Disclaimer: I don't own any IPs that might appear in the story
The Council of Thirteen
Book Nine: The Ninth Lord
Housewarming
One Shot
Beta:
It was a normal rainy day in Forks, Washington and inside a newly built mansion on the outskirts to the town, one of its owners Jane Volturi sat on one of the bar stools at the bar that separated the kitchen area from the living room of her new home. With her tiny body, lank, pale brown hair trimmed semi short, pale skin, her angelically beautiful girlish face and full lips, she looked like a angel from the heavens as she watched her mate putter about the house directing the movers as to where their furniture should go.
"And that armoire should go in the second guest bedroom." Bella told the men hefting the aforementioned antique wardrobe. "Your supervisor upstairs will direct you where to put it and I'll be up in a bit to check if you guys got it correct."
The men nodded obediently as they should to her marvelous mate. Her mate was perfection itself. Her pale complexion, long, straight, dark brown hair, unique chocolate brown eyes and heart-shaped face with a wide forehead was, in Jane's admittedly biased mind, the most beautiful thing in all the world. Her eyes were just a little too large and widely spaced but that slight imperfection just added a touch of reality to her appearance that added to her attractiveness. Her thin nose, arched eyebrows, slim jawline and prominent cheekbones made her seem aristocratic. She was so alluring that words just failed to describe her.
Truly, Jane would never tire of looking at Bella. A sentiment that had remained unchanged since their first meeting three years ago.
Flashback
"The Lords of the Thirteen have come calling?" Jane hissed to her twin Alec as she and the rest of the Volturi Guard, the elite formation of protectors of the Volturi Coven that ruled their breed of vampires, filed into the large amphitheater style throne room that served as the Coven's audience chamber. "Why would they seek an audience with the Volturi?"
"Apparently the Ninth has just assumed her full duties and the Thirteenth is taking her on a tour of the various magical factions to introduce her." Alec, Jane's twin, informed her. "At least that's what I heard."
Jane nodded as she and Alec took their spots to either side of the box that contained the thrones for the three Volturi Kings. Alec was probably right. He had been serving as Caius', one of said Kings, personal bodyguard for the day before the summons for the audience and was likely there when the King was informed of the Lords of the Thirteen's arrival.
Speaking of the Lords of the Thirteen, Jane surreptitiously scanned the arena like area where those seeking an audience with the Volturi addressed the Kings to catch a glimpse of the nigh mythical rulers of the magical world that had graced Volterra with their presence.
The Thirteenth Lord with her waist length raven black hair, jet black eyes that radiated otherworldly power and a figure that rivaled even those of the most beautiful vampires was someone Jane knew and feared. She had visited Volterra more than once, often to complain about how the Guard had failed to deal with a rogue member of their kind and had left it up to her to do so. Each time resulting in some hapless Guard member being punished for the failure, even if most of the time they hadn't had anything to do with it, to appease her. Jane enjoyed watching them suffer, watching anyone suffer was a thrill to her, and even had the privilege of being the one to dole out the torment on more than one occasion and she was grateful for that, but… The idea that someone, a human, even a mage, could force the Volturi Kings to engage in appeasement… It terrified her. Though after having accompanied the Thirteenth on one hunt of a rogue and seen what she was capable of… She totally understood why they did so.
It was thus no surprise that she had to suppress a shudder at the sight of the Assassin Lord and quickly pulled her eyes away from her to examine her companion.
The Ninth Lord? I wonder what they are-
Jane's thoughts ground to a screeching halt as she finally laid eyes on the incarnation of Venus that was the Ninth. Not that she was able to capture much details beyond her absolute beauty before she found herself lost in the girl's - for despite her unrivaled allure, the Ninth was still at most a teenager - chocolate brown eyes.
Acting on an instinct she'd heard described and never felt, nor ever imagined feeling to such an intensity, Jane blurred to the Ninth's side and wrapped herself around her body, surprisingly not knocking her to the ground. There were startled gasps from everyone in the audience chamber. Everyone that is but Jane and the Ninth herself. They were too busy kissing each other and pawing at each other's body to waste air on being shocked.
