The Dark Princess 8

“Bella!” Alice’s voice caused Bella to look up from her spot on the couch in Athenodora and Caius’ private sitting room. Jane was next to her and had only left her side once at the request of Athenodora to talk privately. Bella hadn’t minded as it gave her a chance to spend time with Caius as she ate breakfast. She found herself liking the king very much as he had such an interesting life and a dry sense of humor. That wasn’t to say she didn’t enjoy the queen’s company because she did. Athenodora was kind and very protective and seemed to want to make sure everything was perfect for Bella. Bella had to hold back a laugh as earlier the queen had been rather put out that she hadn’t been successful at cooking Bella’s breakfast.Her mini rant about the absurdity that was human food had all occupants of the room at the time fighting off smiles as they tried to sympathize with Athenodora’s plight.

“Hello Alice. How are you?” Bella asked. She had been somewhat worried about her friend but trusted her vampire parents when they promised Alice would be alright.

Alice wanted to rush to Bella and give her a hug but the look on Jane’s face caused her to slowly approach Bella instead. Alice wasn’t offended by Jane as her mate was hurt and her instinct would want to keep everyone away from Bella until she was better. Alice herself was feeling protective and she didn’t share a bond with Bella. Taking a seat in the chair next to the couch she turned her attention to Bella.“I’m fine. The real question is how are you? A lot of things have happened in the past two days, how are you coping?”

“I’m doing alright. I wish Edward hadn’t messed up my arm so bad.” Hearing a low growl come from Jane, Bella rested her good hand on Jane’s knee and gave her a reassuring smile. “I will be fine Jane. We see the doctor in a couple hours and then we will know how to fix things. Please try not to get upset.”

“I’ll try it’s just I hate that he hurt you.” Jane knew she needed to be calm for her mate but after Athenodora had informed Jane about what Bella’s home life was like she was even more on edge. Even though Jane knew it wasn’t rational she was disappointed in herself for not protecting her mate when she needed her. “I just should have protected you better.”

“Sweetheart, you did what you could. As soon as you knew I was in danger you stopped it. If it wasn’t for you I would have been hurt a lot worse.” Bella told her.

Jane smiled brightly at the term of endearment. It seemed like Bella was letting things develop as they may with the bonds. Jane had noticed that Bella was a lot less shy with her affection towards not only her but the king and queen as well. Jane couldn’t remember a time when she had seen either royal so happy. If it hadn’t been for Bella being hurt she wouldn’t have been surprised if they had thrown a ball to celebrate Bella becoming their bond child. She would have to get Bella’s opinion on how she would feel about that before Athenodora began planning. However with the way Bella seemed to care for Athenodora she probably would go along with it if it made the queen happy.

“I feel horrible that I didn’t see it coming. You have just been such a blind spot to me lately. If I had known about your bonds I would have brought you here immediately.” Seeing Bella so at ease and happy in front of her Alice did wish that she could have helped Bella have this sooner. When she was with Edward Bella was always tense and never relaxed. Alice had always thought it was because of the abuse she suffered from her parents but seeing Bella with Jane she knew that it was because of the false mate bond.

“I don’t blame you Alice. I could never blame you. This was Edward’s fault. He not only manipulated me but your whole family as well. The only reason I’m not madder is because I already knew Edward wasn’t my mate and coming here led me to meet not only Jane but my bond parents. Even though I got hurt I still received an enormous gift when we got here. So if anything I should thank you because your vision set all of this in motion.” Bella wanted to reassure her friend that she wasn’t mad because she really wasn’t. Bella also knew that Alice would have done everything she could to help Bella find her true mate sooner.

Alice sighed as she let Bella’s words sink in. Even though she knew Bella would never blame her for what happened it was nice to hear her say it. “Thank you Bella.”

“Now I guess we just have to wait until your family comes.” Bella had mixed feelings about the Cullens. Initially she felt indifferent towards them. After she figured out Edward wasn’t her mate she actually felt relieved they had left and she didn’t have to deal with him anymore. She had missed Alice, Jasper, Emmett and even Rosalie whom she didn’t know that well but other than that she wasn’t heartbroken or anything. Now though they were coming to the castle to face judgement for crimes they committed concerning her and she knew the royals would want her opinion about what punishment to give them.

