Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight, but not Merged Souls: Trying for Normal

Author's Note: Sorry it's a shorter chapter than usual but there's still plenty going on.

Chapter 13

WalPOV

Cullen is such a bastard he can never let anything alone he always has to know everything the fucker, minding reading isn't enough! And how dare he push me like this, one of these days I'll see how likes to bare his soul for others.

Reagan was giving me a look like she was going to throttle me if I didn't say something. She doesn't even know what I'm about to say. God how can I betray a family trust, it's my secret and I should be able to keep it "Blast, it has nothing to do with any of you! But if you have to know my sister the Princess Bridget was betrothed to Eric Godard by my Uncle Richard."

Everyone stopped breathing i was remarkable looking at all their stunned faces. " It done as payment for services rendered in the capture and execution of my Uncle Anthony Woodeville the 2nd Earl Rivers and my half brother Richard Grey."

My Uncle had promised my mother that my sisters would only be married off only to gentlemen. Ha...the Godards at that time were non titled pigs. When Bridget found out who her husband to be was she sought sanctuary in Dartford Priory. But she was dragged from that place by Godard and forced into a marriage. Subsequently she was raped by her husband. She got away from him when he tired of her and returned to the Priory but she was pregnant. She gave birth to a daughter whom she named Agnes.

Henry Tudor had the marriage between Godard and my sister dissolved when he became King and married my sister Elizabeth. In effect he made my niece a bastard. So Agnes stayed at the priory with her mother. And Bridget eventually took her vows becoming a nun. My sister Queen Elizabeth paid for the expenses incurred by Agnes and Bridget at the priory and arranged a good marriage for Agnes with a considerable dowry to an Adam Langstroth a Yorkist loyalist and a member of the landed gentry."

"So there you have it Cullen I hope you're satisfied! Now you know that my sister's child was essentially a bastard. She couldn't be received at court by her own Aunt the Queen of England because of a mercy conferred on her mother by the dissolution that abomination of a marriage!"

Mrs Franks was getting fidgety. Edward was unphased by Wales rant and asked Mrs Franks if she had something to add. "Um I can see that this may be a moot point Mr. Wales but the Richmond's were at the Battle of Hastings along with the Godard's and you Mr. Gideon. They were shapeshifters even then but did not make it widely known to anyone. Even King William had no idea. And for their services to the King they were granted lands and property close to the Godard's. The Richmond's also brought their ladies over from Normandy and one of the daughters actually married into the Langstroth family. So Mr. Wales when your niece Agnes married Adam Langstroth she was marrying into an off shoot of the Richmond family. It would seem that your family is tied to the Godard's and Richmond's for better or worse. "

I would have given anything to have kept my secret, even Richard wasn't aware of the details about our sister and now I knew even more than I cared to. My darling sister had been violated and was never the same carefree loving young woman again. "Keeping track of my family and relatives after I had been rescued from The Tower had become something of a hobby for me but once that prig of a nephew Henry VIII came into power I lost interest and it was too time consuming to keep track of all the offshoots."

"Though Tacitus somehow managed to keep a rather involved family tree in his head Richard told me that he had apparently committed it to paper before his demise. It may even still be here in the castle. Have you found anything like that yet Alastair?"

Alastair looked up from his lap, he was writing like a mad man and muttering to himself' fascinating just fascinating'. "Oh um, no not yet but it may very well be in the library which has been Alger's domain. There are several thousand documents that I believe Alger has identified and catalogued with as many more yet to go. Am I correct Alger?"

Alger was deep in thought and Alastair had to repeat his question before he looked up. "Yes. But I was wondering if this Eric is here because of you Wales, and not my wife. Perhaps the other Godard may be helping his brother get to you and finding out about my wife was accidental? You see I found the receipt for the flowers she sent to her mother's funeral. My wife ordered them online from a florist in England she paid for them using under an assumed name and did not include a card with the flowers so she didn't give away her location to Godard."

Why does it always come back to me I've had it. I stood up to leave and Reagan stood beside me, good so for once we're on the same page. I went to kiss her and she pulled back."Edward my love sit down. I think Alger has a valid point, so answer the man, is this more about you than Donna?"

"Hell I don't know! Things have become so convoluted. But there might be a reason other than family connections that has brought Eric and his brother here. Though technically Brain is not his brother he was born into the Godard family only twenty nine years ago. It must have something to do with Eric's longevity. Why else maintain a relationship with a coven of loathsome vampires like the Volturi?"

CarPOV

I watched the interactions of everyone in the room the only one that seemed to be at odds was Wales. I could see material here for another nurture or nature debate. Instead I spoke out. "Excuse me but I think we need two fronts working on this issue one group doing research on Eric Godard and why he would be here and one finding Donna.

