Like a moth to the flame : an Aro and Bella story
This story begins inside the Palazzo Dei Priori when Edward meets up with Alice and Bella. The trio are taken before Aro and the other Volturi kings, only to have Aro discovering Bella's gift, and finding he wants that gift and the girl with it. Not in a personal way. He's a married man, after all.
Bella's joy at finding Edward in time, before he exposes himself to the people of Volterra, is short-lived. They are brought before the Volturi kings, where one in particular captures her reluctant interest.
Their mutual interest grows, as the saying goes, like a moth to the flame. But who is the moth and who is the flame?
This is my first attempt at an Aro of Volterra story with Bella as his potential inamorata. I generally prefer using OCs. I hope readers enjoy in any case.
*Some early dialogue is taken from the script of Twilight : New Moon, but after this chapter, the dialogue is mine*
Chapter One- Needless introductions
ON HIATUS UNTIL i CAN WRITE 4 MORE CHAPTERS, THEN WILL POST ALL AT ONCE. THIS WAS A CHALLENGE AND I AM NOT A BIG BELLA AS SUBJECT MATTER FAN. THANK YOU TO ANY READERS IT MAY HAVE, SINCE STATS HERE ARE NOT WORKING SO I DON'T KNOW HOW POPULAR IT EVEN US. I WILL STILL BE WORKING ON IMPRESSIONS OF THREE MEN IN BLACK, AND ADDING SOME HOLIDAYS WITH THE VOLTURI ONE-SHOTS.
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Alice had instructed Bella to run as fast as she could to the building that was topped with the clock tower. Edward would be there, Alice had said, ready to expose himself in the noon-day sun to all the celebrants in the piazza. Bella had to stop him or the Volturi would punish him with death.
Bella wound her way through the happy crowd attired in red cloaks. She reached the fountain and stopped. Edward was there at the front entrance of the castle.
Bella jumped into the fountain, running through it and up the stone pathway. She saw him remove his shirt as he stepped into the sunlight. Already his skin was beginning to sparkle. Throwing herself forward, Bella hit Edward hard, wrapping her body around his. She managed to convince him he wasn't in heaven and she wasn't dead.
Their reunion was interrupted by the arrival of two men, both tall with crimson eyes. Since Edward seemed to know them, Bella assumed they were Volturi. She clung to Edward, glancing from one man to the other. They spoke so low, she could barely make out their words. Then Alice came inside, breaking the door's lock apart.
"Come on, guys, it's a festival. We wouldn't want to make a scene."
Bella was glad to see Alice. They now outnumbered the two vampires who merely stood there, waiting. A minute later, a young blonde girl walked down the long corridor.
"Enough. Aro sent me to see what was taking so long."
Bella sensed sudden tension among all the vampires, Edward and Alice included. Who was this small girl who didn't smile and caused such fear among her own kind?
"Just do as she says," Alice warned Bella.
The group began their way down the corridor, then down a set of old winding stairs that led to a lower level. From there they entered a creaky elevator that had seen better days to yet another lower level. They passed a secretary's desk, the woman greeting them pleasantly in Italian.
Bella thought she was a human, not possessing the red eyes of the others.
By now, Edward had donned a robe given to him by the taller of the two men.
Jane reached out and opened a set of carved wooden doors that Bella saw lead into a round hall made of mostly white marble. They walked past marble columns where across the large room sat three chairs, each of a different design. From the middle seat rose a handsome man, vampire, Bella reminded herself. Looking around the room, she saw other vampires standing along the circular wall.
The man dressed in a typical black suit headed right for them. He reached out to grab Edward's hand, forcing Bella to pull hers away. She almost said something, but stopped herself. The man held Edward's hand for quite awhile, or it seemed so to Bella. So this was the one in Carlisle's painting. And the other two seated men, who had also been in the painting, said nothing. The blonde man to the right scowled at them while the man to the left appeared disinterested in what was going on.
Aro had made a show of welcoming the trio. He glanced quickly at Bella. So this small insignificant mortal was the cause of Edward's turmoil. Yet he saw in the younger vampire's memories the relationship that had blossomed between them. It was uniquely different, which captivated the ancient vampire.
Bella maintained her courage as best as she was able. Even though the black-haired vampire was shorter than Edward, he intimidated the hell out of her.
"La tua cantante. Her blood appeals to you so much, it makes me thirsty. How can you stand to be so close to her?"
"It's not without difficulty," Edward replied, almost as if he were in pain.
"Yes, I can see that," laughed the obvious leader of the Volturi. For all his jovial welcome, Bella knew Aro, as Edward has named him, could kill her in an instant.
She was brought out of her revery when Edward said, "And now you know everything, so get on with it."
Aro brushed aside Edward's taunting rudeness, and intoned, "You're quite a soul reader yourself, Edward, though...you can't read Bella's thoughts. Fascinating." Aro stepped back, and looked at Bella. "I would love to see if you are an exception to my gifts as well."
Suddenly frightened, Bella side-stepped to hide behind Edward.
"Would you do me the honour," Aro asked, his voice a bit harder now. And Bella knew he was expecting her compliance as he waited, his hand held out.
Her mind yelled 'No!' even as she stepped from behind Edward. She tentatively extended her hand to place on Aro's open palm. She heard him exhale with expectation, then saw him lower his head over their clasped hands.
After half a minute, he raised his head, a smile plastered on his face. He gazed at Bella, his mind empty. There were no thoughts, no memories. It was like trying to read a book that had only blank pages. There was nothing there for him to read. Disappointed, Aro, muttered, "Interesting. I see nothing." He turned away from Edward and Bella, now annoyed. "I wonder..."