“The king and queen will want to know how you feel about them before they punish them.” Jane said confirming Bella’s suspicion.

Alice was somewhat nervous of what Bella would want to happen to them but knew she could not lead Bella one way or the other with Jane sitting there. She was just happy that Jasper and herself were safe. “I spoke with them earlier and they don’t know why they are being summoned. I did tell them that Edward hurt you. I also let it slip that he is not your mate when they tried to claim there was no way he could hurt you. I didn’t say anything about your bonds though. I ended the call rather quickly when Esme tried to defend him.”

“Of course they would try to defend him.” Jane wasn’t surprised in the least that Carlisle would defend Edward. Edward was his most prized possession.

“Not that I care but what happen to Edward?” Alice really didn’t care but she knew that her family would want to know.

“He was put in a cell in the dungeon. The last I heard my father had visited him but he promised us he didn’t kill him. That wasn’t for my benefit though.” Bella added quickly when she saw Alice look at her in shock. “That was more for the queen and Jane. They each wanted a chance to show their disproval of his actions.”

“I suppose that’s fair.” Alice was shocked at how easily Bella called Caius her father. That and the way that she seemed to care little for what happened to Edward. Bella was always so sensitive and gentle and to hear her talk so nonchalantly about Edward being tortured was surprising.

Before Bella could respond Athenodora entered the room. She made a bee line right to Bella and kissed her on the forehead causing Bella to blush. “How you are you feeling? You aren’t due for any more medicine for a while but the doctor said you could have some ice for your arm if you were uncomfortable.”

“I’m fine mother.” Bella replied. Watching Athenodora’s face light up she blushed harder as she realized what she called the queen. It was just so natural to be around them and the title had just slipped out.

Athenodora couldn’t have stopped the smile that spread across her face even if she tried. She hadn’t admitted it to anyone but she had been rather jealous that Bella had taken to calling her mate father since she had first said it at the doctor’s office. After hearing it though she understood why Caius was radiating more happiness than she had ever seen from him. Having her child verbally accept the bond caused her more joy than she could possibly express. “Let us know if that changes.”

“I promise I will.” Bella assured her. It was weird to have people care about her so much but nice all the same. She didn’t doubt that they cared for her either. Even without knowing the bond it was obvious that Bella was important.

“Good now I hate to bring up the distressing topic but we need to discuss the Cullens. I thought it appropriate that Alice be here as she knows the inner workings of the coven.” Athenodora had purposely waited until Alice had joined Bella to talk to her about the mind reader's coven. Not only would it see where Alice’s loyalties lay, it would also give the queen an insight to who knew what when the family was around her daughter.

Alice knew the queen’s motives but was relieved she would have a chance to save some of her coven mates. “I will gladly tell you what I know.”

“I guess what I want to know is if anyone knew or suspected the false mate bond.” Jane felt that was the most important issue to deal with. Leaving Bella knowing about vampires without turning or killing her wasn’t something she cared to think about.

“None of us knew about Edward’s false claim. Although Rosalie had more than once brought up her dislike of how Edward treated Bella. Carlisle dismissed her worries telling her that Edward could never hurt Bella because she was his mate. I know that was why Rosalie kept her distance from you. She couldn’t handle the way you were around him.” Alice told Bella feeling guilty that she didn’t take Rosalie’s concerns more seriously.

“So Rosalie brought up concerns but no one else did? How did she treat you?”Athenodora asked Bella.

“She was always standoffish but I honestly never blamed her. She was the only one who thought it was a bad idea for me knowing about vampires. If anyone was to be spared it would be her.” Bella said.

“What about her mate?” Athenodora asked.

“Emmett was always kind to me and constantly told me I could do better than Edward. On more than one occasion he had said he felt bad that I was stuck with Edward for eternity.” Bella smiled thinking of the vampire. He was a goofy giant in her eyes.

So Rosalie and her mate would be spared. Now Athenodora had to decide on the other two. She hoped against hope that Carlisle wouldn’t have to be spared. She wanted nothing more than to take out her anger on that self righteous ass. “And how did Carlisle and Esme react to Bella and Edward not being mates?”

