In case you wonder why Adriana Della Rosa did not testify during the Volturi's trial, instead of merely Edward's, she did. But Bella just wasn't there to see it as she thought that it was not as important for her to attend their trial, and she found it too painful and sickening, as well as being too afraid to face her at the time. Besides, that chapter was written in her first-person POV when she is reminiscing about the events of the past, but everyone knows Bella is an Unreliable Narrator and she doesn't remember much about those events, although that's mostly by choice. So, as I'd already mentioned, Bella glossed over a lot of things in her narrative, as opposed to Edward's trial where it was shown in a third person POV.
The time is crazy in this fic. Most characters are active during the day (like the humans or Wolves) while some vampires are nocturnal and their daily and formal activities take place during nighttime. During their stay in the Carpathians, the Cullens and their species adapt to this schedule, even when they are finally able to sleep. Some characters are in Forks, Washington State, in the U.S. Others are in Transylvania, Romania, in Eastern Europe. Some things happen after this other event with certain characters in a different place, other events take place at the same time. We've had at least one flashback. The story keeps skipping back and forth between what's happening with the Wolves, the Cullens and other characters like Gabrielle, and what happens between more than one chapter may take place within a few hours, so I'm warning you that it's hard to keep track of the time, the date, even though it's very important in this universe. I've been meticulous enough as it is, even to the point of researching full moon schedules and sometimes the weather in certain places like Forks during a particular day, month and year, when something happens. Don't judge me if I make something up or a mistake.
"We live our lives, dream our dreams, scheme our schemes. God watches all."
Brian Herbert
Lady Laima's hands danced delicately over her loom in her private sitting room in the Elder's Tower, she mused over the events and pondered what this would bring next.
Amelia had returned to the earth. Her son was married to Markus' and her daughter. One potential opposition had been removed, neutralised if not outright allied against Viktor. But they would have to move fast and soon.
She knew what her son was planning as much as she knew what her hands were doing, even though her eyes were closed. The art of tapestry-making had long since passed beyond the means, much less the appreciations of humanity who had long since learned to do without them, but the Vampire Queen could always appreciate the intricate beauty made from the skill of a person's hands. Just as humanity had long set aside such complex and manoeuvrable plots, or so the masses now believed but could still be fully appreciated by the Vampire Queen locked in her tower for two centuries and only released on the third, despite not truly enjoying this. But Lady Laima Corvinus had long since learned the value of patience. Try as he might, Viktor could not stop her completely, nor even to halt her, had he even been aware of what they were planning.
She knew that her son would have to move quickly. Radu wanted to get rid of Viktor. After the massacre and destruction of Strasba, he had started to plan Viktor's imminent demise. He hadn't told her or his father, much less his own twin, but Radu was playing the long game and Siobhan of the new species, Maggie's coven mate, was not the only vampire who can influence the events of the future by willing the outcome she desired to happen. Just as Alice was not the only vampire with the Sight, nor was she the most powerful. In fact, the Lady Progenitor's gift was far more powerful than any of theirs.
Her hands stilled momentarily as the shuttle hovered over the fabric. Skilled as he was, her son was still playing with fire, and, in essence, so was she. They could not afford to overlook anything. Siobhan had received the outcome that she desired and fully intended to occur: the downfall of the Volturi and the end of their rule, even as she had previously decided that Alice Cullen would be the one to foresee and then alert them when the time came and their enemies were scheming to pick them off one by one, and then they would unite to witness the ultimate downfall of the Volturi. Which had indeed happen, simply not in the way Siobhan had intended: the Volturi had indeed been making plans and assigning each guard a set of instructions and orders to follow and, if necessary, to search for and spy upon each and every single one of the witnesses who had gathered to the Cullens' side on New Year's Eve. Just as that had occurred, the Italian Ministry of Magic and agents of the International Confederation of Wizards, including Gabrielle Delacour, had appeared in Volterra, requesting an audience. They had then demanded their arrest and surrender.
Alice did See what was just about to happen in Volterra right before that precise moment. While the Vampire Queen ascertained that Alice had not Seen the Volturi plotting prior to the arrival of the wizards, she foresaw their downfall mere moments before it had occurred, alerting her entire family to end of the Volturi's rule. Then, as predicted, Alice along with Carlisle and Esme had been the ones to telephone all their friends and associates to request them to attend their trials as witnesses. They had then united to form a new government, rather than to form an allied army to take down the Volturi as there had been no need. Instead, they would take the Volturi's place and indeed, as Siobhan had wished, to witness the downfall that they each deserved. None, including Siobhan and Alice, could have imagined or foreseen that Edward Cullen would fall as spectacularly from grace as much as the enemies he had stood against during that fateful day, just as neither of them had foreseen or willed the execution of poor Irina for doing what she thought was her duty only to realise that she had made a mistake.
Soon, Aro and Caius, and the guiltiest of their guards and accomplices, would be executed. None, that is, with the exception of their progenitor. The Vampire Queen had not only foreseen all possibilities, she had fully intended and worked to ensure that it had happened with as little bloodshed as possible. A good thing too, she thought wryly. Else most of those witnesses and the Cullens themselves would have died, and possibly some of their Loup-Garou allies. Neither they nor their families would ever know that she had saved their lives and futures for them.
A reminder, the lady thought grimly as her hands worked the threads upon her loom, that one must plan and take the initiative, and leave no stone unturned. Nothing must be overlooked.
They could not afford the risk.
Behind her, Klaus sat reading a book. His task will soon come, she decided. The child he would sire- unknowing that he was even capable of procreation- would be borne by a Loup-Garou princess, a future Luna of a prestigious lineage no less. The girl herself would be enormously important to the future and wellbeing of the entire supernatural world, in the long-run. The existence of the Dhampir Renesmee had reminded the Lady Progenitor of the coming of such a person and the necessary steps she would have to take to ensure that it happened, just as the Vampire Queen had taken the necessary steps, manipulating events via her powers and agents, to ensure that the mundane mortal Samantha did not die in the car accident in New Haven. Now that the Lady Progenitor knew that she was certain to survive, Samantha had married her fiancé Michael Corvin, a descendant of her husband's youngest brother and his father Alexander, Father of the Immortals. Michael Corvin would live a normal, peaceful and happy life with Samantha and their children. Their descendants, the Lady Progenitor had foreseen- and willed to happen- would intermarry with mages of all species, including those of wizardkind which made up the majority of mages on earth, so that the Corvinus Strain would enter and spread throughout their kind, leaving no stone unturned when the time came and the mortals finally awoke to the realisation and understanding that the truth their ancestors had once believed, of magic and different beings and beasts, very much existed.
When that time had finally came and the mundane mortals had finally opened their eyes, it would be too late and the doors would be firmly shut and sealed. All those who carried magic or the potential for magic within their genes would either have their magic awakened, or have bred descendants whose abilities had fully and completely emerged, unlike poor Alice, born Mary Alice Brandon or Benjamin of the Egyptian coven-group. Thus, they would have retreated by that time and when the mundane mortals began searching for them, into a world of their own, cutting ties and completely separating from their non-magical kin for good. There would be no loose ends. No descendant with anomalies left remaining within the mundane world, whether those who carried the Corvinus strain in its dormant form or the magical human genes, nor even Dhampyr and Fey hybrids such as Gabrielle Delacour- had her father not been a wizard. Lady Laima paused briefly in her work and inhaled deeply.
