AN: I don't own anything, yadda yadda, thank you SM for letting us play with your world.
TEMPERING
After their minor altercation in the library, Basileus decided to seek out Caius and talk to him in greater depth over his treatment of Lucy. When he arrived outside Caius' door, he could hear shouting coming from within. Rather than knocking, as he usually would have, he threw the door open and invited himself in. Seeing Basileus standing in the doorway, the entire room froze. It wasn't often that the creator visited Caius' quarters, and never so impolitely or unannounced.
"My lord?" Athenodora asked, wondering what the man would want with her.
"What was going on?" Basileus asked, ignoring Athenodora and directing his question directly to Lucy.
She appeared to have fresh bruising to her face, her cheek certainly wasn't so grey and swollen when Basileus had seen her in the library.
"What has he done to you?" Basileus asked gently, ignoring Athenodora's protests.
"My lord, Lucy is quite simply out of control," Athenodora interjected from her seat whilst barely looking up from her needlework.
Basileus narrowed his eyes to the nasty, lying bitch as he took Lucy's hand and pulled her to the window. Gently he turned her face into the light and saw the cracks in her check, evidence of a severe blow.
"This cannot go on any longer." Basileus sounded exasperated. "Where is Caius?"
Athenadora looked up to see Basileus vibrating with rage. "I believe he is tidying up in the dungeons - at your request."
Every word you say is delivered with spite, Basileus said to himself.
Looking back to the waif, Basileus noticed how black the girl's eyes were. "Are you angry, Lucy?"
"No, my lord," Lucy breathed in response. She seemed so weak, so fragile.
"When did you last feed?" he pushed, though Basileus looked directly at Athenodora, who squirmed under the creator's gaze.
"A few months ago, my lord."
The master's wife's eyes widened hearing Lucy tell Basileus the truth. She had been sure she would lie on their behalf and she was angry that Lucy had betrayed her and Caius so easily.
"Why, Athenodora?!" Basileus ground out to the embarrassed woman who had at least a shred of decency and looked ashamed by the revelation.
"Discipline, Basileus. Lucy is non-compliant, she won't follow the rules."
Basileus scoffed. "And what rules would they be, then?" Shaking his head, Basileus' black hair danced across his forehead. "You and Caius are cruel and I am ending it today," he said resolutely as he began to guide Lucy from the room.
"Where is she going? Athenodora asked. "I need her, she is my servant!" Athenodora rightly shut her mouth when she heard Basileus begin to growl.
"Lucy is not your servant. Your mistreatment of her requires me to remove her from your care. I will do the same with any others I deem you to be treating badly and, believe me, I will be checking."
Lucy waited in the castle hallway for Basileus whist he scanned Heidi's thoughts for any maltreatment. He was quite disgusted by what he saw. Caius' sexual fantasies had seemingly reached new heights with the siren living in his quarters, but he wasn't hurting her ... well, not without her permission, at any rate. Sick cunt, Basileus thought, shaking his head of the memory.
"Athenodora," he called out before closing the door, "I do not like the way you speak to Heidi, I will check again in a week's time and I hope to find your manner improved."
Athenadora looked ready to spit venom in the creator's face.
Indeed, he heard her desire to do just that in her thoughts. Heidi seemed to quite enjoy living with Caius and Athenodora, though for the life of him, Basileus couldn't work out why!
"Come with me," Basileus said gently as he extended his hand to Lucy.
The poor wretch looked scared to death and she didn't have a clue what was going on. Basileus was worried about her mental state and he knew it was, at least partly, his doing. He couldn't blame Caius for it all. It was Basileus, after all, who had ordered Demetri to end his relationship with her, though he feared it was Aro's idea of using Chelsea's gift that would have done this level of damage.
Since Chelsea had broken the young lovers' bonds, Basileus had noted that Demetri seemed a little more volatile than usual ... but he hadn't spent much time with the boy and put it down to Demetri being pissed off with him over the whole affair. Lucy, though ... she appeared to have become a ghost, a shell without any impulse or feeling at all.
"Would you be happier back in the guard hall?"
