Chapter VIII - I: Hello, Welcome, and… Goodbye?
Part I
In the succeeding days after accomplishing her first task, Altheia found herself listless as she tread the castle grounds. Apparently, Edward's thoughts were a little too judgmental towards Aro about his student's non-existent sleeping schedule and recently diminished appetite, which led the black-haired king to promptly summon her to the throne room. There, he announced that she was temporarily barred from returning to the library and conducting any scholarly work, and ordered her to spend the next few weeks recuperating from the cognitive strain of the month before.
She did try to argue with the monarch, saying that Edward's thoughts were simply exaggerated to get a rise out of him, but Bella had piped up from her secretary desk. In her white button-up blouse and smart pencil skirt, her human friend stated matter-of-factly, "Altheia, you don't even sleep anymore. You just black out when people aren't talking to you. Take a break."
Unable to refute Bella, the scholar shied under Aro's darkened and disapproving stare. "If Carlisle were here, he would lecture us all about human limits," Edward added very unnecessarily. Behind the calm façade, the scholar knew that Aro was positively considering killing her that very moment.
"Edward, shut up," she hissed at him, glaring meaningfully.
When Aro finally spoke again, there was no hope for compromise. "Perhaps you would rather be changed?" he smiled obligingly at her, fangs showing. "Then, you would no longer have the need for sleep."
Shoulders hunching in defeat, she shook her head and accepted the break. Leaving the throne room, she sent a betrayed, scathing glare over her shoulder. Bella rolled her eyes, while Edward just looked satisfied with himself.
Begrudgingly, Altheia acknowledged that maybe she did need the rest. See, with nothing else to do, and the guards ready to tell on her when she even neared the bibliotheca, the Italian found herself drifting between the kitchens and her bedroom. Before she even knew it, most of that week was spent collapsed on her bed, mind in deep sleep. When she did truly feel well-rested and finally started eating normally again, her break still hadn't been lifted, and she was forced to her free time wandering the castle grounds alone.
Apparently, as she slept through the week, pressing reports of disappearances and murders in the Americas made its way into coven's primary agenda, leaving her usual companions hectic and unapproachable. Edward as the interim informant of the kings, Demetri as the commanding kingsguard and tracker, and Bella acting as the coven secretary assured that their daylight hours would be spent in endless meetings and duties they were obligated to attend to, and left them testy when the night came. Bella was about as sweet-tempered as a viper these days, so no thank you, she would rather haunt the castle grounds by herself.
Often choosing to seclude herself in the outskirts of the Volterra fortress, lying down under the shade of acacia trees, Altheia startles when she turns and sees a pale, red-eyed king reclined on the grassbed right next to her.
"Jesus Christ!" she cried out of fright.
Marcus smirked as he looked down at her startled form. "Hardly."
"Don't you have meetings to be in?" she asked wryly, watching him cross his arms under his head. He curved a brow at her. "Since, you know, you govern the vampire world."
The notion of skipping out on his kingly duties put an arrogant, taunting smirk on the monarch's face. "And who's going to tell on me?"
"Oh yes, I heard all about your work ethic," the woman responded as she resumed her position. "Imagine not doing anything for two thousand years." she barks out a laugh. "I think Caius hates me because you chose to teach me instead of doing your actual job. But that's ok, Marcus. I know I'm irresistible."
"I see you need a lesson in humility as well," he replies. "Do you often address your superiors this way?"
"Superiors? Where?" There is a ghost of a smile on Altheia's face when he glances at her. Her eyes are closed, deep brown hidden from his gaze, and the swaying shadows of the leaves trace shapes on her sunlit skin.
"Impudence." He murmured in a low voice as his eyes fixed on the human lying beside him. The woman turned onto her side to face towards him, long, bronzed hair cascading on the grass bed in shades of russet, eyes opening to look up at him as she laughed. His fingers twitch behind his head, and he stops himself from reaching across to feel the silk of her locks on his fingertips.
Marcus' gaze is soft when she glances at him, and Altheia has half the mind to look away. Red tints on her cheeks, she lets the minutes pass in companionable silence, her fingers tracing the shards of grass and fallen petals on the ground.
"I have a question," she says later, easing out of the quiet. "About, er, vampires having special abilities."
"Of course you do," he sighed. "You are a potential shield, after all."
