My Queens: Chapter 10
Summary: Bella takes a trip of a lifetime, but all is not as it seems.
Bella/Athenodora, Didyme, Sulpicia
"So you are back," Jacob said as he stood before them. He realized the Cullens weren't as surprised to see him as he was to see them. He was sure Seth or Leah informed them he had taken over as chief. Jacob's hatred for vampires had strained his relationship with the Clearwater siblings when Seth imprinted on a vampire some fifty years ago. Having your other half chosen for you, given little choice in the matter, had cost Jacob so much. It cost him Bella, and then Seth. Leah of course, sided with her sibling. Seth was happier than she'd ever seen him, and Leah was not going to jeopardize that in any way. It meant her relationship with Jacob, who hated Tanya had to end.
He had not understood it until he found his own imprint, then the folly of his actions hit him hard. Bella had found hers, and he was determined to take it away from her for his own reasons. Reasons entirely selfish, he never stopped to think how Bella felt, just what he wanted. After Bella left, his hatred of vampires grew until he became someone he did not recognize. When Seth imprinted, he still could not see past it, and he lost his friend and brother.
He still emailed the two on occasion, and once in a blue moon, he got a response back. He'd told Seth he was now chief, and he had obviously informed his extended family.
"Well, that actually depends on you," Carlisle answered, shocking him. "The last time we left, your Alpha told us because we were instrumental in Bella's choice to become a vampire, the treaty was void. Yes, we could have stayed and argued that bullshit." Rosalie let out a bark of laughter while everyone else just gaped at Carlisle.
"But you were leaving anyway." Jacob finished. Carlisle and Esme had long left Forks and only visited on occasion until Bella left for Denali. "The treaty still stands, and well, I'm doing things differently. All the teenagers with the wolf gene are fully aware of their history. I don't pretend the legends are just stories. Honestly, don't be surprised if a few teenagers sneak onto your land hoping to speed things up." Jacob chuckled.
"Are you telling me they are looking forward to shifting?" Emmett asked in disbelief.
"Yep." Jacob sighed. "Welcome back." He turned and walked away.
"Seth was right. He really has changed." Alice mumbled.
"I still remember the anger and hatred when Bella chose the queens," Jasper whispered. They had come close to a physical altercation with the wolves until Bella stepped in and told Jacob rather cruelly he meant nothing to her. It was needed. It stopped the needless fight that would have likely resulted in the loss of lives on both sides.
The walk back to the newly renovated house was done in a somewhat jovial mood. "I may finally get to wrestle some wolves." Emmett cheered.
"You come home stinking of wet dog, and I will divorce you." Rosalie threatened.
"We all know that is highly unlikely." Heads turned to the voice in surprise.
"Bells." Emmett was the first to recover and had the vampire in a bear hug.
"Hello, Cullens." Bella greeted. Her subdued mood was slowly leaking through
"Bella, what is going on?" Carlisle asked, taking her hands in his.
"The Romanians are gathering an army," Bella said with a resigned sigh. A quiet descended on the Cullen's driveway.
"I had truly hoped we would never have heard from them ever again," Carlisle mumbled. "I think we better go inside." He added. The jovial mood after their meeting with Jacob was a thing of the past.
"I had hoped I wouldn't have to do this, but it's…" Bella's voice broke.
"You don't think you are coming back," Alice whispered.
"I've got this sinking feeling that I will not…"
"No, no, Bells." Emmett stood before her, his tone pleading. "You are a shield; no one can touch you unless you want them to. If anyone can come back from this thing, it's you. On top of that, you've got Jane and Alec." The desperation in his voice brought tears to Bella's eyes.
"They've found a way past the twins," Jasper mumbled to the dismay of the rest. They all turned to look at Bella, hoping she would say otherwise.
"Yes, we don't know how," Bella grumbled.
"What do you know?" Jasper asked.
"They have forty-something vampires they turned, and some that have joined their cause, all gifted, and I mean every single one of them."
"How is that possible," Carlisle asked.
"From what we know thirty years ago, a vampire came to them, he had the ability to sense gifted humans. His gift works in the same way as Demetri, as he can see their gifts through the tenors of their minds. Why he went to the Romanians, we don't know. What we do is that he had already identified several gifted humans. They had twenty vampires in the space of a few years, the rest took time, and they had to do it in a way that did not attract any attention to their actions.
The reason we know what we know is that the Romanians actually don't have any fundamental knowledge when it comes to training gifts." Bella chuckled humorlessly.
