AN: So the last three chapters covered the first day of the ball and we left our vampires for the night. Here they are the next morning. Oh deary me ...

A POISONED CHALICE

The rest of the night went without a hitch, at least in the masters' office and the guard hall. No one had spoken to Caius or Henri again, so what they were up to was anyone's guess. After the initial binge at the free bar provided by the Volturi for the event, the request for refills had lessened to such a degree that Turk had little more to do than collect the empties around the hall. No one was drunk, the odd merry member, but that was it. All rather pleasant.

It was a little after dawn when the young visiting vampires started to filter through from their restful night, soon followed by Sulpicia and her brood. The twins joined their father, with Jane winning the place in his lap, whilst the older boys stood sullenly behind their mother.

Demetri didn't look rested at all. In fact, when Aro got a good look at his boy, he could tell by his sunken features and the black rim of his eyes that Demetri hadn't slept a wink. Great, he thought, he's still in a shitty mood.

"The sun is up, my friends," Aro announced, pointing to the arched windows. "Shall we move our discussions outside for some fresh air?"

Everyone dutifully trouped out behind Aro and Sulpicia, both of whom were issuing warnings to their older boys that they would have to heed if they wished to continue the ball without direct supervision. Only Magnus and Freyr hung back to ensure the guard hall was cleared and left in a reasonable state.

"You are going to have to get Caius away from Henri," Freyr told her mate in hurried whispers. "Have you seen the state of him?"

Magnus looked to his mate questioningly. He had been tied up with the coven leaders and Basileus all night. "Have you actually seen him then?"

"Them," Freyr corrected. She explained the state Caius and Henri had been in as they had passed the guard hall window only an hour or so earlier. "He's staggering about out there like a damn fool!" she finished, thinking how she could happily wring Caius' neck at that moment. "I'm not risking him alone with Dora, so I'm going out to the grounds with everyone else."

"I suppose I had better try and track Caius down," Magnus muttered, mainly to himself as the pair departed.

It didn't take long for Magnus to find Caius, though he was surprised to find him where he did. In truth, Magnus had only gone down to the dungeons to put his mind at ease ... he never expected to find Caius there. When he heard demented laughter coming from the torture room, all of his worst fears were realised. Pushing open the half-closed door, he came face to face with Caius. Henri was flat on his back with his head under the tap of the dungeon blood barrel as sticky liquid dropped into his mouth in globules.

"I will assume if you are in here that you have run out of your second bottle of that rotting shit."

"We've filled a third," Henri chortled from the floor. He was so fucked that he forgot for a moment that he didn't speak to Magnus.

Magnus chose to ignore Henri's comment. It was no less than he had expected. "So you can be in here again?" Magnus said coolly to Caius, eyeing the master with utter distaste. "Good to know. I'll be sure to tell Basileus you are ready to get back to work."

"What's that about?" Henri asked, sitting upright and turning off his drug supply.

"What is it about, Caius?" Magnus asked. He could feel through his gift that Caius wanted to hide up his own ass for being questioned about his work. "Well? Are you ready to start working again?" Magnus pushed. He took a step closer.

Caius wanted to step back but he wouldn't, he couldn't do that in front of Henri.

"You better answer me," Magnus growled.

He'd kept his voice low enough that Henri wouldn't hear but he was willing to raise the volume if Caius remained resistant and Caius knew it! "You know I'm not," he replied.

The shame radiating from the younger master was palpable for Magnus. It wasn't just shame he could feel, though ... Caius was a nervous wreck. He was hiding it well, but being in the torture room was doing strange things to his emotions. If that's what it's doing to your feelings, only the Gods know what it's doing to your head. Knowing how Caius really felt about being in those dungeons, as Magnus did, only made the matter worse in the empath's eyes.

"Why are you putting yourself through this?" he asked, full of genuine concern for the man. "Is this just so you don't lose face in front of that prick?" Magnus looked over to Henri, dragging himself to his feet and knocking over many of the long since used tools from Caius' old occupation as he did so. "Is that what you want to be?"

No. No, Henri wasn't what Caius wanted to be, but right then, with his head messed up and all his previous good efforts in ruin, he couldn't come up with a better response than a tut and scoff and roll of the eyes. It was pathetic. He knew it, Magnus knew it, even Henri would have agreed! But it was all Caius could give.

