𝐑𝐄𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐎𝐅 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐇 𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐃

Prologue | "He held the world at its knees within his hands."

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ONCE UPON A TIME THERE WAS A beautiful French woman of established wealth during the nineteen hundreds. Many thought her bizarre for her eccentric ways. For most of her life, she only had her inheritance to keep her company. Her deceased husband had left her widowed with a big house and time to spend. She suddenly had become the wealthy Aunt every young lady traveling to London for the season wanted to be a companion of. 

Such a life was lonely, which bred the perfect opportunity for new relations. Desperate ones without much thought or caution. On one of her many trips to Italy, being there at the wrong place at the wrong time, she became acquainted with the wrong type of people. However, this ended with a love of a lifetime.

Never did Valerie Bellerose think she would hopelessly fall in love with one of the leaders of the vampire faction, Aro Volturi. Nor, did she ever assume she would be moved in the castle for discretion, because Aro broke his own vampiric rule against fraternizing with the humans. His one and only weakness was his undying love for Valerie, which battled with her unwillingness to become like him.

As one could imagine, their love was not always sparkling and inspiring. The respect of the Volturi guard had changed. Both of his brothers lacked trust in his honorable word. But that wasn't the last hurdle their love overcame.

There was a condition they did not expect.

Valerie fell pregnant with Aro's child.

In the event of their child's birth came a hurricane of opposing opinions and aggressions one cannot carry alone. An uproar from the Volturi guard, although their viewpoints were not as important as his brothers, threatened the carefully convoluted hierarchy.

Aro wanted to make a point of his power and additionally, keep the loyalty of his fleet. He promised this child would bring an unleveled amount of power and succession to their cause.

His persuasion and Chelsea's gifting had done the job. On an unusually stormy night on the sixth of June, nineteen hundred and eight, Valerie Bellerose welcomed a daughter to none other than Aro Volturi. She was the first known hybrid of the human and vampiric species - his prized possession. And the secret of her hybrid naturalness would be kept secret within the royal guards for fear of permanent termination. 

He was beyond convinced that he held the world at its knees within his hands. Bright blue eyes, raven black hair. An ethereal beauty. She was the perfect centerpiece for victory. For this reason, Aro named her after a Pearl, which was also her birthstone.

Margeaux Bellerose Volturi.

After a life threatening birth, Valerie had miraculously managed to survive. Whether it be her willingness to pull through for her daughter. Or the strength of her stubbornness, Val hung on to her frail existence for the first fast years of her daughters life. Margeaux certainly grew quickly. Within her first year of life, she held the likeness of a porcelain, six year old child.

With her growth, Margeaux showed signs of a brilliant gifting. She could control the minds of others without lifting a finger. Her commands could not be denied. Her desires, thoughts, personality, behavior or memories could be present in any mind at any time however she wished it to be. Her higher cognitive control made her a force to be reckoned with, and that much more a possession in the eyes of her father.

After Margeaux's birth, Valerie's senses were finally awakened to the life she had fallen into. Little things she had overlooked when young, blinded and in love had become dangerous red flags when she had someone else to protect. She feared for Margeaux's wellbeing far more than her own.

In seven years, Margeaux had physically and mentally aged to a full adult with more troublesome attitudes and demons than she could imagine. However, her mother -- the newly wise Valerie Bellerose -- had only made it to year two, and Marge was suddenly forced to be raised without a mother. And instead, by three power hungry tyrants, eager to abuse her gift.

In her final moments, repentant and regretful, Valerie proposed a vow in her memory. One that Marge still held onto in the back of her mind this day. Under her broken, battered and cold heart, sat the warmest of centers.

Like Valerie prayed the night she died, she hoped her daughter would redeem their family name.

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Written Unedited, Nov 27. 2021