"Jane! Stop!" Jane distantly heard her twin shout, but she ignored him in favour of tearing her mate's - What else could the Ninth be but that? - top to shreds so she could better shower her upper body with love.
"Bella!" The Thirteenth shouted scandalized and resigned all at once.
Normally, the Thirteen getting so agitated would have sent a shiver of fear down Jane's spine but in this instance she was far too preoccupied carefully giving her mate a hickey on her left breast, just over her heart, to care. All whilst her mate mewled in pleasure and ran her hands lovingly through Jane's hair.
She was still midway through the task though when suddenly Jane lost all perception of her surroundings as her twin's power of sensory deprivation hit.
She snarled at the intrusion into her bonding with her mate and only the knowledge that she was likely still physically holding onto her and would likely hurt her if she did so, stopped her from lashing out. Though the blinding of her senses did seem to cool her ardour a little, at least enough to realize something…
I just almost ravished my mate in the middle of the audience chamber! In front of everyone!
Flashback end
Jane chuckled at the memory.
Though she knew she found the humor in it only because she had not had to deal with the consequences of her actions. For once she'd been freed from Alec's power, she'd found herself in her room alone with her mate and they were free to finish what they'd started in the audience chamber. However, whilst Bella and her were making sweet love for the first time, the Kings and Bella's mentor, Dom, had been busy negotiating a deal to settle the diplomatic mess that their bonding as mates had caused.
Though… the fact that they had essentially gotten off scot free for their gross breach of protocol, was amusing in its own right.
"What's so funny?" Bella asked, Jane's chuckling having caught her attention.
"Just remembering how we first met."
Her shy mate blushed at the reminder and Jane chuckled. Already twenty-one and three years mated yet still so easily ruffled by their sex life. Truly her Bella was adorable.
"As wonderful as that is," Bella said after a cough to clear the memory from her mind Jane could tell from their mate bond. "Why aren't you helping?"
"Because I don't care where the furniture goes," Jane told her with a shrug. "All I care about is being with my Bella."
"As sweet as that is," Bella said with a smile and another blush. "If you're not going to help us move in then maybe you can help in some other way?"
There was a touch of exasperation in Bella's question. It wasn't vocalised. Bella had enough self-control to prevent that but their bond didn't lie. She was genuinely getting a little fed up with Jane just sitting there doing nothing whilst she did the work overseeing their move.
"Sorry Bella," Jane apologised as she hopped down from her stool. "What is it that you needed help with?"
Edward Cullen drove his siblings back to their newly restored house in Forks, Washington in his Volvo as fast as he could. Which considering the superhuman reaction times a vampire like him was capable of, was many times above what would be safe for a human. In fact, he was going so fast that it was pushing the very limits of what his car was capable of.
Yes, he was a vampire. A walking corpse cursed to suffer on God's Earth eternally. He and the other impossibly perfect people in the car with him that were his siblings all were. And yes, they weren't blood siblings. They were members of a coven of vampires that were posing as such. Though their feelings for each other, as he could attest to thanks to his vampiric gift of telepathy, certainly matched the description.
Jasper, his empath brother, nodded his agreement from the backseat apparently having figured out his train of thoughts from what he was feeling. Edward offered him a smile at that. A reminder of what they were, of them being a genuine family was appreciated. Especially in the current circumstance.
"Alice, can you see anything?" Rosalie, his taller, blonde sister asked their pixie of a younger sister.
"Nothing," Alice, their resident seer and Jasper's mate, said with a frustrated shake of her head. "It's like with the Quileute wolf shifters. It's all black, but Carlisle didn't mention them being there, so that doesn't make any sense!"
"Edward, can't this thing go any faster?" Emmett, the bear of a man who was Rosalie's mate, asked.
"I'm pushing it as hard as I can."
"Damn it," Emmett cursed. "I should've driven my Jeep to school today. It can go faster than the Volvo."
"Maybe we should ditch the car and run?" Edward suggested. With their vampiric physiology, they could easily outrun any car.
"No. Carlisle explicitly reminded us that we needed to keep up appearances when he called." Jasper reminded them. "That means no showing off of our vampiric abilities as much as possible."
