Hello, wonderful, wonderful readers! HAPPY HALLOWEEN! I hope you've had a fantastic week. I'm sorry that I didn't mention this last week (and a major thanks to the reviewer who brought it up), but I plan on posting every Saturday (most likely in the evening, and not as late as this). Your responses have been fantastic, and I'm SO glad you've joined me on journey! Even if I don't respond to every review, I enjoy all of them, and am certainly grateful. Alright, I'll let you get to the story, but only after saying that SunflowerFran has joined me again with her out-of-this-world editing skills. Honestly, she is the cherry on my fanfic sundae.

Alright, go ahead, read on.


Part I: Lyrebird

Chapter 3

The moans and yells reverberating in the cell around her keep Isa painfully awake. Each cry that bounces off the stone walls only serves to make her prison cell seem impossibly smaller. The only connection between her and the outside world is a small, putrid hole for her excrement. She makes sure to lie as far away from the hole as she can.

Why is this happening to me?

Isa releases a bitter laugh. She realizes that due to a cruel twist of fate, she is now more confined in this dungeon than she has ever been in her twelve years of being caged. The reason for her suffering isn't the only answer that remains unknown to Isa; she also wonders about what she could have done differently, and whether she is destined to die tomorrow. But more than anything, why had Jane betrayed her?

The thought is too painful to focus on.

Seeking comfort, Isa reaches out a hand and strokes the wings of the blackbird in front of her. Its eyes and small silver beak are the only features she can identify in the pitch-blackness of her cell. She has already apologized to the bird for dragging it along with her and has promised that the moment they bring Isa outside to the execution grounds, she will set it free. Just because her life is ending, it doesn't mean the creature needs to spend its life in this treacherous castle.

Seeing as she has a few hours to burn within this vile dungeon, Isa thinks of things that bring her ease. She thinks about music, and the way the lyrics of the songs are a means of her expression. She reminisces about the times she would sometimes get to dance for the courts, swinging her arms and hips to the beat of the tricca drums. She pictures moments with her mother, and tries her hardest to recall every detail of Esme's face. Oddly, Isa can remember with perfect clarity the stories her mother would tell her about Cullen Isle, and the beauty of the castle that resided there.

The castle that Aro would be destroying, Isa thinks with dread.

The Cullen royal family has never done anything to the Volturi. King Felix rules his land with an honorable hand and he rarely has any need to interact with any other outside nations except for purposes of enjoyment. He is adored by his people and respected by all others. Alongside him, Queen Heidi is the face of love for this hemisphere of the world. Not only is she a mother to her own three children, but she is also considered to be a mother to all moonchildren. Isa felt her heart ache as she thought of the Cullens' demise.

Isa swears that if her soul is not rested after her execution, she will haunt Aro, Sulpicia, and Jane until theyvacate the disgusting vessels they call bodies. She will wreak so much havoc upon them that they will sleep as restlessly as she is right now, and if she can, she will drag them to hell.

This line of thinking has Isa wound in such a tight knot that she's almost forgotten her surroundings. However, the distraught shouts from the cell next to hers anchor her back to the present. As soon as she takes notice of the crying again, she can't pay attention to anything else. Unable to bear the sounds any longer, she calls out to the person.

"Hello?" Isa speaks to the wall.

The distressed person gives a grunt in reply.

"Are…are you okay?" She asks.

A cough is her second response, accompanied by a loaded sigh. By the sound of it, Isa thinks the person to be young. Her heart sinks into her stomach as she considers a child being confined in such a grotesque place as this. Even more devastating to her is the knowledge that their presence here means that they too shall be executed in the following days. At that moment, every evil thought that Isa has had about her father is reaffirmed.

"I know how frightening it is to be in here," Isa says, "But everything will be okay."

There is silence for a few seconds before a young voice says, "They're going to kill me."

"Tomorrow?" Isa guesses, "The words mean nothing, but I am sorry."

"How can you tell me that!" the voice shouts back. It is a boy, Isa can recognize that now. By his accent, she can tell he is not a native Volturian.

"Because they are going to kill me too," Isa whispers. "It is a sad thing, but it will be over quickly. It will hurt for a moment, and then we will feel nothing. Then we will go somewhere, a place where no one can touch us anymore. Everything will be fine, I promise. Does that not sound nice?"

The boy gives a sigh, "I don't want to go there –not as yet at least. I'm not even meant to be here."

Isa's hand presses against the wall, wanting to reach through and comfort the boy on the other side. What had this boy done to be sentenced to death? Somehow she didn't think he deserved it either. His shouts began again.

"Hush, do not exhaust yourself," Isa comforts, "What can I do for you?"

"Nothing," he scoffs, "Not when we are both in these damned cells."

"Well," Isa thinks quickly, "Perhaps I can sing for you? It might take your mind off of tomorrow."