Alastair out of nowhere piped up. "Gideon what is your family name by the way?"

Gideon smiled. "Belleme, why?

"I'm thinking of researching anyone of us that was at the Battle of Hastings and look for family connections this is all very fascinating."

"Alastair, can you focus with us on the current issue please?"

"Oh, of course, I'm sorry but you know how I love a good puzzle Carlisle."

Gideon sat forward looking at Alastair like he had lost his mind. "I can help Alger in the library with the research. My Latin and old English are better than his. "

Actually I was thinking that since you have seen Eric we need you on our team so Gideon. Seth and the Cullens will look for Donna the rest of you can do the research."

Alger immediately stood up."No! My wife doesn't know any of you so why should she trust you. I have to go with you."

"Alger you are a hybrid and vulnerable if attacked. I'm not sure..."

"My father will be there and I assume you want him invisible, so he can stick by me like we did when we went to Godard's home. Come on he's more than just a trained knight he's also a warrior." He looked at Gideon with pride, probably for the first time, if the look on Gideon's face was any indication.

"Okay then, any other objections?" Wales opened his mouth but Reagan shook her head and he closed it. He definitely looked pissed. But when he opened his mouth again he didn't make eye contact with Reagan and was his usually arrogant self. "So Carlisle what pray tell are we looking for specifically in this research?"

I smiled at him he was trying to get under my skin but I wasn't Edward. "First thing how can werewolves prolong their lifespan? And what's Eric's or the Godard's connection to the Volturi?"

To assuage his ego I threw him a bone. "I know you are a man of action Wales but you are also the defacto leader of our kind now and we can't afford to lose you so let those of us with gifts do what we do best." He seemed placated by my offering and Reagan smiled her thanks at me.

But he wasn't finished of course "Well I can see that you would need to supervise the dog. But why do you have to take Gideon the one of the best linguists we have just to babysit the hybrid?"

Before anyone could say anything my beautiful and adorable wife turned on him. "Wales that was uncalled for and downright rude to Seth, Alger and Gideon. You may have been royalty once but don't forget you are the leader of our kind now, and should conduct yourself as such. Instead of like a petty, pumped up prince. And you need to remember that you are the leader only because the Cullens say you are. Even Marcus would rather that my husband and son shared power than you and your brother, so don't get uppity! The Cullens are well known and respected in the vampire world. You are not so well known or respected. I don't imagine that the mother you loved so much would approve of your behaviour today. Her family came from rather humble beginnings if I'm not mistaken. While Seth is descended from an ancient line of Chiefs and Shamans and holds pride of place in his tribe and will be one of their leaders someday. Gideon is descended from a line of warrior knights that can be traced farther back than your own lineage. So in words that my youngest daughter might use, stuff it Wales!"

As I looked around the room every non Cullen had their mouths open. Esme was a fierce protector of her family and that included the Quileute's. All our children smiled at her with deep affection and I had to repress a chuckle. But the Masen's were unable to hold it in and we heard the distinctive wind chimes and a hint of laughter. It broke the spell in the room, Emmett approached Esme then high fived her, picked her up and whirled her around. "I love you Momma bear."

Wales looked like he had just been chastised by his own mother and Reagan looked if not pleased at least satisfied that Wales had finally been put in his place. Even though Esme was centuries younger and was only four or five years older in appearance she spoke with the authority of a mother and that commanded respect.

Esme softened her tone then and asked if there was anything about Bridget and Donna that Eric could have fixated on Wales responded "Not that I'm aware of."

"Well Carlisle it may just be coincidence then that Eric and Wales are here at the same time, perhaps it has more to do with the Volturi."

I could tell Seth was anxious to get going so we talked to the Franks some more about the surrounding area. Reg wanted to go with us but we weren't prepared to risk his safety so he pulled up an on line map of the area and went over it with us.

I wasn't sure if Edward was going to be able to hold it together but we needed his mind reading capabilities regardless. Bella would just have to maintain close body contact with him and perhaps that would suffice to meet his needs, but we couldn't put this off any longer. I spoke to Bella and Edward about his immediate needs and he said he was okay. So I recommended that they stay as close together as possible in order for Edward to concentrate on what was happening around him without having to seek attention from Bella. "Bella that means you will have to be the one kissing him frequently, nuzzling him, and keeping as much body contact as possible or he'll lose focus on our problem, in order to get what he needs from you. I know you don't like to show a lot of PDA but can you handle this?"

"Yeah Carlisle, it's time to turn in my prude card as Em would say. I can handle anything for Edward." Edward looked suggestively at Bella. I pinched the bridge of my nose and said "Not now Edward. And Bella you need to watch your choice of words." Then we laughed and nodded at each other.

