Hawthorne was perched on a high branch of one of the redwoods that circled the Swan property, laying on his side with one arm holding up his head, watching the Swan house and snickering as he listened to his Queen's lecture. The woman that was now his Queen tearing the weeping and whiny teenage girl a new one. She had quite the temper and he was excited to see how the Kings would react to it. Mostly how Lord Caius would handle it. He snickered at the idea of Charlotte shaking a finger at the blonde king and him pouting at her tone. From the corner of his eye he saw a small pine cone be launched through the air towards him. With a howl of laughter he ducked and grinned at an annoyed Demetri.
"Missed me, missed me. Now you gotta kiss me." He grinned and laughed when Demetri cringed away from his puckered lips.
"Could you be any more annoying?" Alec grumbled and rubbed his temples as if he had a head ache. If there was a vampire capable of causing another's headache it would for sure be the cheeky bastard known as Hawthorne.
"Don't even get him started." Three heads snapped up to see a woman sitting higher up in the tree and glaring down at them, her brown hair braided beautifully over her shoulder and her gray robes perfectly clean despite the amount of pine needles around.
"Iris." Demetri nodded in greeting, bowing his head slightly in respect to the much older guard.
"Now just what is that supposed to mean?" Hawthorne pouted, his bottom lip sticking out and making Alec desperate to rip it out of his throat.
"That you're an annoying idiotic brat." Another woman sitting in a tree on the other side of the house snorted, her black hair shined in the moonlight like polished obsidian.
"That's painful to say Celeste!" Hawthorne muttered, huffing and puffing as his fellow guards made fun of him.
"Shut up, all of you." Elias snarled as he appeared on the rooftop, his boots making no sound on the shingles and his white cape silently blowing in the wind around him.
"You're back fast." Alec raised a brow, impressed by Elias's quickness and proficiency.
"The wolves are patrolling the borders. They know we are here. Mangy mutts." Elias hissed and brushed a twig off his white coat, grumbling about the dirt.
"Seriously though. I don't understand why we wear white. Like come on. We have a snack and our clothes are red. We get in a fight and our clothes are dirty." Hawthorne gestured towards his pants and the bark pieces that littered them.
"Idiot." Celeste sighed and Iris snickered.
"Celesteeeee. Why you gotta be so mean?" Hawthorne whined.
"We have been over this before." Elias grunted as he listened in on Charlotte's words, staring down at the roof annoyed he could not see through it.
"What do you mean he tried to kill himself?! He went all the way to Italy to kill himself?! Because he thought you were dead?! How the hell did he think that?! Is he an idiot?!"
"The Queen has a valid point." Alec hummed.
"He left her so he wouldn't have to turn her. What did he think would happen in eighty years or so?" Celeste muttered.
"All humans die." Elias nodded in agreement.
"What a dumbass." Hawthorne rolled his eyes.
"Going to the wolves would have been smarter on his part." Demetri chuckled.
"Can they really kill us?" Iris questioned
"The Cullen human said they killed Laurent." Alec stared while inspecting his jacket.
"Laurent? James's coven mate?" Hawthorne narrowed his eyes trying to recall.
"That's right." Iris nodded.
"Who is James?" Celeste asked.
"One of our old trackers from before Demetri. Crazy son of a bitch. Gave me the creeps." Hawthorne shuddered, "Heard the Cullens killed him too when he tried to kill the human."
"All this trouble over one boring human. She isn't anything special besides that stupid shield." Alec muttered, still angry about Bella being immune to his sister.
The Volturi members all stopped and turned their heads in the same direction. The sound of beings rushing through the trees echoing around them They heard the entire Cullen Coven closing in and they stood slowly. Elias was the first to move, immediately taking a firm stance in the brush to keep them from coming any closer to the home.
"They better not try anything." Hawthorne growled and crouched besides him now ready to spring.
