Chapter 17 – Checkmate
In the end, it's often the simplest, albeit crudest moves that can win the day.
Read all you like about great strategy and elaborate plots. When facing an enemy of enormous power, a united force is often the strongest, especially if the bonds that tie them together can't be broken.
Aro stared at his former guard members in shock as they stood, united and impervious to any attack that might be launched at them. I have to give them credit; it was a brilliant move, one worthy of the best chess games. Playing off my queen's sacrifice, Chelsea bound the three of them together and Renata wrapped a veil of protection tightly around them, removing any chance for attack. They stood, unmovable and strong in their resolve. With Alec rendered useless by his sisters destruction, only Demetri was left. He couldn't stand against the nine of us. Even if Alec were to come back around, there was no way to stand against a force nine strong.
As simple as that, Aro had lost.
"And now what?" he spat, all good humor and false benevolence gone. "You bring us down; you bring down the world. Is that what you want?"
"Who said anything about bringing you down, Aro?" Carlisle asked pleasantly. "That's your own fear talking."
Aro frowned, clearly confused. He was prepared for an attack, if not worse. That's when I realized that, for him, living with the proverbial axe over his head was a fate worse than death. One that he so richly deserved.
"We are willing to offer you terms," I said, speaking slowly. It was as much to lend gravitas to my actions as it was to keep myself calm, for my insides were on fire, and I felt as though I were going to combust as everything built up inside of me. "We will let you leave, with those that choose to accompany you back, in return for concessions."
I looked beyond him to the group of three, their hands locked firm in unified defiance. "First and foremost, nothing will happen to these people. You will not lash out at them, and they are not tied to you any longer. They are free to leave if they want."
The large man didn't move, nor did Renata. Chelsea dropped her head, her hair falling to cover her face. Had she been human, I believe she would have been crying, although I wasn't sure if it was out of relief or sadness. Maybe later, when this was all over, I would ask Jasper what she had felt.
"Second, you will to return to Volterra and establish a committee of elders from all over the globe, other vampires who will help you to govern fairly. This body will be responsible for all issues, including whether or not to disseminate knowledge beyond our kind."
I thought of Jasper's comments, of how other vampires perceived some of the council's actions. There would be no arbitrary decisions anymore on anyone's part. This was the first step towards a democracy, one which had been a long time coming.
"Bella," Carlisle interjected, "you can't-"
I held up a hand, cutting him off. "What is done will be done for the good of all, Carlisle. Majority rules. Until then, we live by the structure in place. This will be done logically, and with order. Anything else will bring chaos."
Behind him, Garrett nodded, his red eyes bright with conviction.
"That includes noshing on people who don't want to live anymore, Beantown," I informed him. I still wasn't sure if I liked Garrett, but I respected his conviction and his willingness to act.
"I concede that," he agreed. "And I want to go to Italy with Aro. I can bear witness, and help institute a transition to a fair and logical process. The good of the many…" he said, reminding me of our interview in the Cullen's living room. I had no doubt in my mind that he meant it.
"I'll return as well," Felix said, his words strangely accented, reminding me of Boris from The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show. "I think it would be wise for, how do you Americans say….a few checks and balances to be in place."
Aro said nothing, staring at me with an undisguised anger. He'd brought this on himself, and it was clear that he still didn't see what he'd done wrong or how this all could have spun out of his control.
"You offered me everything within your power," I said, staring directly at him. Aro didn't scare me anymore, nor did this fate that stretched out in front of me. "You offered me things, which are all disposable, in exchange for this myth that I represent. Yeah, I grew up poor, and I'd love to have every book known to man, and maybe a pretty painting or two, but you know what? You took away my first chance at the one thing I really wanted. I won't let you do it again."
Aro frowned, not following.
Behind me, Emmett snorted. A second later, a pebble hit Aro in the center of his forehead. He shook his head, dazed and furious, but incapable of doing anything about the assault.
"A family, you jackass," Emmett said, eliciting snickers from both Jasper and Rosalie. It would seem that Aro's ability to intimidate had completely evaporated, and his jaw dropped open as the laughter grew, until the clearing was full of it, not just from the Cullens, but from his former guard members as well.
Ω Ω Ω
It's amazing how things change with the shift of power. Demetri and Alec decided to return to Volterra, but they chose not to accompany Aro. Jasper claimed that Alec was bereft and confused at the loss of his sister, and Demetri felt it his responsibility to look out for the boy. What that meant for the future was anyone's best guess, but for now, they were no threat to us.
True to his word, Garrett accompanied Aro back to Italy. Without Renata protecting him, it turned out that Aro was too frail to put up any sort of grand fight, and the simple presence of Garrett was enough to cow him into submission. He knew that Garrett was one person he would be unable to turn with his pretty words and empty promises, and that Garrett would have no compunction outing him to his brothers Caius or Marcus. Because of his lust for power and desire to control everything, Aro was now completely at our mercy, incapable of eluding the council's influence. All it would take was one word to destroy the fragile balance of power he clung so desperately too. Truth be told, with multiple people in on his 'secret,' it was only a matter of time before Aro ultimately feel. Whether it was one week or one hundred years, it didn't matter, change had been started, and he would not be able to stop it now.
