Chapter 42 - One Step Ahead

I'm his fiancée. That has a nice ring to it, pun intended.

"You know..." I start, lifting my hand up to study my ring again. It shimmers with an elegance that suits our lives here perfectly. "I really am still waiting for my official Volturi robes. Also, don't tell me our rooms are going to stay separated on opposite sides of the castle, because I don't think that's going to work for me anymore," I smirk. Caius's arms wrap around me tighter.

"You still haven't learned..." Caius sighs in mock disappointment. I raise an eyebrow at him. "The Volturi is always thinking one step ahead." He grins, getting up, "Come with me." Surprised, I hop up. After we've made ourselves presentable again, I follow Caius out of his office. We go a couple floors up and walk until we're standing in front of a new door. "After you," he smiles, making a sweeping gesture with his arms. I tilt my head curiously and push open the door.

"Wow," I whisper, shocked at what's basically a full apartment sitting before my eyes. The main living room area is massive. The sandstone colored bricks that run through the entire castle peek through from behind the mirror panels, white curtains, and the light bricks of the newly built fireplace. Sunlight spills in, blending into the cozy glow from the chandelier hanging above. The space is furnished with a large sofa and a couple ottomans, along with what looks like a large meeting table with chairs. Walking further in, I see that there are more doors. I open one to see an office space that's a bit darker, with an updated style matching the office Caius already has, but it's bare since he hasn't moved everything in yet.

"So are you really moving everything here from out of your old room?" I ask.

"Yes, the only reason I didn't get everything moved in already was that I didn't want you to walk in yesterday and wonder why my shelves were empty," he grins.

"Good point," I smile and step back out to explore the rest of the apartment.

The next door reveals a spacious master bedroom that matches the living room's color palette, but cozier. It includes a walk-in closet that's probably quadruple the size of the closet in my old room, which is really saying something, since my other closet was already way too massive for me.

"Check out the wardrobe," Caius suggests, pointing to the left-hand wall. I walk into the closet and open the wardrobe's door to see a pristine collection of Volturi robes.

"These are all mine?" I say in awe, taking the first one I see. The color is so deep it almost looks like it's shimmering as it catches the light. The front of the robes is adorned with gold embroidery that looks even more intricate than what I've seen the other guard members wearing. With a smile, I slip it on. It's so comfortable that it feels like I'm being hugged by a cloud.

"How do you like it?" Caius grins, looking me over from head to toe. I walk up to the mirror on the back wall of the closet and take a look, pulling the large hood over my head.

"I look intimidating," I say, spinning in front of my reflection. "Now I know why you guys always walk around in these so casually every day. I never want to take it off." It also feels like the mark of finally belonging.

"It suits you," Caius steps closer, carefully adjusting the clasps for me. "This set is for ceremonial purposes. The other sets are for combat, daily wear, traveling, judgment, and diplomacy."

"This is all amazing," I tell him, taking a moment to let everything soak in, "Thank you."

"It's my pleasure," he replies, his voice rich with pride, "You deserve no less." The side of my mouth twitches up into a smile as I take off the ceremonial robes and switch them out for what Caius said were my everyday robes. They're just as soft and comfortable, but the material feels a bit tougher to resist the wear and tear of daily life.

"When should we move the rest of our stuff here?" I ask, turning around to face him again.

"Someone else will handle it this afternoon."

"Okay," I say, pulling my combat robes out to inspect. They look like they'll be much more flexible and form-fitting, with a cloak that can easily be fastened on and off depending on what's needed for fighting. "When will I start training again?" I ask. I'm actually kind of excited to get started. Now that Felix doesn't have to hold back with me I'm excited to see what I can really do now that I'm not limited by human strength anymore.

"Whenever you're ready," Caius says.

"Can I start tomorrow?" I ask.

"I'll let Felix know," he smiles.

* * *

Eventually, Caius has some more meetings to go to. After heading down to the cellar for breakfast, I figure it might be a good time to visit Sulpicia for the first time. I have no idea what to expect, so I'm a little nervous walking up the seemingly endless staircase to her part of the castle, but I try to brush it off.

When I reach the top, I'm greeted by two tall, intricately carved doors. I hesitate, wondering if she's even interested in seeing me now, but before I can knock, the doors open, revealing a room that takes my breath away.

Sulpicia's quarters are nothing like the rest of the castle. Light floods in through tall, arched windows, softened by sheer curtains. The walls are covered by tapestries that look like they're from another time, and a massive chandelier hangs from the vaulted ceiling with crystal droplets that refract the light in a way that makes it look like stars are shimmering around the room.

"Anna, welcome," Sulpicia smiles, standing near one of the windows, looking effortlessly graceful as she walks over to take my arm. I look back at the door to see the two guards who opened it for me are now shutting it from the outside, giving us some privacy.

"Thank you," I say, looking around more, as Sulpicia guides me to a couple of armchairs. We sit down and Sulpicia leans back slightly. "Did you decorate all this? It looks beautiful."

"I did, thank you. The castle is such a cold place; I'd prefer to live somewhere that feels more inviting, so that's how I wanted it to feel in here," she explains, before turning back to me.

"I know it's only been a couple days since we've seen each other, but are you still adjusting okay?" she asks, with what looks like genuine concern.

