The two found themselves with an audience with the three Volturi kings. The blonde-haired vampire was fuming in anger with what the tracker did. Demetri, however, had a huge grin on his face. The two ended up in a catfight that was so bad that they were called to the Masters.
"Mind filling us in with what happened?" Marcus asks.
He was the unspoken mediator who listens to both sides at first. The Volturi would have been so divided if it weren't for him. Fights would have been unresolved and they would have turned to be rouges.
"He had the audacity to kiss me," Jane said fuming.
"You liked it," Demetri said with a grin. "Do not deny it, Jane. You did not even push me away."
The three king's gaze switched from the oppressed to the oppressor. Jane was absolutely fuming and they knew that. She was about to pounce on the newborn tracker anytime soon, and they did not want that. Demetri was also a valuable asset that the kings did not want to lose to Jane on a raging fit.
"There is such thing called consent, Demetri," Aro's voice was laced in venom as he reverted his gaze back to the tracker. Demetri hung his head low and did not dare to meet the raven-haired vampire's eye. Caius and Marcus were just watching everything unfold right in front of them and let Aro handle the situation. There was no use interfering with him anyway, he always has the final decision in all aspects possible.
"Whether this young lady liked it or not, consider the fact that she is a lady and did not deserve to be handled like that. I will not condone such a thing in this household whether it concerns Jane or other women. I hope this will end here, young man. Do you understand?"
"Of course, Master Aro," Demetri replies before leaving the room. He was dismissed as Jane did not need to be told that she was to stay. She hung around them so much that she understood their body language. The kings resumed being casual after the young tracker left.
"I hope he did not startle you, Jane," Marcus said as he looked up from the book that he was reading. "It seems we have run into some boy trouble. How fast time flies indeed," he teases as his gaze lands on Aro who raised an eyebrow.
"Why are you looking to me? I am not the one to deal with boys, that's Caius' job"
"Why am I suddenly dragged into this situation?" Caius asks and looks at his fellow kings in apprehension. "I do not deal with young boys who do not control themselves. Jane is already responsible for herself," he said rather nonchalantly.
"We already got a young lady right in front of us. Soon enough suitors will line up for her hand." Marcus grins as Aro looked at him with a murderous expression. Marcus just chuckles in his brother-in-law's expression. He was here to remind him of the bond that Aro refuses to acknowledge. "I think we kept you long enough, Jane. Didyme must have been waiting for you in the music chamber,"
Once Jane left, the raven-haired vampire turned to Marcus with an unreadable expression. Marcus just chuckles inwardly, he sure kept his brother-in-law on the edge. Aro did not say anything and distracted himself with god knows what he could muster.
Didyme was waiting for her charge in the music chamber. The raven-haired vampire was clueless why Jane came in late. They immediately went over their lessons but Didyme made a mental note to ask her what happened earlier.
She knew that the kings called her for an audience but Didyme was clueless about what transpired before Jane entered the music chamber.
"Your skills are improving, Jane. It seems like you are adding another instrument to your list of mastery soon enough." Didyme commented as she watched her charge play the violin. There were minor errors yet the raven-haired vampire knew that it will be improved in due time.
"Is there someone you wish to impress with your violin?" Didyme grins as she caught Jane off guard. The blonde vampire would have blushed if she was still human.
"Madame, stop teasing me," Jane said as she held back her laugh.
"Athenodora and I can tease you as long as we like. You and Alec were basically in our care and we watched you grow into a young lady. Are we dealing with suitors soon enough?"
Jane looks at her mistress in horror. The blonde vampire then hid her face in her hands. She would have blushed a deep shade of red if it weren't for her body frozen in time. Didyme was like a ray of sunshine in the cold and menacing world of the supernatural. Jane did not know what would she would do if Didyme was not here.
"Is that someone... somebody I know?" Didyme hints.
She knew Jane lived up to impress her brother. By filling the void of not having her powers yet, the raven-haired vampire knew Jane wanted his approval and his attention. Didyme pitied the blonde for loving someone so power-hungry.
She pitied Jane for chasing his attention. The least Didyme could do is to make her charge happy, she already knew Jane would stay if she bought up the prospect of leaving the Volturi. Aro would not allow his weapon to leave either.
Didyme was left with no choice but to look out for her. How can such a pure soul love her power-hungry brother? How could such flower thrive in the coldness of this place?
"Madame!" Jane shrieks and the two burst out laughing. Once regaining their composure, Didyme remembered what she needed to ask from the blonde vampire. She was worried about why Jane was summoned by the Volturi kings.
"What happened earlier? I heard Aro, Caius and Marcus summoned you?" the raven-haired vampire inquires. Being summoned is usually something serious and she was not letting the matter slide easily.