After Aro departed, Felix approached me slowly, drawing Emmett away from the crowd to hover protectively over my shoulder.
"I mean no harm," he said in heavily accented English. "I just wanted to say that you are very brave, and I am happy to tell the world that I have indeed met the queen." He bowed stiffly from the waist. "I will also tell them all of your beauty and grace."
"Back off there, Bubba," Emmett said with authority. "The lady is spoken for."
"Lucky is the man," Felix said with a wink. "I am happy to have met you, Bella, and I promise I will keep Renata and Chelsea safe."
"Thank you." I smiled at him, charmed and a bit amused by this giant beast with the easy wit and what I hoped was a heart as gentle and kind as Emmett's. "He's strange, but you can trust Garrett."
"I will keep him away from old people, and call him Beantown as a reminder," he hesitated, frowning. "I am not sure I understand this term, Beantown. What does it mean?"
A very soft, girlish giggle drew my attention away from Felix. Renata was smiling, her hand extended to Felix patiently.
"Come on, Casanova," she said. The O in Casanova was drawn out, making the name sound off balance. One hundred years from now, I'd probably still be fascinated by the way these people could be so alike and yet sound so different. "I grew up in those parts; I'll explain it to you on the way home."
I watched as they walked away, a feeling of inexplicable sadness washing over me. I hoped it would work out for them, that they would indeed be going home, or at least to a place where they felt like they belonged.
"What are you thinking about?" Edward asked, his hand slipping under my hair to rub my neck.
"It would be so much easier sometimes if you could read my mind," I said, half joking.
"There might have been a time I agreed with you, but I think I am starting to enjoy this."
I closed my eyes and let my head fall back against his chest. The sun had broken through the clouds, warming my face. I'm sure that it was quite the spectacle, more than half a dozen people scattered around the clearing, all of us sparkling in the early morning light like chunks of pretty, unbreakable crystal.
"I don't know how to feel," I said, trying to find a way to explain the strange void in my chest. "It's like I am coming down off this massive adrenaline rush, but I know physiologically that's not possible without a heartbeat. It's like I am waiting for the crash, to be tired, but it won't come."
"It will, just not in the way you expect it."
"Maybe so. I will say I'm glad I can't go to sleep. I'm afraid of what I might dream," I admitted, my thoughts returning to Jane and her death at my hands. "I don't want to know what my psyche would do with me popping someone's head off so easily."
It was a flip statement, but Edward saw right through me, understanding just exactly how unnerved by Jane's death at my hands.
"She was going to kill us," Edward said. "It was just a matter of time. Don't feel guilty about her destruction."
I sighed, trying to force the negative energy out of my body with the air. "Destruction. That makes me sound like such a badass."
"Em and Jasper were both quite proud of your badass ways, as you so eloquently put it," Edward teased. "And Garrett was very intimidated. I think he's scared of you now."
"So there is some good to this after all," I joked half heartedly.
"No, there is a lot of good, Bella. You just need time to internalize it."
"I don't know, it feels so…" I struggled to find the right word. "Anti-climactic?"
Edward laughed, and kissed my neck. "Before you say that, call your dad, okay? Let him know that it's all taken care of, and then make that decision."
I had a feeling there was more to it than that, but I didn't question Edward. He stuck a small cell phone in my hand, and hit a button.
"I'll give you a minute to yourself," he said as the phone started to ring.
Before I could protest, I heard my father answered the phone, and I hurriedly pressed the small sliver of plastic and metal to my ear.
"Chief Swan." His voice was gruff, and I immediately pictured him with his bushy moustache and salt and pepper in his sideburns. He sounded tough, but I knew better.
"Hi, Dad," I said, feeling infinitely lighter. "It's over."
There was an exhalation of air on the other end of the phone. "Are you okay?"
I glanced around the clearing, taking everything in. The fires were out now, the braziers cooling before being put away. Jasper and Emmett stood by the garage, and I watched as Emmett threw his head back to laugh and Jasper smiled in wicked delight. Carlisle, Eleazar and Tanya had disappeared into the house, no doubt calling Siobhan to relay the latest occurrences and strategize on what came next. It left Rosalie alone, sitting on the steps. Edward walked over and dropped down next to her. She leaned into him as he draped his arm loosely around her shoulders. She smiled, her eyes closing in relief.
"Yeah," I said, my voice cracking. "Yeah, I think everything is going to be just fine. Better than fine."
"No fires?" he asked skeptically.
"Well, there was one, but it was controlled," I admitted. "Nothing like 1951. Not in the least."
"Good," he said, and I could hear the pride in my dad's voice. "I like controlled fires."