"They went to Amun." Rosalie groused.
Bella nodded. "They are under the impression Amun still hates the Volturi because of the assault that killed so many of his coven and Demetri. Amun has been getting a lot of uninvited vampires, all turned away. A couple of weeks ago, Stefan and Vladimir themselves showed up. He heard what they had to say and was not interested until they revealed they had a vampire with a gift that would nullify the twins. Amun will only know what the gift is if he goes to their castle to help further train this vampire." Bella finished. "God, I could do with a drink." She grumbled, sitting on the dust sheets. Little caring she was now covered in dust.
"So the Romanians aren't ready to attack yet," Jasper said, his tone sounding hopeful.
"No, which makes it a good time to go after them." Emmett cheered. "Hell, we'll help." He added.
"It makes no difference," Alice murmured, unable to look up at anyone.
"You've already seen it." Esme surmised. "This is why you came back early from your shopping trip." She added.
"You've been down these last couple of weeks. I knew you saw something; I just didn't realize…" Jasper got on his knees in front of his wife, taking her hands in his.
"I can't see the vampire." She damn near cried.
"As in the same way you can't see Bella?" Carlisle moved next to Jasper.
"Actually, more like when Bella was a newborn. The visions are hazy, and that's when I can see anything at all." Alice finally looked up.
"So it's likely it's a shield. I mean, that would explain everything." Carlisle cheered.
"Yes, it still doesn't change the fact that Bella dies in my vision. I can't see anything, and the next thing I see are the twins and her mates looking completely…" Alice sighed. "I know Bella sacrifices her life for them. The Volturi will win, but only because Bella dies." Alice's matter of fact tone brought the room to silence.
"It is a shield, but not just any shield, one with the ability to turn your gift on you," Edward whispered, but he just might as well have screamed it from the rooftops.
"And you know this how?" The iciness in Rosalie's voice had Edward shrinking in his seat.
"I have to admit I didn't think you would own up to knowing that little detail so quickly." All eyes turned to Bella.
"You knew." Edward's shoulders dropped as he sunk further into his seat.
"I will plead for your forgiveness, but yes, I am aware that Edward has known of the Romanian's plans for the better part of a year." Bella was not the least bit surprised when Edward went flying. Rosalie stood over him, chest heaving, ready to deliver another backhanded slap if Edward stood again. He wisely stayed on the floor.
"Amun got every piece of information from them, didn't he." Carlisle chuckled.
"He did. He used Li Wei as further incentive to loosen their tongue. Not only that, we will soon have a spy in their camp. They know how Li Wei works, and they were happy to have one of her children in their camp reporting everything back to her and effectively us. We learned that Edward had bought your place in their regime during the conversation with the Romanians by feeding them information. Effectively if the Volturi found out, Edward would inform them. Due to your work with Aro, we are about to make moves that you must be made aware of, and we do need your help." Bella mumbled. She really could do with a drink.
"So Alice seeing you die," Esme asked.
"Ahh, erm… yes, that… the reason Edward turned traitor was that he hoped the Romanians would clear the way for him," Bella said with a shrug.
"He was hoping they would kill your mates." Emmett stared at his brother in horror.
"Indeed, so we thought if it looked like I would end up getting killed, he'd be more inclined to talk. After all, his reasons for siding with them would be moot. And we also need to know what he's told the Romanians so far about your work with Aro. Alice came to see me in London at the same time as the kings, and a plan formed. Decisions were made, and Alice saw this play as the best way to get Edward to talk. If he thought this war was going to end with me dead, then he would have no reason to hold on to the one secret that aided in my demise." Bella finished. "You know, I really would love a drink." She said, not that any was forthcoming.
"Alice, I'm not the least bit surprised you pulled that off, but you Jaz… I'm impressed. Didn't think you had such acting chops in your repertoire." Rosalie praised.
"I practiced." Jasper retorted impassively. Alice tried her best to bite back her laugh but failed miserably.
"So you are not dying?" Emmett asked slowly.
"Please, as if a year old vampire who is still incapable of using his gift consistently is going to be a problem." Emmett drew her into a bone-crushing hug. "Em, you are crushing me." Bella groaned.
"Isabella," Esme called. Bella knew it was not good from the look in her eyes.
"Yes," Her voice squeaked. Never had Esme turned those eyes on her.
"If you ever scare me like that again, I will make your lie a reality, understood." She warned. She was gone and back in seconds, shoving a glass of scotch into Bella's hand.
