Chapter Eleven| The Middlemist's Red

Things had changed even more immensely ever since I had accepted Alec as my new son.

I had barely imagined that I would become a future queen to the world of vampires, but to know that I was given the chance to have a precious, kind son who was very protective of me was something that I could never imagine in a million years. Especially when I would still be a human.

I could tell that things were more difficult for the twelve-year-old boy when it came to his twin sister. I felt bad for him, he had been dependent on his twin since probably before they had been saved from the pyres and turned into vampires.

Perhaps this was for the good of them, for them to spend time apart from each other.

For Alec to be away from the toxicity of his sister and for Jane to learn that things didn't have to be filled completely with pain and anger. She could show emotions, she could learn to be more accepting towards people.

It might show that they didn't need each other anymore, which would have been pretty sad to think. I didn't want to tear the twins apart, but I loved Alec, more than I thought I would, and I would do anything for him to be happy and stay happy.

It was a warmer day, with more sunlight peeking through the dreary clouds, and I was outside in the royal gardens.

Alec was with me, and my wheelchair was facing the fountain that was in the middle of the gardens. He had the bottom of his pants pulled up higher so he could put his feet into the cool water of the fountain. He reminded me of those old paintings of children in creeks with their pants rolled up. He had his head tilted back and his crimson eyes closed, the sunlight that came to play sent out little glints of rainbows against his marble pale skin.

In the corner of my eye, I noted that there were two guards over by the stained-glass windows along with the grand doors. They had their hands folded together behind their backs, the hoods of their cloaks up and over their faces. Their cloaks were not the same quality as the highest guard. They weren't anywhere cheap or looked bad, they just weren't meant for those that were the most important position for the royal guard of the Volturi.

"Mother?"

My heart raced in my chest at hearing this, still not expecting to hear him say this even almost a month after arriving here.

I couldn't help but smile and made a humming sound, acknowledging him and allowing him to know that I was listening to him. Even though the sunlight did make me a little sleepy and warmed up my skin, since the castle was quite chilly and the only warmth, I got was either covered in blankets or sitting near the fireplaces.

"I think I've made progress with Jane. She's not as mad as before, I think she realizes that it was a good thing I was given to you and father," Alec confessed, making me open my eyes and allow them to land on the boy still dipping his bare feet into the cold water of the fountain.

A slight wind came and ruffled anything that was able to be ruffled, the brilliant flowers that made up the royal gardens were anything but normal. They were unique and were crossbred. Flowers that were rare were crossbred with other rare flowers. Botanists would want nothing more than to collect samples from the garden.

"T-That's good."

He pulled his bare feet out from the fountain and turned around so his bare feet would touch the stone that had been placed around the fountain. He was dressed quite down, in a lightweight cream button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up around his elbows and his khaki pants almost made him look human instead of a vampire. His eyes and skin tone said differently.

"I don't think that things will be the same between us, but she'll not abandon me. That's one thing she promised me even before we became vampires and people claimed we were witches," Alec continued, one of his hands dipping back and dancing across the surface of the water.

I pushed the button on the arm of the wheelchair, letting it go forward. I was thankful that it was able to be remotely controlled even though Caius either demanded me to be in his arms or pushed it without me needing to push the button. I liked being able to do this now, even though Alec had become quite possessive of me and wanted to do the same as Caius did (well not the carrying me around but pushing the wheelchair).

Reaching Alec, I pulled my hand away from the button and held my hands out, palms up for him to see. He put his hands into mine, making me shiver some from the coldness and the obvious wet palms from the fountain. He shot me a sheepish smile but the look I gave him assured him that a little bit of coldness and wet palms wasn't going to deter me away from holding his hands.

A clearing of a throat behind us made me slowly turn my head to notice that Queen Sulpicia was looking down at us from the balcony in the tower, the balcony that must have been directly linked to the bedroom she shared with her husband. The dark haired and dressed woman with the intricate crown and signature black veil attached to the back peered down at us with those crimson irises of hers. She was staring at us with an intensity that was not healthy, then again, the woman seemed as though she did not have a healthy mental status to her.

"Aunt Sulpicia."

