Hello, beautiful people! Thank you so much for your encouraging reviews and all around awesomeness. I'm so blown away by your kind words and interest in this story! It's seriously a pleasure writing for you.

You know what's also a pleasure? Having SunflowerFran on board to dust off the uglies from my writing.

Here's the next chapter, and I will try my hardest to post soon! This one's dedicated to everyone who has suffered from the disgusting acts of terror/violence this year. My prayers will always be with you.


Part I: Lyrebird

Chapter 5

"Princess," Jasper Whitlock tips his head in greeting to Isa. The cordial greeting is a great contrast to the threat of his weapon. "I hate to have you on the wrong side of the sword, but I need to be sure you aren't going to do anything rash."

Isa gulps against the tip of the blade, "I haven't seen you since you worked with my father."

"I worked for your father," Jasper corrects, "Which makes a large difference. However, that is an unpleasant event of the past. Now, I understand why you might not be all too trusting of me, but I believe my wife may be of interest to you."

Relief with a touch of excitement overwhelms Isa, "Mrs. Alice?"

"Yes, Kya," Jasper smiles, "Mrs. Alice has been waiting for you."

Isa pleads, "Take me to her. I will comply."

Jasper lowers his sword and offers Isa his hand as a replacement.

Their journey is silent. Isa thinks of her predicament, wondering if she should trust Jasper, but knowing she will do it anyway. She'd met him approximately five years back when he had visited the court. He was head representative of Forxx and came regularly to update Aro with any news. As a welcome, Aro had Isa perform for Jasper, wanting to show her off as his well-trained pet. Jasper had been, kind and attentive, which is more than Isa could say for some of her previous audience members. What Isa hadn't known was that Jasper was married to Lady Alice.

Isa's memory of Alice is faint. She remembers that the woman had been a friend of her mother. Alice would visit about twice each year, and would spend a lengthy amount of time by the Queen's side. Aro hadn't liked their closeness but he knew their strong bond was a result of their childhood ties.

Now that Isa is heading to Forxx, she feels weary. This is the land in which her mother had been born. Forxx is an odd land; the territory is neither Volturian nor Cullenian by possession but is coveted by both royalties. The territory has no monarchy to govern it, and functions using a committee of representatives. Forxx is viewed as being the uncivilized country between the tamed lands of Volturia and Cullen. It is a separate entity, which makes it, in a way, unknown. Isa's only connection is through her mother and the fact that she resembles most of the inhabitants there with her wings. Native Forxians are notorious for their ability of flight. This serves as the reason for the name Forxx, which means flight in Forxian.

A language you can barely understand, Isa groans inwardly as she tries to follow the conversations of random passerbys.

They are trekking through a forest, one that seems to go on forever. Isa can feel the exhaustion eating at her, threatening to pull her into an unconscious state.

"You know, Lua," Isa hisses to the bird that is currently beneath her hood, "I'd greatly appreciate you in horse form."

Jasper laughs, "No, friend. Trust me when I say that we do not want to be detected. As a matter of fact, I will have to cloak you, Kya, once we reach the tree line."

"Isa," Isa corrects, feeling slightly embarrassed. He keeps referring to her as "kya", which is the Forxian term for "princess." "Please call me Isa. I haven't been the princess for a long time."

Jasper nods in understanding.

The moon is high in the sky by the time they reach the tree line. As he had warned, Jasper removes a long cloak from his satchel. He pulls the material over Isa's shoulders, tucks in her wings, and then draws the hood. It is only after he has double knotted the drawstrings around Isa's neck that he leads them into the village.

From the small amount that she can see, Isa notes that Forxx is nothing like she had imagined. She had heard many stories of the land from her mother, but her imagination had not done the place justice. It is not extravagant by any means; in fact, it is almost underdeveloped in some ways. But the atmosphere is alive and it shows in the homey shops and the bustling of the civilians. It is nighttime, but Isa cannot imagine these people sleeping. There is music present at almost every turn, and the sky is alight with lanterns. What pleases her most is the sight of wings; wings of all colors. Meanwhile, hers have been hidden away so as to not draw attention.

