Velathri, 1175BC

The castle was beautiful as she walked through the ancient structure. It has mainly underground, with seven floors in total, not including the tower that was external, three of them completely underground. It stretched for an age beneath the ancient city of stone structure, humans bustling about their everyday lives above them -she could easily hear them, going on their lives as though an entire coven of bloodthirsty creatures didn't lurk beneath them.

It was a magnificent structure, able to gain entrance from a number of places. There were the sewers, definitely not going to be her preferred entrance; they were accessible from the magnificent city above them, allowing them to simply drop down and continue into the castle below within minutes, if not seconds if running. There was another entrance, a main one for the castle, Aro having rambled about how they would use that as an entrance to fool humans that the castle was uninhabitable; have a human there, perhaps, he had mused out loud one evening.

The lowest level would be used to train future recruits, the sounds of stone hitting each other swallowed by the earth, unable to reach the surface and alert others. It would also be, just a little while away on the opposite side of such a room, where law-breakers would be held until their trial. Having seen such a cold, desolate place with her own eyes had caused her to grip her loves arm tighter as he gave her the tour, the pale haired man getting her emotions as he always did and promptly leading her from the dreadful cage.

The next level up was interesting. It was where the castle began to emerge from the ground, albeit not much. It merely showed this supposed 'greeting' area that Aro had spoken of that one evening. This would, if his theory became reality, be where a human would sit, warding off visitors to the castle behind it, opening onto the streets of Volterra, just another dead end if humans were indeed to come snooping around the old structure, where they would be promptly greeted by an individual, and warded away with tales of how the castle behind was uninhabitable and in ruins, currently undergoing repairs. The floor would also house a colossal room for the precious artifacts they would no doubt come across during their many centuries of life that were yet to come.

The third floor would house living quarters when they would begin to assemble the guard her husband and new coven brothers would begin to build within days, seeking out the best warriors and those who too, like her new coven brothers, held special and unique abilities of their own. Having such violent newborns below a city filled with temptation worried her -how long until one would break free and wreak havoc on the surface, exposing them once more to the humans? All of the hard word would have been in vain.

Another floor up brought them to what would be the room where their prey would be lured to in centuries to come when they had found a way of bringing prey to them en masse; a genius idea. It was extraordinarily high, the room in itself magnificent, coming out of the ground the higher it went, small slits in the wall allowing sunlight to flitter through, casting her skin into lovely diamond glitters as she gazed around, red eyes appraising the room. Three grand, strong looking wooden chairs sat on a raised step of marble, showing what would come -The Three Kings, ruling over a world of peace they had created through a world of fire and ash.

It sounded almost poetic.

Her love gripped her hand that was hooked through his arm almost lovingly as he led her up to the next floor. Living quarters, rooms by at least four dozen, were along here. Each empty, waiting to be occupied by their future guard. A gentle hand on her spine guided her further along; it made her shiver, the pale haired man at her side giving an amused tilt of his lips before he guided her along. "Patience, Lysa," he admonished with a teasing lilt, her own smile barely hidden through her thick mane of dark blonde waves. He then showed her the sewer entrance, making her nose crinkle with the foul smell. This would be an entrance she would never use unless there were no other option but to do so. The room which had been designated a room of knowledge, of both the unknown and forbidden, was also on this floor. A thick, wooden table, big enough to fit their entire coven so far and then some, was in the middle of the room, wooden structures housing the precious scrolls her husband and brother had brought with them from the island of her rebirth already in them.

Gently guiding her up the spiral staircase, made expertly with thick stone that would not wear with time, she came to the next floor. She saw Didyme a little along the seemingly never-ending corridor. The dark haired beauty, her new sister, gave a teasing wiggle of her fingers, her laughter echoing along the space as she was promptly pulled inside, the door closing behind them. It made her smile, and had she been human, she was sure her cheeks would have been the colour of her eyes. A soft sigh echoed to her sensitive hearing. Well, it would seem Marcus and Didyme had found their own room then.