"Yes, about that too," Altheia chewed on her lip nervously. "Aro and Edward can read minds, Alice can see the future, Demetri can apparently track anyone he's met before, even across the globe, and Jane can inflict excruciating pain in someone's mind like a parlor trick. But Bella and I are human and yet some of those gifts don't work on us."
"Special abilities will manifest differently for every person," Marcus confirmed. "But not all abilities will be powerful, and not all vampires will possess one."
"What do you mean?"
"Aro and Edward are both telepaths, but their gifts differ. With one touch, Aro can see each memory and hear each thought you've ever had. Edward's gift doesn't require tactile contact, and his hearing extends for miles, but he can only ever hear your present thoughts." Altheia nodded interestedly as he spoke. "With Jane, who can incapacitate anyone with unthinkable pain, or Demetri, who you can never escape, or Felix, whose strength and combat prowess knows no rival amongst the covens, any ungifted individual finding himself opposite to the Volturi will unquestionably suffer defeat. Unless…"
"Unless they're a shield," Altheia finished. Marcus shrugged.
"On the matter of your friend, I presume that Isabella Swan will become a powerful mental shield when she is turned, which Aro sees problematic for the Volturi in the future, as you should understand by now. The Cullens may not consume human blood, but their members are formidable without it." Ruby eyes look to her meaningfully. "You, on the other hand, are the Volturi's best hope for that future."
"I don't even know how I'm doing what you think I'm doing, so don't count on it," Altheia laughed as she changed the subject. "What about the others? Does Caius have a gift? Do you?"
"Each member of the Royal Guard is gifted. However, those with notable abilities are Chelsea, who can manipulate relationships; Alec, who deprives any target of all senses; and Renata, who is a physical shield and averts any attempt at aggression." Marcus answered obligingly, but narrowed his eyes at her after. "I can assess Bonds between people, pinpoint their strength and weaknesses. Collectively, our abilities ensure that the coven, ah, governs the kind, as you said. But Caius is a dangerous subject, being the first vampire, and if you truly want to know, you must ask him yourself."
"So I shouldn't piss off anyone in the castle. Got it." Altheia huffed, nodding resolutely to herself. "Is it okay if I ask… how your gift works? What do you see and how do you know what bonds mean?"
Marcus regarded her under a thoughtful stare. Curious cat.
"You're a know-it-all, aren't you."
"I've… been called that many times in this life, yes." She admitted petulantly before flushing pink and turning away. "You don't have to answer anymore," she grumbled. "I was just curious."
Altheia thought she was imagining things when she felt soft fingers comb through her locks. But when she turned back to glance over her shoulder, Marcus was still reclined as before.
Was it the wind? Weird.
"What I will tell you is," Marcus pushed himself upright as he turned to face her. "With my gift, I can understand why you agreed to become a Volturi. No, why you want to."
Perplexed, Altheia sat up and turned to him fully. "I want to become a Volturi?"
"Of course. You are not linked," Marcus spoke candidly, eyes almost dazed as he assessed her. Realizing he was actually using his ability on her, Altheia started to shrink under his all-knowing gaze. "You do not have much loyalty to anyone, but your strings are eager. In fact, you're waiting… Hm. You're orphaned now, aren't you. But your parents meant the world to you.… Homesick, yes, I see… And you are more lonesome than you seem to be. Did you not have time for friends?"
"Um."
"You are happy that you met Isabella Swan," he continued. "And consider her a sister. Your bond with her is strong and reciprocated. Protective."
"Yeah you can stop now." Altheia muttered quietly. "I get it."
Marcus tilted his head slightly, red eyes fixated now that he was watching her expression. "Intrusive, isn't it? Aro once said I can be very meddlesome if I want to be."
Altheia snorted. "I'll say."
"Impudence again."
As Marcus' comments echoed in her mind, a small frown pulled at her lips. "You think I want to become a Volturi because I'm lonely?"
"Essentially," the monarch confirmed, glancing at her from the corner of his eyes. "But not entirely."
"Do I even want to know?"
Marcus chuckled. "Aren't you the know-it-all?"
"You're right," his student sighed. "I won't be able to sleep. Tell me?"
"Humans and vampires alike, are very social creatures," he answered. "Our bonds with others can be born out of yearning, instinct, choice, circumstance, or even manipulation. But sometimes, even our souls are linked a scheme greater than what we know, and we gravitate to that pull unknowingly."
