AN: Sooo BIG news! Colethetwilightlover has set up an Amino for It's a Long, Dead Life! Get over to Amino Apps and search for the It's a Long, Dead life to chat and share and all sorts of things :D I'm brand new to Amino and still getting to grips with it all, but it's like a whole new world and I'm spending lots of time playing on there finding my way around :)
Last one for this set - Let me know what you think!
ELEAZAR - 1330, SEPTEMBER
"No more stories!" Aro shouted out with a shudder. "I end up being battered, one way or another, in most of them."
"Sounds to me like you earned them all, Aro," Magnus happily pointed out.
"He doesn't have to put so much effort into the detail in the retelling, though," Aro stretched out his back. "I can feel it all over again."
"I have no doubt that you will feel it all over again," Basileus said, sounding tired at the prospect. "One thing these stories show is your penchant for screwing up and requiring correction."
Aro folded his arms and huffed like a child. "I don't know that I would put it like that."
"Sounds spot on to me, brother," Carlisle chipped in, only too pleased to hear more tales of his brother's downfalls.
Aro threw his brother a withering glare as he said, "Well there's no one left to discuss, so you will have to get your kicks somewhere else, Carlisle."
Carlisle ignored Aro and looked to Eleazar instead. "How did you end up here, El?"
Aro shook his head. "You heard about Eleazar's arrival at the …" he stalled for a moment, unsure of how to proceed.
"At the card game of doom?" Caius suggested, grinning.
"Yes, that."
Caius, still grinning, went on, "You heard a rather edited version at the card game of doom, Carlisle."
"More versions?" Carlisle said, settling into his chair and getting ready for another tale of his brother's demise. "I like these stories."
"Thanks for that, Caius," Aro half growled to his co-master. You cock!
"Does Aro get walloped in this one, too?" Magnus asked with a grin to match Caius'.
"Oh yes!" Basileus replied. "And Caius."
"Even better!" Magnus gloated, flicking the back of Caius' head.
Caius had forgotten his part in Eleazar's arrival, though Christ knows how with what he went through. "You can be a right bastard sometimes," he hissed to Magnus as he fixed the feg in his hair. "I hadn't done anything wrong."
The whole room scoffed at Caius' claim - it was wearing thin when each story he had nothing to do with actually involved him quite heavily.
"You never have, according to yourself," Basileus said, choking back his chuckles.
"Alright, alright," Caius said to the growing laughter. "But that time, I really hadn't done anything wrong."
"I wouldn't go quite that far, Caius," Basileus said with an eye on the young master, "though it's true you were blamed for Aro's behaviour and you shouldn't have been. I was led astray on that score, wasn't I Aro."
Aro's shoulders sunk low knowing another shameful tale was about to be divulged in all its anti-glory. The worst of it all was what he'd done to Caius. "You believed what you wanted to believe," he muttered.
Basileus wasn't having that! "You were a vicious little bastard and because I was concentrating so hard on setting you back on the right path I didn't check up on what you were telling me about Caius."
Caius watched Aro crawling up his own ass trying, and failing, to defend himself. Good, he thought, you deserve to feel like a cunt! "Even with the round of fucks I took, I still like Eleazar's arrival. It's the reason Aro isn't allowed to drink dungeon blood anymore."
"Shall we remind everyone why you can't drink it anymore, either?" Magnus asked.
"I can," Caius replied, puffing out his chest. "I choose not to."
"Is that what you think?!" Basileus shot across the room. "Perhaps we should remind everyone?"
Caius scowled to the floor, thinking it was a safer bet than scowling directly to the creator. "No need for that, everyone here was there," he said, hoping to end things there.
"There are other things I could mention if he doesn't settle back down." Magnus only spoke loudly enough for Caius and Basileus to hear, the two of them being closest, but Caius still jumped in his skin.
"I'm settled!" he hissed over his shoulder, picking up the cards for another round with Demetri - anything to distract himself!
"So, can you drink dungeon blood anymore, Caius, or not?" Basileus asked, teasing him a little.
"No," Caius snapped back. "But I don't think anyone should unless it's for medicinal purposes."
If Caius' assertion to having done nothing wrong hadn't caused the group to fall about laughing, him claiming dungeon blood should be solely for medicinal purposes certainly did!
"That's rich!" Aro shot to him, still laughing.
"I'm not banning anyone else from dungeon blood until they give me a reason," Basileus told the young master. "In fact, we could get a bottle out now and there are only two people in the room who wouldn't be allowed to drink it."
Two?! Cheeky bastard! "There are eight kids in here, Dad," Aro told his father.
"Seven, thank you very much," Irina called out.
Carlisle counted the young vampires in the room and realised Aro had lumped him in with them. Prick. Utter prick.
"I expect the kids could handle it better than you pair!" Magnus never wanted to experience either Caius, or Aro, on dungeon blood again.
"In small amounts it's a wonder drug for vampires," Marcus mused aloud. "The devil is in the dosage."
"Which is precisely their issue, wouldn't you say?" Basileus asked his old friend.
Why Aro or Caius expected any kind of back-up from Marcus, they couldn't say, but seeing him smiling patronisingly to them was the final nail in the coffin.
"Let's move on, shall we?" Atia suggested. "What happened with Eleazar?" She held up her hand quickly before her mate could start talking. "AFTER the card game of doom revelations, Basileus. There's no point going over old ground."
Aro heaved a sigh of relief. I love you so much! he thought to his mother. Reminding his children that he had tried to force himself on his mate in front of them, and that he'd smashed up his chamber, his mate, and his son in the process, was not high on his to-do list. By the looks on their faces, their memories were doing the job well enough without hearing a rehash from their grandfather anyway.
"I'll skip ahead to when you woke up, then, shall I?"
Aro nodded to his father and settled in for another shameful tale.
Eleazar - 1330, September
Basileus walked into his bathroom carrying a semi-conscious Aro in his arms. Heading straight for the bath, which was full of icy cold water, he dumped his son in with a splash. Aro came to life immediately, coughing and spluttering from the water he inhaled in the shock of his rude awakening. When he tried to get out, Basileus pushed down on Aro's head and dunked him back under, again and again, until Aro quit fighting. Bobbing his head, satisfied that Aro would stay awake this time, Basileus relented and let him out. While Aro shivered as he sat on the edge of the bath, he tested out his limbs to see what his injuries were.
"How long have I been asleep?" Aro asked. He expected to be in a worse state, truth be known. He vaguely remembered breaking his wrists from punching his father, and he was sure he'd broken some ribs. This doesn't feel so bad, he thought.
"You haven't been asleep," Basileus thundered. "You've been unconscious."
Feeling around his head, Aro noticed a few lumps that had yet to fully heal. The memories were sluggish to return, too.
"I knocked you out upstairs," Basileus explained, seeing Aro was struggling to put two and two together. "That kept you down for a day. When you woke up the first time you came at me again."
"So you knocked me out again?" Aro assumed.
Basileus scoffed to his boy. "Twice." With that he stalked out the room, soon returning with fresh clothes. "Get changed, you're dripping on my floor."
Aro winced as the door slammed shut. His head pounded with his dungeon blood hangover. He still wasn't sure how long he had been asleep, or rather unconscious, but if the hangover was rampant it can't have been more than a week. Stripping out of his wet clothes, Aro took a look in the mirror to assess the damage. The bones beneath may have knitted back together, but his body was black and blue with bruising. Each one he saw triggered the memory of how he'd come by such injury. Fighting with his father had been stupid. Damn stupid! he thought, tracing the purple blemishes lining his ribs. But, worse than that was that he'd fought with Felix. No, he corrected himself, worse than all of that is why Felix fought with me … Sulpicia, I am so sorry.