Hearing the new status, she had been given when it came to her familial connection to Alec, the woman clenched her jaw and let her eyes wander over the beautiful garden. She tapped her fingers against the marble railing of the balcony. I was certain that if she pushed her hands any further, she would cause some of the railing to crumble in her hands due to her vampiric strength.

Sulpicia went to open her mouth to say something, something was probably sour and spiteful only for her husband to come out of the open doors behind her. The eccentric vampire came forward and placed his hand onto her waist, letting her know she was in the presence of him. Also, to remind her I was still a part of this family, not officially but I was to be a queen too. It wasn't just her ruling with her iron fist as the sole queen of the castle.

"Alec, it is good to see you bonding with your mother! Shall I get Jane and have her join you?"

Aro called out, only for Sulpicia to actually grab onto the railing enough that part of it broke and came tumbling down. It hit the ground in a loud bang, sending out shards of marble and stone out. It was a good thing that no one was standing there.

"She will not! I will not let my–"

"Sulpicia."

Aro's warning tone was enough for her to be quiet, for she had been sedated two extra times after I had been given Alec as my son. She must have known that if she did not close her lips and drop the subject Alec would work his powers from down here and make her slump down, and she would end up in the bedroom again without having balcony privileges.

I was glad Aro was on my side. He had become a good future brother-in-law of mine. Loyal to me, well loyal enough he made sure to keep his wife from actually attempting to murder me.

Sure, he still was eccentric and half the time I swore he forgot that others were around him when he would be talking to those around him. He'd always be touching someone despite the awkwardness to it and responding to them or saying things, bringing up things from the past that had for no reason needed to be brought up. He tended to use his Gift without any hesitation, giving no boundaries to others but demanded to have boundaries when it came to him.

I let my eyes drift away from the two royals upon the balcony and instead focused my attention on Alec.

I tapped my fingers against his wrist to gain his attention two times, my signature sign that had been in use since I could remember.

Without even having to be asked he turned his attention to me.

He dismissed his now aunt and uncle that were conversing with each other, Aro being the one who would say something while Sulpicia would answer him in her mind. They always did this, so it was no surprise, the woman barely spoke at all. You had to either get on her nerves or be thought of as an actual important enough person to be graced with her too sweet voice.

"Do you want to go see father?"

I nodded my head, which in return made Alec sigh, allowing me to know he understood.

He had hoped I would want to stay out in the gardens but a certain royal queen on her balcony had decided to cut our visit to the royal gardens shorter than we wanted.

He fixed my posture and leant forward to hug me. I laid simply in his arms, feeling the arms of my son and still finding it unbelievable that I could so naturally become a mother to him. I was certain it was the same for him, he hadn't expected our bond would be so natural.

"No need, Cicco…Piccolo."

Alec would have been blushing red if he were able to do so, he had never been given a pet name by a parent. He had long forgotten if his biological parents had given him and Jane pet names, but he had received one two weeks into being my and Caius's son. Piccolo, which meant little one, in Italian. It was sweet, short, and Alec both seemed to like it but also wanted to say that he wasn't so little so he shouldn't be called Piccolo.

"Father…."

Alec whined, his head dipping down, and he glanced over at me only to see the amusement upon my features.

He pouted and folded his arms against his chest, turning away in a childish but cute manner. He stopped a moment later, deciding that since he wasn't getting the response, he wanted there was no use to act like that. He was just glad that we weren't going to tell him to stop doing little things like that, we wanted to nurture his personality that had never had the chance to truly become developed.

Caius rolled his crimson eyes in amusement before he came towards us. His chained jewels were glistening from the sun rays that came down, and his milk white hair was a strong contrast to the dark hair that Alec and I both had.

He placed his hand upon Alec's shoulder, giving it a small squeeze. A thank you for Alec watching after me and taking me down here to the royal gardens. I had been wanting to go for the past couple of days, but it hadn't been the right timing or the right temperature and weather for me.

Then he turned to me and crouched down so that he was at eye-level with me. He leant forward and placed his forehead against mine, which in return made me become flustered. He began to pepper my face along with my neck with little smooches. He was making sure to mark me without biting me and I had to admit that it gave me immense pleasure that he was doing this, though I would rather he be doing this in our chambers and not in the open. Especially when it would be in front of our son, he didn't need to become traumatized.

