Silver Assassin 22

“How are you feeling Assassin?”Rosalie asked Bella. Jane was leading the pair and the Denali sisters through the castle to show them some of Bella’s sculptures. They had just finished up in the training room after Bella had taken the time to work with each of them individually to help them improve their fighting abilities. Rosalie was sad that Didyme had called an end to the training but the queen claimed that Bella had been reach her limit. Rosalie didn’t know what that meant exactly. She didn’t push however as it was obvious that Didyme didn’t want to talk about it. So Rosalie let it go for the time being. She planned to ask Jane when she got a chance. In the mean time Rosalie wanted to check in with Bella and make sure she was alright.

“She isn’t trying to manage you Assassin.”Jane quickly jump in when she heard Rosalie’s question knowing that Bella wouldn’t react well to it.

“What did I say wrong?”Rosalie wasn’t sure what she did but Bella stopped walking and went completely still.

“Assassin, Rosalie isn’t saying you are a child that needs their hand held. She was simply seeing if you were alright after not seeing you for five days.”Jane hoped Bella accepted her reasoning because if she didn’t Bella would act out.

“I definitely wasn’t saying that.”Rosalie was in no way accusing Bella of being a child.

“Assassin I need you to take a breath and think this over before you react. Rosalie was simply worried about you after not seeing you. She has never been around you after an episode. She doesn’t know how to treat you. She is simply acting on her instincts as a mated vampire. Those instincts demanding she make sure you are alright.”Jane said.

“Assassin I didn’t mean to imply that you were child. I know that you aren’t. Like Jane said I was just worried.”Rosalie watched Bella waiting to see how she was going to respond to her blunder. She hoped that Bella was able to be calmed down and they could continue to spend time together.

“Assassin, think of how you would feel if you were Rosalie. You would want to make sure she was alright as well.”When Bella nodded in reply Jane released the breath she was holding. It seemed that this situation could be salvaged.”Good then why don’t we continue and I can show everyone some of your sculptures.”

“I’m sorry Assassin.”Rosalie gave Bella a sad smile when the silent woman nodded her head and walked ahead of the group. She was kicking herself for upsetting Bella. She wished she had asked Jane and Bella’s parents more questions about Bella’s triggers. As it seemed that asking about Bella’s feelings was a big one.

“What are the first sculptures of?”Kate asked trying to break the tension that fell over the group. She didn’t want Bella to get upset and leave so she figured changing the subject would help calm everyone down.

“They are of some of the guard members.”Jane told her. The group followed Bella into the main hall outside the throne room that had many sculptures of different Volturi guard members sitting on pedestals.

“These are amazing.”Rosalie was awed by how realistic the sculpture of Heidi she was looking at was.”You are very talented Assassin.”

Jane was unsurprised by Bella waving off the praise.”You are and you know it.”

“Rosalie is right these are amazing.”Irina had seen art made by the masters of their craft and Bella was on that level.

“This looks just like you Jane.”Kate couldn’t believe how lifelike the sculpture of Jane was.

“It was one first one that the Assassin showed us.”Jane had been beyond happy when Bella’s attempt at sculpting turned out successful. It was one of the first hobbies that Bella herself had shown interest in and they were all worried that she would get discouraged if she wasn’t good at it right away. That hadn’t been the case at all and now the castle was decorated with many of her pieces. The kings even got numerous requests from other vampires for Bella to do commissions.

“I really want to see the one that was done of me.”Rosalie was curious of what Bella had made from her memory of Rosalie. When Bella held out her hand Rosalie happily took it in her own. Closing her eyes Rosalie watched as Bella showed her a memory of her finishing the sculpture. The amount of pride and love Bella felt once it was done brought tears to her eyes.”It’s beautiful. Thank you.”

“What did they show you?”Jane asked.

“They showed me the moment they finished the sculpture of me and how they felt when it was done.”Rosalie told her.

“Do you think you could do one of me and my sisters?”Kate would like to have one of her, Tanya and Irina.

Tanya was planning on scolding Kate but noticed Bella nodding.”Thank you Assassin we would appreciate that very much.”

“Maybe you can do ones of Carmen and Eleazar as well. That way the whole family has one for each of them.”Jane suggested. She was happy that Bella had let Rosalie’s early question go and continued to interact with everyone.

“So we know what the main event of the tournament is going to be are there going to be any other fights?”Kate asked.

