus, behind them came Jasper, then Aro between Vesta and Max with Draupadi making up the rear. Aro had his eyes turned to the floor and didn't look up.
As they moved to the dais, the whispers started again. Caius and Marcus stepped up together with Jasper, who immediately walked over to Bella's side. He put his arm around her waist, and she relaxed against him. It was such a relief to have him near again. The two Guards and Draupadi stayed on the floor with Aro still between them. The whispers increased and were on the verge of becoming chatter when Marcus took a short step forward and raised his hands. Silence fell.
"People of Volterra. Guards. We thank you for coming. This is a day that my brother and I had hoped would never come. Alas, it has."
Caius also took a short step forward. "Today is the day a King falls."
Bella couldn't help but hold her breath. If someone had dropped a needle on the floor it would have echoed around the hall.
Marcus continued, his hands clasped in front of him. "We have proof that Aro tried to kill Miss Isabella Swan, the mate of Captain Whitlock."
The silence shattered as a cry rose from Sulpicia, and she fell to the floor on her knees. The woman beside her tried in vain to get her on her feet. Jane hesitated, but after a nod from Marcus she rushed up to the now sobbing Sulpicia, and together with the other woman they managed to get her off the dais. While Sulpicia quieted down, chatter rose toward the ceiling. Caius raised his hands, and silence fell yet again.
"We know that this is a very serious accusation. Marcus himself is a witness, as is the Captain. We have also engaged the services of Edward Cullen, the mind reader. He will bear witness about this matter."
There was some movement as a woman made her way to the empty space in front of the dais. She looked angry.
"You are lying! Aro is nothing but guided by the law!" She snarled out the words, and her eyes shot daggers at the two Kings on the dais.
"Chelsea," Marcus said. "It doesn't come as a surprise that you are the one to try to protect him. However, today you are on unstable ground. Aro has confessed. And he will do it again, here, in front of everyone."
A murmur swept through the crowd and rose to new heights. Caius yet again raised his hands, but this time it took a few minutes before there was silence.
"Aro. Please repeat now what you confessed to us."
Aro raised his head, and Bella gasped. His eyes were cold and hard, his face a mask of anger, and he glared at his two brothers. Then he slowly turned around and faced the crowd.
"It is true what they say. I tried to have the girl killed. I wanted to hurt the Major."
The sound that rose now was like a storm. A few arguments broke out in the crowd, but Guards were there to calm everything down.
"You've duped him!" Chelsea cried out loudly to be heard over the noise. "You have done something to him!"
Marcus raised his hands this time, but no one took notice. After a short while, Bella could see Caius shook his head. Then he crouched down slightly and roared. The sound was deafening, and Bella felt it vibrate through her whole body. She had heard Jasper roar, but this was different. The shock that went through the crowd was almost palpable, and everyone fell silent.
"Thank you," Caius said. "No, Chelsea, we have done nothing to Aro that he hasn't done himself. He knowingly omitted information to the Captain. He lied about omitting it, and thus endangered Miss Swan's life. If Marcus and Draupadi hadn't been as ever observant, she would have died. Edward, we asked you to listen to Aro's mind as we confronted him with this. Tell us what you heard from him."
Edward took a step forward. "When Aro was confronted with the facts, it was clear that he wanted to hurt Bella … sorry, Miss Swan, in an effort to hurt the Captain. He was afraid of the Captain because he had managed to loosen Chelsea and Aro's grip on the Guard."
Bella saw Chelsea take a small step back, and nervously look around. There was a quiet murmur in the Hall now. Demetri made his way forward until he was barely a step in front of Aro. He looked angry.
"Is this true, Aro? You were actually afraid that we wouldn't obey your orders? That we wouldn't be loyal to the Volturi and the law? We are the Guard. We live to serve. We don't need people like Chelsea to do our job." Concurring voices arose from the crowd, and Aro averted his eyes again. He didn't answer.
Demetri slowly shook his head. "You don't trust us," he said, astounded. "After all these years. How fortunate, then, that our Captain came along and set things right."
More agreeing voices were heard, and Bella could make out that it was other Guards who now voiced their opinion. Jasper gripped her a little tighter, and she looked up at his face. His eyes were suspiciously bright, and she realized that he was touched by the show of loyalty he was given.
