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Courtesan	By : Shelindrea Category: Twilight Series > Het > Jacob/Renesmee Views: 4787 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or make any money from this story.

Chapter List
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Chapter 40
JPOV
            “And what did the duke tell you as you hauled him away from the scene.” Alistair asked me.
            “He said that he would be with Nessie forever. He said he had marked her for life and that I would never be able to look at her without seeing him.”
            “So this was his aim, to damage her?”
            “That or kill her. He was not stopping.”
            “Thank you Mister Black.”
            Victoria rose and approached me. “Mr. Black, tell me, how damaged is she?”
            I nearly growled. “She is badly scarred, but she is not damaged.”
            “Then why are we here? If she is undamaged, what is the point of tormenting the man who lost her? Why?”
            “Because he committed a crime. He had no right to touch her. She is a free citizen, she committed no crime. Mrs. Whitlock committed no crime. It is the duke who committed the crime.”
            “He’s right, isn’t he? You do see him on her skin. Has she told you the truth about what happened in that room? Have you even discussed it?”
            I faltered. What did she mean? I saw what had happened. “It doesn’t matter. I was there. I saw what he did to her.”
            “Perhaps it does. You only saw the results. What I am asking is if you and Miss Cullen have discussed what transpired between Caius and herself?”
            “He beat her nearly to death. That is what happened. But it does not matter. She is mine, I will wed her and we will forget.”
            “That seems unlikely. You say that she bears the scars of this attack, that they mare her beautiful skin and always shall. What I want to know is what scars she bears in her soul. I wonder, have you asked her that? And more importantly, has she answered you? It seems to me that you would want to know everything that transpired behind that locked door for… How long was it again?”
            “Sister Chelsea guesses it was nearly three quarters of an hour,” I growled out my ire rising with each question. How dare she imply that something happened that of which I was unaware.
            “Hmm. That is a significant amount of time. It makes me curious. Does it make you curious, Mr. Black?”
            I knew she was baiting me, but I could not seem to resist. “No it does not.”
            Victoria bit her lip and walked away from me. “I wonder why that is? Could it be that you know what happened? Could it be you know that Lord Caius was completely within his rights to punish his own property?”
            I leapt to my feet and nearly came over the balustrade. “She is not his anything! Certainly not his property!”
            Victoria tilted her head slightly and shook it as if she found me amusing. “As you say, Mr. Black. Still, it seems to me you continue to treat her as your own property. It seems this young woman exerts a very large circle of influence. I wonder if she truly shows you all her facets. Are you certain you know what took place in that room?”
            I looked to Alistair and then to Jasper. Both of them looked pale and nervous. None of us had had the heart to ask Nessie questions about the time between Chelsea’s departure and our arrival. Was it possible that something had transpired that we did not know? Was Ness still in danger?
            “No further questions.”
            The court recessed for the noon meal. Nessie was to be called next. I walked up to her and lifted her face with my finger. “Are you alright?”
            “I believe so,” she answered.
            Jasper pulled me aside, away from Ness’s ears. “Something is not right,” he said.
            “What do you mean?”
            “Caius seems too confident. As if he has something up his sleeve. Are you certain Ness is alright?”
            “I can only be as certain as she,” I confessed. She looked sturdy, but then she always seemed stronger than I imagined she should be.
            “No matter what, let me handle it. Do you hear me?”
            “I do.”
Felix POV
            During the recess Father and I went to an ante chamber. He had been guiding me in procedure from the beginning, but he was careful not to discuss his views of the testimony we had heard thus far.
            As the king he was not permitted to preside over trials which involved members of the royal family. He had been clear with me that I could not consider any familial relationship to Caius. That, however, was not my difficulty. I found Renesmee beautiful and sweet. I had considered her as a possible mate. Surely my preference for her was something that made me less than impartial. I wondered at Father’s insistence that I be clear in my sympathies. Still I wished to please him.
            “Father…?”
            “Yes, Felix.”
            “Caius is up to something, isn’t he? That line of questioning implied that there is more to this than we yet know, did it not?” I asked.
            “It would seem so.”
            “What do you think it is?”
            “I have no idea, but I would guess that is will involve an intimidation of young Renesmee. You may need to intervene, but only do so as the rules allow. If you have any questions of protocol you may look to me. I can guide you.”
            “I will not allow her to be bullied by his council, Father. Hasn’t she been through enough?”
            “Unfortunately, you may have to let this go until you can see the endgame. Remember, it is your job to hear all the testimony, not only the prosecution. And if necessary, you are allowed to ask your own questions to satisfy yourself that you have all the information you need.”
            I pondered that advice as we made to resume the proceedings, and swore to myself that I would get every bit of testimony I required.