No, there would be no loose ends. She had planned, worked and schemed for countless millennia to ensure that it would happen the way it should. Which was why Gabrielle Delacour was so important. No stone must be left unturned. No threads left untied or uncut for loose ends to be spotted and followed with curious eyes and prying fingers. She would have a role to fulfil soon enough. She would unite and convince the Fey to abandon the mundane humans for good. For their own sake. But first, they needed her. The sons of Alexander Corvinus should not suffer far longer than was necessary. She had scoured the earth for those who carried the Corvinus strain, just as she had sought a Fey or a mage who would be their willing ally. That person was Gabrielle. Soon, she would help them deal with the problems they possessed. The Lady Progenitor was certain, however, that for now the Corvinus strain, which in its active form bestowed immortality to its holders and in its dormant form was simply passed down and ensured exceptional good health, could not be trusted in the hands of mortal scientists. While she did not trust wizards and other mages with the knowledge of such secrets, the Vampire Queen had nonetheless decided that it was safer to merge the Corvinus strain with the carriers of the magical human gene, whether active or inactive, to ensure that once those who possessed them had their powers awakened, then by the time the mortals discovered the truth about the supernatural they would be far beyond their reach.
The Lady slowly relaxed at the thought. There were so many things to think of. So much to plan. To think that they were now so close, not this generation or the next, perhaps, but soon...
Even in dormant form the strain could be dangerous if ever used, or even awoken by the wrong hands, she thought gravely. Unlike Viktor, the unofficial Vampire Queen held no grudge against mixing their genes with other kinds, including humanity or even werewolves. Yet, Lady Laima Corvinus knew of the dangers and risks of allowing too many hybrids, or even pure-born immortals of any kind to run rampant across the earth, even without the powers of foresight. While she fully understood that no hybrid should be held responsible for an existence they had not chosen, she was not blind to the risks and threats of uncontrollable and unforeseen powers, especially if there were too many. There was a reason why nature did not allow many immortals to breed, particularly if they were vampires or lycanthrope werewolves. Those of the latter that still could were wizards who had been bitten, and even they did not pass down the virus.
The Lady allowed her hands to pause, if only for a moment. She knew what she had done, what she had changed: Michael Corvin and his lover in an alternative future, Selene, would never meet now that she had ensured Samantha Corvin's survival and her marriage to her Alexander Corvinus' mortal descendant and carrier of the strain. Michael Corvin would become a doctor but he would never cross paths with vampires, lycanthrope werewolves, nor any of the supernatural for the duration of his mortal life. He would not become a Lycan or a hybrid, and he would not sire a hybrid child. Instead, their children would be mortal but they would marry into wizard-kind and other species of mages, for the mutual protection of both. They would fall in love, of course, she thought dryly. Their many-times great-aunt by marriage would not begrudge nor prevent anyone from finding happiness. But wizard-kind and all other mages would be safe alongside the line of Alexander Corvinus and she had made certain of that coming to pass. As for Gabrielle Delacour, another reason why it had been so important to get her involved in the Volturi and Edward Cullen's trials and the Cullen family in general, was not merely to ensure Renesmee's safety and furue, but also because of her friendship with Ava Swan, Bella's relative. Ava's own offspring would marry one who carried the Corvinus strain. Thereby ensuring that even if all the Lady Progenitor's plans to safeguard the world of the supernatural had failed, the line of Ava Swan and her future husband Darius Smackhammer would at least live on to ensure humanity's survival in a distant and terrible future when mankind had abandoned earth to explore the stars. Perhaps they did not have to abandon the planet and any notions of a good government and equality, but either way Ava Swan's descendants would explore the universe. That thought alone made Lady Laima smile.
And now, neither Michael Corvin nor Selene would ever threaten her husband and his twin brother. At this, the Lady Progenitor allowed her smile widen upon her lips as she worked, although it vanished quickly. It was never wise to celebrate before they were certain. Even though she had been powerless to stop Selene's parents from being slaughtered and Selene had become a Death Dealer, she could be certain that the girl would remain on their side as opposed to being Viktor's pawn.
Of course, none of that could ever happen once after she had entered into her husband's life many years before. The man that she knew and loved for millennia was vastly different to the one in a future where she had not appeared into his life, much less tied and bound both their fates together. The so-called Vampire Queen had been foreseeing and manipulating events and outcomes long before she even became an immortal. Unlike in the alternative future where she had met, befriended and fell in love with Michael Corvin, the Selene they now knew was perfectly aware of how her family came to be slaughtered and she still thirsted for vengeance, even though she took solace that her sister Cecilia and her twin daughters had survived. Selene would soon achieve her vengeance by joining Radu's cause, even though the girl admittedly was similar enough in appearance to Sonja that the Vampire Queen had to make absolutely certain that this did not catch Viktor's attention, and that he would not take the girl under his wing. She was loyal, the vampiress whom her kind referred to as 'the Great Mother', thought.
In any case, what would once have been a lie that Markus in another life had told Viktor, was now certainly true thanks to his own wife. Lady Laima had bound all their creations together to her and Markus. If she and Markus were to walk hand-in-hand into a furnace, every single vampire, no matter their species, would be reduced to ash and smoke. Therefore, Viktor could not kill them and neither could Amelia, even though now Markus' wife had made certain that she never would. Yet Viktor's treachery could not be prevented any more than, most lamentably, their initial need for him and his forces to halt William's onslaught and the plague he had unleashed upon humanity. But now they stood a better chance of removing Viktor without the outbreak of a civil war rather than lying and leaving Viktor to assume- or possibly discover- that Markus and his wife could be safely dispatched without harming Viktor himself. In the end, Viktor was self-serving, the Lady Progenitor thought with scorn.
They simply had to remain careful. After all, even if Viktor could not afford to kill either of them, William's tragedy could still repeat itself and their children could be harmed or held hostage against them. That was the reason why she had insisted to Markus that he himself should be the one to capture his twin brother, along with Death Dealers loyal to him, before either of the two other High Elders nor their supporters. But they would now have to act quickly. While David and Ruxandra's marriage had now bound Amelia and her supporters to their cause- or would in any case- Viktor's followers would not be pleased when his time came to be Awakened. And Viktor himself would act soon. No, they had to ensure that Viktor could not destroy anyone or their plans. He could not care less about the safety of the supernatural world and would certainly be arrogant enough to believe that he could either defy and defeat or strike a deal with the mundane mortals. Viktor was another arrogant fool and he would drag them all to destruction without thinking of the consequences of his actions.
Suddenly, the peace and quiet of the room was disturbed upon the vision which alerted her about the incoming arrival of her son. The Lady sighed as she slowed her work, awaiting his entry. Her eyes opened.
Radu appeared. He nodded briefly to Klaus who responded in kind, and then turned to his mother.
For a moment, there was silence. The Lady used the shuttle to push the threads into place before shifting the beam upon the loom.
"Mother," he said softly.
"My son," she responded.
There was a pause. She did not need to see him with her eyes to know that he was struggling with his words.
"Why did you do it?" He asked quietly. "You know of what I ask."
Her eyes turned gold as she momentarily raced through the events of the past in a speed which was incomprehensible to humans yet fully seemed fully coherent to immortals. Ah.
"It was the only thing that could be done." she said shortly. The Lady Progenitor could sense her son's incredulity.
"You cannot be serious." He breathed. "What was necessary about tearing a family in two?" It was as if he did not know that Edward Cullen and his wife and child had already been divided.