"Get a move on!" Basileus boomed from the living chamber. "We have much to discuss!"
Hanging his head, Aro kicked aside his soaked clothes and picked up the fresh set to redress.
"I know what you're going to say," he told his father as he limped into the room. "I know I was out of order …"
"Out of order?!" Basileus repeated into the air. "He thinks he's been out of order?!"
Talking to yourself? Aro wondered what the hell was wrong with his old man. Okay, I was a cunt, I get it. I'll stop being a cunt. No need to crazy!
"You are destroying your life, Aro!" Basileus shot across the room.
Back to talking to me, then, great. "A little dramatic, Dad." Aro creaked and whined as he eased himself into his father's high back chair. Everything ached. Everything.
"Dramatic?!" Basileus started pacing, ranting into the room. "I'm dramatic?!"
Surely you've had a week to chat to yourself, Dad? Let's move on, shall we?
Basileus had spent the week going through this conversation, naturally, but he'd hoped Aro would have shown some shame. He knew his son felt it, but he wanted the little fucker to show it. As he wasn't (or perhaps refused to do so) it only confirmed to Basileus how deep in the shit Aro was. I'll bring you back, he thought to his boy. I'm not losing you this way.
"Can you not see what you are doing to those kids?" Basileus asked. He flashed to his son's side and took his hands in his own. "You're scaring them, Aro."
"They aren't kids," Aro huffed. "They are guards."
"You wanted them because they are kids, Aro, don't play me for a fool."
His voice was stern, but Aro could hear the concern there. Are you worried about me? he wondered.
"When you brought them home I hoped you were turning a corner," Basileus continued. "You seemed to be. For a while at least. What happened?"
"They are guards," Aro repeated.
Basileus shook his head. "You need to start treating them as the children they are, not as your miniature crew of attendants."
"I take care of them," Aro insisted. "They want for nothing!"
"Physical needs, maybe." Basileus at least partly agreed with that. "What about their emotional needs? What do you think all this shit is doing to their heads, Aro?! You spent at least two years getting the twins to trust you when you brought them home, and every year since proving to them that they can't!"
Basileus was worried, Aro had been right about that, but he wasn't just worried about Aro. The creator's concern was for his whole household, of which the four 'high guard' were equally part. With his worry, his volume increased.
Aro cradled his head in his hands. "Will you stop shouting at me?" he whispered. I'm in the same fucking room! "The twins trust me."
"I'm telling you, they do not," Basileus said, pulling Aro's hands from his face. "They fear you, especially the boy. They see you coming home in this state, abusing your mate, abusing them …"
"I do not abuse my mate or my high guard."
"Can you really not see it?!" Basileus took up pacing the room again. "Honestly?!"
With his hands tugging at the roots of his hair, Basileus contemplated the mess of Aro's life. "How can you not see what you're doing?!" he questioned. "This is my fault, I've been away from the coven too much. I'll be here from now on, son. You will be sick to death of the sight of me before long."
That status is already achieved, I assure you. Aro looked to his father curiously. He had said ... well, thought ... a few things that would normally land him a slap. Hmmm… you're not in my head? CUNT! Okay, this is good.
When Basileus undid the belt around his waist, Aro baulked. He couldn't take a whipping on top of the damage he already suffered. Even if his bones were healed, he was still suffering the aftermath of those breaks. Making a snap decision, he worked to deflect the attention from himself onto some poor unsuspecting other.
"It's the dungeon blood, Dad …"
"You think I don't know that, Aro?!"
"No, I mean, it's the dungeon blood that makes me this way," Aro said, carefully. "I can't control myself, Dad. I struggle with it, I've been really struggling with it. I've tried to stop taking it. I hate how it makes me, but Caius …" Aro let his co-master's name hang in the air and sucked the air in through his teeth, drawing in his father.
"What about Caius?" Basileus asked. It wasn't fair, but Basileus had seen Caius as the root to Aro's debauchery for many years, but until recent events, that debauchery hadn't meant cruelty. At least not towards Sulpicia and the children. "What has he done?"
"I don't want to tell you, it's not his fault. I'm the one to blame." Aro did a good impression of sounding sorrowful, which is exactly what Basileus had been so desperate to hear. Aro was landing his father - hook, line and sinker.
"What about Caius?" Basileus asked again.
"He thinks I'm weak because I can't handle the dungeon blood like he can. He's questioned my authority, my kingship, your choice of putting me in control …"
The pang of guilt hitting his stomach caused Aro to pause, but pushing it aside to save his own neck, he soon picked up the pace. "I had to drink it, Dad. I couldn't leave Caius with the idea that I was weaker than he. I was trying to hold the coven together. You've been away so much, I'm here on my own with Caius questioning my leadership."
Basileus had quit pacing and was hanging onto every word Aro spoke, a quiet rage filling his body. Aro could see it in the man's eyes, what he couldn't see was whether that rage would be directed at him, or at Caius. All he could do was twist the knife a little further to see which way the creator would blow.
"I know that was the wrong choice, I get it now, it won't happen again … well, my part won't happen again," Aro winced. At best, he was saving himself a lashing by giving one to his co-master, and he loved Caius dearly. But his selfish fear pushed him on. "But Caius …" he said, shrugging. "What can I do, Dad?"
Basileus stayed silent. It could only have been a minute or so but if felt like an age to Aro who waited in trepidation for some sort of verdict.
"You're going to stay here, I'm going to see Caius," Basileus said. His voice shook, such was his fury. "When you are recovered, you and I are going out there to find you a calmer play mate."
"Who was not calmer in the slightest," Aro interjected, pulling Basileus from his tale.
"Not to start with, no," Basileus agreed. Seeing Eleazar's shoulders slump, he added, "I have to be fair, son."
"If you were being fair you would be throwing Carlisle to the lions, too," Eleazar muttered, but his eyes stayed on his father. Carmen doesn't know everything about me … about my 'early years',' he thought, silently praying to be heard.
Basileus nodded curtly, showing he had, and looked to his youngest. "Carlisle has been remarkably well behaved recently," he answered Eleazar to cover their silent 'conversation'.
"You talk about me like he does about his kids," Carlisle complained, pointing to Aro. "Can you treat me like the rest of the adults here, please?"
"You're the baby, Carlisle," Aro said, ruffling his brother's hair and messing it up. "You always will be."
"It sucks," Alec declared, as the resident baby vampire.
"You should be glad you're my baby, Alec," Aro told his boy. "It's the only reason you get away with the things you do." Instantly he regretted saying such a thing, seeing Felix fold his arms and nod rampantly.
"Hardly!" Alec shot out before Felix could say his peace. "You don't think I'm capable of anything, you always hold me back, you …"
"My queen," Aro called to his mate. "Please shut him up before I overreact."
"He's right, being the youngest sucks!" Carlisle continued for the boy who was being hushed by his mother. "I'd like a younger brother for Christmas, please."
"I want one, too!" Alec agreed.
"Unfortunately, my darling," Atia said to Carlisle, "we know we couldn't do better than the sons we have, so we are sticking with three."
"That's much nicer than I would have put it," Basileus chuckled. "If I'd have had Eleazar first he would have been an only child."
"Thanks, Dad," Eleazar said proudly, gloating to his brothers.
Aro and Carlisle answered in one. "Golden bollocks!"
"Being the eldest has its own troubles," Eleazar replied. "So much more is expected of me than of either of you."
Aro could have choked on his own venom, hearing such a declaration. "You don't do anything!" Lazy bastard!