Her brows furrowed when he didn't take her to a room, a little pull of his lips upwards telling her he knew exactly what he was going. Of course he did. Her husband was nothing at perfectly meticulous in his little plans and schemes. She wondered, as they wandered along the corridor, which one would be their chambers? There were few doors on this floor compared to the last. He pointed to them all, motioning to which doors were their private offices, and which were living quarters. He never mentioned their own however; did they not have one? Of course they did. Such a silly assumption.

There was another collection of rooms before they came to another staircase -this one connected to a space behind where those glorious thrones had sat, and it led all the way from the depths below up to the glorious tower she had laid her eyes upon during their approach to Velathri. A sharp knock on the door brought her only remaining blood relative to the door. Arcadius, ever the gentleman, reached down, kissing both her cheeks as he always did. "Ah sister," he greeted. "You made it."

Their sire, her husband, and his brother by marriage, gave a pleasant smirk as he tucked her to his side. "A little apprehensive, but alas, we arrived eventually;" now, this was definitely the time that had she been human, her whole face would have been a bright scarlet. Her apprehension had melted away as he brought her release for the seventh time in as many hours, the moss wet against her back as they laid on the forest floor of their old home. She pulled her bottom lip into her mouth, gnawing on it out of an old, human habit. Her brother chuckled.

Now that her mortification was at an all time high, she looked around her to find something to take the topic of the conversation off of herself. She peered past her brother, into his rooms, and he caught her curiosity, motioning for them to step inside. She did so, gazing around. He had a decent sized room, about the size of the large cavern that was beneath where they slept in their original home. It was thick stone walls, ones she could hear Caius and Arcadius musing would no doubt need to be replaced within every few centuries to keep it from falling into ruin, the same with the rest of the castle. His room was large, a thick, strong looking wooden table in the far corner with a wooden chair that almost looked small to his muscular, bulked out frame. One wall of his room hung a few of his thick, heavy cloaks -no doubt held up with the iron spikes -nails they had called them- he had purchased a while back. Another wall had two windows with seats built into them, shutters keeping out the light of one, the other opened to show the rolling plains of the farmland that rested in the rolling hills of green outside the city. She wondered if he would let her sit here for moments when she needed a moment of peace from the war that would soon unfold.

Two more doors led out of his room. Clothes, no doubt recently bought to fill the space, resided in one room. Another room was bare but for a hole in the floor -a lavatory, not that it was needed of course. The majority of the room held a large hole, with steps leading into it, a place for the occupier to bathe, no doubt. She turned to look back at the two men. "Quite lovely rooms," she mused to him, her brother giving a grin. "I would have been content with being on one of the lower floors, but the others insisted I take these ones." He flashed her a cheery smile. "I don't wish, of course, to play a leading role, which was my reasoning for taking a lesser room, but," he gave a pointed glance at their sire, her love, and rubbed his jaw. "Someone would hear none of it."

Her husband gave a drawling smile. "Of course I would hear none of it." He clipped, his words short yet effective. He had more than likely already had this argument with her brother. "Albeit not a ruling member, still a founding one. Founding members do not reside with the guard, Arcadius, we have had this discussion and I will not repeat myself again." Her brother nodded, albeit with an amused smile, turning back to the journal that he had been holding. Oh, how she wished Arcadius didn't resist. He mightn't of wanted part in the ruling and governing, but she knew all too well he would be a source of much needed, and more than likely heeded, wise advice. He would play a vital role, that of the sired individual of her husband, and of the brother to a rulers wife, to his love. He would be her comforting force when Caius no doubt placed himself in harms way, crushing her heart as she would be forced to bear witness to such a worrisome time. Her heart clenched as she merely thought of him putting himself into danger. Oh, how would she bear such a soul-crushing thing?

"Lysandra," her name spoken so firmly pulled her back to the present. Dark red eyes -two pairs- were watching her. "Let us leave your brother to settle; come."

