Disclaimer: I do NOT own Twilight or any of its characters. They all belong to Stephanie Meyer. I do, however, own my OCs and other mentioning's of character that don't belong to Twilight.

Pairings: OC/Aro/Caius/Marcus and canon-pairings.

Chapter III – The Drums of War

Everything she had done, had been for a reason. Whether it was good or bad, she didn't know nor care. If it meant keeping her little one safe, then the rest of the world could burn. The world was filled with places that didn't care about other people. A stranger could be lying in a ditch somewhere on the side of the road, and people wouldn't give that person a second glance.

So when she was faced with the decision of saving her little one, or the human lives she had grown close to, there was no hard choice.

"Family come first." She had drilled that saying into her child for centuries, and would never take back those words. "Lovers and friends are there for a time, family are there forever." And she would never let any of her loved ones forget it.

And now, as she was preparing for the inevitable battle, Amara had wanted nothing more than to walk away and get back to her life.

"Amara," she heard Carlisle call from behind, turning to see him approach her with a defeated and resigned expression. "I wanted to apologise again for dragging you into all of this."

"My dear friend, it is not your fault. You are not the one who should be apologising." Amara assured him, sparing a pointed glance at the two young vampires that were the reason for all the happenings.

"Still, I should not have called upon you. You have much in coming to aid us."

"Believe me, Carlisle. I have not risked much at all." She smiled at him, her red hair swaying in the cold breeze. She heard the others beginning to make a bonfire, Jake staking the wood and Benjamin tossing a fire.

"That's what I'm talking about. A little pre-battle bonfire, telling war stories." Jake seemed excited, ready to march off to battle for the sake of his little Imprint. And really, Amara had to admire the wolves and their ways of life. It was truly amazing to see a tribe so loyal and determined to protect their own, and their land.

"Name any American battle, I was there." Garrett spoke, appearing suddenly to sit on a log next to Jacob by the fire.

"Little Big Horn." Jacob replied, almost challengingly.

"I came this close to biting Custer, but the Indians caught him first." Garrett smirked at the memory. And then, Kate flashed to appear sitting beside Garrett.

"Try Oleg's assault on Constantinople, he didn't win that one on his own." Kate smirked, matching Garrett's.

"If you're talking battles, you're talking the Eleven Years War. No one does rebellion like the Irish." Liam from the Irish Coven called from the far side of the group, his coven members standing near him.

"You lost the Eleven Years War," Garret remarked.

"Aye," Liam agreed, "But it was one hell of a rebellion."

This went on for a little while, talking amongst themselves about the battles they faced. Even the Romanians spoke their piece.

"When we ruled, everything came to us." Vladimir reminisced about his time of rule. "Prey, diplomats, favour seekers. Such was our power," Vladimir smiled small, "But we never put on white hats and called ourselves saints."

"We were honest about what we were." Stefan confessed, and was not ashamed.

'And that, was your downfall…' Amara thought to herself as she listened. She had observed the Romanian reign from afar, never bothering getting involved with the politics of her kind, and had never wanted to be a monarch looking down from a pedestal that crowned her in false gold.

"We sat still for a very long time," Vladimir's words were quieter than before. "We didn't notice that we had begun to petrify."

"Perhaps the Volturi did us a favour when they burned our castles." Stefan proclaimed, a somewhat sheepish expression on his face that Amara knew was false.

"We've been waiting fifteen hundred years to return that favour." Vladimir snarled, red eyes gleaming for blood and revenge.

Amara merely shook her head, disgusted by the two Romans and their behaviours.

"What about you, Amara? What wars have you seen?" Jacob asked, unknowing that he had drawn up some harsh and cruel memories for the red haired beauty.

"You all are aware that the way to creating a vampire is by being bitten by one. You all have been bitten by one, and most of your creators have moved on or are gone, right?" She saw most of the vampires nod.

"Well… I was not as fortunate as you all." She smiled sadly, knowing all of them were listening. She glanced at the child, Renesmee, seeing her looking from her small tent with a curious gaze.

"I don't even remember how we began. All I know is that there were only a few of us. My brother, Cain, was the oldest. He led us from one place to another. We adapted to any environment that we came across. And for years, we became stronger. It wasn't until we discovered others, humans that we began to change.

"My Brother made a few rules for us, so that we continued to survive. And those rules were simple. But there was only one that we needed to follow at all times." She inhaled deeply, stopping for a moment.

"What was the rule?"

Her head snapped to Eleazar, seeing him wary and cautious in his question. Amara smiled apologetically to him.

