If you love Aro, you must love Volterra, too.
If you love Vlterra, you must love its tradions.
Barty is about to learn this lesson...
Written for the 'Flufftober 2021' Prompt 15: Silly Traditions
Notes:Helloo,
if someone liked 'Who's got you?', here's another sequel
Unlike 'Come fly with me' which setting was in the future, this one shot takes place before the 'Who's got you?' epilogue, it's about Barty's first year in Volterra :)
p.s. I really couldn't find a better title!
Chess la vie
"It's stupid!" Barty comments.
"That's not true, stop it!" Aro imposes himself.
"You're right. It's not just stupid. It's a bloody stupid thing! " reiterates the younger vampire.
"They are called 'Traditions!'!" insists the millennial vampire.
"The Yule Ball is a tradition, this is a stupid thing!" the Death Eater continues to express his opinion.
"The feast of the patron saint of Volterra is not a stupid thing at all!" Aro growls in exasperation. "It is also in our honor, as protectors of the city," he explains.
"And what kind of protectors would allow all these murders?" Barty provokes him, amused.
"But those are tourists, they are just passers-by, they're disposable. I am talking about citizens. You also stick to the rules and you only allow yourself some extras with tourists, "Aro murmurs, stroking his face. "But you are so cute, puppy, that I would forgive you everything." he winks, making him smile, before they exchange a long, passionate kiss.
"So you are telling me that I have your permission to kill or torture, or both, one or more Muggles who live here?" his Childe asks him intrigued, before kissing him with even more greed.
"Well it suits me, that'll teach me to fall in love with a Death Eater, but don't make me regret the special permissions I grant you," his Sire grows worried. "Let's say this city can do without two, three ... or ten inhabitants a year." he makes him smile. "And anyway, I understand your game, you smart boy ,do not try to mislead the subject, I was talking to you about the feast of the patron saint of Volterra and that, as everyone else, I expect you to do what the tradition requires!"
Barty immediately separates from him.
"No bloody way! I will never mingle with Muggles, dressed ridiculously, to do even more ridiculous things! " he blurts out.
Aro looks at him amused, with an impertinent smile.
"Are you really that sure, puppy?"
"Come on, you can tell me. How did he convince you? " Jane asks him, two evenings later, that is, the eve of the feast.
"Pretty lady, make sure not to be such a nosy parker , I'll never tell you!" Barty growls at her, with her giggling. "Why don't you tell me instead how you can possibly be so excited about this stupid thing?"
"But it's not stupid at all, I find it so funny!" she comments enthusiastically, twirling happily in her wonderful burgundy medieval dress, bordered with gold, long and sumptuous.
She's rehearsing for the next day and that outfit is without any doubt the winning one.
"I mean, for one evening only throughout the year, you can wear beautiful clothes of that age, you can immerse yourself again in the atmosphere of the past, you can mix with humans, without anyone suspecting anything, to pay homage to this city so precious to us, "she explains, as he reluctantly tries on his dress.
A dark trousers, tucked into black leather boots, inlaid, calf-length, a dark green, almost gray tunic, with gold highlights on the cuffs, buttons and on the belt that encircles the hips, placed crookedly.
To top it all, the hairstyle is different, his hair is straight, parted in the middle, made more blond than usual.
"Look, you look great." Jane approves as he looks wary in the mirror.
"Well, yes, maybe at least the sword gives me a more fearful look, too bad it's fake."
"Well, you're a wizard, you can always turn it into a real one." winks Jane.
"Don't tempt me, I promised Aro to behave ... and that's not me!" he grumbles. "By the way, where is he?"
"Are you kidding? Aro never wants to be seen before the party, every year he changes his outfit. You will have to wait until tomorrow to find out what he will wear. " Jane's curiosity increases. "But I can tell you that Marcus never takes part in the game on the board, in the sense that he is the real player, the one who decides the moves and is an ace in the game of chess!" Jane informs him.
"It has never been my strong point, I much prefer someone to decide the moves for me." grumbles Barty, lowering the helmet on his head as well.
Now he is a perfect Bishop.
"If it's any comfort to you, Alec also hates this tradition, and in order to stay hidden as much as possible he always wants to make the Tower to hide inside the papier-mache structure," she snatches a smile from him.
"Well, words coming from someone who will be the Horse!" he teases her.
"Correction, my dear, if I agree to cover my perfect face with that head to wear it is only because the Horse is my favorite piece and has the coolest movement of all!" she counters proudly.
"Instead, Caius, what chess piece does he make?" the younger vampire is interested.
"Don't you get there? With those features, almost more feminine than mine, that diva attitude of his? " she gives him clues.
"I can't believe it, he's going to play Queen. Tomorrow night we'll get to have some fun!" Barty bursts out laughing.