His mother put down the shuttle and turned to face him fully.
"It was important for several reasons," her voice was curt. "Firstly, it was the only thing that could be done to ensure justice and to avert both war and a terrible curse upon all of our kind. It cannot be anything less without causing a curse to fall upon all our heads, alongside utter chaos, especially once Viktor wakes." She informed ominously, seeing him pause and Klaus' face grow grim.
"Secondly, both she and her child will be happier and far freer without him. They would have been much happier had the mother not chosen him, but even though it is too late for such a future, they can certainly heal now. Besides, it was her punishment as well."
Both her sons, the one borne from her womb and the one who had been transformed by the use of her blood, stared in disbelief. "Were it not for her reckless and foolish actions, her callousness, do you think that Edward Cullen would have ever gone to Volterra?" Their mother asked, her voice soft and dangerous.
There was a pause. "This punishment also belongs to his family," she warned them "for turning a blind eye and for allowing their son and brother to have his way at the cost of lives." She stood. Lady Laima glided towards her firstborn. Gently, she cupped his face in her hand. "And for another."
It was Klaus who spoke. "Who?" He stared.
"Another, equal in guilt," she informed him "one who sits confined and seeks to claim one who does not belong to him and seeks to be free."
Both were simultaneously confused and wary. Lady Laima turned back towards her loom.
"It may be hard," she explained as soon as she was seated "but what is necessary for peace and for everyone's continual survival has been done, rest assured." She resumed her work. "Besides, it was fair. For the rest of Adriana Della Rosa's life, she will not wed again. Nor will she recover from the loss of her firstborn alongside her husband. She and her daughter Beatrice will cope the best they could, but they have been robbed of a lifetime of happiness. Worse still, had her daughter Vittoria been permitted to live the span of her natural life, she would have grown and eventually have achieved remarkable things, as well as having a good life deprived of her."
Images of Adriana and Luciano Della Rosa's grandchildren, the children of their daughter Vittoria, flashed through her memories. The children who now would never have the chance to be born. She reminisced the visions she had had of a grown Vittoria Della Rosa surrounded by family, including grandchildren, as well as the different paths she would have chosen. An architect who revolutionised building styles and techniques in the now-rapidly changing magical world, a musician bowing and holding her violin in front of an orchestra and a cheering audience. A herbologist of success. A magizoologist of great renown. A film director who would have achieved fame. All of these options, these various futures, were now forever lost to her, along to what it could and once would have brought to the world at large. Whether she would have introduced a new method and style of architecture, discovered a new species of magical plants and how to grow and benefit from them, graced the red carpet during film premieres and award ceremonies, or performed in front of a rapturous crowd, the world will never know what Vittoria Della Rosa would and had been capable of. Edward Cullen, the two Volturi leaders and the guards who murdered them were to blame, but to a lesser extent so were the rest of the Cullen family, his siblings and parents, the Wolf-Alpha named Jacob Black, and finally, Bella Swan.
Such was the reason why such crimes were never forgivable, the sorceress-vampire thought bitterly. "No, the whole world will never know what Vittoria Della Rosa would have achieved." she sighed, putting aside her shuttle. All desire to complete her work had evaporated. "Therefore, it will never know that it has been robbed of such an individual that she would have become had she lived to grow and all the wonders that she would have created. Nor of the lives who now would be lost since Vittoria Della Rosa will never save them." The two sons of hers were silent as they absorbed this sobering fact. "Therefore, all those responsible must be punished." Her voice allowed room for no argument. It was hard. "Justice must be done."
The Volturi guards who had taken Luciano and Vittoria Della Rosa's lives, as well as threatening Adriana and Beatrice's, were all sentenced to death. The ones who did not including, quite surprising to some, Jane and Alec, would be shown mercy. They had already suffered a punishment she did not envy, in any case. The Lady sighed. Unfortunately, there was no cure. Not for the twins. But mercy could be given. Their lives were stolen from them and their mother, as much as the Della Rosas.
Finally, Radu exhaled, followed shortly after by Klaus. "I am almost too afraid to ask what she would have been capable of." Klaus remarked softly.
"It would have depended upon which path she would have chosen," his foster mother whispered softly. "She would have and could have become so many things. But one thing was certain: Vittoria Della Rosa was meant to stand above the masses. She was made to change the world, whether directly by her hand, or indirectly. And now the world will never see it. The world has been robbed of such a great individual in the future, and the fruits of her mind and the labours of her hands." Her voice turned mournful. "The death of a child is always a tragedy in more ways than one. But I alone shall carry the true weight of the burden and scope of what she could have and would have done had it not been for careless self-absorbedness and the pursuit of false love, brutality and power."
Both of them remained silent, weighed down by the weight of her admission.
After a while, Radu inhaled then exhaled. "If that is the case," he began slowly "then why did you hear his wife's appeal? Why heed it? Why not simply punish him with death? It would have been nothing less than he deserved and far less cruel."
"Yes." she agreed, surprising them both. While the Lady did her duty, it was nonetheless something she did not enjoy, to condemn another to death. "But that was precisely why I had to punish him in such a manner- and to punish all of those responsible for these events. Besides, death was not cruel enough a punishment for any of them, even Aro and Caius, after all that they have done."
An uneasy silence settled into the room, but the Lady Progenitor was certain that both of these sons of hers had heeded her words and respected her judgement, as they had always done.
Then Radu spoke once more. "If that is the case," she could sense his eyes narrowing. "Perhaps you shall explain it to them?"
"Rest assured, I shall." His mother replied. Of course, the Cullens would barge into her office, demanding to know why Bella had reacted in such a manner. Lady Laima was unsurprised, but grim. Whatever outrage they may feel on their adoptive daughter's behalf will be nothing compared to the weight of the sorrow she would inflict upon all of them with the revelation of these news. The Vampire Queen sent Radu ahead to warn the Cullens that she would soon appear before them. She then closed her eyes and willed herself to leave the confines of her body. As her soul slipped out of its shell, the Lady Progenitor of the vampires disappeared and reappeared before the outraged Cullens in the office where Radu had gone.
They had been arguing, Rosalie's voice being the loudest and most outraged, but all fell silent upon her arrival. The light seemed to dim.
Radu exhaled, his shoulders slumped. "Mother."
She nodded curtly towards her firstborn, before turning her cool gaze towards the irate family.
"Why?" Esme whispered. "Why punish her? Hasn't she suffered enough?"
The Vampire Queen narrowed her eyes.
"You will never know what I had Seen." She said softly, but her voice echoed throughout the room. "What this world had been deprived of."
Confusion entered all their faces. "Yes," she said slowly. "The Volturi has been punished, Aro and Caius, the guards who murdered those victims. Edward has been punished. But so too must the rest of you lest the curse or war fall upon us all." Her eyes narrowed.
"After all," she said with a gimlet gaze "were you more vigilant and less blind to the machinations of your son and brother, that child and her father would have never been killed, any more than the rest of those victims." The Cullens stiffened. But she could see that her words had gotten to them, and some, like Emmett and Alice Cullen, had averted their eyes, while others, such as Esme and Carlisle, betrayed their unease and Rosalie looked down at the floor. Her words rang with a truth they could not deny. "Had you not fallen easy prey to and stood up to him against his manipulations and ill-thought and poorly-planned machinations, then he would never have entered Bella Swan's life, ruined her future and her father's life, deprived her daughter of the happy childhood and future she would have once had, and inevitably led to the chain of events which culminated with many things, including those in Volterra, and the newborn invasion which saw innocent young mortals being ripped from their lives and forced to enter a cruel world for the sole purpose of being 'battle fodder' as they call it. Nor would he have killed her which was the other option that you had foreseen."
