The Dark Princess 12

“Alice what happened after you left us?” Rosalie asked as she, Emmett, Alice and Jasper sat around on various pieces of furniture in a sitting room a Volturi guard led them to. They had all been spending time with Bella when they were asked to leave because the royals wanted to spend time with her. None of them objected as they weren’t too sure of how they would be treated not knowing what happened to Carlisle and Esme. No-one mentioned anything and the couple had not been waiting for them so they didn’t have hope that the meeting between Carlisle, Esme and the kings went well.

“Well as you know I had a vision of Bella jumping off a cliff. I had been having trouble seeing Bella lately so I didn’t realize she was actually cliff jumping in La Push with some of her school friends.” Alice told them.

“So she has been hanging around those mutts on the reservation?” Rosalie wasn’t happy to hear that. They had all hoped that Bella was living her life safely once they had left. To hear otherwise was disturbing.

Alice shook her head. “No, Bella explained to me that she had grown up with Jacob Black but when they were recently reintroduced that it was obvious he had feelings for her so she cut off contact with him. Her exact words were that he was beyond creepy and made her uncomfortable. The people she was with were Angela, Jessica, Mike and that group of friends.”

“That’s a relief. Does she know about the wolves?” Emmett asked.

“Yes, she figured out they were real as soon as she found out about vampires. Apparently Jacob was trying to impress her with legends of the tribe. I’m not exactly sure what he was trying to prove but he basically broke the treaty as she said he used our family’s initial meeting with them to form the treaty to warn her away from us.” Alice still couldn’t believe the young shifter was so reckless.

“Idiots.” Rosalie scoffed. “If we were still there we would have every right to destroy the whole tribe.”

“Luckily it didn’t come to that.” Alice shook off the thought of having to kill off the entire group of shifters. It was something she personally didn’t want to do. “Anyway, when I feared Bella had tried to kill herself I went to Forks to check on her. In my panic I didn’t realize that Edward would of course hear my thoughts. So while I was going to check to make sure that Bella was in fact dead Edward decided to run to the Volturi to kill himself.”

“He’s such a dramatic bastard.” Emmett wanted to say he couldn’t believe Edward would be so stupid but they all knew he always blew everything out of proportion.

“Yes well, when I saw a vision of him walking into the sun to expose himself I knew that he was going to die and probably get the rest of us killed as well.” Alice didn’t doubt the Volturi would hold the Cullens responsible for Edward’s actions. “I told Bella what was happening and although she didn’t want to get involved I pleaded with her telling her what would happen to our family if Edward would actually succeed. I was honestly surprised she agreed to come with me.”

“So Bella didn’t want to save Edward?” Jasper asked. That was surprising to hear as they all thought Bella was in love with Edward. They had assumed that they were mates.

Alice shook her head. “Bella told me that she didn’t believe they were mates at all because she didn’t feel sad when he left her. I originally thought that it was just because she was human that she didn’t feel the pull but was proven otherwise when we stood before the kings.”

“That’s another thing I don’t understand. Why would he fake a mate bond?” Rosalie couldn’t imagine what Edward was thinking by claiming such a thing. Not only was it against the law to falsely claim someone as your mate but the mate bond was something that was cherished by all vampires. Edward throwing his chance away to find his true mate was extremely puzzling.

“I don’t know but when we got to the throne room with Bella Edward tried to defend himself saying he thought his mate was dead so of course he would want to kill himself, as soon as he finished saying that all hell broke loose.” Alice still couldn’t believe Edward had the nerve to claim the false bond in front of the kings.

“Did Marcus call him out on it?” Jasper knew that with Marcus’ gift he would be able to confirm they were not in fact mates.

“No as soon as Edward claimed Bella as his mate Jane growled loud enough for Bella to hear. When Bella looked over at Jane it was obvious she felt the bond instantly and started to walk over to Jane. When Edward realized what was going on he grabbed Bella’s arm to keep her from going to Jane. As soon as he did that Jane used her gift on Edward and rushed to Bella. It was as Jane was looking Bella over for injury that all of sudden Caius looked at Bella and said my child has come home and rushed to her side. I honestly had no clue what was going on.” Alice was still in shock as she remembered the events.

“So Bella recognized the mate bond with Jane right away? How about the child bond?” Rosalie wanted to know what it felt like to have a child bond as it was something she yearned for. She hoped she would get a chance to talk to Bella more about it. Maybe she could even have Bella ask the queen what it felt like for her as Rosalie was sure that she would never get a chance to ask the royal.

“It was quite obvious that Bella felt the mate bond instantly, as for the child bond she told me when I saw her later that she instantly felt comfortable with Caius and Athenodora so it was easy to accept the bond. She has been calling Caius father since they brought her to the hospital the first time. As for the queen, I think she called her mother for the first time today when I was spending time with them.” Alice told them.

“How did the queen react?” Jasper had known that Athenodora was not someone who was known for her caring nature. To most she was more feared than Caius.