"I got into a fight with one of the guards," Jane admits as Didyme looks at her in concern. "The newborn tracker kissed me without my consent."
Didyme sighed deeply. It was for the better that Athenodora would not be able to hear this conversation. The fair-haired woman would have lashed out at the tracker for what he did. It was no secret that she was also terrifying like her husband.
A match made in heavens indeed.
"You are rather fortunate that Athenodora is not present at the moment. I'll have my fingers crossed that she would have ripped his head off. That tracker would have been torn to shreds if Athena found out about what happened. She will always be like her husband, they cannot be stopped when on a rampage."
Their blissful happiness was interrupted when Alec was sent to fetch them. It was such a rare occurrence that Alec bore a grim expression. Didyme knew there was something up and she turned to the dark-haired vampire.
"Is there something wrong, my child?" Didyme asks.
"Everyone is summoned to the throne room. There has been a sighting of an immortal child, a trial is about to commence."
Such matters like the immortal children was a concept that was not new for the blonde vampire yet it was something she was highly intrigued by. The majority of the Volturi members in a trial was something she had not yet seen before. She was brought back to reality as Athenodora places her hands on the blonde vampire's shoulder.
"How bad is it?" Jane heard Athenodora ask Didyme but all she gave was a simple shrug. Other details were not disclosed and they were actually left in the dark of what happened. Felix was standing next to the Wives in proxy of the usual guards that guard them.
"The guards were out hunting in the outskirts of Rome. They discovered a child, every bit of her seemed to be unusual. It was not until that they saw the same red eyes we all have. Blood was on her lips. Behind her was a village, it might not be a village anymore if every single person lay dead and sucked dry." Felix said as he informed the Wives of what transpired.
Jane had not been present with any of those trials, let alone the trial of one of the heaviest crimes ever committed. She had no idea what was to transpire once the trial begins. However, her mind raced to prepare herself for what she was to witness.
If she were human, her heart would have been pounding in terror. The so-called trial had brought back her memories of being burned to stake. To her horror, the accused looked like her. Jane could clearly see herself in the frail child and the grip on her shoulders tightened.
It was confusing. She had just met the child, which was now only twenty or so yards away from her. She had no idea what it had in mind or where it wanted to go. She knew that it was something illegal, but she had only met it a couple of minutes ago. She had no idea what it would do.
The child looked at her with such curiosity. Athenodora's grip tightened on Jane's shoulders. "Should she really be present in this matter?" the fair-haired woman asked. Didyme could only shrug as she noticed the blonde's uncomfortable nature. Jane stiffened under Athenodora's grip who slowly loosened as she found her charge to be quite distressed.
"Get Jane out of here," Didyme commands the guard near the wives. The guard looked at the raven-haired vampire in question. He shook his head and replied:
"The masters' orders everyone to be present in this matter. I would not dare to disobey their command."
Of course, Aro would want to exercise the power the Volturi would hold. Didyme knew that this meeting was all for show. To eventually remind everyone that the Volturi would be invincible in power. Disobeying rules will be given drastic punishment and the trial would serve as a reminder that they should not be breaking rules.
"I am fine, Madame. I have not attended any trials and I suppose I can get over this. We will always have our firsts," Jane responds as she reverts her attention to the execution that was bound to unfold. She glanced at the Volturi kings and somewhat found them to be unrecognizable in their nature.
They would have shown their casual side in private. The kings terrify her in this state. They seemed to be much dangerous than they would usually be. Jane was relieved that they exercised their power but it certainly bothered her.
"Bring in her creator, "Caius seethes as he sat where he would watch everything unfold. The Volturi members were on the sidelines watching everything. This would probably a lesson for them that their rules must be upheld at all times in order to attain peace.
"No! Not my baby!" the woman cried out as the guards restrained her.
"You could have thought of that before making a decision to change the damn child. You should have known that changing young children is illegal, woman," Caius spat in disgust.
The woman's eyes traveled to where the twins stood with the wives. The guards lost control of her movement as she darted towards where the twins were. Her eyes locked with Jane's ruby red eyes. Jane bore no expression in her features, the woman scanned her from head to toe.
"You speak of rules yet you keep something illegal as well," the woman then faced Aro who bore a grim expression on his face. It was a good thing that Felix near the wives if trouble shall arise and the wives are put in a difficult situation.
"If you do have eyes and have the ability to see. You can clearly tell that they are not children, woman," Caius spat. "Have you forgot who is the one on trial here?"
