𝐥𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐫 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐬 | carlisle cullen (3)

(𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲) the downfall of the volturi

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VOLTERRA HAD NOT BEEN WAITING FOR DESTRUCTION that night. It stood as it always did, the strong stone walls cast against indigo sky. The city slept, full of peace and pretence of harmony. But as the cars pulled up and the figures stepped from them, Volterra was falling further and further towards its demise. 

The president led the way, her red hair swaying like fire behind her as the three members of her government followed. Carlisle looked towards his family who weren't far behind him. They gave him promising smiles of encouragement. Carlisle stared at the people he'd counted on for so many years and he hoped that everything would work out. Even when it felt as though he was drowning, he still prayed.

The walk was long and strangely ominous. They held the upper hand, papers clutched in palms as they headed towards victory. They had everything they needed to put an end to the Volturi yet Carlisle remained on edge. It was because he no longer cared as much as he should. This group of corrupt vampires had been in his life for too long, they had stood in the way of his happiness for too long but as he walked through shadowed hallways, he only thought of her.

It terrified him, the idea that her mind was lost for good. All Carlisle had ever wanted was for Estella to live happily and now he felt as though he had failed her. She was falling somewhere deep in shadows and he couldn't reach out for her anymore and as stars shattered to the ground around him, they entered the large halls of Volterra with final breaths of anticipation.

Aro looked up in surprise as they walked inside. Caius turned lazily, his eyes glittered with a smirk that Carlisle wanted to wash right off his face in flickers of fire. Marcus looked up warily, his eyes still clouded. His expression was taunt with worry while Caius' stretched into amusement. Aro frowned before he got to his feet and forced a smile to spread across his features.

"Madame President, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" Aro asked lightly.

"We are here to put an end to something that should've died out years ago" Alexandra didn't waist any time as she paced across the stone floors with the papers in her hand. She passed the official looking documents to Aro who took them warily, a confused smile on his face.

As his eyes crept over the words written on the paper, his smile slowly faded. Carlisle found it immensely satisfying to watch. Caius straightened up in his chair.

"This is impossible" Aro turned and passed the paper to Caius who had come to loom over his shoulder, "what are your claims for this? Votes won't get you everywhere Alexandra, you have no evidence to say we are corrupt or that we have done anything explicitly wrong"

"What about murdering your sister Aro?" Alex tilted her head to the side, "was that something explicitly wrong?"

"What?" Marcus frowned, "Aro didn't murder Didyme, it was the states that killed her. You! You took my love away from me"

"Quiet Marcus" Caius snapped, his eyes went blank again.

"You have no evidence of such thing" Aro scoffed, "you can't come in here making empty claims and expecting us to become victim to whatever the hell this is" he pointed wildly at the papers that Caius was reading with raised eyebrows.

"No evidence?" Alex asked softly, "Killian, if you will"

The tall red haired man reached into his pocket and withdrew the letter still wrapped in the yellowing envelope. Even with the centuries it had survived, it hadn't lost its shape. It remained persevered with letters engraved into the paper. Aro saw it and frowned because at first he didn't believe it possible. The only letter he could think would threaten him had been burnt years ago. This was surely not the one.