Chapter Eleven- Trial

So I'm going to try and start to remember to add a disclaimer to my stories/chapters ^.^

As always, all rights for the original characters and the Twilight Saga go to Stephenie Meyer. I only have the made up characters and the idea for Sulpicia's background and how they met, thank you.

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Two days passed since Aro returned to Sulpicia, since Athenodora had tried to reason with Aldo. Since the new vampire 'Felix' had returned to his village, fully turned and fed. The council had set her trial to begin within the days that had passed, her first trial date would be today.

Aro had softly tied the ropes back around Sulpicia, but never explained how he broke them. But in all honestly, she hadn't even asked. She hadn't cared at that point. They hadn't slept together, but they did spend time together, learning more of each other.

He told her stories of time in Greece, of his travels and promised her when she was free that he'd take her on as many adventures as she wished. This made her almost forget all the issues she was being put through by Aldo, that was until Aro had to go. But he promised to return to her, and she believed him.

At present time, her ropes were being pulled loose by two men who pulled her up to her feet. Two women had walked in with them, they put her hair up in a fresh and tight bun, and let the men reapply new rope to her wrists. The rope held was suddenly pulled and she fell forward, slamming against the ground sending little pieces of hay up into the air.

"Ah!" She mumbled out, coughing against the ground. 

"Oops." Grinned the man that held the rope, light giggles came from the girls as they helped her up, one of the girls who was light blonde with blue eyes, suddenly screamed out as if in pain at touching Sulpicia's skin.

"She burned me!!!" She shouted out, backing away. "Strega!" The other woman shouted, sending glares at Sulpicia as she went to check on her, who Sulpicia assumed, was her sister. Sulpicia looked at the girl who had accused her own skin of burning her and shook her head.

(Strega - Witch) 

These childish girls would get her killed with their lies. She was ready this time when the man had began to yank the rope, but was shocked when she saw Ciro (Felix) step forward and take the rope from him. Ciro looked different straight away, he looked paler, even taller. But what she noticed was how much stronger he looked, she couldn't help but stare at him, Like Aro, Caius, and Athenodora, Ciro now held some sort of hypnotic beauty about him that she had never thought was there before.

"Ciro! Where have you been these days and nights?" Muttered the man he had taken the rope from, but Ciro ignored him. He hated the name, he had a new name by now but he kept it to himself.

Felix felt full of power, he felt like he had been reborn. He looked at Sulpicia and took in her weak appearance and just smiled. Soon she'd know how he felt, soon she'd be strong enough to defeat her tormentors. He walked slowly, holding the rope as he had her follow him, she did without hesitation. 

He walked her away from the barn, and as soon as she left the doors she saw rows or the villagers lined up on each side of where her and Ciro would walk. She followed him as he was the first to enter the row, not even bothering to look at anyone and sometimes looking as though he was barely breathing.

Sulpicia knew that most of these people, who she viewed as friends or nice people, were wearing all black of their ragged clothes. This made her feel ill, making her remember most of these people were still grieving for lost loved ones, except now they had someone to blame for their loved ones deaths. 

Her.

She felt something hit her side and it caused her to jump, she noticed it was a piece of coal as it fell to the ground. "Strega!" Shouted someone. 

"Harlot!" Shouted another as they threw some sort of rotten vegetable or fruit at her which hit against her face. She scowled at the smell, at the softness of it that had pushed into her skin before falling to the ground. But she kept walking, she would flinch or gasp when something was thrown at her, she felt hands shove her in attempt to knock her over.

She almost lost her balance twice, stopping briefly to turn and shout out at the person who had almost made her fall, but something made her stop. What was that something? The two little girls that Aldo had given to another family, who were standing with their new "parents" in the front row. 

They looked clean, healthy, and happy. Aside from when they looked at Sulpicia with sadness and want, they missed her and it was obvious. Sulpicia was so tempted to go to them, but with the angry people around her and how her situation was, she knew that would be the worst of ideas.

The children would only seem like they were under her spell and put on trial too if it scared anyone that badly. She waved with her fingers, before being shoved forward by rough hands, Men's hands.

She walked again, being taken gallow, except the gallow had no rope or lever to drop her with. She was taken to the far end of the gallow and her hands were raised above her head. The rope which had extended from the rope around her wrists, was tied around the metal ring at the very top, which only Ciro could reach. 

The town Priest followed two men who were dressed in black, one of the men looked scarier than the others, more serious. More ferocious than the others. Sulpicia swallowed when she saw him walk up the wooden steps and to her. This man was known as Benedetto Marcello, sometimes just called Ben. He was a highly important man in the surrounding villages, he'd confront the trouble makers or the problem at hand and deal with it.

