"Are you sure about this?"
"Sure as sure, yeah, let's do this!" I answered over-enthusiastically.
Considering I was technically the future queen of the Volturi despite still being human, my mates decided it a good idea to bring me into one of their trials, not to get involved or anything, but simply to sit back and observe. Today, I'd been told that there were a few minor crimes to be dealt with, including inconspicuous killings, vampires drawing attention to themselves, and out-of-control newborns. While the kings all had thrones to park their arses on, the only place I could really sit was across Caius lap, my legs dangling over the arm rest. Jane was stood right beside us, just inches away from me. She had a defensive stance, which I found pretty hilarious considering how much of a pipsqueak she was compared to literally everyone else in the room.
"Uh, should I be worried that Jane is standing in front of me like some kind of personal bodyguard?" I laughed awkwardly to lift the tension.
"It is simply a precaution. Do not worry, these next few trials should be relatively uneventful." Aro assured.
"Are you excited, carissima?" Caius smiled amusedly at my increasing heart rate.
"Yeah, I love a good bit of vampiric law in action," I replied, earning a light chuckle from Marcus.
The doors to the throne room suddenly burst open as Demetri and Felix walked in restraining a male vampire. His dark brown hair was matted and dirty, his combat-style clothing slightly stained and worn away. He was quite largely built, just a little taller than Demetri and definitely more buff, and he seemed to have the appearance of a twenty year old. His pale skin contrasted to his blood red eyes which scanned the room hungrily, making me a little nervous as I swallowed back a whimper.
Aro stood from his throne confidently, striding over to him with another one of his forced and unnerving smiles plastered on his face.
"Ah, Octavius, quite the spectacle you made of yourself last month," Aro laughed as if it was a fond memory, "Would you mind terribly if I were to take a quick look?" he extended his hand out.
Octavius ignored him, alertly glancing around the room before his steely gaze fixed on me. "You have a human here? A little in-trial snack?" he growled lowly with a thick Italian accent as he tipped his head slightly to the side.
Jane took a side-step to the right so her form blocked him from me, while Caius tightened his grip around my waist on his lap, all three kings snarling at him.
"I see, she is with you? Oh, I should have known, of course the Volturi would be ballsy enough to break their own little law," his face twisted into a menacing grin.
"Don't you dare even consider laying a finger on her. She is not to be harmed, she is your future queen," Aro commanded, stepping backwards to shield me.
"Oh, but what a helpless, fragile girl she is, un uccellino, how adorable," he sniffed the air, "And her blood, I am sure it tastes just as sweet as it smells."
With that, he pounced, jerking himself away from Demetri and Felix and pacing towards me. Just before he had the chance to reach out and sink his teeth into my flesh, Jane muttered the word "pain" and he keeled over onto the marble ground on his knees, his face contorting in agony. Within a blink of an eye, Caius had placed me down on Marcus' lap and was stood in front of Octavius, Demetri and Felix stood either side gripping his arms.
"Do not look, cara mia," Aro instructed, attempting to avert my eyes from the scene.
"Keep your eyes on me, focus on me, do not look, please il mio amore," Marcus spoke, but I couldn't listen.
I watched on in horror as Octavius was torn limb-for-limb with a series of traumatising cracks, each of his arms, and then his legs, his tongue, and finally his head. His excruciating cries of pain rang in my mind, and I sat there powerless, emotionless. Once his body was finally destroyed, torn apart, killed, his remains, his remains, were dragged into a corner of the room where a small fire blazed. Each piece of him was tossed in one at a time, until every last chunk of him was gone. He was dead.
"Tesoro, tesoro, please talk to me…"
I could barely hear anything, my mind completely overwhelmed as horrifying images filled my head. It hurt, my head, every thought, everything hurt.
"She is just in shock, brother…"
Although my vision was deteriorating rapidly, or maybe it was just my perception, I was able to gather a rough idea of what was happening. Many concerned voices sounded around me, wanting to help, but all I could think to do was to sit helplessly, not a word leaving my mouth. Someone lifted me up from Marcus' lap horizontally and carried me swiftly out of the room, followed by another person. I curled into them tightly, instantly recognising the scent combination of aftershave and pinewood to be Aro's.
He placed me down on what I could only make out to be my bed, placing a kiss on my cheek. Just as he began to leave, I grabbed onto his arm, holding onto him tightly. I didn't want to be alone, not now, not yet.
"I must go and console Caius, bellissima. Renata will stay with you," he murmured, stroking the side of my face delicately before hesitantly leaving the room and closing the door behind him with a soft click.
