A/N: Hello readers! I hope you all had a fantastic week. I'm so thankful for all of your fantastic reviews and alerts. If you could see how silly I get when I read them, you'd understand just how much I love hearing from you!

Thanks to the help of SunflowerFran, I'm so excited to present the banner for Atmosphere, made by the fantastic artist Clo. I'm so thankful for their work, so please go ahead and check it out on Fran's facebook page, called Pay It Forward. It's also now the icon for this story, and it's truly beautiful!

Alright, so that this doesn't turn into a chapter in itself, let me wrap up by saying 1) Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me, and 2) We're moving forward a bit in this chapter, but the pace will certainly pick up in the following chapters, so stick with me! Enjoy (:


PART II: Pigeon

Chapter 13

"All right, give me a moment to rest," Lucy pants, holding up a hand to stop Bella. "Never in a million years did I think I'd be saying that to you, but apparently something's gotten into you over the past few weeks."

It's true that something has changed about Bella. Actually, someone has changed Bella. The past three weeks have been spent in a blur of training, cleaning, performing, and teaching. Yet despite the constant flow of busyness, Bella can recall each encounter she's had with Edward. The two have met every other day during Charlotte's lessons to practice her Cullenian, sitting in the archway of Charlotte's Garden. The meetings have been so elating that Bella hardly thinks of them as lessons anymore. They seem more to her like conversations between two friends, and with every minute that passes in his presence, Bella feels herself becoming infatuated with the Prince. She allows her silly crush because she knows nothing will come of it. In the meantime, the improvements to her mood mean that she's sharper than ever in combat and much more productive in her daily tasks.

"I don't believe we need to do any more physical combat practice," Lucy says, "You can continue with Tyler. I want to work on your absorption."

Even though she expected this, Bella still frowns. It's been nearly three months since she came to the Cullen Castle, and while she feels she's gained much more control over her siphoning ability, she still feels unstable. If she feels any emotion too strongly, the telltale prickle of her skin begins, and she has to calm herself. Lucy has been working with her to control the ability on command, but that's not to say that Bella will never again slip.

"I'm ready," Lucy prompts Bella, stretching out her hand as she waits.

Bella takes a deep breath and allows the current of her power to rise to the surface of her skin. She then touches Lucy lightly and watches with fascination and slight horror at the way Lucy's veins turn orange against her dark skin. The seemingly orange blood flows from its point of origin at Bella's touch, up Lucy's arm, to her neck, and finally reaches her eyes. As soon as Lucy's irises begin to turn orange, Bella pulls back.

Lucy gasps, and staggers back falling into the chair that she'd prepared for herself. Bella knows to give Lucy a few moments to collect herself, so she travels a few feet away to test her newly acquired ability.

Not only has Lucy been teaching Bella the ways of physical combat, but she's also been schooling her on how to control her absorption. Through countless hours of meditation and explanation, Bella has finally come to the place where she can sometimes absorb power without rendering someone unconscious. She doesn't get the full strength of the power, but she draws enough from her opponent so that she can use it herself. There are times when she was unsuccessful, and those times often ended with Lucy unconscious on the ground, but thankfully never grievously harmed. Her worst fear is that her ability could kill Lucy, but for some reason, Lucy has faith that it will never come to that.

Bella closes her eyes as she focuses on her newly acquired ability. She can't explain what it feels like to have four powers within her, but each one feels like a separate entity in her body. Just as someone can single out the feeling of each finger on their hand, Bella can feel her absorption, singing, telekinesis, shapeshifting, and now Lucy's power as part of her being. As she accesses the reserve of Lucy's power, her true insignia tingles on the skin of her back. It grows hotter as Bella opens up her mouth, and releases a sonic blast.

"Don't get too attached," Lucy grumps as she joins Bella, "Work is about to begin, so you'll need to dispose of my power."

Bella nods in agreement. Just as she could absorb the power, Bella could dispose of it. She lays a hand against Lucy's arm and releases it, although this time Lucy's veins remain unchanged. Bella feels the energy leave her, a slightly empty feeling residing in her stomach afterward. The withdrawal scares her, but she pushes the feeling aside. This is the sense of craving that had caused her father to go mad with power, and she refuses to follow in his footsteps.

"That's it for us today," Lucy announces, "Tomorrow we will begin training with weapons."

"Weapons?" Bella raises a brow, "Aren't our abilities our weapons?"

"Bella, do you know what Demetri's ability is?" Lucy asks.

