The Castle

Bella

Bella once again found herself wrapped in Edward's powerful arms. Renesmee beside her, leaned against her father's chest. Bella reached out and held her hand in her own, giving it a small, reassuring squeeze. Renesmee smiled at her but said or showed nothing.

She did not want to be in that throne room. None of her family members wanted to be. And yet they found themselves scattered about an ostentatiously decorated and glorified basement. Facing the Volturi was bad, but waiting to do so was absolutely nerve wracking.

The building was full of vampires, their presence evident by their scent. Yet if Bella listened in, she could only hear humans. A secretary typing away somewhere. People walking about outside on the road. Tourists and locals mingling in the afternoon sun. Whispered promises of sexual adventures later at night. Exalted promise about the quality of goods. Eager conversations about getting off duty. An expletive curse about a busted engine.

Bella could hear that, and many more if she used a fraction of her focus to turn the cacophony of the street into coherent conversations. And she did just that, shamelessly eavesdropping on oblivious humans outside. Because inside the castle, one lone human typed away on her computer and no vampire who wasn't a Cullen made any sound.

She heard Carlisle take in a breath as he rubbed Esme's back, the scratching of his skin over the soft, silk shirt in sync with his even, practiced breaths. Emmett and Rosalie stood still, wrapped up in each other's arms, not even breathing. Alice stood close to Jasper as her eyes focused and unfocused at dizzying speed, looking at all possible future scenarios, again and again.

But there wasn't much to see anymore. Since she had her first vision, Alice had checked for the future repeatedly. And every time, it showed that they were safe and sound. This assurance was what had finally driven them to coming here by themselves. Carlisle had not wanted to call on his friends once again, even though Bella had been certain more than one of them would be willing to come to their aid.

"Aro just wants to see how Renesmee has turned out," Alice had declared.

It was not entirely unexpected either. It had been eight years since her birth. Renesmee had reached full maturity, now closer in physical age to Esme and Carlisle rather than Edward or Bella. Given the timeline of half-mortal, half-immortal children's life, they had feared as well as expected it.

Yet knowing it as a future possibility and living through it as an imminent threat were two rather different things.

Bella looked up at Edward, his eyes closed in concentration and she did not disturb him. While stillness of the Volturi guard may baffle the rest of them, Bella knew Edward could hear far more than their footsteps or swishing coats. He could probably tell where every single one of them were, what were the instructions they were to follow and what they had in store for her family. Perhaps he felt her stare for he opened his eyes, and gave her a reassuring smile. He leaned close and gave a very faint whisper.

"Aro wants to see how Renesmee is now," he said, his voice audible only to the nine of them in the basement. "He will also try to convince Carlisle to stay back."

Bella heard the slip of skin on skin as Esme's hands tightened over Carlisle.

"Why?" Rosalie asked, but Edward gave her no reply. Instead Bella saw him look at Carlisle and she was almost certain she saw an imperceptible shake of head from Carlisle. Instead, Edward settled for shrugging as an answer to Rosalie.

"Alice?" Bella whispered, looking up at Edward and he nodded.

"Chelsea will use her power to try and convince Alice, me, and you to join the Volturi guard. Emmett and Jasper too perhaps. But Aro does not have much hope with you present there," Edward leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to Bella's forehead and she could have sworn she felt her dead heart lurch.

"Do they know…about…" Carlisle did not have to complete his question before Edward answered.

"Yes, they know Jacob, Leah and Seth are waiting outside the city."

"Will they be safe?" Esme asked, her eyes darting between Alice and Edward.

Alice remained motionless. Edward answered her the best he could. "They know they are there. They are keeping an eye on them. But the guards have been told not to attack unless they attack first."

Bella heard Carlisle whisper out a soft prayer and she added her silent 'Amen' to it. Even though she was not the most pious person herself, she knew divine intervention was the least of all they needed if the safety of the wolves relied on Leah's temper.

The footsteps were sudden and steadily drew closer, getting louder with each stride. It was one single person. The human secretary.

A small flurry of movements passed through her family. Renesmee caught the side of Edward's shirt in a tight fist and her other hand formed a vice grip on Bella's wrist. Had it been a human hand, Bella knew Renesmee's fingers would have crushed through her bones. A sudden wave of calm engulfed her and Bella's eyes darted to Jasper.