"And how the hell does he expect us to do that," Emmett asked whilst grinding his teeth. "When there's a member of the Volturi holding him and Esme hostage?"
"This is the twenty eighth time I've explained this Carlisle," Jane said in exasperation as she shot the aforementioned leader of the Cullen Coven and his mate, Esme, a glare. "I'm not here as a member of the Volturi. Look at me! I'm not wearing my robes am I?"
The Volturi robes were badges of office after all and not wearing them should have been a clear enough indication to the Cullens that she wasn't there in the capacity of a Guard. Not that she was one anymore. Ever since her bonding with Bella, she had been allowed to retire from the Guard. She had been allowed to keep her cloak as a memento - though with a few modifications to it to make her new status clear - and she treasured it but she treasured the simple sundress and cardigan outfit she was wearing more. These had been a gift from Bella after all. Then again her entire current wardrobe was - Bella having taken offense to the rather austere and anachronistic one she had before meeting her. - so perhaps that wasn't saying much.
"If not the Volturi," Carlisle asked, eyeing her clothes with a confused frown as if trying to discern her allegiance from it alone. He probably could have if he knew her situation, but he didn't so it was a futile endeavour on his part. "Then who do you represent? You mentioned you speak for someone did you not?"
"I speak for the both of us, yes." Jane nodded. "And like I said, you'll have to wait till the rest of your coven gets here. I only want to explain this once."
Carlisle frowned but Esme put a reassuring hand on his arm.
"Relax Carlisle," she said quietly. "Edward and the others are only minutes away."
Carlisle calmed instantly at his mate's assurance and Jane frowned.
She wanted to be with her mate too! But no! Bella was punishing her for not helping with moving in by sending her to speak to the Cullens instead! Her mate could be so cruel~!
She was so wrapped up in feeling sorry for herself that she completely missed the knowing look that Esme shot her nor the startled look of realisation that Carlisle had. Thankfully for them, they said nothing and let her stew in her disappointment. She would have shocked them with her pain inducing power if they'd said anything.
And most fortuitous for everyone, it was, like Esme said, only a few minutes before the rest of the Cullens arrived. Their car screeching to a halt on the driveway and the five vampires blurring into the house to surround their 'parents'.
Though they looked startled to find Jane and their coven leaders sitting in their living room as if having a pleasant conversation.
Probably thought I was torturing them while waiting for them to show up or some such nonsense. Jane thought with an exasperated roll of her eyes. Why does everyone have such a low opinion of me?
Yes, she was a sadist who enjoyed tormenting others. But she knew when and where to go about doing so. And this wasn't one of those times. Though, if Bella was game, maybe tonight…
Something to discuss with her later. Jane thought as she focused her wandering attention on the gathered Cullens before her.
"Oh, hurry up and sit down already!" She hissed at the still standing new arrivals. "I am wasting time away from my mate right now to talk to you, so I want to keep this as brief as possible."
Rosalie and Emmett, Jane believed the two were called, both gasped at her mention of having a mate whilst Esme and Carlisle both smiled at her. The others though just frowned.
"I can't read her," The mind reader known as Edward said as he nevertheless obliged her request and took a seat, the others doing the same.
Jane was sorely tempted to hit him with a dose of her pain inducing power at the annoying interruption before she could even begin with the explanation but knew that doing so would likely just drag things out and mean more time away from Bella. As such, she just shot the telepath a glare.
"I'd be surprised if you could." Jane told him. "My mate is one of the most powerful mages in the world and she has put several wards around me that protects me from a variety of magic, including your vampiric gifts."
The Cullens all shot looks at the two other gifted members of their coven, the Seer Alice and her mate, the Empath Jasper, both of whom nodded with a frown.
"You expect us to believe that?" Edward scoffed. "Magic isn't real."
Jane just rolled her eyes. "You're a vampire and you don't believe in magic? Really!?"
He opened his mouth to say something but Jane cut him off.
"Oh, be quiet Edward. I have no time for your nonsense. I am here to offer you lot an explanation for our being here and once I am done I can get back to my mate, so stop interrupting me and just let me get on with it!"
Again Edward moved to speak but this time Carlisle preempted him.
"And we'd loathe to keep you from her," he said kindly. "So please go ahead."
