Chapter 15 – End of an Era
Caius had tired of all the talking that was happening and just wanted to get on with things.
"Enough of all this chatter, let's fight" he shouted out.
A chorus of snarls and growls were let out as the Volturi prepared to attack.
Aro pushed all his doubts and fears to the back of his minds and looked forward to getting his hands dirty for once.
"Show no mercy and make sure whoever you fight with really do suffer. Oh and a hefty reward for anyone who manages to kill the two little brats they have hidden away in that hut" Aro snarled the words out as he felt a surge of vindictive feelings bubble up.
Both sides prepared themselves for battle and the tension in the air was thick. Aro appeared to be stalling to give the command so Caius took control.
"Charge" he shouted out and immediate he and the Volturi guard started their advance. Aro meanwhile appeared to be rooted to the spot.
Demitri made a beeline to the hut where Tawémake and Renesmee were hiding. He knew that he could really please his masters if he managed to get one or both of the girls.
Felix however spotted what he was doing straight away. Felix alerted Kaure to the danger and she joined him with blocking Demitri's path to the hut.
"Out of my way" snarled Demitri, but Felix shook his head and crouched down ready for attack.
"No way Demitri, if you want to get to those girls you have to go through me" he growled.
Demitri shrugged his shoulders and said "Very well, I never did like you anyway"
Kaure held back a bit to give Felix his chance against Demetri. As Demetri charged forward Felix blocked his path and collided against him.
The two vampires fell to the ground and started to fight against each other. Demetri managed to take a bite at Felix's shoulder, but Felix shoved him off. As Demetri fell backwards to the ground Felix jumped on top of him and pinned his hands down, whilst biting at Demetri's face and neck.
The two were pretty evenly matched and the advantage swung from one or another. Kaure was pleased at how ferociously Felix was fighting to save his daughter. She resisted the urge to step in until she overheard Demetri refer to her niece as "that little bitch."
As anger surged through her body she knelt down to where the two were scuffling and just as Felix had rolled on top of Demetri she placed the trilet to Demetri's head and he let out a blood curdling scream before turning into dust. Felix landed with a thud on the ground.
Realising he was laying on the ashes of his former friend Felix quickly stood up and dusted himself off. He extended his hand to help Kaure up and they shared an uneasy smile.
"That was… err weird" he said, whilst not quite able to take his eyes off the trilet pendant on Kaure's palm.
Kaure patted his on the shoulder with her hand and chuckled.
"Don't worry, I will only use this against you if I have to" she said.
Felix and Kaure stood guard outside the hut as the battle went on around them.
Edward and Bella were tackling two members of the guard and doing quite well. Edward had just decapitated the guard he was fighting and had started to put the head and other body parts on the small fire he had started, whilst Bella was taking on her own opponent. She was holding her own, but Edward just couldn't shake the feeling of needing to protect her and he stepped in to help her.
Bella was a little upset at his interference, but they didn't have much time to discuss things as another Volturi member came at them. This time Edward stepped back and let Bella have all the fun.
The stood watching the fire they had made as the body parts from the three men they had thought with burnt to a crisp.
Jacob, who was still in wolf form was working with Pandora and Grace, who were both in the form of a MngWa. Between them they had successfully taken out 4 men. They too had a fire going and were now in the process of dragging the body parts in order to burn them.
Caius spotted a tribeswoman who appeared to be distracted and busy watching what Jacob, Pandora and Grace were doing. As he put his arms around her neck she let out a strained scream.
His grip was strong, but this tribeswoman decided to phase and turned herself into a MngWa. As she turned her neck was still being compressed by Caius, but she now had the upper hand strength wise and struggled against his grip. Eventually he broke his hold and she spun round to snarl at him.
She lowered her back haunches ready to attack and Caius tried to back up in preparation to flee, but there were two other tribeswomen behind him. They gripped at his arms and held him in place whilst the tribeswomen he had tried to strangle approached him.
In MngWa form the tribeswoman bared her teeth and took a bite at Caius's waist. He called out in agony and tried to wriggle free. The MngWa then took a bite at his leg and again Cauis screamed out in pain, but he had pissed this tribeswoman off and she was determined to have her fun.
After another bite to his other side, the MngWa sat back and bowed its head to the two women either side of Caius.
Caius tried in vain to struggle, but was unable to free himself of their grasp.
"Please.." he called out, but they tribeswomen showed no mercy. The woman to his left placed the trilet pendant to his forehead and he let out a blood curdling scream, before turning to dust.
Aro, who was still rooted to the spot looked on in horror, not quite able to make himself move.
Aside from Aro there were not only five members of the guard left. Three of them continued to fight, but Felix and Edward worked together and took out one of them, whilst Jacob and Pandora took out another.
The third one was turned to dust by one of the women who had just finished Caius off. The two remaining guards looked to each other and tried to flee, but they were swiftly taken out by four of the tribal women who worked in pairs, one in the form of a MngWa, who knocked the guard to the floor and pinned him down, whilst the other used the trilet to finish him off.
Edward and Bella shared a stunned look as they realised it was just Aro left now. They almost felt pity as they saw him stood rooted to the same spot he started off in.
Jacob phased back into human form and quickly donned a pair of shorts and stood side by side with Edward and Bella.
"That… was… great" he said, over pronouncing every word due to his excitement.
Kaure and Felix joined them as did the other tribal women. They stood chatting for a while before all focusing on Aro, who appeared visibly shaken.