He gave a small nod towards Renesmee whose grip was still tight but her breathing had slowed. Bella gave a grateful smile towards Jasper just when the large, ornate door opened. An immaculately dressed woman in high heels stepped through the doorway and looked around.

"They will see you now, if you will follow me," she said and turning around, started her steady strides back down the hall.

The corridor they passed through was narrow to the point they had to walk in a single file. Emmett patted Carlisle on the shoulder before stepping in front of him, covering Carlisle's relatively leaner frame with his own larger one. Next in line was Carlisle, followed by Esme. Rosalie walked close behind her, hovering over the matriarch of the house with a protective stance that Bella had never seen before. As her eyes took in the four people before her, she realized the arrangement Rosalie and Emmett had formed. They were preparing to protect Carlisle and Esme should they be attacked.

Bella herself was the next in line, followed closely by Renesmee and then Edward. Behind him, Alice walked and Jasper formed the tail end of the line.

Despite nearing almost a decade as a vampire, she was still not familiar with the fighting techniques. But even through her limited knowledge and skills, she understood her purpose in the formation.

Physically, she and Edward formed the same protective shield around Renesmee that Emmett and Rosalie formed around Carlisle and Esme. But that was not what she was there for. Her place in the middle of the line made it possible for her to reach out with her gift and shield anyone one of her family that needed it quickly and easily.

It's not necessary, she forced herself to think. Aro isn't planning on hurting my family.

Yet Bella was not willing to leave that up to chance. She closed her eyes and gathered her focus before blasting out a powerful shield on her either side, protecting her family the best that she could.

The sharp clank of heels lead them out of the narrow passageway into a larger lobby and up a set of spiral staircase. Even when the area widened out, Bella found herself, along with her daughter and Esme and Carlisle in the middle of the loose circle her family formed.

I need to learn how to fight, Bella realized, vowing to herself to start training with Edward or perhaps Emmett as soon as they went back home. She would not be a liability.

Carlisle created them. She could understand the in-built instinct in her family to protect the coven leader and their creator. Esme, the motherly presence, had the same privilege as her mate. And Renesmee was…alive. She had a beating heart, and blood in her veins. She was not someone who could be torn apart and then put back together like the rest of her family. But Bella?

No, she had no reason to be this vulnerable. She would not rely solely on her gift and her family's protection.

She needed to rectify that. But for now, it was too late. They were already entering the massive chamber with three evenly spaced thrones, each one of them occupied.

Clad in the gray to black coat, in front of the wall of the circular room stood a large number of the Volturi guard. On either side of the three chairs stood two short vampires in a cloak as dark as those worn by the brothers.

Jane and Alec.

Bella's eyes narrowed and she infused the shield with even more power.

"My dear friend Carlisle!" Aro exclaimed, stepping off his throne and approaching the middle of the chamber.

Reluctantly Emmett stepped away. Carlisle walked ahead and greeted Aro where he had stopped.

"Aro," he smiled, his voice pleasant. Aro reached out a hand, as if to shake it and Carlisle had no choice but to place it in his palms. Bella gritted her teeth as she pulled her shield back, inch by inch so that Carlisle stood exposed. She did not care much for Aro. They had expected him to use his gifts. Her eyes remained focused on the twins, watching for the barest hint of movement so that she could throw her shield out further and cover Carlisle in it.

But the first stab of pressure against her shield did not come from either of the two Volturi guards she was eying. Instead, it started from the back, the pressure building up at the same time as footsteps started behind her.

Bella turned, looking over her shoulder.

A woman with dark curly hair was looking at Alice, her face initially expressionless. But after a few seconds, Bella's sharp eyes could see the barest sign of strain. She was strolling along the perimeter of the room, still a considerable distance away from them. Chelsea.

Bella felt the stabbing pressure redirect, again and again, towards Edward, then Alice, then Jasper, at times herself. Until all of a sudden it stopped.

"It was wonderful of you to invite us here," Carlisle continued in his smooth voice. "We were looking for an excuse for a family vacation anyway!"

Bella sensed, more than heard the strain in Carlisle's voice and her head snapped back towards the patriarch. She shot out her shield, pushing out the gifts acting on Carlisle with her own.