Her last sentence was addressed to Alice who started in disbelief. The Vampire Queen's eyes were cold, and her voice was unshakeable and undeniable in its judgement.
"And Bella has played her part in this. Had she not been selfish enough to disregard the concerns and worries of those who truly cared for her and performed dangerous stunts, such as jumping off a cliff, riding motorcycles without a license and approaching a stranger to do the same thing, then your son and brother would never have gone to Volterra. But he was mostly to blame, considering that it has already been established that he had planned this without so much as caring a whit about the witnesses who would see him had he forced the Volturi's hand."
"That isn't true!" Alice protested. "He kept changing his mind on the way there- I could see different possible futures- he wasn't always going to expose himself-"
"Was that true? The Volturi had but one rule, one main law which, when broken, would only ever ensure one punishment: death." The Lady retorted flatly. The Cullens all fell silent as they comprehended what she was saying. "The only other option would have been to bite and transform a small child and even during the height of his madness would your son and brother have been so cruel?" Doubt entered her tone as she pointed this.
As such, none of Edward's family had any response. Lady Laima stared them down with her midnight blue gaze. "They would have only ever refused to slay him especially if all present, including Edward, were under the impression that Bella had already ended her life and thus left no loose ends, no trail for humans to follow." She pointed. "Therefore, there was only one option for him to force their hand: to expose himself. And therefore, there was only one way in which they could have responded to ensure the silence of all those who had witnessed Edward's very public transgression." They did not speak. The Cullens all stood frozen.
The Volturi guards dispatched by Aro and Caius had been too late to witness Luciano Della Rosa and his wife perform feats of magic. Had they but waited a mere second more, or if the attacking guard who had taken Luciano's life had missed in his aim, then they would have certainly stopped at the sight of a human performing feats of magic in defence of his family and himself, thereby realising that they were not alone in this world... and that it would have been a bad idea to attack anyone with such abilities, especially once the Della Rosas had introduced themselves and who they had worked for: the Italian Ministry of Magic. The Della Rosas could have easily Disapparated with their children, but should they have stayed and any further explanations granted made their way to Aro and even Caius or Marcus, sadistic warmonger as the former was and uninterested the latter may be, they would not have wished to incur the wrath of not only the Italian Ministry of Magic but the International Confederation of Wizards and the entirety of the magical human world by extension. To think that a mere second or a single perfect aim or blow had caused so much destruction and grief upon many.
"Just as you had Seen the different alternative futures, I had seen the lost alternative pasts and outcomes of which would have occurred, once Viktor's hold over my powers and imprisonment became weakened." She reprimanded, gently but sternly. The Lady inhaled deeply to calm herself. Patience was not something which she lacked, yet even so her patience had its limits. "The reason why I had not Seen your species was mainly due to Viktor." the Vampire Queen informed curtly. "Otherwise, I would have certainly stopped Edward from even entering your now-daughter's bedroom or from ever going near her. Even from within the tower of my imprisonment, it would have been possible." She ignored the confused looks the mention of her imprisonment had garnered. "Yet once my Sight had thrown off Viktor's cursed influence, I could See not only what had occurred, but what may have happened once, what may yet happen, and what is currently happening elsewhere. I had Seen many a future lost. The death of Vittoria Della Rosa was a tragedy in more ways than one." She warned, watching them all wince.
As the Lady Progenitor explained to them all the options that would have opened and presented themselves in front of Vittoria Della Rosa and what she would have accomplished and became in each and every single one of them, the horror, anguish and devastation within all their faces and seemed to quadruple.
"Yes," she said softly "now the world will never know and will never change because of her. Or perhaps it will, I should like to think it does. Yet Vittoria Della Rosa will never be remembered as anything other than a poor little girl whose life was unfortunately and horrifically cut short. She will never be the revolutionary architect who invented a novel style and method of building, she will never be the outstanding musician who moved whole audiences to tears with her music. She will never tend to her plants and uncover a new species which could be used to cure many an illness, she would never discover, rescue nor tend to magical beasts and encourage others to do likewise, nor she will ever achieve fame and win countless accolades for her cinematic work. She will never grow old. She will never marry. She will never have children nor grandchildren. Her life and future were robbed. And so were the lives she would have impacted, including those who would have been saved by her work, and those of their families." Lady Laima said softly. "The entire world has been cruelly robbed of such an individual who will now never be."
A sickening silence descended. Esme looked completely sick. Rosalie's hands flew to her mouth as did Alice's. Emmett and Jasper looked utterly horrified and Carlisle was completely shaken.
"You have no idea," she whispered softly "of how the world would have changed, even by indirect means through her hands, had she lived, and for the better. Yes, she would have grown to save many lives in at least two of the futures that I had Seen. Possibly even three. So please forgive me, if I, as a Seer, cannot forgive her loss, nor of the future losses of those who would have been saved by her."
For a long while, they were all silent.
Alice swallowed. "Why hadn't I foreseen that?" She whispered through cold and trembling lips. "If she was special and Edward was going to cause her death-" she choked. She was shaking and far from the only one. Beside her, Jasper's hands trembled.
"With all due respect," the Lady Progenitor asked more gently, her eyes softer "did you ever care to look beyond what you required or wanted in the immediate future and all the pitfalls that you wished to avoid? You had, for example, foreseen that Bella and Edward would come together and that she would live with him as a vampire. What specific visions were they?"
Uneasily, the rest of the Cullens all turned to face Alice. The expectant question weighed heavily in the air.
Alice struggled to force the words. "I- I saw-"
"What did you See?" The Vampire Queen looked at her with pity within her dark blue gaze.
Alice swallowed. "I saw... them. Him and her. Together."
"How many times?" Came the reply. Alice looked startled at this response and took a step backwards.
"I-" she couldn't manage to finish. Suddenly, she looked away.
Lady Laima was silent for a long moment. "You staked your brother and that poor girl's entire happiness and wellbeing in the future on the premises of one vision within more than one possible future?" She asked, voice dangerously soft.
She couldn't look at her, the Lady Progenitor noted. No, she knew what Alice Cullen's visions had been. All of them, as a matter of fact. First, she had glimpsed her brother Edward leaving upon his first close encounter with Bella Swan in their high school where they masqueraded as adolescent students. Then she had glimpsed another boy named Tyler Crowley, crashing his van onto Bella, as well as the different option of Bella being saved by Edward. She had Seen Bella and her growing close, and then Jasper's attempts to feed upon her once he had lost control of his thirst and instincts, only for him to be stopped by Edward. She then saw what she believed to have been Bella's ultimate fates: one which resulted in Edward losing control and draining Bella dry, the other resulting in her transformation as an immortal. But in actuality, even these two options were not final. None of this were bound to happen, and only did because they had gone as far as they had. And in truth, Alice Cullen had only seen one scene where she glimpsed Bella as an immortal vampire and Edward's mate. She did not See the end of either story.
"The other one would have-" Alice barely managed. She looked close to weeping.
"She would have died- if Edward hadn't turned her-" her face threatened to crumple.
