Volturi (The Three Kings L.S)

20 - A long Week

Attarah sat comfortably on the sofa in an alcove in her bedroom. The room was truly glorious, in tones of greys and whites, there was a magnificent bed with many pillows, soft rugs, armchairs, a walk-in wardrobe and a window looking out over the beautiful Palace gardens. It even came complete with a desk in one corner. She was so glad that her room was completed and she felt as though she could spend eternity in there.

She was currently waiting for the Kings. She had prepared herself for bed and sat in a warm knitted blanket. They were leaving at three in the morning and so she had stayed awake to say goodbye to them though she was exhausted and wearing her pyjamas. She was truly ready for bed.

She wore a simple set, yellow dotty shorts and a matching top that had a miniature bow on the front. Her hair fell down her back in ringlets despite having being brushed. She truly needed a haircut, her hair now reached her hips and that was with curls. She dared to think what she'd look like with it straight. The television in front of her was on and she a movie was playing that she paid little attention to. 

When finally the doors opened and she grinned as her mates entered. They had never all been in that room together and she was delighted to see them.

"Attarah" Aro greeted from the front and she stood, taking the blanket in one hand and throwing it aimlessly onto the sofa behind her as she began to make her way toward them, stepping up into the main bedroom. When she reached them, Aro cupped her cheek.

"Do you have to go?" she queried with hope in her eyes.  

"I'm so sorry my dear, but we must." Aro frowned in sadness and placed his other hand on her cheek as well, he pressed a kiss to her forehead and she wrapped her arms around his waist, placing her head on his chest. The two hadn't had much affection in the long while and this is just what they both needed. A tear slid down her cheek and she refused to let go of him, only holding him tighter. His hands linked in her hair and she pouted as she pulled away after many long minutes.

"My love, we will be back before you even know we've gone" Marcus explained and she walked to him and hugged him too, her head barely met his chest and she refused to move once more. She knew that once her goodbyes to them were over, they'd leave and she couldn't bear it.

"Please don't leave me Marcus" she tried again, she had been pleading with them since they'd told her they were going and it took all their strength to deny her plea. She looked up at him before pushing herself onto tiptoes, she grabbed his face and pulled him toward her, letting herself fall onto flat feet once more but not releasing him so he stood awkwardly hunched. She pressed her lips to his gently and he responded, one hand taking her chin softly before pulling away.

"We must go my love," Caius told her as she walked toward him and they embraced.

"It's not fair" she grumbled. She had decided to leave her temporary annoyance at Caius as now was not the time.

"We know Darling. But we promise that after we return, we will spend the week with you."

"You promise?" she questioned like an innocent.

"We promise" Caius stated looking her strongly in the eyes before connecting their lips in a passionate kiss. Attarah walked forward, taking Aros hand and tugging him toward the bed. Ushering the others to follow.

"Will you stay with me? At least until I'm asleep?.. Please. It's all I ask" she questioned looking extremely vulnerable and innocent with wide eyes.

"Okay" Marcus relented and she smiled slightly. When they all reached the bed, Aro pulled back the covers for her to slip under them, he then dropped them again when she was lying comfortably, snuggled up on her front with her cheek to one side. Aro sat beside her and Caius on the other as Marcus sat by her legs, his hand caressing her thigh through the bedding.

"I love you" she said to none of them in particular as she shuffled under the sheets. Though they all still replied with their recognitions of love. Attarah took Aros hand that was laying beside her face and kissed it before pulling it beneath her face so she was lying on it. The cool flesh relaxed her and she mentally vowed to spend more time with him though she was sure he heard that in her thoughts.

She leant up slightly and kissed his lips before lying back with her face on his hand. Then she finally allowed her eyes to close. "Please stay safe... And hurry back to me," she spoke before yawning cutely.

"Sleep well, my love"

"We will be back soon Darling."

"Sweet dreams my dear"

Caius kissed her shoulder and she smiled sleepily as Marcus continued to gently stroke her legs. She wished the moment would last forever but she knew that the second she allowed sleep to overcome her, they would be gone. 

---

Sunlight poured through the window, the curtains parted neatly. The bright beams bounced off of mirrors and reflected off of the perfectly polished marble floor. Tucked up in a bundle of unnecessary cushions and soft enveloping sheets, the brightness stung the lids of Attarahs eyes and warmed her flesh. Fluttering one eye open against the harsh bright light, she groaned and bundled further into the covers.