Eleazar knee what Aro was thinking and he didn't care - he loved his charmed life! "I meant in relation to temperament, personality, family matters. I would never get away with how you act, Aro." Eleazar turned on his baby brother. "Or you, Carlisle."
With both Aro and Carlisle trying to defend themselves, Felix sided with Eleazar. He had very much to say on the expectation of 'firstborns'
"I think that's true, El," Freyr agreed, looking to Magnus. "We always expect more of eldest children. We expected far more of Ivar than Sven or Odi."
Love, you're killing me here! Magnus had been hoping if no one mentioned Odi again that Caius might somehow forget his quarry.
"Odi sounds like more trouble than he's worth."
Magnus scowled down to Caius. Yup, there it is. "He's no trouble for you," he replied through gritted teeth, and sat back to listen to the barrage of sniping Caius deployed in response.
Demetri was quite pleased. He couldn't understand what Caius' issue was with Odi, but whilst the coven master was concentrating on Magnus, the boy swapped their cards around so he was sure to win another round.
"I'm the eldest - you always make an example of me and he gets away with murder," Felix said, continuing his argument. "And don't even start me on the shit Jane gets away with!"
Jane smirked to herself and nudged Tanya to watch her go winding up Felix. She'd already told the Denali girl how easy it was to play with the bruin. "When I listen to you talk I have to wonder who ties your shoelaces for you," she said to her brother, innocent eyes of an angel.
Seeing Tanya giggle at Jane's side flipped Felix's good senses - he had to reply for his pride's sake, if nothing else. "You know what I wonder about?" Why I have never murdered you in your sleep."
"You know how some minds are prone to wander?" Jane asked Tanya. "Well his walked off and never came back."
"You need to stop," Aro told them both, though he was looking at Felix. "Or, you can go to bed."
"Dad, can you please stop!" Felix hissed. "You are humiliating me!"
"Guess how I feel about your behaviour, son?" Aro hissed back. "It's a similar feeling, I assure you."
"So, can I have a brother?" Alec asked again.
"They can't get one younger than you, Alec," Irina replied to the boy before anyone else could. "Not unless they turned an immortal child. And then your grandfather would have to rip the heads off your parents and leave you all as orphans."
"How pleasant, Irina," Atia offered with a tight smile. "Thank you so much for joining in with the conversation."
Irina wouldn't be hushed so easily - Atia's stern eye did nothing to threaten her. "I wonder who you would be dumped with if that happened? Maybe you'd go back to the Egyptian coven?"
"Fuck off!" Demetri roared. He'd been mostly quiet through the day, so his eruption caused some surprise. He even shocked himself!
"He'd stay here, where he belongs," Felix answered the bitter bitch. "Not that we will ever be orphaned, thanks."
"Who knows what the future might hold?" Irina said back, smiling cruelly.
"I think that's enough joining in, dear," Atia told the girl. She made use of Magnus' gift to make Irina queasy. It was enough to shut her up for the time being. "And, I would ask that the rest of you temper your language if you wish to join in further," she said, looking at no one in particular. The offenders knew who they were.
Aro had been making his way around the group refilling drinks. Caius tutted at him and refused the top up when Aro got to him.
"What?!"
"Is that really what you told him about me?" Caius asked, eyebrows raised. "Is that really what you said?"
"It was," Basileus answered for Aro as his son floundered. "Amongst other things I excluded to save both of your blushes."
"Come on, Caius. I was desperate," Aro said, apologetically. "You would have done the same thing."
Caius gave a scoff and a tut in reply, but he held his glass out for the whiskey Aro offered.
"He wouldn't have done what you did," Basileus told Aro. "I see that now. Caius doesn't lie, not like you do."
"He lies to himself plenty," Magnus muttered, still annoyed that he was copping shit from the man for having the audacity to have an allegiance to his own son!
"But not to others," Basileus pointed out. "Not just to save his skin."
Caius wasn't too sure how to take that. "Thanks … I think?" he said to Basileus whilst scowling again at Magnus for his contribution.
Magnus scowled right back at him. "I thought Caius got a hiding in Eleazar's story?" he said, nudging Basileus to continue.
"It's coming, I have no doubt." Caius turned back to his game with Demetri, throwing a few coins in the pot without realising the switch about the boy had done. He had no interest in reliving that day and he doubted Basileus would ever realise the effect it had on him.
Basileus winced. He knew only too well how badly he had fucked up with Caius. "It's more shameful for me than it is for you, Caius," Basileus said, gulping down the last of his drink. He was going to need that whiskey inside him if he was going to divulge what an animal he'd been.
"CAIUS!"
Basileus burst into the Volturi playroom in a thunderous blaze. Caius had been busy at work, 'extracting' information from the Romanian rogues they had picked up. It had been quite a haul - it was the reason he and Aro had decided to throw their dungeon blood party in the first place. Caius still had a hangover himself and could have done without a raging creator bellowing in the echo chamber - particularly as he had no clue as to how he'd pissed off the man!
"You lying, conniving, upstart cunt!"
Caius dropped his tools and backed up to the wall. Only the fire separated the pair.
"What have I done, my lord?" he asked, voice quaking.
"This is MY coven, Caius," Basileus thundered. "MINE!"
So? Caius thought. He had meant it in a 'I know this' way but, after what Aro had told him, Basileus took it in a 'I don't care' way,
Taking up the first thing that came to hand, which happened to be a set of iron pliers, Basileus launched the implement at Caius'. It came at the man's full vampiric strength and embedded itself in Caius' shoulder.
What the fuck is going on?! Caius went down to his knees, begging Basileus for some sort of explanation.
"How dare you question my authority?!" Basileus wasn't answering Caius - he was demanding answers for the things Aro had said, which were still a mystery to Caius!
The set of sliver blades were the next thing Basileus could grab. Caius had just enough movement to avoid some of them as they were levied at him, but two caught him in the thigh, going in deep. Realising he would simply be taking a round of hell from the creator, Caius went down to the floor and stayed there, not that he could stand with a pair of knives in his leg and a busted shoulder.
Basileus flashed to Caius' side, taking the fire pick as he went and started beating the coven leader with it! Paying little attention to where the strikes landed, Caius was thoroughly battered. One hit was so hard it broke the iron pick - one half went flying into the wall, whilst the other remained in Basileus' grip. It broke Caius' leg in the process. Basileus took up another, repeating the process until that one broke, too. He reached down and lifted Caius from the flagstone floor by the scruff of his neck.
"You will make me something strong enough to beat a vampire without breaking," he told the broken man. "And I'll test out the results on you when you have."
With that he dropped Caius back to the floor in a bloody heap of confusion.
"You're lucky you're breathing, boy!" he spat, panting from the exertion. "LUCKY!"
Basileus exited the playroom with the same forced he'd entered, slamming the door so hard behind him that the hinges shattered.
Caius stayed down. He told himself it was in case Basileus returned to exact more vengeance for crimes unknown, but really, he couldn't move. Hours he lay there, slowly extracting the odd tool that had invaded his body. All the time, those rogues who'd had a front row seat to his humiliating beat down called out taunts, jeering at the coven master. It was psychological torture and it went in deep. He hadn't been able to defend himself against Basileus physically, and he couldn't defend himself against the rogues mentally. They became the voices he always heard when he went into that room, the voices that spurred him on to exact unspeakable cruelty on his victims.
All metal removed, Caius dragged himself to the dungeon blood barrels with his good arm. Flicking the tap on the barrel, he let the gloopy tar drip into his mouth. Swallowing hurt, everything hurt, but Caius knew if he drank enough of that shit he could block out all the pain he felt. It took a few days for Caius to recover, and he stayed in the dungeons the whole time with those Romanian scumbags laughing the whole while. He had his revenge on the rogues, though - that was the day Caius started flaying his victims.