"Sir Whitlock!" a heavily accented voice calls in Forxian. Isa is only able to catch snippets of the conversation. The Forxian dialect is a slang concoction of both the Cullenian and Volturian language. Some words are common in all three languages. Isa is only able to understand snippets of the chat, but overall, the conversation holds no meaning for her.

Jasper continues to lead, drawing them out to a more secluded road. Soon they are in front of a pleasantly sized cabin, equipped with a wooden porch and stairs. Isa is only allowed to remove her hood once she is inside the house. When she does, she gasps at the woman in front of her. The sight of Alice brings tears to Isa's eyes.

"Isabelle," Alice cries as she pulls the girl into her arms. Alice has changed drastically since the last time Isa had seen her. What had once been an agile woman with defined cheeks and shoulder length, black hair, is now a plump woman with hair down to her rounded hips. However, her eyes had remained the same sparkling blue as Isa remembered.

Isa hugs Alice back, still unsure of whether or not to trust her, but reveling in the one connection she had to her mother. With all the strangeness that had been happening over the past few days, Alice appears as a beacon of familiarity to Isa. Isa breaths in the lavender smell of Alice's skin; it is the same scent her mother used to have, and its scent calms Isa considerably.

"You've grown into a stunning woman," Alice reverently touches Isa's oddly colored locks, "My visions of you did not do you justice."

Isa's brows furrow in confusion, "What do you mean by visions?"

"I'll explain later," Alice clucks, "For now, let us tend to your injuries. Jasper, don't just stand there, go and get some more firewood, and I'll get Peter to help me."

Jasper gives an eye roll as he heads back out the door while Alice leads Isa into a room to the right of the entrance. Inside, she is startled by the boy she sees standing at the window. It is the boy who had thrown himself into the Pylae.

"Isabelle Volturi?" the boy says.

She takes in his blonde curls and blue eyes in disbelief, "Y-you're alive?"

Isa looks to Alice, whose face is set in confusion as she asks, "You know him?"

Isa nods, "He was in the prison with me, stationed for execution. He'd thrown himself over the edge –he should be dead!"

"As should you," the boy answers cleverly.

"Do not rile her up," Alice admonishes, "You very well could have been killed, Peter. I have yet to forgive you for leaving like you did."

"Mother, I'm home," Peter sighs, "You don't need to worry about me anymore."

"I won't have to worry about you because that is the last time you leave the town limits," Alice huffs before turning her attention back to Isa, "I'm sorry for the delay. Peter, I'll be needing your help."

Together, mother and son work at bandaging Isa's wounds. They start with her hands, cleaning the scrapes and scratches with alcohol before wrapping them in stripped pieces of cloth. Afterward, Alice sews the gash on Isa's shoulder and wipes away the dried blood. The last task is the most gruesome. Isa's wing needs to be set properly.

"Perhaps we should brew her some poppies to help with the pain," Peter suggests.

"Yes, I believe that would be -," Alice begins.

"We do not have to time for it to get into her system," Jasper shakes his head as he enters the room, "The wing has already begun to heal, so we need to break it again in several places and then allow it to set."

"B-break it," Isa gulps, "Please, no -,"

"If you want to be able to fly as you once did, we need to begin now. Wing bones are very delicate. If they are not mended properly, it will be almost impossible to get the bones back in place again," Jasper reasserts.

"But surely we can -," Alice tries again.

"No," Isa shudders, "Do what you must."

Jasper nods briefly and then directs his wife and son to help Isa onto her stomach. Alice and Peter brace her arms as Jasper takes Isa's injured wing into his hands and feels for the dislocated areas. One by one, he snaps and relocates bones and joints, causing Isa to feel a pain more severe than when she'd realigned her bones herself. She tries to focus on Lua, who sits on the headboard in front of her, but the pain is too much for her to withstand. Her eyes roll to the back of her head, and she loses consciousness.