“Yes, there will be 12 fights in total. The first 6 will be between potential guard members. It will an audition to see if they are skilled enough to earn a position.”Jane was looking forward to seeing the fights because it meant that the vampires were going to be going all out not caring about being injured.

“Maybe I should volunteer to fight.”Kate would like the chance to show off her skill. Especially after the training she got from Jane and Bella.

“You don’t need to be fighting anyone Kate.”Tanya shot that idea down right away. The coven leader had a feeling that she was going to have to stop Kate from challenging people a lot more now that Kate got training from the Silver Assassin herself.

“I guess I can wait until the next tournament.”That would give Kate more time to train with Bella. Something she hoped would be a regular occurrence.

“The kings don’t hold tournaments often. How do they usually get new guard members?”Rosalie wanted to know the process she had to go through to earn her spot in the royal guard.

“Back when the kings were trying to legitimize their claim on the thrones they would offer their rivals a chance in the guard to those with skill in return for their lives. The condition being they had to agree to let Chelsea use her gift to secure their loyalty. They were each given a certain number of years they had serve until they would be allowed to be released from their service. The kings stopped doing that around the the turn of the first century.”Jane told them.

“So the rumors of Aro killing covens and forcing vampires into the guard was really him giving second chance to those who tried to overthrow the kings?”Irina wasn’t sure if she believed that.

“The kings aren’t as horrible and ruthless as their reputation suggests. They just don’t go out their way to correct people because that fear keeps most vampires from breaking laws.”Jane wasn’t worried about telling the sisters the truth because even if they told others no one would believe them.

“I’m not saying you’re lying but it’s exactly the opposite of what we experienced with them.”Tanya didn’t think anyone who could so carelessly kill their mother was in anyway redeemable.

“Your experience with the is the perfect example of how kind they are. If the were as bad as people say they would have killed off all of you except for Kate and forced her to be a member of the guard.”Jane knew that Aro did consider sending Kate an invitation but didn’t because of their known hatred of the royals.

“He killed our mother!”Kate would never forgive him for it.

“Regardless of who she was to you she broke the law. A law that was put in place to prevent the chaos and destruction that you witnessed firsthand. Can any of you three honestly say that it is alright to let vampires create immortal children?”Jane asked.

“He could have let her go with a warning.”Irina knew that creating an immortal child was wrong but wasn’t willing to let go of the anger.

“Aro had let two others who created immortal children go with a warning. Both those vampires wasted no time creating another. Their belief being that they knew how to control them after experiencing what it was like with the first one. You may think you sire wouldn’t have done it again but the reality is she would have kept trying ands nothing any of us could do would have convinced her otherwise.”Jane felt bad she had to be the one to give the sister’s the hard truth but it seemed they needed it and based on their reactions it seemed that they all were realizing Jane was right.

“She really would have wouldn’t she.”Tanya didn’t like admitting the truth but it was impossible to overlook Jane’s evidence. Their mother was obsessed with replacing her dead son. Tanya had ignored it in her grief but when the truth was basically shoved in her face she couldn’t deny it.

“I know it’s hard to hear but killing her was the only way to stop her”Jane told them.

“I hate that you’re right.”Irina was trying to find fault in Jane’s reasoning but she couldn’t. Knowing that her mother was so selfish that she was willing to throw not only her life but the lives of Irina and her sisters away was a tough pill to swallow.

“I do to.”Kate was embarrassed that she had overlooked who real villain in all this was. It was hard to admit that her mother didn’t care about anything but herself and her dead son.

A silence came over the group as everyone took in what was said. After a few minutes it started to be uncomfortable so Rosalie decided to change the topic.”So how do vampires become guards these days?”

“Most of the time they come to the castle to ask for a position in the guard. Sometimes the kings will actively seek out a vampire based on their abilities but that’s a rare occurrence.”Jane was happy with the subject change. She didn’t want everyone to get upset and want to stop spending time together. Bella was enjoying herself and Jane didn’t want to be the reason to ruin their fun.

“How do they prove they are worthy enough for the guard?”Kate asked.

“If they have a gift they have to give a demonstration on how it works and what kind of control they have over it. You wouldn’t believe how many times over the past millennia we have had gifted vampires come to the castle with no idea how to use their gift. One time a vampire who could create wind blew out two walls and the ceiling of the training room until Alec stepped in and subdued him with his own gift. The only reason Alec had to do it was because vampire couldn’t figure out how to stop.”Jane told them.

