Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, Stephanie Meyer does.
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Last updated/edited on 03/12/2024.
First Person POV: Astrid
Early in the morning, I awoke to a knock on my suite door. I rubbed my eyes and stumbled across the suite to answer it, Abigail sure was early today. As soon as I opened the door, Athenadora and Didyme burst through.
"Get ready dear, we have a big day ahead of us!" Announced Athenadora, as they strode throught the main room.
"Why so early?" I whined.
"Because beauty takes time dolcezza." Replied Didyme.
I giggled, Athenadora and Didyme reminded me of my best friends. One brash but loving like Becca and the other sweet and understanding like Eva. It seemed kismet that the city we decided to visit would end up leading me here, to my new potential family and mate.
I felt the familiar wave of sadness that always followed when I thought of my best friends. But I knew that they would want me to enjoy life even after they were gone.
I entered the bedroom and hurried through my morning routine before joining them in the main room.
"So, where's the spa we're going to?" I inquired.
"There's a spa and many other recreational areas in the main wing of the castle." Athenadora said and I couldn't hide my disappointment. I already knew I wasn't getting out of the castle this morning, but I was getting a bit antsy.
"Don't worry dear, we know you've been stuck in the castle for a while now, but as we said, Aro's taking you out tonight."
The queens led me through the halls flanked by our combined squadron of guards. As we exited the royal wing, I started to notice a few guards scattered nearby. All of them swiftly paused their conversations and bowed their heads politely in acknowledgement as we passed.
I didn't recognize any of the guards we passed and couldn't help but feel acutely aware of the attention, regardless of it being respectful in nature. It seemed ironic to me that these strong, beautiful immortals, who could kill me with a flick of their wrists, were acting so subservient towards me.
I was informed that the guards who resided permanently within the castle were all extensively skilled and that there was an age requirement to ensure that they had firm control over their blood lust. I wondered if the guards, especially the higher-ranking ones, were bothered by the fact that I arrived here as a mortal and instantly jumped to the top of the ladder. Clearly, the castle guards had all worked diligently over centuries to earn their stations. Either way, I could not and would not change the situation. Call me selfish, but now that I knew Aro was mine, I planned on keeping him.
We arrived at the spa, which I was happy to see was run by human staff and we started off with mud baths. After that we got facials and then relaxed in the communal hot spring.
The queens started asking me questions about my life in the US while we soaked in the pleasant water. There wasn't too much for me to say, my life hadn't been too exciting before I entered their castle. I told them what I could about my life, I had done well in school though I never made valedictorian, I ran cross country for my school, took dance classes since I was young, I dabbled in singing, guitar, and other arts in my free time.
"Tell us about your family, what are they like?" Didyme asked curiously.
"Oh, my parents are both wonderful. They're rather strict but I know they have my best interests at heart. They've always been very protect of my brother and me. They used to travel a lot for work when I was younger, but I don't hold it against them. They gradually learned to balance their priorities as I got older. And my little brother..." I trailed off with a fond smile. "I want to say I hate him but that's not true at all. He's my little brother, you know? I love him but he can be so obnoxious." I finished with a laugh. Talking about my family, especially now that I knew I could never see them again, made me sad. But at the same time, I appreciated that the queens were interested in getting to know me. I could tell that we would become close friends, our personalities clicked.
I realized I didn't know much about them either.
"How did you both join the Volturi?"
"I was actually around for the founding. I don't know exactly when I was turned but we estimate it was around 1000 BC. I met Caius when he was fleeing from an attack by the Romanian's on his territory. The two of us formed a mate bond instantly and traveled as nomads for a while. Eventually we met Aro and Marcus and formed the Volturi." Athenadora told me.
"1000 BC, does that makes you the oldest of the family?" I asked.
"Right, that's why I'm the responsible one." she said with satisfied smile.
"Oh please." Didyme said with a laugh. "Anyway, you know that Aro and I are biological siblings. I was a decade younger then him and after forming the Volturi, he returned to our family home to check on me. I was a young adult by that point and so he offered to turn me. And of course, when I woke up, I met Marcus..." She trailed off looking starry-eyed.
We continued talking until I was pruny and afterwards they insisted I get some waxing done.
"You never know what might happen..." Athenadora said with a suggestive wink. And, of course, I blushed down to my toes at the implication. I felt attached to Aro; however, I didn't think I was ready for that type of intimacy with him until we spent more time together. However, I got the waxing done if only to humor the girls. Then we finished up with mani-pedis and headed back to my room.