It was a ridiculous, nonsensical conversation, encapsulating so much that neither of us would ever truly understand. The threat had been controlled, and Aro had been forced to cooperate. It wasn't a perfectly solution, but it was a start in the right direction. We'd controlled the prophecy, and turned the words to mean what we wanted them to. Maybe it wasn't done, but for now, it felt like it was enough.
"I'm going to be okay," I promised. Across the clearing, Edward smiled at me, and I felt a small tug in my chest. It didn't mean everything was all clean and organized, but I knew it was true. Everything was going to work out just fine for all of us.
"You're going to be more than okay," Charlie said, his voice cracking. "You were already amazing."
"I'm just me, Dad."
"Exactly."
It was my turn to take a deep breath, filling my lungs full of air and dust particles, feeling the strange sensation of things inside me before I exhaled, drawing out the moment so that it could go on for just a moment longer.
"I'm not sure when I'll be able to see you again," I said. My throat ached, not from hunger but from pain, and I knew if I could, I would be crying right now.
"It's okay. We can still talk as much as you want-"
"Every day?" I asked, sounding much younger than my twenty three years, eleven days.
"Every day," he promised.
"I love you, Dad."
"I love you more, Bells. I always have, and I always will."
Ω Ω Ω
I'll never know if they left me alone because of something Edward said, or if it was merely their understanding that I needed to say goodbye. After disconnecting, I placed the cell phone on a large boulder in the formal garden, and wandered into the woods, not following any particular path or direction, just wandering aimlessly.
As I cleared the crest of the hill, I stopped in the small pool of sunlight that filtered through the hole in the giant cedar tree. The small opening changed everything in the area, shedding light and helping to germinate new growth. In the spring, it was likely this entire area would be filled with sprouts, the sun allowing dormant seeds to reach towards the sky and claim their own space in this great forest.
I reached up to play with the small gold locket my father had given me on my birthday, my finger tracing the ornate S carved in the soft gold. My grandfather had given it to my grandmother at the beginning of their life together, and my father had passed it along to me as I entered a new phase of mine. This should be a time for me to mourn what was lost: my life, my humanity, the simple things like having a mortgage and being a mom and someday dying, but I couldn't focus on that. There were things I would miss, like afternoon naps and the ability to have a good cry, but those couldn't outweigh all the good. I had two parents, both of whom loved me and would do anything for me. They were free now, and I hoped that they would both be able to find their own happiness, away from shadows or fear. It hurt to know that it would probably be without me for a long time, but knowing that they were safe, and that I loved them, tempered that loss.
What I'd told Aro was true. Everything else was just trappings, things that I'd longed for simply because I didn't know any better. I would laugh with Jasper, learn from Rose, and balance eggs with Emmett. I would see the leaves change, and I would build a snowman and catch snowflakes on my tongue.
And I would allow myself to fall in love with the one person who balanced me out, and allowed me to see what lies ahead. I would no longer live on the sidelines. I had a place where I belonged.
"I know you're following me," I called out. "You can stop stalking. Only freaks do that."
"It's not stalking if I'm trying to keep you safe," Edward insisted. He stepped out from behind a tree on the other side of the rise, his hands shoved into his pockets awkwardly. "I wanted to give you some time alone, but I wanted to make sure you didn't run into any issues."
"Haven't you saved me enough for a while?" I tried to keep my voice level, but I wanted him to know that he'd played just as much of a role in this as I had. We stood as a united front, and we'd won as a team. None of this would have happened if he'd not been there, standing by my side, helping me to find the strength that had lain dormant inside. Like the prophecy said, I was the vow, but he was the one who carved it in stone. I couldn't have done any of this alone.
"I don't know, I was kind of getting used to it," he said, smiling sheepishly. "It's kind of intimidating to be the other half in this relationship."
"Is that what we are?" I asked. "A relationship? It sounds so... contractual." I waited for him to respond, but instead, Edward sucked in a quick breath, and I realized I was pulling at my lip again. It reminded me that power was subjective, and there were many different ways to both lead and guide. "Would you rather do this?" I asked, scraping my teeth across my lip once again.
In a flash Edward was across the hill, arms around my waist, his face just inches from mine. In the soft morning light, the skin across his cheekbones glowed, the shimmering color making it appear as though he was flushed and incredibly alive.
"I thought you'd never ask."
My laughter was muffled by Edward's kiss, and he picked me up, his arms tight around me as we rocked slowly back and forth in the light. I was stronger because of this, because of him and everything that transpired. There was a world to explore, and I wanted it to be with him.
"You doing anything this afternoon?" Edward asked, his forehead pressed against mine. "I know where there's a good take out place. Maybe we could grab some lunch?"
"Are you offering me fast food, Edward?"
"Only if you can keep up."
He released me, spinning and taking off at a sprint through the woods, laughter trailing in his wake.
It only took me a second to take off after him, anxious to meet this new life head on.
Swear not by the moon by hmonster