The Lady looked upon her with pity. "You poor child." She whispered. "Bella and Edward's futures would never have resulted in either of those options had you not permitted him to go as far as he had. There was another way which she would have survived being crushed by the mortal boy's van in the school carpark." Everybody looked at her, startled, but the Lady didn't react.
"You did not see the entirety of what could have happened," the Lady Progenitor warned darkly "because once you had seen a future that you instantly liked and another which you had feared would come to pass, you instantly became enamoured with the idea of the first future and panicked at the idea of the second. Bella and Edward falling in love, the former befriending you and becoming immortal appealled to and excited you, just as the alternative future of Edward being unable to resist the lure of her blood and draining Bella dry made you frantic with fear and worry. You acted upon impulse." She said bluntly, watching Alice and her family, her husband Jasper, their adoptive parents, and their siblings all wince.
"And as a Seer, impulse is a very dangerous thing. For it prevents you from seeing and bearing witness to all ends, in spite of your gift." Lady Laima said quietly, watching Alice's face crumble in complete devastation. "Yet you know you could have stopped him before it could happen either way. You need not the Sight for such a thought- nor a task. You simply did not think to look elsewhere for another option, even when you had the time, apart from the two that you had witnessed. Therefore, you did not foresee the precise outcome of the path you had so recklessly chosen because you did not think to look. You simply assumed that they would be happy together for eternity, based on a few domestic scenes early into their immortality and prior courtship. Child," she gazed at Alice sadly, shaking her head "do you believe that if I had not foreseen the ultimate outcome of my daughter marrying Amelia's son, that I would have even permitted their courtship nor warned her of ever accepting his advances or of being too close to him? Would they have ever gotten this far were I not completely certain it was for the best and either warned or encouraged her? You were too impulsive, and you assumed too much."
Alice swallowed and looked at her feet. "Besides," the Lady sighed "without this trial... without these revelations... Bella would have still felt the weight of regret throughout her eternal years... until she found a way to end things once her daughter had finally rested in peace." The Cullens looked like they had been slapped or stabbed. Esme took a step back.
The Lady nodded grimly. "No Dhampir is immortal." she confirmed quietly. Her eyes softened in sadness for their future agony. "I am truly sorry. But there is no other way. And she deserved to know the truth, at the very least. But do not hold yourselves entirely responsible," she warned them, particularly Alice "for Edward had his own mind and he knew what he had done and planned to do were wrong. He once thought to slaughter an entire tribe of people, some Loup-Garoux but most of them consisted of humans- and all because one foolish, naïve fifteen-year-old boy who had not yet phased and did not know the truth about the world in which he lived, had dared to so much as speak to Bella and had fallen for her manipulative flirtations and told her the truth about the 'Cold Ones'." She shook her head.
At first, they all opened their mouths, ready to deny everything and defend Edward, but Lady Laima saw how the realisation suddenly dawned within their eyes and slammed into them as if they had been punched. They looked sick. Yes, that was precisely how far Edward had been willing to go.
"He once thought he was free to slaughter the small defenceless tribe living along the coastline," Lady Laima remarked. "Those were his precise thoughts. And his wishes. Do mortals not possess a term for such an action?" Her chiding voice sharpened. "It was 'Genocide', I believe."
The Cullens flinched.
She was older than any of them had ever imagined. She knew secrets which humanity had long forgotten. She was far more powerful than they could ever dream a singular individual could ever be. And that was the heavy burden that she herself would bear for all of eternity, without rest.
"Edward would have never-" but Rosalie's choking words halted at the expression upon the Lady's face and the way she sadly shook her head.
"He did. He dreamt it. He wished for it. It lured and tempted him as much as Bella's blood, aroused and enflamed by his jealousy of the boy who unknowingly broke his ancestor's treaty and endangered the peace between your family and his kin." She paused, watching them stiffen at the mention of Jacob Black. "However, at least Edward had changed his mind, if only for Bella's sake. But, truly, your family and the Volturi will not be the only ones punished. There is another, locked in his home. The same boy who had broken the treaty. The one who had refused the call and whose reign will soon be overturned. He who seeks to keep the child of your family and who had committed crimes against her; he too was responsible for the events which happened in Volterra, if only indirectly. Due to it being mostly due to misfortune and his own lack of awareness, despite his other crimes, his punishment may not be everlasting, despite its severity. In the end, it will be up to him to decide his own fate. But he will lose your grandchild and niece." She warned the Cullens who started. Collectively, they inhaled sharply. "Once he refuses to listen to reason and to recognise the truth of what has occurred and what will never be; once the full moon rises and the Wolves wait for the fight," she stepped forwards, never taking her eyes off them as she intoned the prophecy "once the battle has been lost and won, the bond shall be severed. He will find healing and happiness, but if and only once he has learned and accepted the truth. But he will never return to the land of his fathers. Nor will he see her- or Bella- ever again."
Rosalie inhaled sharply, hand flying to her heart. Alice and Esme gasped. Carlisle stood frozen in shock and horror, Emmett and Jasper exchanged aghast looks.
"This much I know." She warned. "Although, certainly, I do not take pleasure in knowing this."
And neither do I take pleasure in warning you of what is to come, her thoughts whispered to her son's mind, and his eyes widened, unseen by all despite being sensed by her. You know of whom and what I speak. She sensed his unease. The woman you love cannot stay. Soon, your time together will end, and you must both say your farewells. You will find true and lasting happiness, and so will she, but only if you part. Should you remain and become as one, you will lose her, regardless of her wishes and yours.
Her face was grave. They could see the truth of her words. "This is the burden I shall bear. I have and will always carry this. And now it is yours as well.
The last thing any of the Cullens saw was the look of pity upon her gaze as she disappeared from within their sight.
As her consciousness re-entered her body, the Lady's hands resumed their work, seeming to dance upon her loom, masterfully moving the warp threads back into place amidst the weft. She carried many burdens and she afflicted suffering, yes. But only to divert other, worse outcomes and more terrible sufferings upon many more.
Did Radu truly believe that she did not know? Surely, her son knew better than that. Thankfully, Gabrielle Delacour will end their fledgling infatuation and romance upon his agreement soon enough, Lady Laima thought. It was for the best: after all, had she remained with him, even if they had avoided all that she feared would occur should they remain together as one, Gabrielle would meet with death and Radu would seek and unleash vengeance in such a manner that Victoria's newborn invasion would seem a mere theater puppet show or a pillow fight by comparison. And worse would have come, as once the mundane mortals had awoken from their safe delusion that magic and magical beings and beasts did not exist, they would not hesitate to look, to hunt, to capture, to experiment and enslave, nor to exterminate and harm all those who were different. Who were not human and without magic as they were. Gabrielle was vital in order to prevent such a dreadful future.
And if the price to pay would be to break both of their hearts, including her own son's, well, what choice did they have? That path led to an ending of destruction, death and sorrow, regardless of the journey on the road, before they met its destination. Besides, vampires had been known to fall into complete and outright insanity, unable to resist drowning their sufferings and grief by unleashing total destruction and chaos, and Radu was far more powerful, calculating and competent than that poor, misguided, misled and naïve Victoria had been, even before she fell into the depths of outright insanity. Should he and Gabrielle continue upon this dark path, it mattered not whether she feared to hurt Radu due to the Well of Compulsion which would force her to mate with human men, nor even of Viktor and his supporters' awareness of their scandalous romance. Gabrielle would lose her life and Radu would lose his, along with his mind and soul, in order to pursue vengeance.