~lyrebird~

Isa wakes up more disoriented than she's been in a long time. For a moment, she wonders if everything that happened to her in the past two days has been a figment of her imagination. However, the sight of the wooden walls around her proves this theory false, and she is brought back to the reality that she is within the Whitlock's cabin. She shifts, attempting to roll over, but is stopped by the restricted movements of her hands. It is then that she notices the chains that bind her wrists.

Are they holding me hostage?

Isa thinks as she yanks the chains. The Whitlocks had been so kind to her the previous night –had it all been a rouse to get her to stay? She knew she shouldn't have trusted them, and now she is bound and in their control. How could she have been so stupid?

You are going to have to fight.

Jane's words ring in her head as Isa plans her escape. She will use her abilities if it means she can get away from here alive; Isa is on a mission of revenge, and the Whitlock's will not stand in her way. Furthermore, she needs to get to Cullenia and warn the royal family. She would not stand by and allow them to be slaughtered.

But first, I need to get out of these chains, Isa groans loudly in frustration.

"Do not panic," Alice says as she enters the room.

Isa is not panicking. No, what she feels is anger, "What is the reason for this?"

"It is for your safety, and ours," Alice tells her.

Isa is still filled with discomfort as her anger steadily increases, "Release me."

"I cannot," Alice's voice conveys her pain.

"Release me this instant!" Isa yells.

She tugs against the metal restraints, but the effort is in vain. Alice stands, feeling the rising tension in the room and begins to back away from Isa. Before Alice can reach the door, Isa uses her mind to slam it close and fix the latch. She then shoves the chair behind Alice, causing her captor to sit once more.

"I will not allow you to leave this room until you vow to release me," Isa threatens.

"I cannot release you," Alice repeats.

"Why?" Isa presses.

"For a number of reasons," Alice says, "Firstly, your wing is still healing, and we could not risk you rolling onto your back in your sleep. Secondly, you are under the influence of poppy, and, therefore, are not in control of your powers. For someone with absorption, that is a very dangerous situation."

Isa's heart drops into her stomach in fear, "How do you know of my abilities?"

"Isabelle, what do you remember of me?" Alice asks.

"You were a friend of my mother," Isa answers, "I do not know much more. But you did not answer my question."

"I will answer your questions, if you allow me to get you some food," Alice compromises, "I promise you are not a prisoner here. The chains are for precaution."

"Then release me," Isa says.

"I need you to trust me," Alice reaches for Isa's hand, but then stops herself from making contact with Isa's charged skin. "I promise you, once you heal, we will release you."

"Why should I trust you?" Isa spits.

"Because Isa," Alice's eyes bore into hers, "You don't know it yet, but I am your family."

~lyrebird~

They eat in silence, Alice alternating between feeding herself and feeding Isa. Isa had tried lifting the spoon by herself to bring the stew to her lips, but her powers are not as easily controlled as she would like to think. The poppy has lowered the little control that she has. There are moments when she absorbs without her consent, her skin humming with a powerful and threatening charge. For this reason, Alice keeps a polite distance. Now, Isa slightly understands why she has been chained.

Once the food is finished, Alice carries their trays to the kitchen and returns to change Isa into new clothing. She had not felt comfortable changing Isa without her consent. The issue now is to change Isa without being shocked. Through a series of maneuvers, Alice manages to get her into the loose slip of a dress. The dress is like nothing Isa had ever seen. Most of her dresses had been custom made to stop below her wings and above her insignia –Jane had made sure of it. However, this dress is virtually backless, stopping at the base of her spine, and in the front, tying at her neck. Its material is an odd type of silk, still soft and delicate, but slightly firmer than the normally flimsy material.

"The material is native to Forxx, from a special silkworm that lives near the water," Alice notices Isa's interest in the fabric, "These dresses are very popular here, as you might have seen as you came in. Your mother had many gowns much like this one."

"You've known her for a long time," Isa says quietly.

"My entire life," Alice affirms, "Our mothers went to elementary school together. Families become very close-knit here in Forxx –community is of the greatest importance here."

"It must have been difficult when she left for Volturia," Isa guesses.

"We were both very young when King Aro courted your mother," Alice starts, "He was very charming and loving. Your mother was completely infatuated with him. Despite the fact that Aro already had an infant daughter from Sulpicia, I supported their relationship wholeheartedly. I wished her happiness, even if it meant that I would be separated from my best friend. We made a pact to visit each other each year.