I approached Wales. "I hope my family and I aren't going to have a problem with you. You're still the best choice to lead our people and you're a good man Wales under all the showboating you do. You remind me somewhat of Edward in his rebellious days, no one could tell him anything. I think you'll get over it just like he did, but you and Regan need to put down some roots and gain some stability. Have you thought of staying here? Maybe you'd be more comfortable in Europe than the States. Think about it my friend."

Wales nodded, "You might have something there Carlisle. I feel so out of touch with the world. Perhaps I need to live in it more like you and your family, especially if I want to be an effective leader and not make the same mistakes of the Volturi."

Edward's head popped up and he said. "Then I suggest going to university. You can learn more about the world in the mosaic of school than living in a suburb of Seattle. I'd be happy to help you get the paperwork you need to apply and get settled in."

Wales nodded. "I've always wanted to attend Cambridge as boy. You know it's been in existence for 800 years."

"I don't see why you couldn't. Edward will help you look into it when we've finished with this business." He reacted like a kid that had just been given the best gift in the world, but then a good education was a great gift.

Those of us going out on the hunt for Donna made our way to the garage and the others peeled off to go towards the Library Esme and Elizabeth would stay with the children. We would be taking the two black SUV's Edward and Emmett flipped for the BMW. Edward and won again, Emmett got the FIAT and pouted all the way to the garage, until Edward conceded that Emmett could lead this little expedition. But Edward couldn't drive because of his need to connect with Bella so the driving fell to me now that had to be a first.

Bella sat on Edward's lap kissing and nuzzling him, so even while Edward was smiling all the time his eyes were alert and I hoped his mind was focused on the job ahead. We peeled out of the garage and headed for the countryside around Volterra. Once we reached a swath of woods Seth got out, transformed and began the search using all his senses while we walked through the woods using ours. We combed the area in this fashion and once we were done we moved onto the next. After about five hours Edward reported that Seth had caught the thoughts of a sentient being but when he called out to them they shut down.

"Edward, do either you or Seth get a sense if it's male or female?"

"It's too far out for me to hear. But what I'm getting from Seth is he can't tell. All he caught was 'il mio amore' when whoever it was sensed our presence. He's pretty sure they know we're here." We continued for another hour until Seth ran back to a clearing we had just entered and there stood the hunting shack Reg had told us about. Someone or thing was close by I could hear movement in the brush. I looked to Edward and he shook his head but did not share his thoughts out loud. Alice just shrugged so it was someone that she can't see and hopefully its Donna.

Edward went to Alger and whispered to him and gestured for us to step back to the periphery of the clearing, remaining visible but not threatening. Alger paced about in the centre of the clearing quietly calling Donna's name and reassuring her that she was safe with us. He even went so far as to point me out as the Dr. Cullen they had wanted to talk to. Several minutes went by and nothing. Then slowly a larger than normal but decidedly feminine red fox walked cautiously into the clearing and sat facing Alger. Alger dropped to his knees and looked to Edward who nodded yes, apparently this was Donna. Alger explained everything that had happened in her absence. The fox rose and padded into the shack and after a few minutes came out as Donna. She was as tall as Alger, with a lean well defined frame. She had long light brown hair and grey eyes and the olive complexion of her Italian ancestry with a very pert up turned button nose.

She fell into Alger's arms. She looked exhausted. Rather than stay exposed here in the open I insisted we return to the security of the castle. We got back to Volterra and we met with the others in the library.

I took Donna and Alger aside to anteroom and examined her, other than being very tired and hungry she only had a few scratches from brambles. Esme, Elizabeth and the children joined us by way of the kitchens and brought food for Alger and Donna. Donna was mesmerized by the triplets as they were of her. Wales was unable to take his eyes off of her and he looked like he was in pain and close to tears. "Wales are you alright?" All eyes turned in his direction.

Wales shook his head overcome with emotion. He gasped then spoke in a whisper. "She is the image of my sister Bridget, except for her skin tone it could be Bridget sitting there."

Donna turned to him and her eyes softened. "You're one of The Tower Princes aren't you. Alastair told me all about you. I'm sorry if my visage brings you pain."

"No! No, No my dear lady on the contrary you bring back some very pleasant memories, even though Bridget's history is a very sad one. She was a very sweet child and rather ethereal, you have much of the same otherworldly look about you and trusting face."

I had once read that there was speculation that Bridget suffered from some mental incapacities perhaps as a result of her attack and rape at the hands of Eric. As a royal with a good education it was strange that she never rose in rank within the Priory. Perhaps she had withdrawn into herself. She only left the Priory once in her life time and that was for the funeral of her mother in 1492. She never even attended the nuptials of her daughter Agnes or the coronation of her nephew Henry the VIII. And she reportedly had little contact with anyone in the family until her death in 1517.

