READY TO RECEIVE …
Aro emerged from his bedchamber fully dressed in his new Volturi uniform. His black clothes were elaborately trimmed with gold and well suited for his position of King of the Vampire World.
Seeing his children come through the archway, stopped him in his tracks. "Why are you wearing those, now?" he asked, seeing them all decked out in their own new finery.
Felix, Demetri and Alec wore uniforms similar to Aro's, though a tad less decorative, whilst Jane, for perhaps the first time ever, wore a dress befitting a princess.
"Just trying them on," Felix answered for them all. "How do I look?" he asked, feeling like the cock of the walk.
"You all look wonderful," Aro replied as he took Jane's hand and twirled her around. He felt so proud of his little family.
"Can't we come with you?" Felix asked, for the umpteenth time.
Aro sighed and released his daughter. "No Felix. As I have already explained, you are to stay here." He quickly added, "don't sulk," when Felix flopped down into the sofa with an almighty humph.
"I'm not sulking!" Felix spat, sulkily.
"Do you remember what I told you?" Aro asked his eldest boys with a raised eyebrow.
Demetri gulped and rubbed the sore spot on his neck where Aro had held him around the throat.
Felix did similar. "Not likely to forget, are we?!" he said pointedly. There was no need to be so rough with us, he thought.
"I have no idea what time any of the covens will be arriving, or IF they will be coming at all, for that matter. Add to that, they may not be entirely agreeable - I want you all here, safe," Aro said simply. He didn't want to scare any of them, but he did want them all under lock and key ... just in case.
"Saying that ... I am pretty sure Amun will show." He watched Demetri for a reaction.
Sulpicia, too, watched her boy.
"You don't look pleased, Demetri ... do you not want to see him? Or Kebi even?" she asked.
Demetri took a seat opposite Felix and scowled to his big brother without responding to either of his parents.
The twins were stifling their giggles, it was clear they knew something.
Aro glared at Alec until he gave up the secret.
"Felix has told Demetri you're sending him back to Egypt."
Felix flounced dramatically. "I was joking!" he said patronisingly, in a way that left Aro in no doubt that he had been winding Demetri up for days.
"Well it isn't fucking funny!" Demetri shot to his big brother, arms folded tightly across his chest and clearly upset.
"Demetri!" Sulpicia admonished her son for his language, only for Felix to join in.
"Don't be such a prick, you know I was joking!" he shot back. He didn't want to end up in trouble with their father over a bit of harmless teasing.
"FELIX!" Sulpicia called out, disappointed in his attitude.
Aro went between his boys and clouted Felix across his bullish head before taking Demetri's hand to access his memories. Aro saw enough and turned back to Felix.
"You know your brother is sensitive at the moment and you think it's funny to wind him up about being sent packing with Amun? That's great Felix, just great!"
Felix glared at the floor. "He isn't sensitive, he's still using that whole emotional blow up thing to get away with being a brat, that's all!"
Aro hooked a finger under his eldest' chin and forced his boy to look at him. "If you think I can be fooled so easily, you really haven't been paying attention, son."
Aro's tone sent a shiver down Felix's spine that told him it was time to shut the hell up before he ended up limping through the coven ball.
Aro released his boy and went to stand with his mate, curling an arm around her back and drawing her in close. "I thought I had made it clear to you pair how important it is that you behave," he said in exasperation to Demetri and Felix.
"Perhaps they should both stay in here during the festivities?" Sulpicia suggested with a secret smile to her husband, she knew how to play her boys.
"No way!" they complained in unison.
This was the biggest event the coven had ever hosted and there was no way they were spending it in bed!
"Dungeons it is then," Aro said with a shrug.
"NO!" they replied, panicked.
Felix tried to smooth things over quickly. "We are just messing around! That's all!"
"Well I am not!" Aro bellowed in return. "I will beat you bloody if you fuck this up," he added in a menacing tone. Though he spoke directly to Felix, Demetri was bright enough to know that threat extended to any single member of the coven.
Aro exhaled his frustrations as he noticed the time. I need to go, he thought. "Demetri, you are my son."
"Our son," Sulpicia corrected him.
