Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

(9500 BC)

I Athenodora, High queen of Volturi, sat high upon my throne of the colosseum arena, next to my wife Isabella as we awaited the arrival of the gladiators, humans who had committed crimes without remorse and disobeyed the laws who were to be punished in a fight to the death. If they were dumb enough to try and escape they would be hunted down and slaughtered like the dogs they are.

I would not allow one to disobey or dishonor their place and seeing as they are beneath me that it was where I planned for them to stay. Vampires are apex predators and above them, but I am Queen of the jungle and I will not allow my prey to think too highly of themselves.

If humans were meant to be our equals then they would have been made anything other than our main food source. When I look at a human all I think is what would be the harshest and most painful way to feed from them.

It is in my nature to see them as prey and for them to see me as a predator, it makes my beast roar when a human is not afraid of me, especially seeing as it makes them believe that they can talk to me informally and touch me without my permission which isn't something anyone should believe they can do to royalty, let alone a queen.

As I look out onto the arena I feel Isabella grasp my hand excitedly as the prisoners/gladiators are escorted onto the arena floor before being thrown to the ground with a sickening crack. I know for sure that at least a couple bones in each person have broken or fractured. The crowd roared with excitement as everyone knew the games had begun.

It was exhilarating and everyone was sitting with bated breath, until one started to move a little which made the people sitting in the arena erupted into cheers and battle cries of excitement. My excitement was also through the roof but I made sure to keep a stern expression which was also void of any emotion.

All five convicts who had been forced into the arena eventually started to stand up slowly as the cheers got louder and louder as the spectators (who had been encouraged to bid on who their favorite was) cheered on the person who they had put a bid in to win. If the player that someone had chosen didn't win they would have to pay a fine of the grand total of bonds that the winning player received from their spectators.

The arena was laid out like this, around the outskirts is where all of the weaponry was put, directly in the middle of the arena was a large open space which wouldn't be any protection for them at all seeing as there was nothing for them to hide behind. But between the outside and the centre were large boulders and towers made from crumbling rocks that would hide them and allow them to gain the upper hand on one another.

One by one they slowly became aware of what was required of them and that if they didn't obey they would be punished especially if they didn't start defending themselves and kill their opponents. Which lets be honest isn't actually hard to do, it's bringing yourself to actually hold the weapon and think ‘kill them’ that is the actual hard part.

They all started to run to the outskirts of the arena where there were weapons to collect whatever they could before picking up the ones which they thought would do the most damage as well as a lighter each, which made me laugh seeing as it was oh so very stupid of them.

Every warrior knew that it wasn't the biggest weapon that made you dangerous but the one which you could wield the easiest and suited you the most. The sharpness of the object you are using doesn't matter when you are at war, especially since nobody realises but you are always the weapon, you are the deadly part of the equation, the sword is an extension, an object which would be useless unless it was in your hand. These people were desperate though and that much was painfully clear.

They reminded me of the servants when my wife or myself give them an order and they immediately start rushing around to complete it as quickly as they could. It was a sign of respect and servitude so I honestly did not mind it. I just often found it as I do in this present situation.

The first prisoner who was participating was a monster called Aro, he was a man who was abusive to women and only saw them as property. He disgusted me and made me wish I could have prevented his birth. I found him during one of my many village searches and the scene in which I found him was disturbing.

He had stabbed and murdered his wife in cold blood and was leaning over her body with a sick sadistic grin lacing his features, needless to say i demanded his arrest and to be categorized for this tournament on the spot in hopes he will die.

The second was a young vampire by the name Tanya who was in fact fighting to be allowed the title of coven leader for her and her sisters Irina and Kate. Irina was only a couple months old in the vampire world but was well mannered and Kate was a firecracker and a warrior like myself and my wife.

Their former coven leader was also their mated mother but she had to be sentenced to death after disregarding our sacred laws before she went and started creating an immortal child and keeping its existence from us until it tried to destroy the world.

The third person was a man who was called Zedrik and he was caught trying to conspire to murder my wife and take the throne from me before locking me up and torturing me. Of course I did not allow him to speak another word and had him go through the same as Aro.

And then there was Amaya who was the forth and most surprising one out there. She was my hand maiden and even though I didn't allow her to speak much I did like her company, that is until she tried poisoning me with a dish that killed my royal taster. What a pity!.

The last prisoner in the ring is a 18 year old human boy called Mano, he was the only person who i wish wasn't in this brutal punishment but he killed thirty four woman and man so this was just, i just wish that he found a better outlet to challenge his range into because i believe he would have been a upstanding citizen if he did.

The people who grew up or lived near him said he was a sweetheart when he was a kid but it all changed when his mother died and his father became distant but a crime is a crime and it must be punished.

As they turned to take in their surroundings Amaya took the opportunity to drive the sword she had picked through Mano’s chest killing him instantly before running to take cover behind one of the pillars. This made the crowd roar louder that the first and weakest warrior had been taken out leaving just four left.

Amaya was then saw sneaking around the side towards Tanya but when he went to attack Tanya was ready for her and used her strength to throw her through the air before speeding to where she would land and holding the hilt of the sword in a 50 degree angle allowing Amaya’s body to slide down the sword before she took the lighter and burned her making the crowd roar once more at the criminal being eradicated from our world.

Zedrik was taken out almost immediately after by Aro who just lit him on fire making me see just how inexperienced and useless he would have been in both war and the life of a warrior.

Now it was Just Tanya and Aro left, and everyone, even the men were all hoping Tanya would win and kill this abusive son of a bitch. Nobody liked Aro seeing to the fact that he was a creep and not well liked by anyone he knew or associated with.

The two were on the complete opposite side of the arena which made myself and Isabella who was now sitting on my lap with my arm around her waist thoroughly amused. They were both paranoid which was shown by their darting wide eyes and constant turning to look over their shoulder.

They were like the horses when a loud band sounded, frightened and ready for the slaughter. They then started to weave into the fragments of stone trying to blend in but what they didn't know is that they were becoming closer and closer to one another.

My eyes stayed fixed on Tanya who was obviously scared but was going to force herself to keep going for her sisters so that they could stay together. I knew the love the sisters shared and I was truly happy for them.

I admired that she was doing this for her sisters and everyone saw that It was a noble reason for doing this. She was a little over five hundred years old and even though she was considered a full grown I do not allow anyone who isn't at least a thousand to lead a coven.

I myself was a little over four thousand years old and my wife was just beneath three thousand so I would be comfortable giving her a coven but Tanya is just too young in my opinion so we made an agreement that if she entered and won she would be seen with not only respect but her former replacement.

The two grew nearer and nearer making the cheers turn to full on screams of ‘kill him’ and ‘end him’ i was thoroughly enjoying it and so was my Beloved. As soon as Tanya and Aro faced one another the crowd went dead silent in anticipation.

