III
Years after Elliot first met the kings, the little boy was still with the Volturi. The kings all came to the conclusion to not kill him when the child failed to protect himself from a human trying to escape the massacre they were led into. The human wasn't anything special, so it was astonishing to see that the child was unable to protect himself.
Marcus discovered something new, about 4 months ago, a string appeared connecting Elliot to someone else.
Elliot has a mate.
It was already known that his mate was young so he was forbidden from going to find them until they we're older. The kings hated forbidding him from finding his mate, but it was a necessary evil. Elliot became depressed and reclusive, causing the kings to worry greatly for him. He was the light of their life, they hated seeing him so downtrodden.
Elliot was snuggled into Aro as all the kings basked in each other's presence in the throne room. Aro pet the frail child's silken hair as the little immortal relaxed on his shoulder, his eyes half closed from the affection.
"How are you feeling, flower? "
Elliot hesitated for a moment before speaking, "E-e-empty. P-p-please Aro, I need-"
Elliot was interrupted by the door slamming open to reveal a few guards and a pretty blonde vampire.
"What is it Ms. Denali?" Caius addressed the intruding woman while Aro was comforting Elliot from the sudden scare.
"I have come to report a crime," she says shakily.
Caius motioned for her to continue and she took an unnecessary breath in an effort to gather her courage.
"The Cullen's have imprisoned two of their coven members and a defenseless baby. They are starving them and refuse to give the baby the medical care it needs. Didn't even give the poor thing a name. The baby is dying," she pleads with them.
They all give her their undivided attention, even Elliot, and were all noticeably angered or shocked.
"We will deal with this at once!" Marcus, surprisingly, demanded loudly.
Jasper and Rosalie were huddled together in the corner of the room, their baby encased by their protective arms. Carlisle finally came in and cleared the baby's airway and put him on oxygen to help his immensely struggling lungs. The baby was now sleeping calmly, dried blood around his mouth. Jasper and Rosalie were in shock. Their helpful, kind, and caring sire was reluctant to heal a baby. They knew they needed to leave and soon, but they were very weak from lack of blood. Jeremiah slowly woke up, realizing that he was being cuddled by his parents, and started to smile and pat their hands.
"Hi, darling, did you have a nice nap?" Rosalie smiled down at the small baby.
Jeremiah nodded slightly and smiled, but adopted a confused face as he noticed something wrapped around his face. Disgruntled, he reached for the tuning and tries to pull it off him.
Jasper was quick to grab Jeremiahs hands, gently holding them.
"No, sweetie that's there to help you. You can't pull on it, okay?"
Jeremiah whined for a second, but settled down soon after. He realised that he wasn't in pain when he breathed anymore. He was very thirsty though. His throat was so dry it felt like a desert.
He grabbed Daddy's wrist and started making a sucking noise. Trying to get his Daddy to understand what he wants.
Jasper sighed as he realised what his baby needed. He was hungry. Hungry enough to ask for food which he never does. He hugged him tighter and gently pat his back.
"I know sweety, I know. Your grandpa should be back soon with some blood. You just have to hold on, baby."
Jasper continued to soothe Jeremiah until the child was asleep, his heart aching at not being able to help his child. Rosalie was laying down on the floor, the lack of blood in her system weakening her to the point of her not even able to hold herself up. Jasper, adrenaline leaving his system rapidly, lays down as well, cradling Jeremiah to his chest.
A few days after the two collapsed, the Volturi marched to the house of the Cullen coven. Breaking ranks, Jane approached the front door, ready to knock, but the door is opened before she gets the chance to. The face of Alice Cullen appeared as the door opened more and more. She looked scared yet vicious.
She had seen their arrival but was unable to see why they were here. She told her family that they were coming, under the assumption that they thought Renesmee was an immortal child, and they all rounded up witnesses to prove that she wasn't one.
Jane spoke up calmly, "Please call for the rest of your coven and any visitors you may have. We must address you all."
Alice nodded then beckoned all of the vampires and shifters waiting in the living room to follow her. They all lined up outside according to either coven, family, or mated pair. They were all nervous, yet determined to keep the little girl safe.
Aro looked over them all, a sneering smile on his face, then called to someone behind him, "Ms. Denali, do you see the three you spoke of in this rather unneeded lineup?"