Carlisle lead his family to the house and stopped in a clearing a few hundred feet away in the woods, the Guard all posed in a tight formation ready to launch a powerful defense.
"We mean no harm to the Queen. We come to speak with you." Carlisle said softly and gave a fatherly glare to Edward, who was itching to rush forward towards the house to Bella.
"Cullens. This must not be your smartest move. You bring your whole coven to our Queen's home." Iris tilted her head and gave a dangerous low purr at the fear in Esme's eyes.
"This is also the home of Edward's mate." Carlisle gestured to Edward who was being restrained by both Emmett and Jasper.
"The Queen or a human pet... Hmm... Which has more importance?" Alec snarked and snapped his teeth at Edward.
"We mean no disrespect to the Queen or to you. We came only to discuss how to handle things alongside you." Carlisle spoke trying to maintain peace.
"Young Edward here doesn't seem to understand the 'no disrespect'." Elias snarled, disgusted by the young vampire's rudeness. What a child.
"He is being affected strongly by the mate pull." Carlisle tried to cover for him.
"Oh that's a sack of bull shit, Carlisle." Hawthorne laughed, a cruel knowing smile on his face, "We all know that if he truly felt the pull he wouldn't have left her in the first place."
"And he would have turned her." Celeste narrowed her red eyes.
"She is my mate!" Edward roared and tried to pull away but he was slammed into the ground by an unknown force.
"She is a flea compared to the Queen. She is nothing! And you will do well to remember that her life means nothing to us! The Masters gave you your freedom based solely on the possible reaction the Queen would have to her death! That's it!" Iris roared back, stepping forward, her hands aching to teach this disrespectful fool a manner or two.
"Please. Let us not fight." Esme stood forward now, "We understand the importance of the Queen. And we know who you are. We swear we mean no disrespect. Edward is not understanding the situation and we are so sorry. Forgive him. He is young at heart and doesn't know how to handle himself."
Iris went to take another step forward but was held back by Elias, his hand curlinga round her shoulder and he gave it a small squeeze, "Easy."
"Your mate is a good woman, Carlisle. I don't believe we have formally met. Shall we hold some introductions? I am Elias, leader of the Queen's Guard." The man stood firm beneath the glares of Edward and Rose, unbothered by them. As if they were flies glaring down a bison.
"I am Carlisle and this is my family. My mate and wife, Esme. My eldest son in vampires years, Jasper and his mate Alice. My second oldest is Edward. And my third oldest child is Rosalie and her mate Emmett." Carlisle gave a nervous smile to Elias and gestured towards his family. Alice being the only true calm one on his side, as she had seen this meeting before.
"The others beside me in white are Celeste and Hawthorne. Members of the Queen's Guard. The ones in dark gray are Alec, Demetri and Iris. Members of the Elite Guard." Elias nodded at Carlisle in understanding of his nerves, besides the Kings these were six of the most powerful vampires in the world standing in front of them.
"So this is the lady who stole your heart." Hawthorne grinned at his old friend and held out a hand to Esme.
"Indeed she is." Carlisle smiled back as Esme shook his hand, Hawthorne pressing a gentlemen like kiss to her knuckles, "This is Hawthorne. An old of mine from before I formed the coven."
"It's nice to meet you." Esme gave a small smile.
"Carlisle. Why are you here?" Elias sat on a fallen log and narrowed his eyes.
"We hold a treaty with the Quileutes-"
"The mutts." Alec interrupted with a snort, taking a seat next to Elias and boredly looking over his fingers.
"Yes... They are Native American Shape shifters-"
"They are spirit walkers." Celeste hummed, taking a stance behind Alec and using his shoulder as an arm rest.
"Uh, yes. We hold a treaty with them. We stay on our land and they on theirs and we vow never to bring harm to a human. They caught your scent and have demanded to know about you." Carlisle tried to squash the annoyance at their interruptions, knowing it was most likely a ploy to start a fight.
"You haven't gone against our words already have you, Cullen?" Demetri hissed, brow twitching.