They stood there silent and frozen, Tanya was the first to make a move by trying to plunge her sword into his stomach which he blocked with his shield. Tanya was calm and collective but you could see her already trying to analyse where to strike next whereas Aro already knew where he was going to hit.

But in an almost millisecond Tanya had either side of his seething head in a vice grip with her hands on both sides of his face cradling it in a deadly force and began brutally pulling until a crunch was heard and you could see cracks appearing upon his face.

His skin ripped and his head started to be torn apart through the middle of his eyebrows, nose and mouth. Tanya managed to completely rip it in two before dropping both bloody parts to the floor making me smile viciously at her victory before making my way to my feet as she took the lighter and flicked the flame on before igniting Aro’s bastard form on fire.

The crowd cheered and I clapped my hand while Tanya's eyes met mine and searched for approval. I nodded my head in a silent ‘well done, you are now a coven leader’ before myself and Isabella smiled at her knowing that we would see her very soon

We then walked out of the throne area making our way to the back of the arena where a hidden entrance was leaving her to her victory and the cheering crowd and made our way back to the castle to make her new title official and swear her in as a member of the royal council along with the other leaders.

Chapter Text

Isabella’s point of view

Athenodroa and myself strided our horses side by side before making our way back to the castle on horseback to prepare and await the arrival of what will be the Denali Coven. As I watched the prisoners I was so engrossed in the fight and strategies that each of them took that I forgot to talk to my wife and share my ideas with her and vice versa like we usually did when we had an event as grand as this.

I was surprised to my core when she made this agreement with Tanya as i know just how strict and law driven she is and how much she thrives on structure and obedience from her citizens to keep the peace and make sure that there are no disturbances otherwise the kingdom will erupt into chaos and become unstable which could end us.

I knew my wife thoroughly enjoyed them and was looking forward to it, which made me happy that she as queen could have a hobby as well as tend to our royal dutys. Athenodora was a woman of strategy and war, she could lead armies into war and bring even the strongest to their knees.

The latest incident happened when a peasant dared to sit in her throne and they ended up begging on their hands and knees once she dragged her knife from there chin to the hair line, making a scar that would be permanent and a reminder of their place.

I have always admired how strong she is and how she has always protected me. It's a miracle that she picked me as her wife. I know that the mate bond was a part of it but she picked me before we knew that I was hers. She married me when I was a human and a 21 year old woman.

My father was trying to marry me to the pope’s son, who was a total pig. So naturally I ran and hid. Athenodora found me seeking a place to sleep late at night and spared me from her wrath by taking me home and protecting me even though she did not have to, but she chose to.

She wasn't her usual stern self but was caring and attentive even though she barely knew me. I felt safe in her presents as well even though I barely knew her back then.

She gave me the room just next to hers and allowed me the privilege of her company as she watched over me to make sure nobody hurt me. My wife then jolted me abruptly out of my thoughts by grabbing my brains from where she was now standing next to my horse after dismounting on her own and beckoning me down by extending her hand towards me.

She has always been the one who has been the protective partner in our relationship and has always put my safety first and if I ever was harmed I know she would blame herself even though I know that it wouldn't be hers with one hundred percent assurance.

I took it while curling my fingers around her palm and allowed her to wrap her muscular arm around my waist which she got from sword fighting and all of the training she does. She can train for hours and seeing as she is a vampire and can not get out of breath or a stitch.

I swung my leg over one side and allowed it to collide gently with the other one. Before she gently tugged me off of the horse and into her arms before wrapping my legs around hers and carried me to the castle walls and inside of the ground. She planted a kiss on my forehead as we entered the throne room and let me down as her sword which was strapped to her side grazed my leg.

We both walked to our thrones and then took our seats and waited for Tanya to appear so that we can officially title her as a coven leader and allow the ones who she has chosen to join her to also be crowned members of the Denali coven.

As I sat here waiting for our guest I could help but admire the beauty of the room. The Throne room was a long narrow room with two doors on the far end of the walls at the back of the room next to a podium where the thrones were. Along the outskirts was a small tiny wall about 20cm up and behind it against the wall were built in seats for the guards when an assembly was being held.

The floors were made of marble and were as black as cole. The ceiling was high with pillars from the front of the room where one door was in the centre of the wall leading to the thrones which reached the ceiling arched into a curve and met at the highest point in the centre.

There were stained glass windows onto two sides of the walls which held the stories of our existence imprinted into the painting of the glass. The walls were also marble but they were white. It was my favorite room and the nicest as far as my opinion went.

Katerina, and Irina seem like a great match for young Tanya but I believe that two of my guards may also be a match for these young women. Carmen and Elezar have the potential to be parental figures to these three and can offer leadership and guidance to them. I may have given Tanya this deal but it doesn't mean that I believe she is ready so I want her to have a hand in helping Katerina and Irina through their life as vampires.

I know that Athena has spoken to our two guards and they are up to the proposal so we need to speak to Tanya and see if she will also accept these ideas that me and my wife came up with. But I know that Athena has a plan as to how best to approach this situation so I will just allow her to take the lead as the queen and sit here as her wife and support her as she deserves to be.

The doors to the throne room opened grasping mine and Dora’s attention as we stood up straighter in our thrones. Tanya, Katerina, and Irina who were being followed in by some guards with Carmen and Elezar included walked towards our thrones before dropping to their knees as they came to the edge of the platform where our thrones were stationed on.

Carmen and Elezar led most of the guards to the sides before standing in front of the seats awaiting orders, while four situated themselves around the three women in a guarded stance as they were prepared to protect my wife and myself with their lives.

“Hello Tanya, congratulations on your victory. I hope you are pleased with your win. It was a highly impressive match," said Athenodora.

“Thank you, your majesty,” Tanya responded.

Athenodora nodded her head before standing from her throne and ushealthing her sword and holding it in her hand walking towards Tanya before stopping right in front of her.

“Tanya Denali, as I crown you leader of the Denali coven, do you promise to protect those under your rule and to obey me as your queen?” she asks her in an authoritative tone.

“Yes I do” she responded in a serious tone.

“And do you swear that you will obey the rules laid down by myself and not expose yourselves to humans or tell them about our existence unless you will turn them or kill them, or put them into a life of servitude?” she asked Tanya.

“Yes I do” responded Tanya before Athena says. “Good, Tanya, as queen of Denali I crown you leader of the Denali clan”

She says while raising a sword and bringing it down on both soldiers gently tapping each as you would for a knight as she raises the sword she puts it back strapped to her side before telling Tanya to rise and walk to the side which she did without fault. She then rolled her arms back before approaching Katherine and Irina before directing her attention at Katerine.

“Katherine, do you want to join your mated sister and respect her as your coven leader?” asks Athenodora as she expects them to answer with only one word.

“Yes” says Katherine.

“And Irina, do you promise to also respect Tanya as your coven leader?”