Finally! Jane thought to herself as she began launching into her explanation.
Even as Jane was explaining things to the Cullens, Bella was standing before the tribal council of the Quileute tribe and doing much the same. Though if the repeated bursts of annoyance and exasperation from Jane over their bond was anything to go by, with far less acrimony.
"So in summary, you are a Biomancer and the Ninth Lord of the Council of Thirteen, whatever that means, are mated to a Volterran vampire and are currently moving back to Forks to set up your Workshop, your base of operations as you described it, after completing your apprenticeship?"
"Yes, that's about it." Bella said, nodding at Billy Black's, the seeming leader of the council and her father's old friend, summary of what she'd told them.
The old man frowned and shot a look towards Charlie for confirmation. Normally Bella would've been offended. She was a grown woman and a Lord of the Thirteen, she could most definitely speak for herself! However, considering the incredible nature of her claims, it was totally understandable for the man to turn to his trusted friend for confirmation of things.
"I know it sounds far-fetched Billy, but it's all true." Charlie said from where he sat behind Bella in the area reserved for observers.
"I trust you Charlie," Billy said with a tired sigh. "But as you said, this is 'far-fetched', We'll need some proof."
At least they're not discounting what I have to say outright. Then again their tribe counts wolf shifters as members, so this probably isn't that far-fetched to them. That probably helps a lot.
It did not however stop most of the other councillors from nodding in agreement with Billy's request for proof.
"Especially," Billy continued. 'Since you're asking us to accept a new vampire-"
"A Volterran vampire, Jane is a Volterran." Bella corrected, unwilling to allow her precious mate to be misidentified.
The tribal elder nodded.
"A new Volterran vampire," he corrected himself. "Into Forks. And not only that but you're asking us to also accept other supernaturals into town as well? None of which would be bound by Treaty to not harm anyone? That is a big thing to ask and so needs extraordinary proof. Especially since you, sweet little Bella, of all people-"
Bella bristled a little at this, but she knew that Billy probably still saw her as the little girl that used to hang around his house and not the woman she'd become, so refrained from saying anything.
"-is going to keep the peace!"
"I know you have doubts about my ability to do so and my magic in general," Bella said as she pulled out a pouch from the pocket of her skirt - She had been more of a pants kinda girl but Jane had mentioned once how she looked better in a skirt and ever since she'd added a fair share of them, and some dresses, to her wardrobe. - and handed it to the nearest elder. "So I came prepared with a demonstration. Please check that those seeds are nothing but normal seeds."
The Quileute elders exchanged confused and skeptical looks but at Billy's nod did as Bella asked.
"So can you all confirm that these are perfectly normal apple seeds?" Bella asked as she received the pouch back after it had been examined by all the elders.
She was met with nods and other signs of agreement.
"Then please watch." She said as she handed the seeds to Charlie. "Charlie, if you'd please."
"On it Bells," her father said as he took the pouch and headed to the nearest window. One which conveniently looked out on an empty patch of land. Bella had heard they'd planned to build a basketball court there at some point but the tribe changed its mind before it got done, thus leaving it as nothing but a patch of cleared land.
"Bella, what are you doing?"
"Just making sure that we have enough space." Bella told him. "I'm sure you wouldn't want your new apple grove to grow from inside the tribal community centre."
At this point, Charlie had opened the window and tossed the seeds outside. As he did, Bella reached out to them with her magic and began infusing them with her power. Supercharged as they were, the moment they hit the ground they germinated and began to grow rapidly into an entire grove of apple trees, each of which was laden by golden fruits.
As expected, the sight had the entire tribal council gasping in awe.
"You know, if you guys are shocked by this then you're in for a wild ride today. This is tame for what Bella can do." Charlie said with an amused chuckle at his friends' reactions.
"You want me to show off some more?" Bella asked her father with a pout. "Isn't this enough?"
"Bells, you're supposed to be the local magical sheriff. I'm pretty sure Billy and the others will want to know you can do the job, so at minimum you've gotta show off some fighting magic."
"But I hate to use my magic to fight," Bella said, her pout deepening.
"Says the girl who's absolutely terrifying in a fight." Charlie shot back with a chuckle.