"Princess Charlotte's guard?" Bella verifies, "I can't say that I do."

"Against someone like him, who can selectively mute your powers, you had best be well versed in weapon combat."

Bella's mouth pops open in surprise, "That power sounds extremely dangerous."

"Demetri has been with the Cullens for over twenty years, and is unwaveringly loyal," Lucy informs her, "Furthermore, nobody has ever desired to go after King Felix. There's never been any reason to…"

Until now, Bella finishes in her mind, thinking of Aro's plan to wipe out the Cullen family and their kingdom.

As Bella walks to her designated cleaning area, she makes a game of guessing the abilities of her coworkers. Perhaps the young girl who pulls weeds is able to spit acid, or maybe she can speak to baby animals? The milkman desperately wants to understand the cows he tends but has been burdened with the gift of super sight. Bella is giggling to herself over the silly game when she catches sight of Prince Edward in her normal cleaning station. She pauses a moment so that she can look at him freely.

Edward is easily the most attractive man she's come across in her time of living. She's not entirely sure if others view him the same way, but this doesn't matter to her. With his thick, brown-red hair, slightly dimpled chin and strong jaw, he is absolutely beautiful. Bella's heart stutters for a moment as she's overwhelmed by how attractive she finds him to be. And as if his physical appearance weren't enough to stun Bella, his personality endears her more to him. Even though Edward has a reputation for being curt with strangers, she knows it's because of the position he's in, not because of his actual character. In their recent time together, he has been nothing but caring and charming to her. It also helps that he leaves her in a heap of giggles at the end of every meeting. Knowing that she can't spend all of her time spying on him, Bella makes her way over to the Prince's sitting place.

"Your Highness," Bella addresses the Prince while dipping into a curtsey.

"Bella," Edward greets so warmly that she can't help but smile in return.

Seeing that there is no one around them to pass judgment, Bella launches into their comfortable routine. She raises a brow playfully as she says, "Surely you can afford to have your own office."

"Though you often forget, I am the Crown Prince," Edward replies, "Everywhere is my office."

"There isn't an encounter where you've failed to somehow interject your title," Bella points out. "Trust me, I have not forgotten."

"Oh, so my clothing wasn't reminder enough?" He waves down at his formal attire. The fine cloth and vibrant colors are more extravagant than his usual attire.

"You certainly are looking especially more Prince-like today," Bella notes, "May I ask why?"

Edward sighs and waves his hand to the precariously stacked papers that sit in front of him, "I'm sitting in on court proceedings with my father today, and have been up all night trying to finish. I'm nearly done, but there is this one case …"

Bella doesn't know whether it would be improper for her to press for more information, but she reasons that nothing about her behavior around Edward has been proper, and, therefore, she needn't start now. "What is the issue that gives you problems?"

Edward seems to deliberate for a moment whether or not to share with Bella. She won't be hurt if he chooses not to disclose this information, but she can admit that she'd love to provide support for Edward. Besides his siblings, Edward didn't seem to have any friends around the castle, so she figures he hardly has companions to vent to. Bella would be honored to be that person for him. So when Edward finally begins to speak, Bella feels joy welling within her.

"This couple has been trying to amend their marriage for the past year, and it's been a complete catastrophe," he starts, "Normally, the royal court doesn't get involved in custody battles, but the wife and husband are high members in the court, and their feud has spilled over into other areas of concern. One of which is whether their children should remain with the mother or father."

"They must both be suitable if you're having trouble deliberating," Bella guesses.

Edward nods, "Exactly. The only issue is, though he is legally their guardian, the father is not the birth father of the children. However, in Cullenian rule, adoption is as binding as blood, so he has equal rights to them. But to separate the children from their biological mother simply because we ordered it …"

"I see your predicament," Bella hums, realizing why Edward is having such a hard time deliberating.

Seeing the frustration in his features, Bella wants nothing more than to reach out, and hold his hand in comfort. The strength of her desire both surprises and worries her. Her attachment to Edward is growing at an unhealthy rate, and the worst part is that she knows it is all for naught.

No, Bella corrects herself inwardly; the worst part is that you know he certainly doesn't share the same sentiments.

While Edward might view her as a friend, Bella would be foolish to think that he could ever see her as a romantic interest. Not only is Edward out of her league in social status, but he is also out of her league in his mere essence of being. The brightness of his aura makes her seem dull in comparison.

Still, if all Bella can be is a friend to Edward, she'll take it. Having his friendship is an unexpected benefit to her role as protector, and she sees no reason to give it up. As long as she can keep her thoughts straight, she can still protect the Cullens while also enjoying their company.

