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We walked into a stone chamber, similar to the one that we had seen on our first trip to this very building. However this room was somewhat less menacing being only two stories high with floor to ceiling open windows. I felt the warm summer breeze blowing through the room. However I had little time to concentrate on the niceties. Sitting across the room on three wooden thrones were the brothers of the Volturi.
Marcus and Caius looked bored as always, but Aro had a surprised expression on his face. His eyes flickered between Edward and I as we slowly walked towards them. I allowed my hood to fall back and my hair to cascade down my shoulders. I kept the sunglasses on however.
"Edward! Bella! What brings you to Italy? I had not expected to see the two of you for some time, at least until we came to check on you..." Aro's words were cut short as he caught our scents. His expression went from one of confusion to one of delight. "Ah, take of those sunglasses would you, dear Bella? I can clearly smell that you are no longer human," he asked.
I knew I had no choice in the matter, so I slowly removed the glasses and fixed Aro with my gaze. "Interesting, very interesting..." he murmured. I was confused and I looked to Edward for clarification. My love stared back at me and an expression of shock crossed his face.
Why did her eyes have to turn now...? he groaned to himself. He saw me looking at him and realized that I had heard his thoughts. He continued with a silent explanation. Bella, your eyes are no longer red. I thought this was a good thing, thinking that my eyes were now the brilliant topaz that his were. Your irises are now green Bella. The same emerald color that belonged to Isadora.
Aro's voice cut through the silence. "Well, it has been a long time, a very long time. Since before my time actually," he began. I felt Edward tense next to me and I pressed more closely against his side. Aro saw our reactions and a flicker of amusement flashed across his face. "Well from your postures, I can only assume that you know what I am talking about. Bella had a very private mind while she was human and I can only assume that ability has carried over into her immortality. And the eyes, not the typical red, or yellow in your case Edward, but green. Do you know who the last vampire was to possess such characteristics? The last one who lived for longer than a day after her transformation?"
He stopped his speech there and stared directly at me. I tried to look away but those clouded red eyes were too mesmerizing. I knew that he was waiting for me to answer, but I was scared to speak the name. Scared that they would cut me down as soon as the word left my mouth. I felt Edward give me a slight squeeze of comfort and a nod of his head in my peripheral vision.
"Isadora," I muttered.
At the sound of the name, comprehension flickered across the eyes of all three of the brothers. "Ah so it is true," I heard Caius mutter. Aro glanced at him quickly before returning his gaze to Edward and I.
"Now, now it might just be a coincidence. We haven't even learned if dear Bella has a power yet! Perhaps they have just come to prove that they are keeping to their promise to us. Is that it perhaps?" Aro questioned.
I didn't think that we could get away with lying to the ancient vampires, so I decided to tell the true reason for our visit.
"Later yesterday evening, Alice had a vision. That vision showed a large contingent of the Volturi guard arriving in Forks three days later. The Cullen family was engaged in battle and we were all dead before long," I explained, my voice breaking slightly as uttered the last sentence.
"That is preposterous! Carlisle is my dear friend and I would never dare hurt him, let alone order for him or his family to be annihilated! Alice's vision must have been wrong," he exclaimed.
An expression of shock crossed my face and I stared at Edward who was looking directly at Aro. "I know that you are reading my thoughts Edward and you can see that I never ordered such a thing," Aro calmly stated.
Edward's eyes suddenly flickered to Caius who was conveniently staring off in a different direction. He stared at the white haired vampire for a moment before returning his eyes to Aro. His took a deep breath and walked forward towards Aro, still clutching me to his side. I heard a low growl behind us coming from either Felix or Demetri, but Aro silenced whoever it was with a piercing look.
We had reached the wooden throne where Aro sat and Edward seemed to hesitate. The ancient vampire held up his hand, palm up, waiting for my love to make the next move. Seeming to come to an internal decision, Edward raised his hand that was not wrapped around my waist and pressed his palm to Aro's.
As I watched a range of emotions came across Aro's face ranging from surprise to confusion and finally finishing with a furious expression on his face. He looked so dangerous that instinctively shrunk back from him.
He dropped Edward's hand and moved in fluid motion to stand in front of Caius. "How dareyou go behind my back and order such a thing!" he snarled. "We make decisions as brothers especially ones that involve the eradication of an entire coven!" Aro's eyes were slits and his finger pointed accusingly at his brother. "Three thousand years we have worked to uphold our laws, and you wish to threaten that over one new addition to a coven?! We were the ones who told them that Bella must become a vampire or die!"
"Surely you can see what she is!" hissed Caius. "The legend has been told since before our times. We heard of the last birth of Isadora in Egypt. She is said to have looked exactly like her," he said, pointing his long white finger at me. I recoiled from his gaze, Edward hugging me protectively to him.
"I know the stories as well as you Caius, and that shall be handled appropriately," Aro began. Edward and I both tensed into rigid forms at these words. "But you had no right whatsoever to give such a command! Had Bella and Edward not shown up, our dear friend would be dead with me non the wiser," he fumed.
Suddenly he composed himself slightly and turned to talk to Demetri behind us. "Demetri, would you please escort Bella and Edward to a sitting room while I have a few words with my brothers. No need for everyone to hear the bickering of some old vampires," he tried to joke. The laughter did not reach his eyes however.
Edward turned me around and steered me out of the room after Demetri. Our hulking vampire escort would not meet either of our gazes and he was apathetic as he led us down the hall. We stopped at a nondescript door which Demetri opened and ushered us in. He stood in the doorway and finally met Edward's gaze. "Do not try to leave," he stated and then closed the door and I heard the click of a lock.
I highly doubted that one lock could deter two vampires but I knew that was not the only obstacle we would face. No doubt, there were a multitude of guards standing watch right outside.
I felt my body shaking and Edward steered me over to a lumpy couch pressed against the wall. We sat down and I curled into a ball against his side. He ran his fingers through my hair and began to hum my lullaby. My trembling slowly stopped and I felt like I could breathe normally. I breathed in his scent deeply and calmed my racing thoughts.
"Shh Bella. It is going to be okay. Aro is absolutely furious at Caius. He also knows that Marcus had a hand in the planning. This works in our favor actually. One brother is not supposed to make any decisions without consulting the opinions of the other two," he soothed me.
"But they know that I am Isadora! You heard Aro! They aren't going to let me continue to live!" I yelled.
"Shh, relax love! Relax! Aro doesn't want to destroy you! They don't even know for sure that you are what they think they are. I mean Aro did see my thoughts but I am not even completely sure at this point," he murmured in my ear. "We can just simply hope for the best at this point."
I saw his logic and realized that there was no use in freaking out about what was going to happen next. We could simply hide my power and try to talk our way out of this god forsaken place.
I laid curled against Edward's side for a long time, eventually losing track of time. However, before long, we heard the lock of the door unclick and we straightened up, tense in demeanor.
Demetri stood in the doorway. "The brothers will see you again," he stated. We slowly stood up and followed him out of the room, back towards the fateful room.