"Right, if that's how you want to be." Magnus paused for a moment as he searched the room with his eyes. Spotting Caius' keys to the dungeons on the fire wall, he scooped them up and pocketed them quickly. "Everyone is in the grounds, so I suggest you don't go out there. If the creator sees either of you in this state you will be out of the alliance," he told Henri. "Fuck knows what he will do with you," he added to Caius.

Caius sneered at the obvious threat, falling into Magnus' mammoth shoulder as he tried to pass. "Come on," he called to the French leader as he sloppily left the room.

Magnus watched them leave and he had to wonder if Caius had gone too far, too far to come back. He had grown so fond of the younger leader over the last few years that the idea of losing him already pained his heart. But Basileus was right in what he had said the night before - if Caius was so intent on fucking things up, there was little Magnus could, or rather should do about it. If you can't make the right choices for yourself there really isn't much point in forcing you, Magnus thought as he locked the torture room door, feeling better for having cut the pair of them off from more of the drug.

Magnus had clean forgotten what Henri had said about the third bottle.

Outside, Demetri had been intent on doing as his mother had suggested - keeping away from Amun.

Unfortunately, after the pointed discussion the evening before with Basileus, Amun was keen to set right any wrongs his old coven member was feeling. A game of cat and mouse quickly ensued where Demetri moved between conversations, followed by the Egyptian leader who was desperate to get the child alone to allay any fears the boy had.

Putting his excessive speed to good use, Demetri flew around the entire castle and disappeared inside before Amun could work out where he had gone. Walking the halls alone felt rather depressing, like he was having to hide in his own home. That was until he realised all the adults were outside, and there were plenty of stores of bloodwine unaccompanied inside.

He tried the guard hall first, only to find the doors locked and bolted. Unperturbed, Demetri headed to the great hall in the hopes that the guards had replenished the barrels from the night before. Not only had the bloodwine been restocked, but better than that, Demetri's champion was lolling in his throne with a goblet of dungeon blood in his grasp.

It's a shame Henri's here, too, Demetri thought, but by then he was willing to suffer the French leader's company. Finding Henri in Magnus' throne and swigging from a bottle of black blood was a little surprising. If Magnus sees you in his seat he will kill you, Demetri happily thought!

"Ah! Demetri!" Caius called out, beckoning the boy over. He chocked down half of his bloodwine/dungeon blood cocktail and topped it up with yet more bloodwine from the jug at his feet. "Here," he slurred, handing Demetri the cup.

Demetri was only too happy to oblige and drank the offering greedily. The effect was instantaneous on the child. He felt immediately light headed and swayed on the spot.

Caius took the goblet back -he didn't want his happy juice spilling. "Take a seat," he suggested, directing, with his chin, the boy to his father's throne. Once Demetri was settled, Caius continued. "So, Demetri," he drawled, "how's Amun been with you?"

"He's stalking me," Demetri slurred in return, making the Egyptian leader's actions sound much more salacious than they were. "Felix has been taking the piss out of me all night," he added, going on to explain the old taunts his brother had used against him whilst they were supposed to be sleeping.

Felix had started innocently enough with his brother, but with the shitty mood Demetri was in even after the reassurance his father had offered, the boy was easy pickings and Felix just couldn't let sleeping dogs lie. He had to wind his brother up when the opportunity presented itself so brazenly. What kind of big brother would he be if he didn't?!

Self-aggrandising brat, Caius thought about Felix as Demetri's tale unravelled.

"Venom doesn't mean anything," he told the boy.

"It does to Felix," Demetri replied, "and Amun."

It was complete conjecture, of course, as Amun had made no claims over Demetri since Aro took him centuries before, and even then, when Aro had escorted the child from the Egyptian coven Amun made no call on Demetri being his by venom. Demetri wasn't going to let a little thing like reality get in the way of his teenage brooding.

"Fuck Amun!" Henri called out, before going back to his dozy state in Magnus' throne.

"Yeah, fuck Amun!" Caius agreed. "And, fuck Felix, too. How does his brain actually work?!"

"Backwards," Demetri offered. "And slowly."

Caius offered the boy another drink from his goblet to congratulate such a comment.

Had Demetri taken an actual shot of dungeon blood, being small, young, and unused to its effects, he would have passed out. As it was, he spent the morning sipping regularly from Caius' cup and ingesting only slithers of the tar at a time. That was the key to getting fuck faced on the coven drug - small, regular amounts.