Bella looked up at Edward, who seemed to lack any desire to help her. She was already angry at him for abandoning her, but she could not let him have himself killed on a false assumption. He thought she had killed herself jumping off a cliff into the ocean. Truth be told, Bella had no idea why she did such a foolish thing. Had it not been for Jacob, she might have truly died. A voice suddenly pulled her from her musings.
"Let us see if she is immune to all our powers. Shall we, Jane?"
Now Bella would see why Jane was so feared. Edward finally came out of his stupor to run toward Jane as she uttered the word 'pain'. Bella could only watch when Edward fell to the floor in agony.
"Stop!" Bella demanded. "Don't, please stop!" She tried to go to him as he lay on the tiled floor, but was stopped by another male vampire. Alice managed to kneel by her brother's side to check him.
"Stop! Just stop hurting him, please please!"
Harming Edward was a wasted effort. Aro wanted to see if Jane could make Bella feel pain. Now that Edward was incapacitated and unable to protect Bella, he looked to Jane once more. "Go ahead, my dear."
With a concentrated effort, Jane gazed at Bella. "This may hurt just a little." Her stare should have set Bella crying out in pain...but nothing happened. Jane felt frustration when Bella waited unaffected.
Aro laughed. So the worst of his guards could not touch the human. This intrigued him. Always looking at possibilities, Aro announced the obvious. "Remarkable. She confounds us all." He wanted her, to study, to train. But how, when she was human. Sadly, he knew what had to be done. "So, what do we do with you now."
"You already know what you're going to do, Aro."
No, Marcus! Go back to your disinterest, Aro thought.
"She knows too much. She's a liability."
You too, Caius? Aro wanted to talk with the girl. She had known about vampires for over a year, yet had kept their secret and said nothing to anyone. In fact, Carlisle and his coven had taken her in as a member of their family already. Aro wondered if her becoming a vampire was inevitable, as much as Edward loathed the idea. But what could he do to keep her alive? She knew about their existence and should be killed. It was the law."That's true. Felix?"
Finding his energy again, Edward placed himself between Bella and Felix. Alice was locked in the embrace of the shorter of the two men who had greeted them at the front entrance.
Bella watched while Edward fought off Felix, but he was no match for the vampire's superior strength. He felt himself picked up and thrown onto the steps, crushing them beneath him. Neither Marcus nor Aro cared to even step aside.
Felix held Edward in a death grip, until Bella screamed, "Please, no, no, please PLEASE!"
Aro stopped Felix, then turned to the human.
"Kill me kill me, not him."
Had Aro heard her correctly? Was she willing to sacrifice herself for the Cullen boy? He took the three steps down from the dais, slowly and in disbelief. "How extraordinary...you would give up your life for someone like us, a vampire. A soulless monster."
Her next words actually surprised Aro.
"You don't know...a thing...about his soul."
Bella heard Aro say something in Italian as he glanced back at Edward.
Such defiance, Aro marveled. She doesn't even fear us. He would have supported her if Edward has planned on changing her. However, in reading his memories, Aro knew, even though Bella wanted it, Edward had refused. That left him with no choice but to kill the girl. Still, it meant he would get to savor the blood that had tempted everyone so much.
Aro approached Bella, who seemed to accept the punishment her vampire admirer was bringing upon her. He was about to take her when Alice spoke.
Damn!
"Bella will be one of us. I've seen it. I'll change her myself."
Aro had to know what Alice had envisioned. He took her hand in his and saw within his mind Edward and Bella running after prey in a forest. Her eyes were red and she managed to keep up with her mate. Mate. They would become mates. Aro found he was not pleased with this particular outcome.
"Felix, Demetri, take these two into a holding cell," Aro ordered, indicating Alice and Edward. "Watch them." He faced the Cullens and uttered a warning. "Try to escape or fight back in any way, she dies." He turned to Bella, his eyes more gentle than his words.
"Your gifts will make for an intriguing immortal," the vampire king said, his fingers ghosting over Bella's cheek. He wanted to speak with her about her future. If Cullen would not change her, perhaps he could offer her the vampire existence she seemed to crave.
Bella shied away from Aro's touch...at first. When she relaxed, allowing him to touch her, the cold of his fingertips on her jawline sent shivers down her spine. She raised her eyes to meet his when he whispered her given name. Isabella.
Aro gave Felix and Demetri their orders again. Edward called to Bella who didn't even respond with a glance or word. Her curiosity was piqued. She felt drawn in.
"We will speak soon, but for now, you will need your rest. Chelsea, take her to one of the guest rooms. Make sure she is comfortable."
Marcus finally spoke up. "Let's be done with this. Heidi will arrive any moment."
Aro nodded. Bella needed to be hidden away from the unrestrained blood-letting resulting from the approaching tourists. He didn't want her harmed during their feeding. "Go now, Chelsea, and return quickly."
Chelsea nodded, and told Bella, "Follow me."
Chelsea led Bella deeper into the castle. Once she was safely settled in her room, Chelsea smiled and flew from the room. Bella locked the door behind her, not that she figured it would provide much protection. She then looked around at what could be her home for awhile. She hoped the Volturi didn't hurt Alice or Edward, and would just eventually release them, but right now, she was more focused in Aro's interest in her. Bella wanted to be a vampire more than she wanted to be human, and if Edward refused to do the deed, perhaps Aro would agree to do it. Could she trust him? Did he want her to join them, or was making her a virtual slave to his whims his goal?
Throwing herself on the bed, Bella rolled over onto her side and groaned, curling up into a ball. Had she just made the worst mistake of her life?
A/N : First chapter is not very long, but here's hoping subsequent chapters will be at least 3000-3500 words. Comments are always welcome. Don't be shy.