And the world had already been deprived of Vittoria Della Rosa and all the possibilities she would have shown and guided them towards, the Lady Progenitor knew. They would not be denied Gabrielle Delacour's achievements, discoveries, knowledge, innovations, contributions and, most importantly, what she would build for all kinds. The Lady would make sure of that. She would not die. For the sake of her peoples, their own, wizardkind and all other mages, and of her brother-by-marriage imprisoned within the mountain fortress, Gabrielle Delacour would live. And she would achieve all that was possible with her success.
So, while she resumed her work, the Lady Progenitor pondered on the events to come just as much as she reflected upon the events of the past. Slowly, the threads of the tapestry began to paint the picture she so desired.
"The hardest thing to learn in life is which bridge to cross and which to burn."
David Russell
When the Cullens arrived back in Forks, Carlisle quietly called the Clearwater house to let Sue the Clearwaters' pack know.
Alice had been silent the whole way through. She was mostly keeping to herself these days. Everyone was quiet. Bella had gone to a room with a vial of Dreamless Sleep Potion laced with blood to get her to rest and recover. But the rest of the Cullens, despite knowing that the potion was strong, kept their voices hushed while they were in the living room below.
Bella had not wanted to return to her cottage. None of the others could blame her. Renesmee also made it clear that she would never set foot inside of her prison-home ever again. After all, a Gilded Cage is still a cage.
Alice broke the silence. Her voice, so meek and mousy compared to what it had once been before she had discovered the truth about that terrible day, almost quavered and rang from disuse. "What did she mean?" She asked. "She said that- that-"
Rosalie sighed and her shoulders slumped. Emmett put his arm around her. "She said that the bond between Jacob and Renesmee is going to be severed soon." Her voice was flat and dull. "When the full moon rose and a battle has been fought and won. Once Jacob refuses to recognise what he's doing is wrong." There was no malice in Rosalie's voice, no hatred or loathing, nor even disapproval when she spoke of him.
"This means he's won't let go of Renesmee so easily," Rosalie clarified numbly, "so we have to think of an escape plan. Plus, this means that Leah's going to have to fight him."
Carlisle paled. Esme's hand flew to her throat. Her husband and siblings all looked uneasily at one another.
"This is it?" Emmett whispered hoarsely. "Is there no other way?" Esme questioned, pleading to Alice.
Alice gave a choked sob. "Esme... you know I can't see hybrids or Wolves." Esme grimaced, accepting the reminder.
Alice took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Her lips trembled. Only now, she was all too aware of how weak her Sight was compared to someone like Lady Laima. Or just how stupid and reckless she'd been, not to look for any other possible alternative solutions and futures.
Suddenly, she felt Jasper's warm- to her anyway- hand on her clasped ones and his arm draw her closer to him.
For a long moment, Carlisle gazed out through the window into the woods. Then, he sighed.
"She warned us that Jacob would never see Renesmee again- or Bella." His head bowed. "She also claimed that he would never return to the Land of his Fathers. Meaning Quileute territory. La Push." His eyes, so haunted, now turned towards them.
"Jacob's never coming home. He's going to leave and he will never return."
Once again, there was silence. Esme took a shuddering breath and squeezed her eyes shut.
"Her exact words were..." Esme took another breath. "'Once he refuses to listen to reason and to recognise the truth of what has occurred and what will never be; once the full moon rises and the Wolves wait for the fight, once the battle has been lost and won, the bond shall be severed. He will find healing and happiness, but if and only once he has learned and accepted the truth. But he will never return to the land of his fathers. Nor will he see her- or Bella- ever again.'"
Opening her eyes, Esme looked around all the occupants of the room. "What does this all mean? Jacob will refuse to listen to reason and accept the truth of his own imprinting and that he and Renesmee can never be together... The full moon... She said that the full moon will rise and the Wolves will fight-" she halted as Carlisle shook his head.
"She said the Wolves will wait for the fight." Carlisle corrected gently. "She also said that there will be a battle- that will be both lost and won. This could mean several things: it could mean that, firstly, the Wolves will wait and during the full moon there's going to be a massive battle between either the Quileutes versus the Wolves from the Appalachians or Vermont, or it could mean an all-out civil war within the former." Carlisle's eyes grew grim as Esme gasped, their remaining children groaning. "Because Jacob will not accept the truth about imprinting and that he and Renesmee are not soulmates, and Sam and many others are likely to also refuse to do the same thing. So, this will lead to war between them and the ones who accept the truth who will all rally to Leah, Seth, Embry and Quil's banner. And the Council of Elders will undoubtedly take the latter's side and face an uprising against their own authority.
"Or," Carlisle continued as the others absorbed the chilling understanding "it could mean a more personal battle. Either Jacob won't accept and still fight against it, but the others will shoot him down and stop him. After all, if Billy and Sue are insisting on taking him for treatment and they know that he is mentally compromised-" he remembered what Gabrielle had updated him on "-then it could mean a more internal battle within Jacob that he will eventually be forced to accept that he was wrong. Or..." He took a shuddering breath, then sighed.
"It could mean that Leah will challenge Jacob for the role of leader within the pack." he said quietly. "This could mean that there would be a duel between the two of them... the Wolves wait for the fight... they would wait for the outcome of the fight to declare the new leader. The old Alpha... or the new Luna."
Everyone fell silent.
"But what does this mean about Jacob not returning home?" Alice whispered. "What reason would he have to leave again and never return?"
Everybody remembered that Jacob had ran away and lived in the wild for months in his animal form after hearing of Bella's decision to go through with the wedding. But what could possibly make him leave- again- only to never return?
It was Jasper who spoke next. "If Jacob refuses to accept," his earth-brown eyes were widening with realisation "and we'll still do what it takes to keep Renesmee out of his hands-"
"Of course!" Rosalie snapped, but Emmett soothed and Esme hushed her.
"-then this could mean that Jacob will spend the rest of his life searching for Renesmee, but he won't ever find her so he never returns home." Jasper finished slowly.
Aghast, Esme looked around at the remaining members of her family. They all bore identical expressions of horror and sadness for both Jacob and their niece or granddaughter. "This can't be true!"
"Or," her husband interrupted "it could alternatively mean that Jacob will simply leave and never return home. After all, Gabrielle has told us that his father has said that he wanted to take Jacob away for treatment, and that the Appalachians Wolves have contacted another pack who have special mental health facilities for their kind." Carlisle pointed. "It could mean that he goes for treatment... but like Renesmee... I don't think that he will wish to return and dwell with all these memories. It could be a self-imposed exile."
"Or an outright banishment." Jasper noted grimly. "If Jacob doesn't accept this, and still tries to pursue her... Well, the Council of Elders have made it clear that they are determined to put a stop to this... this madness. They could exile him by force if he tries to resist and does something criminal, the way he assaulted Bella out of desperation."
Jacob didn't think things through, Jasper thought to himself. And neither did Edward.
Everybody looked and felt sick at the implications of what Jasper was saying. Everybody was thinking along the exact same lines: did this mean that Jacob would do something to Renesmee, borne out of his own desperation and refusal to accept her right to freedom and to let her go? If Jacob was willing to force a kiss onto Bella- essentially assault her- illegally- and she wasn't his imprint... what was he going to do to her daughter?