"Bella," Billy said, having finally shaken himself out of his stunned stupor. "I'm afraid, your father is right. Could you please demonstrate some of your, uh, fighting magic? We don't doubt your skill, not after what you've just shown us, but-"
"You don't want to take unnecessary risks," Bella finished for him with a sigh. "Alright. But let me just say that I hate having to do this. I really hate using my magic in a fight but if you insist…"
A few weeks after moving back into Bella's hometown, Jane and Bella had thrown a housewarming party to celebrate. They had of course invited the local supernaturals, the Cullens and the Quileute wolf shifters, along with the Quileute's tribal elders. But beyond that, they had also, as was only polite, invited varied supernaturals from the surrounding region as well and a good number of them had accepted the invitation. At least half of the witches from the Seattle coven were in attendance, as were various lycans and vampires from the local chapters of Lady Helena's United Clans and Packs.
A fact that had thrown the Cullens and the wolf shifters for a loop and left them staring at the other supernaturals who until today they'd never even known existed in shock as the latter milled about the party.
Their looks today were almost as funny as the initial look of shock on the Cullens' faces when Jane had told them that their kind weren't the only breed of vampire in the world and that their breed, the Volterrans, were actually considered one of the weakest. The ignorant idiots had actually thought they were the only ones! While the Volturi and other covens kept their interactions with other supernaturals to a minimum for the most part, they at least knew they still existed! Every Volterran knew about the Children of the Moon of course, the thankfully long extinct breed of feral werewolves that had once been their race's mortal enemies but to not know of the existence of other supernaturals at all!? That was just ridiculous! But apparently the Cullens had somehow managed to avoid finding out. Or in Jasper's case, had dismissed the encounter as a case of mistaken identity. Something Jane chalked up to their relatively young age, even their oldest was only a couple centuries old, and their nomadic lifestyle. Not that she cared why they were so ignorant. She simply found their ignorance amusing.
Amusement that was being supplied ample fodder as it seemed their shock hadn't faded much since her explanation, if the looks on their faces were any indication. Same for the foul smelling Quileute. And as she said, it was, as Bella would say, funny as hell!
And thank goodness for the wards her considerate mate had cast to dampen naturally repelling scents or it was likely that alone would have caused the Cullens and the Shifters to kick up a fuss. The stench, which she understood was as bad for the Shifters in regards to her kind as theirs was to hers, was thoroughly unbearable.
"Are their faces that amusing?" Bella asked from Jane's side.
"Oh, most definitely." Jane told her mate with a cheeky grin. "You know how I enjoy the misery of others."
Bella just rolled her eyes and was about to reply when she sensed something. She spun on her heel and turned to face the front of their house where no less than Lady Helena was making her way towards them.
"Helena? She came?" Bella gasped, before pulling Jane to her side and intertwining their arms. "We must go greet her."
"Helena, welcome!" Bella greeted the Fifth Lord warmly. "It's a pleasure to have you grace our housewarming with your presence."
"You know you don't need to be so formal with me, right Bella?" The Nosferatu said with a chuckle. "Or are you picking up your mate's anachronistic way of speaking?"
"I like to think it's a cross-pollination." Jane joked, eliciting a giggle from her fellow vampire.
"Well, at least Bella is helping you learn to adapt your speech so you don't sound like someone from the Victorian era anymore, Jane." Dom said as she walked over from the entrance.
"Dom!" Bella gasped. Not just at the sight of her mentor but who she had brought with her. "Yuki, Yori, Rose Iris, Dante? You came too?"
"Of course we came," Yuki said with a roll of her eyes that earned her a sigh from Yori, her fiancée, behind her that she ignored. "It's your housewarming party. As fellow apprentices of Sensei it would be very rude of us to not attend."
"Exactly," Rose Iris echoed in her dual toned voice.
"And we come bearing gifts from the others too," Dante, the Sixth Lord and Rose Iris' boyfriend, said as he lifted a bag up for a moment.
"The others?"