Now, one person's small is another person's large, but that's immaterial to the effect the rotting blood was having on our vampires.

By midday, the three of them fell into a state of comfortable silence, all bedraggled by the dungeon blood to varying degrees. Caius was wrecked. He hadn't taken dungeon blood to that degree since the night he tortured Lucius. Demetri, too, was wrecked, having ingested a fair and steady amount from the poisoned chalice Caius had offered him. Henri wasn't fairing much better ... drowsy, unsteady, and zoned out in the Juggernaut's throne.

The sun still shone through the windowpanes, so there was no danger of visitor or Volturi coming inside. Life was good, or goodish, for the moment. It was soon to end.

Felix and the twins had been sent to find their brother, mainly because Aro had seen what Felix had done to Demetri the night before and he wasn't pleased at the teasing that had ensued. The twins had to accompany Felix so Aro could be sure it wouldn't start again as he knew it likely would otherwise, especially with the amount of bloodwine Felix had thrown down his gullet that morning.

When they strolled into the throne room, which they had only planned on passing through, expecting Demetri to be in the south tower, they were surprised by what they found.

"Well, well, well," Felix sang out happily. "What do we have here, then?"

"Fuck off!" Demetri called back from his father's throne.

"I should fuck off?" Felix asked, sounding as sarcastic as Aro would have. "What right do you have to sit there and tell me to fuck off?!"

"Felix, lets fetch Dad," Jane implored.

Alec wasn't sure that was such a good idea. "Dad will kill them all!"

"He has as much right as anyone else to sit there," Caius told Felix. If he hadn't sounded so utterly wankered, Felix might have paid him more attention.

"I think you will find that throne is my father's, the king, and he has no right to sit in it to play lord of the manor," Felix spat back. "What are you doing in Magnus' throne?" he asked, turning to Henri.

"Magnus has no right to a throne, fucking upstart!" Henri called out. He wasn't entirely sure who he was speaking to, as he couldn't focus as far as Felix and the twins. They were mere blurs to him.

Caius' head was somersaulting. He wanted to call Henri out on insulting Magnus, but he had a few things he would like to call Magnus himself at that moment after he tried to humiliate him in the dungeons, as he saw it. Rather than deal with any of those feelings, he set his sights on Felix instead.

"Run along, Felix, go and play outside like a good little boy," he said snidely.

Demetri roared with laughter, so much so that he fell out of his father's royal seat and rolled down the throne floor steps, still laughing. it wasn't even funny, really, but teenage boys and dungeon blood make for odd reactions.

"Yeah," he spluttered through his chuckles, "go and play, Felix, you aren't wanted in here."

"At least I have a right to be in here," Felix replied, giving Demetri a sly dig with the toe of his boot.

The twins had toyed with staying to watch the fireworks, but having better sense than their older brothers, or the coven master ... or the French leader, it seemed, they fled the great hall to find back-up before it was too late.

"Don't just sit there," Caius told the younger boy. "You don't have to take that from him!"

"This has got fuck all to do with you, Caius!" Felix wasn't going on the receiving end of Caius' bullshit, especially not when he was so obviously wrecked. "You'll be lucky to keep that pretty throne of yours once Aro and Basileus see what state you're in."

"Whoa!" Henri started a patronising slow clap." He just signed his own death warrant there, wouldn't you say, Caius?"

"He can't do anything to me, Henri," Felix pushed, glaring at Caius as he spoke. "I bet I'll get the throne once my dad has kicked you out of it!"

Felix fully expected a fight, he even quite fancied one, and his eyes watched Caius, ready for any sign that a fight was coming. So, it came as a surprise that when the fight came it wasn't Caius leading the charge, it was Demetri!

The boy sprang unsteadily to his feet and launched a fist at his brother.

To no avail, sadly, as Felix simply caught the limp punch in mid-air. Keeping hold of his brother's fist in one hand, he set to pulling the younger boy about, swinging him around the great hall before dumping him on the floor back where he'd started.

Demetri, with his drug induced courage, had just enough strength left to remind Felix that their father would be quick to set him straight after attacking him, but a painful boot in his ribs from his drunk brother made the younger boy double over and regret his momentary rashness.