NPOV
            The court was large and eyes were all on me as I took the stand. I felt suddenly very small. I locked eyes with Alistair and he smiled his paternal smile. He asked me questions pertaining to the bargain I had made with Caius to spare Alice the flogging, and he asked about my recovery. I confessed to experiencing continued discomfort and the need to continue to heal, but all in all it was not too bad an ordeal to recount.
            Then Alistair sat and the prince turned to the table where Caius sat with his representatives. “Have you any questions of this witness?” Felix asked.
            “I do,” said Caius himself, standing.
            “Objection!” Jasper cried.
            “I have a right to confront my accuser, do I not?” Caius asked.
            I turned to see the prince blanch. I turned to look at Aro and he fisted his hand, but nodded ever so slightly at his son.
            Felix shuddered and sent me a sad look. “Proceed,” he said, “but take care cousin.”
            Caius approached me, but at a respectful distance. “My dear Renesmee, pray tell this audience did I not give you time to choose a more acceptable form of capitulation?”
            “If you mean did you offer to forgo a whipping to become your concubine, then yes, you made the offer.”
            “You were a pleasure slave, were you not?”
            “I was.”
            “Your purpose was to provide pleasure to free men, correct?”
            I watched his cold eyes and knew that he was leading me somewhere, but I refused to cower before him. “It was.”
            “You were trained for this purpose, were you not?”
            “I was.”
            “You gave pleasure then? You were a red silk, were you not? You were hardly a blushing young virgin by the time I got to you, now were you?”
            I swallowed hard. He kept blocking my view of Jacob, and it unnerved me. “No.”
            “Do you also admit to knowing how to utilize your powers of seduction?”
            I was certain there was a trap being set, but I could not see it clearly. “I do not…”
            “Have you ever seduced the object you were meant to please? Remember, you are under oath.”
            My mind flashed back to the times I had been bent on seducing Jacob, the look in his eyes as I danced, or touched him freely in an effort to enflame his passion. My skin prickled with the memory of his responding touch. Caius seemed to sense my thoughts and pounced upon them.
            “Have you ever played the seductress?”
            “I… I suppose I have on occasion,” I confessed.
            “An occasion like your visit to my palace?”
            I was suddenly confused. I had not used seduction on him… Had I? I thought back to the days spent in his palace. I had tried everything to convince him that I was willing to consider his offer. I had tried to buy time for my friends to get word to Jacob and Jasper in hopes of escape. I had played a dangerous game. I had tried seduction, to a point, and he knew it.
            I swallowed hard. “I suppose I did.”
            That made him smile. He looked like a cat that had caught a mouse in his paws and was enjoying the game of letting it think it was free only to be recaptured in a moment. I realized at once that I was that mouse. He wanted me to make his case for him and I suddenly felt as unsafe as that captured rodent.
            “You attempted to lull me with the promise of your capitulation, did you not?”
            “I suppose I did, but you had me held against my will. I was trying to survive.”
            Caius nodded and came closer. “Were you willing to do anything to survive?”
            I felt, more than saw the fission his statement made within the gallery. Murmurs broke out and an audible buzz permeated the room.
            “Silence!” Felix ordered.
            “I asked you a question, Renesmee.”
            “No, I was not willing to do anything.”
            “So seduction, yes, but complete submission, no?”
            “I…” His words confused me. I tried to think back and recall my mindset. Had I been willing to capitulate? “No.”
            “You had used your body before as a means to gain an end.”
            “I suppose…”
            “Then why the objection to performing acts you had performed myriad times before?”
            “I am no longer a slave. I am a free soul, and have the right to refuse anyone I choose. I choose Jacob. He is the only man I have ever wanted, the only man I have ever, or will ever give myself to willingly. I have rights.”
            “So you do, and responsibilities.” Caius turned to me his face livid and his eyes narrowed. “Our bargain… can you tell these assembled folk what it was?”
            “That I take the lashing in silence.”
            “What if you could not?”
            “Then I would forfeit my freedom to you.”
            He smiled, broadly and I began to become uncomfortable. He came closer. “And did you succeed?”
            My eyes flew to Jacob’s and he cocked his head. I then looked to Jasper who looked uneasy.
            “Well, Renesmee, did you succeed?” Caius repeated.
            “I did,” I stated plainly.
            “Tell me, what is the last thing you remember from that day?”
            I tried to look around him, but he kept getting in my line of sight. I thought back to the sweat and the pain, to the blood and the sounds rushing in my ears. I thought of my arms stretched taught against the whipping post.
            I remembered the sound of the whip as it cut the air and the whoosh as it ripped my flesh. I heard Sister Chelsea as they drug her from the room, the lash man as he begged to remain, then the sound of Caius whispering in my ear.
            “You will die. You will die. And your last thoughts will be mine. It will be my name in your thoughts, my voice in your head. I shall be with you always, you will never be free.”
            And in my last thought, my last moment before the blackness swallowed me whole I breathed the name of he I loved. I sighed “Jacob!”
            “Well? Did you remain silent?”