Lucy looked up to the creator, he was a giant of a man, especially compared to the slight girl Lucy was, and she craned her neck back to see his face. "You aren't going to dispatch me?" she asked plainly, seeming to have little interest in the answer.
Basileus stopped them both and leaned down to cup her face. "You are not to blame for any of this, Lucy. You will have a place in this coven for the rest of your life."
Lucy looked ready to cry, but it wouldn't come. Ever since Chelsea had played with her emotional bonds, she felt like a part of her was missing. She knew when she should feel something, and even what she should feel ... but the actual feeling wouldn't come – good or bad, there was just nothing.
Basileus stood up straight. Fuck. We have broken her! "I'm taking you to Magnus. If anyone can put this right, he can." He was speaking as much to himself as he was to Lucy, and he truly hoped the guard master could give the girl her emotions back.
When Basileus reached the guard hall, he called out for Magnus and Freyr. They came straight to him, of course.
"What has he done to her now?" Freyr spat, disgusted by her co-leader and his vicious handling of such a fragile vampire.
"He won't be doing it again, I can assure you," Basileus replied, though he heard in Freyr's thoughts that he was doing too little too late. He would usually have called someone out for thinking such a thing of him, but he couldn't in good conscience do that this time - Freyr was right and he knew it.
"Will you take her into your quarters until she is well enough to re-join the guards?"
Although Freyr answered immediately that they would, Magnus eyed Lucy curiously. "What is it, my love?" Freyr asked her mate.
"She doesn't feel anything," he replied, taking Lucy's hands in his own and attempting to draw her emotions. "There's nothing in her," he said sadly.
"Erm, yes, about that ... " Basileus started, but he didn't really know what to say. "She hasn't fed recently ... "
"Months, more like!" Freyr corrected him firmly.
Basileus grimaced. You are a hard woman, shield maiden, he thought, but again she spoke the truth. That was the thing about Freyr ... if you were at the end of a sharp tongue from her you would have earned it.
Magnus didn't need to hear anymore. "I'll take her," he said as he took Lucy into his arms, protectively hugging her to his chest. "I think I can fix this."
Basileus heard Magnus' thoughts were less certain than his tone, but he felt a little relief that Magnus would at least give it his best shot.
Magnus picked up on the creator's feelings and though he nearly held his tongue, one look at Lucy and he knew it needed to be said. "Perhaps we can save Chelsea's talents for our enemies from now on?"
Basileus bit his lip. "I will pass that on to Aro." With that, he left the masters and sought out a few members of the guard to discuss proper decorum. It was a job he was planning to save for later, but as he was already in the guard hall it made sense for him to do it now. He also knew if he didn't have a short interlude before seeing Caius they would be needing a replacement coven leader before nightfall!
Heading straight for Phillipe and Richard, Basileus strolled over to the mated pair hoping to assure himself of their loyalties to the Volturi coven.
Phillipe had been taken as war booty from the French coven almost a century before. War booty or not, Aro was having Phillipe as soon as he saw the French vampire's gift - Phillipe could levitate! His early years with the coven had been fraught with Phillipe struggling to find his place in such a large coven. Chelsea had successfully broken the man's bonds with the French coven but it took until Richard joined the coven as a home grown newborn for Phillipe to settle into Volturi life. They fell in love at first sight.
Though Phillipe had never attempted to leave and he had seemed happy since Richard's arrival, around fifty years now, Basileus still wanted to be sure of where his current loyalty lay. Clicking his fingers once to the pair, Richard and Phillipe flowed Basileus to Magnus' table.
"Take a seat," he offered whist making himself at home in Magnus' chair. Richard sat immediately, having always been particularly obedient, whilst Phillipe, true to form, made more of a meal of it, scraping his chair noisily across the floor and moodily plonking himself down.
"Problem?" Basileus asked him, with a look that dared him to say yes.
"No, my lord," Phillipe returned, though he chose not to look at the creator.
Hmm, there clearly is a problem! Basileus thought, correctly.
It only took him a moment to find Phillipe's concern. Are they going to give me back to Henri?
Henri was the leader of the French coven, and although Phillipe's concern was unfounded, it pleased Basileus to hear it. So you want to stay here, then. This is good news!