"So far yes, I know there's a lot left to learn," I say with a nervous smile, "but I'm excited."

Her smile fades slightly, "It can be a lot. There are a lot of heavy expectations and traditions here." She pauses, turning to look thoughtfully towards the fireplace. "Isolation was once considered our safety blanket, or strength even. We were symbols, distant and untouchable. But it seems like Aro, Caius, and Marcus have different plans for you," she explains, looking back at me. I get the feeling that she's not talking about the Volturi as a whole anymore. She continues, "It surprises me, to be honest that he's still allowing you to train. Of course the advantage your training would have for the Volturi is obvious, but it's still a significant change from the role that Athenodora and I played, the role that I still play."

"I heard that you didn't train with Felix," I start, "Was that not your choice?"

"Admittedly I never cared for the confrontational aspects of the Volturi's role in the vampire world, but I'm starting to think it would be nice to be useful. Athenodora turned out to be completely disposable. Now I worry that in a way, I am too."

I think for a minute, letting her words hang in the air between us. Since Antonio first told me about Sulpicia and Athenodora, I knew that most in the castle didn't see them as useful.

"I mean, you're not disposable in my book. I'd hate to be alone in all this, since the Volturi is so concerned about ranks and whatnot. I have a lot to learn from you."

A flicker of gratitude passes her expression as he eyes meet mine. "Thank you, Anna," she murmurs, although she doesn't sound convinced, "but centuries spent in this tower, protected but isolated, has a way of making one feel ornamental. But I'm curious to see how things go with you. Aro, Caius, and Marcus allowing you to train is unprecedented. It shows a willingness to bend, but I worry that old habits will still die hard. A sense of control is deeply rooted in all of them."

"What would you do if you weren't confined here?" I ask.

"Oh, I would love to travel more. I suppose I also wouldn't be opposed to learning how to defend myself."

Her words stir something in me, "Maybe we can make that happen," I say, "I've always wanted to travel more too. At the very least they might let you go somewhere with me, if safety is their concern."

"Don't worry too much about me right now," she smiles, taking my hand, "I'm glad you have more freedom than I've had in a long time, but that's already a good start. I want you to tread carefully and work on building your independence here first without spreading yourself thin. Your success might just rub off on me eventually," she smirks.

"I understand," I tell her, nodding. She stands up and guides me back toward the door.

"Thank you for visiting, and if you ever need something, my door is always open. Metaphorically," she says, rolling her eyes. I smile and thank her one last time before descending the tower again.

* * *

The next morning I feel absolutely exhilarated walking into the training room again. I'm excited to really test out my strength, and see if my transformation has had any effects on my shield. As I walk through the doors, I spot Felix waiting with his arms crossed and a grin that makes him look just as ready to start this test as I am.

"Anna," he greets, "ready for your level test?"

I nod, feeling a rush of excitement, "Let's see what I can do!"

Felix gestures to the center of the training area. I step into the circle and he stands in front of me. "First, let me into your shield. To accurately test the effectiveness of your skills, it needs to be a fair fight."

I nod, ready to put all my focus onto Felix, but the second I decide what I want to do, it's as if my shield honors my command without a second thought. It immediately extends out and around Felix and snaps perfectly around both of our bodies instantaneously. My eyes widen in surprise. Not only are we both shielded from the outside, but we're also shielded from each other. It sure would have been nice if my ability was strong enough to do this before I was stabbed, but also, thinking back to what Jane and Alec said about their experiences as humans affecting their powers, maybe the stabbing is what triggered my shield to improve so quickly like this.

Felix grins when he realizes what I did, "Well, this isn't the kind of fair fight I was expecting, but it'll be an interesting one all the same."

Without a warning, he moves in towards me, full speed ahead. My instincts immediately kick in, and I manage to block every strike with my forearms. In fact, it feels like I barely need to concentrate, my moves are just flowing so naturally. Gradually, Felix gets more and more crafty with his movements. He starts pulling out more and more techniques that are harder to predict. As the test goes on I'm taking more and more hits. At one point, manages to get both my arms behind my back with one hand, while his other arm is wrapped like a boa constrictor around my head. My eyes widen, realizing that in this position he'd probably be able to rip my head off if it weren't for my shield. At that, he lets me drop back down to the ground. Figuring we're done, I bring the part of my shield that's protecting him back to me.

"I rate based on combat readiness, control, technique, and adaptation. Your shield control has improved immensely, but there's still a lot of room to grow as far as broader combat is concerned. You're also significantly stronger now as a newborn than you would be naturally, so taking that into account, I'll give you a..." he pauses, "level seven out of ten."

Seven?! I nod, with a thrill rushing through me. Here I was worrying that I'd have to start at level one. I can't believe I'm at level seven already? Maybe my shield is just so powerful now I can bypass a lot of extra training? Who knows, but I'm so excited to finally get to know some other Volturi members I wouldn't otherwise see day to day. "Does this mean I can start training with the others tomorrow?" I ask.

"I'll give the news of your progress to Aro, Caius, and Marcus today, and they'll likely give you your new training schedule before tomorrow," he says with a small smile.

"Cool, I'm sure I'll get my black belt in no time," I joke.

"I have no doubt about that," Felix agrees.