"Sola Bella?" Edward prompts.

"My apologies," Bella answers before asking, "How old are the children?

"Sixteen and fourteen," Edward answers, "I suppose they aren't really children anymore."

"No, the older is only four years my junior," Bella agrees, "Have you asked them what they want?"

Edward's face scrunches in confusion, "Pardon?"

Bella is thrown off by his confused expression, but repeats herself nonetheless, "Have you asked the children with whom they'd like to live?"

"Can they decide that for themselves?" Edward answers with a question.

"The children are the only ones that see the full picture," Bella tells him, "You can gather evidence and conjecture all you want, but in the end, you only see what the parents want you to see. At the very least, the sixteen-year-old is mature enough to have input."

"Would this not be an insult to the parents?" Edward argues

.

"If the parents truly want to make the most informed decision to ensure their children's happiness, they will take their desires into account," Isa replies.

"Just like that?" Edward chuckles with disbelief, "In less than a handful of minutes you've come to a course of action for a case I've been mulling over for hours."

"Oh, please don't give heed to my words," Bella rushes; mortified that Edward might actually follow her advice. "I was simply saying what I would have wanted had I been given the choice to-,"

If I had been given the choice to leave with my mother.

The words die in Bella's throat as she's hit with the grief of her mother's absence. It doesn't matter how many years have passed, the reality of her murder still brings forth a distress that Bella can't fully comprehend. Bella rarely thinks of it because it takes all of her strength to continue in the day knowing that her mother is no longer on this earth with her. Now that she'd been so close to revealing that intimate part of herself to Edward, she feels overwhelmed with discomfort. For a moment, she doesn't even register Edward's voice.

"Sola Bella?" he calls to her, and finally she regains awareness, "Are you all right?"

"Yes, I believe so," Bella murmurs, more to herself than to him.

Edward hastily stacks his papers into a pile before standing to guide Bella onto the bench. Dumbly, she allows him to assist her into the seat.

"I think I should call for the medic," Edward begins to move again.

"No," Bella shoots her hand out to stop him. The moment her fingers touch the soft fabric of his tunic, she retracts her hand. "Pardon me, I got lost in thought for a moment."

"You've turned horribly ashen," Edward, insists, "That is more than getting lost in your thoughts."

"I told you that I'm all right," Bella nearly huffs, but then reminds herself not to push Edward's tolerance for her impudence.

"And I wish you would stop lying to me," Edward bites back, his reply not nearly as calm as hers had been. His words come out stuttered, as if he's having difficulty choosing them, "Bella, I am trying to be your friend. It's not an endeavor I'm used to, but if you will allow it, I would very much like to be one to you."

The color on Bella's cheeks intensifies, "I wish for our friendship as well-,"

"Then will you please trust me?" Edward urges, "Friendship is nothing without trust."

Bella's tongue feels like lead in her mouth as she considers his words. Until she's able to deduce the threat against the Cullens, there is no way that she can be entirely truthful with him –Alice had expressly warned against it. It doesn't matter how many letters Bella sends to her surrogate aunt, Alice replies with the same ominous answer of "Everything needs to happen in its own timing."

Bella has never been more frustrated in her life, and she hasn't only felt this way when interacting with Edward. She also feels duplicitous in her meetings with Charlotte, as the two of them are getting quite comfortable with one another. It pains her to have to lie to their faces, but she tries to reason that the overall benefit is worth the deception. In the meantime, Bella quells Charlotte and Edward's growing curiosity with half-truths and ambiguous answers.

"It is not something I like to talk about," Bella finally answers, "But I was once in a similar situation. M-my mother had wanted to leave my father but was worried about the repercussions. Volturian law would have given my father custody, but if I had any say in the matter …"

A warm hand against hers causes Bella's gaze to snap up from her lap. She's met with Edward's intense stare; his eyes are a reserve of lush greenness and are warm with understanding. Instead of listening to the voice in her head that tells her to reject physical contact, Bella basks in the feeling of his skin on hers. In a move –perhaps bolder than any she'd tried with Edward thus far –she turns her hand beneath his so that their palms can rest together. Reveling in the feeling, Bella closes her eyes and sinks into a relaxed state.

"Oh, dearest brother!" Alec calls with a booming voice from around the corner.