"Twelfth, Sakura-sama, Tomoyo-sama and the others," Dom explained. "Most of them wanted to come, except that misanthrope Omer, but couldn't. Commitments and all that. But they all sent gifts, even the old Lich. That includes my family I'm afraid. Felicia's feeling a little under the weather so Shirayuki is taking care of her and the girls-"
"Let me guess, used the excuse that she's not coming to say they weren't either?" Yuki suggested and received a long suffering nod from Dom that had everyone smiling.
"Don't worry so much about it," Rose reassured her foster mother and mentor. "They're just at the age where they want to be rebellious."
"And don't worry about them not dropping by either, Bella." Iris continued, turning to face her. "They'll probably show up over the week to wish you well. They didn't forget their Bella-nee!"
"I didn't think they did," Bella said a shake of her head. She knew the Tredecim daughters well enough to know they had only chosen not to come in a bid to avoid their parents a little. As Yuki said, they were in the rebellious phase. All three of them. Honestly, Bella pitied her mentor for having to deal with all three of her daughters being rebels at the same time.
"So what gifts can I expect from my fellow Lords?" Bella asked as she held out her hand and Dante passed the bag over, honestly a little leery of what she might find inside. Some of her colleagues, including some of those present, did not know the meaning of the word restraint.
"Don't worry," Dante reassured. "There's nothing too crazy in there. I think the most over the top one was a miniaturized tropical resort that Eriol created with time-space magic."
I know I shouldn't have mentioned to him that I sometimes wish my hometown had more sun so I could maintain a tan the last time I was in London. Bella thought with a groan.
"Right." Bella said with a slightly forced smile. "I must send him and the others who aren't here notes thanking them. Jane, remind me to do that, okay?"
"Huh? Uh, sure." Her mate said distractedly and Bella turned to the Volterran with a frown to find her looking at the Cullens and Quileute and savouring their discomfort at being surrounded by so many unfamiliar supernaturals. Again.
"Jane~! Seriously?"
"Sorry," Jane replied unconvincingly. "It's just that I'm getting a kick out of- That's what youngsters my apparent age say right?"
Bella nodded, smiling at Jane's attempt to catch up with youth culture. It was part of her effort to be able to keep up a passable masquerade when they were out in public together in the mundane world. Something that Bella found very sweet.
Jane was unable to blush, her breed of vampire didn't have the physiology for it, but at Bella's smile she could sense her do so mentally through their mate bond at her smile, and Bella resisted the urge to coo at how adorable her mate was. Barely.
Blushing even harder, Jane continued her explanation.
"Well I just can't help but get a kick out of the Cullens and the Shifters being all shocked and unnerved by the powerful people you know."
"That 'we' know." Bella corrected.
"Yes, that 'we' know." Jane nodded with a smile. "Anyways, they must be thanking their lucky stars that they were smart enough to not pick a fight with us. I mean sure their sense for the supernatural might not be all that sharp but I betcha even they can pick up just how powerful Lord Helena and you other Lords are. I do."
Bella giggled at that.
"Considering you're bonded to a Lord yourself, I doubt you're a good gauge of your kind's sensory abilities. But I imagine you are correct." Lady Helena opined, looking at Bella oddly. "Though, Bella, I do not see why you share Jane's amusement at your guests' plight."
"It's not that," Bella said with a wave of her hand. "It's just I find her getting amusement at the expense of others adorable."
"No offense, Bella-sama. But you have strange tastes." Yori said with a frown.
"I can understand Jane," Rose said, in her soft quiet voice. "Her gift is all about causing pain and we know that their gifts are a reflection of a Volterran's personality, but why-"
"-would you condone it?" Iris concluded gruffly.
"I don't just condone it." Bella said with a shake of her head. "I love it. Jane is my sadistic little angel."
Jane blushed again even as she preened at the pet name, causing Bella to giggle harder.
The other Lords just shot each other confused looks and Dom just sighed in resignation.
"That's love for you, I guess?" Dante said with a helpless shrug. "It makes fools of all of us."
"I wouldn't go so far as that," Yuki said with a shake of her head. "I mean, as far as I know, Jane hasn't been torturing anyone lately so their bond has moderated her behavior too. You haven't have you Jane?"
"Tortured anyone? Not lately." Jane said with a shake of her head. "The worse I did was hitting that Arcanist that attacked us when we visited Renée last month with a burst of pain to distract him so Bella could manipulate his biology to knock him out."
