Chapter Ten| Kings & Queen

As much as I liked the slice of heaven I had with Caius and even the sweetness that came with precious Alec (whom I had already found myself drawn in a maternal instinct naturally after barely meeting him and getting to know him), it was the next day and I was to meet with the other two kings and the lone queen of the Volturi.

A queen that had been waiting for another queen's company for over a thousand years since the tragic death of her sister queen, Didyme.

Caius woke me up with light kisses upon the skin of my face, making me smile and blush. He whispered his sweet nothings to me before he changed into his fresh robes and gloves for the day.

If I were able to have steady and strong hands, I would have requested to brush out his hair and put all the encrusted jewels that danced across his blond locks in their places. I was not able to do so, and as much I wished I could tell him this I knew it was pointless. Besides he could see the longing upon my features, but he didn't say anything, just held me and wordlessly allowed me to know he treasured me despite the fact that I was not able to do what stronger humans could do.

I didn't know how to feel about Queen Sulpicia if someone as precious as Alec was simply pushed to the side because he wasn't the type of child she would care for. King Aro would let her be, most likely, for he must enjoy having a contented wife. A wife that would never need anything, and a vampire that could always know how to do something in a precise manner.

As though he sensed this, Caius stood up from where he had been sitting and came over to me. He ran his fingers through my hair. I tried to grasp onto him as hard as I could as he began to mutter another string of sweet nothings to reassure me everything would be fine. He might not show his opinion towards the other two kings, but it was obvious that Queen Sulpicia was someone who he would not care about at all.

"Everything will be fine, Cicco. I will be with you. I will make sure that nothing wrong will happen," Caius assured me, for what felt as though it was the millionth time. I had my head tilted downwards as I went to nod, only for him to gently pull my head back in its place.

Thankfully when it came to me changing clothes, I wasn't welcomed with Caius being the one who would change my clothes.

Instead, a woman vampire swept into the room, one who reminded me of Rosalie but had a different shade of blonde hair. There was also the fact that she was with crimson irises instead of the signature golden that the Cullens had. She was wearing a black stylish jumper with long sleeves and a diamond belt that was wrapped around the middle of her jumper. Her lips were a plump, bright red that matched the color of her eyes.

She curtseyed to me, bowing her head at the same time to show respect towards me. She turned and did the same thing to Caius, which in return sent him having an amused expression.

He cleared his throat, speaking in that enchanted voice of his, "Cicco, this is Heidi. She is in charge of our tourists…and I have decided that she will be the one to help you when I am not able to do so. Other than the times that she brings the tourists to us."

It was obvious he was talking about the food supply, but he was being respectful to me.

I tried not to think about the fact I would end up drinking human blood. I could try and drink animal blood since I had learnt of the idea from the Cullens. They were inspirational when it came to that, and I wanted to make everyone proud of me when I would eventually become a vampire.

Caius took me in his arms and held me as close as he could, holding me as tight as he could once again but making sure he would not hurt me. I couldn't help but start shaking and whimpering, tears rising in my eyes before they began to cascade down my face. Caius shushed me and made sure to calm me down before he got up from his spot and placed me back onto the bed.

"Take care of my Bella, Heidi. I put my trust into you, do not make me regret it."

"Of course, my king. I will make sure that everything will be swell. I will bring her to the library where she can meet the other kings and Queen Sulpicia."

Caius shot a look towards me, the desire to stay and be with me overwhelming but still allowing me to know he wasn't going to coddle me. He turned on his heel and stalked out of the room, fighting the urge most likely to turn around and look at me. The doors closed behind him, and Heidi slowly came towards me, sending me another warm smile.

"Let us get you dressed, and ready to go to the library. I am certain that you will like the other two kings…"

Heidi did not mention Queen Sulpicia.

She must have a sort of reputation that meant different emotions towards others.

So far, the only person that seemed to like Queen Sulpicia happened to be Jane, but from the fact that the queen enjoyed those who brought pain and utter respect it was obvious that she would claim the woman as her mother figure.