It was precisely that moment when Caius' rashness overtook the situation, at the exact same time as the entire body of vampires currently attending the ball had rushed to the throne room at the twins' requests. Caius spun Felix around to face him and without warning landed his fist square in Felix's face, catapulting the bewildered teen across the throne room floor!

Magnus dived at Caius. He wasn't sure at the time whether he was protecting Caius from other coming attacks, perhaps from Basileus or Aro, or whether he was preventing Caius from fucking up further. Either way he put his full weight into keeping the raging and deluded coven master down.

When Magnus turned his glare on Henri, still sitting in his throne like he owned the joint, the French leader baulked. Henri assured himself that the juggernaut was too busy grappling with Caius to be thinking about going after him, but he thought it best to slink out of Magnus' throne and move well away from the action.

Atia and Basileus, in statesman like fashion, sought to direct guards and lower members of the visiting covens back to the guard hall. It felt improper to ask the coven leaders to leave, given that the alliance was striving for complete transparency on all matters. Basileus put his sons to work in escorting vampires to the guard hall and explaining matters as best they could with no information to go on. Eleazar and Carlisle went, Aro refused, of course, baying for Caius' blood. It took all Basileus' efforts to hold the vampiric king back.

Amun, like pretty much every other spectator, was disgusted by what he saw, though only he chose to voice that disgust. "If you can't pull it together on high days and holidays, when can you?!"

Which Volturi members Amun was referring to was anyone's guess, as the statement could be equally applied to few at the scene.

Magnus shoved Caius back to the floor. "STAY DOWN!"

Caius waited just long enough for Magnus to believe he would do as he'd been instructed before staggering back to his feet. Having heard Amun's comment, he set his sights on the Egyptian leader. Caius barrelled forwards without a single thought in his head other than to hit something, hard.

And hit something he did!

But it wasn't Amun, luckily as the damage that could have been done to the alliance would have been insurmountable. Unluckily, for Caius, his fist ploughed into Magnus' jaw, instead. Once again, the two coven masters went down as Magnus fought with Caius for control.

The fact that Caius hadn't actually hit him was a moot point to Amun, he was livid. "If Caius thinks he will get away with such utter disrespect then …"

"Then he will be in for a colossal disappointment, Amun," Basileus said sternly, ending the man's sentence. "We will take this seriously and Caius will be grateful if you allow him the opportunity to express his regret, as will we all."

Scrawling around the floor with Magnus had expended much of Caius' energy, at least for the moment, and he relented his assault. Magnus stood over him, breathing heavily. When he was sure Caius wasn't going to attack again, he pulled the younger master to his feet. The movement turned Caius' stomach and he staggered over the throne floor.

Henry watched the scene unfolding from his seat at the side of the hall. "Oh this is tragic," he said with a little too much pleasure as he saw Caius throw up over his own royal seat.

Magnus heard him and the growl he had been trying to suppress with Caius came out in force at Henri.

Henri, in his drugged-up stupor, failed to notice the threat on his life. "What's up his ass?" he asked around, scoffing at the juggernaut who had returned his attention to Caius.

"You," Basileus spat. "Always you."

Henri shrunk into the floor and waited for Basileus to leave his presence before he weaselled his way out of the great hall. He didn't hang around long. Collecting his coven members from the guard hall, he fled the Volturi lands and headed back to the comparative safety of his werewolf ridden country.

Sulpicia hadn't returned to the throne room with everyone else. Most of the elite ladies had remained outside, in fact. sorting out 'trouble' was their mates job, so they had seen no reason to hurry their drink to join the fray. None of them could have predicted the scene that had unfolded in their absence. It took Sulpicia a moment to work out what to do. On one side of the hall Felix was crash out, the other Basileus appeared to be silently lecturing Aro. Caius and Magnus were engaged in some sort of strife and the whole room stank of rotting blood!

"Mom …" Demetri sounded dreamy as he called his mother, his eyes already half closed.

That was enough to snap Sulpicia into action. "What's wrong with him?" She rushed to her boy, quickly joined by Atia. "Has he hit his head?!"

Atia knew exactly what was wrong with him. He's been drinking Caius' dungeon blood, she realised furiously. She couldn't decide who to rest her glare on, Caius or Basileus. Eventually she settled on cursing her mate through her mind whilst taking control of the situation.