Caius spoke. "The guilt is clear, and he has confessed to his crimes. Thus, the only thing that remains is the judging." He looked out over the crowd again and looked at all the eyes that hung by his lips. "Marcus and I have discussed what to do. According to the law, he should be burned."
Some calls for fire were heard but silenced quickly.
"However," Caius continued. "Aro has gained a lot of knowledge over the ages. Knowledge we need. Besides, as our Captain pointed out, he didn't succeed in his mission."
Marcus continued. "We decided to keep him locked up for now, in his own quarters. He will be stripped of every rank and privilege he ever held." Together Caius and Marcus stepped down to Aro's side. Max and Vesta moved to give them room. With one hand each they gripped the golden chain around Aro's neck and pulled. It broke with a clear metallic sound, and the "V" fell clinking to the floor. Then they grabbed his cloak and ripped it in half. Aro didn't make a sound and didn't move. Draupadi collected the golden "V" from the floor, and the two Kings stepped back up onto the dais.
"Let it be known that Aro is no longer a King nor a lord. Neither is he Volturi. He will remain at our disposal as we see fit. This is our judging." Deadly silence lowered over the Hall.
"And thus, we near the end."
A familiar, echoing voice sounded from high above. Bella looked up, and there, on a ledge she hadn't seen before, stood Gertrude. She was dressed in her white dress, and as Bella looked at her, she took a step off the ledge. Every eye was trained on her when she seemingly floated to the ground—her white dress swirling around her like mist. People gave her a wide birth as she gracefully landed and walked toward Aro. He took a step back from her when she came up to him, obviously not comfortable with her presence. She stopped in front of him and then poked him in the chest with a long, pale finger.
"I win," she whispered, and the sound grew until it echoed around the room and disappeared up into the shadows. "I warned you, Aro. I told you what would come to pass." Her eyes moved to linger on Jasper and Bella.
"There stands the God of War. Do you see, Aro? Do you see my will at work?" She turned her gaze back to the former King.
"Prophecies are not always lies and wishes, young one. You'd have done well to heed my words. I told you it was all true the first time we met. Do you remember?"
Aro seemed to shrink before her glare, and Bella saw Caius and Marcus exchanging wide-eyed glances.
"And now my words come to pass, despite your futile attempts to circumvent prophecy." Gertrude tsk-ed and shook her head. "For all your power and all your influence, you have now fallen." She once again turned her face to look at Jasper and Bella.
"And you need to turn your mate." She smiled, and it was like the sun shining through on a cloudy day. Then she swirled around and walked out of the Hall. No one stopped her.
Marcus and Caius looked at each other. They leaned their heads together and spoke very fast and very low while murmurs started in the Hall. Finally, they both straightened up again and Caius gestured for silence.
"Well," Caius began. "That was … unusual." Then he shrugged and glanced at Jasper. "It seems as if Lady Gertrude does have some … insights into this. Rest assured that we will find out what. Now, to the matter at hand. The events that have occurred here have forced our Captain to make a decision. Jasper?"
Caius made a gesture for Jasper to step forward. He kissed Bella on her forehead and then released her. Charlotte was by Bella's side in an instant, and Athenadora placed a hand lightly on her shoulder.
Jasper stood beside Caius and looked out over the Hall. He knew all of their faces. He met Demetri's worried eyes then Peter's calm gaze. He took an unnecessary breath.
"Guards. Friends. It has been almost a century since I came here together with my two siblings. Time has gone by fast. However, I can't stay." There was a murmur in the crowd again, but he held up a hand and it quieted down. "These events have put my mate in danger, and I will not have that. We will leave, and Peter and Charlotte are coming with us. I'm sad to have to do this, I truly am. To have been able to serve with you has been an honor." Then he turned to Caius and Marcus.
"My lords. My Kings. It has been a privilege." He removed the chain from his neck and handed it to Caius with a bow.
"Captain … Jasper. It has been an honor to have you. You showed us that loyalty and trust has to be earned. The doors to Volterra will always be open to you."
"Thank you, my lord." Jasper looked back and reached out his hand to Bella. She immediately stepped forward and took it. Charlotte accompanied her—carrying Bella's backpack—and Peter joined them as they stepped down from the dais. All three of them wriggled out of their cloaks, which Draupadi collected. Quickly and silently the Guards had formed a corridor for them through the crowd to the doors, and Demetri stood before them.
"I hate to see you leave, Captain."