She looked over her shoulder lightly to see Chelsea bare her teeth silently. But she did nothing further.

"Ah, young Bella!" Aro squealed, drawing her attention back towards the danger in front of her. "I see your gift has indeed grown with time. And your daughter has grown into a brilliant young lady. It's fascinating!"

He gave an almost child-like clap when he looked at her daughter beside her. Bella swallowed her instinct to growl, not wanting this vile man to even look at her daughter. Instead she just gave a small nod as an acknowledgment.

"I would love to see how this new chapter is being added to the history of our kind. If you would allow me?" Aro offered his hand out, this time looking at Edward. Once again, Bella pushed back her primal instinct. Reading Edward's mind was the best way of reading everyone's mind and they knew he would do that. Bella was rather surprised he even bothered reading Carlisle.

Edward stepped forward and took Aro's hand. Bella pulled her shield back, away from him. The wait was tense. Aro leaned over their joined hands and listened to everything that had been thought about in their family, the wolf packs, the humans around them for perhaps the past decade. Edward, on the other hand, stood stiffly, listening to Aro take in everything and his reaction to all of it.

Occasionally Edward would frown. Bella took a slow step forward when she saw discomfort on Edward's face, the edge of her shield touching the back of his shirt, ready to throw it out onto him. But he did not look like he was in pain or losing his senses. He looked…irritated.

Whatever it was though, it was taken care of. Edward looked towards Carlisle and gave his father a small smile. Carlisle replied with a nod and Edward looked at Aro again.

Bella once again looked over her shoulder, at Chelsea. She was standing very still now, her eyes trained on Edward. Bella used whatever self-control she had in her not to engulf her husband back in the protective embrace of her gift. She had interrupted Aro once. He would not take well to it a second time.

Her eyes fell on each of her family members as the seconds ticked away in silence, each one taking infinitesimally longer than usual. It was Jasper who acknowledged her, giving her a reassuring dip of head.

Chelsea was using her powers on Edward to make him join the Volturi. But it was not working as well as they had expected, even without her shield.

And in that moment, Bella understood why.

Edward had sensed Chelsea's actions. And he had not needed her shield to fight her powers off. No, all Edward had needed was one look at his father, at his creator.

A smirk almost escaped her lips but Bella schooled her features.

Chelsea had chosen the wrong tie to severe.

Over the years, Bella had realized just how intense was the bond that Edward and Carlisle shared. Edward was the first companion Carlisle found. Their relationship was forged through not just blood and venom, but also an understanding and love like no other. Both of them had found themselves in each other's company when they were at their loneliest. Their bond had survived hatred, self-loathing, rebellion, conflict of faith and morality, each one strengthening it when it failed to severe it.

If the bond between mates was the strongest, Bella was certain the bond between Edward and Carlisle was a close second.

Chelsea could not break it.

Bella heard the sound of gritted teeth just when Aro let go of Edward's hands. She immediately covered him in her shield again.

Aro, for his part, turned to Carlisle once again. "Carlisle, it would be a delight to host your coven with us. I am sure young Renesmee still needs rest. I will have chambers prepared for your family. Meanwhile why don't you join me in the library so that we may continue the discussion that remained unfinished since your last stay with us!"

Carlisle nodded, a subtle indication from his fingers stopping whatever complaint Emmett had.

"Felix will show the way!" Aro turned towards the family briefly before he threw an arm over Carlisle's shoulder and guided him further into the room.

As the large vampire in the gray coat guided them outside the room, Emmett wasn't the only one who had complaints. Esme's eyes locked on her husband's back. Edward's thin pressed lips and Jasper's gritted teeth all expressed the same concern.

Every member of the family was worried for the safety of their patriarch. But as they were guided towards the other corner of the castle, Bella knew there wasn't much they could do.

"Edward…" Alice looked up at him and Edward shook his head, his eyes going up towards Esme and away in an instant.

Bella frowned, resolving herself to ask about the strange exchange Edward had, first with Carlisle and now with Alice once they were alone.

Something was going on. They were hiding something and only Edward, and now Alice, seemed privy.

A/N:

I hope you enjoyed the 2nd chapter. Let me know your thoughts!