The Trials begin. Here, as promised, is the first task. I hope it is everything you were expecting - or maybe more.
Chapter 26.
Carlisle and Esme stood with their eldest children in the circular room; they were stood behind the thrones on which the elder Volturi were currently sat. They'd been stood there for a good fifteen minutes and now were waiting for Bella and Jasper to be brought in before them. Jasper had spoken to them earlier this morning and told them about the importance of maintaining silence during the task and although it'd no doubt be difficult, they would do it; for them.
The door behind them opened and the Volturi guard and family members walked into the room and took their places around the throne area. The atmosphere in the room was solemn and tense and Carlisle could see the rest of the family were all acting in a very human fashion, fidgeting from one foot to another as the strain got to them. Rosalie was standing to his right and he could tell she was tense; he reached for her and placed his arm around her shoulder; pulling her into his body in a half hug. Rosalie came willingly and sent a grateful look up to him in appreciation before she rested her head on his shoulder; her thoughts clearly on what her brother was about to face. Carlisle looked to his wife and he could already see her tears forming as they waited for their other children to appear; his wife had taken the last few days badly; it had been extremely tough on them all but he could see his wife was suffering worse than them all. Jasper had always been her baby boy and both of them were particularly fond of Bella and felt responsible for the life that had been forced on her. His hand took Esme's and gripped it slightly, pulling her towards him. He met Emmett's eyes and held them in a long gaze before watching his son take hold of Esme's other hand. They were going to be there for each other through this; as a family.
A small buzz had formed in the room since the guard and Volturi family walked into the room but as the door at the far end of the room opened silence fell. Jasper and Bella entered the room and Carlisle could see his son was holding Bella's hand in a vice-like grip; he could see Bella looked nervous and Jasper just looked tense; the atmosphere in the room increasing again as Jasper's emotions tinged the room; affecting each occupant. The two of them took their place in the center of the room and faced the three Volturi elders.
With a quick nod from Aro the guard moved from where they were currently standing and stood around the edge of the room; all facing towards Bella and Jasper. Carlisle heard the intake of breath from both Esme and Rosalie and also saw Emmett's fist clench as realization struck them all of the severity of what the two of them were about to face. When the family spent time together the night before it was believed that it would only be one of the guard Jasper would need to face but now it appeared that wasn't quite correct; the information from Aro had been quite vague; just saying he would need to face the guard. Now it looked like it would be a multiple attack and the realization was filtering over his children's faces as they looked at the guard surrounding them.
Aro and his brothers rose to their feet and swept down the stairs to stand in front of them. Aro pulled a sheet of paper from nowhere and then unrolled it; pausing slightly before starting to read from it. "We're gathered here to begin the process for the bond of brotherhood as invoked by Edward Cullen. Can the two candidates involved in this bond please state their names for the record?"
"Jasper Whitlock." Rosalie sighed when she heard Jasper refer to himself by his human name and Jasper's eyes caught hers; he sent her a pulse of love and she smiled at him softly.
"Bella Cullen." Carlisle smiled at his daughter as he heard her say her new name and she smiled slightly back at him.
"Jasper Whitlock, please can you confirm you're entering into this process willingly and are prepared for the challenges you're about to face in order to be bonded for eternity to Bella Cullen. You're not being coerced into this and bear the responsibility of the bond on your shoulders."
"I do."
"Bella Cullen, do you, as the former mate of Edward Cullen accept his wish for you to be bonded to Jasper Whitlock and agree to stand by him throughout these challenges."
Jasper squeezed Bella's hand and she stared into his eyes for a few seconds before responding. "Yes. I do."
"Jasper Whitlock, Bella Cullen, you are now hereby entering into the bond of brotherhood as laid out in Volturi law. From this point on you must adhere to all rules of the law and any infringements of the tasks are punishable by the methods laid out in the law and any addendums to it. Do you understand this?"
"We do." They both answered.