She had little desire to move, she was floating in a cloud of heaven and warmth, unwilling to allow her bare feet to hit the undoubtedly freezing marble flooring. And she had no reason to want to move. The Kings were gone, she stretched out like a feline, some cushions bouncing to the floor as she studied the ceiling.

Attarah presumed that she had not been left alone in the castle and it was certain that she would eventually be disturbed if she continued to sit in the king-sized bed. She sighed and moved to stand, the bitter cold eating her toes as she expected, the warmth through the window unsuccessful in warming her surroundings. 

Slowly, the brunette wondered to the desk in the corner of the room and studied the stationary and half-completed letter on the top. It stated 'Charlie, 12th November 2018' on the unsealed envelope. Every fortnight without fail, Attarah had created a letter for her father, writing all that had occurred. She knew never to send them as they included information that would put him in violation of the Kings rules. However, every time she completed a letter she sealed it in a beautiful envelope with a wax Volturi seel and it would have vanished by the next day.

The first few times that her letters had vanished shocked her and she'd spent a time searching for them, believing that they may have been lost but as it continued she got used to the fact and began to believe more reasonable explanations. Perhaps the cleaners had taken them or even the Kings, they may have swiped them so that she could not disclose information to her father and endanger him. Though, despite the endless theories, she still held onto hope in her heart that by some miracle... They had reached him.

She couldn't fathom the idea that he was alone and in pain, suffering as his daughter had left him to wither in old age alone as Bella created a new life for herself. She had no clue that another being in the castle recognised her anguish and had been delivering those letters with the correct address to the nearest postbox and allowing them to reach Charlie... This being did this for Attarah, despite the fact that she risked her own death in doing so.

Somewhere in Forks Washington, Charlie had received two letters a month for every month of the year his daughter had been missing and he understood all that she was experiencing. He accepted all that he'd learnt and loved her dearly, hoping for the day that she'd return home to him. He knew she defied the three King's by sending them to him but he did not know how he'd have coped without them.

Attarah sat comfortably in the chair by the desk and stared at the two-page letter explaining her recent adventures in Italy. But as she came to describe the current day, she found she had nothing to say and she doubted she would for the rest of the week. And so, she completed her letter by explaining this to him. She believed the letters were more of a diary but it helped her to believe that Charlie was the receiver. 'All my love, Atty.' it was signed and she finally closed the envelope with a sigh.

Knowing that she had done all of her tasks for the week she jumped eagerly back into the cocooning comfort of the bed. She truly had nothing to do and she decided not to allow the fact to display her and she closed her eyes once more still tired from the previous late night she had had.

All she could find herself doing was wishing that the week would fly by but unconsciously she knew it would be the longest of her life in Volturi so far. 

---

Day 2

Attarah currently resided within the Volturi castle library, laying lazily across the long, green, velvet couch. Her arm hung off the sofa beside her and she was creating strange sounds with her mouth in complete boredom. The ceiling was created into a beautiful tapestry which she assessed as she began to hum a song she'd forgotten the name of. As she stared intently into the tapestry, she had to blink multiple times as the pictures began to move.  

She'd been staring for so long, she was beginning to go delusion. And so she decided to stretch so she stood and wondered to the patio doors in the library directly opposite where she'd been lying. She carefully pulled back the heavy curtains and opened the glass door, revealing a garden with beautiful flowers. It was hammering it down with rain and Attarah grabbed a fleecy blanket, snuggling back down into the sofa and watching the world go by through the open doors. It was beautiful.

Later that day, when Attarah had awoken from a nap in the library, she beamed when a great idea occurred to her, running up the stairs (and promptly regretting the exercise) she stumbled into her closet and pulled a pair of rubber Wellington boots and a raincoat over her body with a grin. Quickly she found herself back in the library, stomping slightly in the boots as she made her way to the garden. The scent of grass and mud succumbed her and the odd scent of wet concrete that she had grown accustomed to in Forks.

Carefully, Attarah pulled the glass door shut behind her and made her way up the garden path to the left. It took mere moments for Attarah to reach a beautifully carved metal gate. She grabbed the wet metal and pushed it open, walking through with a beam. From then on, she continued her adventures in the garden. From experience, Attarah was aware that if you continued walking and only turning in one direction, she eventually end up back where you began.

The garden was colossal and she stumbled across many things she had not noticed before; from water fountains to bridges and even a locked door in the hedge. She had walked right the way around the garden and eventually came familiar with her surroundings once more as she saw the beautiful wooden gazebo she knew and loved.