"Magnus?" Basileus said slowly as the juggernaut breathed heavily at his side.
The coven empath was struggling with his emotions, Basileus knew that, he could feel it. Magnus radiated shame, anger, shock … the emotions he was taking on were coming too hard and fast for him to fully absorb.
"Magnus?" Basileus tried again. "Whoa!"
The juggernaut's bloodwine tankard crumpled in his hand, sending the ruby red liquid spurting into the air. It came back down to soak Magnus and Basileus, not that the former cared.
"How could you do that?!" Magnus spat at the creator.
Freyr gasped at her mate's nerve. "Magnus, don't!" she hissed in warning.
"He's right to question me, Freyr," Basileus said quickly. "I behaved like an absolute animal. It was despicable."
"It's not a big deal, old news," Caius lied, shrugging it off. "I'm over it." Another lie. He couldn't hide his feelings so easily and Magnus had been pummelled with a room full of feelings all day - the spike from Caius and Basileus during that last portion of the take had been enough to send the empath over the edge.
"Magnus, listen …" Basileus tried. "I …"
Magnus shook his head. He couldn't even look at the man. "Just give me a minute," he said gruffly. Turning away, Magnus concentrated on his breathing as he got a fresh grip on the emotions he felt.
Everyone stayed very still and quiet whilst Magnus worked through the emotional burst. It didn't take him long. Once he was sorted he set to taking away the awkwardness in the room to ease everyone's tension.
"Did you ever make something strong enough?" Carlisle asked, peering around his brother to look at Caius.
Caius chuckled to himself briefly, though there was little humour in it. "Where else do you think your old man's cane came from?" he asked Carlisle,
Eleazar, Aro, and Carlisle shared a shudder, even Magnus joined them!
"So it's your fault?!" Carlisle shot back to the coven leader.
Caius was flabbergasted. "Were you not paying attention?" "It's Aro's fault."
"Aro has his part in the blame," Basileus corrected. "But my actions were my fault, and I'm very sorry."
Magnus pulled Caius back by his collar. "Having suffered the effect of that damn thing, I feel like booting you across the room for making it." A second shiver ran down his spine. "My back burned for a week."
Your back? That annoyed Caius - he'd been subjected to the humiliation of taking his beating from Basileus on his backside, like a child.
"You?!" Tanya called across to Magnus. "But you're huge!"
"I don't follow," Magnus said, looking bemused.
"Well, you know …" Tanya pushed, wondering why it wasn't obvious. "Couldn't you fight him off?" she whispered to the juggernaut. There wasn't much point in her whispering in a room full of vampires, especially at a volume that travelled across the room, but it was sweet that she'd tried, bless her.
"Oh!" Basileus exclaimed, catching on.
"No, little one," Magnus told her. "That's not how it works. I had thrown Caius across the library and given him and Aro a few good thumps. I took what was due as my penance."
"I would have paid good money to see your penance," Aro sang out.
Caius agreed. He held out the scraps of coin he had left in his possession to the creator. "I'll pay good money now for the story if it's in the same excruciating detail I just suffered."
Magnus knocked the coins out of his hands for a second time. "Will you stop offering my money about?!"
"I'm not reliving that experience," Basileus said. He and Marcus shared a laugh at how he'd been after disciplining Magnus that one and only time. "I've never felt so awkward in my life."
Aro look askance to his father. "We couldn't have you feeling awkward, could we?!" Don't worry about the rest of us after the shit you've told today!
"To be fair to Magnus," Marcus piped up. "I believe it is the only blot on an otherwise perfect record. Not quite comparable to the rest of you."
Caius rolled his eyes to the heavens and caught Aro doing the same. "From the one who walks on water and then turns it to wine," he said quietly, playing his hand and losing yet another game to Demetri.
"When are you going to get to Eleazar?" Kate asked, keen to find out about the man she would be living with.
Basileus took a moment to remember where he'd got to, "After I'd dealt with Caius, Aro and I went to England …"
"We haven't been here for a while," Aro mused looking up the cliff face. Peeking out above the top stood actual stonework. "Have you built a castle?"
Basileus threw his arm around Aro's shoulders as the pair waded through the cool waters to shore. "I told you Cape Tor would be pivotal in our future," he reminded his son. "We needed to build a proper stronghold."
"I have been asking to extend Volterra for years!" Aro tutted and shook off his father's hold as they came to shore. "You said we didn't have the funds!"
"And now you know why," Basileus replied. "Wait until you see it."
I don't want to see it. Aro knew he sounded petulant, so he didn't voice his thoughts aloud, not that it mattered with a mind reading father.
Basileus simply laughed as he walked ahead of Aro across the beach.
"Aha!" he exclaimed, pointing out a crude wooden staircase fixed into the cliffs. "They got my message."
Basileus had sent word to the guards manning Cape Tor to arrange the building works. He'd sent very specific plans for them to follow, and seeing the steps, one of the simpler elements of his plans in fruition, gave him hope for the rest.
"Come on!" he called to Aro, and flashed up the cliff side.
By the time Aro made it to the top, after having petulantly taken his time, he was greeted by three guards and his father, looking irritated.
"Lev," Aro nodded to the first, "Mik, Kat," he continued. "So this is their top secret vital mission for the Volturi cause, is it?" he asked his father.
Basileus smiled broadly. "This place …
"Will be pivotal in our future," Aro finished. Yeah, yeah, so you've said.
Taking in the landscape, Aro was surprised by how much had changed. The last time he'd visited Cape Tor had been when he'd turned the twins - five hundred years ago, give or take. The wooden shack that was the mead hall had long since gone, but that wasn't the surprise. A gigantic keep stood proudly where the hall had once been. That must have cost a fucking fortune! Aro assumed, correctly. Glaring daggers at his father, he went on, I've been putting off vital repairs in Volterra and you're funding this?! I hope you're listening!
If Basileus was he made no effort to respond.
"How are you finding your diet, Lev?" he said, blatantly ignoring Aro.
Lev grunted in reply, but Basileus caught his intended word. 'Unnatural.'
"Well, it shouldn't be for much longer." Basileus slapped a hand down on the man's shoulder. "You appear to be near completion," he said, free arm spread to gesture to the great works Lev had arranged on his behalf.
"Yes, my lord," Lev agreed. "Better in daylight," he added.
Mik stayed silent, as was his way, whilst Kat stepped forward to update the creator. Basileus listened to all she had to say. He was keen to know of their relations with the humans, too. It was the only issue Basileus had worried about when sending the three ex-Romanian members to do his duty - Lev wasn't known for his diplomatic skills. But he was the creator's most trusted guard, and once an order had been given, Lev saw a task to completion. Finding nothing of concern in their memories, Basileus thanked them all gratefully.
"So this isn't punishment?" Lev asked. He'd been in England for nearly a year by that point - it was common for troublesome guards to be sent away from the coven for periods of time to give them the chance to think about their Volturi careers. It was a kinder exercise than killing them off. Lev and Kat had discussed their every move in Volterra, wondering what had consigned them to being sent away from the coven.
Basileus' booming laughter at such a notion soon put that concern to rest. "I could trust no one else to complete this task for me," he told Lev. "But I miss having you in Volterra. You will return soon, you have my word."
"How much has this cost us?" Aro asked his father outright.
"It's cost you nothing, son," Basileus replied. His concentration, however, was fixed on the keep. "Very good, very good," he said, mainly to himself. Lev was right, it would be better to see the full effects in daylight, but from what he could make out, the creator was pleased.