"Our son," Aro agreed, giving his mate a squeeze in apology for excluding her. "Even if the whole union relies on Amun taking you back, I still would not agree to it. You are staying here with me."
"With us," Sulpicia corrected Aro again, in a slightly sterner tone.
"With us," Aro amended, raising a smile from his children.
"Amun could take Felix instead?" Demetri said thoughtfully.
"Hey!" Felix threw a cushion to his brother's head, which Demetri easily caught and threw back.
"It's a joke," Demetri confirmed in much the same tone as Felix had used towards him earlier.
Aro was ready to intervene before Sully pulled him back.
"You two," he directed to the twins who dutifully came to his side. "I want you to be prepared for tomorrow but only act on my say so," he told them seriously.
"What about Basileus?" Jane asked. She didn't like the idea of refusing her grandfather.
"If he commands you to use your gifts, Alec, you use yours and flood the room."
Alec preened hearing that, he so enjoyed his gift and the fact that it was significantly more socially acceptable than Jane's.
"I never get to use my gift anymore," she complained to herself.
"Jane, you come and find me immediately. But don't put yourself in any danger – burn anyone who stands in your way," Aro added, giving her a 'job' to make up for being unable to inflict serious pain on their guests.
"Aro, you will scare them," Sulpicia intervened. She was worried herself and didn't want her baby vampires to be frightened by coming events.
"We have nothing to fear. This could be the start of something wonderful, but getting it off the ground may be tricky, that's all," Aro said confidently. "I want you all to enjoy the festivities."
With a final warm smile to his children, Aro led his mate to the door. He kissed her deeply and then went out to the top of the steps. "I will see you in the great hall after the conference, my queen," he told her as he broke away from their embrace.
"I feel good about this, Aro," Sulpicia enthused.
"As do I. But, just in case ... keep this door locked." With that he closed the door on his mate and listened for the bolt sliding across.
"Get out of those clothes!" Aro heard his mate instruct their children.
"But mom!" Felix would complain, naturally. Aro thought hearing his boy's objections.
"But nothing! I want you to look your best for tomorrow, go and change." Aww, Sully. I love how you can manage our brood.
"ARO!"
Basileus bellowing his son's name brought Aro from the few moments he had taken to get his game face ready.
"Here we go then," he said to himself as he headed down to the castle floor. Joining his parents and brothers, Aro led the family group along to the throne room.
"Atia, how strong is your gift?" he wondered aloud.
"Which one, Aro?" she asked.
"Your block on the gifts of others … can you block a whole room no matter how many people are in it?"
Atia considered her son's question for a moment. "I see no reason why not."
"And, can you allow some gifts to work and not others?" Aro pushed on.
"Who would you like to maintain their powers, son?" Basileus asked, wondering where this was going.
Atia already had a job to do in his mind - she would be using her invisibility to keep watch on the conference. "You, me … Alec, possibly," Aro replied.
Atia thought about it for a moment before agreeing. "If you are close to me and I can deflect my guard, perhaps I should keep Alec with me during the conference?"
Aro's shook his head. "No, I need you with me in case talks do not go to plan."
Eleazar nudged Carlisle. "It will really ruin his reputation if Mommy and Daddy have to save him from the big boys!"
Carlisle did his best to remain passive-faced, but soon burst into laughter at Eleazar's imagery.
Basileus heard them both but he was pleased to see his sons were relaxed enough to joke.
"I will keep Alec close in the great hall whilst you are talking with the coven leaders. I will hear of any plans for attack before anyone has chance to act on them. If I hear something, I will have Alec to cloud the room," Basileus offered, only to receive a nervous look from Aro in response.
"What?" he asked.
Aro shrugged. "Nothing, I'm just a little concerned that you will act hastily ... " he said, trailing off before he could say anything to get his father back up.
"You have been kind of mental the last few months, Dad," Eleazar added, confirming Aro's concern.
"I will admit I was against this whole thing to begin with, but it's happening," Basileus said as he smiled confidently, "so now it's show time."
Aro looked his father up and down. "So, you are level headed then?"