Upon venturing back into the Castle, Attarah was proud of herself as she sky became dark, knowing another day apart had successfully passed. She harnessed the overwhelming desire to speak to her beloveds but knew they were busy and she did not want to halt their work or they may stay away longer.

Miranda frantically searched the castle for the kings' mate. She had not seen her since the morning and was becoming worried. This worry was however diminished when the girl appeared dressed in her Harry Potter pyjamas with a raincoat and welly boots on top, her hair was an absolute state.

"There you are, I've been looking for you all day Atty" Miranda complained and the said girl looped arms with her friend as they made their way down to the kitchens. "You seem happy" the other human commented.

"One more day has passed"

"it certainly has" the Italian women confirmed as the heavy oak door of the kitchen swung open and they stepped down the two steps into the stone room. To the left was a long countertop and kitchen area, stocked with all appliances and filling the rest of the room were two long tables made of aged wood with benches on either side. This is where the humans ate but they were currently all gone.

A man babbled to Miranda in Italian and directed the two ladies to the table where cutlery had been laid out magnificently with plated food for two facing one another. The pair of girls sat and began to devour the heath stew before them. It was just what the wet weather called for.

"Thank you Gino" Attarah grinned and he bowed.

"My pleasure" he spoke in the thickest Italian accent she'd ever heard before leaving. It just made the brunette giggle.

"He certainly is a character" Miranda smiled.

.

Miranda and Attarah giggled discreetly, acting with stealth as they eventually reached the younger girls bedroom where they burst into laughter and Miranda produced a pot of Ben and Jerry's and Attarah, a handful of Gino's famous cookies that they had stolen. The castle humans had their food planned for them to keep a good diet and these two things did not appear on the list of acceptable foods. If asked, Gino would likely have given Atty a cookie but the act of swiping it amused her.

"Let's watch a movie" Attarah suggested and they made their way to the sofa, taking a seat and flicking on whatever movie they could find. Miranda was more than a handmaid, she was Attarahs best friend.

Day 3

The Swan girl opened her eyes with a groan and found herself still on the sofa though Miranda was no longer at her side, she likely left in the early hours of the morning. The Wellington boots were still placed on Attarahs feet and she laughed as she kicked them off, a yawn escaping her.

In utter boredom once more, Attarah decided to be nosey as ever and headed out of her room, feeling like a spy as she flitted across to Caius' bedroom though no one would care if they witnessed her enter. Her boredom had truly taken hold. The female glanced around the familiar room, it was grand and modern in tones of greys and reds. She'd spent a lot of time there recently. She skipped going into the bathroom and headed straight to the closet a girl clearly on a mission.

Within the gargantuan closet, Attarah smirked devilishly and began opening drawers, her eyes widened when she pulled out a pair of his boxers and she laughed to herself before moving on to what she'd truly come for. From the racks, she sifted through the neatly pressed shirts of his and found a long-sleeved red one with his initials embellished on the left breast pocket. Stretching up onto the ends of her toes, she grabbed it and pulled it down before scampering away.

When Attarah finally reached her own room again she had aboard of stuff including Caius' red shirt, a black shirt of Aros, a navy blue shirt of Marcus' and Marcus' pillow. She just smiled and she plopped down on the end of her bed. Vaguely she noticed that the room was tidier than when she had left it.

It was in that instant that Attarah had a sudden burst of energy and marched out of the room once more. Making her way down three floors she reached the exercise room which was abandoned as all vampires were busy. The walk alone seemed to be sufficient exercise for the small girl so she never bothered to go in there but today she decided it seemed like the best idea. Dressed still in her pyjamas she pulled on some trainers she had carried with her and hopped onto the running machine.

When Attarah headed back to her room that afternoon, her legs ached and sweat poured off her. All she wanted to do was sleep but she peeled herself off the bed and headed to the bathroom, giving herself a much-deserved shower before dressing in Caius' shirt, cuddling up with Marcus' pillow hopping into bed and playing a round of games on her phone with a beam.

Day 4

By today, Attarah really had run out of interesting activities. She sat upside down on the sofa in her room, looking at her reflection in the polished floor and laughing as her chubby cheeks were pulled upwards by gravity, turning her into a chipmunk. It was still morning and she hadn't bothered to change from Caius' shirt. She just sat there, though she now wore shorts.