"Would you like to see inside, my lord?" Kat asked, gesturing to the grand stone construction.
Basileus declined. "I'm leaving your king in your care, I'll be going straight onto London."
Aro started to fume. It was bad a new sibling was being forced on him, seeing the excess of Volturi funds being wasted on a scrap of waste land such as England had pissed him off, but what tipped him over the edge was the way his father had been treating him since the dungeons blood/fight incident. You're treating me like a fucking child, he thought, trying to keep hold of his temper. Aro felt his left eye start to twitch through his efforts, but he just about resisted throwing his father off the cliffs!
"Erm … why?" he asked through gritted teeth.
"To choose your new brother, of course," Basileus answered, beaming. He was quite excited by the prospect now he'd set his mind to the task.
Aro rushed to his father before the man could leave. "And I'm to have no say in the selection?"
"Obviously not." Basileus forcibly removed the hand Aro had placed on his arm. "I've decided to choose from the upper ranks, this time."
"We never turn high ranking humans, Dad. It's dangerous. They expect to keep their profile …"
"I am aware of our traditions, Aro - I established them, after all." Basileus had no reason to listen to Aro's opinion on anything, in his mind. Aro had proved his counsel couldn't be trusted with recent events. "I'm sure I will find someone suitable," he explained. "I want one more refined, this time."
It was a purposeful dig at Aro's human beginnings, a pointed jibe to remind him where he came from and who it was that plucked him from obscurity and gave him his royal seat in the first place. Deep down, Aro knew he'd earned such ire from his father - if not for his own debauchery, certainly for what he'd inflicted on Caius in his desperation. But still, he thought, patronising cunt.
"I'm sure you have much to tell our guards about all they are missing in Volterra," Basileus said through gritted teeth. Had said guards not been there, he would have taken a swipe at his son for such thoughts. "Take a look around, relax," he insisted, pushing Aro towards the keep, and then flashed out of sight.
"Master," Lev called from the keep's doorway.
Aro headed over, knowing he had no other choice.
It was near daybreak when Basileus returned with a writhing, dark haired man slung over his shoulder. He stopped to greet the guards when they opened the keep for him, as though it were the most natural thing in the world. Aro hung at the back of the large hallway, waiting for his father to grace him with his presence. On hearing his boy's petulant thoughts and deciding Aro was still being an incorrigibly fractious brat, Basileus ignored him completely and took Eleazar into the only furnished room in the keep. Furnished was an overstatement, really, as the only furniture contained in the drawing room were two benches and a small table with four stools. It was simple, but then the creator hadn't made plans to live in Cape Tor, merely to have the place available for future use. Mikhail made use of his gift to light the fireplaces and set the wall torches aglow, which even with the dawn sun shining were needed. England could be a gloomy place, as Caius often commented.
Aro waited for the guards to leave the drawing room before he entered, just in time to see Basileus gently lying out his new brat on the floor. Not a brat, Aro thought, horrified by what he saw.
"He's older than me!" he exclaimed rushing to the well-dressed man.
Basileus dragged the closer bench towards the fire where he could keep an eye on his new charge. "That is not accidental, son," he replied, grinning wildly as he took his seat.
Basileus had arrived in the royal court of Edward III in time to pluck out a wealthy noble, but on seeing the man he'd brought home, his agenda changed. Something had drawn Basileus to the man, it could have been simply the way he looked - tall, dark, handsome - very much like Basileus himself, though much slighter in appearance. Basileus didn't think for too long what it was, he didn't even search the man's memories, he just waited until the guy left the royal party for his own quarters and snatched him out of the night, biting him without thinking twice. The creator often worked on such impulsive feelings, and they generally turned out well, in his opinion.
Aro's opinion differed on that point, particularly as he took in the new 'brother' that had been foisted on him. He twisted the man's face into the light of the fire to see what wretch he'd been gifted. The slight lines around his eyes were already disappearing with the transformation in full progress. Aro had hoped the turning would be a failure, and then he would have time to convince his father that adding to their ranks was a foolish plan. No such fucking luck! Aro thought, annoyed.
"You aren't putting him above me." It was barely above a whisper, but Aro fully intended his father to hear.
"Like you said, he's older than you." Basileus leaned forwards and rested his elbows on his legs, cupping his chin on his hands. He looked relaxed but his tone was anything but when he spoke. "He's your big brother."
"You aren't putting him above me!" Aro repeated firmly.
It might have been more impressive had he not also stamped his foot like a toddler. There's something about arguing with your parents that turns everyone into a child, Aro suffered similarly, even after thousands of years.
"You know we work on human ages for placement, son," Basileus replied. He couldn't hide his smirk over Aro trying to put his foot down. Luckily for Aro, he was in a good mood. A new son, new possibilities, he thought, looking down to the man. Aro had no chance of bringing down the creator's buzz. "This one is older than you," he told Aro. "So in family matters between me, you, and him, he's above you."
Aro roared out his frustration, expecting his father to at least turn and face him, but Basileus stayed fixed on the new vampire turning in his presence. He was very close to punching his father in the back of his big fat head, but, seeing sense, he decided to leave instead.
Basileus still didn't turn, but he heard through Aro's thoughts that he was about to leave. "If you walk out of that door, you will regret it," he called out.
"I'm going to fetch your new son a feed, Dad."
That wasn't where Aro had planned on going, but he didn't actually want to fight his old man again. It had taken far too long to recover from the last one with Basileus putting Aro on limited feeds.
Basileus smiled to himself. He is learning, then. "Bring enough for us all."
Bring enough for us all, Aro repeated to himself, mocking his father's voice. It was as petulant as he dared to be under the circumstances.
Basileus heard the clatter of Aro returning long before he set eyes on his son. Dragging four humans along behind him, Aro entered the drawing room.
"You took your time," Basileus called, approaching his son.
Getting a look at the humans Aro had brought gave Basileus a good indicator of his son's mood - four men, big men, all battered and bruised from fighting with the vampiric king. Naturally, Aro didn't have a mark on him, even his clothes had survived the scrap fully intact.
"Feel better for beating them up?" Basileus nodded to the poor bastards that would be their dinner.
Aro half grunted a reply, suggesting as his father had thought, that he was still in his pissy mood. "Is he close?" he asked, looking to his new big brother. The man lay still as stone - either the transformation was nearly at an end, or he hadn't made it through. Please say he's dead, please!
"I think so," Basileus replied, ignoring Aro's thoughts. "Kill them now, I don't want to listen to their screams." Before Basileus had even turned his back to return to his seat, Aro had the four necks snapped. "Eleazar, that's his name."
"Not very English," Aro muttered joining his father,
"He's Spanish, a linguist,"
"Marcus will be pleased." Aro crouched down and manipulated Eleazar's face towards the light. Not a single sign of human ageing was left. He looked much younger than when Aro had last seen him. "How old is he?"
"Twenty-nine."
For fuck sake! The fact that this Eleazar was only a year older made Aro all the more bitter knowing he would be put above the coven king in so-called family matters. Basileus planned to do just that, once Eleazar was through the newborn year, that is.
…
Magnus and Freyr had finished their guard duties for the day and were heading back to the guard hall when they heard the commotion. Music coming from the hall wasn't unusual, the place could be damn rowdy at times, but the caterwauling wasn't quite so customary. Still, they wouldn't have worried too much had the creator not flashed past them in the hallway. Picking up the pace, they arrived only moments after Basileus to see half the guard hall inhabitants involved in some up close and personal 'dancing'. Odi used his speed to get away from the action, as did a good many of the other guards. It was too late, though - those involved had been noted. Luckily for most of them, Basileus was only interested in Caius and Eleazar.