"Perfectly." Bella moaned, taking a sip of her drink. She removed the dust sheet from the love seat and got comfortable. "Edward, please have a seat, and before you try anything, I've got a shield around this house. You are not going anywhere." Bella mocked.
"You know, despite all my travels, I've never been to Japan." Edward's eyes widened. "Yes, when I say we know everything, I mean we know everything. We know you overheard a conversation on a train while in Himeji a year ago. We know you joined them at some point and told them it was a foolish notion. You plucked from their thoughts the newborn vampire who was not only a shield but one whose shield had the ability to ricochet gifts off it. The Romanians were hoping he could be precise in his rebound. For example, throw Jane's gift back at her.
You also picked up on the fact that they had an ancient vampire who hated the Volturi in mind to train him. Luckily for us, you had no idea it was Amun.
What you heard was enough to convince you that the Romanians actually stood a chance, and you told them who you were and what your position afforded you. You told them about Carlisle and Aro's blood substitute and how if vampires were forced to reveal themselves, we could do so with our own food source. You went to Romania to see Stefan and Vladimir and bought your family and me a position in their new regime. They told Amun and Li Wei everything, inadvertently revealing your duplicity." Bella knocked back her drink.
"Wait, surely the Romanians would have killed you. It wasn't as though Edward had any way of keeping you loyal to them. It's not as if you would stand back and watch your mates and children perish." Jasper said.
"Yes, I agree, except Edward was thinking of a conversation I had with Emmett eight years ago," Bella replied and sighed happily when Esme topped up her glass.
"What conversation?" Emmett asked.
"You called looking for the twins," Bella answered.
"I always call looking for the twins." He mumbled a reply.
"Don't I know it," Bella whispered. "They were in San Cristobal on a mission," Bella added.
"Ooh." Emmett chuckled. "You never go on missions." Emmett laughed. "The twins were on a mission in Venezuela, so they weren't answering their phones. I called Bells, and she said they were on a mission. I asked how come she was answering her phone, and she said she wasn't on a mission. She said, I never go on missions. I'm not a member of the guard." Emmett continued laughing.
"I see," Carlisle growled. "You believed from that conversation, Bella would be well away from the fight." He added, disgust marring his features.
"I'm sorry, old friend." The front door opened, and in piled the kings, queens, the twins, Demetri, Felix and Heidi. The queens and twins shuffled close to Bella, who smiled at them. "Amun called us soon after the Romanians thought they had his allegiance." Aro glowered at Edward with a look of disdain.
"I understand the law and know…" Carlisle started.
"Oh, Edward lives." Aro cut in. "Death would be a gift where you are concerned. You hate your existence, and worse, you at one time had someone who made it bearable." Aro added.
"The biggest mistake was walking away from me in that forest. I believe you consoled yourself with thoughts of human Bella eventually dying. With me dead, you could start to move on because, well, I'm dead, and nothing can be done about that. Finding me as a vampire, your issue wasn't my damned soul. Your anger at your family wasn't because I was now a soulless monster or that I was mated to the queens. Yes, it was a part of it, but the larger issue was that I was alive with no end in sight, and worse, I was happy. I didn't hate anything about this life, and that hurt. If I hated at least one thing, it would have in some way validated your views. Something to make you feel better about yourself.
I remember the night Alice came to my room and explained what you had planned. A part of me, even as we walked into that forest, was still hoping you would not do what you were about to do." Edward's head shot up. "Yes, Edward, I remember you, I always have. The sad part is you are a Cullen, and I wished there was something that made me want to have a cordial relationship with you.
This plan of yours, even if every aspect of it had worked out the way you wished. I was never going to come here and continue existing. I love this family, but I would have set that villa on fire and stood right in the middle of it. Death, Edward is preferable to you." Bella finished.
"You hate me that much." He whispered.
"No, I feel nothing for you. That's the sad part; there was a time I actually truly liked you. A lot of your shit got on my last nerve, but that's family. Above all else, I learned a lot about myself thanks to your need to control me. I realized it had nothing to do with me and everything to do with the fact that you are a weak little boy." Bella cleared her throat needlessly. "You would never take your own life; you couldn't. You'd want someone else to do it for you, but I'm not going to allow my in-laws to do it for you either. You get to live with your failure. In the meantime, we also cannot allow you your freedom until the Romanians are no longer a threat." Bella turned to Carlise and Esme. "After we've dealt with the Romanians, he will be released back to you," Bella added.