Jasper released Bella's hand, and the two men embraced each other. Bella's eyes widened. As far as she knew, Jasper didn't hug people—except for her, Peter, and Charlotte.
"You'll manage fine without me, Demetri. You did for a long time before I came along."
"Yeah. I do understand you, though." Demetri turned to Bella and smiled at her. "I wish we could've gotten to know each other, Miss Swan." He reached out his hand to her, and she took it. Quickly Demetri bowed and kissed it. As he straightened up, he smiled a brilliant smile at her.
"So do I, Demetri," she shyly responded.
"Will you do me one last favor?" Jasper asked. "Will you get us out of here without problems?"
"Of course."
He followed them out from the Hall and made sure the doors were closed behind them. No one would be able to follow unnoticed. He then accompanied them down to the garage, where one of the black SUVs was waiting for them—courtesy of Caius and Athenadora. There was another round of good-byes before Charlotte started the car and they were off. There had been a note on the driver's seat, and Peter took it and read.
"Ha! They really came through this time. We have the private jet at our disposal."
"Great," Charlotte said and smiled. "Wonder if they managed to get a pilot as well?"
"If I know Caius and his lady right, they have."
Jasper and Bella sat in the backseat, and Jasper looked at her. She was quiet, looking out the window as Volterra passed by outside. He took her hand.
"What are you thinking about?" he wondered quietly.
She turned her head and looked at him. "I'm sad to leave. Ironically, this is full circle. This is how I came here, in a SUV, by private jet."
He smiled. "True, I didn't think of that."
"I was also thinking about Gertrude, and what she said. What do you make of it?"
Jasper sighed. "Gertrude has always been an enigma. No one really knows her, not even Marcus, and no one except the Kings ever knew exactly what happened when they found her."
"I had no idea she was a seer," Charlotte said from the front.
"Neither did I," Jasper responded. "I've always felt that there was something going on with her, I just couldn't put my finger on it. Now …" His voice faded and then he shrugged.
"Was the prophecy she mentioned about you, Jasper?" Bella wondered.
"I have no idea. We'll see what Caius and Marcus can get out of her. I suspect it wont be much, and probably more riddles than answers." He smiled warmly at Bella. "Let's leave it for now. We are out, and we'll be safe soon enough."
She returned his smile but then she cocked an eyebrow. There was another matter she was curious about, a much more intriguing personal matter.
"Jasper, I have a question. How close were you and Demetri? He seemed awfully friendly."
Peter burst out laughing and was joined by Charlotte's quieter giggles. Jasper looked embarrassed and actually squirmed in his seat. Bella didn't let him go with her gaze.
"Do we have to talk about that now?" he wondered. "We have more urgent matters to deal with."
Bella tried to glared at him, but she couldn't help her mouth twitching with a smile. She had expected there to be some sort of history and evidently she had been right.
"Come on, Major, spit it out!" Peter laughed from the front.
"Yes, please," Bella added dryly, pursing her lips. "Do tell."
Jasper sighed. "It was some time ago, okay? We were … sort of … an item."
Peter snorted loudly. "They were lovers, Bella. You know those crystal boxes he has? Those were a gift from his dear 'Dem'."
Jasper rolled his eyes and then reached forward and hit Peter on the shoulder.
Bella's eyes widened. "Really? And you didn't think to tell me about that?"
Jasper shrugged apologetically. "It was almost five decades ago, love. He found his mate."
He looked quite worried when Bella didn't respond and she decided to relieve him from his misery. She climbed up in his lap and smiled.
"I don't really care about your past affairs, love. I was only curious. Thanks for telling me." She kissed him and could feel how he relaxed beneath her. His arms encircled her and he held her close.
"While we are in a sharing mode," Bella said and looked pointedly at Peter in the rear view mirror, "what can you tell me about Athena? She seemed like a very decent person."
"Athena?" Jasper asked and raised his eyebrows. "Wow, she must really like you, Bella. She only allows her closest to call her that."
Bella shrugged. "She scared me at first, but she was very nice to me. I don't think I've ever met anyone quite so regal before. And, talking about Athena, what's the deal with Sulpicia? She was so … out of it."
"One thing at a time," Jasper said and chuckled. "The Lady Athenadora is said to have been an Amazon. You know, the warrior women of the Greek and Roman eras. Apparently she and her people put up quite the resistance in some war or another, defending against a much stronger foe. Caius happened to be there, realized she was his mate, and changed her. She's quite the warrior."