"Sorry, you lost me?"
"Your Fate has always been here. In Volterra," Marcus clarified for her. He rose from the grass and offered his hand before pulling her up from the ground delicately. "No matter what would have happened, the universe would have conspired to take you back to this place to satiate the Bonds in your soul. The Volturi would have inevitably hounded you to stay... not just because you're a shield."
"That's oddly comforting," Marcus' gaze flew to hers when she said this. Altheia mumbled. "I mean. Knowing that I would have met all of you, no matter what. It's comforting."
If only it hadn't taken so long, Marcus thought as he lifted her chin with a single finger. Brown eyes stared back inquisitively at him.
She hadn't wholly understood what he meant, but he figured that he wasn't ready for her to, either. In time, perhaps. With so many other things he wanted to say, Marcus allowed a small, tender smile to curve across his lips before dropping his hold.
"You're right," he murmured quietly as they walked back to the castle side by side. "And I am thankful."
»»—- ❈ —-««
Over the next few days, Altheia looked forward to the familiar companionship Marcus had offered under the shades of acacia in the afternoon. Unlike the first day, their succeeding meetings were spent conversing about lighter topics, like the countries they had travelled to and interesting people they'd met (because Altheia found out the hard way that asking Marcus personal and profound questions always ended up with her being psychoanalyzed by the meddlesome millennia-old vampire). When he struggled to recall events from recent years, Marcus admitted to being more ghoul than man after his wife had passed.
"Didyme was—joy, delight… Without her, I…" His expression immediately obscured when he reminisced. He felt his strength leave his limbs as they dropped to his sides. "She was the light of my life."
"Marcus Volturi," the monarch was stunned out of his trance when his companion admonished him, finger wagging at him in disapproval. "If Didyme brought everyone so much joy, why would you immortalize her this way? From now on, when you remember Didyme, I want you to smile. You smile because you met her, and you loved each other, and the joy that she left with you lives on."
Almost instinctively, his expression contorted into anger. This woman knew nothing about Didyme. Nothing about his loss and grief. She would never understand. Didyme was the light of his life. He opened his mouth to give her a piece of his mind, but furious words never make it past his lips.
Valiantly, Altheia had taken his hands into her own and turned his palms upward. Holding them open, she told him, "When sunlight falls on your skin, I want you to remember Didyme. Wasn't she beautiful? Wasn't she bright and warm?" As if on cue, specks of light filtered through the trees and created exquisite shimmers on his skin. "When the winds of the world embrace you, I want you to remember Didyme. Didn't her laughter take your breath away?" The trees and grass around them swayed softly in the afternoon breeze.
"Marcus, when you remember Didyme, please remember her happily in the world around you." The brunette squeezed his fingers before dropping her grasp on his hands, only to step closer and press her own palm on the spot above his chest where his heart would not beat. "Because when you remember her this way, you give her honor and justice. You give her love."
She pressed on his undead heart further. "You will realize that she stays, Marcus, she stays with you because you remember her. She's right here. Always."
Marcus?
In that moment, Marcus thinks he is finally losing his mind. He starts seeing Didyme's phantom standing right in front of him, under the rays of sunlight, sparkling, beckoning him with a smile. Just as beautiful as he remembered her, just as warm. He starts hearing Didyme's soft laughter float across the gentle wind, hair swaying, and her loving voice calling out to him.
Marcus.
His lips twisted.
I'm right here.
His arms shook.
I love you.
"Didyme," he breathed weakly.
Don't grieve for me, Marcus.
She opens her arms to him.
Live for me.
He surges forward, arms darting to pull the woman into his chest. Altheia squeaks in surprise when she is pulled and finds herself pressed against Marcus, but after a moment, she smiles in relief, and wraps her arms around him.
Laugh for me.
Marcus embraces her, cradling her head in a hand, pulling her waist closer to him with the other. "I will."
Love for me.
He doesn't immediately let go or look away, and strangely enough, for the first time in his life, Marcus is not afraid to.
Finally… a subtle, nostalgic smile. "I will."
»»—- ❈ —-««
THE THRONE ROOM, VOLTERRA CASTLE. . .
"You want to have a what?" Bella's face was struck with horror. "Absolutely not. You know how busy we are already!"
"I didn't ask you," Demetri stated matter-of-factly, before turning back to the king in front, bowing respectfully. "I asked Master Aro."
