Surprise!
New chapter up!
Okay, this is basically a continuation of the dialogue from the previous chapter, and I also wanted to clarify a few things and talk about others. First, Elia and Marcus are not a couple, not really, even in the other versions of this story I place them as friends and allies, the only difference here is that he seems more "sentient" than in the other stories, that is, more alive.
I also wanted to talk a little about the other version and how it relates to what I'm writing now, well, in the other version, Elia manages to turn Claudio into a vampire and they live for a while in the castle, but I think you need to keep in mind how important hierarchy is to the Volturi. I think Stephenie Meyer shows this well in the story of the character Eleazar. He wasn't important enough, so his mate, Carmen, wasn't important enough either. When they left, no one cared! Elia and Claudio had a hard time in the castle (in this other version), due to the hierarchy issue - he wasn't important enough, he had different values - shit happened (the story is 'A Filha', it's in Portuguese on my profile)
The point here is that Elia entered this world, and it's not just any vampire world, it's royalty. Who will she ally herself with? What will this relationship entail? We know that Aro is always up to something, not to mention the gifts...
Yes, the gifts will play an important role now.
I hope you like it.
[Twilight characters belongs to Stephenie Meyer]
[English isn't my first language, so please be kind]
26
The Pale Man
- How did you meet? - Elia remembered to ask, which made Sulpicia show a shy smile.
She was glowing, Elia didn't know how to describe it, but Sulpicia and Athenodora were glowing as they moved. Two ethereal beings trapped in the dungeon.
Athenodora was at the piano, too focused on her musical notes and melodies, with Corin by her side, drawing everything on the sheet music with precise movements, her red curls swaying as she moved. She must have had attentive ears, because Athenodora played quickly and beautifully.
As Sulpicia was slow to respond, Elia feared disturbing her.
- He found me at the orphanage - Sulpicia answered, handing her a red velvet dress. Elia occupied the bench reserved for a cellist while Sulpicia walked from one side to the other without ever tripping over one of Athenodora's trinkets.
- And you decided to go with him? - Elia insisted, it was difficult to imagine the mind reader as a suitor - Just like that?
- Just like that - Sulpicia returned with a pair of black shoes, Elia didn't know where she kept those things, because she hadn't seen her leave the common room. That place must have been bigger than it looked - I had no family, or friends, just a familiar feeling in that stone cocoon.
Elia nodded. She stared at the ceiling above their heads, where stone bricks formed the base of the Volturi fortress. There was no sun there, no stars or shining galaxies, just stone. She had seen Marcus leave the common room the day before, or had it been two days before? Elia couldn't tell anymore.
Before she knew it, Corin approached her, even with the music at its peak, and touched her shoulder like an imp, making all those thoughts fade away.
- You need to listen to me - Elia was startled when Sulpicia knelt at her feet, not because she was scary, far from it, she didn't seem like someone who would do anyone any harm, but because it seemed wrong for a perfect being like that to kneel on the cold floor - safety is the most important thing, especially here.
- Your role as a wife is to not die - Athenodora said suddenly, the words cutting through the air like a sharp blade. She spoke as quickly as she started playing again, and soon the room regained its fairytale air.
Sulpicia held out her hands, and Elia took them when she realized she had permission. When she touched Sulpicia's skin she had a strange flash, of a forest she didn't remember visiting. Everything happened so fast that she quickly pulled her hands back, but Sulpicia interpreted it as shyness.
Corin was back before Elia could realize what she had seen, pinching her shoulder.
XXXXX
Elia had forgotten much of what happened when she was in her wives' quarters, but the flash of Sulpicia passed through her mind the moment she met Alec again. A slight headache was all she felt and then she just replayed the scenes of what they had lived together when she woke up in this new life. Despite what had happened with Claudio, Alec was still familiar to Elia.
He followed her to her room in silence and didn't protest when Elia asked him to shower. They were the only ones in the room, Jane was still upstairs as well as the remnants of the Volturi Guard who excitedly went up to welcome the masters, they had the entire hallway to themselves.
While waiting, Elia started to look through Alec's closet, which all the clothes were neatly lined up like in a luxury store. She was sure he had taken something out of his pocket and hidden it in some compartment of the room before entering the shower, but he had been quicker than her gaze, which meant it was possible to hide things there.
- What are you going to wear? - the girl asked - The black shirt number one or number forty-three?
- Very funny - she heard Alec's voice muffled from the shower.
The answer made her smile, and the clothes smelled nice.
"I shouldn't smile for him anymore," Elia thought. Everything was too confusing.
Elia hadn't gone into the closet while he was gone, so she was satisfying her curiosity while she could, especially with the small accessories like cufflinks and belts with golden details. Alec's clothes were always sober, in shades of black, but she found, at the very back, a section of less formal shirts. The girl picked up a gray one, the print looked like it belonged to some band from the 80s.
- Do you like this one?
Elia turned towards the boy, his wet brown hair stuck to his doll-like face. Something else caught her attention, with her immortal eyes, she noticed that the layer of dust that had accumulated on his marble skin was gone.
- Now you look clean - Elia tilted her nose towards him - what's that smell?
- Sandalwood - Alec replied, taking the shirt from Elia's hands.
- It suits you - the newborn continued rummaging through one of the drawers. There were several compartments with expensive-looking watches - I thought you didn't listen to modern human music.
- I have some shirts like this that serve as camouflage in the human world, they make me look younger.
Elia hurriedly picked out a pair of the most casual pants she could find and tossed them to him.