Heidi dressed me in a soft cotton dress that was a cream hue with long sleeves and a skirt that covered most of my legs. She did my hair carefully, putting intricate braids together along with some jeweled chains that reminded me of Caius. She brushed my teeth and washed my face before sitting me in my wheelchair and added slip-on shoes that would be easy to take on and off. They were nothing special, but they were still cute.

Once I was ready to meet the other kings and the queen, Heidi led me through the corridors of the castle with a mission on her mind.

She shot the most hateful looks towards any guard or courtier that gave me second looks. She was a force to be reckoned with and it made sense she was one of the most influential vampires of the court. Her charisma was able to be used as a weapon, she could either add to your reputation or take it away in the matter of a snap of the finger.

She eventually stopped us in front of two elegant stone doors that had a lot of Victorian Era gothic inspiration to it.

The stone doors were etched with angels and demons along with flowers with thorns. It was a masterpiece and I wondered who it was that had made the doors. I was certain any architect and historian would weep at the beauty of the doors.

Heidi marched forward and opened the doors, moving out of the way to show the grandness of the large and imposing library.

The color scheme was different than I expected, white marble and golden trimming. Still a gothic era inspired library, with two floors to it. Chandeliers were hanging from the high ceilings; the candles were lit, and wax was spilling around themselves but never fell down and hit unsuspecting victims below. The flooring was of the same white marble as the walls, with golden crown molding both on the top and bottom of the walls.

Imposing windows that were the same height as the ceiling and the floor were stain glassed and were depicting scenes from the Bible. They were of all different colors, as though they were from a rainbow. It was stunning, and the way the stained glass hit the air around us made it even more magical. As though I was in a different time period all entirely.

At the back of the library there was a dais, where the four royals were standing upon the dais. They were the watchers, the observers. The judges and the jury. Well at least that was the case for three of them and not the fourth, Queen Sulpicia.

Caius shot me a warm smile, and I could tell he wanted nothing more than to go down the dais steps and reach me. He stayed calm and collected, his attention turning towards the two kings.

There was Aro, with his handsome and sharp features and long dark hair, along with misty red eyes. He had a grin that was almost manic to it. The other king had a black veil over his face, well half of his face, and he had his hands intertwined together. He was Marcus, the king that had lost his wife and now had to face the fact that Caius finally had found his other half.

The last person I saw was the queen herself, Queen Sulpicia Volturi.

The woman was almost taller than the three men, with brown hair that was almost as dark as obsidian. It fell in light waves and down upon her waist.

She had many curves, ones which would make any man and some women fall onto their knees and worship her instantly. Her features were too soft, both angelic and demonic. So soft and delicate but her crimson eyes were harsh and as hard as diamonds.

Her dress was imposing, sticking to her as though it was a second skin with long sleeves that fell past her wrist and fingernails so long and sharp, I was afraid she would slice my neck open because she did not feel as though I was worthy enough to even be in this castle. There was a diadem upon the crown of her head, gold with pieces sticking out as though they were the beams of the sun, and a black veil that fell behind her onto the ground.

Heidi pushed me forward to the dais, as part of me wanted to put my hands onto the footrests harder in order to stop her from moving me forward. I knew the two kings would welcome me, but I didn't know if in time those harsh eyes of the queen would soften or stay in their solid form. I didn't know if I wanted her to warm up to me, I was basically taking away one of her twins from her, but she basically abandoned him over the centuries because she preferred his sister to him.

"My kings and queen, I present to you, Isabella Marie Swan. King Caius's mate."

Aro eagerly stepped forward and went to the bottom of the steps before he reached me. He took my hands in his without permission, only for Caius to send a warning hiss at him. Aro dismissed him and instead made sure to take me in before he dropped his hands.

"Miraculous, I cannot read your thoughts. It is true. You will make a remarkable shield. Even if you will be in the state, you currently are when you are turned."

One second Aro was in front of me, and the next Caius was in front of me, his teeth bared and crouched in front of me.

"She is perfect the way she is. Whether or not she will be healed through the venom is not important. She is my queen, my future wife. You will not speak about her health."

"Don't you fucking talk that way about my husband! The only thing that you are good for is overseeing executions. You are not Gifted; you are not even worthy to be–"

"Wife, all is fine. My brother is merely protecting his mate. He is correct. We must show the utmost respect and not speak of her health."

