Volturi (The Three Kings L.S)

9- Back to reality

Arriving back in Volterra, the group was met by shimmering soft sunlight and a quiet street. The group of five made their way to the wooden doors of the castle and Attarah smiled in her sleepiness as she felt warmth radiate around her heart as the void that was the absence of Aro and Caius, mended.

Making their way down long dark tunnels, Attarah shivered due to cold but she embraced it as it reminded her of her stone home and her cold goddess mates. When the group reached the trapdoor downwards, Marcus jumped down to catch her. They very rarely entered through that entrance but they felt as though it would be a good idea to surprise the other kings. 

When she felt that Marcus was going to catch her, she allowed Felix to grab her below the arms and hold her in the grate as he prepared to drop her to her mate. Attarah closed her eyes and mouth tightly as she was released and gasped in slight pain as she was winded by the strength and hardness of Marcus' arms catching her.

She knew for a fact that that would bruise and she chose not to speak a word of the tenderness as the guards joined them on the chamber floor. Altogether, they continued their descent into the lower levels of the castle until they entered the warmth of the reception.

As they made their way through the cloistered room, the little human noticed that a new receptionist was in position and she frowned but chose to ignore that also. For once it hadn't been Alec, Demetri or Felix who got rid of the receptionist.

Attarah became giddy with excitement as she handed her coat to the new lady, she was excited to see her handmaiden and her mates after what seemed to be ages though had truly only been a week.

As they entered the throne room, Miranda was standing by the door and as she turned to face them she practically squealed in excitement. Somehow, Miranda, the handmaiden managed to lift up Attarah and spin her around in greeting which caught the attention of the other two kings.

Both kings sat forward in their thrones as she was placed onto her feet once more. The sweet Swan stumbled from dizziness and was caught by Marcus who smiled down at her gently. Attarah let out a squeak due to his hard hands brushing against the forming bruises but he passed it off as shock.

"Welcome back" Aro smiled happily and he knew that most of his guards were departing quickly but he paid no attention as Attarah suddenly ran toward him with a loud giggle. The raven-haired king stood as she reached him and she suddenly jumped into his arms and held him tightly, cringing only slightly from her ribs aching.

"I missed you so much," they both said at the same time and let out laughs as they pulled back and Attarah slammed her lips onto her mates. Aro smiled into the kiss and caressed her hair as they embraced.

Out of the three kings, Marcus was the one to gently push her boundaries and encourage her to open up whilst Aro stayed behind her pace to make sure that everything he did was okay in her perspective. However, Caius managed to create his own boundaries that overrode her own. She didn't entirely hate Caius' passion as it pushed her out of her shell and was his form of showing love.

"Caius" she smiled and he sighed in relief as he noticed the forgiving look in her eyes. She hopped into his arms also and he was glad to hold her and call her his as he had spent the past week away from her and regretted his decisions, thinking she despised him. Caius also hated the fact that she was going away with Aro shortly.

Caius had been tasked with caring for Attarah as Aro and the rest of the Volturi headed for the Cullen's in forks. He had no problem looking after her, in fact, it was the job that he wanted but he was afraid of being the one to tell her that her family had broken a Volturi law and that they were to be prosecuted.

Caius was truly shocked that Attarah hadn't spoken about her family or asked to see them in her time there and they couldn't figure it out but they didn't want to ask unless it prompted something within her. She currently seemed rather happy.

"We missed you so much darling" Caius informed and brushed her curls. The group moved to the dias and Attarah ended up sitting on Aro's throne, her raven-haired mate sat on the arm and the other two men sat on either side.

"Royalty suits you my gorgeous. We must have a photoshoot of you whilst you are still human and Caius itches to paint your portrait" Aro spoke gently and she glanced over at Caius in shock.

"You paint?"

"Indeed I do, I shall show you sometime" he smiled softly and she giggled before thinking.

"...would you be able to teach me?"

"Of course" he seemed thrilled at the idea and smiled brightly at the thought of spending more time with her. She found that as she breathed in, her ribs ached more and it almost felt as if they were fractured or broken but she played it off to be nothing more than intense bruising. Surely her mates didn't have the power to cause her any severe damage unnoticed. 