“When I told them on the phone that Edward had hurt Bella, Esme was quick to dismiss it. It was then I let it be known that they weren’t mates and I had witness him hurt her that Rosalie became incensed. I feel like Carlisle doesn’t believe it as he was more concerned about what happened to Edward than myself or Bella.” Alice didn’t like the fact that she was ratting out her family but she hadn’t liked the way Esme and Carlisle seemed so concerned about Edward. Bella was the one risking her life and she was asked about as more of an afterthought if anything.

“How did they treat you when you were around them Bella?” Athenodora asked.

“Carlisle was overly interested in my gift. He also told me about the Volturi history. It didn’t paint you in a favorable light. That’s why I was so confused why you were being so nice to me when I first came here. I expected you to kill me when you saw me.” Bella saw the dark look that crossed the queen's face. She reached out her hand for Athenodora to take from where she was standing and pulled her towards her. As she moved Bella pulled the queen next to her on the couch and snuggled into her side. “I know what he said isn’t true. You are nothing like the stories he told me.”

Athenodora buried her face in Bella’s hair inhaling her daughter’s scent.Of course Carlisle would speak badly of them. He thought any vampire who drank human blood was beneath him. It made her feel even more grateful that Bella was so accepting of the bond. Her child really was an upstanding human for being able to look past what others had told her and make her own opinions about things. “How did Esme treat you?”

“She was always trying to mother me. It was actually weird.” Bella remembered how uncomfortable she had been with Esme. The woman was constantly giving her hugs and trying to feed her. Bella usually didn’t like to be touched especially by people she didn’t know well so it made interacting with Esme even more difficult.

“Esme had a child who died after it was born. She has always wanted to be a mother and felt like Bella was her chance to actually have a child to care for.” Alice flinched when she heard the queen growl in response to her explanation.

“I didn’t feel like she a was mother figure to me though.” Bella reassured her bond parent. “I didn’t like interacting with her much.”

Athenodora settled down a bit hearing that Bella didn’t see Esme as a mother. She didn’t want to have to compete for her child’s affection with any one other than her mate and Jane. Those two she put up with because she knew their bonds were just as strong as her own. If she could she would never let Bella leave her side but knew that wasn’t healthy for the human. “I see. So the only two who really need to be talked to are Esme and Carlisle. Bella would you like to see the others when they come here?”

“I wouldn’t mind seeing Jasper and Emmett. I don’t know Rosalie that well but if she wanted to visit that would be fine.” Bella said.

Alice let out a sigh of relief realizing her siblings would be fine. She wasn’t sure how she felt about Carlisle and Esme but knowing Rosalie and Emmett would be alright made her relax some. “Rosalie was the one who was outraged when she found out what Edward did. I’m sure she would want to see you to make sure you are alright.”

“I guess we have everything figured out then. When the coven comes I will have it arranged for Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie to be escorted here while Carlisle and Esme are questioned. That won’t happen until we get back from the doctor’s though as I know your father wants to go with us to see what exactly is wrong. He will also want to be able to have a say in treatment options.” Athenodora was nervous about Bella’s appointment. She worried that something else was wrong and the doctor they had seen missed it. The physical done proved Bella was healthy at least so that was a weight lifted off her shoulders. Now they just had to focus on fixing her arm.

“Of course I expected no less.” Bella was already thinking of ways to calm down the vampires that would be going to her appointment with her. If it turned out like what happened the night before she wasn't sure if the poor doctors would make it out alive.

“Good, with that I will leave you to have time to visit with your friend while I go and speak to the kings.” Athenodora stood and kissed Bella on the forehead. As she left the room she turned back to get one last look at Bella finding herself smiling when she noticed how happy and at ease the girl seemed to be. She knew that the rest of the royals were going to want to know about the Cullens. It had been the topic of discussion since Bella was brought into the castle.Athenodora knew what she wanted the punishment to be but would have to sway the others to her way of thinking. At least Bella didn’t seem to care what happened. It was nice that her daughter seemed to accept the laws of the vampire world so easily. It just proved how perfect Bella was for the role of Volturi princess.