            I felt the tears roll down my face as I realized I had failed us. I lifted my eyes to see the triumph in Caius’ face as he leered in victory.
            “I… I…”
            “I submit your highness that I was within my rights to treat the girl as I saw fit, for she was not silent. She forfeited her freedom to me. She is mine. Now and always.”
            “Miss Cullen?” Felix asked.
            “I…”
            “NO!” Jacob cried. Several of the Palace guards rushed toward his voice. I realized he must be trying to get to me.
            “I failed.”
            “I demand my release, and that my property be released into my care.” Caius said.
            The courtroom exploded in sound and activity. I could not breathe. Caius grinned at me and I saw the world spin about me.
            “A moment, Cousin,” Felix broke in. “Miss Cullen how many lashes were you to receive?”
            “Twenty,” said through the gasping breaths I was taking. I felt ill.
            “At what point did you make a sound? How many lashes had you received?”
            I was so confused. I had failed and was about to be handed over to Caius. The room began to spin and I thought I would faint, but Felix persisted.
            “Miss Cullen, how many lashes?!”
            I thought back to that night; The sound of the lash cutting through the air, the smell of my own blood, the feeling of burning pain lancing through my body. I remembered Chelsea counting. She had been removed at strike seventeen. Then Caius had taken the lash from the lashman. Eighteen, nineteen, twenty… He continued on and on. It was a while before he began talking to me. I was certain there had been more.
            “Thirty,” I sighed.
            “I see.”
Again I heard the din of conversations throughout the gallery.
            “Silence!” Felix’s voice quelled the din. “I am ready to rule.”
            “There is no ruling required, cousin. It is obvious that I am within my right.”
            “Never-the-less, Cousin, I have a ruling. Now sit.”
            “I think not,” Caius said prancing about triumphantly.
            “Guard, see that my cousin is seated,” Felix ordered and the guard did as ordered. “You see, it occurs to me that the bargain is only forfeit if it was legal on its face, and I declare it was not. You had no right to importune Miss Cullen through deceit and cunning. You threatened Mrs. Whitlock’s person, knowing that she was innocent. You bargained in bad faith, you also applied more lashes than you had agreed upon. If Miss Cullen did not break before the twentieth lash she did not forfeit and this means the bargain is void.”
            I breathed again. Felix would not hand me over to Caius after all.
            “However, that is not all. Your behavior is indeed criminal. You have attempted to deprive this young lady of her liberty through deceit. You thought to deprive her of a gift bestowed by the king himself. I find that a crime against the state. I find it… treason.”
            An audible gasp went up in the room. Caius attempted to stand, but the guards held him. “Are you mad?!”
            “No, cousin, I am quite sane. To allow someone to treat a citizen of the realm with such blatant disregard for the laws of this realm is a danger to us all. To flout the authority of the realm for your own selfish gain is unforgivable. It shall not be borne. I sentence you to the life you might have imposed upon this lady.”
            I turned to face the prince and saw a hardness to his visage that astounded me. “This trial is closed. Remove the prisoner. Miss Cullen you are free.”

Aro POV
            I was proud. My son had done well. He had discerned the truth and ruled accordingly. Now he and I were in my ante room with Alistair, Jasper, Jacob and a pale Renesmee. Jacob eased her to a seat and Felix poured her a glass of wine while we tried to settle into the aftermath of the trial.
            “I failed you,” the girl kept repeating softly shaking her head.
            “You did nothing of the kind. It is I who failed you, I should never have let that animal near you,” Jacob said kissing her hands.
            “You are both wrong,” I intervened. “The failure was mine. I should have realized the cancer I had growing within my realm and curbed it long ago. My sincere apologies, my dears.”
            “At least it is over now,” Jacob said, rubbing Renesmee’s hands in his own.
            “No, it is not over, not yet,” came her quiet voice. “I have a request.”
            “What can we do for you child?” I asked.
            “I wish to marry this gentleman, Sire, and I wish your nephew to witness the ceremony. I also want the opportunity to speak with him before taking my vows.”
            “Absolutely not!” Jacob bellowed.
            “Now Jacob, I feel certain that Miss Cullen has her reasons and as she is the injured party in all this I feel she should be indulged. After all, as the bride she should get everything she wants.”
            “Jasper can be with me when I speak to him.”
            Jasper nodded, and I nodded at him. “Her safety will be assured, I swear to it,” I said. “I have a favor to ask of you two now.”
            “Anything, your Majesty,” Jacob vowed.
            “Allow me to perform the rite. I want to see to it that it has the honor of the kingdom and that all will know I not only approve, but bless this union.”
            “Thank you,” Jacob said with a bow.
            “It is my pleasure. The palace will put on the feast and celebration. I will brook no dissent. Three days. The wedding will take place in three days’ time. Now, young Jacob, take Renesmee to the Cullens and prepare yourself for the begging. Traditions must be honored.”
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Courtesan