She nodded, stretching on the tops of her toes to press her lips against her brothers cheek in her own farewell before leaving him to, as their sire had put it, settle. Her love guided her towards the staircase that connected to the next floor, helping her to lift her long skirt so she could climb up their with the grace of nobility.

The next floor was rather mundane; smaller rooms, no doubt used to house more artifacts or perhaps guests, were along this floor. There was a large room with long, floor length windows on either side of the room, one wall stone, and she listened to him as he explained, his hand smoothing circles along her lower back. "This will be the private room for the founders." He looked at her. "A room to relax, in a rather loose description. Of course, Arcadius will be allowed in, being a founder regardless of his desire to rule or not. This will be a room for the wives to do whatever they want with it, including Aro and your brother should they decide to seek a mate." He leant down, running his nose along the column of her exposed throat, pushing her hair almost desperately out of the way. She inhaled sharply, shuddering when he pressed his lips to where he had marked her all those years ago. "Should we go seek out our rooms, my dear?"

She floundered for words. "You still haven't shown me the tower," she whispered, and he gave a grumble, pulling away before taking her arm, leading her out of the large room. "Behind that room is the front of the castle. We mused using the collection of rooms in it to put on a façade that it was all that remained of the castle, leading anyone if they came snooping to find nothing but empty rooms. Of course, the staircase in that part would be heavily guarded, as the staircase leads down into the second area where we believe it would be beneficial to place another human at that location; however, that human would be aware of us."

Her brows furrowed as she took in his words -that human would be aware of us? "You plan to disclose our secret to a human?" She repeated and he gave a wicked smirk, the very sight of it making her innermost depths clench in something deliciously sinful. "Ah, but there is of course a catch. Keep the secret, work for us, and the very rare few that would hold such a position would be turned, the others used as sustenance."

Oh. Well, that did make more sense. She looked at him as he led her up to the tower. It sat above the circular room that would house the feedings and trials of their kind, but it didn't swallow it, evident when it still allowed the room below it to have its own windows. The tower was beautiful, thick walls, marble floors with a series of rooms leading out of it, circular in nature with a sort of greeting area in the middle, a few chaises there. He pressed his lips to her temple. "We plan to use it for storage, and then as a lookout for intruders approaching the city, but until then, it will be unused." He looked down at her with a cruel smile. "Does this satisfy your curiosity now?"

She gave him a bright smile in return, her teeth gleaming up at him. "Very."

He gave a titter under his breath before leading her from the tower, and down back to the floor that seemed to house the rooms of only the founding members. Aro was there now, conversing with her brother. She wasn't, however, oblivious to the noises coming from the bedroom of the missing couple of their coven. Neither did the other two, the occasional eye roll from her brother making a supressed laugh almost break through. Ah, big brother, your time to be so blissfully enamoured will come.

Aro gave her a giddy smile; he too, much like everyone else, was delighted with their find. "Lysandra, my dear," he greeted her cheerily. "How did you find our new home?"

She didn't speak, merely offered him her hand, which he greedily clutched, probing her mind on the matter he had inquired about. He gave her a reassuring smile. "You need not worry of such things, my dear; all of our recruits will, of course, be deep underground." He had no doubt seen her thoughts on how such bloodthirsty recruits could be hidden underground and kept from the delicious feast that awaited them above. He motioned to Arcadius. "Your brother has just accepted my offer that, should he have no desire to lead, that he instead come the head of the guard we're going to assemble."

She gave a warm smile to her brother. "Excellent," she spoke softly, her brother giving her a grin.

Caius, however, obviously had other plans, and he gently moved his thumb over the knuckles of the hand that still clutched his arm. "I will seek you out later," he told both men, already beginning to steer her away. He brushed his hand, albeit briefly but long enough, against Aro's; the raven haired man gave an amused grin, eyes bright with his mirth, as he nodded, steering her brother away to one of the lower levels so they could begin to discuss something she couldn't hear quite clearly, even with her sensitive hearing.