Carlisle wondered if he should have studied psychology and adopted it as his practice. Just how far and how much had Jacob's mind been broken? He was already showing cracks in his mental psyche. Worse, he now thought of a very pertinent question: could they have avoided all this? Jacob and his family's suffering? Charlie's regrets and humiliations? Renesmee's stolen childhood? Bella's possible future? Vittoria and Luciano Della Rosa's deaths and their family's grief?
Unfortunately, he already knew the answer to that. And ultimately, they had none to blame but themselves and the Volturi.
"'When the full moon rises,'" Emmett suddenly said. He straightened. "When the full moon rises... Carlisle, when's the next full moon?"
Carlisle's eyes widened. "On the thirtieth of this month."
"That's ten more days then," Esme's breathed "today's the twentieth of June. We have just over a week. We've got to warn the Clearwaters, Embry and Quil- and the Council of Elders. We have to tell them what Lady Laima said- and all the possibilities she's warned us could happen-"
"Were they possibilities though?" Rosalie interrupted suddenly, her violet-blue eyes wide. "What if it's just one straight path? What if she knows the truth but just hasn't clarified it with us?"
Jasper shook his head. "I don't think we can ask her, Rose. It took ages to even get an appointment to see her-"
Rosalie flew to her feet. "But we have to try!"
"Maybe," Carlisle agreed. "But first we have to warn them." He picked up the phone.
The idea was too horrible to even contemplate. Whatever the reason, whatever the uncertainty, especially in regards to the circumstances of how this came to be, one thing was certain: Jacob was leaving La Push and Forks, possibly Washington State, the land where his ancestors had guarded and his entire family had lived, for hundreds of years, and which had been his home since he was born... and he was never coming back.
He wasn't going to give up Renesmee so easily. So this meant they had to try and escape with her. With Gabrielle's assistance, each of the Cullens were certain that they could escape to the other side of the earth, or even to another planet if she helped them, and to make absolutely sure that Jacob would never be able to set eyes on, much less touch Renesmee. But the idea that they had ruined this poor boy's life, destroyed his mind, all because of Edward and Bella and their oversight and their own inability to stop either of them... this weighed heavily upon them. Even Rosalie could summon none of her previous animosity towards Jacob.
"We have to tell Bella when she wakes," Alice said glumly, surprising them all.
"We can't afford to hide the truth from her anymore... we can't protect her with lies."
Not when the truth had a habit of chasing and catching up to them, Jasper thought.
"I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul."
William Ernest Henley
Leah stared aghast at the Cullens. So did the other Quileutes.
"So what, Jacob's going to leave and just never come back?" She blurted.
Carlisle sighed. Despite his perpetual youth, he seemed to have aged enough to appear very much his true age with all that had happened.
He and the rest of the family then explained to them what had happened: what led to Bella breaking down. Each of the Quileutes stared disturbed and aghast at the mention of what Edward was going to do, which led to Rosalie admitting the details of their conversation in the cell and her confrontation with what Edward might have been planning to suggest to them.
Leah shook her head, disturbed. Seth looked sick and Quil and Embry were both pale. "Did he actually believe that we would ever consider nor allow this to happen?" Sue whispered, aghast. "Even if the packs had wanted it- the Council of Elders would have never allowed-"
Leah shook her head at her mother. "I don't think that the packs would have ever been willing to do this either," she said bluntly. "Sam might've wanted us to attack but that's 'cause he feared Renesmee might become a threat that the Cullens couldn't contain- or wouldn't. It's one thing to eliminate a threat, even a potential or possible one. It's another thing to appoint yourselves as judge, jury and executioner, or to tear a newborn baby to pieces as Wolves." She insisted.
Now, everybody looked sick. Rosalie closed her eyes. This just now confirmed what she had thought: the Quileutes themselves would have never agreed to put Renesmee to death once presented with the opportunity. Jasper was thinking along the exact same lines: Sam's actions had been borne out of panic and fear for everyone's survival, especially seeing what the pregnancy of a half-vampire foetus had done to Bella. They didn't want to think about what she could do once Renesmee had emerged from the womb, but neither did they stop to think about the implications of what this could mean. Should Edward have actually gone to them, carrying a newborn baby and tossed his only child- and Bella's- to them for execution while they were in their Wolf forms... they would have been horrified and disturbed towards him. Ultimately, Jasper doubted that they could ever bring themselves to go that far. In the end, it would not have mended relations between the Quileutes and the Cullens, and it certainly would have never maintained the truce. Even if Bella had died giving birth to Renesmee. Instead, the packs and the council's suspicions would have been re-directed towards Edward and the rest of them for suggesting such a thing. After all, hadn't Edward been the one to impregnate Bella? Isn't this his own flesh-and-blood? His newborn child? A half-human baby, as well as a half-vampire one?
Of course, Rosalie could have been wrong... and Lady Laima could have been lying or showing a false illusion about an alternative future which had now been averted, or a conversation between Edward and another person, possibly Jacob or another Wolf, which had never taken place. But the fact remained that Bella had asked Gabrielle's help in searching for Edward's thoughts. While Bella had been too incoherent to specifically confirm what Edward had done, attempted, or planned to do, and Gabrielle herself had been sorting Edward's perfectly-captured memories of the events based on the timing of Bella's pregnancy since its discovery until when Edward had heard the baby's thoughts, but had never actually looked into everything herself... Clearly, the former had seen something which had shaken her, maybe even shattered Bella.
Which reminded Jasper of a severe flaw in Bella's plan: just how lucky they all had been to avert every disaster that had come their way thus far. If Renesmee had inherited Bella's shield directly, instead of flipping things around... If she had been boy instead of a girl, the way Bella had envisioned... or if she'd inherited Edward's eyes... As terrible as the imprinting was between Jacob and Renesmee, it had kept her alive instead of allowing Jacob to murder her.
But that time had been borrowed. Another horrific thought occurred to Jasper: what would Jacob do should he accept the truth about his imprinting? They may wish him to listen to reason and to accept the truth, but should he discover that his entire happiness and future with Renesmee had been a lie, and that his pain over Bella and Edward and Bella's pregnancy had been for nothing...
Jasper barely heard Carlisle, Esme and the others explaining to the Quileutes about Lady Laima's prophecy, nor did he process their reactions to it. Instead, all he could think about was that it seemed that every single time they had uncovered a problem, or spotted one before it could occur, like facing an obstacle on a journey, they had found another, potentially worse one in its place. Out of the frying pan and into the fire, he thought.
Every solution seemed to contain its own problems. And these problems were bad.
"So what to do?" Carlisle asked quietly. "If she's as powerful a Seer as Gabrielle and everybody else has said, and by all accounts- and our own observations, she likely is... she wouldn't have said these things lightly."
"It's still open to interpretation," Esme pointed "this could mean that there are different alternative futures, however."
"But it all boils down to a few things." Emmett pointed. He ticked them off on his fingers. "One, is that there's going to be a fight around or after the night of the full moon. Who it's going to be between, how many are participating, or why they're fighting, we don't know." Leah froze, suddenly very still. "And two, Jacob's not going to accept that Renesmee's not his soulmate and that they've got no future. So he's not going to let her go. Three, he's going to leave and he's never coming back."
That hit them like the blow of a hammer. Everybody winced.
