Judge, Jury and Executioner by ineedyoursway
Rating: T
Genre: Romance/Angst
Characters: Edward/Bella
Summary: After a century in the Volturi Guard, Edward receives the ultimate gift: his singer.
This little gem of a piece explores an alternate universe where Edward and Carlisle are working for the Volturi, and Aro is using Edward’s gift to read the minds of those vampires accused of crimes. In effect, serving as the judge, jury, and executioner for those individuals. What I appreciate about this piece is that we see glimpses of the more morose, brooding side of Edward—the dark that existed without Bella and her love in his life.
It’s easy, in the canon world, to forget about the challenging aspect of Edward’s gift, because he handles it so well, as he has for so many years. Ineedyoursway gives us a peek at the downside of such a talent—the relentless noise that Edward is subjected to, day in and day out. I imagine it must be similar to the paparazzi following Rob Pattinson—never really a moment of respite—they are completely ubiquitous, 24/7.
At the start of the story, Edward is approaching his centurion, or one hundred years of service to the Volturi. On the date of the centurion, a vampire is presented with their singer, as a sort of celebration and thank-you gift. Edward is concerned he will be unable to resist the temptation of his singer, while Carlisle has complete faith that he will. In reality, Carlisle is the only vampire who has ever resisted killing his singer. You see, that catch here is that if you drain your singer, you remain beholden to Aro and the Volturi. If not, you are free.
Carlisle stayed with Edward in Volterra during his tenure with the Volturi, because he felt a sense of responsibility for turning Edward. Esme has been waiting for him for 100 years, and Carlisle is anxious to return to her when Edward celebrates his centurion. When his singer finally approaches, the way Ineedyoursway describes the want, the obsession, nearly made me salivate as if I wanted it, too. Her wording is so well chosen.
While I was reading this story, I dreamed about it. Yes, that’s right, I dreamed about it. The entire Cullen family was there, and they were each presented with their singer, and they were all trying to resist at once. It was so heartbreaking and scary at the same time, because you could literally taste how badly they wanted the singers, and feel the agony of resistance. Did I mention that this story is intense? Trust me, it is. *shudder*
Watching Edward attempt to overcome every single vampire instinct was absolutely painful. In fact, you almost get a sense that this is an addiction, the lure is so strong. I imagine a heroin addict being given a syringe filled with heroin, and then people holding them back, trying to help them resist. You get the picture. I don’t believe I’ve ever read a story that enabled me to feel what Edward’s pull for Bella, how her blood sang to him, before. It is incredibly powerful.
Naturally, Edward’s singer in this story is Bella. What’s intriguing is that Edward parts from Carlisle, and the Cullen family, intending to partake of Bella alone. Since Edward has been with the Volturi since he was turned, he really has no idea how to deal with the outside world, or Bella. For the sake of giving away too much, I will leave you with the thought that it is interesting and intriguing to see how their relationship develops, and what Edward learns. Ineedyoursway has written a very creative story here, and I urge you to give it a look-see. You’ll be very glad you did.
Banner by JaimeArkin