They came to stop before a grand wooden door, and he pushed it open. Her eyes rose to meet his and he gave a heady smirk, her insides twisting at the thought of what awaited her. It had been less than a day since they left Greece, since they had moved on from the little patch of forest that had been her home for the past few decades, and he was still as insatiable for her heated flesh as ever it would seem. She supressed her inhuman shudder. What carnal delights would be bestow upon her this time? They had, of course, tried many an adventure, during their time together.

The room was underground, still in the sloping hill that Volterra sat upon. Unlike her brothers quarters, there were no windows. A thick, woven rug of gold and reds and blacks covered a large portion of the floor, before it what looked to be a hearth, a fire already roaring in it. When had that been lit? She had been around him since they arrived; strange. It was a large room, a chaise against the back wall, and a table -a desk- larger than her brothers rested against another wall. There were three doors as opposed to the two in her brothers room.

Caius shut the door behind her as she moved further into the room. His lips found her shoulder not even a moment later, not surprising her one bit. Her husband might have been unpredictable and impulsive to others, but to her, she could read him as clearly as the old books he often gifted her as presents. His teeth, venomous and able to cut through fresh with their sharpness, scraped along her collarbone.

A soft sigh slipped through her parted lips as she melted back into him. "Where do those doors lead to?"

He hummed. "One to a bathing room, another to a place where we shall store our clothing, and the last," he motioned to the single door at her left. "Leads to my private office. It has a door in the room that leads into the hallway, should anyone wish to see me."

His lips upon her bare skin was messing with her sanity she was sure of it. She took in the room again. "No bed?" She asked and he gave a wide grin, knowing exactly what he was doing to her. "I don't believe we need to sleep," a hand, soft and smooth, reached for her dress skirt, pulling it up slowly. She gave a shuddering sigh as his fingers took their quest beneath the cloth she wore to protect her modesty, rubbing her where she burned the most other than her throat at time.

In no time, she found herself on the thick rug, having been pushed down to it. Ruby eyes hungrily took in her petite form as she laid there, her hands still as they reached up to undo the string that held the front of her gown together. Had this been all those years ago, her hands would have shaken in their nerves, human or vampire regardless, but now, she pulled effortlessly, the folds of silk slipping off her body, leaving her bare from the waist upwards, his eyes flaring at her form.

His gaze made her feel beautiful; how could it not? He drank in her form with red rose petal coloured eyes, his own clothes falling to the floor, leaving him bare for her eyes to gaze upon. The thick scars, black and grotesque, crossed his left pectoral, marring the snowy white flesh that was laid for her eyes to bear witness to. He came to his knees beside her. She couldn't help herself; her fingers came up, tracing across the jagged imperfection, his body stilling as he let her explore, something she rarely did, not quite as confident in herself as she wished, and he did too, that she could be. Her fingers caressed the planes of muscles, tracing around the black scratches across his skin. It was poetic- the very same thing that had almost killed him had brought them together, muddied flashes of memories sweeping her mind as she brought black stained, soiled cloths across his stone like skin many a year ago.

Her hand drifted lower, seeking his own arousal. He gave a sound through tightened, clenched teeth as she found it, hard and heavy in her small hand. Daring to steal a glance she looked at his face, finding his eyes shut, a look akin to bliss, a look she had seen many a time, on his features. Those dangerous eyes opened as soon as she looked upon his ethereal features. They held her gaze before they pushed her hand from his length, and he leant over her. "Such a pretty creature," he murmured, his lips finding her ear as his hand, like before, quested down her body, seeking that which burned. "Seeing you stretched out before me, so willing, so trapped in my embrace, it does unimaginable things to me," he breathed into her ear, just as his hand found its prize, the fingers of that hand weaving such an intricate web of pleasure that made her squirm. "Oh," she gasped out, one of her legs coming up in an attempt to dislodge the hand that was making it hard to think.

Her love laughed, the sound sounding wicked to her ears. "My dear Lysa," he all but crooned into her ear. "You never cease to amaze me. Who knows what limits we could cross should you let me do such things to your enchanting little body?"