"Indeed. See? You are starting to like this tradition a little, aren't you? " Jane catches him off guard.
"Naaah, it's not true, I keep finding this stupid and now I'd better take off these stupid clothes off me and wait for the stupid event of tomorrow!" the Dark Wizard completely denies the evidence, only arousing the hilarity of the beautiful vampiress.
-
The Volturi the following evening set off in the historic center where the party takes place.
You can breathe the whole medieval atmosphere, there are staged duels, ladies who weave cloths, fire eaters and jugglers.
The Volturi clan leader set out on the site before them, so as not to be seen before time.
As a matter of fact, it's only when everyone takes their places on the huge board that Barty finally gets to see his Sire.
Sire, in name and in fact, because Aro obviously can only fill the role of the King.
With a golden crown, embellished with rubies, emeralds and sapphires that rests on his head, his long raven hair is exceptionally gathered in a practical pigtail, behind him a velvety cloak of an intense red, edged with silver, the same silver which covers his sleeves, while on his chest he proudly displays the emblem of Volterra.
Previous years all Volturi wore sunglasses if they were to expose their face, but this year, thanks to Barty's spells the true color of their eyes can be masked easily.
Aro is more handsome than ever and if Barty has to do violence to himself not to jump on him, he certainly feels even more encouraged in his role as Bishop who must defend his King.
Caius is also a beautiful Queen, but he is the one of the opposing team.
The Queen of their team is a human with bushy blonde hair, big blue eyes and smiles that in the opinion of the handsome Dark Wizard she is showing his Aro a little too many times.
The game begins and the opening is up to Marcus, who immediately adopts an aggressive style of play.
Typical of him.
Perhaps the fact that his little brother is on the opposing team motivates him even more to give him trouble.
During the middle of the game the Blacks, Aro's ,Barty's, Jane's and Alec's team, seem to be in better shape, in a situation of slight advantage, but then a move dictated by the human who is challenging Marcus causes the White Tower to eat the Black one, Alec, to be exact.
To tell the truth, the bored vampire is only happy about it, because he has never been particularly competitive and in addition he can finally stop making himself look ridiculous.
Barty is more focused on the human Queen's flirting attempts, despite Aro ignoring her entirely, with the excuse that they have to be careful of the game.
"Horse eats Tower in B3." Marcus commands into the microphone.
Jane is more than stomping to perform the required move, moving L style and landing right on the White Tower, which is then eliminated.
The suggestive move, well devised by the human opponent leads to the loss of a bishop; luckily not Barty, but the human one.
Barty can no longer contain his anger, when he sees the Queen who, with the excuse of fixing Aro's pigtail, strokes his hair fleetingly.
That is his area, exclusively off limits!
"Bishop eats Pawn on d4!" Marco decides.
Barty is so frustrated that, growling, he rushes diagonally on the indicated square, but when he arrives to the White Pawn, he raises his helmet and sinks his fangs into the neck of the unfortunate human.
From the stands of the audience who are watching, there are screams of amazement.
"What realism they are putting in this year!" comments a lady in the audience, applauding.
Aro asks for a break from the game and immediately rushes to Barty, who still took only a few sips, nothing irreparable.
"Barty! Are you crazy? You took that 'eat the Pawn' a little too literally! " intervenes, separating it from that anti-stress snack, which he will later put under Oblivion .
"Forgive me… I was mad with anger, I didn't think rationally anymore. Actually I wanted to eat the Queen but… "
" Caius? Well, I still see him well defended, but you never know, just an imprudent move and ... "
" No, I mean the Black Queen, the one who seems unable to keep her damn hands off you! " Barty growls.
Aro is just flattered by it.
"My puppy is jealous!" Aro chuckles, amused. "Remember that deal we made about ten humans a year? Shall we say she will be the first, once the party is over? " he whispers in his ear, immediately bringing back the smile on the Death Eater's features.
The game continues and when Jane, following the various moves, ends up in the vicinity of Aro, she does not miss the opportunity.
"Aro, can you tell me how you managed to get Barty to join the village feast?"
Aro smiles slyly.
"Simple: if he hadn't accepted, I would have sent him for a whole year to my friend Carlisle, with the other Cullens, to be on the deer diet!"
THE END
Notes:Aro definitely knows the art of blackmail, lol!
I did some researches, the Medieval feast in Volterra really takes place every year, I've just invented the human chess game and, of course, the fact that te Volturi partecipate every year... I needed a silly tradiotion, lol
Hope you also like the huge BROTP between Jane and Barty, I love them.
This dark family will be back, this time for the sequel of 'Come fly with me' ;)
If you liked it and wants to leave kudos or comemnts you'll make me veeeeeeeery happy 3