He pulled away from me a moment later, stiffening some as he turned around.

Jane was standing off to the side in her signature cloak. Her hood was down, and her pretty hair was out without being pulled back with braids overlaying the bottom layers. Her eyes scanned over the scenery around her, sadness there for a second when they landed on Alec sitting on the fountain with a carefree look on his face. It was obvious she wasn't accustomed to seeing this relaxed state her brother had, before he had been given to me and Caius.

"Jane?"

Jane turned her head, her eyes landing on mine despite the fact that Caius had been the one who had called out her name.

I went to push the button on my wheelchair to move forward only for Alec to get up and place his hand onto mine, letting me know that we should let Caius take care of this. He was the one after all that was the head of our small, three membered family. He would make sure that nothing would hurt his found family, especially when he could have been a father sooner for Alec.

Caius motioned for Jane to follow him.

She didn't show any true emotion towards him as he led her further away from us, towards the stone wall that was built along the cliff face that the garden was framed within. He moved slowly but surely, his hands clasped behind his back, his many ringed fingers reminding me once again that when I would become a vampire there would be a ring on that sole finger. That one finger and ring that would signal he was taken, and the ring and finger that was on my hand would signal that I was taken.

I turned my attention away from him and instead turned my attention towards the fountain.

I came closer to it and noted how there were petals that were on the surface of the water. I hadn't even noticed them to begin with, but the pink and multiple different colors of the rainbow petals were at home floating there. They just added to the enchantment that this Italian castle and its grounds had, reminding me I wasn't somewhere that humans dwelled completely. I was where there were fantastic, immortal creatures that drank blood and were beautifully youthful forever.

"She…hates me."

Alec shook his head where he was, taking my hands in his. Those rainbow glints that shot off the surface of his skin were so vastly different from my simple pale human skin. His shoulder length hair was out of its leather tong it was usually pulled back in. His eyes were studying me. He was taking in me, and I turned my attention away from him, peering out at the Tuscany landscape that surrounded the town. It was vast, the hills and fields reminding me that there was some distance from any neighboring cities and towns, another reason why the Volturi flocked here.

"She doesn't hate you, Mother. She hates that she can't be invincible around you. Since her Gift cannot work on you, she feels for the first time vulnerable," Alec reminded me, for what felt like the millionth time. I did agree with him on his reasoning, Jane had never met someone that wasn't affected by her Gift. Add the fact that they weren't with each other, stuck to their hips like they used to be, and things would feel worse for her.

I didn't know how long we sat there, not needing to say anything else, before Caius came towards us with Jane next to him. She had a perplexed expression on her face while Caius had a look on his face that let me know he had settled things when it came to Jane.

Jane let her eyes flicker up towards her uncle, noting that he was waiting for her to take the olive branch we had slowly extended towards her. She had dismissed it without any issues before but now she seemed as though she would take it after all. She knew even if she was only twelve, she still had enough time and experience to know the more mature response towards the shift of change that came with me entering her life.

"Uncle Caius and I have had a conversation, and I have realized that I've been behaving immaturely. I should know better how to treat you the way I have. I have taken my mother's side without having my own opinion towards matters that I should have my opinion first."

Well, I wasn't expecting her to straight out tell me she was sorry. She was merely proclaiming she had been wrong, which was probably a miracle in itself. She had never been in this situation before and if she had well it would be best not to mention it.

Tears rose in her crimson eyes as they landed on her brother, her twin. The one who had been by her side for over a millennium. The one who had protected her, the one who had been her sword and shelter. Yet she had not always been like that with him. She had been his sword; she would always be his sword, but she could not say she would have been his shelter every single time he needed her. He had to make his own shelter in himself, and he was not able to use the materials that would keep him truly safe and sound through the weather.

She came forward to Alec and placed her hand upon his cheek in a sisterly manner. She studied him and he peered at her, neither of them needing to say anything.

For a moment it was as though they could read each other's thoughts and were having a conversation with only themselves. She clenched her jaw a moment later and looked off to the side, as though she was battling with one of her worst enemies…herself.

"Oh, fuck it all!"

Without thinking I mumbled, "l-language."

