Aurora
Disclaimer: I own the cutest puppy dog ever, a pretty blue truck, and my own home. I do not own Twilight.
Summary: Carlisle Cullen arrived in Volterra hoping to learn how to be a doctor and share his ways with others of his kind. In turn, he learns that Vampires aren't the only creatures that go bump in the night.
Author's Note: A little of fun in this chapter, finally. Still, a bit of sadness since it is a funeral and all. There is a reason Carlisle didn't stay there for very long….
Chapter 14
The funeral for Paulo had occurred the next day and I was of the thought that I couldst not go for the day would be sunny and such weather would expose me for what I truly am. Indeed, the weather was quite the opposite of the humor I did feel for the skies were perfectly clear, blue, and the sun felt warm against my skin in the courtyard of the castle. As I attempted to come up with a polite way in which to explain my absence from their son's funeral – of which I could find none-, I heard and felt a book fall into my lap. I looked up to see that of Caterina, looking minorly vexed at me, wearing a black wool dress and black lace in her hair.
"Shall we go anon?" she asked me in my native tongue. Her hands were placed upon her hips as she looked upon me. My thoughts were confused as to say the least for I knew not where we were to go if but to the funeral, though that be an impossibility given the temperate day we did enjoy despite the melancholy humor that was still within me. I glanced down at the book she had thrown to me and noticed the writing was not one I could read; Turkish perhaps?
"We cannot leave for the sun," I told her in my confusion. Looking rather perturbed with me, Caterina pulled at my arm so that she might drag me along with her.
"Hath I ways around such nonsense as the sun in which for us to enter a church. Now come! Take thy things to thine chamber and dress so that one might recognize you as one of the mourners," she chastised me lightly. Realizing that she meant to escort me to the funeral, I gathered my things and kissed her lightly upon her cheek prior to exiting the courtyard for my chambers. I placed all the books I had taken with me now included with the odd book that Caterina hath given, upon my desk whilst I looked for my mourning clothes.
As I searched through my wools and linens, I heard a voice behind me. "Verily, Carlisle, such suits be most unfit for more than a beggar," I heard her say. With a gasp I turned quickly, in none but my shirt and slops, covering myself as best I could with my waistcoat that I had perchance found whilst she held my britches with two dainty fingers. Caterina smirked at my reaction as I grasped the britches she held from her.
"Caterina! Thou should wait for me outside," I told her, now myself being the one vexed. She laughed at me most heartily prior to making a show of turning so that her back be to me. I growled lightly at her and she even went so far as to place both her hands, in show, over her eyes. I didst give to this and quickly dressed in my mourning attire for it be the same suit that I had worn to Laura's funeral.
No longer vexed with Catty, being as I now be in proper attire in which to greet a lady, I gently pulled at one of her arms so to take it away from her half hidden face. Quickly she lowered her arms and didst smile at me before taking a look at the clothes I had on. Shaking her head, she held up the cuff of my coat and then gently let it go again, looking unto me. "Thee doth need a good tailor and a fine cloths for I shall not have my brother looking so peasantry," she said with such humor that I knew not if she teased or were but serious.
"Catty, I be but a peasant. What need have I for fine cloths when I do my work amongst the sick?" I asked of her. She shook her head again and snapped her black lace fan at me.
"Thou art my brother which means thou art no longer amongst the lower classes," she said as she walked about me. I made a show of it while I held up my arms so she might thoroughly inspect the seams of my garment. "And it be of no matter if such silks and brocades are made to be filth during the course of thine work," she said as she came to stand in front of me again.
"And you do expect me to throw such fine things away without a thought to the cost? I do not make so much in my work as to be able to afford a new suit each day, Catty," I gently reminded her. She did scoff at this and laughed at me again, her fan pointed at me.
"What doth make thee think that thou were to pay for such things, Carlisle?" she asked of me. I thought upon what her meaning might be but I couldst only think that she meant not to pay for such fine things at all. I was shocked but such a thought.
"We cannot steal them, Caterina!" I told her, gently grasping her upper arms. Again, did she laugh at me so that I did remove my hands in embarrassment.
"I may be many things, Carlisle, but I would not steal from an innocent and not without much more motive than simple want of pretty things," she told me softly prior to her walking towards the door of my chambers. "Now, if it is a very pretty thing that hath some history to it and is held by none but thieves themselves, then may I be coaxed into giving such an item a better home," she teased. "Shall we anon?" she asked, holding her arm so that I might escort her. Gladly did I take it.