When the guards opened the doors to my suite for us, the first thing that I noticed is that the main room now featured my favorite color, robin's egg blue. The room had been repainted and the furniture had also all been replaced with French country style pieces arranged in a more open layout. The main room fit my preferences perfectly, I couldn't have designed it better myself.
Athenadora and Didyme giggled at my awed expression, perfectly mirroring my first reaction to the suite. They had clearly already been informed of the surprise renovations and that was likely why they kept me distracted at the spa for most of the day. I knew that this must have been Aro's doing.
"Did Aro…?" I asked the queens while still awestruck.
They nodded and left me to explore the new suite.
I looked into the office first, finding it redesigned to the same color scheme and style as the main room. Then I wandered into the bedroom noticing that the bed frame now featured a sheer canopy bed and fairy lights. The sheets were light blue silk with a fluffy white comforter on top. There were now a bunch of thick fuzzy blankets folded on the end, it seemed like a small addition, but I knew Aro must have seen that I loved to cocoon myself in blankets to get cozy. The bathroom door was cracked, so I stepped in. The bathroom walls, floors, and counters had been replaced with white and gold marble. It seemed impossible to replace all of the slate in a few hours, but they must have contracted vampires. All the cosmetics and bath products had been swapped out to my preferred brands and scents. Most of the products were also very expensive ones that I had always wanted but hadn't felt like I could justify purchasing before. Finally, I moved across the room to the closet and saw it had been restocked to the point of bursting.
I saw Athenadora and Didyme were already fluttering around, searching for dress options for my date tonight.
As looked around, several new jewelry pieces immediately caught my eye. After skimming one section of the closet, I had my eye on about 12 different dresses for the date. Whoever had purchased the clothing, shoes, and jewelry had aced my tastes, I didn't see a single thing that I didn't love. However, picking a single dress was going to be difficult…
I couldn't believe Aro had done all of this as a surprise for me. I felt a strong pull in my chest, urging me to seek him out and thank him for his efforts.
"Do you mind if I leave to find Aro?" I asked feeling giddy.
"Not at all dear! In fact, I'm sure he would love it if you stopped by." Didyme encouraged.
"Check his office!" Athenadora called after me as I hurried away.
I raced out of the suite and across the hall to knock on Aro's office door. He opened the door and welcomed me in. I thankfully noticed that his office had been fixed.
"Thank you!" I squealed and jumped at him locking my arms around his neck. I kissed him with enthusiasm, and he responded with equal passion.
And then, as usual, I started over thinking. Would Aro think that I only liked him because he bought me things? I wanted him to know that I appreciated the effort and not just the stuff alone. He broke the kiss briefly to address my thoughts. "I know tesoro, I don't think that at all. Just let me spoil you."
Feeling my worries dissipate, I quickly returned to kissing him. He lightly traced his tongue over the seam of my mouth, and I hesitantly parted my lips for him. I couldn't help but moan softly when I tasted him. He was so sweet, and lush like red wine. But based on the mirrored moan from Aro, he must have appreciated my taste too. He deepened the kiss, coaxing my tongue to dance with his own. I started responding, mimicking his movements, hesitantly at first but then grew more confident. I moved to press my body firmly against his and paused nervously when I felt his obvious hardness against my stomach. Aro broke the kiss to comfort me. "I can't help my reaction to you, angelo mio, but I promise you that we will always go at your pace. You have nothing to fear from me."
I wondered if it bothered him that I was so inexperienced…
"Quite the opposite actually, vampires are very possessive of their mates, and I am no exception. It pleases me immensely that I will be the only man to touch you." He purred in my ear in response to my last thought. His blunt words caused my cheeks to flame and stomach to flutter wildly, the room suddenly felt far warmer. Aro started placing butterfly kisses across my face and jaw. As torturous as it was to break away from the pleasant sensation, I knew that I had to get back to Athenadora and Didyme and finish getting ready for our date. Aro heard my thoughts and reluctantly pulled away. I stood on my tiptoes to give him one last chaste kiss goodbye before hurrying back to my suite.
I had nearly made it to my closet before I heard another knock on the suite door. I walked back to the door and saw Abigail delivering a moderately sized black box with a big red ribbon tied on top. I accepted the box and turned around to find the queens already standing behind me waiting to see the surprise. I pulled the bow and opened the box to find a pale pink chiffon dress. It had a lacy skirt, a bodice embroidered with silver thread, and butterfly sleeves. I slipped the dress on, while the Didyme zipped the back and Athenadora went to find a pair of heels to match. I wondered briefly if Aro had picked out this outfit. I giggled; it seemed like such a menial task for a vampire king.