"What the hell is going on in here?!" the creator thundered, ending all activity in the room. Stalking to Eleazar and Caius, Basileus ripped the pair away from the young guards they danced with and shoved the girls back against the wall. "This is not a whore house, you damn ingrates!"
Since Aro had been instructed to distance himself from Caius, Caius was at a loose end. Eleazar had stepped into his brother's shoes quite well and he and Caius had been fucking their way through the guard for a few months. If they had been discreet about it they wouldn't have had too much of a problem - everyone was willing, after all, but the blatant debauchery was pissing Basileus off, particularly after what had happened with Aro and Caius so fresh in his mind.
"I gave you a job, Caius," he growled at the young master. "I'm yet to see any results."
Caius knew what he was talking about - 'I want something strong enough to beat a vampire'. Oddly, Caius wasn't rushing to complete the task considering whatever implement he came up with would no doubt be used on him! "I've been trying, my lord," Caius replied backing away. Each step he took towards the door, Basileus matched. "It wasn't a simple request."
"Oh, I think it was," Basileus told him. "Whose opinion do you think I will be going with?"
Caius gulped. "Yours, my lord."
Basileus snatched Caius from the floor by his collar and pulled him in close. "Get down to your pit and work," he hissed, letting Caius feel the growl that rumbled in his chest. "That's why you're here."
Dropping Caius and feeling pleased to watch him flee, Basileus turned back to Eleazar. "Stay away from him son," he warned the new prince. "Caius will only lead your life to destruction."
Eleazar should have been grateful to receive such a tempered response from the creator, but his newborn emotions continued to make him unstable. Basileus could see his boy readying for a fight and there was no way he would let that happen, in the guard hall of all places. Angry and violent - Basileus thought to himself, as he wondered, not for the first time, what he had done taking on another vampire of his own.
Stepping up to Eleazar and encroaching on his personal space, Basileus kept his tone low and even. "Get yourself a drink and relax, son," he insisted.
It took Eleazar a few seconds to get himself under control, but he eventually nodded and relented and sought out the wine barrels where Magnus stood. That was the only saving grace with Eleazar, as Basileus saw it - he was compliant, or rather, he wished to be. Basileus hoped that once he got the guy through his newborn year and his emotions settled down, that he would be more reasoned and his propensity for compliance would make life easier.
Magnus passed Eleazar a goblet of wine. Well, it was a half full goblet of wine, which Magnus topped up with water. Eleazar briefly considered complaining, but with a quick glance over his shoulder he realised his father remained in the guard hall. Perhaps half measures would please him more, Eleazar wondered, thanking Magnus for his offer.
Magnus had one eye on Basileus, too. He didn't like the way the creator was laying into the guards, particularly not when the girls had simply been going along with Caius and Eleazar's requests. It wasn't as though the poor sods could refuse a coven master and a Volturi prince! Deciding he had to do something to save the younger members of the guards from future strife, he asked Eleazar to sit with him for a while.
"You're causing yourself a lot of trouble here, young prince," he said to the new Volturi brother. "There are more productive ways to expend your energy."
"There are certain ways I prefer," Eleazar joked. Too loud, he thought quickly seeing his new father turn a vicious eye in his direction.
"I'm sure," Magnus agreed quietly.
For a moment he concentrated his gift on Eleazar's emotions, making sure to get the best reading he could. He soon discovered that Eleazar's need to fulfil his wanton desires weren't the main feelings in his heart. Are you just distracting yourself? he wondered, looking at the young prince. What do you want most?
Magnus followed Eleazar's eyes - though Eleazar was trying to be discreet, he couldn't help but repeatedly seek out Basileus. You want to please him, Magnus worked out. He could use that and better direct Eleazar's activities. It was above his station to advise a prince, he felt, but Magnus' loyalties were to the guards, the younger ones in particular, and he would happily put his neck on the line for them.
Clearing his throat to get Eleazar's attention, he quietly said, "Your willpower is lacking and until you progress to delaying your gratification, the creator will see you, and treat you, as a newborn."
"It's frustrating the hell out of me!" Eleazar replied, a little too loudly.
Magnus played with his emotions to keep him calm so they could talk. "That's what willpower is about - the ability to withstand frustrations."
"Caius doesn't have to display any willpower," Eleazar huffed, though he was quieter.
"Caius is a coven master and he has a thousand years on you," Magnus reminded him. Though the way Caius is being treated right now I don't think he's getting away with anything, either! "I imagine he has shown willpower at some point in that time. You have been a vampire for nine months and they have been some fraught months from what I have seen, young prince."
Basileus looked in their direction and for a moment Magnus froze wondering what the creator would have to say about a guard speaking to his son co candidly. He wasn't sure, but he thought he saw the man offer him a curt nod before he left the guard hall, leaving the girls Caius and Eleazar had been messing about with crying in the corner after their round of fucks.
Eleazar winced when he heard the guard hall doors slam. "I think he regrets turning me."
"That's not how he feels," Magnus assured him. "Trust me, it's a gift."
"Hey," Odi drawled, sidling up to Magnus. "Can I get one of those?" he asked, pointing to Magnus' cup.
"What do you think?" Magnus asked in return, glaring at the young guard. Before Odi could ask why he was copping for the man's bad side, Magnus added, "I saw you."
Odi whistled into the air and started retreating backwards, but not before he heard Magnus tell Eleazar, "Basileus loves you, Eleazar, make him proud. That's all a father wants."
Odi knew Magnus was saying that as much for his benefit as he was for Eleazar's. The raised eyebrow he received from his father confirmed as much. He went to do what was expected of him - apologise to the girls he'd help cause trouble with. Odi clashed with his father on the matter of morals with some regularity. Magnus would have been happy for Odi to take a mate or not, whatever or whoever he chose, but he was not comfortable with the boy flaunting his conquests in his presence.
It was an awkward living situation for them both, really. Mentally, Odi was who he was when he had been turned - on the cusp of being a man, but still needing his family support. Every time he considered leaving the coven to spread his wings a little, something would happen to make him realise he wasn't ready, that he still needed Magnus and Freyr, and wanted them, too. It was a dance they had been doing for five hundred years, (and a few years before that in their human days, as well).
"How do I do that, Magnus?" Eleazar asked, grabbing the juggernaut's attention.
"It's not for me to tell you that, I have already said more than I should have," Magnus replied. He ran his free hand through his hair and shook out the back, going on to rub out the stress in his neck. Eleazar remained fixed on him, waiting expectantly for more advice. "Fine." Magnus huffed. "If you must have a woman, have one. And stick to the one you choose."
"I don't want a mate …"
"I wasn't suggesting such a thing," Magnus said, cutting the prince off. It wasn't a good idea for newborns to mate at the best of times - too emotionally charged. But what he was suggesting didn't sit easy with the juggernaut's morals. "More a regular acquaintance," he said, hoping Eleazar understood. He did and he immediately started searching the room for possibilities. When he cut across to Corin, Magnus got to his feet and blocked the man's view. "NOT that one. No. Just no." Corin wasn't his, but he felt responsible for the girl and he wasn't turning her over to be a prince's plaything.
For a moment, Eleazar felt his temper peak. Who the hell are you to tell me no?! he thought to the juggernaut. But then he looked up at the man - a mountain of a man - and thought better of arguing. Particularly when his father was already pissed with him. "Corin's too young for me anyway."
"Aye, she is," Magnus nodded his approval. "That one, though …" he pointed out Ashanti, who, naturally, was eyeing Eleazar up from across the room. Magnus knew Eleazar had already been there (it's Ashanti, he thought, everybody's been there!) "She's trouble," he warned. "But I doubt Ashanti could cause too much trouble for you." It's better than you working your way around the guards.