"Perhaps after the trials, Demetri," the telepathic king decided with careful consideration. "I shall allow it."
"Ha!" The kingsguard cried in triumph. "Heidi won't know what to do with herself when she hears this."
"This is bad." Bella muttered as she returned to her work. "Altheia's not going to like this."
"Put it into the calendar, newbie," The smug look on the tracker's face makes her want to throw her pencil at him. "Because she's not going to have a choice."
»»—- ❈ —-««
Barely morning the next day, Altheia is wakened by insistent, consecutive rapping on her door. Half-asleep, she pushes herself out of bed. Rubbing her eyes as she pulled the door open, she did a double take on her visitor before yelping.
"Oh, is it still too early? Dora said 6AM should be fine… Should I come back later?"
Standing outside her door at sunrise was Sulpicia Volturi, looking effortlessly regal in the slender, emerald dress that hugged her figure. Her long hair was pulled into an elegant chignon, unveiling the Queen's kind, charming face.
"Q-Queen Sulpicia," the scholar bowed, shaking herself awake. She patted her hair down in an attempt to make herself presentable, but with her cotton pajamas and groggy face, Altheia just wanted to curl up and die on the spot. "I'm sorry, I didn't know… I would have prepared… Oh I'm so embarrassed… I'm so sorry…" she rambled.
"No, no, dear, it's my fault," Sulpicia said, tone apologetic. "May I come in? I'm currently evading Corin, you see. I don't think she's realized I'm gone yet…"
"Of course, please, come in," The scholar led her into the bedroom without much thought. Pulling the desk chair for her visitor, she asked, "But… why would you be hiding from Corin?"
"I escaped from the Tower so I could come get you myself," Sulpicia answered with a proud grin. Altheia's mouth fell open. "Could Dora and I borrow you for the day? We promise to bring you back safely," she continued.
Before Altheia could even process the question, the empress had already seated herself on the wooden chair, hands folded neatly on her lap. "I'll wait for you here as you get ready. But you should bathe quickly, I think we only have a few minutes before all hell breaks loose. But go on, take your time, you're human after all. I can be very patient."
Altheia blinked twice before shaking her head and making her way to the bathroom, bewildered. "Am I still dreaming?" she wondered aloud.
The vampire in her room beamed. "Would you like me to select your garments for you?"
»»—- ❈ —-««
THE TOWER, VOLTERRA. NOT EVEN AN HOUR LATER. . .
As planned, Sulpicia returned to the tower unnoticed, the coven scholar in tow and castle guards none the wiser. Her attending guard, Mele, had been instructed to distract Corin in Sulpicia's bid to fetch the human woman from the west wing herself, while Athenodora collected human nourishment from the pantry.
Athenodora arrived after shortly after them with a jute, picnic basket hanging from one arm, dressed in a dark, chic slip. Taking out her pantry haul from the basket one by one, the blonde queen chuckled heartily as she arranged assorted rolls and sandwiches, teacups, biscuits, water and wine bottles on the ornate mahogany table. When Mele returned, noting the success of their operation, she exhaled deeply in relief and took her usual post next to the hearth.
"You… you've really thought this through," Altheia remarked in amusement as the group reconvened in one of the queens' sitting rooms. "I'm actually impressed."
"Yes! Oh Dora," Sulpicia giggled as she flitted across the room. "Wasn't that such a rush? I felt like I was hunting and hunted… Marvelous."
"Indeed. A housemaid almost saw me," Athenodora divulged before turning to smile at Altheia. "Hello dear. I hope we didn't frighten you."
"Just a little bit," she replied nervously. "Have I been kidnapped?"
"Kidnapped!" Sulpicia tutted, wagging a finger at her. "You were too willing to be a victim if you ask me."
"You see, I thought I was dreaming…"
"Ha! Tell that to the judge. Go on then, have your breakfast. Unlike others, we're very knowledgeable of human needs if I do say so myself." Sulpicia rambled pleasantly, gesturing to the food on the table as she darted between rooms.
Munching on a sandwich, Altheia looked on apprehensively as the queens started bringing in racks of clothing and jewelry into the room, eyes barely keeping up with their speed.