"Thank you, Bella, but we'd rather you didn't." The rest of the Cullens looked at Carlisle, surprised, especially Rosalie. It was no secret Edward was Carlisle's favored child. "You know the history of the Romanians; you know why the Volturi went to war. The kind of world they want isn't a world I want to live in, and you knew that. I have spent my entire life, human and vampire, as a doctor, healing humans. Yet, you signed this family up for a life where humans are cattle and enslaved people. You were willing to subject billions to that, and you believed this family would want to be a part of that. You were always right, Edward. You are a soulless monster." Carlisle walked up to him and snatched the Cullen crest off his wrist. "From this moment, you are no longer a part of this family. You are no longer welcome on any Cullen property. I will soon be informing the Denalis and our friends of your plans. I can guarantee you will not be welcomed anywhere." Carlise turned to Aro. "You can take him; I want him out of my house." Felix and Demetri moved forward and hauled Edward up.
"Carlisle, please, I made a mistake. I was desperate, and… Carlisle, please, don't do this. I just wanted Bella back, she was mine, and they took her from me with your help. You owe me, Carlisle. This family owed me. You can't turn your back on family." He pleaded.
"You haven't been a member of this family for a long time. The only reason you stuck around the last thirty-seven years was because of our relationship with Bella. You wanted to be around in case she visited. You hoped we'd go visit so you could tag along. The only time you left was when we did, and even then, it was after you were sure none of us were going to visit Bella. You didn't stay around for us; you stuck around in hopes of worming your way back into Bella's life. That was not going to happen, never again."
"You all lied to me for fifty years." Edward shouted.
"No, Edward, we didn't. It was not our secret to tell, and Bella didn't want you to know anything about her life. My God, she went as far as pretending she didn't remember you." Esme jumped in. "You lost that right when you left her in the forest after attempting to shatter her self-esteem. Please, get him out of here." Felix and Demetri dragged him out while he shouted. Vacillating between threats and pleas.
"How are you going to hold him?" Rosalie asked, knowing full well there wasn't any way to keep a vampire locked up.
"I have a shield over the car as we speak. I will do the same to the cell they throw him in. He is not going anywhere, nor will he be able to use his gift." Bella answered. "Carlisle, Esme… I'm…"
"Please, tell me you are not about apologize," Esme said with a raised eyebrow. "You did nothing wrong. Our mistake was not believing him the thousand times he told us he was a soulless monster. No-fault lies with you, Bella. Edward made his choices, and he has to learn to live with them."
"Maya Angelou said, 'When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.'" Emmett mumbled. Everyone just stared at him. "What? I do read." He grumbled hauntingly.
"Yeah, sure," Rosalie muttered affectionately.
"So, how can we help?" Carlise asked.
Aro turned his attention to Bella, whose nose was buried in her scotch. "Bella, Carlisle asked you a question."
"No, he didn't. Last time I checked, I wasn't the ruler of the vampire world, Although…"
"Do not get any ideas." Aro groused. "Yes, he asked you because you are leading this fight against the Romanians. Consider yourself appointed General Swan." Bella stared at him as though he had taken all leave of his senses.
"What? You want me, the lone vampire without a coven, to lead this?" She stared at Aro agog.
"Bella, we have this opportunity because of you. Where it not for you, Amun would have sided with the Romanians." Bella sighed, knowing there was some truth to Aro's words. Amun had zero regard for humanity and would not have cared what happened to them when the Romanians took over. "We both know Li Wei is only helping again because of you." He had her there.
"Yeah, okay," Bella grumbled. "Until Arthur, our spy, is in place, we have no real idea to what we need, but we are putting you on alert. In a week or so, we will know more." Bella added.
"Can you see anything?" Carlisle asked Alice.
"No, I wasn't lying when I said it was hazy," Alice answered.
"The Romanians are far from ready. They have less than half the numbers they need and a shield to train." Bella shrugged.
"Speaking of covens, why don't you have a coven. The Swan coven?" Jasper asked.
"Sure, a coven of one." Bella laughed.
"No, a coven of six," Jane answered. Bella stared at her.
"You already belong to a coven," Bella muttered dismissively, but deep down, she would admit she liked the idea.
"Who said you can't be in more than one coven," Jasper asked. "After all, I am." He added.
"You are, aren't you," Bella muttered. "Okay, Swan coven." Bella raised her glass and knocked back the rest of her scotch.
"Oh, I've got the perfect crest for you." Alice cheered.
"Of course, you do," Bella grumbled under her breath.