"How do you feel about the covens visiting?" he asked the pair outright.
Richard looked nervously to Phillipe in the hope he would answer for the pair of them.
"That depends on whether I will be going home with them or not," the sullen young man replied.
"Oh Phillipe, must everything be a challenge with you? You are beginning to sound like Lev!" Basileus spoke loudly enough so every guard in the hall could hear his conversation and he had to smile when he heard Lev grunting about what a sarcastic cock the creator was.
Turning back to the two vampires he had before him, Basileus put Phillipe out of his misery. "This is your home. We haven't arranged the covens' attendance as some elaborate plan to send you packing, Phillipe!"
Phillipe's features softened as the relief wore on his face.
"Unless you would like to leave, of course. No one will stop you, but it will not be our desire," Basileus added.
To give a good impression, he wanted everyone as relaxed as possible when the covens arrived. Relaxed, he said to himself, I will need Magnus to work his magic if I am to relax, damn stupid plan!
Basileus shook the thoughts from his mind. Marcus has agreed, so it's happening now. I need to pave the way for Aro to convince the other covens to join us, so getting any possible troublemakers in shape it is!
"Well, do you want to leave?" Basileus pushed. He wanted to hear them both say they were Volturi true before he left them.
"No my lord, we are Volturi. I know my beginnings here were fretful, but," Phillipe turned to Richard to ensure he could say this for them both. Richard offered his mate a warm smile that told Phillipe to continue. "This is our home. Volturi guards is all we want to be."
Basileus smiled broadly. "That's what I wanted to hear. I expect you to make a special effort with Henri and anyone he brings. You know him better than anyone else in our coven does and it's important that the visiting covens are welcomed into our halls. Understood?"
Both Richard and Phillipe nodded and Basileus noticed how much more relaxed they appeared already. Aro, you are going to have to sell this to the guards - everyone in this place is a bag of nerves over your ridiculous plan!
"Go on, get back to whatever you were doing. Send Lev and his merry band to me."
"I heard you, my lord!" Lev called out as he approached with his mate, Katerina, and her brother Mikhail, passing Richard and Phillipe on their way over. Lev, Katerina and Mikhail were the only three Romanian coven vampires that the Volturi had ever allowed to live. Captured at the scene of the Romanian wars back in 510, the trio had already broken ties with Vladimir and Stefan and were discovered by Volturi guards when they were attempting to kill off Stefan's private troops.
Katerina and Mikhail had similar vampiric beginnings as the twins - they were being burned alive before their transformation. Lev had been stalking Katerina for some time and when on his daily visit to her village he saw the pair tied at the stake and he used his own gift of incredible speed to untie them and carry them both to safety. Lev's lightfooted gift meant he achieved his goal without the scars Aro had been left with when he retrieved the twins.
Before the humans had realised their bodies were missing, Lev had rounded them up and snapped every neck in sight.
When Katerina awoke, she was bestowed with the ability to create ice from thin air and, even for a vampire, she was incredibly cold. Mikhail, on the other hand, didn't develop a remedy to the blaze that killed them. Instead, he became the blaze. Mikhail could self-ignite into a ball of fire without injury – truly remarkable for a vampire. They had joined the Romanian forces shortly after, but it didn't take long for friction to emerge between Lev and Stefan and the trio left before the Romanian leaders could kill Lev.
"What do you want with us?" Lev asked in his gruff Russian tone.
Basileus rolled his tongue around his cheek. Not today Lev, not today!
Lev was the only vampire in the coven who was brave enough (or should that be stupid enough?) to regularly speak out of turn to the creator. On a good day Basileus enjoyed the purposeless battle between them ... but today was not a good day!
"I want to talk to you about the visiting covens ... "
"I am sure Master Aro will provide an address before their arrival," Lev interrupted Basileus and appeared bored by him.
"Lev, I will warn you once. I'm not playing your games today." Basileus stood from his seat and glared down his nose at the Russian vampire. Eventually, Lev turned his gaze to the floor.
"Of course Aro will address the guard body before the covens arrive, that goes without saying. I, however, want to make my own address and it's mainly directed at you!"