"She has stolen our son from us. Jane has told us that he has shunned us away and goes to her instead of us. She must be put into her place and reminded she will never be a mother; she will never be worthy enough to be–"

SLAP

Everything went silent, other than the slap that reverberated through the library. My mouth fell open at the sight of Caius in front of Queen Sulpicia. There were cracks that were upon her cheek, from the strength of the slap he had given. They quickly went away, her body immediately healing from the abrupt hit upon her skin. She growled and went to attack him only for arms to wrap around her and pull her back, the person that was holding her back was her own husband.

"Heidi, get Alec now. He needs to sedate her."

Heidi went away, her blonde hair a blur, and I stayed perfectly still as though my life depended on it. Caius decided to continue on and finish the conversation. He was prepared to put the nails into the coffin, to make sure there was no possible way for someone to pull the lid of the coffin off. He turned and looked at me, letting me know he was going to take care of this once and for all.

"Brother King, permission to put Alec under my ward. He will still have the same rights. All that changes is Bella and I becoming his new parents."

Aro was quiet for a moment, his hands were on his wife so he would be able to read her thoughts as they were going through her mind. His eyes went off to the side, and he clenched his jaw. His eyes closed and I knew he was remembering saving Alec from the fire as he was being burnt alive. He would make sure he and Jane would live together in immortality.

He didn't have time to say anything when Alec came sweeping into the room. It was odd, seeing a preteen coming into the room with the personality of someone who was much older than they were. His eyes flickered towards me, showing relief when he saw that I was not injured. His eyes went towards his surrogate mother.

"Alec, please sedate your aunt."

Alec frowned, confused as he turned and looked at me before he turned and looked at his surrogate father. Well maybe not after all. "What are you talking about, father? Aunt Isabella seems as though she is fine."

Aro closed his eyes once again, since he had opened them to look at Alec. He took a shaky breath; it was obvious that this was breaking his heart, but he knew that it was the best decision that he could make.

"I have decided that it would be best if you are the son of Caius and Isabella. It is not that I don't love you, it is quite the contrary. But if I have to choose between you and Sulpicia then know that it will always be her. She and I are your aunt and uncle now. Caius and Isabella are your mother and father, they will be able to provide for you now on."

Alec didn't show any emotions and instead focused on sedating his now aunt, watching as she went limp in her husband's arms. One of the random guards in the library not far away carried her out of the room with Alec following after her, the black mist that was wrapped around the woman made sure to remind everyone around them that he had a gift that was far more useful than others thought.

"Alec…"

I could not help but moan this, knowing he must have heard my plea. I had never imagined I would become a mother; it was something so far away from me. Something that I had never thought would be possible.

Yet Aro had given his son up for me and Caius, deciding that his wife was more important than the mental health of Alec. His wife was already off her rocker, but he still decided he would keep her instead of his depressed son.

It was more than unfair for Alec; it must be betrayal for him. Sure, he would still have his sister, but odds were she would stay on the side of her mother and father, knowing she would never part with her brother despite them now having different parents.

"Chambers…Alec."

As though he had sensed this, Aro nodded his head.

"Of course, Bella. Alec will be in your and Caius's chambers after he takes Sulpicia back to our room. I would apologize for the way she is, but she has always been this way. I thought she would have been more excited at the aspect of another queen here, but it seems as though she has gotten accustomed to having the sole power when it comes to being queen."

I almost wanted to snort at the thought of the intimidating queen feeling as though she was being threatened by me. I was nowhere close to age when it came to her. I was not over a thousand years old; I had not had the same experience she had. I did not have the same knowledge she had. She was light years ahead of me and yet her husband claimed she was threatened by me.

Then again, he had been holding her for a little while as he had waited for my now son to come and use his power to calm her down. So that meant he had enough time to be able to read her thoughts. He would know how she felt, and it was enough for me to let my eyes flicker towards Caius. A sign to let him know I was done with being in here, I wanted to go back to our chambers.

"Brothers, I shall go and take Bella back to our chambers. Do not call for me unless I am needed, otherwise I will be spending the rest of the day with her. Once she falls asleep, I will come and help you if it is needed."