They laughed, and for a moment he didn't seem like a violent vampire anymore.
- So you're just coming into my room now? Why didn't you settle in here?
- It felt lonely being by myself - Elia tried to fit a watch on her wrist - Jane made me company and I stayed on the couch when you called, it was easier that way.
- Did Gianna make you uncomfortable? - Alec took the watch from her hands and returned it to the drawer. The gray shirt really made him look younger and more normal.
- I think it was the other way around - Elia pointed to the dirty clothes from the trip, now lying on the floor - what do we do with these?
- Laundry, usually - Alec answered as Elia sat in one of the closet compartments and he leaned on the opposite shelf - but we're going to burn these.
They stared at each other for a moment, until Alec's gaze fell to the floor. His hair was still wet, causing a few drops of water to wet his shirt. He didn't touch Elia again; instead, inside that small room, he calculated in his mind who could win a fight.
- Now that you're calmer, can you answer me a question? - Elia broke the silence.
Alec sighed, but he made a gesture for Elia to continue, he couldn't say no to her.
- What is a singer?
- What? - The question wasn't exactly what Alec expected.
"Who was the young man, what were we?", that was what Alec thought Elia would ask.
- Oh - Alec smiled - so you noticed the difference.
Elia tried to ignore his reaction.
- I think you already have the answer - Alec concluded, he didn't seem so happy now.
- Did you know he was my singer when you first brought me his blood?
- No, I didn't - he crossed his arms, avoiding looking at her - when I took the blood I thought about making you drink it to prove to him that you would never be together again, that he was just… Food.
Elia shook a shiver from her shoulders, as painful as it was, Alec wasn't lying.
- You don't know how shocked I was by your reaction - Alec continued, a theory that seemed to make sense only to him - because that was the opposite of what I wanted.
- What do you mean?
Elia remained quiet waiting for him to continue. She was trying to follow Alec's train of thought, but she didn't know exactly what he was getting at.
- Singers are soulmates, at least that's what most of our kind believes.
He approached her, slowly this time, showing that he mean no harm.
- As long as he was alive, this, us, would never happen.
There was genuine belief in Alec's eyes, Elia could tell. And the weight in his chest was a feeling he couldn't deny—despite everything he'd done, he believed it had been for a good purpose. And he wanted his reward.
They were closer to each other now, and Elia took the towel to dry his wet hair, the drops were leaving stains on his shirt.
- How can you be sure? - Elia asked, touching Alec's face as if she wanted to comfort someone, which only made him more bitter - Sulpicia, Lady Sulpicia... She told me that there are dozens of pairs of our kind without one necessarily being the other's singer.
Elia was sure it was Marcus who told her that, but she didn't want to say his name to avoid Alec having another bad reaction.
- Sulpicia just wants to convince herself that she made the right choice - Alec insisted, finally accepting Elia's touch, letting his face rest on her hands - I didn't want to take the risk.
Elia sighed, she thought that if she reacted with anger, maybe Alec would feel better, because he didn't seem to be familiar with any other kind of feeling.
"What do I do now?", the vampire thought, "memories, love or hierarchy?".
- I'll repay you for this, I promise - Alec said - tell me what you want, anything and I...
Elia felt her head spinning when they both heard knocks on the door.
- It's not Jane - she said, because if it was the girl, Elia would have already noticed by her scent, but this one was different.
- No, it's not - Alec's posture changed - stay here.
Elia thought about following his suggestion, but she wanted to see who owned that strange smell and the hoarse voice that was now arguing with Alec at the door. At that moment, the vampire realized that she was forgetting something important that had been decided when she was still hidden in one of Gianna's rooms, a detail that now came to haunt her.
The pale man was also slender and his eyes had the same shade as Marcus's, the kind of someone who was ancient and melancholic. The first time he spoke it was difficult for Elia to understand, and he held out his hand waiting for hers. Elia did not accept the greeting and hid behind Alec.
-Mi dispiace - Elia finally managed to understand him the second time, even so, the accent in his voice was as if several languages were mixed together - I haven't spoken Italian for a while.
- This is Aro's doctor - Alec explained still maintaining a protective attitude - Remember?
The girl nodded slowly, and this time she accepted the greeting of that strange and pale figure. Elia took her time looking at his hair, as long as the mind reader's, but at the same time so light. Despite the fear and apprehension, Elia could only wonder how old he was.
- Nice to meet you - Elia replied when her hand was finally free. She felt something strange, as if her entire body wanted to tremble. Once again she preferred the view of Alec's back.
- And now that you've introduced yourself, there's no reason for you to be here anymore - Alec said bluntly.
A condescending smile was what Minos gave Alec, and Elia noticed that this seemed to be a little game they had been playing for a while.
When Alec closed the door, Elia ran to the couch and hugged her knees. She never wanted to be alone with that strange person, on second thought, she would never agree to leave the room if he was prowling the halls.
- Remember my story, what we talked about on the phone? - Alec said, just like Elia, he also stared at the closed door, but kept his arms around the girl.
- Yes - Elia nodded - and I remember the mind reader's words, that he wanted someone to examine me.
Alec hugged her, this time with a more protective feeling than before.
- I don't think we can stop this - Alec said, one of his hands buried in Elia's black hair. How he had missed that - but I promise I'll stay close, he won't hurt you.
- You don't have to do this - Elia gently pushed him away. She felt a strange sense of claustrophobia at that moment, and the dark appearance of Alec's room didn't help.
She looked up at the ceiling and thought about Demetri upstairs.