"He must be drunk, my dear," she said to Sulpicia as she scooped Demetri up into her arms. "We will take the children home, away from harm, yes?"

Sulpicia didn't like being instructed to do anything with her children, particularly by Atia or Basileus, but right then she was glad of her mother-in-law's clear-headed approach and followed her duly, calling Jane and Alec to do the same. She looked back in time to see Felix moving and she knew Aro would sort their eldest out.

Felix tried to get up, but as he was a little dazed only made it to his knees. With his body bent forward and his head hanging low, the blood gushed from his nose. "DAD!"

That was all Aro had needed to take his attention away from Caius. No sooner had Basileus released him, Aro was at his son's side and manhandled the boy to get a look at the damage. "You're okay, Felix," he said, wincing at the clearly broken nose. "You're okay."

Aro set to searching his boy's memories to see exactly what had gone down in his royal house. What he saw displeased him greatly. He was confused, too. Caius had launched Felix across the room, but he'd only done that to protect Demetri. Aro wasn't sure what to make of that situation, but it calmed the desire to exact vengeance from his co-master instantly. This is all your fucking fault, he thought to his boy.

Felix took a moment to get his head together whilst the bleeding subsided. When he realised what had happened, he was furious. "I'm going to fucking kill him!" he roared, trying to push past Aro to get a look at Caius.

It was only the sight that greeted Felix that put an end to his rage. Seeing Caius being dragged about by Magnus, eventually flung over his shoulder and hauled out of the throne room was a sight he would have paid to see. Fucking hell, he thought, this is brilliant! Totally worth getting punched in the face!

"I'm glad you think so," Aro said gravely. "Because I'm going to batter you for causing this."

Aro didn't dare turn around and face the visitors in his throne room knowing they had all seen a Volturi coven master knock his son across the room. Could this be anymore shameful?! he wondered.

"ME?!" Felix shot back. "You must be joking?!"

"Now listen to me, boy," Basileus growled. Once he was sure Magnus was handling Caius, he was at his grandson's side. "You will keep your damn mouth closed. You have caused enough upset with your pointless jibes at your brother - you caused this, you will pay for it ..."

Aro was quick to interrupt his father. It pissed him off no end when Basileus stepped on his toes with his kids - to do it when he was right there was insulting. "Alright, Dad, I'm handling it!" he hissed,

"Handling it?!" Basileus repeated. "Is that what you call this?!"

Felix sat between the pair and swallowed a lug of blood running down the back of his throat. They are arguing over who's going to bollock me, great, he thought dejectedly. Felix wasn't stupid, he knew he had started that fight, but he was the one with a broken nose so like fuck was he going to take any further punishment. A broken nose is enough! he thought.

Basileus could hear that the boy wouldn't go easily, and it wasn't a good time to have a row with Aro, either. Making a snap decision, he took his grandson's face in his two hands and held him level, eyeing up his bust nose. "Ready?" he asked.

Felix knew what was coming. He squeezed his eyes shut tight and nodded once, holding his breath.

Basileus pinch the end of his nose, pulled and twisted a little until it was in place.

Felix thumped his hand against the floor but that was the extent of his reaction. Aloud, at least. He screamed enough obscenities in his head to make a navy blush.

Biting into his wrist, Basileus offered the boy his blood. It was less an offer and more an order with the way he forced Felix to open his mouth and accept his 'gift'. After a gulp or two, Felix tried to pull away, but Basileus held him fast. You'll drink until you pass out so I can get you out of here, he thought.

"I'm not arguing with you now, Aro," Basileus calmly whispered to his son. "I'll get the boy home, you still have work to do. Start smoothing this over with the witnesses - this is your circus," he said, jutting his chin at the assembled vampires. "They are your monkeys!"

Aro was incensed and he planned to have it out with his father when the covens had gone. Not that he let his reaction show. Instead, forcing a friendly smile, Aro stood and turned to his waiting guests, all of whom were transfixed by the incident they had seen.

"My friends," Aro said warmly. "I would say between the Creator and Magnus the matter's in hand here. Shall we join our kin in the guard hall?"

He didn't wait for an answer before he started to direct them all away from his son and towards the great hall doors. One look over his shoulder saw Basileus' plan had worked. Felix flopped limply into his grandfather's hold and was carried from the throne room.