"You've been passed information relating to these tasks. Please can you confirm you've read and understood this?" Again they both answered in the affirmative. "For the record, can it be noted that the candidate's family are present and will be present for each of the tasks. They're not allowed to participate in the tasks and should not assist either candidate in any way." Aro turned to face the rest of the Cullen family, "Please confirm you understand this and will not interrupt at any stage?"
"I can answer for my family and say that we all understand." Carlisle said.
Aro turned to face Jasper and Bella again, "Jasper, as the person obligated under this law, you have understood what we've told you regarding the consequences of failing any of the tasks. Is that correct?"
"Yes."
"And you've been told the options open to you, should that event arise?"
"Yes." Jasper was aware of Bella's eyes on him and he brushed his thumb across the back of her hand to soothe her. While this was mentioned last night; with everything else that happened after he knew it was unlikely she would've really taken this part of what he'd said in.
"At this point, we must ask that you make your choice regarding this matter so preparations can be made should this become necessary."
The room was silent and Bella, Rosalie and Emmett looked at Jasper with a mixture of confusion and horror. Jasper looked at the floor for a few seconds; feeling the emotions flooding from his family. "I've discussed this with my parents and my father, Carlisle Cullen, has agreed to step in and complete this if the need arises." All eyes from the younger family members swiveled to their father; seeing him kiss the top of Esme's head as she sobbed silently on his shoulder.
"Very well." Aro looked at his brothers who nodded to him and then all three spun round and sat back on their thrones.
It was Caius who spoke next, "The first task will now begin. The objective of this exercise is for the candidate, namely Jasper Whitlock, to face the Volturi guard in an attack and try to withstand it; any member of the guard has five minutes and there is to be no use of gifts." The members of the guard all turned their heads to look at Caius and nodded to him; some more reluctantly than others. "Bella, if you'd please move to stand beside us?"
She looked down at the ground before raising her eyes to meet those of the Volturi. "Actually, I'd rather stay with Jasper, if that's okay? I'd like to be with him throughout the tasks and be there for him."
There was a general murmur from the members of the Volturi family and the three brothers huddled together to discuss her request. After several minutes where the tension escalated even further Caius spoke again, "This is quite irregular; however my brothers and I have discussed this and have agreed you can indeed face the task with Jasper. There is one strict rule you must adhere to though; you must not physically assist him in this task. Is that clear?" Bella nodded. "Then you have two minutes to prepare yourselves before the task will begin. Good luck."
The room fell silent; watching as Jasper turned to face Bella. "You didn't have to do that," he whispered to her.
"I can't let you do this on your own, Jazz. We're stronger together than we are apart, remember?" She gripped both his hands and looked into his eyes. "What has dad agreed to do?" she murmured to him.
"He said he would be the person to kill me if I fail a task."
Bella looked at him in surprise and then turned her head to look at her father's face; seeing the sadness present on his face. "What?"
"It was the best option from a lot of bad choices – none of them are an ideal solution. Dad said he'd endeavor to make it as painless for me as possible." Jasper watched as he saw her mull over what he'd said to her; then she collapsed against him and he wrapped his arms around her body as she sobbed into his chest. "It'll be okay, Bella. We just need to make sure he's never put in the position where he has to follow through on the agreement." He whispered into her ear; brushing her skin with his lips as he spoke. "Please don't cry, darlin'," he said.
Her body stopped shaking as he held her and she tried to compose herself in the last few seconds, "I love you, Jasper Whitlock." She said as she lifted her head from his chest.
"As I love you, Bella Cullen." He replied.
United they turned with their back to their onlookers and faced the guard; waiting for the task to begin. Felix stepped forward first and crouched a few feet away from Jasper; the look on his face one of distaste and anger. Bella took a few steps back as Jasper released her hand and she frowned in concentration as she watched him take the same position as the guard; protectively crouching in front of where she stood.