--

Attarah woke up in confusion for a few long moments. She had little idea where she was and she stretched like a feline and rolled over. Staring at the plain white ceiling. She finally realised where she was. She currently lay in her allotted Volturi bedroom that had little to no decoration. As she assessed the room, her frown increased at the personification of her previous life. Plain and simple.

Attarah found that she wore her outfit from the previous day, her shoes were still intact and she was in entire confusion. Why had she not changed? Why was she in her room rather than one of her mates? When had she even fallen asleep? It seemed as though she had merely been dumped in the room.

Walking toward the wardrobe, she opened it to find nothing except a single hanger with a dress hung. What was happening? She remembered the room to have much much more within it. Also within the closet sat a velvety cloak similar to the ones her mates wore. The inside was however gold rather than red. She was shocked, to say the least, that the dress within was short, in fact, it was the opposite of her usual attire. Dressing in the heels and dress alone, she gave off a twenties aura.

She was glad beyond anything when Miranda entered the room. Attarah sat in silence as her handmaid plaited her hair. Though she was bubbling with queries, they were to be spoken to the kings only.

Finally, she was completely dressed and she walked out of the room and down the corridor. It did not take her long but she suddenly realized why Miranda had been so shocked to see her awake. The sun was only merely rising and she figured that that was the reasoning behind her mates absence.  

Attarah made her way to her mate's bedrooms and searched all three but still failed to find her mates. Eventually, she gave up and sat on Aro's bed, discarding the cloak to her side as she picked up the fabric in her hands, running it through her fingers.

She was not sure how long she lay there but she eventually lay back and splayed her arms like a star above her head. She was so utterly confused. Finally she stood and realised that it must have been at least lunch time, if not later.

Walking along the corridors, she was confused until she bumped into Felix who sighed in relief upon seeing her. "There you are! I've been looking for you everywhere. Nobody knew where you were" he gasped and hugged her tightly. She squeaked at the soreness of her ribs and he dropped her instantly. "I am so sorry"

"I'm fine" she promised and allowed Felix to guide her through the castle. "Where is everyone? Why did I wake up fully dressed in my room? I don't even remember falling asleep? What's this dress?"

"Calm little one. The kings had some urgent outside business to attend to and left us in charge of you. Miranda was not here and you had fallen asleep before the kings left in Aro's throne. We did not know what to do and Jane gifted you the dress and cloak. The kings arrived in the morning and were shocked and angry at our treatment of you...they have been searching for you since"

She did not comment, she still wasn't entirely sure what had occurred but she gathered that the guards had not treated her up to the king's standards and they weren't entirely happy about it.

"How angry are they?"

"Very, they wanted us to make sure you ate and to take great care of you. Instead, we dumped you in your old room with a secondhand dress. Even Miranda has gotten into trouble and she wasn't here." Felix sighed.

"I'm sorry, I don't want anyone to get in trouble. I can look after myself" she informed him as she hurried to match his pace in the heels. She had grown used to wearing heels over the course of her three months in Volterra but her brief break had set had back slightly.

"That's not the issue here Attarah, the problem is that you are the future vampire queen and we have a job to protect you and give you the best of everything. You may be human but you have the same ranking and authority as the kings and we have to treat you as such." The muscular vampire frowned and they finally entered the throne room.

Guards stood all around and she edged toward the dias in slight fear, they stood in formal rows watching Aro who was standing. She made her way over to the kings but none of them looked at her. She knew they were angry but it wasn't at her so why were they avoiding her gaze.  She placed her hand on the arm of Marcus' throne and he placed a reassuring hand atop hers.

She glanced over at Caius and he nodded in a calming manner before suddenly hell broke loose and Aro began to fume at his guards in Italian. She knew at that moment that she would have to learn Italian but she saw from Aro's expression that his icy cold words were not as calm as they seemed.

"Attarah" Caius took her hand as he suddenly appeared beside her and wrapped his free arm around her waist, edging her toward the door and out of the room with Marcus in tow. They finally made their way back up to Caius' room and she collapsed onto the bed in shock. 

Attarah swung her legs back and forth in the chair she sat in, her heeled shoes barely reaching the floor. She had sat in the same took with two of her mates for two hours and they had barely spoken. She had no idea where to start and she was still chilled from the intensity of Aro's yell. Her ribs also ached and she wished to tell her mates but thought of it as weak.