"Four, he could- 'could'- and this is where she makes it clear that this is a possibility, rather than a certainty, but it's nice to be sure- but Jacob could be happy again." Emmett reminded them of Lady Laima's last words. Everybody fell silent. "He could heal and be happy. But only- only- once he accepts the truth: that she's not his soulmate and they've got no future together. And that she's not happy with him, with what he's done, and that what he did was wrong." Emmett finished.
Slowly, it dawned on Jasper and the others. "So, it's possible that Jacob could be happy someday." He understood. "But only if he lets Renesmee go."
"He could leave her... find some healing, some peace and acceptance and eventually true love." Esme looked for a moment as if a weight had been taken off her shoulders. "Once he comes to accept. If he does."
That brought them back to where they'd come from.
"But in the end..." Leah said bitterly, and how familiar did that tone of voice seem to her! "Jacob's still leaving. And once he leaves, he's not coming back. He's never coming back home."
For a long moment, everyone was silent. Then, Leah took a shaky breath.
"The difference is how and why he's leaving and what he'll be doing." She noted. "Right? He's either going to spend the rest of his days searching for a girl who doesn't want him, who wants nothing to do with him, wasting his entire adult life chasing a future that will never happen and will never make him happy... Either 'cause he's been banished or escaped from our clutches, or 'cause he just won't give up...
"Or he's going 'cause he needs mental health treatment and he doesn't want to come back thanks to all the painful memories. Just like Rachel and Rebecca." Leah gave a bitter smile.
"In the end that's what it all comes down to." She sighed. "I guess I'll have to choose, huh?" She asked quietly, before she stood. "If what you said is true, and that there's more than one possible future and nothing's clear..." She straightened. Her dark eyes were sad, haunted, grim but steely in its resolve. "I'm the one who gets to choose.
"There's not going to be a civil war." she said, her voice soft but clear. "There's not going to be a war between our species and anyone else's. Or us and the vampires. Not like the Crescent Pack in New Orleans." She said, eliciting confused looks from the Cullens. "Sam and Jacob and all the rest of them will be forced to accept... If Jacob can't listen to reason because he won't... then the only battle fought under the light of the full moon will be a duel. A duel between me and Jacob."
It was as if lightning and thunder had struck, even though it was just cloudy outside. She stared straight at the others.
"I'm going to challenge Jacob for the position of Alpha- or Luna." She said slowly but her voice was clear and they could feel the weight behind it. "I'll set out the terms of the duel before we fight. If I win, not only will I officially become Luna and take over the leadership of the pack, but Jacob will have to consent to get his imprint-bond with Renesmee reversed by Gabrielle... and he's going up north to Canada to get treatment and therapy. No arguments. In the end, it'll be up to him if he chooses to come back or not, but I'll only banish him if he tries something criminal, like stalking, harassing or searching for Renesmee when he's got no business being anywhere near her. Or holding Charlie hostage to use against us and the Cullens and threatening to harm him again." She added as an afterthought. The audience winced.
"It doesn't have to be a war." Leah said quietly. "Or even an all-out battle. The audience will have to wait and see the outcome. Neither, Sam, Jared or Paul can't challenge me and take Jacob's side, not unless either of them wishes to take a stance against Jacob too and fight against not only him for the leadership of the pack, but against what he wants to do: keep his imprint close. If they want the same thing, they'll have to let him win."
Leah turned to face the window. The Calawah River rushed peacefully by.
"But Sam and Jacob are Alphas from separate packs." Embry pointed. "How will what either of us say-"
"Sam can't let go of Emily and he won't." Leah said, shrugging. "But he, Jared and Paul can all watch. They can all listen when Kim and Rachel have something to say. They can all watch while I duel Jacob. I don't care who they'll root for, but they are not interfering and they're going to have to accept the outcome of the fight.
"But if Rachel wants to leave, and Kim wants to be at least given a chance to leave... then they've got no choice but to watch and stay for the duration of the fight." Leah decided. "Until it's outcome. They've got no choice but to watch and witness Jacob... and see what becomes of anyone who refuses to respect anyone's right to freedom and a life of their own making. I'll make it clear to them- to everyone including Jacob- that this will mean that they at least possess the right to leave." The sudden fierceness in Leah's voice surprised her audience, making them startle.
"They can choose to stay or they can leave and find happiness with somebody else. But what matters is that they have the right to do whatever they wish without losing their minds and taking away somebody's freedom of choice."
Jasper spoke, "But this'll mean that you have to win," he murmured "you can't afford to lose, Leah."
Leah closed her eyes. "No. I can't. I have to fight to win."
Sorry my computer crashed. It's just been fixed, but I've lost a lot of files. Yikes.
To LydiaCrazzy and Everyone who sent a PM to me in regard to illustrating and adapting this into comics or fan art:
Just to clarify: if you wish to do that, that's up to you. But I don't own anything. Stephenie Meyer does. JK Rowling does. The Creators of Underworld and Greg Cox does. Annette Curtis Klause does (for Blood and Chocolate). The creators of Castlevania: Lament of the Night does. So by all means, feel free to do adapt in whatever way you wish, just don't make money out of what you're making because I don't and I won't. I'll be happy to see what you're making online based on these fics, but I know what I'm getting myself into when I started writing fan-fiction. And I'm not including Anne Rice's vampires or her world out of respect for her wishes and this site's rules.
The only OCs named and featured so far are Lady Laima, Radu, Ruxandra, Yakov, Adsila Sizemore, Ava Swan and Kohana Arpan. Everyone else portrayed here is canon. The latter four, who don't feature too much in this story, merely act as plot devices (even Ava whom the Cullens don't yet know about). Lady Laima and her twins Radu and Ruxandra are catalysts for important events, some of which will not be seen or heard by Bella, but some of which will have impacted her- like the wedding. Did you catch my reference to the canon wedding in Breaking Dawn, the novel and the first part of the film? The freesias were part of Bella's wedding bouquet in both the book and the film but they are shown as a fragile and fleeting symbol in the vampire wedding, before wilting and fading. The rest of the more delicate white flowers used for the decorations during the wedding were taken from Bella's onscreen wedding, despite not being different in the book. As for the purpose of the pure-born vampire twins and their mother, well, I am planning at least one sequel (we'll see how it goes). It all ties into more than one canon universe. These twins, their mother, and some canon characters like Gabrielle and Ava tie into them. You might recognise other characters and more canon universes in the sequel(s). Word of warning: Edward and Jacob won't feature in them, and Bella's role will be relatively minimal in comparison to say, Carlisle and Esme (who are members of their species' new government anyway). Radu and Ruxandra will play a greater role. Lady Laima will tie the Twilight universe and Potterverse into another canon universe- more than one, actually. Gabrielle will go to a lot of places and meet different peoples before her transition from part-human witch to full-blooded Veela/Vila.
Stormshadow13: I get how you feel. Many think that they'd feel so much satisfaction watching people like Edward, Bella and Jacob brought down low, but the truth is that it's not something to rejoice in. In the end, it's just tragic at how many dreams have been destroyed when they understand reality far too late. At the core of it all, Edward was a teenager who could never grow up like he always dreamed. Bella was miserable, neglected, overburdened from an early age and lonely, so she sought an escape. Jacob was desperate not to lose another woman in his life after his mother and two sisters. You might think that they're monsters, but they're actually quite tragic. It's no excuse to all the horrible things they've done and planned to do, but for vampires and Wolves, they've made very human choices which had very devastating consequences. And like all teenagers, myself included, they thought they already knew how to navigate the world and what they were getting themselves into... only to discover that they were totally wrong.