“Yes I do” she says, mimikin Kate.

“Good, I now pronounce both of you members of the Denali coven and release to the guidance and authority of Tanya as your coven leader” says Athena before she turns and walks towards her throne as she addresses Tanya. “You may now greet your new coven members Miss Denali” while she takes a seat.

Tanya immediately left her spot at the coroner of where the other guards were standing and hastily made her way towards the two girls before embracing them in a hug as they were also eager to embrace her in return. I could see the love between the three women and I hope that Carmen and Elezar will be able to fit into it and protect them from harm so that they will not get hurt.

I could see that Athenodora was bored in the sentimental moment even though she masked it well as she saw it as wasting time and hated it when people overstay their welcome. Athenodora obviously wanted us to spend time together as we have not had any for quite a while and if I was being completely honest, so did I.

“The other leaders are currently in the banquet hall awaiting you girls to go and have dinner with them, but first, Tanya i would like to ask you a question” Dora said before motioning Elezar and Carmen forward and making intense eye contact with Tanya “As you are young and have not been properly trained to lead will you allow two of my best guards to join the coven and help guide you?”

Tanya went quite obviously debating whether she should say yes or not before she nodded in acceptance before turning and greeting her new members in the way a sister would, which made me already nervous as she should be showing her authority for the first few days so that the line between friend and leader are clear but dora seems to not have a problem with it so as long as she does not have a problem with it i will keep my mouth shut.

“Now you guys should go, the others won't wait forever” Athena said before we both started to stand and leave the room.

“Wait, are you not going to join us?” asked Katerina.

“No” I said, surprising the sister as to the fact that I have not spoken once. “My wife and I will be spending some time together and then turning in for the night” I said as I saw how unsettled they were due to my sudden vocal interruption but nonetheless they accepted it and left with Carmen and Elezar trailing them.

Athenodora took my hand and made my eyes immediately flick straight to her own. I saw nothing but love in her eyes even though it was heavily masked under layers of decades of practice. Once the room was clear and it was just her and I she allowed a smile to take over her face as she led me towards the door leading in the opposite direction to where the others had gone to.

We walked hand in hand through the hallways and towards Athenodora’s favorite place in the entire castle and reached it (the garden) in a matter of seconds. As I saw a wild and free smile erupt from dora’s face and one identical to hers overtook my own. We walked to a bench and sat down ready for an enjoyable evening.

Chapter Text

Athenodora’s point of view

My wife was stunning, her beauty was no match that even the gods of Olympus could compare to her. She was the perfect woman for me and I will always admire how much I love her and respect the strength she has to be my wife and the princess to our people.

Our jobs are so tough and demanding of us and take up so much of our time that we rarely have any time to ourselves or each other to relax and be ourselves. I sometimes wonder if she ever thinks about a life unburdened by our duties and free from the people's demands but I know that even if I asked her she would be too kind to ever admit it.

As we were sitting on this bench I can help but allow a smile to grace my lips as she smiles at me with her eyes shining with happiness and joy and her mouth crinkle at the sides. I breathed in the smell of flowers which I had planted with my own hands and allowed our scenery to come into view as I thought of what I could say to the love of my life as we both knew that our private time together was limited.

I grasped her hand between mine and stared into her eyes for a minute before she smiled, making me learn in and peck her on her pink lips before I pulled back and licked my own to give them moisture so that they wouldn't stay so dry after the kiss.

“My love, that kiss was heavenly. I wish we could do it more often” I said while leaving a final peck on her forehead.

“I wished we did too, I love you so much. my beloved, you are always so soft and loving when it comes to me and i love it when we get moments together given as they are not often i like to savor every little moment i get with you when we do have them” she said to me making me kiss her a final time.

“What would you like to do with my love?” I asked her.

“We could go for a horse ride with one another and ride down to the pond at the end of the field” she suggested, making me smile and get excited with it.

“That is an excellent idea, let's go!”

She said before we stood up and started to walk towards the stables at the other side of the castle while locking hands as I firmly grasped them and held her fingers with my fingers locked between hers as we always did when we were together.

We arrived at the stables and Isabella stood by my side but far enough to allow me the space to get the horses from the stables and saddle them up before putting the rains on and helping my dear wife onto the backs of the horses.

I grabbed her by the hips and lifted her up enough for her legs to wrap around the top of her back before it slid down on the other side and into the styrups allowing her to stabilize herself and do the same with the other foot. I walked over to mine and pulled myself up and over onto the horse before turning to my wife and asking her if she was ready, she nodded and flicked the reins signaling the horse to start moving.

We rode along the fields and past the trees making them blur in our peripheral vision as we whizzed past them before they fade and disappear into the distance behind us. Isabella had a massive smile on her face which lit up the atmosphere and made me wanna jump onto her horse and kiss her there and then no matter the possible danger that may occur.

The horses picked up some speed as we rose off the backs and tilted our body’s forward making the horses go from a trot to a counter which made my hair bellow in the wind and my clothes blew against my skin as the wind pushed them further into me.

We rode some time until we reached a clearing with a massive lake in the middle. The sun was bouncing off the centre like a personalized spotlight that happened to shine right into my eyes, making me have to squint to be able to see in front of me and where I was going. I pulled the rains backwards slowly and brought my horse to a halt as Isabella mirrored my actions. We looked at one another before I suggested.

“Would you like to go for a swim and relax by the lake before heading back?” I questioned before taking a pause and waiting for her to respond.

Her eyes lit up and a smile graced her face before she responded with a single ‘yes’ as we both started to race each other towards the lake while pushing and tripping one another to try and slow them down so that the other could win accept we both became annoyed when we drawed and both jumped in and landed at the same time.

We loved each other but we were ridiculously competitive and hated when either one of us lost, even if it was to the other. One time we were having a game of baseball and I won. Isabella would not speak to me for three days until I apologized which killed me to do but I did so anyway.

She always gets so cocky when she wins or I lose that I both hate and adore it. She is cute when she is bragging but she gets very annoying when she starts to go on about how i lost and how much i suck at the activity or sport that i didn't have a successful victory at.

She loves it when she wins and beats me at things. She once told me that it gives her a sense of great satisfaction when I lose as it makes her feel like I do when I have won against an army of humans who thought they could overthrow me with just one sword and a smile.

I couldn't blame her. I knew and loved that feeling of being the victor and having people defeated and being the one who made them believe their lives were over because of a simple loss of a game like their lives depended on it, or they will die because of their loss.

I swam over to her slowly to not draw her attention or make her suspicious and splash her when I am close enough with a wave which resulted in her trying to playfully drown me without actually putting any real pressure on me to force me under which I could escape from by just lightly pushing her hand away.

I play along and pretend like I am drowning, making her let out a cute giggle before switching our positions to make her the one underneath the water and putting the same pressure as she put on me on herself and allowing myself to lightly laugh.