Basileus shoved Lev in the chest and when he heard the rumblings of a growl begin, he shoved him again, harder. "I need your assurance that you will be cordial to our guest and respectful to the masters of this coven."
"When am I not those things?" Lev literally spat his reply.
Basileus grimaced to his tone and hooked a fist under the younger vampire's chin, forcing him to make eye contact.
"Most of the time, actually." Basileus answered his question and waited for the reaction he knew was coming.
As if he had been commanded, Lev scoffed and threw a filthy look to Basileus.
With a sad sigh, Basileus put a hand around Lev's throat and lifted him clear off the floor. "Kat, Mik," he said through gritted teeth, "I assume I can rely on the two of you to keep Lev in line when our halls are filled with visitors?"
Both nodded rapidly. They rarely spoke, which is probably why they got on so well with Lev. Lev could cause an argument in an empty room, so with the pair of them not saying a word he had less ammunition.
"Wonderful."
With that, Basileus turned back to Lev who was trying to claw Basileus' hand from around his throat. "You know Lev, you are a brilliant member of this guard." He threw Lev to the floor before continuing, "I know that if you are given a duty it will be completed, if you are taken on a mission you will be successful, if there is a rule you will follow it. But god damn!"
Basileus removed the belt from around his waist. Lev curled into a ball in response, he had been in this position many times. "You have the social skills of pond scum!"
With that Basileus released strike after strike with his belt, not caring where it landed. Lev didn't make a sound, he never did. He was the only member of the guard that Basileus disciplined with any regularity and every time Lev would just take what was given in silence. At around strike 28, Basileus landed his belt across Lev's shoulders with the very tip curling over and caught his neck. Lev gasped in pain, so it must have really, really hurt! That gasp from the ultra-stoic guard was enough for the creator to end his lightning fast assault.
Dragging Lev to his feet, Basileus wrapped his arm around the guard's shoulders and drew him in close. "I know you struggle with authority, and most of the time I let it go ... but this event is important and I need to be assured that you will do everything within your power to convince the visiting covens to join our cause."
Lev's breathing was unsteady and he had to take a few deep breaths before he could answer - his back burned like a bitch! "You know you can rely on me! I do not see the need for all this fuss!"
Basileus rolled his eyes to Lev's gruff tone. Neither do I! Basileus thought. Why couldn't you have just said that in the first fucking place?!
"Are we done?" Lev asked as he tried to breathe through his pain.
Basileus simply nodded and watched his guard walk away in silence. Thing was, Basileus did take Lev at his word because Lev, as obstinate as he could be, never broke his word.
Before Basileus could leave, Magnus had returned.
"How is she?" he asked the master, regarding Lucy.
Magnus lifted his wrist and showed Basileus the nearly healed teeth marks in his skin. "Better now she has had some blood."
Basileus was taken aback. Vampire blood was potent to a healthy vampire. It would elicit an intoxicated state similar to humans on magic mushrooms. Indeed, vampires enjoyed magic mushrooms too, but they had to take huge quantities to get the same results as drinking a small cup full of vampire blood. Along with its hallucinogenic effects, some mated couples would blood-swap in their foreplay believing it created a stronger bond between pairs. It could also aid healing and restful sleep, which was Magnus' reasoning for feeding Lucy.
"Did it work? Is she rejuvenated?"
Magnus shook his head sadly. "It will take more, she is very weak, my lord. I am hoping giving her my blood will speed up the process."
Basileus agreed but felt he should warn the master. "She will bond with you, too, Magnus, you know that, yes?"
"Well that is another reason for giving her my blood, my lord. Her emotions have disappeared, Basileus! I have never seen such a thing before. If she bonds with me she will feel something and if she feels something, anything, I can draw out her other emotions ... hopefully."
Basileus grimaced. Poor wretch, he thought. "You will need to keep your own blood intake up Magnus, do you have any supplies?"
Magnus sighed. "We ran out of bloodwine a while ago. The next feast isn't for another week."
The entire coven fed together, historically on humans being drawn into the castle from outside Volterra or very occasionally on captured rogue vampires - that was an incredibly rare treat.