Rosalie and the others laughed.”Did he at least tell you beforehand that he didn’t know how to control it?”

“No he didn’t. If he had we would have offered to help him train and eventually he would have been offered a place in the guard if he showed potential. The fact that he lied was the reason he was turned away.”Jane didn’t understand why the man thought lying was the right thing to do.

“What an idiot.”Irina said.

“He was just one of many. We also had a vampire who claimed he could walk through walls. When the kings asked for a demonstration the man tried to make dozens of excuses why he wouldn’t be able to show them. When he finally gave in he ran as fast as he could into one of the walls in the throne room but instead of phasing through the wall he knocked it down. When the kings asked him why he lied about his gift the vampire claimed he didn’t lie as he did walk through the wall. It was the kings who didn’t ask how he would do it.”Jane told them.

“What the fuck?!”Kate wished she had witnessed both those instances.

“Vampires without gift are just as outrageous. They come here with the belief that they are incredible warriors who could win against any vampire in a fight. Only to be beaten to point of begging for death once they face their opponent during their tryouts. Assassin has dealt with a few who thought it smart to challenge her. If she is feeling generous she lets them live.”Jane enjoyed watching Bella show everyone why she earned her reputation. It didn’t matter how many times she fought there was always a line of challenges that Bella was more than happy to put in their places.

“Next time you have a vampire show up for try outs I want to watch.”Kate didn’t want to miss out on seeing not only a vampire have a mishap with gift but seeing Bella beat the crap out of someone as well. Now that Kate was coming to terms with the kings not being so horrible she was thinking maybe she would ask to go on missions with Bella every once and while. It would be fun to see the Silver Assassin in action. That and Kate would like to get the chance to use her new skills in a real world situation.

“We will make sure to send an invitation.”Jane was pleased that Kate was making plans to visit again. It was exactly what she and the royals were hoping would happen.

“What do you guys want to do now?”Rosalie asked.

“Assassin what do you have planned?”Jane took the hand Bella held out for her. Going over her thoughts she smiled.”I think everyone would like that.”

“What does do they have planned?”Tanya was very interesting in knowing what Bella would pick out for an activity.

“The Assassin had her mother arrange for a bunch of exotic wild animals to be shipped to the castle that were released in the middle of the hundreds of acres of forest that the royals own for you all to hunt.”Jane explained.

“The Assassin set up an animal hunt for us?”Irina was surprised and touched that Bella would take their diet into consideration.

“Yes, they not only wanted to make sure you were able to feed but they wanted you to have fun while doing it.”Jane told them.

“Well I’m in.”Kate was more than willing to hunt a bunch of animals that she usually wouldn’t get the chance to.

“Are you going to join us?”Rosalie asked Bella. She eagerly took Bella’s offered hand in her own. Rosalie smiled brightly at what Bella showed her.”Of course I would like you to hunt by my side.”

“What do you two think?”Jane asked Tanya and Irina.

“I would like to go.”Irina liked the idea of getting to give into her beast and hunt something other than the same animals they had hunted for centuries at home.

“Me too.”Tanya was of the same thought as Irina. It would be nice to give into her beast for a little while and after getting to know Bella better she had no doubt that the animals Bella picked out would give them a bit of a challenge.

“Good then let’s head out the back door and we can get started.”As Jane led the group through the castle toward the exit she tried to push back her worry. When the queen had told her about Bella’s request to go hunting with the group they had been concerned if Bella would be able to go hunting without being triggered as Bella didn’t usually go hunting for anything other than lawbreakers. Because of the damage to her jaw Bella drank from blood bags and had never hunted a human or an animal to feed. This would be a first for everyone and Jane was nervous. Especially after Rosalie’s early mistake. Although Bella had seemed to get control over herself Jane knew that she was still on edge from the question. It was Jane’s hope this would be a fun experience for Bella that they could repeat the next time the Denali came to visit because the sisters and Rosalie seemed excited by the idea of going. It was probably because they were going to be exposed to animals that were uncommon in North America but it didn’t matter. What mattered was that everyone had fun and Bella didn’t kill anyone. Something Jane would do everything she could to prevent. Not that Jane really minded. Bella was her mate and Jane loved her more than anything in her life. She just wanted Bella to be happy. If that meant Jane had to go hunting with some animal drinkers she would do it because she knew that not only would she do anything to make Bella happy Bella would do anything to make Jane happy as well. That’s what made every sacrifice worth it.