Carefully she led me through a maze of tunnels beneath the castle walls and beneath the streets of Volterra till we came to an older door from whose hidden chamber I couldst already smell the soft hint of old decay. Upon opening it so that Caterina and I might transverse the threshold and make our way up to the church that was surely above, the smell of decay hit me harder, taking me back. Gently did Caterina pull upon my arm and force me to look at her. "Tis the crypt through which all dead things come," she said sadly. Of what I smelt made sense if this be where the bodies of those more affluent did lay. It were more catacombs than crypt I did take notice as I followed her black woolen skirts into the dark chamber. Caterina squeezed my arm tightly as if she, herself, were afraid of those that took their eternal slumber here might rise and taken her with them.
Ahead, I couldst see the soft glow of a candle's light to which a staircase lay behind it. Taking this as the way out, I led Caterina in such direction, taking no notice of much beyond the said staircase when my sister did suddenly stop. I took a look at her visage which was much paler than I would normally associate with her and her eyes wide open in fright. I quickly covered her mouth when she did scream for I did not think it wise for others to know of which way we came; it would give too much.
I looked in the direction of her frightened eyes and saw not but a rather larger hairy black spider that crawled across the floor a few yards in front of us. I gently let go of my hand from Caterina's mouth and nearly laughed at her until I saw the fear in her eyes and heard it in her voice. "Kill it! Burn it!" she demanded quietly. As the spider made a small turn to look at the two creatures that had joined it in this place of bones, Caterina screamed quietly and held tightly to my arm as if I were to protect her from such a creature. How the woman manages to go against children of the moon, other vampires, and immortal children without much ado but the full grown vampire is struck with terror at the sight of a wolf spider that couldst not harm her, I know not.
Gently, I pried my arm from her clutched fingers and made my way to the offending creature. If she doth protect me from creatures unnatural then I can easily protect her from the natural ones if she do so wish. I crushed the spider beneath my boot easily and heard another silent scream from Caterina. Smiling to myself, I took the candle near the staircase and quickly burned the remains of the tiny beast. Once the candle was back in place, I reached my arm out to Caterina which she clutched gladly, carefully to make as much space as possible betwixt her and the small hairy burnt spider remains. I could hold my laughter back no more and let out a small chuckle at her expense; for this did she hit me with her fan.
I looked to her sad and still much shaken face to ask but one question, "Spiders?" At this she did shudder and clutch my arm again whilst looking about once we came into the church proper.
"I loathe such a creature," she said quietly with still a good bit of fear in her voice.
"And to what harm hath such a creature inflicted upon thee?" I asked of good humor. My memories of why we were here came quickly as I spotted the Gagliardo family near the front of the church, awaiting the mass as they gazed at the casket in which their son and brother did lie. My good humor quickly vanished prior to Caterina being able to answer my question.
"Twas while I were still human. I wish not to discuss it other than to say many of our fears as well as our likes and dislikes do we keep with our change, no matter what we are," she said quietly. Gently, I gave her a reaffirming squeeze upon her arm as we approached the family to give our respects. If all I could do is protect her from spiders, then so shall I do, for was that not what a brother was indeed to do but to protect his sister from such creatures?
The funeral was much like any other though to see my friends grieve over the loss of their son was indeed a cause of pain for me. Caterina and I sat towards the back where the choir loft over looked the rest of the nave and the apse sot that we may be hidden from any sunlight that might wander through the stain glass windows about us. None took much notice for with us did we have young Bianca, who in being much too young to understand death and thereby much too young to understand the solemnly of such a ritual as that of a funeral, did play with her church baby happily whilst between us. She knew not that her brother wouldst not be there to play with her or hug her when she did fall. When asked if she knew that her brother had passed, she simply smiled and said she wouldst see him again in Paradise and went back to cradling her church baby. Caterina chastised the woman who did ask this of Bianca greatly for, my sister did say, children do not see the world as we do and that we should all be so happy as to recognize that Paulo has gone to Heaven and that we do hope to follow in his footsteps when God does call us.
With this, I knew my sister did believe as I did for the way she said it I knew she did not see us – our kind- as being separate from such hope. She believed that there was hope for us as well and that our kind may still have such chance as to enter into Paradise if we but follow by God's law. Of this, did I plan to inquire much of her later.
We sat through the mass and did wait within the nave with Bianca as the pallbearers bore young Paulo out to the small cemetery. Much fresh dirt could be smelt as they opened the doors to lead the way and I wondered how many hath died in the past few weeks; most from smallpox I did believe. This renewed my belief that I may be of some help to those less affluent and help them with the medicine I bought that horrid night.