Bella nodded. "She said something along those lines. I would've liked to get to know her better."
"Well, who says we have to stay away forever?" Jasper said and nuzzled her behind her ear.
"You asked about Sulpicia," Charlotte said from the front. "That's a whole different story. I've been assigned to her personal guard on a few occasions. She and Aro are not mates." Charlotte fell quiet, it seemed to Bella as if she was considering what to say. Then she met Bella's eyes in the mirror.
"From what I've heard—and I don't know if this is true, mind you—Aro saw her when she was human, thought she was beautiful, and changed her. He then kept her. If this was with her consent or not is debated."
Bella's eyes were large. "He abducted her? Held her prisoner? Is that … Is that allowed?"
Jasper shrugged. "I don't think anyone would try something like that today, in this era. We can't control everything that goes on everywhere, of course, but I'd like to think that we would've heard of it, if it did. At Volterra it would be forbidden. This happened a millennium ago, though, and the world was a very different place. I still don't think that excuses it, but …" He made a small grimace.
Bella nodded slowly. "She seemed so strange, though. Is she always like that?"
"Not always," Charlotte answered. "When Aro is present she's quite lively. She talks and laughs. As soon as he's gone, she reverts into that sleepwalker you saw."
"And she just exists like that?"
Charlotte nodded.
Bella shuddered a little and leaned into Jasper. He caressed her hair and leaned his cheek on her head. After a while he could feel her relax, and her emotions told him that she had let go of the "Sulpicia matter." Now she was a little sad, but there was some excitement as well.
"What are you thinking about?" he said in a low voice.
"I'm going to miss our home. Esme made it so perfect."
"I know, love. If you want to, we can build our own house somewhere. And we can have Esme help us."
She sat up again and looked at him with incredulous eyes. "Our own house?"
He nodded. "For now, we will go to Texas. Peter and Char have a house there. It sits on land that's next to the old Whitlock farm. I never bothered with building a house like they did, though. It felt kind of useless since I never really left Volterra for any longer period of time."
Peter scoffed and turned in his seat to look at them. "No, because you never took any time off, Mr. Work-a-holic. Char and I go there every now and then to get some peace and quiet."
"Is someone looking after the house for you?"
"Yes," Peter answered. "We have some friends in the US. One of them is Garrett. You'll like him. He swings by the house whenever he's close and makes sure that everything is in order. He has even lived there from time to time. He's usually a nomad, but I guess even nomads like a shower now and then."
"Is that where we're staying then?" Bella asked.
Jasper breathed in deeply in her hair before he answered. "No. We'll touch down there and make some more plans. Then we'll see." He kissed her on her forehead and then on her soft lips.
"Oh. Is there a reason for you not telling me more?"
He smiled. "Actually, we haven't decided much more than that. The reason being we don't want to be found too easily. If Aro has lackeys outside Volterra, we don't want them to come running, claiming vengeance, while you are changing. And let's not forget Vladimir, he's bound to be out for revenge for Stefan."
Bella straightened up and looked at him. "My change? You're changing me now?"
Jasper stilled. Her emotions were swirling fast—circling through anxiety, happiness, and fear. He didn't know what to make of it.
"Only if you want to, Bella. It's your choice, never forget that." He was worried about her reaction. Then she relaxed in his arms and smiled warmly at him.
"Of course I want to, love. I was a little surprised, that's all. I've sort of been going around counting the days to my birthday. And now, the day is here." She leaned forward and kissed him, and he could feel her happiness take over. There was still some anxiety, but he could understand that.
The plane was just like Bella remembered it. The pilot turned out to be a vampire named Jacob. While they got settled and the plane started to taxi out, Jasper explained that Jacob was one of Caius' most loyal servants. The plane took off without problem, and soon they traveled through the skies, leaving Italy behind. Bella looked out the window and could see the Mediterranean far below. The three others changed out of their clothes, and Bella had to smile at them when they were done. Peter and Charlotte both wore blue jeans and brown boots. Charlotte wore a green blouse while Peter had donned a blue, checkered shirt. They suddenly looked so … ordinary. In these clothes they were far from the fearsome Guards of the Volturi. Jasper changed as well, but he kept more to his old scheme with black jeans, black boots and a white shirt.