"Why is my old room empty?" She finally cracked the silence, knowing that neither of the unmoving statues would do such a thing. They glanced at one another and then at her. Between her hands, she held a mug of warm chicken soup, half empty.

"We are in the process of moving you into our rooms. You can share as you already have been. Our wardrobes have been modified to fit your items and boxes of dresses and shoes arrive next week in time to sort when you return from your holiday with Aro...if that is what you wish or we could unpack them for you?" Marcus asked her and she tilted her head in thought.

"No, I think I want to do it myself. It'll give me something to do whilst you are in court. I'm sorry I am such a burden to you all, I didn't mean to make Aro angry" she informed sadly and instantly had Marcus and Caius at her sides.

"You did not anger him Attarah, he is upset with himself for allowing you to be treated so disrespectfully. He shall fix the situation and all will be okay. I believe you should talk to him my darling, calm him as nobody else will be able to." Marcus informed softly as he caressed her cheeks. Caius onlooked with an unsatisfied expression, he could see that Marcus and Attarahs bond was further developed than her and himself and jealousy rose in him that she loved another greater.

Eventually, Attarah stood and made her way through the door to go and find Aro. At that moment, Caius turned a vicious glare onto his brother who sent a soft understanding look in return. A crash was heard and the blond lunged at his brother. They wrestled and crashed into lamps and tables for a while before they heard a slight scream. Freezing instantly, they looked up at their mate who had returned to collect the cloak she had forgotten.

"Attarah..." Caius started but she quickly turned and ran away down stone corridors. Her heels clicked against the ground but she did not stop to remove them. What had gotten into her mates? Why were they acting so venomously to one another? Reaching a place where she was finally away from them, Attarah leant against the fountain in the garden and her eyes fluttered closed as she focused on slowing her breathing.

When she opened her eyes, she found Demetri, Alec and Felix hovering in front of her in a protective brotherly manner. She frowned at them and they smiled gently.

"Can I help you?"

"Aro has assigned us as your personal bodyguards as we get along so nicely" Demetri smirked and the brunette scoffed and walked away, still angry with her lovers.

"I don't need a bodyguard."

"The kings have many enemies Mistress Attarah, if somebody gets the chance and wants to hurt the kings, you are perfect. If somebody hurts you, the kings will experience pain worse than death and you are human Attarah, you can be killed easily" Alex informed and she said no more, accepting her fate to be stalked by the men. She was just happy that she could tolerate them and that they were friends. Close friends in fact.

"Besides, we aren't just your private bodyguards" Felix smirked and she sighed, awaiting his next sentence. "We have also been enlisted to make sure you are entertained and happy at all times. Miranda is also here to help. You have been brought a perfectly safe car and we are allowed to take you wherever you like...within reason. "

"Good. Let's go" she smiled and stood, walking down the cobbled path. The gentlemen were shocked but followed nonetheless. Miranda joined that quartet as they neared the garage. Attarah found a new car waiting for her within the rows and rows of sports cars. Hers was less sporty but probably just as expensive. Demetri took the wheel with Felix the passenger. Tension and awkwardness were still evident within the air between the two guards which was probably due to Alec exploiting the video to the other guards and the kings.

"Where to?"

"Hmm, the beach. I'm overdue for some good old fashioned cliff diving." She smirked and the guards exchanged looks. Meanwhile, Miranda produced swimwear out of seemingly thin air, she always seemed to know and Attarah beamed happily. The male guards couldn't fathom why the Swan would want to cliff dive but they drove her to the safest cliff they knew of, following orders to keep her happy.

Whilst Demetri and Felix beamed and hollered at the idea of cliff diving, Alec snuck off to the side and sent a message to his kings that their mate was about to do something dangerous. Unfortunately for them, the guards had driven two hours away, even with vampire speed it'd take time to reach her. She seemed to know it as she changed in a beach hut into a wet suit and ran with Felix and Demetri along the dangerously steep cliffs.

Alec watched on, fear in his eyes as the three grabbed hands and leapt from the cliff. 

Attarah was quickly pulled above the water a few seconds after they jumped. She barely had time to relish in the feel of cold bubbles around her before she was airborne due to Felix throwing her over his shoulder.