“I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t seen it myself. Myself, Bella and Jane were hanging out when Anthenodora joined us. She went right to Bella and started fussing over her.When Bella saw that she was upset she reached out to comfort the queen and called her mother. I don’t even think Bella knew she did it, that’s how natural it was for her. As soon as the word was out of Bella’s mouth Athenodora smiled brightly and her whole demeanor softened. She then sat next to Bella and held her tightly as Bella snuggled into her side.I don’t think I have seen a happier vampire.” Alice still couldn’t believe the drastic turn around from the queen.

“That’s crazy. Bella has the magic touch.” Emmett couldn’t believe that the human of all people had the power to calm down the ruthless vampire queen.

“How did it come about that Emmett and myself were spared? Actually how did it come about that you and Jasper were spared as well?” Rosalie still didn’t understand why Bella stood up for them. She was grateful that she did but she didn’t know why.

“When we were in the throne room after Jane and Bella had left, Caius sent Alec and Felix to go find a doctor and bring him to check Bella out. With the twins gone Edward started planning to fight against the guards and the kings and attempt to find Bella and get her to leave with him. As we were standing there I had a vision of what he was planning and told the kings. When they ordered Edward to be taken to the dungeon he broke free of the guards but before he made a move on the kings I grabbed him by the neck and slammed him to the ground. It was after that I disowned Edward from the coven and declared my loyalty to Bella. Since Aro had read me they instantly believed me and I was escorted to a sitting room while I awaited news on what was going to happen.” Alice explained.

“So because you declared yourself loyal to Bella they allowed you to live?When were the rest of us brought up?” Jasper asked.

“As I was waiting in the sitting room Athenodora visited me. I had been by myself for what felt like hours and when she came to me I had a little breakdown where I expressed my regret and guilt for not helping Bella sooner and not knowing about the false bond. Athenodora then told me it wasn’t my fault and that even though Bella was hurt and in extreme pain her only worry was about my safety.” Alice chuckled. That was such a Bella thing to do. “It was then that she promised that because of Bella’s fondness for me that myself and Jasper would be spared and I would be treated as a guest while I was in the castle. She even gave me back my cell phone to call you with the promise I wouldn’t tell you why you were being summoned. I slipped up when I told you about the false mate bond but I think she was actually happy that it proved that I stood up for Bella so she wasn’t mad at me.”

“So the queen personally came to you and promised not only your and your mate’s pardon from our crimes but promised you would be treated as a guest in the Volturi castle all because Bella likes you?” If what Alice said was true and Rosalie believed her that meant that Bella had unimaginable power in the vampire world. She was even more confused why Bella had stood up for her and Emmett though. Rosalie was beyond grateful but still confused.

Alice nodded.”Yes, I don’t believe it was just because I claimed loyalty to Bella I think Bella asked that I be let go. I didn’t get any alone time with Bella to ask her but it was quite obvious when I saw Bella the next morning that she had vouched for me. From the way Jane treated me alone was more than enough proof. Not once did she sneer at me or look at me with hatred. She actually talked with me like I was a friend,well maybe more as someone she was on friendly terms with. I even saw her smile a couple times while we were talking.”

“So you are now on good terms with one of the most powerful Volturi guards?”Emmett couldn’t believe Alice’s luck. Not only did it seem that the royals liked her but now it seemed she had the respect of the guard. It was almost too crazy to be real.

“Yes, although that is just because of Bella.” Alice would not fool herself to believe that without Bella Jane would give her the time of day.

“Let’s get back to why we were spared.” Rosalie still wanted to know. If it was truly because of Bella then she wanted to thank the human properly.

“When Athenodora came to talk to Bella about what punishment she thought should be given to the rest of you her relationship with all of us was asked about.”Alice said getting back on topic. “As we all knew Edward’s life was forfeit we didn’t even mention him. What was discussed was how each of us treated Bella. After Bella talked about her feeling uncomfortable around Carlisle and that she had never felt Esme was her mother, we then talked about you two. Bella said she always liked Emmett and regretted she didn’t get to know him that well. When Rosalie was brought up I told them how mad you got when you found out Bella had been hurt. This seemed to soften the queen somewhat but it was Bella who said that although you were dismissive of her she actually respected the fact that you were the only one who wanted to follow the laws. She asked that the both of you be spared because she felt the two of you did nothing wrong.”

Rosalie was somewhat speechless. She had always been distant from Bella but never missed the chance to remind the human that she didn’t belong with her family. Bella had every right to hate her for the way Rosalie treated her but Bella had never hated her and even vouched for her. Rosalie had no doubt that if Bella didn’t she and Emmett would be occupying cells next to Edward. Rosalie really needed to find a way to thank Bella for the incredible gift she gave not only Rosalie but her mate as well.

“What do you think happened to Carlisle and Esme?” Emmett to was thinking along the same line as Rosalie. He would have to figure out a way to thank Bella. He would have to brainstorm with the others later. Emmett didn’t really get much time with Bella so he had no clue what the girl would like.