Wales had succumbed to dry sobs, Donna rose to comfort him and he accepted her hug. "You know I wanted to change Bridget but Tacitus wouldn't let me. He said she was damaged and beyond help. He insisted that to change her would sentence her to madness for an eternity. So Richard and I watched over her from afar, but she never knew us and we were careful to hide from her."

"My darling sister withered and pass away forgotten by the rest of the family, though she out lived everyone but my sister Katherine and of course Richard and I. The locket that Richard keeps was our mother's and has two portraits inside one of Bridget and one of Richard and me, the children she said she lost. You know to her dying day my mother blamed herself for what happened to us. But she was a woman. Her nearest male relatives had all been executed or imprisoned. What else could she have done against our Uncle Richard? By the time she was able to get someone to come to her aid it was too late to help her lost children."

Donna was very sympathetic and I can't say if any of us had ever seen Wales this vulnerable. While Emmett Jasper and Edward seemed to be trying to contain an eye roll, all the ladies in the room were very supportive, even my Esme, who had not too long ago told him to 'stuff it'. I chuckled and all eyes turned to me. "Sorry I was just observing how quickly the circumstances of how one is perceived can change in a matter of few short hours."

Wales chuckled to himself, "Yes and that is something that my sister would have noted as well. But she would also have told me to get over it and move on. Actually she told Richard and me that exact thing when we visited her on her death bed. Of course she thought we we're ghosts and told us that she knew we had been watching over her all those years."

I looked at Donna and saw my sister in her youth before Godard ruined her life. "She insisted that just as it was time for her to move on, so it was for us. I was so sad when she said she would see us soon. I've often wondered how disappointed she was when she didn't find us in heaven, or does she see us still when she looks down on earth."

I took a deep breath and looked at Reagan. "Well I could sit here and wallow in self pity for the rest of the day but we had a problem to solve. I need to know if it's my problem or not. So you young lady have put your husband through what it these days ...the wringer! Can you tell us where you have you been and why you left Alger without any explanation?"

DonPOV

I had heard so much about the people sitting in this room and for the first time in weeks I felt safe. The only person I wasn't sure about was the Native American boy sitting by the open window. Carlisle had introduced everyone and I knew his name was Seth and that he was a shapeshifter as well which helped me feel better that I wasn't a freak. But still I was nervous about what it all meant and would he be able to help me understand what this all meant. Alger my love was at my side and he was the anchor of my soul, his eyes never left mine and all I wanted to do was lose myself in his arms and to pour into him all my love. But the Prince was right we needed to solve this problem.

"Alger said he'd already told you about the weird changes I had been experiencing. One day I was outside on the hills walking. It was something I had been doing a lot since the day I had been disappointed about the negative pregnancy test. I desperately wanted to talk to you Dr. Cullen and didn't know if I could wait. Alastair had assured us that you were very busy moving but would be available in a few weeks. Finally when I saw Brian arrive at the doors of the castle I panicked. He had been relentless in his pursuit of me and I had no idea how he had found me. I ran to the hunting shack in the hills after speaking with the Franks. I had taken my father's Book Children of the Moon with me hoping it would help me make some sense of what was happening to me. But it turned out to be a chronicle of the Godard family. It is vile and disgusting tome and I wanted to burn it. I just couldn't believe that my father would want me to have such a book but it wasn't my father's. I found an inscription in the back indicting that in the year 1790 Charles Godard had passed the book onto his son and heir Eric. I believe my father stole this book and that was the reason he was died on the autobahn. As a shapeshifter he had highly developed reflexes and would not have easily lost control of his car no matter the conditions of the road. But I don't understand why he wanted this passed to me."

Carlisle and Wales both leaned forward at the same time, Carlisle spoke first. "I think Donna that this book may hold the answer to all our questions as to what is going on or at the very least why. I don't think Brian found you. I think Eric just happened to come across you when he came to Volterra looking for help from the previous residents of this castle. It seems he and his father have a longevity problem and he was looking for their help. Do you still have the book with you?"

"Eric oh my god he is loathsome I hated it when he would come to the manor with Brian and fawn all over my mother." I reached into my rucksack. "I have the book right here. But Carlisle this book is evil. My father is dead because of it!" Carlisle looked concerned for me so I continued. "When my father was alive he never tolerated the Godard's visits, but my mother found them entertaining so she would invite them to come when my Dad was gone on business.

But somehow when he would come home he always knew that they had been there. It was a constant source of contention between my parents. Once when he came home and found them still there he got into a huge argument with them, saying that he would burn the book before he let it fall back into their hands. He told Eric that he and his father were both abominations and that Brain wasn't much better. Two days later my father was dead."