"And thank you for that, Jane." Bella told her mate honestly. If Jane hadn't provided that distraction, Bella might have been forced to use something more drastic to take down that rogue. She wouldn't have liked it, but the man had attacked them in her mother's home and the lives of both her mother and stepfather were on the line. And if push comes to shove, as distasteful as she found it, she would fight and kill, if necessary, to protect her loved ones.
"See," Yuki said triumphantly. "Jane is getting better."
"You make it sound like I'm sick or something!" Jane said with a pout that had everyone laughing at her expense.
The moment of levity was shattered when suddenly a dozen giants made of twisted wood stepped out of the forest surrounding their new house.
"In the name of the great goddess Midori, we have come to cleanse this world of the plague of the Thirteen!" The biggest of the giants, and presumably their leader, bellowed.
"The Sapphic Circle?" Bella groaned even as she casually waved a hand in the direction of the giants. "Why can't they leave us alone?"
"Why, why can't we move!" The now frozen leader giants shouted in dismay as her spell took hold.
"They do seem to want to pick a fight with us, though their motives remain unknown." Dom informed her. "Though, I am curious, what did you do to freeze them like that?"
"Oh, nothing too grand." Bella explained as she waved her hand in the direction of the giants again and they began walking back into the woods from whence they came. "Those are actually people, druids I think, who have wrapped themselves in plant material to form a type of battle armor. Since it seems they are attuned to plants, I just used my magic to transmute the floral material of the armor into animal matter instead. That severed the connection between the armor and themselves which-"
"Allowed you to seize control of their armor," Dom said as she nodded appreciatively. "That was truly inspired."
"It was," Rose Iris said with a nod, before Rose took over. "Though where did you send them off to?"
"Do we need to send someone to clear them out later?" Iris finished.
"Helena," Bella said, turning to the Nosferatu. "The United Clans and Packs still have that maximum security prison up along the Canadian border?"
"Yes," the Fifth Lord nodded. "You sent them there? That's a long walk."
"It is," Dante agreed. "I think you might want to have some of your men shadow them along the way just in case, Helena."
The Nosferatu nodded. "I'll go make the arrangements. Excuse me."
With that the child-like vampiress hurried off to speak to her subordinates.
"Jane," Yuki said, surprisingly addressing Bella's mate rather than yourself. "Why are you scowling?"
"It's nothing." Her little sadistic angel said as she schooled her face into a blank mask.
Bella just giggled at her mate's expense, earning confused looks from her peers.
"She's just upset I didn't let her use her power on those druids a little. She wanted to hurt them. Especially since they came here with the express purpose to hurt me."
"Bella~! Did you have to out me like that?" Jane whined as the others laughed at her expense.
"It's not like they wouldn't have figured it out," Bella told her mate even as she kissed her cheek to mollify her somewhat. "Your sadistic tendencies are no secret. Or did you forget our whole discussion earlier?"
"Still! You didn't need to spell it out for everyone!" Jane said with the most adorable pout.
Bella and the others just laughed even harder at the precious Volterran.
"I'm so sorry about my followers," Midori said to her peers as they all sat in the dining room of the Witch's House and enjoyed the sumptuous meal that its cook, the demon chef known as the Butcher, had prepared for them. "I didn't give them orders to attack the Ninth. They did so on their own accord."
"Seems they are as reckless as their patron," Frenda said with a smirk as she cut into her steak.
"True that," Viola said, as the others likewise voiced their agreement. Even Shiro!
"Oh, don't pout, love." Shiro said, patting her arm comfortingly. "You know it's true."
That just made Midori's pout even deeper.
"Seriously Midori, no need to get upset." Ellen said comfortingly. "The attack might be unplanned, but it was still useful. If nothing else, it helps our overall efforts to muddy our objectives in Thirteen's eyes."