"I will show you how level headed I am if you keep it up!" Basileus boomed as he attempted to slap Aro for his comment. Aro deftly avoided the lazy swipe, putting Atia between himself and his father. "Yeah, he's okay now," he said, resulting in hysterics from his brothers.
When the group trouped into the throne room, the other masters were already seated.
"Must you always arrive at the 11th hour, brother?" Caius asked Aro as he took his throne, clearly agitated.
"Relax brother, we have all the time in the world, we are immortal after all," Aro quipped, not that it helped Caius.
"We don't actually - The Egyptian coven is here and waiting for you!"
Fuck. Okay, fuck, fuck, fuck. "Where are they?" Aro asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.
"Corin has them in the gate house, master. Shall I fetch them now?" Renata asked from the doorway, where she'd been waiting for Aro and his father to arrive.
Aro merely nodded to Renata as he made himself comfortable in his throne.
"Don't slouch, Aro!" Atia admonished loud enough for all to hear.
Stifled laughter burst from behind Caius' hand over his mouth as his co-master immediately righted himself in his throne. Magnus had to bite hard into his bottom lip to avoid an outburst of his own.
Basileus and Atia flanked Aro's sides with Carlisle and Eleazar choosing to stand with Marcus. Not a sound could be heard in the throne room, every vampire in attendance waited with baited breath for the first coven to enter their great hall.
"Welcome, my friends," Aro sang out when the great doors parted to reveal the Egyptian coven.
Amun and Kebi walked arm in arm with their young charges, a mated pair, Benjamin and Tia following close behind.
"Is this castle big enough, my lord?" Amun asked, seemingly and surprisingly in good spirits.
Aro walked to the bottom of the throne steps and extended his arms to greet the coven leader. "Says the vampires from the great pyramids ... " he said coyly.
"It has been a very long time since we lived in pyramids," Amun replied, bowing his head respectfully.
"You are hardly slumming it with the peasants, from what Marcus tells me of your hospitality."
Marcus had informed Aro of the great many and very valuable artworks glittering in Amun's home and he had been treated with the highest regard during his visit to Egypt.
Basileus joined his son to greet their guests, mainly so he could zone in on their thoughts. "Amun! It has been a long time," he said pleasantly.
Both Amun and Kebi bowed to the creator before stepping back. Amun pulled Benjamin forward. "It is the creator!" he hissed to the boy whose eyes widened comically at meeting the ancient vampire.
"My lord!" he spluttered with a bowed head. Tia followed his lead. Basileus caught her hand and laid a gentle kiss to her olive skin. She giggled despite herself and stepped back feeling a little star-struck.
"You didn't have these two the last time we met, Amun. I do hope you are still within coven member quota?" Basileus asked, sizing up the young pair behind Amun with their eyes to the floor.
"The two I was left with found mates and abandoned my coven," Amun admitted. He wouldn't say their names, he had been so disgusted by their treachery that he swore to never say their names again. "I found Benjamin and Tia a decade or so ago. There are still only four of us so I fall within your laws."
Aro nodded. "They look young."
"Eighteen-ish," Amun said quickly. He couldn't be sure, as he had only met them in vampiric form, but he was confident that they were over the immortal child age. As was Aro, for that matter.
"Where is Demetri?" Kebi asked quietly, looking around the thrones for their lost member.
"You will be able to see Demetri tomorrow," Aro confirmed.
"You still have him, then?" Amun questioned, watching for Aro's reaction.
Aro smiled. "I do," he said simply before retaking his seat, leaving the Egyptian coven to look up to the king of vampire kind.
Basileus remained on the lower floor with the Egyptians. "Amun let me introduce you and your coven to our expanding high ranks," he said with an arm around the coven leader's shoulders.
The close contact was making Amun nervous as hell but that was partly why Basileus was doing it.
"You know Marcus and Caius, of course. But we have promoted two loyal guards to Master's of the Coven. I give you Magnus and his mate, Freyr."
The named masters doffed their heads politely to the man in Basileus' grip who seemed astounded to hear of new masters in the Volturi.
"I am rather surprised, my lord," he said as he processed the information. "I didn't know such a thing would be possible!"
"Anything is possible here, Amun, anything!" Basileus sang out.