Well into their journey Charlotte rose and disappeared into the galley. She re-emerged with a tray that she set in front of Bella. Antonio had made her a grand send-off, and she became tearful looking at it. He had made her favorite pasta and for dessert sent along a bowl of strawberries with cream. She was grateful, though, because she was hungry. She blinked away her tears and dug in. While she ate, another thought hit her.
"What are you going to eat now? Do you have blood banks in the US as well?"
"Not in the US, no," Peter said and smiled. "We'll get by. We always do." Bella didn't miss the glance he shot Jasper, and she wondered if they would have to eat humans again. She hoped they would find some other solution.
When Bella was done, Jasper produced a package from under his seat. He opened it and revealed passports, driver's licenses, and credit cards. It looked like four sets. He opened one passport and handed it to Peter then another to Charlotte. He opened one more and looked at Bella.
"I hope you don't mind, love. They set your last name to Whitlock. We didn't know if Swan was on the radar because of how you 'died'."
Bella nodded and held out her hand. She opened the passport and looked at it. The picture was really good, and she wondered where they had gotten it. Then it struck her: Alice. She had been taking all kinds of photos of her in Volterra, this must be one of them. Then she read the name. Isabella Marie Whitlock. She felt a flutter of butterflies in her stomach. It was really happening. She looked up at Jasper. He met her gaze with some worry in his eyes, so she smiled at him.
"It looks really nice, Jasper. Name and all." He seemed to relax and returned her smile.
She caressed his cheek. "You mustn't worry so much, love. I'm not going anywhere."
He smiled and kissed her palm. "I know. I only want to make sure that you are all right with all of this."
She nodded. "I am. It's another change, but now I have you. Everything will be fine."
Jasper handed out the licenses and credit cards as well, and Bella fished up her old wallet from her backpack. It had traveled all the way from Forks to here. She removed all of her old papers and filled it with her new ones. Jasper took her old driver's license and looked at it.
"You look so sweet here, Bella."
She blushed and tried to snatch it back from him. "That's a horrible picture. Give it back!"
He laughed and easily held it out of her reach. "It will cost you, sweet girl. One kiss at least."
She rolled her eyes, but threw herself around his neck and kissed him. Peter and Charlotte laughed at them, and Jasper handed her back her license.
"What time will it be when we land in Texas?"
"About 9 P.M. local time. Give or take depending on the winds and such," Jasper said. "Why?"
"It's quite a long flight, I think I should try to sleep some. Will you help me?"
Jasper raised his eyebrows. "Of course, if you really want me to."
She nodded, and he fetched a pillow and blankets for her. "Here. Snuggle in, sweet girl. How long do you want to sleep?"
Bella frowned a little. "Does it matter? It's not as if I need to follow the day and night, right?"
"True. I'll wake you when we get there, then. We still have some way to go by car from the airport."
"Okay." Bella wrapped the blankets around her and tilted her seat. Jasper kissed her, and then it was as if the light had gone out and she was sound asleep. The three vampires looked at each other.
"So, any ideas on where to go?" Peter said with a very low voice. Jacob was sure not to hear it, shut in the cockpit as he was.
"Arizona," Jasper answered. "There is a complication, though. Her mother lives in Phoenix. Still, it's the best place for changing her. It's in the middle of nowhere and far from any humans." Jasper reached over and took one of Bella's hands in his. His eyes grazed over her sweet face. "In the end, it's up to her."
"I know," Peter said. "I just wanted to see if we were at all on the same page here."
Jasper nodded, still not letting her go with his gaze. "Did Garrett get us new phones?"
"Yeah. It'll all be waiting for us when we get there."
They were all silent for a while, until Charlotte spoke up.
"Do you think many will leave?" She directed her question at Jasper, and he looked up from Bella.
"Some, but I doubt that it will be that many." Then Jasper smiled. "I guess Patrick and Allison will be out of there as quick as they can."
"Yeah," Peter said and chuckled. "That's a no-brainer. What do you think the Cullens will do?"
"Esme and Carlisle? I doubt they will leave unless Edward wants to. Then again, who knows? Everything is suddenly quite uncertain."
Charlotte shrugged. "What of Liberty? She has said many times that she's not needed in Volterra anymore."
Jasper nodded slowly. "I know. She might actually leave. Only time will tell." They fell silent again, thinking about their changing world.
Thank you for reading.