We then spent hours just swimming and playing and playfully drowning each other and splashing one another before we then head to the shore and strip down to just plants and a t-shirt before putting our jackets on a nearby tree branch to dry. Even though we were cold and wet we didn't mind because of how nice the day we had had had been and the break we had managed to find for ourselves made us even more grateful for one another.

We then laid down by the shore knowing that the sun would dry out our thin layers of clothing we still had on and just basked in the silence and natural noises in the trees and surrounding wildlife. The bush beside us drew our attention when it started to russel before a rabbit jumped out of it and went along the lake to the other side before disappearing again into the nearby trees.

I spotted a tiny blackbird above us that was sitting in a nest by itself and tweeting while flapping its tiny wings and trying to fly like the other birds were. I could also hear the tiny ripples in the lake crashing against the surface of the water before going underneath and merging with the rest. I loved this break from sitting on a throne and I know my beloved liked that i was enjoying myself and allowing the calm and stillness of the moment wash over me as i basked in the sunlight.

My hand found hers a few moments of laying here and our fingers intertwined before resting back on the ground in between our individual bodies. We both still had smiles on our faces and every time I thought about the fun we were having in the lake just makes me laugh and I know that Isabelle had caught on by the loving looks she keeps sending my way.

We watch an hour later with dry clothes as the sun starts to set lower from the sky as the darkness of the night starts to set over the earth. I watch as the sun shines brightly seconds before it disappears and a beautiful red glow momentarily before it slowly disappears as well.

We both start to come tired as we lay here in each other's company after a nice night laughing about how the guards were probably running around trying to find us even though I had told them we might not return until tomorrow the guards are always so protective which i am grateful for but i am aware that to much protection can be suffocating and also makes Isabella feel claustrophobic so i try and allow some space between them and Bella so that she may be aloud to be free and independent, Or at least somewhat independent. before Isabella falls asleep. And a few moments later darkness overtook me.

I awoke to the sound of hoof prints and a feeling of danger. I looked to my left and couldn't see Isabella and knew that if I was human my heartbeat would have skyrocketed with fear. I knew something was wrong and that Isabella was in some sort of danger.

Still groggy and confused, I stood up and looked around and what I saw shocked me to my very core and made me furious with anger. There were a bunch of vampires which looked to be ones without covens and families but had for some reason banned together to kidnap my wife who was chained in a cage built onto a carriage with horses pulling it away at a pace which other horses did not possess.

Isabella looked terrified and I was awake and focused on getting her back. I raced to my horse and jumped on before snapping the rains and charging after them at full pace going from trot to canter and then into a gallop.

I sped as fast as I could on Concords (my horses) back and started to become nearer and nearer to the kidnappers who will pay with their lives. Before they took a tight left making my horse get spooked and jumping onto his hind legs and nearly throwing me off. Once he steadied himself I looked around and tried to sooth him but he seemed so agitated and would not act as he should, making me realise that he would not be riding anytime soon.

But as I looked back the way they went I saw that they had already disappeared and that my wife was nowhere to be seen. She was nowhere to be found. My stomach churned with a feeling of fear and sickness. Making me stand here with just one thought. Where was my wife and will she return to me alive or will i have to kill those rough vampires myself when i find her.

Chapter Text

Athenodora’s point of view

I am outraged, I will find and kill those vampires and they will learn not to mess with Queen Athenodora Volturi or her wife again. I will use them to set an example to those who are thinking about disobeying me like they did.

One minute we were by the lake with her encased in my arms as I ran my fingers up and down her arm and fell asleep and the next she disappeared. my beast roared from inside of me and thrashed around inside of me demanding that I find her, punish the culprits and never let her go.

My lost wife will be found whether I have to kill every last person to find her, which Is not something I am above and I hope they know that, and wherever and whoever is involved will die. The only question is how long I will draw it out for is undetermined.

I will make them suffer and scream as i torture them within an inch of their lives before I will allow them to heal and recuperate before i then do it all over again.

And once my wife returns to my side I will make sure that she is safe and guarded properly by guards whom I will train myself and if the slightest hint of betrayal comes near me or my wife I will punish them or kill them depending on how severe it is.

I rode fast on my horse towards the castle and left nothing but dust in my steed as I raced as fast as I could to alert the guards and start to search for Isabella to get her home as fast as I could and so we could catch up to them before their tracks were covered over by nature or themselves.

I leaped of my horse steps away from the door when i arrived at the ancient wooden doors at the entrance of the castle before I paused and called out ‘Guards, my wife has been kidnapped from the east sector, find her’ before hearing a ‘yes my Queen’ which made me once again jump on my horse and lead them to where isabella and I where just moments ago.

When we reached the spot we all dismounted and looked around for any evidence of where she may have gone but we soon came across hoof prints in the dirt leading towards the west. We quickly mounted our horses once more and rode as fast as we could while following the hoof prints through the trees and low hanging branches before we came to a dead end.

We had come to a beach where the ocean started and followed the prints to the edge of the ocean showing that Isabella was either put on a boat or forced to walk in the water along the shoreline to hide their footprints.

“Guards search the shore line from front to back to check if they had masked their footprints in the water before heading back towards the castle” I commanded , making them all jump up onto their horses once more and rode off along the shore, following my orders as they were told.

I walked into the ocean and tried to see the footprints in the water which I knew were washed away but hoped they hadn't, when suddenly I felt something tap against my foot. I looked down and saw my wife’s bracelet which I had gifted her a year ago for one of the hundreds of anniversaries we have had.

I bent down and picked it up making my sleeve and hand wet before twirling it between my fingertips as water droplets slowly dropped of of the bracelet and my hand and felt the solid gold ore that it was made out of before tracing my fingers over a butterfly which was carved into the centre of it with rubies and diamonds before i flipped it over and saw the engravement in which i had put on it which said ‘to my beloved wife, with love your Athenodora’.

Tears threatened to spill from my eyes at the implications of what it might mean if we can't find my beloved and how she must be feeling wherever she is. I was about to go into the ocean further before I heard one of my guards call out to me, making me turn and see one of my new recruits Fredrik riding towards me, before saying.

“My Queen, there is no trace of any footprint along their shore line or tracks in the treeline. I am afraid that all evidence points to a boat” She says before I realise that he is holding something in.

“What is it Fredrik?” I said in a harsh tone. “We have found evidence of small boats being dragged from the sand to the water and there was some blood near it” he admitted to me making me know that if i had a heartbeat it would have stopped

“So she could be going anywhere”

I say to myself looking out towards the ocean once more realising that whoever took her had planned this for months or years while waiting and biding their time to form a plan and find the right moment to execute it.

“Prepare the ships” I commanded, making an echo of ‘yes my queen’ from my soldiers before I jumped onto the back of my horse and rode towards the royal harbour while commanding five fleets of ships going in all different directions to increase the chance of finding my beloved.