More recently, Basileus' bloodwine had been such a hit with the entire coven that most preferred their monthly feeding to come from the alcoholic animal blood, but as Basileus was behind on his brewing they were planning a human feast this month.
"I will have some blood sent to your quarters, Magnus. Stay with the girl."
Before Basileus turned to leave, Magnus pulled the creator back. "My lord, will Caius be ... "
"Magnus, Caius will never lay a finger on Lucy again, and I will be tempering his actions going forward. He may take another guard into his quarters, and for god only knows why, Heidi seems happy there, but this will never happen again."
Basileus was a little surprised to see Carlisle and Felix scrubbing the dungeon cells at warp speed, but a quick check on their memories explained the situation to him.
"Where's Caius?" he asked them gruffly. He still hadn't given Carlisle his forgiveness, and both Carlisle and Felix remained wary around the formidable family patriarch. They didn't have chance to answer before Caius appeared at the entrance to his playroom with what looked like a bag of blood soaked rags.
"My lord?" he called out to the creator.
"In there!" Basileus ordered as he flashed to the coven leader's side.
Cauis looked nervously between his two charges before following Basileus into his playroom and quietly closing the door.
Carlisle and Felix shared a knowing look before they both tiptoed to the paneled door to listen in on the not-so-private conversation taking place within.
Basileus paced around the dimly lit room, making circles of the central fireplace. "You probably believe that as no one has confronted you about your cruel behaviour, that perhaps nobody knows of its going on or even cares. Allow me to disabuse you of that infatuation, now."
Caius' playroom wasn't huge, a quarter of the throne room at a maximum, but the way Basileus bellowed to the coven leader you would believe he thought himself to be on stage at the Globe!
Caius stood frozen to the spot, catching flies with his mouth hung open in shock. He knew when they were in the library earlier that day that he would be answering to Basileus at some point, but he hadn't anticipated that 'some point' would be so soon.
"I need to be able to trust you with your charges or I must reconsider your role in this coven."
That had Caius paying attention.
"Whatever do you mean, my lord?" Caius asked as he desperately tried to remain composed.
"Don't play stupid with me, Caius, it insults us both!" Basileus roared. "I have removed Lucy from your house, you do not deserve her. I will be checking in on Heidi, too, so play nicely there."
Caius had his back pressed into the wall and every time Basileus passed him on his lap around the fireplace he squished himself into the stonework and up onto his toes, as though it would help if Basileus decided to lash out!
"Caius, let me make this clear," Basileus said sternly as he came to a stop in front of him. "I would like you to temper yourself with your dear mate's ladies in waiting from this moment on."
Caius nostrils flared simultaneously, with his eyes widening for a moment, as he felt his stomach flip. I do not need instructing on how to manage my household, I'm not Aro!
"You know I can hear you, Caius, yes?"
Caius looked down to the flagstones. "My apologies, my lord. I was caught unawares," he tried to excuse but Basileus wasn't having that.
"Whilst I have you for a moment, you will, in future, restrain yourself with the wider guard," he added with a smile reaching from one side of his face to the other. That smile offered no solace to Caius.
"What do you mean, my lord?" he asked, praying Basileus wasn't saying what Caius thought he was saying.
"I mean you will treat Heidi, and any other guards you choose to take into your quarters, with the respect they are due as members of a royal coven - MY coven! You will fuck your wife, when you feel so inclined, leaving MY guards to Magnus and Freyr to handle from now on."
Caius began to bluster. "You are taking away my coven leader rights," he said in a voice loud enough for the waiting vampires outside the paneled playroom door to hear.
Basileus smiled to the younger man's clear contempt. He took Caius' face in one hand. "I see it more as protecting my coven, Caius. MY coven," he said, as he flexed his grip on Caius' face.
Caius swore he could feel his jaw bones giving under the creator's force. "I understand, my lord," he squeaked out.
"Do you Caius? Do you really?" Basileus asked, his nose almost touching Caius' as he spoke.
He was menacing and Caius knew he was shaking in fear ... and good god, how he hated the automatic response.