Eleazar nodded along. Sticking to one woman would be better than being branded a slag, which is how Aro currently referred to him. Jealous little prick, he thought. Still, Eleazar knew what Magnus proposed would see him rise in Basileus' estimations, at least. "What else should I do?"
"You must stop fighting with the guards," Magnus instructed. That instruction wasn't solely for the Eleazar's benefit. The young prince had already had a ruckus with Odi and Magnus wasn't about to stand by and watch it become a regular occurrence. "It's beneath your status," he said to offer Eleazar a more solid reason. "Take out your frustrations with them in training, if you must. Every morning these goons are out there in the field just dying for a good scrap. Plenty of opportunity for you to right whatever wrongs you feel. Or even just to blow off some steam."
It sounds so simple, Eleazar thought, wondering why no one else had told him how to direct his energies before!
"The rest of your time," Magnus continued. "Spend in the library. Your father seems to find high esteem in knowledge and the willing acquisition of knowledge. I'm sure Marcus can help you better there."
"And this will work?" Eleazar asked. "This will make him see me differently?"
"I guarantee it, young prince."
"Is that it?" Aro questioned his father when he stopped his tale.
Caius shook his head and half growled in annoyance. "I like how you skimmed over his history so respectfully," he sneered.
"How long did it take you to work your way through the guard hall, El?" Aro asked his brother, wanting him to feel the same discomfort as everyone else had suffered.
"I was a newborn, I couldn't help it," Eleazar replied, his eyes flashing to Carmen. He wasn't sure what she knew about his early days, only that he hadn't been massively forthcoming with any details. He correctly assumed Sulpicia had filled in any blanks Carmen had asked about, but he didn't want a show down with his mate over his previous activities, particularly not when they had the Denali girls to deal with! "It was Caius' bad influence, anyway," he offered in defence.
Caius scoffed from the floor. "Why is it, everything you lot do, is somehow my fault?!"
Magnus was wondering the same, it must be said. There was certainly a pattern to Volturi family fuck-ups - one way or another, Caius was blamed. Magnus felt even more concerned about Caius' life experience than he had already after hearing so many stories, especially knowing he'd be dealing with the fallout.
Carlisle was simply annoyed that he'd missed the boat. "I wish I had known how easy it would be to get out of trouble - I would have been blaming you from the start!"
"Caius is definitely the reason why I get in so much trouble," Felix agreed with his uncle. Though to be fair, Felix had used Caius' fiery temper to get out of a few arguments with Aro over his own conduct, blaming Caius' unreasonableness at times.
"I think its Caius' fault that I smashed that window this morning," Alec added, getting in on the action. "He told me to do it, Dad," he told his father with a cheeky grin.
As the rest of the group joined in, playfully throwing wild accusations in Caius' direction, Magnus leaned in close to Basileus. "I didn't know you knew about me offering El some advice."
"I was grateful for it," Basileus replied, chinking his glass against the juggernaut's. "I know everything, my friend."
It's a curse and a blessing, he thought, having heard how disappointed in him Magnus was over his conduct. Basileus couldn't ... and didn't ... deny that he had been unconscionably harsh in his actions, particularly those towards Aro and Caius, but it still stung to hear someone's disgust, even if they didn't voice it.
"So, are you a proper prince?" Tanya asked Eleazar excitedly.
"My brother is a king," Eleazar replied. "That makes me a prince in human terms, yes."
Tanya squealed in joy. "Am I a princess now?" she asked. "I am, aren't I?! Kate, we're princesses!"
Irina was quick to put a dampener on her sister's happiness. "You aren't his daughter, you fool, so no, you aren't a princess. You are a Denali orphan."
"I don't want to be an orphan, I want to be a princess," Tanya spat back at Irina. She wasn't taking this away from her with her bitter misery.
"Then it's a shame Basileus murdered our mother instead of mating with her, isn't it?" Irina called back.
It had been a very long day, and with that last comment, even Eleazar was done. "I think it's home time," he said, standing and taking Tanya's hand to lead his new family out.
"It's also bedtime," Aro told his brood, making sure to catch his eldest's eye.
"ME?!" Felix tutted into the air and took over Eleazar's seat. "It's not even ten!"
Aro was quick to take the bloodwine goblet from his son's hand. "It's still time for you to go to bed."
"Why is it time?!" Felix hissed back, feeling thoroughly emasculated by the situation. "Since when do I even have a time?!"
"Since he brought you home, Felix," Irina called from the door. "We already heard this morning."
"Good night, Irina," Atia sang out to the girl.
With an exaggerated huff and a flick of her hair, Irina said a final good bye to Dora, firming up their plans for the next week before leaving.
"I go to bed at midnight at the earliest and I'm still up first every morning," Felix reminded his father, once he was sure Irina had gone. "Theres no point in me going to bed now, I'll be up at five in the morning."
Fuck me! he thought. Is there anything more embarrassing than arguing about bed times at my fucking age?!
Aro knew Felix would be dying inside. Even if the girls were gone, there were still some fair few non-immediate family members around. Naturally, that was just how Aro wanted him to feel.
"You made me aware of the grave injustice I had committed by treating you all differently. I am putting it right by treating you all exactly the same."
"I said sorry, Dad."
"I don't think you believe me yet, son."
"I get it - we're all the same to you, I'm not special. I get it." Felix implored his father to just drop the matter. He even said please.
Aro pretended to consider the boy's request, but all too soon the smile broke and he shook his head. "Nope. I plan on enjoying righting this wrong."
Felix shaved himself back into his seat and crossed his arms. "Well, I'm already pissed off with it."
Aro sat forward, looking positively gleeful. "Did you just curse at me?"
"No," Felix said, wondering where his father was going. "In front of you, yes, but you've never had much of a problem with that so long as I'm not directing it at anyone." He threw his hands in the air, knowing he was falling into a trap but not understanding how. "I'm just saying I'm pissed off!"
"Those are some big brave words for a little boy," Aro sang out, full of the faux calm that both annoyed, and scared his son.
"I'm not a little boy," Felix said, jabbing his thumb into his chest. "HE is a little boy," he added, pointing at Alec.
"You are all the same in my eyes, son," Aro sang. "Now, if Alec cursed in my presence, particularly with your attitude and without a rushing apology, I would put him over my knee."
"No you bloody wouldn't," Basileus muttered. "You wouldn't do anything! That's my point …"
Felix saw some hope when his grandfather commented, but as his rant ended up in Magnus' ear, not Aro's he saw his hopes soon dashed.
"Apologise and go to bed, or get yourself in position," Aro told his boy with a firm slap to his knee, reading and waiting for Felix's decision.
"Dad, you win, okay?" Felix rushed. The humiliation was killing him! "So you go easier on Alec because he's the youngest, and we all know I screw up more than anyone else so I totally deserve to be punished more often … I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry. Can we end this now, please?!"
"No, I don't think so, son," Aro replied, tapping his thigh.
"Aro," Atia warned, looking down her nose to him, thoroughly unimpressed.
"He gave a mighty fine speech, Mom," Aro replied. "But he missed out a few important things.
"Like what?!" Felix shot out. "I know we are all the same. I know it doesn't matter who has whose venom. I get it. I'm sorry."
Aro very nearly pushed the fight on. He'd had a drink and a battle of wills with Felix looked like a good way to expend his energy. One final cutting look from his mother had him changing his mind - he didn't want a fight with Atia! "Alright then."
"Can go back to normal now?" Felix asked.
"We'll go back to normal, Felix, but if I get even the slightest hint that you have been disingenuous tonight, I will cut you down to size with immediate effect."