She ignored me and continued, "I've missed you. I never thought that we would have something like this happen. We've always been one in the same when it comes to matters pertaining either or both of us. I should have been happy that you would end up being with parents that put you first. Yet I was being a spoiled child, glad that I would be the only one who could claim Mother and Father as only mine instead of ours."

Alec gave one long sigh towards his sister, one that no human would be able to reenact. He took her hand away from his face and kissed her hand in order to let her know he forgave her. "It was destined to happen, sister. After all, we are only twelve. It's something that is bound to happen since we are still children."

I knew they hated having to remind themselves over and over again the age they were.

Things would have been easier for them if they weren't so young when they had been turned.

Stuck on the line between a child and an adolescent, tip toeing. A swinging pendulum that would never strike its object.

Not old enough for them to go through puberty properly, but old enough that they were on the brink of having truly started their puberty before they had been burnt alive. Stuck in a maelstrom of emotions they couldn't define, screaming and throwing tantrums and tears that would never fall from their places upon the corners of their eyes.

Getting permission to head off together in order to try and mend their bond, I watched as the twins wandered off together. They held hands, hard and desperate enough I was certain they would never let something like this ever happen again. They could have lost each other over something that was petty, and I didn't want that to happen to them.

"Caius?"

Caius let his eyes land on me, enough for me to signal for him to crouch down so we would be at the same level. He crouched down without any hesitation, just like always.

He would not dirty the ends of his robes or even his shoes for anyone else, but he would do so for me without even having been asked to do so.

He would show that he was like any other person around me, but when he was around the vampiric society in open settings or during trials any sense of kindness or humanity that he showed to me would be pushed back into the shade.

He was even starting to show this kindness and adoration towards Alec, a feat that I hadn't even known was possible for him. He had claimed he never thought much about having children because his focus was entirely on meeting me one day. He didn't push Alec away; he was teaching him how to be his protege but still learning how to be a proper father to him.

I leant forward and pressed my lips against his cheek. The coldness erupted goosebumps on my skin, even sending a little shiver upon me. I sheepishly pulled away from him and went to look away only for him to place his hand on my cheek, gaining my attention away.

"You're starting to get a little too pink for comfort. I should have remembered to have Alec bring sunscreen with him out here with you. The last thing we need is you to get sunburnt because of the ignorance of your vampires," Caius mumbled, furling his eyebrows in annoyance at the thought of having to put on some healing skin cream for the sunburn.

He stood up from where he had been crouched down, his eyes landing on something off to the side. He moved away from me for a moment. I waited patiently for him, knowing he would end up deciding that I had enough sun for today. I was just glad that I could come out and enjoy the weather instead of being held captive in the tower with Queen Sulpicia.

He came back to me and handed me a flower. He always made sure I would have flowers every day when I would wake up. I hadn't expected to have a second look at the flower, noting that it wasn't just any normal flower, and of course it wouldn't be because it was a garden of rarity.

Still, in the world of rare botany I hadn't expected to be greeted with the Middlemist's Red. A crimson unknown camellia, where it was believed only two specimens were in the world. It turned out to be false if what I was holding in my hands was evidence.

Caius didn't make a comment, as my mouth fell open at the sight before me. He merely pushed my wheelchair towards the grand doors that led into the castle. The guards moved away wordlessly as the doors opened and we went into one of the side hallways of the Volterra Castle.

The flower reminds me of how Caius must think I must be like the Middlemist's Red. He had known he would eventually meet me, but I had come into his world with two rarities: a human and one with a disability.

Well, it would only have me cherish the flower even more. Especially when I heard the soft laughter of children down the hallway. Today has been one of the best days I have yet to experience here.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I think some people tend to forget that Alec and Jane were 12 when they were turned into vampires. Basically, middle school age. So of course, they'd have arguments and be petty about things. I did like the casting of them in the movies, but it would have been a lot cooler for them to be their cannon age in the movies. I think those that only watched the movies shouldn't have to be told they were 12 when they were turned into vampires instead of, I think like 15 in the movies. Anyway, Alec and Jane are children and so their little break from each other should feel natural.

next chapter: Bella realizes she's in love with Caius.

as always: Twilight doesn't belong to me.

update: 3 of 3

-It'sEmmynotEmma