Oh, she knew what he wanted to do. He told her every time they were alone, when her limbs tangled with his and they danced a routine so ancient no one, including the Gods, could argue with it. There had been many a time he'd tested her limits, seen what heights he could push her to. One time, a dozen years ago or so, he had taken her from behind, his hand pushing into her other entrance, the one he had never touched before. The mere memory of his fingers pushing into such a forbidden depth made her squirm upon the hand that was currently bathing her sex in such a glorious dance upon her clitoris. If he didn't stop soon, her release would no doubt soon coat his hand once more.

As if he could read her mind, he pressed upon the other entrance, his hand still working her little sensitive button. She squirmed further. "Too sensitive for that," her words tumbled from her in a jumbled rush, but he understood, his teeth scraping along her jawline. "I don't think you are," he murmured, his two fingers pushing into her never used entrance while his other hand still worked her little nub. Her release was close; she could feel it, a heaviness through her bones, working an old magic, and with how her legs tensed, she knew he could feel it too.

The world erupted into a haze of red and shaking limbs as she writhed upon his hands, the hands leaving her soon after she trembled. They stroked her jaw almost teasingly, mocking her as she shook beneath their touch. A light press of lips against the corner of her mouth confirmed it, and she glanced through hooded eyes at the immortal who was leaning on his side beside her, waiting for her to finish. A smirk painted his lips, and he gestured around the room with a dangerous, predatorial smile. "I presume you enjoy our rooms then?"

His words, however serious yet lightly teasing they were, made her shake with laughter. She adored this side to him. To the rest of the world he was cruel, bloodthirsty, ambitious and sadistic in how he came across to others, perhaps even including her own brother. She was the only one, and it made her emotional to think such a thing, that only saw this side of him. A caring man, devoted to her as when they took their oath to be man and wife decades ago. She was the only one who saw this side, saw how her safety was his utmost importance, how, despite that he claimed otherwise and stated such was weakness, he wrapped her up on golden cloth and hid her from most of the horrors of their chaotic world, forever her protector, just as he had been when he came to save both of them from the beasts. It made her no longer beating heart clench.

Fingers drifted up and trailed along his jaw, and like always, he tilted his face into the palm of her hand. She gazed upon his face, leaning onto her side and sitting up slightly to press her other hand over where the wounds that would never completely heal marred his snowy white skin. Dark eyes found her own. "I love you, my husband," came the simple, yet oh so meaningful words from her lips as she pressed them against his own. He gave a groan, something akin to desperation, pushing her onto her back once more, this time, however, kneeling over her, pushing the rest of her dress from her slender, perhaps too slender, body. He kept her mouth greedily against his own, drinking his fill of her as he pushed her knees back, filling her innermost depths in one smooth push.

Once she broke her lips away to sigh, he merely murmured back to her -"As do I," and began to gently move within her pulsing channel. She let out another heady sigh, hooking a leg up over his waist. "This is our home for the rest of eternity, is it not?" She whispered against his lips, and he gave a nip against her jawline as he pulled away slightly before she reclaimed his focus upon her words. He gave one nod of his head, and she sighed again -such a lovely sound to his ears, although her words were unexpected and perhaps humorous given their circumstances.

"Then I want a bed."

His lips curved into an amused, albeit carnal smirk, and he scraped his teeth over the mark on her throat, reducing her to a quivering mess. "As you wish, my queen."


Author note: Whelp, maybe five months late, but here nonetheless. Enjoy.
Also, gotta give credit where its due. I honestly have never been able to picture the castle so well until I stumbled across this absolute masterpiece someone did on Tumblr. It is amazing honestly. Everyone should absolutely check it out. Wouldn't let me post a link so just going to put their name and the tag to find the mentioned map :)

NAME: Twilight on Main? It's more likely than you think

TAG: #Volturi map

Also, hugeee thank you to Weewoman1 for letting me know about an error I'd made. Honestly hadn't realised and helped a bunch; cheers.