Basileus removed his hand from Caius' jaw but he remained only an inch away from Caius' face. Cocking his head to the side, he wondered how to help Caius grasp how serious he was. He had never exactly punished Caius before. The only discipline he had shown Caius, in fact, was to issue an order, and to be fair to Caius, once Basileus said jump, Caius jumped! But he wanted Caius to suffer this time for what he'd done to Lucy. Leaning his head back and shaking the hair from his forehead, Basileus smacked his forehead into Caius' nose! The thud of the blow, followed by the crunch of bone, was only outshone by Caius' guttural roar.
When Basileus stood back he saw Caius go to clutch his face so he knocked his hands away. "I haven't finished yet," he roared at the coven leader.
"I apologise, my lord," Caius said quietly as he placed his hands by his side. He felt blood running down his face and dripping from his chin but he didn't dare wipe it away.
"I heard once that you broke your mate's jaw - is that right?"
Caius wasn't used to be called out on his actions from within his private chambers and he was greatly unnerved. "That is true, my lord," he replied, feeling more shame at the moment than he had ever experienced before in his life.
Basileus heard the thoughts swimming through Caius' mind. "If you feel so ashamed of your actions now you are called on them, you should amend your behaviour in future, Caius."
Caius closed his eyes. He wanted to disagree - his home life had nothing to do with the Volturi, nor Aro or even Basileus in his mind ... usually. But he couldn't argue with Basileus' reasoning - he was right on the nail.
"Anyway," Basileus said, interrupting Caius' self-deprecating thoughts, "you waited until Athenodora had healed before you allowed the break to be fixed ... which I imagine would have required re-breaking and setting properly. Would I be correct there, too?"
Caius sucked in his breath. He could feel that his nose was smashed to pieces and it would be unimaginably painful to have it smashed again when it failed to heal in shape. "You are, my lord."
Basileus smiled slyly. It was a smile Caius recognised as he wore it often himself. "I think you can see where I am going with this."
Caius nodded. Fuck, even nodding hurts, he thought as he winced and bit into his lip to distract himself from the pain.
"My lord, I have duties in the castle, I cannot walk around with my face ... "
Basileus held up his hand to quieten the master. "You can, Caius. You can, and you will. No one is above the law in this coven and justice will be seen to be done. You have abused your status and been unreasonably cruel towards your charge, a member of Volturi guard. Do you not deserve this?"
Caius couldn't say no, not without telling Basileus he was wrong and there was no way he was going to throw himself into the fire like that. "I deserve it, my lord," he sensibly replied.
Basileus smiled. "Good. Than we are finished here. For now."
Caius felt his stomach flip over and he was glad not to have fed recently as he knew he would be wearing said feed on his shoes otherwise. "For now, my lord?"
"Yes Caius, for now. If I feel you have been abusive towards my guard again, I will whip you in the throne room."
Caius gasped. You wouldn't, he thought desperately.
Basileus smiled to the master's thoughts. "I saw it done to Carlisle - my own son, remember? I hope it won't come to that, of course."
Venom pooled in Caius' throat. Yes, he most definitely would have been sick if there was anything in his stomach.
Basileus flashed to the door and flung it open without warning, hitting both Felix and Carlisle as he did so.
"Are we cleaning the door?" Basileus asked the two-man cleaning crew.
"Just mopping the floor, my lord," Felix replied quickly as he took up his mop from leaning against the wall.
Carlisle backed away slowly. He thought Felix stupid to have lied so blatantly.
"Get back to your scrubbing, Aro will be here presently and you must be finished when he comes, yes?"
They didn't need telling twice - they ran back to the newborn cells they were finishing up with at break neck speed.
"My lord," Caius called, "where is Lucy now?"
You don't even deserve to say her name! Basileus thought, though he kept it to himself. "She is with Magnus, who is doing his best to repair the damage you have done. I suggest you keep away from Lucy, and Magnus and Freyr for that matter - your fellow masters would happily string you up by your balls right now!"
Caius gulped, and then winced again at the pressure in his broken face. "Understood," he said simply, before taking up the bag of rags he had been disposing of before Basileus had arrived.