Alec's sudden presence causes Edward and Bella to immediately separate from one another. Reality comes flooding back to Bella as she registers just how improper she'd been with the Crown Prince. Without saying another word, she gathers her cleaning supplies and scurries down the hall. All the while she keeps her head down, so as to not draw attention to her black-turned eyes.

"You did what?" Claire bellows as she tugs Bella into their bedchambers.

Even though most of the day has passed since Bella had been with Edward, her mind is still filled with thoughts of mortification.

"I don't know what possessed me!" Bella exclaims as she flops onto her bed pallet. A disgruntled Lua makes a noncommittal growl as she relocates to Claire's bed to sleep. The shape-shifting animal had done more than her fair share to try and calm her frantic owner, but Bella is beyond the point of helping.

"When Alice sent you here to be with the Cullens, she didn't mean for you to be with the Cullens," Claire continues on in a high pitched tone, "What happened next? Did he pull back? Did he chastise you?"

"No, he just …" Bella pauses, confusion overwhelming her, "He actually kept my hand."

Were it not for the dark tone of her skin, Bella is positive that Claire would have turned a bright red color. Instead, Bella turns a shade of red so vibrant it is enough to compensate for the two of them.

Today marks the day that she's blushed the most in her life, and she hopes never to be given a reason to be in this predicament again.

"This changes things!" Claire exclaims, excitement charging her words.

"What do you mean?" Bella asks.

"He likesyou," Claire squeals.

"Well, I gathered as much when he asked for my friendship," Bella says, "So I'm not positive where you are going with this."

"No, Bella," Claire whispers, almost conspiratorially. Her changes in volume are starting to give Bella whiplash. "He likes you."

Likes me … Bella processes.

Oh.

Oh, no.

Definitely not.

"Would you stop protesting so much," Claire giggles. Bella realizes that she's been voicing her disbelief aloud, but it changes nothing. She stands firm in thinking that Edward doesn't fancy her in that way.

"What is our Essa objecting to with such fervor?" Bree asks as she enters the room.

In spite of Bella's pointed glare, Claire announces jovially, "Prince Edward fancies Bella."

Bella groans so loudly that Lua has no choice but to get up and tend to her owner. Lua hopes that if she rests in Bella's lap, she can quiet Bella's loud noises while also getting the benefit of a good head scratch. Bella knows this because of the stream of images that Lua relays to her.

"So there's nothing new then?" Bree questions.

"Stop it, the both of you," Bella admonishes, "I can't have you filling my head with this when I have a mission to complete.

"If you're not careful with Edward, you'll be having something else filled," Bree warns lewdly.

Lua's presence can't stand against Bree's provocation. Upon hearing Bree's suggestive reply, Bella is filled with embarrassment so profound that she flees from the room. As soon as she's on her feet, it's as if she can't stop herself from moving. She winds her way through the castle halls, and then out onto the garden steps. She races through the Queen's garden, and next, into the dense forest behind it. She dashes through the thick shrubbery of the forest floor, and then finally, once she's distanced herself from the castle, she takes flight.

Flying helps to slow down her thoughts and provide some clarity. Unfortunately, the recurring feeling of mortification doesn't leave her.

How dare Bree insinuate something so licentious when … when Bella has no clue about any of the on-goings between lovers? Bella isn't a stranger to attraction –she has already come to terms with that feeling whenever she is in Edward's presence. But Bella can't comprehend anything remotely sexual happening between them, even if either of them wanted to. She's so unversed in the matters of sex that it's almost laughable. After all, a bird that is kept alone in a cage has no use for sexual knowledge that she could never act upon.

Now that she's in the presence of knowledgeable women, and also free to interact with men as she pleases, Bella is completely at a loss. What if she's never able to connect with someone in this physical way because she's never been taught how? She feels that she's at some significant deficit by having been kept in the dark. And now she can't even fathom bringing the conversation up with Bree or Claire because the two will mock her relentlessly about her relationship, or lack thereof, with Edward.

Thankfully, a sight below catches Bella's eye and pulls her out of her stream of frustrating thoughts. The glimmer of light in the dark night is something that should be inconsequential to her, but the noises that follow are what cause Bella to take an interest. The light source is now steady, providing an oddly alluring, almost tranquilizing glow. However, the elevated voices bring her out of her mesmerized state, and a less calming feeling begins to settle in Bella's gut. All it takes is an anguished cry to spur her into action.