"We have not. We only told them that we knew of you and that you were no threat."
"We are the biggest threat." Celeste snarled while Hawthorne slapped a hand over his mouth to hold back his laughter. Seriously? They told the wolves that the Volturi were not a threat? They were basically the Boogeyman!
"You want us to follow your treaty?" Elias scoffed.
"And we ask that you please hunt in another location outside of our lands."
"Anything else?" Alec sassed, rolling his eyes and shaking his head.
"As we said before... Bella is Edward's mate and can't be kept away from him. We want to be able to still see Bella." Carlisle sighed and shook his head in disbelief as Hawthorne held up a hand turned puppet, mocking him.
"He is not setting foot in that house or anywhere closer than here." Alec snapped.
"They are mates." Esme pleaded, trying to ignore Hawthorne who was doing terrible impression of Edward and Bella with his hand puppets in the background
"Oh my sweet mate! I must leave you for I am weak willed coward. The call of your 'mate's' blood to tempting for my bunny diet to handle! Oh Eddie baby noooo! Don't leave me for I am a whiny teenage girl with no personality or hobbies! My life revolves around you! What ever will I do?"
"Enough. Edward may see Bella, but only outside of this home. As long as our Queen resides here we can not allow any vampire near her besides the Kings. We will follow your treaty and hunt outside of your territory. However... We have conditions of our own." Elias stated and stood up, reaching a hand over to smack the back of Hawthorne's head.
"Name them." Edward hissed, batting away Jasper's hands as he stared down Hawthorne.
"You are to stay clear of the Queen unless she herself calls for you. Demetri, Hawthorne and Alec saw her interaction with Alice, the seer. No physical contact is to be made with the Queen." Elias's eyes flashed from red to black in warning.
"Your human holds friendship with the mutts. She has brought the Queen with her to their territory." Celeste growled, tapping her foot eager to end this interaction and go back to watching over the Queen.
"She is forbidden to ever bring the Queen to their land again. If the Queen does cross into their land we will no longer hold to your treaty. The wolves may be no current threat to you, but she is the Queen of the Vampires. The ruler of their sworn enemy. You understand why they can not be near her." Elias continued, slipping a hand into his pocket as he looked back over his shoulder to catch a glimpse of the house in the distance. Looks like the lights are being turned off.
"I do."
"Then we are in agreement. Once Edward has calmed himself, Hawthorne will escort Bella to this spot so they may see each other." Elias turned his back and waved over his shoulder before catching Hawthorne by the ear before the other man could begin to complain.
"Thank you, Elias. Good evening." Carlisle bowed his head slightly and frowned as Rose, Alice and Esme left, the women eager to flee.
"Keep your son in line, Carlisle." Hawthorne flicked his fingers at Edward as he was dragged away by his ear.
Alec spat at the ground in front of Edward before following after Elias with Celeste and Demetri by his side. Iris being the only guard left in the small clearing, her fingers picking at nonexistent lint on her gray robes, red eyes looking anywhere but at Carlisle.
"Your mate is lovely." Iris said softly, finally looking up for the briefest of moments.
"Thank you, Iris. I am sorry." Carlisle reached for her but she cringed away with a grimace.
"You should have said that ages ago." And then she was gone.
As Carlisle calmed Edward and the other Cullens all vanished from sight, the Guards returned to their posts except for one pair of red eyes who stayed trained on Edward Cullen. Angrily listening in as he pleaded with his father to let him go see his pathetic little human pet. Wasn't fate so curel?
Charlotte sat in her bed with her face in her hands. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she wiped them away angrily, trying hard to forget the words her cousin spat at her in her teenage hormone driven rage. She was furious with Bella for saying such horrible things to her. She could only be glad that Charlie was away for the night working on a case. Otherwise he would probably be pacing the living room with a beer in hand not knowing how to handle two angry women in his house. She stood up on shaky feet and opened her screenless window to let the cool air in. She took a deep breath, lungs filling with the freshness of the forest air. She pulled herself up to sit in the window sill and wrapped her shawl around her cold bare shoulders. Her dark hair moved gently in the breeze and she pressed her face to the cold metal frame. Sad blue eyes looked up to the moon, wishing more than anything... that she wasn't so alone.