The boy supplies her with another short silence, and then answers, "Yes, please. I'd like that."

And so Isa sings to him, replacing his shrill cries with her dulcet tones. She sings of a man who makes friends with a dog, and the mischievous adventures they embark upon. She sings of a mother who teaches her children the tricks and lessons of life. Then lastly, she sings of hope for a brighter life, of wishing and wanting things, and then achieving them. By his slowed breathing several minutes later, she knows the boy is asleep. Soon, she is asleep too.

~lyrebird~

"Isabelle Marie Volturi," theproclaimer reads, "For the crimes of treason and espionage; for the disrespect and disgrace to the Volturi royal family; for association with a convicted criminal…"

Isa blocks out the voice as he continues to press unwarranted charges against her. Instead, she focuses on the bird that rests on the dirt floor beside her. Although slightly imbalanced by her shackled feet, she crouches down and plucks up the creature. Its eyes are locked on hers, almost as if it knows this is the last time they will share such a moment. The silver eyes of the small being elicit a flashback, and Isa is taken back to the moment she had first picked up the bird and placed it on her wing. When Isa returns to present day, her heart is filled with sadness at leaving her companion. For some strange reason, she knows its heart is filled with sadness too.

"I have to go now, lua pao av," She murmurs, "Thank you for your company. I must say, I will miss you when I'm gone. Will you miss me too?"

The bird chirps in response.

"Very well," Isa gives a small smile, "Take care, my Lua."

"Stand up," Marcus nudges Isa roughly with his foot.

She complies and rights herself slightly due to her restrictions. The readings continue slowly –agonizingly. Isa wants it all to be over. She wants Jane to pierce the blade through her back, rip through her insignia, and kill her without delay. This way she won't be stuck with her miserable existence any longer. She won't have to think about the twelve years of her life she'd spent in a cage, or the way her mother was taken away. She won't have to think about the boy from the cell next to her, and the way he had jumped into the Canyon of Death, the Pylae. There is no way he could have survived.

The Pylae is where the corpses of criminals and unidentified persons go. Its walls are 500 to 700 feet deep depending on the starting point, and its length separates Volturia completely from Forxx. In short, those who go in do not come out. Upon reaching the Pylae, Isa had recognized the voice of the boy she'd been singing to the night before. He had shouted profanities at the guards as they struggled to bring him towards the lip of the canyon and not once did his yells of hatred cease. As the executioner was about to draw his sword to execute the boy, the latter ripped his chains from the executioner's grasp and threw himself over the edge of the Pylae. Isa had felt her heart drop with him. She imagined she could fling herself over the precipice as well, but she prefers to be stabbed –it will be a quicker death.

A breeze passes, ruffling her white strands of hair. It's a shame that the one time Isa has been out of the castle in over a decade is the last time she will see the earth around her.

It's freedom in the sickest sense.

Oddly calming.

Even if her last sight is the barren, cracked wasteland surrounding the canyon, Isa feels privileged to have this sight to view during her last breath. They had blindfolded her until they reached this destination. This was her final view of nature.

"We will now have the final comments," the proclaimer says.

Isa is approached by a few of the royals, faces she barely remembers from her childhood. A few are shocked, some saddened, and a lot purely disgusted. She has no thoughts for them –they have done nothing to help her this entire time she has been imprisoned, and views them to be almost as evil as Aro and Sulpicia.

The aforementioned stand before her now, hands linked together. Isa idly wonders if they can feel the malice they generate coursing through the veins between them. Sulpicia steps forward first.

"This is overdue, rodent," she smiles at Isa, "This world had no place for your whore of a mother, and it equally has no place for you."

Isa remains silent, her face a mask so as to not give Sulpicia any satisfaction. Its effectiveness is shown when Sulpicia scrunches her mouth in anger.

"Have you nothing to say for yourself? Or are you too ignorant to form words?" Sulpicia goads.

Isa trains her eyes on the woman before her and sees her for the insecure, petty, and cruel woman she is. This woman, if you could call her one, had always been horrid to both Esme and Isa. She would often spread degrading rumors about the two, and whisper falsehoods in the ear of King Aro. Whereas, before, Aro would chastise Sulpicia for speaking out against his family, he now listens without disturbance –in fact, he mostly listens with glee. Isa has long hated Sulpicia for her insidiousness, and she refuses to cower before the woman now. With full understanding of the disrespect it would show her, Isa raises her chin with pride, and dismisses the queen by turning her head away.

Sulpicia grabs Isa's neck with one hand as she whispers in her ear, "I will enjoy your death greatly."

It takes all of Isa's restraint not to spit in her face.

Aro comes next. Isa has the hardest time deciphering his emotions. On the one hand, he successfully puts on a mask of indifference, neither betraying happiness nor anger. However Isa thinks she catches glimmers of emotion break through. Isa knows she must be mistaken because, for a moment, she swears that she sees grief. Then again, this is most likely her deep desire to believe that there are remnants of the man her father used to be still existing inside of Aro.