He had been present at another witch trial in a different village, not too far from Sulpicia's. Sulpicia was never sure what exactly happened, but all she did know was after Benedetto went to speak at the witches trial, she was put under cruel trials until finally burned at the stake. 

He wore a necklace that had a small capsule at the end with some of the girl's ashes inside of it, to remind himself and anyone else what he stood for and how much he'd go through to stop a witch from harming or corrupting the souls of people around him.

Benedetto stopped in front of Sulpicia and looked her up and down, simply taking a handkerchief from his pocket and cleaning her face with it where stains of vegetables or fruit had been when they were thrown at her. "Thank you Mr. Marcello..." She said softly, avoiding contact to show him she was not trying to corrupt him like most women would do in her position. 

He noticed this, and took a mental note of it. He folded the handkerchief in a neat square and returned it to his pocket. "But what of course Miss Sulpicia, it truly hurts to have to stand at your trial and decide if you are a witch or not my Dear. But do not worry, either way we will try to save your soul from the likes of evil."

Instead of screaming and crying at how she was not a witch, and how she was innocent like most people would do, she just simply nodded her head and looked at him. "Thank you Mr. Marcello, please save my soul and prove my strong faith to not turn to evil." 

Ben smiled at this and reached out, patting her head in a gentle matter. He walked away from her and motioned to the Priest who walked to Sulpicia and began to pray with her, she softly whispered the prayer with him but kept her eyes on Ben.

Benedetto walked to the front of the gallow where the villagers had formed in front of to watch. They looked up at him eagerly, curious for his judgement. He paced back and forth, being in deep thought about this case. Sulpicia was a proper age for her faith to be put on hold, and for other things to grab her attention. She was perfect prey for darkness, for a monster. 

But this did not stop him from considering other things about her, how she was at the age where she would start to become more caring for children, at an age where she'd soon become married and become the proper wife to a man and mother to children. He looked at her then at the two little girls in the crowd of people. He had seen them with Sulpicia and her caretakers before, but now they were with new families. He noticed Sulpicia had not tried to gain their attention nor had she tried to call them to her.

He nodded to himself that, that had been a good thing. He turned to the crowd and broke out into a smile. "People! Friends...families. We are gathered here today by a trial, a trial to decide if this woman is a witch." He motioned towards Sulpicia, hearing a strand of names being shouted at her. 

Those names being from Strega, to Harlot, to even worse and explicit. He put a simple finger to his lips and shook his head, looking at them all with a displeased expression. "It shocks me how you all are acting compared to others who have been in your positions. It is as though evil is in all of your hearts, please I do not want us to have the whole village on trial because none of you can control your vile tongue. There are children present. Contain your tongues or they shall be contained for you." 

This made him grin to himself. Another thing about Benedetto? He would use force or punishments if necessary. He had been part of the law in this village, and others he had lived in prior. He'd take your hand, your tongue, or your life if you were caught stealing, spouting lies or cursing your religion or against the church, or if you were seduced or taken over by evil. 

So naturally, at once the crowd went silent. He nodded his approval and thanks to them, then resumed what he was saying, "But how are we sure that she is a Strega? There are many reasons why she could not be. I have seen it myself, but that will not stop my decision on either choice. What you see is a young, beautiful female who is at the age to seduce any man into her ranks and become a harlot to do with him as she pleases, for personal gain. What  her caretaker Aldo has made you also see, among what picture you have already painted, is that she has willed these killings to happen." 

He began pacing back and forth, shaking his fist in the air at the mere mention of her caretaker, who was not present for the trial. That was not a good sign to him, surely Aldo would want to confirm his beliefs of Sulpicia being a witch to him of all people? 

"He's said, she has caused these killings by being a Strega. A hidden Strega amongst us! But what he has failed to do, is appear before us here and now!" Ben spoke with outrage, the temple in his forehead working over time as he began to shout so everyone could hear him. "What motive would this young woman have to kill? To kill her neighbors, to kill one of her caretakers that was like a Madre to her? Perhaps, she unwillingly summoned this minaccia to us. Perhaps it was not her but found her and attached itself to her, because of her beauty or her soft heart. We can never truly understand this. But what we can understand, is trial. Trial and error my people. Trial and error."

( Madre - Mother) - (Minaccia - Menace) 

Someone from the crowd shouted out, "And what kind of trial would such be?"

Benedetto smiled and walked to Sulpicia when the Priest had left the gallow, he ran his hand front her neck, past her chest and to the corset type top that her dress was. Suddenly, he ripped it open and exposed part of her chest. A gasp left her mouth as she snapped away from him in complete shock, though her chest was still covered in the most important areas, she was still slightly exposed. 