Irina stepped out from behind the king and inspected them all. The Cullen's and Denali's all sneered at her, waiting for confirmation that they were right, and that Irina thought Renesmee was an immortal child. They all got ready, testimonies on the tip of their tongues, when she spoke, her words shocking everyone.
"No, My Lord."
Caius spoke then, "I see. Felix, Alec, please go inside the residence along with Jane to see if there is anyone missing."
The three nodded and headed inside the home, speeding through the home to find the locked room.
Carlisle, a confused smile on his face, spoke, "Who are you hoping to find in there? We were under the impression that this was in regards to Bella, Edward, and young Renesmee."
Aro laughed coldly, "Oh, young one, your half breed is not what we came here for, we came for them," he gestured behind the line up of vampires, the witnesses gasping at the sight before them.
Alec was stepping through the doorway, holding Rosalie, who looked ashen, her eyes pure black, and her head lolling from side to side with each stride the boy took. Emmett looked away, guilty at what he did to his sister in all but blood.
Next came Felix, carrying Jasper bridal style. The blondes curly hair greasy and sticking to his face slightly, he looked deliriously up at the sky mumbling underneath his breath, his body limp in the guards arms, one arm hanging down, swaying with the movement. One of the vampires sucked in a harsh, unnecessary breath at the sight and stepped forward slightly before being held back by his sire.
Finally came Jane, a small baby held cautiously in her arms, a worried and confused look across her cherubic features. The child was extremely pale, almost blue, yet everyone could hear the sluggish, skipping heartbeat. The baby was barely breathing and looked to be on the brink of death. The childs eyes were flickering between wine red and a soft grey blue. Everyone gasped at the sight of the blood soaked child. They all knew it was the childs own blood yet none of the vampires felt any desire to drink from the baby.
Someone on the Volturi side shifted and then gasped loudly. Everyone else was surprised to see a small figure in a black cloak the hood obscuring the face of the figure. The Cullen's and their witnesses watched in shock as small hands raised up and pulled down the large hood, revealing the child underneath. It was clear he was young, cherubic features showing innocence while the childs Ruby eyes showed that the boy was much older than he looked.
"Elliot, what are you doing?" Aro snapped at his child.
"Easy brother, the dying baby is his mate," Marcus spoke calmly.
Aro looked exasperated but then nodded begrudgingly.
Elliot approached Jane slowly, eyes wide. He looked down at the precious bundle and smiled at the beautiful baby. He carefully took the baby from the girl then slowly walked back to his guardians, ignoring the curious vampires and focusing entirely on his mate.
Caius called forth a vampire that was well versed in the few ailments that could actually befall a vampire. She checked over all three then faced her Lords, her face grave.
"My Lords, the two blondes are suffering from severe malnutrition and will need at least 5 bodies to be coherent again as well as constant attention from their mates so they do not go feral. The child is also suffering from extreme malnutrition as well as a heart defect. He needs to drink human blood almost immediately because whatever they have been giving him has been poisoning him slowly. His mate, the prince, will need to remain by his side near constantly until the child is old enough to be turned fully. I believe he will be able to be turned when he looks ten physically. From my observations, he will also need protection as his weak and sickly body will counteract the harmful side of his vampire just like the young master. His immune system is virtually nonexistent so I'm going to put him on bed rest for the next few years and maybe even after his turning so he won't exasperate his condition. The other two will need to be on bed rest for the next few months as well so they can recover from their abuse physically and mentally."
Aro nodded gravely then dismissed her after thanking her. He then faced the Cullen's and their witnesses.
"You are all on trial. Every one of you will come up to me so I can read your thoughts to ascertain whether or not you are guilty of imprisoning these three vampires. Any one of you who is found guilty will face immediate punishment. Santiago, Demetri, you will pull the arms. Afton, you will pull the heads. And Renata, you will light the fires. Understood? Good. Now, who would like to go first?" Aro smiled gleefully, ready to punish these vampires for daring to imprison their own. He would kill all who are guilty, even if he valued their gifts. No one would get away with this crime.
For a minute no one answered him. Just as the kings were about to choose randomly, someone spoke up.
"I will."