We boarded the ship and went in the opposite direction of the sun realising that they will probably use the darkness of the night to hide in the shadows and make their escape that much easier. I had Fredrik man the crew and another guard called Garret scan the waters with a telescope to try and track down the boat but there was nothing.

We searched for an hour before we came across a boat which didn't hold the crew we were looking for but a crew who had an encounter with them and told us that Isabella was still alive but they didn't know where they were going, only that we were on the right course.

We came to an island not so long later and decided to hoist another sail in the place of the centre on before making it an inch smaller around the sides to allow more fabric in the middle which theoretically should trap more wind and in return allow the boat to go faster.

Once the sail was hoisted we started to once again sail and thankfully the idea worked and the boat was going faster. I mean it wasn't much faster but any pickup in speed was a good thing in this matter and within an hour we had made up the time we lost while changing sails which made us know that we were in fact going noticeable faster and that this may work.

We started to plot on a map where we were heading and we realised that we were sailing towards the place known as the devil's triangle which made me worried and angry at the danger these rouges may be putting my wife in.

I know that she is capable of defending herself but as her wife and the queen i feel a duty to always protect her and make sure she is safe and happy and right now not knowing either is making me feel crazy and my beast roar with fury as the thoughts of what may be happening with my wife and those peasants.

It was when all hope was lost that we finally located and saw the boat on the horizon but we knew that if we could see them they could also see us as well because there were no trees to shield with or rocks to hide behind we were on an ocean with nothing around for hundreds of miles.

“Fredrik fighting and defense positions”

I commanded and made my whole crew rush to their stations prepared to attempt to extract my beloved Bella. We prepare for an attack and sail nearer and nearer before we sail up beside them. Suddenly vampires attack by jumping from the intruder boat onto ours and try to overpower us.

I have the upper hand immediately with the brute force my men have and the fact that I am an ancient vampire making me stronger and more experienced in the art of war. The older you are in our world the more power you process and I being the oldest in the world have greater strength and intellectual experience and wider knowledge about the world.

There is not a rock in this world that I haven't unturned and explored. I have been everywhere and I hope that my wife and I can do some more traveling together as and when she is back in my arms.

I use my momentum to jump from my boat to others to look for my wife and I land gracefully by the wheel and quickly go under the deck with haste. I throw all of the things on the shelves onto the floor in my erratic search for Bella before i realise that there is another deck beneath the one i am on which is lead downwards by a spiral staircase with shackles lined along the walls making it clear that this is where the dungeon was and where the prisoners/hostages were held.

I carefully ascended the stairs in hopes of finding my wife quickie before moving along the floor and passing the cells one by one while scanning them before I hit the wall of the other side of the boat before the realisation set in. That was the last cell and they were all empty, she was not here and these men did something with her.

With fury I strided to the top deck and jumped back to my boat where my crew had the rouges tied and approached the captain of them before punching my fist into his face with great force.

“Where is my wife?” I asked with anger through gritted teeth before delivering another punch to his face much more forceful than the last.

“Long gone and far away, somewhere you will never find her,” he said to me, making me thrash my hand into his chest and grab onto his heart before squeezing it tightly making him bend over with a scream of pain.

“I will ask you once more before I rip your heart from your chest and set you on fire, where is my wife?” i asked in a non nonsense tone while gipping the heart tighter making his body shake and thrash with pain.

“I told you far away” he managed to get out in a wheezy voice as he was on the verge of passing out.

“Kill him” I said looking at Fredrik before going to the man's right hand crew member.

“I hope you are smarter than your captain or you will also be losing your life today” i said roughly “Now, where is she?, where is my wife?” I asked with steel to my voice.

“Your majesty we really have no idea, we were ordered to meet another hip at specific coordinates and then hand her over before continuing on our course until we lost you or you caught up to us” He informed me making me ask,

“Who told you to?”

“Nobody knows” he said in a desperate tone “The only thing any of us knows is that he is a very powerful man and will kill us if we don't do as we are told” He said to me, making me ask him.

“And what do you think i will do to you, ummm?”

He shrunk back into himself and started to cower at the implications that be that as it may, this man may be powerful but i was the queen and whoever he was didn't have a single mark as to what i will be doing to this crew of peasants.

Chapter Text

Isabella’s point of view

It had been three weeks since I was taken. And I am chained inside a cell with four cement walls and an iron clad door which is situated with a heavy iron lock making it impossible for me to escape. I could feel the steel digging into my wrists and could only hope that Athena would show up at any time. God only knows what will happen to me if she doesn't come. I have imagined that this is what it is like to go crazy and find it uncomfortable to live with ourselves. Only mine is physical not mental.

I know that I am alone and in need of defending myself but I miss my wife and guards who all worked so hard to protect me. I know that I sometimes moan and groan about the consistency of being surrounded by guards. I love the protection and security they give and make me feel. When I return or if I return I will never again moan about the overprotectiveness about my wife or people.

A moment later the heavy iron door opened and a man dressed in a black mask and a black robe appeared. What managed to catch my eyes the most was the shortness of the man compared to how all of the men that I had seen so far were massive muscular ones. The eyes were staring at me intently through a slit in the mask like a lion stalking its prey while nothing, not even his hair, was shown adding mystery and intrigue, and making me have a lot of questions as to who this man was.

But his eyes were what creeped me out the most paired with the unsettling feeling of familiarity that I felt from him and his posture like I had met him many times before but I just did not know where from. His eyes were also blood red showing me know that he had fed recently which was bad seeing as i haven't fed since the morning of my kidnapping which meant I am defenseless. 

I can smell the blood in his system and it's making me thirsty and in need of some, I am so thirsty and I need to feed but unless these men grow a heart ‘which they won't’ I will not be getting another meal for a while. It was reckless. Many people know that it is dangerous to starve a vampire as we can lose ourselves and become monsters with no more humanity or care for the lives of others.

Our bodies also go through the similar process as a humans, such as if we are not eating regularly like a human starving themselves both of our species would have the similar reaction of our digestive systems would start to turn inwards and try to digest anything to keep you living living which can kill or severely injure the person internally, only for us it is far more painful and can force us into a start of a catatonic state as we cannot die so we will suffer for hours on end until we feed again.

I studied the man intentionally and came to the conclusion that this man is not as old as I am and is obviously not as powerful, but I can feel that he is older enough that he must know my wife. He seemed desperate like a man verging on breaking down but he seemed to be holding onto this moment of power to keep him together and not breaking apart. 

He moved towards me like a predator circling their prey with a vicious look held in his eyes surrounded by a wrath of anger. He pulled a knife from his hood and presented it in front of himself in an obvious sign of aggression. The knife was soaked with dry blood and a tattered handle as he gripped it with a dirty hand with mud underneath his fingernails.

