𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐬 | carlisle cullen (3)

(𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲) visions of death

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ESTE RAN DOWN THE REST OF THE CORRIDOR into the dark hall. The three thrones lay empty, hers long since removed. She stood still, looking around in wait. She could feel it coming like cold seeping through the walls, like spiders crawling up her arms.

Yet there was nowhere to go, she stared at the ceiling above her swirling in paints of grand colours and golden designs and she pictured every time she had ever walked into this room. Somehow it seemed strange to believe that this would be her last.

Now more than ever, she felt Carlisle beside her. His shoulder just behind hers and his arm around her waist. She closed her eyes, breathing deeply and holding the sweater around her, just to hold him one last time. Carlisle kissed the top of her head and angled his lips to her ear.

"Stars will fall before I lose you" he whispered

Este felt a sob welling up in her throat as she turned and stared at the empty space beside her. Her breathing became unsteady, the stone walls seemed to darken and Este could feel the world on her shoulders, see the letter hidden in her mind. She'd done all she could, but it would've been nice to see him one last time.

"I told you!" The front doors banged open with a start and Caius strode through looking more furious than she had ever seen him, "that you'd regret that"

"You'll never find it" Este shook her head, "you'll never find that letter, but Carlisle will... Carlisle will and when he finds it he'll destroy you"

"You think we're going to let any of your stupid little family through these doors?" Caius scoffed, "they won't see the inside of this castle ever again, they'll never know what really happened to you"

"They'll know" Este stated, "they'll know you killed me"

"But there was nothing we could do for poor Estella" Caius spoke in a mocking tone of sympathy, "her mind cracked and before we knew what was happening, she'd escaped the castle walls... we had to preserve the secret we just... we just had to do what was right, end her suffering. She would've preferred it that way"

"They'll know you're lying!" Este shouted, "Carlisle will know you're lying"

"I'm in his head" Caius smiled weakly, "didn't you see... Estella you've really ruined my plans yet again, do you know how frustrating this is for me?"

"Your plans were to kill me, I've just made that easier for you" Este took a step forwards, "I want you to know that I'm not scared of you, not even one bit... you're pathetic, you'll never be a leader, you'll always just be in Aro's shadow. I see why now"

"I am more powerful than any of them" Caius snapped, "than all of them... I am going to kill your Estella but... before I do, I want you tell you something"

"Go on then" Este spoke in a bored voice, "I can wait"

"You see, I've been using my power for decades. All the time that Aro believed that I'd stopped, that I was laying dormant, I was manipulating everything. Everything except Aro himself. He doesn't realise how much he owes to me. Why else would the other powers of Europe have simply backed down to own reign, that the states haven't done anything to hurt us. You see Estella, even if Carlisle somehow miraculously got hold of that letter... it would do nothing"

"You're not as strong as you think you are" Este shook her head, "I fought you off back there"

"I wanted to see how far you would go" Caius smiled lightly, "but... I was very close to destroying your family a decade ago. Until you got in the way"

"You've mentioned" Este frowned, "is that really what all of this about? Because if so you really love to hold a grudge. What you tried to do all those years ago was completely wrong and unjust, you had no right to destroy my family—"