The moment Bella lands, she takes inventory of the scene around her. On the ground is a man struggling to back away from his attacker. His fear is so apparent that Bella can pick out every one of his panic- distorted features in the dark night. She's also taken note of the attacker; she's a girl who doesn't seem to be above her teen years, but the malice in her expression warns Bella not to underestimate her. The girl's hand is alight with green fire, and she holds it poised to attack at a moment's notice. For the first time today, Bella doesn't feel inspired to run when faced with conflict. Strangely, she can only feel adrenaline and confidence as she addresses the girl.

"I advise that you leave now," Bella warns in Cullenian.

"I see your star," the girl speaks in Volturian, and nods to the sun insignia bared on Bella's shoulder, "We are of the same people. This man is cacus."

'Lightless' she had called him. Bella flinches at the derogatory name given by sunchildren to moonchildren. As the moon uses the sun as its light source, sunchildren use this fact as an insult for moonchildren. It often implies the spinelessness or powerlessness they possess.

"Those who advocate for peace are my people," Bella corrects.

"Therefore, you and I are not of the same people."

"You are a cacus lover then?" the girl guffaws, "They have been leeching off our society for centuries and stealing the positions meant for hard-working sunchildren. We are the source of all life, and they are nothing but freeloaders and stealers of light!"

"And you are nothing but a mindless child who regurgitates the propaganda fed to you by a king that is too spineless to do his own bidding," Bella spits. "Will you desist or will I have to take action?"

"Try me, puana," the girl taunts.

With a flick of her wrist, Bella sends the girl careening into a tree located a few feet away. She does it with enough force to rattle the attacker, but not enough to cause permanent harm. If Bella could stall for long enough to get the victim away, she wouldn't have to resort to anything drastic. It's never her intention, nor the mission of the lunellas, to take a life.

"For heaven's sake, run!" Bella screams at the man who remains frozen on the ground. She has half the mind to propel him through the air, but thankfully he gains some sense and scurries to his feet.

As he begins to sprint away, a burning ball of fire is thrown Bella's way. She's just about able to dodge it, but it does manage to clip the tip of her wing. She knows that she needs to clear the threat of the attacker, but the flammability of her wings calls for her attention first. Bella quickly uses her fingers to stub out the embers licking at her feathers as the girl runs toward her. The attacker doesn't even make it within five feet of Bella before she's once again thrown back.

Bella wishes she could say she didn't laugh, but then she'd be lying.

The amusement is short lived and only serves to infuriate the rash sunchild. The girl reaches down with a burning hand and sets the forest floor alight with emerald flames. With great accuracy, she surrounds Bella in a ring of fire. Bella knows that she can fly out of the entrapment, but admittedly, the already towering flames cause her to hesitate. Unfortunately, she has no choice but to risk her wings being singed a second time. But as Bella begins to take flight, a small body colliding with hers keeps her grounded.

Oh, child, Bella sighs, you never should have touched me.

All it takes is one slight surge of power on Bella's part to render the girl unconscious. The attacker lets out a surprised yelp as her veins flash an orange hue, and then return to their less visible state. The moment awareness leaves her body, her weight slumps onto Bella, pinning them both to the ground. Thankfully, the attacker is light enough that Bella can move her. Bella quickly checks for sounds of breathing before she decides to leave the forest.

Just as she is about to propel herself into the air, Bella casts a look at the girl still lying in the middle of the burning circle. Bella doesn't know if the girl can be harmed by her own gift, but it would serve her right if she did befall the same fate she was so keen on bestowing to the man earlier. Her pestering conscious tells Bella to act otherwise.

Knowing that it is the right thing to do, she takes the attacker with her when she takes flight. A few feet away from the fire site, and a couple of feet above the ground, Bella releases the girl from her grasp.

What? It's not as if she had to do it gently.

Having seen enough of the world outside of Cullen castle, Bella is more than ready to return. As she flies, the reality of what had just occurred sinks in.

She had just saved someone.

Her.

Pathetic, feeble, weak… the degrading descriptors of the past that had once been planted in her mind and had blossomed into deep insecurities are now uprooted.

For the first time since her journey began, Bella fully believes the words that Jane had spoken to her that fateful day on the Pylae: she is going to be a magnificent warrior, and she is not the weak bird she was said to have been.

No longer the pathetic caged bird; she is now the fierce Protector.

And she is ready for war.


Terminology

Cacus –"Lightless" is the literal translation. When used insultingly, it means 'spineless' or 'powerless' [Volturian] [Derogatory]

Puana -whore [Volturian] [Derogatory]


"Nothing is more terrifying than fearlessness." -Cornelia Funke

~CH