“Nothing good.” Jasper didn’t want to think what would happen if it wasn’t for Bella. After hearing everything that had happened he now knew that Bella was the only reason for them sitting there. He had thought she had only said a few words and it was all the royals decision to spare them but in reality it was all Bella. The Volturi wouldn’t have cared less for the family drama if it wasn’t for Bella. He once again thought about how lucky they were that Bella loved Alice as much as Alice loved Bella.

“If Carlisle was stupid enough to stand by Edward and not acknowledge the false mate bond then they will have absolutely no mercy on him. The fact that Jane was in the throne room for the proceedings is proof that no matter what happens they would have experienced pain.” Alice shivered thinking about how Edward had thrashed around the floor violently after hurting Bella. Alice knew that Jane used the full extent of her gift and didn’t hold back at all on Edward. If Carlisle was stupid enough to claim the false mate bond then he was in a world of trouble.

“Let’s not forget that Esme thinks of Bella as her own daughter. You said that Athenodora went to watch the proceedings, do you think Esme is going to stand up to her?” Rosalie knew that Esme always claimed Bella as her daughter. If she challenged Athenodora who had an actual child bond with Bella then there was nothing anyone could do to save Esme. Rosalie herself would fight someone to the death if they tried to claim her child as their own and she didn’t even have child. If she felt this way Rosalie couldn’t imagine what it would feel like for the queen.

“I think the fact that they aren’t here with us right now proves they upset the royals. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were killed in the throne room although I guarantee that they are at least in the dungeon with Edward.” Jasper said. He was positive if the mated pair was going to be spared they would be with them right now.

“Do you think the three of them are down there plotting ways to break out and free Bella?” Emmett chuckled at the thought.

Alice laughed with him. “The fact that Bella would not want to be freed from anything that is happening would probably put a damper in their plans. That’s not even including the fact that except for the royals and us Bella is the most heavily guarded person in the castle.”

“Are they actually protecting us or are they simply keeping us from escaping?” As soon as they had left Bella they had been led to this room where four guards were positioned at the door. Emmett noticed they were actually part of the royal guard and was suspicious of their intentions.

“They are protecting us.” Alice dismissed the idea they were prisoners right away. “I think the only reason we were sent here without being talked to about what was going to happen to us is because the royals want to ask Bella if she wants us to stay.”

“Would you guys want to stay here if we were asked?” Rosalie didn’t know what she wanted but felt that maybe it would be nice to get to know Bella a little better.

Alice looked to Jasper who nodded. “I would like to stay for a little while at least. Bella is my best friend and although it may be a little uncomfortable I think once we talk everything out we will be allowed our freedom to do as we wish so it wouldn’t be that bad to stay here.”

“I kind of want to stay too.” Emmett was already planning on seeing if he could do a few training sessions with the guard. He was a good fighter but he knew he was nowhere near the level of the Volturi.

“Then it seems to be settled. We will stay for a while if we are offered.” Rosalie was glad they all agreed. It would have saddened her greatly if she would have to separate from her two siblings.

Just as Jasper was going to speak a knock sounded on the door followed by a guard entering. He stood before the four of them and spoke. “I have a letter from Queen Athenodora for Alice Cullen.”

“Thank you.” Alice stepped forward and took the envelope the guard was holding waiting until he left to open it.

“What does it say?” Emmett asked impatiently as they watched Alice read the letter.

“It says that the queen knows of our diet and wishes to offer us the chance to go hunting in the forest behind the castle. She mentioned that the wildlife population is big enough that we don’t have to be careful about how much we eat. Athenodora offered to send the four guards outside our door with us for protection because in her words we are too valuable to the princess to let anything happen to us.” Alice told them as she rescanned the letter.

“She is allowing us to leave to go hunting?” Rosalie was stunned. She wasn’t sure what was going to happen when they needed to feed but she didn’t expect that not only would they be offered animal blood but an escort for their safety.

“Are we really being guarded for our safety or is this just her keeping an eye on us?” Emmett asked.

“It’s for our safety.” With the offer to allow them to leave to feed on animals Jasper had no doubt they were being guarded for safety not to prevent them from fleeing. They wouldn’t be allowed to hunt if the Volturi were trying to control them.

“I don’t know about you guys but I need to go. It’s been a few days for me and I don’t want to endanger Bella if I wait any longer.” Alice also believed that they were just being guarded for safety.

“Ok so we will all go as I’m not sure when the next time we will get the chance.” Rosalie made her way to the door and got the attention of the guard. “We would all like to go hunting and welcome the added protection the queen has offered.”

“Yes ma’am we will leave when you are ready.” The guard addressed her formally surprising Rosalie. It seemed that the queen really was concerned for their safety. If she had any doubt that they were just waiting to be punished it vanished instantly. As she motioned for the other three to follow the guards Rosalie thought that staying in the castle for awhile wouldn’t be that bad after all. If the guards treated them with respect it meant that they likely now had the Volturi as allies. She, Emmett, Alice and Jasper would be stupid if they squandered the chance to have a relationship with the vampire rulers. It was with thoughts of talking to Bella once again that Rosalie made her way through the castle with the others. After they hunted she would ask about seeing the new princess. First she wanted to make sure she wouldn’t be any kind of danger to her though.