The first year she visited me, but the following year, when she became with child, I visited her. Aro was very protective of the both of you, and forbade you to travel. I understood his reasoning and so I made the travel. But then, in the year of our twentieth, I had a vision."

"A vision? As in, of the future?" Isa clarifies.

"Yes," Alice nods, "They come to me at any point, and are generally accurate, but are undeniably subject to change."

"All right, I understand," Isa, says.

"No, Isa, this is important," Alice emphasizes, "The future is not set in stone. Anything is possible."

"Yes, Alice, I understand," Isa responds, "Now tell me about the vision."

"As you know, you take after your father in more than looks," Alice begins again, "He's had decades to perfect his absorption, but to a fault. It has inspired in him a greedy and evil need for power. The obsession with power overcame his love for his family. Sulpicia only added to his maleficence. I warned your mother that she needed to leave Aro, for he was going to do something horrid to her. Understandably, she refused, not wanting to leave him. But then he became such a cruel man, not only to your mother but also to the people of his land. That is where your mother drew the line. She could not stand by and be the queen to a monster. Esme knew she could never leave and still have legal custody of you and Jane, so she plotted her escape. Aro caught wind of her plans and…

"I know what happens next," Isa chokes.

"Yes," Alice nods solemnly, "But her demise was not the only thing I saw in that vision, Isa. I saw what you were to become."

"Become?" Isa questions.

"I've been watching you," Alice informs her, "I've had visions every now and then about your growth. I saw you treated cruelly by Aro, but I also saw you grow into the beautiful woman that you are now. Furthermore, I saw how you would save the people."

"Save the people," Isa stutters, "I've been imprisoned in a cage for the past twelve years. I know nothing of this world, and, therefore, could not possibly be equipped to save it. I don't even know what I am to save it from!"

"Isa," Alice calms her, "Why were you executed?"

Isa pauses.

"Surely, you do not mean …"

"In the past years, violence against moonchildren has spiraled out of control," Alice enlightens Isa, "Aro has been raising sunchildren nationalism, to the point where relationships between the races have become noticeably strained. King Felix knows this but thinks that Aro isn't foolish enough to practice such outright discrimination. He does not suspect that Aro is vying for genocide."

"What role do I play in this?" Isa asks.

"I know this all seems very confusing, but I promise it will all come together soon," Alice rushes before asking, "Isabelle have you heard of the guardians?"

Isa recalls the words perfectly: Since the beginning of time, the sun and moon have been in battle … This is why guardians have been placed to ensure balance, so that in the event of disorder the land will persevere.

"Yes? I've read the story almost a hundred-,"

"It is not a story," Alice interrupts, "It is very much reality."

Isa raises a brow and cackles in disbelief, "You honestly expect me to believe this?"

"You have seen how powerful someone can be," Alice says, "Is it really that farfetched?"

Isa thinks to her father, and the way he had drained so many people, leaving them lifeless, "I suppose not."

"Exactly," Alice continues, "The guardians are here to protect the people from imbalances such as Aro is perfecting."

"Then who are these guardians? Why have they not done something as of yet?" Isa growls in frustration, "Why have they not stopped him?"

"It is all in the timing," Alice tells her, "Everything must happen at the right time."

"That is absolutely-," Isa stops herself from cursing, "Who are they? Who are these guardians?"

"One is Cullen royalty," Alice says, "And the other is you."

At this, Jane's words come crashing back into Isa's memory:

We are about to enter a war and you are the one who is going to save us.


Terminology:

Kya – Princess [Forxian]

Forxx –Flight [Forxian]

Forxian language –a language formed using both Volturian and Cullenian languages. The integrity of the Volturian and Cullenian roots have been broken down to an extent that Forxian is an entire language in itself. Because of its "slang" nature, the language is considered to be quite informal.


"We need solitude, because when we're alone, we're free from obligations, we don't need to put on a show, and we can hear our own thoughts." ~Tamim Ansary

~CH