No activity seemed at all interesting to her at the current time and she merely sighed at how bored she was of being bored. She had slept as long as her body would allow but she was not wide awake with nothing to do but lie around with no other options. In the previous days, she had read books, watched movies, listened to music, attempted to draw, did exercise, stole a few things from her mates, explored the gardens and Castle and eaten all the food she could find. So now, she was completely out of ideas.

A few days prior  she had caught herself talking to a picture of Aro that hung on the wall in one of the corridors. She was explaining to him all that she'd done in the day and it shocked her how stir crazy she had become so she sprinted away before she could frighten herself anymore. After today, there were two more full days and then they would return. Two days felt like an eternity with nothing to do.

She could not go outside due to the rain that continued to fall and so she just sat there. All of a sudden, Attarah sneezed incredibly violently from her upsidedown position before groaning in pain at the pressure behind her nose. She pushed herself to sit as she sneezed once more.

Exactly what she wanted whilst her mates were away... A cold. 

--

Day 5

Attarah coughed loudly and then groaned. She had a fever and was lying on her bed feeling freezing cold whilst sweating buckets, each time she coughed she felt sure that her organs would just flop out of her body and her sneezes were so violent she practically had whiplash.

"Well Hello, there little miss sunshine" Miranda smirked as she walked through the door with some medicine. The girls had been doing all they could to abolish the cold in time for the king's return. Attarah had strictly forbidden anyone from telling the kings that she was ill.

"This is the worst week ever. The week was already terrible and now its even worse!" she practically screamed in annoyance before groaning from the effort. Thankfully the illness seemed to be diminishing already, it was ridiculous how fast it was clearing up but the homemade human remedies from the kitchen and cleaning staff seemed effective. The day before she was awfully ill but not she coughed and sneezed every once in a while but overall felt better, just achy and exhausted. 

"Those kitchen staff work miracles" Miranda noted as she scrutinised her friend who looked a million times better, she was no longer a sickly green colour. She was still pale but the improvement was definitely noticeable.

"Why won't they come home already?" She groaned and Miranda smiled softly, understanding her pain. Fortunately for her, Miranda's vampire mate hadn't gone with them due to being so new and Attarah noticed her friend wasn't as attentive as usual, clearly desperate to leave.

" You can go, Miranda, I'm going to sleep anyway" she smirked and that exactly what she did.

For the next two days, Attarah relaxed and slept, watching all the movies on the shelf in her room and ready nearly half a book before getting bored and tossing it onto the bedside cabinet and so when she finally woke up and found that it was the 7th day, she was beyond ecstatic. And she certainly had plans to welcome them home with her newfound good health.

---

Attarah made her way to the throne room with a smile. She was prepared and twenty minutes early, knowing they'd arrive very soon. She had dressed to the nines and was the queen the kings deserved. She'd bathed in a beautiful lilac soap bubble bath and Miranda had plastered in makeup to create a seemingly effortless stunning look  Attarahs hair was pulled up into a curled updo, each curl carefully places and a red jewelled tiara sat amongst her hair.

Flowing from her shoulders down her body was a stunning red silk dress, tight at the top with faux rose petals on the sweetheart neckline and sheer three quarter length sleeves. The long train of the gown was also plastered I faux roses. A split ran up one side, revealing her porcelain leg and showed her feet which were covered in expensive heeled shoes, they were red silk with an intricate golden heel. 

Attarah had missed the dresses, as irritating as they were at times, they made her feel as though she belonged in the wondrous castle amongst the three wealthiest men she'd ever known who ruled over their species. 

Eventually, she reached the desolate throne room, it was dark except the light infiltrating through the domed window in the roof putting almost a spotlight on the thrones atop the podium. Attarah naturally glided toward the throne on the left, owned by none other than Caius Volturi but as she pondered she trailed her fingers along with the central throne and chose to take a seat. She sat with her knees together though pointing off at an angle in a somewhat relaxed position, the dress pooling around her ankles.

In that exact moment, the doors of the throne room opened and she could hear the chatter as the guards began to enter many of them smirking when they noticed her or grinning which she occasionally returned with a wink. They quickly dispersed from the room which was the central hub of the building.

Eventually, the kings entered, deep in discussion, seeming to be furiously arguing in Italian. They did not notice her for a moment until Marcus looked up and saw her, he stared with wide eyes which caught the attention of his brother who followed his gaze to their stunning mate who smiled almost shyly, she had had such confidence but now felt timid.

"Welcome home" she began. "I missed you."

The three men continued to stare in a daze as she stood and walk forward to meet them, seeing their gaped mouths gave her a slight smirk and more confidence.