'They came with pageantry, with a kind of beauty.
They came in a rigid, formal formation. They moved together, but it was not a march; they flowed in perfect synchronicity from the trees—a dark, unbroken shape that seemed to hover a few inches above the white snow, so smooth was the advance.
The outer perimeter was gray; the color darkened with each line of bodies until the heart of the formation was deepest black. Every face was cowled, shadowed. The faint brushing sound of their feet was so regular it was like music, a complicated beat that never faltered.
At some sign I did not see—or perhaps there was no sign, only millennia of practice— the configuration folded outward. The motion was too stiff, too square to resemble the opening of a flower, though the color suggested that; it was the opening of a fan, graceful but very angular. The gray-cloaked figures spread to the flanks while the darker forms surged precisely forward in the center, each movement closely controlled.
Their progress was slow but deliberate, with no hurry, no tension, no anxiety. It was the pace of the invincible.' (Excerpt from Breaking Dawn, Chapter 36)
As my eyes ran across the Guard, they caught on a blazing red pair and I mentally stumbled.
He lied. They all lied.
From the moment he confessed what they were and told me how he had found his mate in me, they had lied. A vampire could not find their mate in a human. They must have known this, as there is no way Carlisle would have recognized Esme as his mate when he met her at 16.
I know because I had met these eyes before. I should never have left Volterra.
I saw the flash of surprise on his face that I'm sure was mirrored on my own. Grabbing Ness, I ghosted to the middle of the field at the same time as him. As soon as our hands met, I felt the spark and my shield seemed to double. No one would be coming near now unless I allowed it.
"I cannot believe I almost lost you, Agape." Demetri murmured as he brought my knuckles to his lips. "And you Storge, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I hope to be a pater to you if you allow it." He said to Ness. She brought her hand to his cheek, and whatever message she passed made him smile.
My mind raced at the implications. It had been mere moments, yet the entire trajectory of this confrontation had changed. First things first, the issue of Ness.
I raised my voice across the field, as it appeared both sides were frozen in confusion. "Aro, I have much to discuss with you and your brothers. However, first, please allow me to introduce you to Ness, my biological daughter. She was born of my womb, and I was changed immediately after giving birth. I'm certain you can hear her heartbeat, see the flush on her cheeks. She is not immortal. She is not a vampire."
"Artifice!" Caius snapped.
A growl rumbled through Jacob's chest. At that, I leaned down to whisper to Ness alone. "Do you still wish to be free of it?" her curls bounced as she nodded, and I breathed a sigh of relief. This could work.
"Be at peace Brother, I will have every facet of the truth." Aro's feathery voice hardened. "And the best way to get that is to have the evidence directly from your talented husband." He inclined his head in Edward's direction. "As the child clings to his newborn mate, I'm assuming Edward is involved." At this statement, a rumble could be heard from Demetri, which he quickly stopped.
"You will hear the truth from my mind, Master Aro." I heard the gasps behind me at the formality of the address. "As Edward has been central to many lies, I wish for no more to be told on my behalf."
I held there, contracting this new shield so that it closely surrounded my small group, while keeping my nebulous mental shield covering our allies. It was not their fault I had been shrouded in untruths since before my rebirth.
Aro let go of Marcus' hand, and he nodded. "Yes, it seems there has been much miscommunication here." He approached the center of the field where we stood, Renata and Felix his unwavering shadows.
It seemed, however, that we had reached the end of Edward's patience. "Isabella, bring my daughter back to me this instant. I chose you; I molded you. You belong to me!" he roared across the field. At this, most of our witnesses took a step away from him, however the family did not. A telling detail.
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translations:
Agape – loved one
Storge – familial love
Pater – father