Athenodora glanced at Didyme who surprisingly did not know what to do as well. Alec slowly pulled his twin to the back but Jane did not budge. Jane's curiosity got the best of her as she remained where she stood. She wanted her answers as well.
The woman was executed in short moments that Jane did not notice. It was not until when her world came crashing down. The child was in Aro's arms, the immortal child was staring at Jane quite intently. In every bit of that child, it was as if Jane saw herself like looking through a mirror.
The fire that was started in the throne room made her non-existent blood run cold. It was also the malicious gleam in her creator's eyes that made Jane stagger back. The smoke made her remember everything once more.
Her knees began shaking in terror but all Jane could do was watch. It was not until she let out an ear-splitting scream when Aro disposed of the child.
"NO! P-Please! D-Don't!"
His gaze immediately traveled to his most precious gem. Jane stared back at him in terror and it was the last thing Aro wanted her to see him. The blonde's knees buckled and she sank to the floor, Alec was quickly to be by her side. What hurts him the most is to see the fear in her eyes.
The same fear when she was burning with her twin. The once innocent eyes that stared at him with such admiration were replaced with fear. Protocols be damned! He would not have the heart to reprimand her for causing a scene.
It pained the raven-haired vampire to see her in such terror. The last thing Aro wanted was Jane getting afraid of him. Didyme shot him a murderous look before escorting a shaken Jane out of the throne room. Alec immediately followed in order to look out for his sister.
He did not mean to scare her this way or even to lose her trust.
It took several of their efforts to calm the blonde vampire and to coax her out of the panicked state. Jane sat on the chair quietly with her knees huddled to her chest. The image of the child burning to flames was embedded in her mind. Didyme was looking at her in sympathy.
No one dared to talk and her companions kept her distance from her.
The blonde did not even notice Didyme and her brother leaving the library. She was trapped in her own sea of thoughts. The raven-haired Volturi king reluctantly approached her with such caution. He did not want to scare her, or something worse like Jane despising him.
"I would like to apologize, cara mia," he began as Jane's red eyes met his. "For you to witness something like that and I did not think of what you felt. I know you had been shocked as to why we reacted like that."
Jane lifted her head slowly to face him. She could have sworn she saw remorse in Aro's eyes. He was actually feeling guilty by the way she had reacted. She pushed her thoughts out of the way as she reminded herself that the person in front of her was not a monster.
He was the one who saved her and Alec. He was their saving grace.
"May i?" he asks politely as he held out his hand. Jane reluctantly gave her hand to him and he clasped it gently. His concerned eyes met hers as he read her thoughts. His expression changed with what he saw in her mind.
"You fear me?" he asks in question. All Jane could do is shrug shyly and looked down as she was not able to meet his eye.
"I should have excluded you from that. It was too late when I had realized the resemblance she had with you. I am deeply sorry for what I did." Aro tipped her chin up slightly to face him. In her eyes were the tears she was not able to shed. In her eyes show the loss of trust and that was certainly his fault.
He blamed himself to see the fear in her eyes. Aro was the one who caused that.
"I know you had been horrified to see the child be put down. But it is simply how it should be," Aro states as the atmosphere grew somewhat lighter between them. Jane edged closer to him and he saw that as a sign that she was willing to listen to him.
"Why would you not let them live?" she asks quietly.
"We did try to keep them alive," Aro said with caution. "We tried to work through them and we were hoping we could tame them. Get them to listen and control in order not to dispose of them because it is simply heartbreaking to do such a thing to a child. Giving the curse of immortality to a child is simply absurd, what more to take that away?"
"B-But those children..." she faces him in confusion.
"The best path will always be a rough path to walk on. It is painful to find the strength to follow it because it simply feels wrong after all. We all learn the hard way, to see them perish by our own hands in order to keep our secret safe. Luckily, you did not face the same fate the child faced earlier," he looks at her with such sympathy.
His words perked up her attention and slowly tried to accept the fact about how things supposed things should be. It was a hard pill to swallow yet she needed to. Jane knew it herself that she could not stay upset at him for a long period of time. She looked at him and let out a not much-needed sigh.
"I am deeply sorry for my conduct, Master," Jane said with a monotonous voice. "I will take the time to reflect deeply on how I reacted. You can reprimand me however you wish,"
The raven-haired vampire just shook his head and was at a loss of words when she left the library. The library felt silent as he pondered on his own thoughts. He was left there in the sound of silence that echoed across the massive library. Aro was left in the library, pondering on his own decisions.
How would he have the heart to reprimand her? Jane's eyes that screamed terror for him plagued his thoughts. It was not a problem for him for the way she acted out of conduct. What matters the most to him is that he somewhat validated what she felt.
Instead, he made it much worse.