"Indeed it does," a new arrival said and all the gathered members of the Sapphic Circle turned to see a pale-skinned young woman with eyes aglow with malevolent blue fire and long white hair pulled back into an off-center ponytail on the right side and pinned with a silver, icicle-shaped tiara. Her perfect queenly face was marred by a scar that ran vertically down her left eye and face. She was dressed in ornate plate mail tailored in a very feminine style, complete with a set of the oft derided boob armor, that was adorned with a plethora of skulls, lined with the dark purple fur of some unknown origin and which was heavily encrusted with ice.
Next to the new arrival was a fair-skinned young girl with silver eyes and neck-length black hair with red tips. She was wearing a black long-sleeved blouse with a high collar and red trim on the sleeves, over which she wore a black waist cincher with red lacing up the front, and a matching skirt with red lining. Her legs were encased in a pair of thick black stockings and black combat boots with red laces decorated with red trimming around the top, and red soles. Her outfit was completed by a red hooded cloak fastened to her shoulders by cross-shaped pins.
Oh, and the silver eyed girl was a, honest to the Primals, braindead, undead zombie. Can't forget that detail.
"White Queen," Ellen greeted their fellow Outsider. "You're late."
"Apologies, Ellen." The newest member of the Sapphic Circle said as she guided the zombie to a seat. "I was distracted with a spell I was working on to improve Ruby's condition and didn't notice your invitation to this party until only just now. Once I did, I came at once."
"And did the spell work? Has it improved Ruby's condition?" Viola asked kindly, even as Midori and the others stared at the aforementioned zombie searchingly.
It doesn't look like she's made any progress. Midori concluded with a frown as she watched the White Queen gesture for the zombie's meal to be served. A few of the flickering balls of light that Ellen insisted on calling fairies which functioned as her House's servants, brought up a plate of raw meat from her pantry and the zombie descended on it with relish. Though it did so with remarkable table etiquette,using the utensils properly and in the right order.
The White Queen watched to make sure her wife was eating before offering the mindless undead a smile before taking a seat herself and answering Viola's question.
"A little," the White Queen said with a smile. "It's not much but I think Ruby's damaged soul has been healed somewhat."
I'll grant that you've managed to salvage her fine motor skills but that's not what you're looking for is it, Weiss? Midori thought but did not say. Pointing out the White Queen's failures, especially in regards to her quest to revive her wife, always ended in a fight. And that wasn't something Ellen would appreciate taking place in her House.
"Would you like some help with it?" Frenda asked. "I'm the Ruler of a Hell, ya know. Soul magic is one of my specialities."
"Thank you for the offer, Frenda." Weiss said with a shake of her head. "But I want to revive Ruby with my own efforts. It is the least I can do. I was the one who killed her by accident, it is only right that I be the one to revive her."
Midori exchanged exasperated looks with the others but no one tried to convince her again. They all knew how pointless it would be. Weiss was, if nothing else, stubborn.
"So," Weiss said, cutting into the tense silence as she sipped on some wine. "Since by now, I'm sure everyone else has had a go at Thirteen, might I be allowed to take the lead in our next move?"
"I'm okay with that," Viola said. "Any objections?"
Considering Viola was the only one of them who hadn't made a move against Thirteen yet and was agreeable, how could the others expect to disagree. So it was no surprise that everyone soon voiced their agreement as well, Midori among them.
"Thank you, everyone." Weiss said with a grateful smile. "I am sure to make our next move a memorable one."
Done!
A 'book' that's light on the action this time. To be fair, that's mainly because I made CoT!Bella to be rather pacifist as far as one of the Lords goes and that really limited my options. If she's not gonna seek out violent conflict there's not much I can write since fluff and drama isn't really my cup of tea. With that in mind I gravitated towards the idea of CoT!Bella just being something of the nice one on the Council i.e. the one who just gets along with everyone and isn't involved in any politics. Hope the direction I decided to take is acceptable to my readers.
And yes, timeline wise the events here don't mash with the canon Twilight timeline in regards to when the Cullens would be in Forks. Not well at least. But this is a fanfic, so I'm playing fast and loose with it. Deal with it! XP
Lastly, the Weiss and Ruby from the last scene are indeed based on the RWBY characters of the same name. Just give Weiss the powers and aesthetics of the Lich King Arthas from Warcraft and turn Ruby into a zombie and you'd get the White Queen and her wife.
Alright, that's it for me this time so till next time addio!