Upon this time though, Aro was watching and his eyes darkened in anger. He stepped forward, but Caius grabbed his arm. They both were on the side lines, in the back of the crowd of villagers. But this was shocking, how dare a man expose a woman in public like this. 

"Calm yourselves, I have reasons for this. A woman under any type of control by darkness would offer more of herself to a man in power like myself, willing him to expose her to him no matter who watched. Because when he did, he'd be mesmerized by her body, by the evil inside of her. He'd be unable to contain himself unless he had the proper training to ignore the body or evil of such a Strega. But as you see, Sulpicia has not once tried to make me want her, she has not tried to show herself to you or I, she had tried to hide herself. Evil knows no shame. But it does leave a mark, a mark you'd see on her skin, beneath her clothes. And I have seen nothing, neither had the ladies I have asked to help me with her dressing. But as for those ladies, no. Her skin does not burn despite rumors that may spread. I ask all of you to stop your rumors, it makes finding out what is the truth and lies hard, and it makes these trials last longer than necessary." 

Ben fixed the front of Sulpicia's dress, muttering an apology to her. Before, in private to the other men of the council, he had said that either way she would die. But now, other thoughts had begun to happen inside of his head. 

Were these thoughts because of her? For the longest time he watched her, looking her in the eyes as she averted her gaze elsewhere, her body tense and her breathing ragged with fear. 

No. These thoughts were not because of her, it was his own inner evil picking at him. It wanted the woman, it wanted to have a life that was locked tightly, to have a reason to return to his home village. He smiled at her and walked away, returning to the spot in front of everyone.

"We will come together again at dawn. She will be taken to the lake, and there shall be her first true trial." He turned his back and walked down the steps, and to Ciro whom he whispered to him in a low raspy voice, "Bring her to the council house after nightfall." He then made his way to the nearby small building, which was used for council meetings.

Felix looked at him odd but nodded, staying quiet. He mostly stayed quiet to not catch scents around him, to not become hungry. His eyes were black, even though he had fed recently, with his hunger not being satisfied neither were his eyes. He took Sulpicia back to the barn, tieing her to the wooden pillar. There, she could have time to collect her thoughts and let out the large breath she had been holding. 

She half expected Benedetto to convinct her of being a witch with the first sentence he spoke, but surprisingly he had half been in her favor. But this still did not ease the pit of nerves in her stomach, or make her think she'd survive any of this.

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Aro walked into the council 'home' and looked around. He scowled at the place, it was where they were scheming and deciding on Sulpicia's fate. Nevertheless, he'd not let them harm her. He waited there until he saw Ben walk back into the main room of the house. He smiled at Aro and walked to him, attempting to have a nice greeting. 

"How dare you expose Sulpicia in that way." Snapped Aro before Ben could hold out his hand to him. Benedetto raised his eyebrows and nodded to himself. 'So its going to be this way...' He thought to himself. 

"I was making a clear point, and she was not fully exposed. But before you begin something against me, I must ask you to think of your words carefully. Only the known is safe, and you are not known. I was presenting a known fact about Sulpicia then, nothing more. I do not personally enjoy degrading women under trial, or any woman for that fact." Ben spoke in a clear voice, despite his heavy Italian accent.

Aro thought this through. Only the known is safe, those words echoed through his thoughts and he realized how true it was. He considered that for vampires and humans alike, only the known between both of their worlds was safe for them all. 

He calmed down from the explanation he heard and quietly nodded towards Ben. "I noticed you stepped forward in the crowd, but do not worry. Your confrontation to me about the matter is not put against Sulpicia or in my decision about her, though Aldo being absent is. I hate to sound rude, but unless you have something else to say then leave. I am too busy for simple conversation." 

Ben finished speaking and turned away from Aro without waiting for an answer. Aro, glared at the man then walked out of the house and to the wooded area near the village. There he waited, after quite sometime Felix appeared and sat down while gripping his throat.

"This is murder upon me, Aro. I need...I need..." He trailed off, the feeling of fire in his throat was driving him mad, it took all he had not to sink his teeth in the throats of the crowd at Sulpicia's appearance. 

"I know...for that I apologize, you will soon take your leave and go to feed." Aro spoke with sympathy, he was surprised at how well Felix was controlling himself around the humans. But he could see that, that would not last for much longer.

"If you say so...but Benedetto wishes me to bring Sulpicia to the council room at nightfall." Felix spoke as he stood up and tried to compose himself. 

This immediately interested Aro and he tilted his head. "Why is that?"

"He did not say, and I was too afraid to speak for me to think of asking." Felix spoke through his teeth, gritting them together back and forth. 