Yup, they're not human, alright. The scholar's face twisted as she watched Athenodora easily carry a thick, full-length mirror in one hand and a divan in the other. Sulpicia assembled a full-sized easel and a large canvas by the window before she laid out paintbrushes and tubes of paint at inhuman speed.
An hour later, when the queens finally settled and dusted their hands, eyeing around the sitting room's contents nodding to themselves, pleased, Altheia finally found her voice.
"I'm going to be a doll today, aren't I." she deadpanned.
"You're very smart, so you shan't even try to fight it." Sulpicia giggled. "It will make this so much easier."
Athenodora's garnet eyes glinted as she looked over the human's figure meticulously. "Mele," her tone was clipped and maternal. "Run a milk bath. Immediately."
"And don't forget the lavender!" Sulpicia chimed as her attendant disappeared from sight. Her gaze darkened as she turned back to the scholar, revealing a sharp pair of styling scissors in her hand. "Don't be afraid," she crooned. "We know what we're doing."
As the queens sauntered closer to her, Altheia stepped back, laughing nervously under her breath. "Why are you doing this to me?"
"Well," Athenodora smirked cryptically. "Because we can."
»»—- ❈ —-««
The hours pass in a blur, and Altheia believes she has developed a soft heart for the queens, despite being womanhandled, bathed, repeatedly dressed and undressed, modelled, posed, styled, and painted. Sulpicia and Athenodora are absolutely terrifying in their own right, but they were really talented stylists.
They wasted no time and asked her what length she preferred her hair, only to decide amongst themselves that they would keep it long, slightly past chest-level, and instead chose to accentuate the shape of her feminine face by framing it with soft, lengthy fringes. Quickly after, she was whisked into a lukewarm lavender milk bath, which Athenodora insists is "the secret to poreless skin." Sulpicia would dress her in a whirlwind of slips, gowns, chic gems, and tiaras, before routinely posing her on the plush divan next to the fireplace, where Athenodora would paint her masterfully.
"I'm beginning to understand why you two have been incarcerated in the tower," Altheia muttered tiredly when Athenodora finished with the ninth portrait. She mindlessly dressed herself into the garment laid out next to her: a scowl neck, burgundy satin slip with mid-thigh slit. "It's to protect everyone else from your menace."
"Witty, but untrue." Sulpicia giggled again. "In the first order of things, we are certainly not incarcerated. Outsiders like to chatter about us being prisoners, but that's truly opposite from the case."
"Will you believe us if we told you that we chose to live in the towers?" Athenodora inquired. "Perhaps you would if I explained. You've heard about Didyme's tragedy, have you not?"
Altheia nodded. "A casualty from the Roman warfare."
"Amidst the scuffle, they murdered her. She screamed for Marcus, and she screamed for Aro, and then she was gone. Just like that." Athenodora narrated sadly. "No words, no negotiations. No mercy."
"The Volturi emerged victorious, but who could rejoice after what happened? Marcus, too, lost his life when Didyme burned in front of him. It was all truly tragic." Sulpicia sniffed as she started re-styling the scholar's russet hair into soft curls. "They weren't Mates, no, but she was his wife, and they truly cared for each other."
"What happened with Didyme's death scared us…" Athenodora confessed, frowning. "Marcus became the shell of a man we once knew, and we feared what would happen to Aro and Caius if we perished in a different war. The order of our world would collapse. Absolute chaos. The war we fought would be for nothing."
"So you chose to remain in the tower," Altheia finished sadly. Brows furrowing, the scholar noted, "Vampires are mated?"
"Don't you know? Hmm, well..." Sulpicia hummed as she dabbed Altheia's cheeks with rose powder. "The Cullen pairs are Mates. Carlisle, lovely Esme. Beautiful Rosalie, Emmett. Alice, Jasper. Perhaps Edward and Bella are mates as well. I am happy for them, but I do harbor some resentment for how good and righteous their lives are."
"Agreed." Athenodora laughed under her breath. "Only some vampires are fortunate enough to meet their Mates. The rest of us make do."
"I wouldn't exactly call being married to royalty making do," Altheia said dryly, and the queens snickered.
"Maybe so, but I married Aro long before he was king. The times and titles may have changed along the way," Sulpicia heard herself saying. "But before we had power, we had nothing… just the two of us. It makes a difference, you see, knowing that you will not suffer immortality alone. It makes you a little desperate."
"That's…" Altheia considered her words. "…a little heartbreaking."