Felix took a step forward; in the direction of where Bella stood and Jasper growled; a constant rumble in his chest that filled the room with noise; that one movement was like flicking a switch and Jasper shifted effortlessly into the vampire he'd been before he joined the Cullen's. The stance of his body changed as the vampire within him dominated him and took over. The dance between the two vampires began; graceful in appearance but twice as aggressive. Punches and kicks were thrown fairly evenly between the two. Despite Jasper's size, Felix still towered over him but the larger vampire's size counted against him when it came to competing against Jasper's speed and tenacity. It was difficult to determine who was winning at any stage and after a few minutes Bella could see the rest of the guard were getting restless; things were obviously not going the way they'd thought.
Five minutes had passed when Demetri broke the silence, "Enough." He said quietly but firmly. Felix stopped his attack and Jasper stepped back to Bella's side. The scowl on Felix's face deepened as he looked at Demetri before retaking his original position at the outer wall; far from happy to have failed with his effort.
"Is that it?" Bella whispered to Jasper as his arms wrapped around her waist and he kissed her forehead softly.
"I doubt it." He replied; his eyes still hard and not quite those she was used to seeing.
Sure enough another vampire stepped forward, "Afton," Demetri said by way of an introduction.
Jasper filtered through his memory but couldn't remember ever hearing Carlisle mention him before. He was tall and willowy and as he moved closer he appeared to almost float across the floor. Again Jasper stepped away from Bella; his stance shifting again back to the formidable vampire he could be; the two of them circling each other; a standoff soon reached as they sized each other up. Afton's attack was more graceful than the one from Felix but no more effective and again after five minutes Demetri called an end to it; leaving a disgruntled Afton to return to his original position.
A female vampire stepped forward this time, Demetri called her Chelsea and for a few seconds she stood still. She was staring at Bella and the longer she stared the deeper the frown lines on her face became. There was a hiss from the direction of where Demetri stood but no other sound could be heard. Chelsea flicked her eyes towards Jasper and a self satisfied smirk came to her face. Bella's eyes widened as Jasper rose from his crouching position and turned to look at her; a blank expression on his face. "Jasper?" she said softly. He quirked an eyebrow as he looked at her; his only form of response to her saying his name and she wondered what Chelsea had just done; had she just used a gift? Bella stepped forward; no consideration for her own safety as she walked to Major Jasper Whitlock. Her hand reached up to his face and she touched his cheek.
Jasper blinked as her hand came in contact with his face and looked down into her eyes. "What happened?" he said softly; recognition filtering across her face as his own softened.
"I don't know…" she murmured.
There was a growl of frustration behind them which drew both their attention and they saw Chelsea walk back to the edge of the room. "Let's see how you face a real challenge," Jane said as she stepped forward and trained her eyes on both of them as she focused her gift. Another hiss from where Demetri was but he didn't step in. The task was getting out of control and no one stepped in to stop it.
As soon as Bella saw her step towards them she quickly backed away from Jasper; for once her self-preservation kicked in; Jasper had reached for her at the same time and pushed her away from him too; his face hardening in a now too familiar way. Moments later Jane's effort reached Jasper and he buckled under the weight of her attack; his body collapsing to the floor; twitching as it took hold.
"Stop it." Bella cried out; venom crept into her eyes as forever unshed tears pooled on seeing Jasper suffer. "Please." Bella edged closer to him and reached for him; hoping to offer him some comfort from what Jane was doing. Her fingers wrapped around his bicep and his body instantly stilled; causing a collective gasp from several members of the audience.
Jasper's head turned to look at her as he still lay on the floor, gasping for air he didn't really need. "What did you do?" Bella looked at him; her own face showing as much surprise as his did.
"Bella, you're not allowed to assist him in any way throughout the challenge," Caius reminded her sternly.
"I haven't done anything." She whispered. "And they broke the rules first." She said pointing towards Jane and Chelsea.
"Back away from him." The vampire growled.