A scar on his right wrist pulled my attention away from his face and made me know that I recognised him from around the castle but oddly enough I still could not place a name or face to the unknown man which was weird for me seeing as I never forgot a face or a name. I knew the servants and the guards like they were a part of the family and I prided myself on the fact which made me feel insulted and annoyed. 

I would not allow it to show on my face or give him that satisfaction so instead I made sure to keep my face neutral as he was now scanning me for weaknesses or a place to cut what he wanted. I was not sure but I knew one thing, I would not be going down without a fight.

I wondered why he was doing this and what he was getting out of this when he was not using me for ransom or leverage for my wife to surrender so what did he want from me and what was his motive for keeping me here. It was almost annoying seeing as he didn't tell me what he wanted or why, which left me with lots of questions and a need to be found by my wife.

I could feel his gaze burning into me as he came closer and closer to my face making me need to fight the urge to headbutt him and instead I stared into his dead red eyes that promised cruelty. He leaned backwards and his eyes crinkled around the sides letting me know for a fact that he was smiling. 

I don't remember how I got into this room, only that I spent about a day bobbing up and down on a boat in a room without chains on but instead I was heavily drugged. This man had been with me throughout my entire hostage in this cell, watching over me with his intense creepy gaze but this was the first time I was actually seeing him myself, other times it was just his eyes through the slit of the mask.

My shoulders ached from the strain of the position I was in and I had to keep moving my fingers every once in a while to be able to continue to feel them and to make sure my blood flow can actually reach them. He stood up straight before he started to speak.

“Hello Miss Swan” he finally said in a deep voice, ”I am your capture and the decider of your fate. I will decide whether you live or die” He said while having a look of complete joy etched into his face showing that he would take pleasure in every step of my stay with him.

I couldn't help what came next, it happened immediately, before I knew it my shoulders were shaking, my eyes were filling with tears and I burst out laughing maniacally at how ridiculous this was. This little boy was already demanding things of me. No matter how long it takes for me to become free, I will be punishing this boy as much as possible until he is begging for death and forgiveness.

It isn't a second later that his palm is colliding with my right cheek and I am already planning on removing his hands in the most painful way possible. He grabbed my chin roughly and forced me to look into his eyes before he said.

“It doesn't matter about your stupid ideas in your head, you will obey or you will die” he said, making me laugh even more at his stupidity and delusion at his thought that he was somehow a king or above me. He is a child and I am a queen. What he is doing is treason and he will pay.

He then grabbed a branding iron which was placed in a bin which was on fire and placed it on my skin before the smoke and smell of flesh started. He removed the iron to show a large ‘A’ in the place etched into my skin as it was already starting to blister and sting. It was disgusting but I couldn't help but grimace when the smell washed over me and filled my nostrils.  He grinned menacingly and then leaned down to my ear, breathing heavily before saying.

“You belong to me now”

He said before releasing my chin and stormed out with a quickened pace making me wonder what he had in store for me next.

[...]

(100 years later)

I am still trapped in these psychotic lunatics dungeons and listening to his stupid plans on how I will forget myself and become who he wants me to be whilst I am destined to be miserable, which is what he said but I still think he is being deluded. It makes me feel as if he was planning to recreate me somehow.

I know I have been here as his captive for a hundred years now but I have not even felt any pain which makes me know for sure that this man is not as old as I am. Otherwise he would know certain things about vampires such as, vampires my age have a high pain threshold as our skin has been thickening for thousands of years. Me and Athena once summarized that if we put all of our soldiers together and combined their thresholds ours would be far beyond their combined ones.

He has tried to break me several times in hundreds of different ways and always gets annoyed when I don't respond as he wishes me to. If I could I would treat him like the trash he was but unfortunately with all of the days and years in which I have known him I still do not know what his name is as he still has not disclosed it to me yet and I don't think he will any time soon.

What i do know though is that he has spies within my wife’s government because he keeps trying to use my wife against me and telling me that he will harm or kill her of I don't comply and I know for sure that his threats mean nothing because my wife has the gift of strategy letting her the gift of knowing how to avoid and get out of any situation that may arise.

I wish that he would understand that I am my own leverage because I love my wife and I would never put her in harm's way but I am sure that he isn't a threat from him. It wasn't long before that he tried to carry out his threat of killing me after he got tired of not having any effect on me and his incapability of harming me.

But the only thing he tried was stabbing and shooting me which told me that he has no idea that the only thing that can kill a vampire is fire. I felt embarrassed for him if I am being honest. I believe that it was all over when the cell doors flew open and he emerged with a man who I later found out was Elazar from my royal guard coming through them. It unnerved me as to how long Elazar had worked for him and how long he has been betraying my wife.

Elazar was dressed neatly in a doctor's coat and other clothing underneath making me know without a doubt that he was here out of his own free will as my own clothes were merely hanging on by strings. Then I saw a device of some sort in his hand before he walked closer not even acknowledging me before he forced it into my head and made the strap as tight as it would go before I saw other wires coming from it and leading out beyond the cell door. I heard a flick of a leaver before everything went black.

Chapter Text

Athenodora’s lost wife

It had now been over a hundred years since I had seen my beloved and my heart ached for her. Every waking moment I yearned for her touch and love to be on me, she was my other half and without her I felt empty. A part of me was missing and it was horrible. I know she isn't dead, otherwise I would be overwhelmed with a sensation of depression and a deep unemotional desperate need to join her in death so I know that she is alive somewhere.

My stomach felt uneasy like I could puke if I was a human but I knew better I was a vampire and it was impossible for me to throw up seeing as I had nothing solid in my stomach. It was just horrible, my wife was dead so she herself cannot die just from being trapped or stolen but I can still feel her thanks to the mating bond which allowed me to feel her presents but know how she felt. Even knowing this does bring me great relief. I still fear as if she is hurt and needs me to save her but I do not know where my love is or who took her.

Since she has been kidnapped i have been nothing but a shell of myself and my rules have become stricter, my guards have undergone a strict and invasive individual background checks i left nothing unchecked and any guard who had so much as a complaint was disbarred and shamed for their actions before being sent to a village which i created to correct people who did not know how to follow orders.

I had guards stationed and educated to carry out behaviour corrections and punishments. If I saw improvement I would allow them to rejoin my guard and rise up the ranks once more from the bottom or go home to their families. I respect that my elite guards would not want to have to start from the very beginning and be underneath those who they trained and promoted themselves so I do not hold it against them at all.

I found out that I had mates sisters called Didyme and Sulpicia, Sulpicia was the one I found first roaming the streets alone and abandoned when she was young which made her an orphan. When we met she was in her early thirties and I quickly took her under my wing and turned her before the bond was shown.

And then Didyme came along, and we both immediately felt a pull towards her. A need to know her and protect her. Isabella was always on my mind so I would tell them stories of her and repeated a lot again and again but I didn't care they all put a smile on my face so they never minded. I sometimes feel silly reminiscing about times with her and guilty that I go on about my mate when they don't have theirs yet.