"You would think so, but I love my husband very much. Even if he isn't my Mate."
"As do I." Athenodora echoed.
"Well then." The scholar smiled. "That's very romantic."
"Isn't it? Aro cared for me, and protected me, and was my life's confidant through the years. His heart broke when he read my palm and saw that I wanted to hide myself away in this tower for him. But… that's how much I love him." Sulpicia's voice was no more than a whisper, eyes downcast. "Someday, if I am fortunate enough to meet my Mate… I hope Aro will love me enough to make the tough decisions, too…"
"Sully," Athenodora scolded weakly. "You're going to make me cry."
But Sulpicia was laughing again. "Ha! I dare you. Cry right now. You can't, can you? Hahaha…"
Is it just me or, Altheia thought as she watched them bicker. Are vampires not as scary as they think they are?
"I truly hope you find your Mates someday, Sully, Dora." Altheia casually piped as she rose from the couch, heading to the table to munch on a ham sandwich, back turned away from them. "God knows you deserve them."
The queens' heads snapped up at her comment, and then they share a smile, deeply moved by her casual remark. They laugh when Altheia grumbles under her breath.
"Still don't agree your husbands of choice though. Lucky bastards."
»»—- ❈ —-««
THE LOBBY, VOLTERRA CASTLE. AFTER DUSK. . .
"What!" Bella cried. "What do you mean Altheia's disappeared!"
"Signorina, please answer the question. When did you last see the scholar?" Felix repeated impatiently. "Was she acting strangely? Did she give any indication tha—"
"No!" Bella said strongly. "She would never run away! She has to be here somewhere."
"Master Marcus reported her missing and initiated a search for her immediate retrieval," Demetri informed her, and then muttered quietly. "Bella, are you sure she didn't plan…"
"Yes," Bella hissed, exasperated. "I last saw her at dinner yesterday, and she was normal as usual. Did you check the gardens? Her room? The library? She might just be—"
"I have scoured the grounds myself. Her scent has faded since the rain, and I cannot track her."
"I have to call Edward back from his scouting post. He can help..." Bella collapsed back onto her chair, mind reeling. "Oh dio, what if someone's killed her?"
"Master Aro has summoned for the entire royal guard." Alec announced when he suddenly appeared next to Bella's desk. "Volterra is impenetrable as it is. He believes an insider has abducted the scholar."
"Oh no…" Bella paled further. "You don't mean…"
"Nobody can hide from Master Aro's gift," Demetri stated with the shake of his head. "I simply hoped it would not come to this."
"I can assure you," Alec confirmed plainly. "Before the day ends, one of the guards will be found guilty, and his death will be excruciating."
»»—- ❈ —-««
And so the royal guards were gathered in front of the kings, one at a time approaching the telepathic monarch to prove their innocence.
"Mele," Aro called for the next sentry, his eyes black and tempestuous. "Give me your hand."
She hesitates. "Master… I…"
"Felix."
The queensguard does not even hear Felix's movement until she is suddenly subjugated by him, forcefully overpowered into a genuflect, an unrelenting pressure on the back of her head. Her right arm was thrusted upward into Aro's reach.
Shocking the on-looking guards as Aro held her hands between his own, she cried, "Master! Please forgive me! I live to serve!"
"I see." Aro's expression is unreadable when he drops her hand. "How brainless of you."
»»—- ❈ —-««
THE QUEENS' CHAMBERS, THE TOWER, VOLTERRA. . .
"…and that's how much society has progressed since your self-mandated reclusion." The scholar finished her narration.
"Really!" Athenodora sounded pleased. "Women can vote and be elected to public office now!"
"How times change, indeed." Sulpicia breathed in amazement. "Dora, remember when Botticelli refused to teach us the arts because we were female."
"Yes, what a shame." Her sister replied. "But he was very delicious."
Altheia winced. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that."
"Before, only the Viking women could divorce their husbands!" Sulpicia cried.
Uh-oh. Warning bells rang in Altheia's mind. Why do I feel like I just stepped on a land mine?
»»—- ❈ —-««
After the downpour thundered outside the window, evening came.
"Where'd Mele go?" Altheia wondered aloud.
Sulpicia called for her attending guard, before coming up empty. The queens shared a silent, knowing look.
Athenodora sighed.
