For as long as the Volturi had been in power, the notion of the three kings leaving the shelter of their castle had been an unthinkable notion. All judgement was passed down from the sanctuary of the throne room and executed by the guard that protected them so diligently, there was never a reason so great that they would willingly leave the confines of those four imposing walls.
Until now.
Their tension was high, the noise of the world they had long since shut out and ignored now louder than ever for their sensitive hearing. When had humanity become so developed? When had the simple sound of the wind become so overpowered by the sound of modern engines? They would not deny that they enjoyed collecting modern vehicles, but that was all that they were: a collection, a way to stay connected without truly getting involved.
"This noise is intolerable. How do humans not grow deaf with it?"
Marcus frowned as he looked up to night sky, ignoring the rants of his fair haired brother in favour of the stars he had long since let go. There seemed to be so few from what he remembered, he knew that they still littered the night sky, but where why could his perfected sight not see them clearly?
"Such a sacrifice is to be made for progress. Whilst you chose to stay confined within your library, I witnessed its change from my office window and, later, in the company of our beloved in the courtyard. The progress of industry caused pollution to shroud the natural beauty of this world... They are still there brother, but no longer willing to share their glory with that intent on destroying this world for progresses sake"
Aro's words were laced with a vague emptiness. He had once loved to watch the night sky during his human years, so many millennia ago, but those days had long since died and now laid dormant to the new world. And he hated it.
"I grow impatient brother. I wish for little to do with this world and I only agreed to leave the coven to guarantee the safe return of Felicity. I have said this before, but she is not too old now to be placed across my knee!"
"You would find any excuse to touch our mates posterior, wouldn't you Caius? Is your own mating bond calling for physical intimacy so strongly that you cannot restrain yourself? How crude of you brother"
Caius nearly saw red at Marcus' comment, not failing to notice the slight smirk on the others face as Aro gave a sigh of despair for the two. Since gaining the heart of their mate, Marcus had begun to open up much more frequently. Sadly, that was not always a good thing.
Their argument was cut short; however, as flickering lights of a single jet caught their attention. All else seemed to fade to nothingness as they watched the jet land and the carrier door opened a little too slowly for their liking.
"I trust that you have not been waiting here long Masters?"
Jane's voice was the first to reach their ears, her amusement not failing to hit them as they chose to ignore her in favour of seeking out their mate, watching in growing anticipation for their first glimpse of her.
"Could you truly not wait for my return at the castle? I swear, after so many millennia, I would have thought you could be patient for less than a week for my return. This is not an excuse for any of you to drop formalities and leave the protection of the castle"
Her voice was only slightly reprimanding as Felicity finally came into sight, her arms folded against her chest and a gentle smile upon her lips as she began to descend the steps of the jet towards them, shrieking in indignation as arms hooked beneath her knees and back, cradling her to a solid chest as Caius grinned down at her in his typical cocky manner.
"You are the only reason we have to change our ways, my treasure"
"He is correct, dearest; we could not simply sit idle after such time apart"
Aro was the next to flit towards her, still held by Caius as he ran a hand lovingly along her cheek, enjoying the rush of blood that tinged her face a pretty shade of pink and caring little for the stares that were being sent towards them by their elite guard.
"We missed you greatly, my love. I trust everything ran smoothly for you during your trip to America?"
Marcus took Felicity's hand as he spoke, placing a gentle kiss against it before turning his gaze completely upon her. She shook her head slightly before giving a small chuckle. She had missed them terribly. She motioned for Caius to place her down on her feet once more, kissing each of their cheeks before turning back to the jet, feeling a warmth spread through her at finally being surrounded by her three kings once more.
"My trip was a great success. The new born army was dealt with by Carlisle and his coven with no need for interference on our part. But more importantly, we were able to find the new born that had been evading my sight so perfectly"
Felicity took a few steps back towards the jet as she caught the cowering figure of Bree, hiding behind Demetri and looking towards the three ancients with panic in her eyes. Felicity knew she would be scared, it was only natural after so long of poor treatment at the hands of others, but she intended to change that, with the help of Demetri of course.
"Bree, you have no reason to be afraid. Please, you don't need to hide"
The three kings nearly shrieked in panic as Felicity moved towards the new born and took her hand within her own. Had she lost her senses? A new born could turn at any minute if the thirst hit strong enough, never mind the intense strength that came with that first year of the second life!