Back in the Volturi Castle, Caius sat on the floor of his studio covered in a rainbow of paint as he glared at the marble floor. Demetri had sent a photo to the Kings of Charlotte and now the bond had hardened. Having seen her likeness made him feel lost in anguish now knowing the beauty the Gods had carved from the most precious of jewels meant for him. The bond coming alive and demanding to be near her. To hold her to his chest. To brush those chocolate locks away from her face and press kisses to every inch of her flesh. He couldn't leave the castle until their guests, the Artic Coven, had left after the trials. Someone being fool enough to break several laws and think they were big enough to avoid due justice. So he locked himself away and destroyed hundreds of pieces of his own precious art. Fingers tearing through canvas, feet crunching statues under him, teeth shredding apart hand built sculptures. His body aching at the emptiness in his arms. Where he wanted to hold her. He wished to know her scent. Did she smell of the coffee that she clutched to herself in the photo? Was her scent earthy and smokey? Floral and sweet? Rich and spiced? The blonde King was beyond desperate to have his mate pressed against him. He cried out in rage and grabbed another paint can to throw. It slammed against the door and green paint covered the oak door. Red eyes locked a torn canvas and for some reason he found himself gazing at the moon in the painting. Why did he suddenly feel so empty? So alone?
Marcus sat on a chair in his chambers facing the roaring flames of his great stone fire place. His eyes constantly looking up to the now empty place on his mantle, where a picture of his former lover had once been. He had loved her. Truly he did. But he knew she was not his mate. their love brief and full like a warm sunny day. So after her death he mourned for her, but now that his mate had been revealed to him... He felt no more grief. He would always miss her, but her last few words rang in his ears. She knew they were not destined. And she was okay with that. She knew one day he would love her no longer and she was okay with that. Someone out there was waiting for him, his eternal love. She made him swear he would find the love she never would be able to. So now he understood. Beautiful and kind Didyme would always be a part of him, but she was not his present or his future. A wave of sadness flickered and he gazed at the golden bond swirling around him and leading across the world. He felt his mate's sadness and sighed. He could not hold her to calm her. Not yet. So his red eyes stared deep into the flames and locked on a shimmering ring buried in the ashes. It felt right for the love that started with roaring flames to be sealed away in similar flames. The silver wedding band beginning to melt in the heat. All that was left... was a white gem glowing like the moon.
Aro leaned his head back against the wall behind his desk as he thumbed through reports from his over seas members. He had been rereading the same reports for hours but his mind had retained no information from the inked words. He threw the stack of papers across the room and slammed his fist in the wooden desk, breaking a chunk of it off. A clattering sound made him look down and see a picture frame face down on the ground. He lifted it slowly and grimaced as pieces of glass hit the floor. Turning it over he smiled softly at the photo Demetri had sent. Trailing a finger down the side of Charlotte's face his smile turned warm. He had the memory of her in his mind from Alice, but this was a picture he could use to refresh it. Demetri had snapped a photo of her waiting at the airport for Young Bella. Her dark hair in a messy bun, small pieces escaping her hair tie and covering her face. He chuckled at her gray Star Wars pajama pants and Lion King t-shirt. She wore a thick black wool shawl and had a cup of coffee clutched in her hands. She looked worn and worried, but she had this beautiful shine in her blue eyes. they were full of life and compassion. Something he greatly lacked. Aro kissed the photo and set it back on his desk before moving to gather his papers. The Raven haired king stopped when he glanced out the window and saw a single white Morning Glory, also known as a moonflower, raising above the others in the gardens.