Aro couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. They hadn't lost any of their side, but his brothers and all of the guard he brought with him had been destroyed.
"I.." he began, not quite able to find the words.
Aro's sense of self preservation suddenly kicked in and he tried to save himself. Surely now he was no longer a threat they could show mercy.
"Edward, Bella, please you have proved your point. What possible threat am I now" he asked in a pleading voice.
Edward and Bella both shook their heads in disbelief. They couldn't quite believe that Aro would dare to plead his case after all he had done.
"You're quite right, you are no threat, but that doesn't change a thing. You do not get out of this one Aro" snarled Bella.
Aro started to back up, but several of the tribeswomen repositioned themselves to block his exit. He was now trapped and covered at all sides.
Aro slumped to his knees and held his hands to his head. Dry sobs rippled through his body as he contemplated what was happening.
"Please, I am just an old fool, who lusted for too much power. I am nothing now, I can do you no harm" he sniffled.
Bella stepped forward and put her hands on her hips.
"What was it you said, let me think… Oh that's right." Bella began.
She then began to quote what Aro had said earlier.
"Show no mercy and make sure whoever you fight with really do suffer. Oh and a hefty reward for anyone who manages to kill the two little brats they have hidden away in that hut"
Aro swallowed hard and regretted speaking those words.
"That was just to get the men riled up for battle, of course I didn't mean it" he said meekly.
Edward looked down at Aro and was amazed at how weak and pathetic he looked.
"You meant every word you said Aro. In your mind you knew that even if we were to defeat you all, if one of your men could at least harm Renesmee or Tawémake then our victory would be bitter sweet"
Edward tapped his head to remind Aro of his gift.
Aro looked at Edward and was suddenly reminded of why he lusted after his power.
"Damn you, Damn you all" he said.
Bella smiled at Edward and turned back to survey Aro, who looked nothing like the man who had filled her with fear countless times.
She locked eyes with Aro and spoke with a clear and certain tone.
"Three times now you have threatened to take away all that is good in my life, for your own selfish gain, well never again Aro. I refuse to live the rest of my existence fearing you. I am not a vindictive person, but you don't deserve any mercy as you have shown no mercy to countless others before now"
Aro didn't know how to respond to that as Bella was right. If the shoe was on the other foot he would not show any mercy.
He let out a guttural snarl at Edward and Bella and then stood up and tried to run, but no matter what path he took his route was blocked. Slowly and surely the Tribeswomen moved in on him until eventually he was cornered in the centre of the clearing.
He sunk back to his knees again and heaved with dry sobs.
"Please, Please, Please" he muttered over and over again.
Kaure stepped forward and had her trilet at the ready. She still had Bella's earlier words in her head and realised that this moment would change Edward and Bella's life forever and this seemed to be a really big event, especially for Bella.
Kaure held out her other hand and used it to beckon Bella to join her. Bella shared a quick glance to Edward, who encouraged her after picking up on Kaure's earlier thoughts.
As Bella stood side by side with Kaure, who was towering over Aro she tried to fight back the little twinge of compassion she was feeling for this hateful man.
Kaure placed Bella's hand over the back of her hand which was wearing the trilet pendant and in unison they lowered the hand onto Aro's forehead. He didn't even try to struggle, he just stared deep within Bella's eyes and whispered the word "Sorry" before he turned into dust.
Everyone was silent for a moment, but soon various tribe members started to celebrate their victory. It was too hard not to join in the celebrations and Edward, Bella and Jacob tried their best not to focus too much on what had happened, but focus on the fact that they were no longer in danger.
Seconds later Renesmee and Tawémake ran out of the hut. Edward, Bella and Jacob all crowded around Renesmee, who were telling them how great they all thought.
Tawémake ran straight to Kaure, who hugged her niece tightly. She then held Tawémakes hand and led her over to Felix, who was able to speak to his daughter directly for the first time.
As they spoke he marvelled at how much she looked like her mother. He told Tawémake this and she returned a great bit smile to him and explained that Kaure was always telling her the same thing.
As the two bonded Tawémake noticed the nasty looking bite on Felix's shoulder that Demetri had given him. Felix tried to downplay the bite, but Tawémake was transfixed and gingerly put her hand out to touch the bite.
Felix looked at Kaure, who just smiled at him in encouragement. He stayed as still as a statue and allowed Tawémake to touch the bite. He prepared himself for the pain he'd feel, but the pain never came. The dull ache that was already there subsided at the same time.
Tawémake pulled her hand back and looked at Kaure with a big grin on her face and seemed very pleased with herself. Felix rubbed his hand over where the bite mark was and felt nothing but smooth skin.
"But…" he began
Kaure patted him on the shoulder and chuckled.
"Your daughter is special" she replied.
Tawémake nodded her head and smiled proudly. She picked up a wilted flower, that was discarded on the ground nearby.
Felix watched in awe at the flower began to bloom again.
"Wow" was all he could say.
Kaure observed as Tawémake and Felix talked away and realised that her sister had been right to see something good in Felix. It would take her a long time to forgive him for making her sister miserable and trust would take a long time to build, but she was willing to put in the effort if he was.
As if reading her mind Felix smiled warmly at Kaure.
"If you are happy with it, I would love to stick around. I will need some support and guidance from Edward and his family with regards to my diet, but I am willing to change if it means being able to stay here and get to know Tawémake better" he asked.
Kaure didn't even hesitate before agreeing.
Edward and Bella smiled happily at this exchange.
"We'll give you all the help you need Felix." Edward promised.