"And of course, my sons - Eleazar and Carlisle."
"It is a pleasure to meet you, my lords," Kebi said on behalf of their group.
"My lord, you may have forgotten someone." Aro smirked as he spoke, knowing it would piss Atia off to have been last on his father's list.
"Not at all son. Amun, this may shock you most of all. This is Atia, the most powerful vampire on the planet, after me of course. She is my mate."
Amun nearly chocked on his own venom! "What!" he spluttered. "I mean, I'm sorry, my lady. Basileus, I ... "
"It's okay, Amun," Basileus placated the panicking coven leader, before booming laughter into the relatively empty great hall. "This old dog still has a few tricks up his sleeve."
Amun shook Basileus' hand and offered his congratulations to the ancient creator. The idea that Aro would be answering to a woman amused him greatly!
Basileus bowed out of the conversation and retook his place next to his son.
"My lord, Marcus was very vague, if somewhat insistent on our attendance. What is all this about?" Amun asked curiously.
"Reaffirming the need for a civilised vampire society," Aro told him with a broad smile.
Amun raised his eyebrows. "Through the power of the Volturi?"
"Naturally," Basileus added in.
"And, where do I fit into your plans? I assume you haven't dragged my coven halfway across the world just to flex your muscles." Amun pushed, he wanted a clear answer.
"No," Aro replied with a smile, with Caius adding "though it doesn't hurt."
Don't start,Caius! Basileus thought to the master. Even though Caius had no way of hearing him, Basileus still marked that down as one strike against Caius. Two more and you will get a damn good strike, he thought.
The other covens will be arriving soon. You should take some time to explore the grounds," Aro offered from his relaxed position, almost slouching into his throne.
"What other covens?" Kebi asked nervously whilst her mate looked ready to implode by her side.
"I knew this was a trap," he bristled. "We will not join the Volturi."
Caucus scoffed to the very idea. "What on earth makes you think you are being invited?"
"Caius, please." Aro held up a hand to silence his co-master whilst Basileus said 'strike two' to himself, deciding Caius wasn't getting a strike three.
"We have sent envoys to the seven major covens who we believe conduct themselves civilly and peacefully," Aro began to explain.
"I'm listening," Amun said, softening his stance.
"No. For now, you are waiting," Aro corrected him. "We will talk when ALL covens are in attendance."
Amun squared his shoulders and wondered if his initial instincts that this whole charade was an elaborate scheme to take his coven out were right after all.
"Marcus will accompany you whilst you are in our castle," Aro instructed as Marcus rose from his throne.
"I assume this is none negotiable?" Amun asked, knowing the answer already.
Aro smiled as he nodded. "We convene at sunrise in the library, Marcus. Please ensure all of our guests' needs are met until then."
Marcus smiled and extended a hand to Kebi. She looked nervously to her mate, but took the master's hand anyway - what else could she do?
"My lord, it is late ... Benjamin and Tia are very young ... " she said in concern.
"Marcus will see to your needs, and theirs," Aro assured her, and soon enough Marcus lead the slightly anxious, and vaguely confused, Egyptian coven out of the great hall.
Basileus waited until he heard the door thud shut before moving over to Caius' throne.
CRACK!
He wrapped a thunderous clout around the master's blond head.
As Caius gasped in both shock and pain, Basileus fixed him in his eyeline. "Shall we bring an end to pithy remarks for the duration of this event?"
Caius' eyes bulged. "Yes, my lord," he said, rubbing the dull ache from the back of his head.
Aro cringed when he saw the look of contempt Caius threw to Basileus - he knew his father wouldn't let it pass.
"And wipe that look off your face!" he bellowed. "You can consider yourself lucky that I waited until they had gone."
Caius did everything in his power to not think as he fixed the squiff in his hair. A few 'for fuck sakes' fell through his guard but thankfully Basileus appreciated his efforts and didn't call him out on it.
"Give us a little respite, Magnus," Basileus called out as he went to his mate's side to calm down.
Soon enough the empath had flooded the throne room with contentment, similar to Corin's output. It was just enough to settle the fraying edges of everyone's nerves.