For the next few nights, the Doctor would be in mourning. Given my position, I might do some good and go to those stricken with the disease but cannot afford a doctor's services, leaving them the medicine that might bring some relief. Such would I do tonight.
With my resolve, I looked upon my sister and Bianca as they quietly spoke. I couldst not help but take notice that Caterina now acted very much like a mother around Bianca. Her smiles were now sweet and not glimmer of planning or sport did she hide in her eyes. She kept her voice low and played with the church baby as any mother might with her own daughter. Sadness again overcame me when I did think that Caterina had once been a mother and none of her children still lived; a thought that did make me wish to ask her of what became her children. I knew many of the others counted her as gifted for she did have children prior to being turned unlike so many others; she had had a life.
Sabina, red eyed from her tears, came up to us to collect her sister once the funeral was over. Her mother and father were still too beside themselves with grief over the death of their eldest son to do much more than hold each other in their depression. "Come, Bianca. We must go back to the house," she commanded of the younger.
"No! I want to stay here," the small child demanded, her lip pouting out as she held her doll tight and curled into my side.
Sabina looked as if she might yell most forcefully at Bianca in this holy place so I gently nudged Bianca from my side. "Go with Sabina, Bianca," I told her only to watch her face fall and her to turn to Caterina for help.
"We shall see you in a week, bambina," Caterina told her as she did gently push Bianca towards Sabina.
"You promise? You and Carlisle will come?" Bianca asked, sadness taking over her form.
"I promise," Caterina said with a hint of a smile upon her lips. Bianca nodded at that and then she did hug me prior to leaving with her sister. Such warmth did I feel from the simple gesture from a three year old that, despite the sad occasion, I couldst not help but smile.
Once the girls had gone and the church was made mostly empty, I turned to Caterina. "Thou doth wish to come to work with me?" I asked in a teasing tone. She pretended to fan herself and look upon the stained glass. The light that filtered through it did prove that we had many a hour before sunset whenst we might move freely.
"I could not very well say no to the bambina, now couldst I?" my sister did reply with her head held high and not looking upon me. I chuckled lightly at her which did earn me another slap with her fan. I did try to not laugh any louder seeing as it would not be appropriate given the funeral and being inside a church.
"Ah, but I am your brother and what if I do say that thou canst not come?" I asked her in sport. Her eyes did narrow frighteningly upon me.
"No man hath ever ordered me nor shall any man ever do so. I am my own mistress and no master need I," she said to me with such tone than I did back down from my sport readily. Caterina turned her head away from me whilst she began to use her fan once again. "Besides, Bianca is the young mistress of the Gagliardo household and she may have some say in whom doth transverse her doorstep," she told me pointedly. I chuckled again.
"And who am I to go ask the wishes of young Bianca?" I did sport again. Caterina shook her head at me and we waited in a comfortable silence for a few moments. After a while, I didst notice that Caterina lowered her head before turning to me, her eyes not meeting my own.
"Thou shalt not be vexed with me if I do come, will thee?" she asked. I was shocked at her words but did gently smile at her and raised her face so that I might see her garnet eyes. It was then I realized her eyes were not garnet at all today but they were the color of the sea upon a cloudy day, swirls of grey and blue, a color only humans might have.
"How?" I stammered which did make her brows knot in much confusion. "Your eyes?" I clarified. She turned away readily at that and looked upon her hands prior to her answer. "It…happens whilst I am around humans for a few minutes. I do not mean to but I…take on the traits of humans," she whispered. I did look at her for such a gift was an odd one indeed if she could pass far more easily than the rest of us as a human and not even her eyes might give her away.
"Aro did tell you of my…abilities?" she whispered in a tone that did indicate that she was hurt from such talk. I nodded and went to place my hand upon her shoulder.
"He told me some but I would ask of more if I may be so bold as to do so," I told her verily for I wished to hear much more from her own lips and not those of Aro or Caius in regards to Caterina and what she had done. If the story Aro did tell be true then I wish to know my sister's side of it rather than to take such gossip for gospel.
Caterina did look quickly around and bit her lip for she wished that none might hear what she may say next. "Tonight, around the setting of the moon, do meet me outside the city gates and I will try to answer your questions if you do promise me one favor in return," she impressed upon me.
"Name it and it is yours," I stated simply not realizing that anything might come of such an oath.
"You must answer my questions in return," she smiled and with that I readily agreed.
Author's Note: A part of this parallels Twilight. Can you tell where? :-)