"Eli."
I wanted to turn around to Renata but I couldn't. My mind was unable to focus on anything else, anyone else. It tormented me, and I just wanted the mental pain to be over. She reached out and took my hand in hers in a comforting gesture.
"Do you want to talk?"
It took a lot of effort and concentration to respond but I shook my head, still not pulling away from her hold. I didn't want to be alone anymore, didn't want to feel alone.
"When you feel ready, I'm here Eli," she reassured, pulling a chair beside me with my hand still in hers.
I needed to know that she was there, that she wasn't going to leave. Whatever thoughts were clouding my mind didn't make any sense, but it was overwhelming me to the point of pain. I wanted desperately to talk, for it to be over, but I couldn't. I sat in silence for what felt like hours, staring at the ceiling.
"What's the point?"
"The point in what?" she asked.
"What's the point in immortality? What's the point in living forever, in spending eternity on this planet, in this universe, still in existence?"
"That is a question I have asked myself for many, many years. I myself don't know why I agreed to this lifestyle, I was so young, so naïve. I was only twenty one when I was turned, and joined the Volturi only one hundred or so years later."
"Why?"
She shrugged. "It seemed like a good idea. My ability proved very valuable to the Coven. You see, my family and my descendents were, are, human, and have knowledge of vampires, although I am unsure if they do to this day. Me taking up this position not only was an opportunity not to be wasted, but also kept my family safe from punishment from the Volturi," she explained.
"So you really have living relatives?"
"Yes, very distant though. Most human, a few vampire. I have not seen them in a long time, but I now consider my family to be the Volturi, not so much my relatives and descendants."
"What is your accent by the way?" I asked. Renata had always had a very faint unknown accent, but I couldn't seem to identify it.
"I come from Malta, my family is Maltese," she smiled, "I was turned by one of my ancestors, Luca."
"How long ago?"
"A little rude to ask a woman her age," she scoffed jokingly, "I was born in roughly 1240 AD, so I am approximately 760 years old. Immortality is a concept I still have yet to wrap my head around, what with my body now frozen in time for eternity. Consider it both a blessing and a curse."
She moved over warily to lie down on my bed beside me shoulder-to-shoulder, my hand still gripping hers tightly. I curled into her side, continuing to stare up at the ceiling.
"Do you like being called Eli, then?" she asked.
"Hmm?"
"You really don't like to be called Eliana?"
"It's not so much that I don't like it, it just doesn't seem right, you know? Eliana sounds quite, I don't know, pretentious I guess. Usually I'll introduce myself as either Eli or El, both work to be honest," I answered.
"And you're okay with the Masters calling you Eliana?"
"I guess I'm just used to it now. Although, I reckon if they were to start calling me Eli all of a sudden, it would just be weird," I giggled.
"You should try shortening their names just to confuse them at some point," she suggested humorously.
"Ooh yes, what would I call them? Something ridiculously cute, like um… Ro, Cai, and Mark?" I laughed.
"That works."
"Has anyone ever used shortened versions of their names on them before?" I asked.
"No one, not that I know of. I wonder how they'd react to it though," she mused.
"Aw, they'll love it. Just imagine me going up to Marcus and saying 'hey Markie, how are you?'"
"Or Caius, and saying 'hey Cai-bear'," she laughed.
"Oh my God, I could call Aro 'Ro-bug'. Imagine the look on his face!"
"I reckon they'd secretly love it."
"I think Aro would probably just laugh off the pain, Marcus would come up with something way worse for me, like 'smelly-Eli' or something like that, and Caius would have another little tantrum like he did on the plane here," I laughed.
She hummed a chuckle. "Your mates love you to bits Eli. You know that, right? They are the happiest they have ever been whenever they're around you, believe me. I have never seen them care for anyone, especially a human, this much before," she spoke.
"I know," a smile tugged on my lips, "I'm lucky to have them."
Author's note: The word count on this chapter is the lowest out of all of them haha, never mind.
Translations:
Un uccellino - A little bird
Real talk, I'm a little unsure because basically, in a few chapters, not to release any spoilers or anything, there might just be a little bit of smut BUT I don't know how I feel about actually writing it, I'm too innocent lmao. So, yay, now I need to decide whether to skip that whole bit out or to actually write it and change the rating on this story to mature, if you have any suggestions please help because I have a feeling writing that whole chunk is gonna be so cringey for me and I don't know if it will be worth it if most people are going to skip that chapter.
Anyways, thank you again so much for reading, be sure to leave some feedback because your thoughts honestly make my day awwww, stay safe, and ily!