New Age | c.v

| fourteen |

I stood with Bella and Edward, watching as Aro took in whatever vision Alice was showing him. I snuck a peek at Edward who had a horrified look on his face, his eyes dropping to meet mine as they glazed over with venom. Edward? What's wrong? I asked, a frown making its way on my face. He just shook his head, gripping tightly onto his mate as if his life depended on it.

My head snapped back to Alice, curious as to what that vision showed.

Aro stepped back from Alice, the same look I had seen on Edward's face now appears on his. I watched as his eyes scanned over everyone before him, stopping for only a second on my blank face, before moving on.

"Now you know, that's your future," Alice warned. "Unless you decide on another course."

I watched in wonder as a man, half-mortal and half immortal like Renesmee, stepped out of the woods. As he spoke, relief flooded my chest. Renesmee would live, she would survive, and she would live a long, happy life. I could see the same relief on the faces of everyone in my coven, especially Bella.

As the Volturi left, I felt confidence grow in me. "I'll be seeing you soon," I spoke out, watching as Caius paused at the tree line, his large red eyes widening and meeting mine before nodding, a faint smile breaking out on his lips. I know that, with no doubt, he will be angry about today and the outcome. However, I know that, for some reason, if we had fought the Volturi, I would not be standing here right now and I would not be filled with glee and anticipation about seeing my mate, and being with him, for the first time since we met.

I turned to Bella, a large smile breaking out on my face as I engulfed her into a hug, something she gladly returned.

"We have them on the run, now is the time to attack!" Vladimir snapped.

"Boys," I laughed, "we have won, we are all safe. We don't want to attack them. I do not wish to see my entire family die."

"If we were to attack, we could rule once again!" Stefan hissed at me. "Do you not wish to rule over all of the humans and vampires once again, as you did with your father centuries ago?"

I smiled sadly. "No, I do not wish to rule. I wish to be happy and to find my happiness with my mate. Our time on the throne has long passed."

Vladimir growled at me, "You are a disgrace to the Romanian name, Aeliana! Your father would be ashamed!"

"No, I think he would be proud of me," I smiled, looking up to Carlisle who smiled back and reached over to pull me in for a hug.

"You are all fools!" Stefan growled. "The Volturi might be gone, but they will never forgive what happened here." Everyone let out a slight chuckle and ignored them. Vladimir placed a comforting hand on Stefan's shoulder before they both ran off. I smiled before turning back to my family.

As the Cullen clan said goodbye to all our witnesses, with some making friends for life, Alice turned to me. "I showed Aro a vision," she spoke quietly to avoid any of the vampire's ears around us hearing. "In it, you killed Caius, and then you let yourself die next to him." She avoided a lot of details, however, that did change the complete shock that overtook my features.

Did I kill my mate?

I had held a lot of anger towards the Volturi, especially after what had happened with my father and coven, but I never imagined myself killing or physically harming my mate. The idea made me feel stick to my stomach and my heartbreak. I turned to meet Alice's overly large yellow eyes, worry swimming in them. "I need to know," she spoke before pausing to think. "I need to know that you hold no anger towards them, any of them before I let you leave. I don't want to find out that you have killed their guard, or even the leaders themselves because it will not end well for you."

I nodded slightly, mulling over my feelings. "Alice, whatever you saw in your vision, it did not happen. You stopped it from happening. Something very big must have happened for me to do what I did because I hold no hate towards the Volturi anymore. Yes, I am still upset over it – I lost my father. However, the Romanian coven was not good, and I have come to terms with the fact that the Volturi, despite being pompous assholes, actually have the best intentions in regard to the longevity and secrecy of our kind. All the rules they have set in place are in place for a reason. The immortal child law, for example, is one that I agree wholeheartedly with. I was alive before that rule was set into place, I saw what those children could do in a single night. While Aro is a selfish dick who uses these rules to appease his own desires, like collecting powerful gifts, I do not believe the Volturi is as corrupt as everyone makes them out to be. At least, not as corrupt and evil as my old coven was. So, to answer your question, no I do not believe that I hold any anger towards any of the Volturi or their kings."

Alice let a small smile grace her face and she nodded. "Good, then I can let you leave," She pulled me into a tight hug. "But remember, you are my sister and you are part of our family, nobody can take that away from you. We will always be there for you, even when you become a queen."

I laughed loudly, earning a few questioning glances from the people around me. "Alice, darling, I have always been a queen." I winked, and she let out a chuckle before skipping off to find her mate.

-----

Leaving was one of the hardest things to do. If tears were possible for a vampire, Esme would be an absolute mess. She clung to Carlisle with the most heartbroken look on her face, I almost didn't leave. However, everyone knew that this was my chance to finally be with my mate after centuries of being alone. Everyone hugged me tightly, whispering their parting words (or in Emmett's case, yelling them loudly). Renesmee started crying, smothering her face in Jacob's chest as she clung onto him like a koala bear. The last person to say goodbye was Carlisle, who walked me to my car. "Thank you for everything, Carlisle. You really have allowed me to become a part of a family again, even if only for a short time." I said, loading my bags into the boot.

"You don't need to thank me, you are family, even if you are moving away. You're always going to be a Cullen." He smiled, pulling me in for another hug.

"You have become a father for me, Carlisle. I think I will miss you the most. Please don't ever change yourself. I promise I will call every chance I get, and I will visit all the time. I don't think I could bear to be away from you all for too long, anyway." I grinned.

"Goodbye, Aeliana."

"Goodbye, Carlisle." With that, I closed my doorand drive away, my heart hurting already.