Bella kissed Jasper quickly on the forehead; ignoring the growl from Jane and then reluctantly let go of his arm and moved back to where she'd been standing. For a few seconds Jasper groaned in pain; his body again twitching slightly but then once more the effect on him stopped and he wasn't receiving any influence from Jane's gift. Jasper lifted his head from the floor and looked at Jane; sending her a wave of lethargy which caused her to stop her attack. Jasper sprang back to his feet and walked over to Bella; taking her hand in his.
"She cheated," Jane hissed. "She helped him and she's not supposed to." She was beginning to sound very much like the girl she physically resembled; throwing a tantrum at not getting her own way, in fact Bella was just waiting for her to stamp her foot in irritation; something that would've made her laugh if they weren't in the situation they were in now.
Aro rose from his seat and walked over to Bella and Jasper. "Bella, this is very serious… you've aided Jasper in the task… and therefore he's failed and will receive the punishment determined earlier. Felix…" He beckoned for the vampire to step forward.
"But I didn't do anything." Bella protested. "You said I couldn't assist him physically and I haven't done that."
"You stopped Jane's attack on him."
"An attack she wasn't supposed to be making. I didn't do anything and anyway they broke the rules first. The attack from the guard is supposed to be on Jasper; Chelsea attacked me first with the gift she isn't supposed to be using and when it didn't work then turned it on Jasper." Bella said; indignation clearly heard in her voice.
Jasper spoke up at this stage; tightening his grip on Bella's hand to try and calm her, "Bella seems to have the ability to shield herself from attacks; which is probably why you can't read her. I think when she touched my arm she may have put that shield around me, without realizing it."
"You never told us about this gift." Aro said, obviously perturbed by their apparent subterfuge; also wondering how he hadn't noticed it in either Jasper's or Carlisle's memories.
"It has only happened once or twice and Bella is still trying to gain some control of it; we didn't hide it from you, Aro, you must've seen it in both mine and Carlisle's memories. This is the first time Bella has ever shielded someone other than herself from an attack and the use of the shield on herself has been sporadic at best."
Aro stood and filtered again through the memories; finally noticing the times when Bella's gift had and hadn't worked. "Interesting. You appear to be quite a find, Bella Cullen."
"So, do you agree I didn't aid Jasper in the task? I certainly didn't physically anyway; and I don't even know how I got the shield to project around him. I can barely get it to work for me." Bella was getting more upset as she spoke to him and held her breath as he mulled over what she'd said.
"I think you're correct; there was no physical assistance given and your shield appears to be a talent you still don't completely understand and can't control so we can hardly hold that against you." Aro turned to the people watching and his brothers, "Taking that into account and the fact that gifts were used against you; let it hereby be noted the first task has been completed successfully by Jasper Whitlock." A murmur of noise ran round the room but soon fell to silence. "The second task will be held in two days time."
Jasper and Bella hugged as he finished talking and were only separated when their family arrived to congratulate them. Esme was quick to pull first Bella and then Jasper into long hugs; soon followed by Rosalie and Emmett; who hugged Bella but did a congratulatory slap on the back for Jasper. Jasper noticed Carlisle was hanging back from the rest of the family and looked in his direction as they all spoke to him quickly and quietly. His eyes met his father's and saw the hesitancy in them which told him more than he thought it should. "Dad?" He felt the reaction from Bella and his siblings and knew there was going to be an issue they would have to resolve. Jasper pulled his hand from Bella's and walked to stand in front of his father. He was engulfed in his arms before he knew what was happening and he took a moment to enjoy the feelings of love and relief emanating from someone he admired so greatly. He turned back to the rest of the family and could see the looks on Bella's and Rosalie's faces that showed they didn't understand how he could be like that with him. "Let's get out of here. There are things we need to talk about."
TBC
A/N: Did that go the way you were expecting? Let me know and send me a review. Next chapter the aftermath of task 1... later today.