"Never approach the humans." She announced, staring at each of them all intensely. "It was simple enough, and my brother made sure I followed his lead. But there was one that was too curious and arrogant for his own good. The youngest of us, a mere boy named Bran, had approached the humans. They were in awe of him, and thought him a god of theirs." She stopped, a look of pain and remorse flashing through her eyes. "My brother, when he found out that the boy had entered the village, became so angry. He killed the boy, and every human he saw. It ended with the village in flames and a pile of bodies."

All was still and silent.

"Ever since then, a few of our group became fearful of my brother. They followed him without question or resistance." Amara shook her head, chuckling bitterly. "But I never once, feared my brother. He was always there for me, protecting me and supporting me. But it was my love for him that had caused everything to end."

"What happened?" Garrett asked quietly, being mindful of his words.

"Let's just say that I regret many things in my life. My brother is one of those regrets that I would gladly undo, but make again anyway." Her expression turned pained as she remembered her brother's last words, and her own screams that followed.

"It wasn't your fault." Edward denied, shaking his head when he read her thoughts.

"Quite the contrary, Edward. It is my fault because I am here, alive, and my brother is not." She retorted with a sad smile, before walking off. She left silence in her wake.

For so long Amara had been feeling the weight of guilt and loneliness every day ever since her brother's death. It was something that Amara had been weighed down by. The guilt and shame of having agreed to her brother's idea. And the Ancients that followed her brother's footsteps, also pleading for her to end their existence on earth. It had brought out a different side to Amara, one that revelled in her kind's destruction, and allowing her free reign upon the world.

But it had all been for nothing.

In the end, she was alone, and had not found any peace of mind for the next five hundred years.

However, that was a story for another time, and a period in Amara's life that she wished to forget. For now, she was ready to face against a coven of vampires that thought themselves above everyone, and while that may be so, Amara was one of the first. She has been walking the earth for much longer, and was much stronger than any of her race.

She would bring hell if she had to.

And the Volturi would know just who it was they were fighting against.

Everyone walked in silence.

No one could say anything at a time like this, nor would they have any compulsion to do so.

Amara decided to wear her black hoodie, just for some sort of security for herself, in case she had to run for fear of the Volturi wanting to hunt her down.

It was now a time everyone was tense about.

It was safe to say that everyone was walking as if they were marching for war. Amara could plainly see the faces of the other covens, and it was all with similar expressions.

Dread.

Yes, they were determined, but it was clear that some thought they would die this day. But to Amara, it was true strength in the way that stood tall and protective of their own. It was the way they stood, ready to fight with the Cullens.

Amara could appreciate the strength each vampire on the Cullen's side held within themselves.

"I may have promised to protect Carlisle and his mate," Amara spoke softly, knowing that all the covens present could hear her. "But I will promise all of you this," Amara raised her hand and waved it to the side.

The ground rumbled and shook minutely, stopping as through the snow, on the ground around the vampires, a single red iris began to bloom, its red petals unfolding to show its true beauty. It remained strong against the cold winter breeze and snow.

"Have hope that I will do all I can to make sure you all survive this day." Amara turned to face the other covens, whose gazes were on the blooming flower at their feet. It was a sight to behold, how such a fragile, living plant can bloom in a harsh surrounding, and on a moment that would determine their own lives.

"Thank you, Amara." Carlisle and Esme smiled at the Ancient.

"Consider me an ally to you all," Amara nodded to everyone with a small smile. And already, she could see the tense shoulders relaxing ever so slightly.

"And us to you." The Irish Coven spoke up, nodding their heads in respect to them.

"And us," The Denali Coven called.

"I cannot say the same for my creator, but consider me a friend, Amara. I thank you for extending your help to us." Benjamin grinned, with his mate standing by his side who smiled and nodded as well.

And so, they waited for the ones they had to face. Awaiting their own final judgement.

"The red coats are coming. The red coats are coming." Garrett murmured, standing on the balls of his feet.

Amara stared forward, her red eyes glowing slightly as her vision enhanced.

She could see them.

They moved forward on silent steps, approaching as one big black mass.

Amara took a step forward with Carlisle, standing in front of everyone. Her hood concealed her face, her lips and chin were the only thing visible to them.

Carlisle took her hand, and together they stood tall, and confident. She was ready to face them, and would reign upon them if necessary.

"And the drums of war have sounded…" Amara murmured, a wicked grin spreading her red lips.

A/N: Sorry it took so long. I have had a bit of a struggling start to the year. And I got sick, so updates have been seriously scarce.

Anyway, hoped you enjoyed this update.

Please review.

-lostfeather1 ;)