"That shall be fine, the tourists will not be coming until tomorrow. There has not been any cause of alarm in our society that would result in us needing to hold a trial."

Marcus did not speak at all, merely nodded his head to show that he agreed with his brother. He did not smile at me or frown. He was frozen, he was a statue. He was a ghost that haunted this castle and no matter how much he wished he could leave and be parted with his wife once again it seemed as though no one wanted to part with him.

We left the library and went in the direction of where the stairs were that led upstairs to our chambers. Caius picked me up out of the wheelchair and held me in one of his arms while he picked up the wheelchair in the other.

He still seemed to look at the wheelchair with nothing more than disdain. I was waiting for the day he would randomly throw it out the window and proclaim the only way I would get around the castle was in his arms. It would both be flattering but also make me embarrassed. Came with the territory of having a very obvious disability that could cause self-consciousness.

We reached the chambers faster than I expected and he entered before throwing the wheelchair off to the side. I rolled my eyes, thankful that the thing didn't break in half with the impact it had.

He went over to where the couch was and sat down, keeping me in his arms. He took off my shoes and began to rub my feet, sending shivers from me in both surprise but also from coldness because of those death cold hands of his.

The chambers slowly opened a moment later, revealing Alec standing there with a shyness and nervousness which let me know he didn't know how to proceed. He must have thought he would have been trapped in a family manner with Queen Sulpicia. Who knew how he felt about his past father, if he was glad, he was gone or if he wished he was still his son because that meant he would still be technically the brother of Jane (he was always going to be her brother, but they could not be surrogate siblings anymore for the coven)?

"Is it true?"

"What is true, Alec? I would like for you to be more specific."

"Are you my new father and mother?"

Alec held so much hope. He peered at us as though we were a mirage.

It affirmed to me he really didn't feel as though he should be the son of Aro and Sulpicia anymore. Aro had taken the side of his wife, he hadn't even thought that he would fight for both him and his wife.

He lost them, and quite possibly he might lose his sister if she decided she would focus on being the only surrogate child of the king and queen now. I didn't like to think this was the case though, from what I heard nothing could separate the twins.

"Do you want me and Bella to be your mother and father? Quite frankly I never saw myself as a father type, but you have proven yourself to be a good son when you put Bella before yourself. I would rather have you as a son than having your sister as a daughter. She is a little too eccentric for my taste, even if I'm the executioner king."

I somehow managed to elbow him, making him send an apologetic look at me. He didn't say anything else, knowing the signal he had gotten from me managed to keep him from saying anything else that was stupid or could be taken the wrong way.

My hand rested on my lap but with as much focus I could I managed to motion for him to come towards me. Alec did so, still as frightened as a baby deer meeting humans for the first time. The boy truly was purer and sweeter than his sister. More meant to be the child of me and Caius instead of the child of Aro and Sulpicia.

Alec reached me and sat down on the ground. He had his head tilted forward in respect and I reached my hand out. I let my hand rest on his head and wiggled my fingers against his hair as though I was running my fingers through his hair instead of letting it rest there. A part of me seemed to spring to life, a part of me that I had not known was there.

I had been deprived of the thought of my own family in the future. I had been deprived of the thought of having any independency, of having to not rely on others. Yet something made me feel at this moment that I could have one of these. I did not have to give birth to a child for them to be my child, and Alec had latched onto me with a passion that I could not help but reciprocate.

He had thought me worthy enough to be his mother.

He looked at me and saw something inside me that drew him to me. He had been deprived from having a mother for the longest time, and when he came across me and saw that I had longed for something that was missing, the final piece in my future with Caius he decided he wanted to be that final piece if I allowed him it.

"My…my son."

Tears rose from the waterline of my eyes, threatening to fall.

I had been used to crying in the past due to feeling inadequate. A joke, someone that people looked at and whispered and degraded. Someone they wanted to help or ignore. Never a true, normal person yet Caius and Alec saw me as a normal person and someone special in their lives the moment they laid their eyes on me.

For the first time in my life there wasn't anything that was missing in my heart.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: UPDATE 3 OF 3

AS ALWAYS TWILIGHT DOESN'T BELONG TO ME

-EMMY