Bree looked towards the fair haired human, taking her hand but not truly holding it for fear of hurting Felicity. She didn't want that to happen, she never wanted to be the one to hurt Felicity. She'd been so kind to her had shown her what she hoped to gain from this new life. Friendship and Family. For that, Bree would forever be in the human's debt.
Felicity smiled, knowing that Bree was doing her best to be gentle as she lead her forward and towards the three kings, Demetri close behind as the ancients eyed her cautiously.
"Allow me to introduce Miss Bree Tanner. She was a member of Victoria's army until it's recent destruction, I request that she be taken into the fold of the Volturi coven and given the chance to discover her true potential and, also, to strengthen the bond she shares with our very own Demetri. I vouch that she is more than worthy of this position and am willing to take her under my wing until she discovers the true nature of her ability"
The three kings were slightly taken aback by Felicity's sudden formality, the conviction behind her words as she looked them square in the eyes with determination. Marcus couldn't help but look toward the bond between the two, smiling fondly as he placed his hand upon Aro's.
'You cannot deny the bond of soul sisters, brother mine'
Aro felt startled at Marcus' words within his mind before stepping forward and looking directly towards the two, noticing how his beloved moved instinctively to shield the young vampire. He would never dream of going through his mate to get to the other, but it made him wonder what made her so willing to protect her when, if she had not been the mate of the three kings, she had no chance of winning in a fight.
"You are welcome within our ranks, young Bree. It is rare for our beloved to vouch so adamantly for another. But, I wonder, will you allow me to take your hand for a moment?"
Bree looked terrified suddenly, dropping Felicity's hand and hiding behind Demetri once more as Aro backed up at the scolding look his mate sent towards him. She may have been human, but Felicity could still send chills through an un-dead heart with her well hidden anger.
"You must be more careful Aro, the same for each of you, Bree is not accustomed to your ways and has had no good experiences at the hands of her own kind. Allow her chance to settle before you attempt your own gift upon her"
If it had been any other chastising him, Aro would have torn them limb from limb without a second thought but, in the case of Felicity, he found himself merely smiling deviously as he swooped forward to cradle her like Caius had done upon her arrival.
"My dear, have I ever told you how dazzling you are when displeased? I do so enjoy your scolding"
Felicity gave a groan of irritation as she swatted the vampires chest in a futile attempt to reprimand him as he carried her back towards his brothers and motioned for the group to return to the castle once more, each king smiling fondly as their young mate continued to reprimand them for not behaving like true royalty in front of the new coven member.
Bree felt dazed, confused how such a tense situation had been defused so quickly and become nothing more than a lovers joke. She looked towards Demetri as she stepped out from behind him, seeing the reassuring smile that he was sending towards her as he spoke.
"Before Felicity came to the coven, that situation would have ended nastily for everyone involved. But she's changed them; they're a lot more relaxed and happier now that she's become their mate. Don't get me wrong, if you rubbed her up the wrong way then they would act accordingly... You'll get used to it in time; the Volturi's actually a much nicer coven to be in now"
Later that night:
Felicity sighed as she lowered herself into water, shuddering at the feel of the hot water caressing her skin and the scent of her strawberry bubble bath filling the air around her. She felt exhausted, having only just been able to escape from her three mates and their eagerness to keep her close for an indefinite amount of time.
"More like Caius and Aro's eagerness... I doubt I would have escaped so easily without the aid of Marcus. At least he is willing to allow my alone time on the promise of shared time once I feel refreshed"
She smiled fondly, something she found herself doing more and more often since returning to the Volturi as the mate of all three. They were each very strong personalities in their own way and sometimes more than a little tiring, but for all the trouble they could cause her, she wouldn't have changed them for the world.
She leaned back against the wall of the tub, pushing such fond thoughts from her mind as she focused on the task at hand. As much as she found herself beginning to care for Bree, there was still the matter of the new born's evasion of her sight. She had attempted once more, after Demetri had offered to show the young vampire around the castle, to see into the girl's future. She had failed yet again.
"What protects you, Bree? What shields you from my sight... It feels like a hand is shrouding my eyes whenever I turn to you, nothing like the shield developing within Bella Swan... What could it possibly be?"
With a final sigh, she shut her eyes and allowed her mind to go blank and simply enjoy the feel of the heat against her skin. Such matters could wait till the morning, when her mind was fully refreshed and prepared for the challenge ahead of her.