Felix cocked his head to the side, a little confused. "I don't really know what that means, but I don't have to go to bed, right?"
"Right," Aro nodded. "You two still do," he directed to the twins.
"That's not fair!" Alec decided to try the same thing as Felix, wedging himself into a free seat and folding his arms. He didn't look quite as imposing as his brother, more an angry little imp.
Sulpicia attempted to pull the boy up. "Alec, we so are close to ending your father's sport with your brother, can we not begin again with you, please?"
"If Alec wants to be treated like Felix I am game," Aro said to his mate. "I may need to invest in a few new belts."
Alec baulked. "I don't want to be treated like Felix, not in that way."
"No, that's right, you all want to cherry pick the best bits," Aro said, glare switching between his eldest and his youngest children. "How about you all accept you are treated differently, but fairly so?"
Alec nodded slowly, but it was mostly to himself as if he were weighing up the trade-offs. For then, at least, he seemed to feel it was worth it.
"Wonderful!" Aro wished the twins good night and turned to Demetri. "You can have another hour but you had better start winning."
"Start winning?" Demetri held up the pile of coins on his lap. "Dad, I've cleared him out!"
Magnus peered over Caius' head to check out the truth of the boy's claim. Seeing his coin pouch completely empty, he clocked Caius across the head. "Have you been purposely losing my money?!"
Caius tittered to himself, he was so proud of his petulance that he didn't even fix the mess Magnus had made of his hair.
"You'll be paying it back!" Magnus told him.
Bet I don't, Caius thought.
They all said their goodbyes, with Freyr agreeing to send a guard in the morning to fix Alec's broken window, and headed out of the south tower. Magnus wanted to strike whilst the iron was hot with Caius, knowing the younger master would wish to give him an earful about Odi at the very least.
"Caius, we need to talk …" he drifted off when Caius stalked ahead without even a cursory glance that he'd heard Magnus at all. He took Freyr's hand and kissed her fingertips. "One of us should check on the guard hall," he said tiredly.
"I'll go," Freyr offered.
"No, I'll do it." Magnus tucked a lock of hair behind his mate's ear. He knew he was going to miss her terribly on his mission to France, doubly so if Caius was going to be a childish cock the whole time. "I need to run through a few things for whilst I'm away anyway," he added, as an excuse.
Really he just wanted some time to process all the new information he'd heard. Magnus thought he already understood Caius and his problems, but having just discovered how some of those issues were caused in the first place, he wanted to sit and think things over. As Caius had stormed off with his arse in his hands, it was as good a time as any.
"Don't go scaring them all," Freyr called after him, thinking of the few guards who would be receiving behaviour warnings. Thankfully he's taking most offenders with him, she thought.
"As if I would," he called over his shoulder, flashing a winning smile.
Freyr and Dora walked home together with Dora telling the shield maiden of the plans she'd made with Irina for whilst Caius was away in France. She was excited, although with the amount of hash she'd smoked it came as a dull drone to Freyr's ear.
"Where's Magnus?" Caius asked when they entered the north tower. He was leaning against the ground floor door with his arms crossed, looking irritated. "He was the one who wanted to talk and now he's not here," he grunted before Freyr could explain. "Says a lot."
"We have other duties, Caius," she eventually got out. "Magnus has gone to the guard hall …"
"And where are you going?" Caius asked. "Home?" he looked up the stairwell, wondering if Odi was there. "I might come with you."
"You are welcome to come with me," Freyr told him. She could have been annoyed by his tone, but she didn't have it in her. Especially after what they heard that day. "You're always welcome." Freyr was utterly sincere, but Caius just couldn't hear it.
"Won't it be a little crowded up there?" he sneered.
Dora rolled her eyes to Freyr - which was harder to do stoned than she'd anticipated - and shoved passed her mate to get to the door. "Oh honestly, Caius!" she tutted at him. "You are behaving like a spoilt brat who has been asked to share his toys." She went inside, chuntering to herself about what a spiteful and bitter man her husband could be, and how she had no interest in returning to such misery if he planned on continuing his gripe.
Caius didn't care what she thought, he was intent on a row. He wanted one with Magnus but as he'd dumped him, Freyr would have to do. "Is Odi up there?"
"Most likely at this hour, yes."
Caius' mouth dropped open. "You're not even going to deny it?!" he hissed back, thoroughly annoyed.
"What do I have to deny in your mind?" Freyr asked, keeping her cool. "That my son is welcome in my chambers?"
"You just said I was welcome."
"Exactly," Freyr replied emphatically, hoping Caius caught the implication.
He might have done, if he could have believed for even a moment that he, a stray for all he was worth, could possibly match up to a real life, living breathing son. Even an adopted one. Caius assumed Freyr was simply being polite. She tried to cup his cheek to show her sincerity, but Caius pushed her away. For a moment they stood there, Freyr wanting to comfort him, Caius wanting to receive it, but his damn pride wouldn't allow it. Eventually, Freyr smiled to him sadly and started walking up the stairs.
"Freyr," Caius called, stopping her before she could get too far. "Does he know."
Naturally, she knew what he was talking about. "No," she told him, coming back to his side. "Odi doesn't know anything about us. As far as he is concerned, he can't come to your quarters when Magnus and I do because we discuss coven matters. But, even if Odi knew everything, he wouldn't tell a soul without my say so."
Caius nodded. That's something, I suppose. There was something else on his mind, but he couldn't ask. He knew the truth and he didn't need to hear it confirmed. Before that day, that very long, revealing day, Caius had started to come around to the idea that he meant something to Freyr and Magnus, something more than a troubled co-master they looked out for to save him from facing the creator.
I was deluding myself, he thought. Why would they if they already have Odi? His only saving grace was that he hadn't said anything to either of them about how he felt, so at least his pride was intact. Could there be anything more embarrassing to Caius, more horrifying, even, than being rejected again? He doubted it.
"Is that your only concern?" Freyr asked when Caius stayed silent in thought.
Just ask her, he told himself. Ask her if she cares about you, ask her who she cares about more! Pushing such thoughts aside, because he couldn't hear the answer, he shrugged and said, "What else could there be?"
Freyr shook her head and sighed. She didn't have the gift of mind reading, nor one for reading emotions, but she had been a mother for a very long time and she could see inside Caius. After all Basileus had revealed she knew what would be on his mind - Odi, and what Caius' place was with her and Magnus going forward. She could have just told him, it would have been so simple. But Freyr really did know Caius well, and she knew he wouldn't believe her. Caius was a man of action and he believed in actions, not words. It would take much more than a few promises of understanding for Caius to believe anything. That was okay, she was in for the long game.
"You leave for the mission in a few days," she reminded him gently. "Spend some time with your mate before you go."
"So, I'm not welcome!" Caius' whole demeanour flipped again and he turned his back on Freyr to enter his quarters.
"I know what you're doing, my darling," Freyr said, pulling him back to face her.
She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him in tight to her chest. To his own surprise, he hugged her back, instinctively.
"I'm not fighting with you," she whispered into his ear. "I love you too much for that."
Caius gulped. No one said that to him. No one ever said that to him! Other than Dora, of course, though it had been a good long while since he'd heard it from her with him being such an unstable, volatile cunt for the last god knows how many years. It was different coming from Dora, anyway. She was his mate - love is expected, really. But from Freyr, someone who didn't have to love him, who had no reason to, in Caius opinion … it blew his mind.
"Good night, Caius," Freyr said, with a final squeeze before pushing the dumbstruck man into his chambers.
When the door had closed behind him, and he was sure no one could possibly hear him, Caius replied for his own sake, "I love you, too."