They promised me they would help find her and agreed to leave certain parts of the castle which had her things in it alone for my sake. They also understanded why I had such strict rules and punishments so they didn't need persuading and help me reinforce my rules as I had done with my wife who will in due time return to my side.

We had made great progress in finding my Beloved as well thanks to Didyme who overheard a corrupt guard talking about her in the present tense and imprisoned him before using specific techniques to open up about what he knew and once we had what we wanted he was killed in front of all of the guards and set as an example, anyone who dared to cross us would think twice now if they wanted to live.

The three of us are currently in the courtroom gathered because the Denali coven have captured someone who they claim was conspiring with a dark hooded figure about Isabella and is to be brought before me to be judged and punished for not disclosing the information he has to me sooner.

We wait with baited breath for what we may learn today. I am seated in one of the middle thrones while Didyme is next to me on my right and Sulpicia is sitting on the other side next to where Isabella’s is. When the doors finally open the Denali coven along with a woman with red hair who is being dragged behind them is being led by Jane and Alec with my ex guards Carmen and Elezar flanking the coven at the sides.

“Hello, my queens” says Tanya bowing in our presents whilst her coven fell in behind her and did the same.

“Hello young one, who is your friend?” I asked while looking the redhead over with a stern eye.

“This is Victoria, my Queen, she is the traitor I informed you of”

Informed Tanya made a low but dangerous growl loose from my throat as the anger I felt for this woman's existence and somewhat involvement in my beloved's disappearance cursed through my every vein.

“Do you know who I am?”

I questioned the young vampire. She looked at me with a glance of defiance and hatred in her eyes making my beast growl at her blatant disregard for manners. I could feel Didyme and Sulpicia looking at me but I had to focus on this vile woman to get the answers I desired.

“Your the bitch who believes herself to be queen”

She said through gritted teeth making my anger surge as the air in the room became thinner. I smirk dangerously while eyeing the girl like a shark to its prey. I can see that she is scared by the subtle ticking of her jaw. I stared her down with a glare filled with knives and smiled when her left eye twitched.

“Are you going to tell me what I demand to know willingly?” I asked her.

She looked at me, studying my features whilst a look of contemplation was almost welded onto her face. It was clear she was confused whether or not she could trust me and to be honest i didn't care all i wanted was the knowledge she had but i knew that unless she felt comfortable she wouldn't say a thing.

I glanced at Didyme who is the gentlest of us and used my eyes to ask her to help. She nodded discreetly before standing and plastering a smile on her face and gracefully walking towards the woman who had now been forced to her knees at her outburst. She knelt down beside her and made eye contact with her before saying.

“Listen, sweetheart, i can understand if you are scared but you have information about the kidnapping of a royal and if you do not start cooperating i am afraid that, Athenodora, the wife of the kidnapped will try every interrogation tac-tic she has been taught to get there information from you forcefully if you don't give it willingly” She says in a low voice making me smirk dangerously at Victoria when she makes brief eye contact with me.

“So what will it be?” I ask, speaking up once more ”will you tell us the information willingly or do I have to use one of my more enjoyable methods?” I said.

Victoria looked down at the ground, contemplating her decision as she knew that I could make her or break her if I saw fit. Her shoulders dropped and her body tensed in anger before she looked at me with a glare before we locked eyes intently as she said.

“I will tell you what you want with a catch” My nostrils flared at her audacity as I was about to sink my claws into her and make her regret being born. But before I had a chance, Sulpicia spoke up for the first time since Victoria had been brought in.

“And please inform me why we should even consider making an offer with you when someone who you have conspired with is forcefully separating soulmates which is one of the crimes of the highest order?” She said speaking formally while fear started to creep into the edges of Victoria’s eyes.

“I just want to be free” she mutters under her breath in a broken tone.

“Unfortunately” i said “That won't be happening, you will be given a punishment and you will serve it just as all the other criminals have” i told her.

“Ok i will tell you, but please don't lock me up” she pleads making me start to think about all of the ways to punish her. “We will see, now start talking!”

“It happened a couple hundred years ago when I encountered a group of rogue vampires led by a man who claims to have fooled you. He found me whilst I was trying to hunt a man from my childhood who was turned on the same day as I” she started. “I had just got his trail again after losing it for a while so i chased it and tried to find him but instead i found him”

“Him who?” i asked her wanting the name of a man i would torture.

“His name is Aro”

She said, as the entire room fell dead quiet except for the noise of me letting out a roar at the memory of Tanya killing him. My gaze turned onto the youngest Coven leader as her eyes were already looking at me with confusion. It was clear that she was confused but I still needed verbal confimation as to whether she knew or not about what Victoria was talking about.

“Do you care to explain anything Tanya?” I asked her if giving the opportunity to defend herself is necessary or confirm that she thought she had.

“I killed him my queen, that is what i have always thought as you have to, we both saw him die and i don't understand how he is back, i am just as lost as you are”

She told me letting my nerves ease and eyes gravitate back to Victoria who was now allowing her eyes to dart around the room as she seemed to take in every detail. I knew that I needed to get her attention away from the throne room and back on myself so I asked her another question.

“Did he ever tell you how he managed to live?” I asked her.

“Yes” she said “Before the fight he had met a doctor who he turned to and he brought Aro back after he was proclaimed dead but Aro has him in your ranks as a spy who reports back to him with information” she told me.

“What was the doctor's name?” I asked her already had someone in mind who i thought it could be and then my suspicions were confirmed.

“I believe his name is Carlisle ma’am” I scoff in disbelief and anger at myself for trusting that man.

“What is it, Thea?” asked Sulpicia.

“This man has a coven filled with powered people and always hated that a woman was on the throne. I just always thought he was jealous, now I know the truth”

“Well then what shall we do know?” Said Didyme with a look of pure hatred in her eyes and a calculated look that I had never seen before swirling around her pupils.

“We will pay the Cullen's a visit to rescue a victim of a master manipulator or execute a bunch of traitors of my crown and save my wife”

I said before gracefully standing up and gliding gracefully out of the room as i had much to prepare and a doctor to make it known he belongs to me and a betrayal of these lengths will not go unpunished no matter how long i have known him, if he is involved with Aro willingly or he simply kept this from me out of spite i will split hi in half and tear out his spine.

Chapter Text

Isabella’s point of view

I knew something was wrong the second the man hadn't shown up for a week straight and my suspicions were solidified when I overheard two guards talking about how my wife had corrupt one of their own.

I sat against the far wall of my cell looking to the brick walls to my left and right and its bare exterior as well as the bars which take up the space at the front of the cell and act as a wall. In front of the cell was a plain room surrounded with cobblestone walls and a rigid old bench in the centre of the wall opposite to the cell.