"Before we return you to the castle, I'm afraid we must admit something, Aletheia," Sulpicia confessed. "We may have lied to you a very tiny, teensy-weensy, little, little bit."
Athenodora cleared her throat. "We took you here because… we think it's the only way to get our husbands up here immediately. They've been avoiding us, you see. Always with their excuses. Fifty years is too much."
Now awkward, and a little bit scared at the prospect of the kings becoming angry at her, "Why?"
"Times and titles change," the fair-haired vampire replied vaguely. "Tough decisions must be made."
"I want to be brave like you, dolcezza. And in the recent years… I feel like something is calling me out there." Sulpicia admitted, caressing her cheek. "I hoped to keep you longer… but it looks like they've found you."
The doors to the queens' chambers burst open, revealing a disheveled-looking Marcus. Directly behind him were the inscrutable faces of Aro and Caius as their gazes rested on their wives.
Eyes zeroing in on the scholar and not even noting the presence of his sisters-in-law, Marcus strode into the room before pulling Altheia to his chest. Sulpicia and Athenodora stood frozen, equally dumbstruck, red eyes wide and unblinking.
"Yes, hello to you too, Marcus," the scholar mumbled against the king's dress shirt, trying to push herself free but to no avail. Giving up, she slumped against him. "Were you looking for me all afternoon. I was here the entire time."
"You're unharmed?" his voice was a thunder's rumble.
"Of course. Sully and Dora would never hurt me. I told you I'm irresistible." Altheia was smiling cheekily at him when she was finally allowed to step away. "They just wanted to talk to Aro and Caius, that's all. They've been neglectful husbands."
"Really. How unsurprising." Marcus turned his attention to his sisters-in-law. Eyes narrowing, he noted the drastic change in their Bonds.
With a warning look to his brothers, the brown-haired king led his student out of the chambers.
"Come. We need not be here for the hurricane."
Stop exaggerating, Altheia mumbled to him as they made their way down the tower. It's just a little rain.
»»—- ❈ —-««
"What in the world were you even thinking, Athenodora?" Caius' tone dripped with subtle rage as he paced around the sitting room. "The uproar you've caused…!"
"What else should I have done," his wife countered, arms crossed. "Waited sixty years before you had the courage to come up here?"
»»—- ❈ —-««
ARO'S OFFICE, THE NORTH WING, VOLTERRA CASTLE. . .
"Sulpicia."
A sigh. "Aro, please. Take my hand."
"You—!"
"Take my hand." A sad smile. "Please."
Aro does, and his face falls.
"Aro, my love… this is long overdue, don't you think?"
»»—- ❈ —-««
THE ROYAL GUARD COMMONS, EAST WING, VOLTERRA CASTLE. THAT SAME NIGHT. . .
"Mele was ordered by the queens to abduct the scholar?" The incredulity in Afton's cry was apparent.
"No, no," Heidi corrected. "She was ordered to distract Corin as the queens themselves took her."
"Bro," Santiago breathed, eyes wide. "That's mad."
"That's not all," Heidi whispered. "Just now, Corin was told to bring trunks of clothing and jewelry to the scholar's quarters. Apparently, the queens gifted them to her after what happened."
Jane remained silent at the end of the couch, not paying much attention to them. She was immersed in an online chess match.
"But what's going to happen to Mele?" Alec interrupted from beside his twin, intrigued.
"Well don't look at me," the alluring vampire jabbed her thumb to the direction of the commanding kingsguard at the corner of the room. "It's his call."
*Translations for this chapter:
bibliotheca - library
dolcezza - sweetheart
oh dio - oh god
Version 18 January 2021
Post Chapter Discussion
REPEAT AFTER ME.
In this house, we do not scorn women.
In this house, we do not hate women.
And most importantly, in this house, we will give justice to the Volturi queens.
You guys will love part II, promise.
P.S. What's up with SM's misogynistic write up of her female characters. Esme is a domestic abuse victim and she loses her baby, Rosalie is brutally gang-raped and beaten before damning her into an immortality she didn't want, Jane was accused of being a witch and burned at the stake, Emily has a fucking scar on her face because her imprint mauled her, Sulpicia and Athenodora are literally drugged and locked up in a tower... CRINGE amirite HAH dont even get me started on what happens with Bella in Breaking Dawn Part I and JACOB IMPRINTING ON AN ACTUAL BABY IM SCREAMINGGGGG AhHH