"I see...take Sulpicia to him and then leave to feed. I'll watch over her from then on until you return to us." He waved his hand and Felix took his leave, Aro paced back and forth in deep thought. What on earth could that man want to see Sulpicia for?

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When nightfall came, Sulpicia was confused when Ciro had taken her to the council house. She asked him questions, but he didn't answer her. She saw his body was extra tense, that his entire expression wasn't as it used to be. It used to be soft, kind, and full of sympathy. 

But now it was hard and rough, and full of nothing but what looked to be like pain. She'd every so often watch him rub his throat and she thought, perhaps it was sore. She stopped questioning him, trying to not think that maybe he had finally started to believe she was a strega and had turned his back on her.

When he took her into the council house, he had her wait by a set of table and chairs, before he excused himself and left. She looked around slowly, no one was there with her. At least, in the room with her, she knew this house held many rooms because of the council. 

She held her hands in front of her, they were still bound by rope and it made her sigh. What harm could it be to loosen the hold the rope had? Apparently a lot by idiotic villagers. 

"Sulpicia." She jumped as she heard Ben's voice, she turned quickly and looked at him. He had changed from before, he was now in a deep blue like shirt but his pants were still black. He was dressed more modern to her than how he was before. He reminded her of Aro, his looks were similar but a more ragged appearance. He didn't hide that he had a ferocious personality, in fact she believed it gave him a thrill to have so many people fear him.

"Mr. Marcello." She said gently and looked away from him. He simply smiled and walked to her, lifting her hands softly and releasing the binds of rope from her wrists, resting the rope on the table. 

Sulpicia immediately began to rub her wrists to soothe the soreness the rope had been causing, she sighed in gentle-like relief and glanced at Benedetto. He was watching her, staying silent for the longest time before pulling out a seat for her and motioning her to sit down, which she gladly did.

"I must apologize for my actions at the speaking today, I was making a point." He said in a matter of fact way, which made Sulpicia scoff under her breath. Whether he heard her or not, he made no comment.

"Are you curious as to why I have you hear with me alone, Miss Sulpicia?" Said Ben, his own curiosity leaking through his venom like voice. 

"To be honest...yes, Mr. Marcello, I am." Sulpicia looked at him, his eyes seeming to light up at her admitting this to his question. He was silent, as if to collect his thoughts before he started to speak to her again.

"Well, Sulpicia...I must say, I believe you are not a Strega." No one would know the greatest feeling of relief that had washed over her at that point, she broke out into a smile at this and looked at him in amazement. To have the great man in the village, Benedetto Marcello, believe her when he would convict so many others, was simply amazing to her!

But then, the smile that stayed on his face began to make her nervous. She began to bite and chew against her bottom lip as she added, "But?..." 

"But...not everyone will believe it. Aldo has poisoned their minds far too great, the damage is very much done. I have a way that will help us both free you, and to get us what we want." 

"What...we want?" Confusion began to settle in on Sulpicia, she leaned forward against the table clearly showing her confusion.

"Sulpicia...if you were married now, of all important times, it wouldn't be as easy for them to look at you as a Harlot, or as a Strega. If they saw you married, and as a true wife and companion to a powerful man, then Aldo could not simply use the excuse of how you are a Harlot wanting to cause trouble as a Strega."

(Strega - Witch)

Sulpicia swallowed nervously, she was not liking the direction in which this was going and she began to move her fingers nervously to her arm. "I-I see.." She stuttered quietly.

Benedetto reached forward and took her hand into his, looking her in the eyes. "If you were my wife, you would not have to fear for this trial to end badly. You'd be protected, we'd make them see Aldo was the true evil. I can protect you, Sulpicia. You have the choice here and now to realize what is your best option." 

Shock was sent in waves through Sulpicia, who for now remained silent.

But outside the home, anger was going through Aro as his body began to tremble from how angry he was. This man...this...filth, was trying to use this trial and Sulpicia's life in order to make her think she'd be saved by becoming his wife.

HIS wife, it was the most absurd thing he could even think of! This man was trying to steal his mate, Aro considered her as his mate and the threat of another man trying to steal her was making him want to rip out Benedetto's throat with his teeth.  He wouldn't lie if he was asked, but expected Sulpicia to begin saying no, to say that her heart already belonged to another.

But...the silence that followed began to make him feel uneasy, and far more angrier. 

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I took a slight risk with the ending, but I hope you all enjoyed it! :) I had so many ideas for this chapter after I finished Chapter 10, but honestly you all deserved a quick update for waiting so long before. 

Leave me your thoughts about this with a review/comment on what you liked/didn't like or thought, please and thank you!