"That was bloody brilliant" he hollered and swam in a lightning-fast circle with her clinging on for safety. She rolled her eyes at his antics, used to his odd behaviour and the strange sensation of moving at such blinding speed. Eventually, she was no longer in the water and standing on dry land with a towel wrapped around her and an angry-looking Alec holding her in a secure position.

"Can I jump again?" She questioned as she attempted to fight her way out of Alec's iron hold. Demetri and Felix looked onto the scene with frowning expressions. Why has Alec so suddenly changed his views upon the activity?

Alec tightened his grip unconsciously, he was under strict orders to not let her jump into the water, though he had broken that order already, he was not prepared to do it again. Demetri and Felix seemed to get the hint when the male witch twin whispered in a low frequency that Attarah couldn't hear. The kings were coming.

Attarah found herself being held by Alec for the next hour, she fought against his arms but failed continuously. She had been changed into her previous attire by Miranda and now possessed only wet hair as a reminder of the leap into cold water she had completed.

"Let go of me" she ordered again as she watched Felix once again jump from the cliff without her at his side. She was now sat on the ground beside the wheel of the vehicle, still held by Alec beside her. She suddenly started and stood, his arms tightened and she let out a scream as she tumbled to the ground again. Her ribs still throbbed from all the strength apposed upon them in recent days and she knew she'd have to go away with Aro shortly, leaving no time to heal.

"No"

"Please"

"Attarah?" A new voice spoke and she growled as she recognized it as the sound if her mate, Aro Volturi. She turned to see him approaching alongside her other mates. Standing abruptly and surprisingly not being denied. She marched away from the kings to the car they had brought, knowing they'd drag her there either way.

Taking her position in the back seat, her arms became folded and her lips pursed as Caius and Marcus occupied the seats on either side. Aro rode shotgun with Demetri hopping in to drive. With a glance back at her, the guard began to drive at an excruciatingly slow pace.

It was not exactly slow but they were travelling at the sped limit assigned by humans on that specific rode whilst they usually drive at immense speeds and with the tension in the vehicle, time seemed slower than usual. They would be lucky to reach home by nightfall and Aro and Attarah were departing the very next day.

"Attarah" Marcus began in a chastising, slightly condescending tone and she shrunk back in her seat before thinking it over and stiffening her position once more. She was not going to relent to them, they were in the wrong and not herself, she refused to believe that she was the one deserving of punishment.

"Don't" she replied in a tone that was foreign to the lot of them, her voice seemed almost venomous and her usual love for the trio was buried deep in her words but still, thankfully, present.

"Love.." Caius grabbed her hand gently but the contact lasted for only mere seconds before she ripped her own limb from his cold hand and crossed her arms tightly once more.

"Please Attarah, think rationally" Aro began but she scoffed and his speech was cut short. He sent her a look of disapproval and rose his eyebrows.

"Think rationally? Rationally?! Why shall I if you never do?" The dams broke and her anger flared loosely. "You took me from my home, she took away my right to be a seventeen-year-old girl, to go to college! You took away my human life and I accepted it because I love you all so damn much, I made sacrifices for you but the three of you are so hellbent on power and control that you won't change your ways to suit mine. " she started.

They did not intervene as they wanted to hear her honest views about the current living situation.

"All you have done to change since I have arrived is take me on a holiday. I want to see the world, I want to travel and do all the things that humans do before it's too late to experience them in this form! I don't know how I ended up loving the three of you so intensely but I don't want that to change. I just want you to mould your life to fit around me rather than moulding me to be the future wife and Queen you want me to be. I am who I am and I want to do things and you just need to accept it. Please accept it, accept me?"

"We never knew you felt so strongly Attarah, for you never specifically told us. We shall find a way to suit your needs, no matter what actions must be taken you shall be happy once more" Marcus informed.

"If you wish to continue education, a tutor can be provided. Whilst we are away Attarah, I shall make the necessary arrangements to suit your needs If you merely list what you so wish" Aro continued.

"No wish is too great, within reason we will provide you with whatever it is you desire for a happy life with us. That's all we wish for."

"To start with, I don't suppose you have or can retrieve a source of heating for the castle? I have been so very cold since I arrived and the fires do little" she asked timidly, her voice of reasoning and demand hidden away once more. Out of sight yet not out of mind from the three Volturi kings...