"Isabelle," Aro says lowly as he places a hand on his daughter's cheek, "It need not have ended this way."

Isa's lips tremble as she answers, "Do not touch me."

His gaze hardens slightly, "Such hate you hold for me."

"You deserve nothing less," she replies.

He grits his teeth together, "But you loved me –at one time you did."

"That was before I knew what a monster you are," Isa chokes out.

His hand returns to her face, but this time in a firmer grasp. Aro's grin is wide and nefarious as he says, "Oh my dear, Isa, you are a monster too."

Her flesh loses heat at his words, but she doesn't lose the ember that remains ignited within her. There is one thing she needs to say to Aro before he removes her from this Earth.

"I may be a monster," Isa agrees, "But if I go to hell, I will rest assured in knowing that you will join me there."

Aro growls as he stalks away from her, meaning that the time for her death has finally come. Sadly, Isa doesn't even worry about the pain that she will endure from being stabbed. She is more concerned about the person who will deliver the fatal wound. In all this, she is unable to reconcile that Jane is complicit.

Jane takes hold of Isa's shackles as she leads her to the edge of the canyon. She replaces the iron bracelets with long, fibrous ropes –one around Isa's ankles and the other around her wrists. The two women are far enough from the crowd that they can just about hear the hum of the proclaimer's voice. However, his voice is not what matters; the toll of the bell will signal when Isa is to be slaughtered. The bell will ring twenty times, one for each year she has spent on this Earth.

Ding, Ding,

"Isabelle, I need you to listen to me quickly," Jane begins.

"I have nothing to say to you," Isa seethes.

Ding, Ding,

"You are not going to understand things for a while, but in time everything will start to make sense," Jane rushes.

"What?" Isa says as confusion takes over.

Ding, Ding,

"I need you to be strong and courageous," Jane continues, "Listen to what your instincts and your heart tell you to do."

Ding, Ding,

"Jane, what nonsense are you saying?" Isa nearly screams in frustration, "It's as if I've never known you at all."

Ding, Ding

"You do know me," Jane assures, "I am your sister. I am your sister who has always loved you, and will always love you. But I need you to really listen to me. When you wake up, find Alice and Jasper Whitlock. They will help you.

Ding, Ding,

"Do not forget the things we've talked about," Jane says, "Be careful of who you trust. Be resourceful, and do not underestimate your abilities."

Ding, Ding,

"My abilities? How do you know about my -," Isa interrupts herself, "You're speaking as if you're not about to kill me -,"

Ding, Ding,

"Isa, shut up!" Jane whispers harshly, "You are going to have to fight, and you are going to have to fight hard. You will make decisions that you never thought you'd have to make and it is going to hurt. You are going to lie to people, and possibly take lives, but do not hate yourself, do you understand me, Isa?"

Ding, Ding

"We are about to enter a war, and you are the one who is going to save us," Jane grips Isa by the shoulders, and forces their eyes to meet, "You are going to be a magnificent warrior because you are Isabelle Marie Volturi, and you are not the weak bird that you've been said to be. You are going to fight because you have a heart larger than anyone who has breathed on this earth."

Ding,

"Jane," Isa cries, "I'm trying to, but I don't understand. Why are you doing this to me…?"

"I love you Isa," Jane's body begins to shudder with her own sobs as she pulls a long, gleaming dagger from her sheath. "I'm so very sorry."

Ding.

In that moment, Jane places a hand over her mouth as she raises the dagger above her head, and then plunges the blade into Isa's left shoulder. In total surprise and pain, Isa desperately grips Jane's arms, her nails digging into the flesh of her best friend. The last thing Isa registers is the sight of Jane's teary eyes, right before she drags Isa's limp body to the edge of the canyon, and then releases her.


Terminology

King Felix Cullen –King of Cullenia (Moonchild)

Queen Heidi Cullen –Queen of Cullenia (Moonchild)

King Aro Volturi –King of Volturia (Sunchild)

Queen Sulpicia Volturi –Queen of Volturia, successor to late Queen Esme Volturi (Sunchild)

Princess Jane Volturi –Daughter of King Aro and Queen Sulpicia Volturi (Sunchild)

Princess Isabelle Volturi –Daughter of King Aro and late Queen Esme Volturi

Lua –the name of Isa's bird, shortened from "Lua pao av"

Volturia –the land owned by the royal Volturi family (predominantly home of the sunchildren)

Cullenia –the land owned by the royal Cullen family (predominantly home of the moonchildren)

Forxx –a land located between Volturia and Cullenia

Pylae – "Canyon of Death" -the grand canyon-esque landmark where the bodies of criminals/unidentifiable persons are disposed of

Tricca – type of leather material used to make drums


"It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength." -Maya Angelou

-CH