I knew I had to get out of here and take my love as I had been gone too long and needed to return to my place and my mate. I went up to the bars and got the guards attention and said,

“Prey Thee” (please) release me from my binds and allow me to witness another sunrise and by my throth (I promise) you will be rewarded” They locked at me disguised before responding with.

“Thy woman, I shan't fall for your witchery. You will burn and die in this cage you call a home harlot” before laughing and walking away from me but as they turned I quickly stuck my hand out between the bars and grabbed the rusted keys from his side.

This was it, my chance of escape but i needn't do it with haste otherwise i may get caught. And I couldn't fail this mission as it would lead me to my peerless paramour (My sweetheart) and I have dreamed of seeing her again for centuries and I wish not to be apart for another sunset.

I knew the best way to escape would be under the cover of darkness and seeing as it was midday I would have to wait until sunset to set my plans in motion and figure out how to get out of my binds and back to my beloved.

I was dressed in rags which where indecent for a lady of my title and knew i would have to get my clothing back from where it was taken from me at the entrance before escaping but i knew that from the time i have been here the people, humans from this century would probably be dressed in different attire which i would have to blend into and avoid suspicion.

I have observed through my years of being here that there is a two hour window between seven till nine where the guards rotate after informing the relief troops of what has happened which will be my window of escape.

A century ago I was transferred into this cell and passed pillars and walls that curve around but went nowhere which would make good places to shield if I needed to hide from a guard. If i was human they would hear me instantly but seeing as i am a vampire i can tread lightly and if i am smart enough get out of hear before anyone notices. It will be getting away from the castle once I am out which will be the hardest trick to pull off but with my wife’s training I believe it to be possible.

As the time grew closer I planned my escape but I could only plan so far as getting out of the cell and to the secluded area across from me which I knew of as my guards used it to get away with things in there.

When seven o'clock came and the guards disappeared I counted to one-hundred before creeping to the bars and carefully slotting the key into the hole before waiting a moment to turn the key slowly until I heard a click. I pushed the door open and waited for a few moments as the bars cracked as it opened wider to check that no guards were alerted to my doing.

I took one step out of the cell and then another before walking over to the secluded area and hiding behind a pillar. I popped my head around to the right side of it before surveying an area which was a blind spot from the cell and planned my next move.

To my left there where cells plastered along those walls but to the left there were pullers about five feet apart from one another which made up a hallway and at the end of it was a large stone archway which lead to the stairs which spiralled upwards towards the castle interior and downwards towards the sewage.

I moved slowly from one pillar to another before stopping at the next and listening intently to make sure none of the other prisoners heard me and only when I was sure did I move quickly to the next through a shadow casted down from high windows while making sure not to be seen.

I then did the same routine as the last before I moved along to the next. Once I had arrived at the stone archway I looked up the spiral staircase to see the flicker of a fire torch which was on the wall opposite before realising that I would be instantly caught.

My stomach clenched in disguise when my head moved downwards to the entrance to the sewers knowing that I wouldn't get caught because no one would dare go down into the sewers unless ordered and threatened.

Holding my breath I make my way down the ancient staircase trying to watch my step in case one of the steps crumbles beneath me only breathing when I have to and make it to the stone archway of the sewer stream about 50 feet underneath the surface. It stunk and made me want to puke but I would, I couldn't mess up my one chance to get out. I already had welts imprinted into my back and I was sure he would kill me if I stayed.

As I walked through the side of the sewers trying not to touch or brush against anything before I realised that I hadn't a clue where the Volturi castle, my home, was located because I never left without Athena and she always led the way. So I have never taken in my surroundings and we almost never left the castle anyways, because it was the safest place for us to be. The only place I knew the location of was the Denali Coven, if they still lived there that is.

I knew that an unannounced was unforeseen unless they had committed a crime or where suspected for a crime but I only knew that they lived in Arizona and if i walked around and spreaded my sent they would pick it up then resent whoever was trespassing on there territory and hopefully find me and aid me.

I walked and walked past what must have been hundreds of drains using my vampire speed. I was sure they wouldn't be able to hear me speed off before I was satisfied that they would not find me or scent me once I surfaced. I looked around and found nothing. I did not have a clue where I would go up until I found a ladder against a wall and went up it to this ring made out of iron. I put both hands flat against it and pushed upwards before it lifted and came out like a coin did a slot and fell onto whatever surface was above. I climbed the ladder and what came into view was a forest on the edge of a village which I could see barely hidden through the branches in front of me.

I stand up straight and brush myself off before realising that I am still in the rags and forgot to get my proper clothes back from my captures. I look around and am baffled by this village. The houses are straight and down and look like they are going to fall and a tin can is rolling down the street with someone in it much like a carriage would.

I look around a bit more before finding a line of string strung between a fence and a house with clothes hanging from it before I reach out and grab a slim black dress and tear the rags off before replacing it with the dress which fit me like a glove and didn't have a corset so I found it easy to breath. When you wear a corset you can feel it pressing against your ribs and nipping the bottom of your skin when you sit, it's horrible.

I could pick up the scent of a vampire but made sure to cover my own not knowing if it was one loyal to Volturi or the shadow kingdom. I narrowly escaped him before looking to the night sky to use the stars as a map to make my way to Alaska and set out to complete the journey.

{...}

I followed the stars to Alaska in one day and immediately started to leave traces of my scent everywhere I went and it wasn't long until three blond women, Tanya, Kate, and Irina stood in front of me with shocked expressions and confusion laced in their eyes.

Tanya was looking at me with the most concerned expression which led me to believe that everyone must have known about my disappearance from the castle walls and was shocked at my sudden appearance. Kate was staring at my dress and looked like she was drooling until Tanya wracked her over the head and Kate’s eyes then immediately snapped to mine before going wide with shock much like Tanya’s. And Irina was glaring at me while stopping a growl from emerging from her lips at the danger I represented and her fierce need to protect her coven.

“Isabella is that you?” Asked Tanya in a strained tone and an anxious waiver of her voice

“Yes, it is. I need your help to find my wife” I told her, wanting to start searching as soon as possible.

“Of course we will assist you, your highness as the queens have been looking for you since you went missing,” said Tanya.

“Queens?” I asked her.

“Yes Queens, as in plural, your wife Athenodora found two mated sisters in a woman called Didyme and another called Sulpicia” she informed me before adding “I will save the rest for when you are reunited with your wife”

I answer with a single nod before being escorted back to the Denali home and being led inside.
They immediately went to work and started to allow me to really think about my day and how less than a week ago I was imprisoned and on the path to being killed.

I have missed the firm gentle caress of my wife's hand in my hair winding a strand around her fingers as I could do nothing but relax further into her. Or when she would ride us on a horse to a nearby lake and we would lay, side by side in the grass and take in our surroundings.

My wife is a wonderful person and I miss having the freedom to seek her out and encase myself into her arms but now i do, and i will make it happen no matter what.