GLADIOLUS || FELIX VOLTURI

fourteen - the day of battle.

Two nights before the battle.

It was a quiet night – too quiet for what was soon to come. Felix had seen it all though, this small battle was nothing compared to the wars he had seen over the years. Normally, he could care less over a tiny battle between covens – the only difference is that this time he actually has something he could lose.

Felix stood amongst the tree line surrounding the Swan house, leaning against a tree perfectly in sight of Rowan's window. Victoria wasn't foolish enough to come herself, but that didn't mean her naïve newborns weren't. Thus, he waited – listening to Rowan's gentle snores in her room, listening to the wind blowing against the leaves, enjoying the quiet while he could.

It was nearing 2 am when Felix heard footsteps nearing him. He had a guess who it was before even glancing over his shoulder to confirm his suspicions.

"I think it's time we finally meet," a voice spoke from further in the forest. Their footsteps grew much closer, quickly too.

Felix, clearly unbothered, pushed off from the tree he was leaning against, "Very well." Once the figure came closer, only a handful of feet away, Felix scanned the figure up and down. "Paul, I assume?"

A scowl formed upon Paul's face, "What? You watch me too?"

Felix scoffed, but couldn't help to be amused by Paul's immediate reaction, "I am much too busy to do so given everything going on, I assure you," Felix replied with a smirk.

Paul stared at Felix, clear distrust and annoyance were written all over his face. Paul knew he needed to have an actual conversation with the man in front of him though, so he forced himself to take a deep breath, his shoulders dropping from their tense position only slightly. "Look, I know about the plan with Rowan and using her as a distraction. You have to convince her not to go through with it. It's just another reckless plan that could kill her," Paul spoke, frustration building with each word.

Felix couldn't help but laugh, "For being her best friend, I'm surprised you don't know how incredibly stubborn she is."

Paul sighed, "So you have tried to convince her otherwise then?"

"Of course I have. I don't like this plan either," Felix replied. Annoyance was building up for Felix as well, but he understood how important Paul was to Rowan, so he could look past his issues with the shifter.

"Well, great. I guess this conversation is over then," Paul went to turn around, ready to head back into the forest.

"I know where we'll be camping, if you want the location," Felix stated, causing Paul to pause.

"You have a set place?" Paul asked, turning back around to face the immortal in front of him.

"I scouted the forest near the field. I wanted to find a safe area to take her to. As safe of an area as there can be, at least," Felix stated with a shrug. "It's east of the field where the battle is to take place. If you just keep heading east into the forest, I'm confident you would pick up on her scent and find her. She was very adamant about staying close," Felix continued.

"I'd prefer you to show up, actually. I have to join a small group from my own coven eventually. I'd suggest you be gone by then. I don't want Rowan around them either. I thought you could take her away from the scene," Felix said, watching Paul's face intently for any sign of approval or disapproval.

Paul only stared though, the only change in his expression being a slight furrow in his brows. "You're helping me. I can't say I feel comfortable with that," Paul said, almost as if he was confused by the gesture.

Felix shook his head, another amused smile forming on his lips, "She talks about you a lot. I can tell how much she cares for you. She needs her best friend, I'm not foolish enough to think otherwise."

Paul only nodded, staying silent. It was clear between the two that a truce was made. They may not particularly like each other, but they both realized they didn't hate each other either.

"I'll show up at your camp then. I don't know when, but I will," Paul declared.

Felix responded with an affirming nod. "I understand it will be chaotic that day. If something comes up, just do your best, I have a backup plan if you can't make it. And be careful – you're important to her."

Paul nodded, "Same to you," he spoke quietly, under his breath. Though he knew the vampire would hear. He quickly left, walking back into the forest to continue preparations with his pack for what was to come.

---

Current day.

Rowan, in all honesty, thought there would be more to do than sit and wait. She stood, pacing around the camp, kicking a rock every now and then. Felix sat and watched his mate pace, an amused look on his face the whole time.

"Something wrong?" Felix asked, a smirk on his face while he spoke.

"Would I be an asshole if I say I'm bored?" Rowan asked, turning to look at Felix while answering.

"It hasn't started, if that makes you feel better," Felix replied.

Rowan stared at him silently for a second, realization dawning on her. "Fuck, it hasn't even been an hour, has it?"

Felix couldn't help but laugh, an amused grin on Rowan's face as well.

"Battle is, unfortunately, a waiting game-"

"Please, no need to talk war stories right now," Rowan said in a teasing manner, sitting back down next to Felix.

Felix looked at her with a frown, brows furrowed in annoyance, "I wasn't going to."

"I can hear it now – 'Rowan, I fought in the Italian War of Independence. World War I was a shit show. Oh, Rome had this mega cool battle that I was a leader in'," She said, her voice low, a poor attempt to mimic Felix's own voice.

Felix attempted to hide his amused smile, but did a very poor job at it. "I know I don't sound like that."

Rowan shrugged, "Eh, impressions were never my thing."

"Clearly," Felix said with an amused smirk.

Before Rowan could answer, Felix's head snapped up, his gaze piercing the forest near where the battlefield was located. His expression immediately changed, shifting into a more serious expression. Rowan immediately picked up on this, staying quiet as to not distract him.

"It's starting," Felix muttered, standing quickly. The quick movement made Rowan jump, her nerves starting to kick in. She slowly stood, her eyes now darting around the forest.

"Are....any close?" She quietly mumbled.

Felix could hear Rowan's heart rate increase, knowing it was due to fear and anxiety. He glanced at his mate, her gaze still locked onto the forest. "You'll be okay," he calmly stated. She glanced up, her eyes locking onto his, and gave a nod.

She trusted him, and that was enough.

"To answer your question though - no, none are close. Not yet, at least. We can hear farther than we can smell. Because of that, I placed us in an area that would be safer for you, but still allowed me to hear when the fighting began."

"Can't they hear us too though?" Rowan asked

"Technically, yes. But these newborns don't know what they are getting themselves into. I doubt any noise in the forest is their main concern right now. I'm more concerned about when a few pick up on your scent, or if any are scared off from the battle. You and Bella placed drops of your blood around the forest, correct?"

Rowan nodded.

"Well, we'll see if anything happens then," Felix stated. He already had a plan of action in his head, and many backups as well. Newborns didn't scare him – if anything they were an annoyance to him and nothing more. Especially now.

Minutes passed. Felix stood in silence the whole time, his gaze scanning the forest around them, intently listening to any subtle change. Rowan knew it was best to stay quiet, allowing him to focus. At the moment, she felt useless, but hoped Jasper's plan was helping somewhat.

More minutes passed, eventually, Rowan started growing slightly fatigued standing in one place for so long, so she went to sit back down.

"Wait," Felix hissed, gripping her arm quickly before she could sit. Rowan winced, causing Felix to immediately lighten his grip.

"I'm sorry, but something is approaching," Felix stated, moving to stand in front of her.

Before Rowan could fully process what was happening, she heard rustling in the forest in front of them. A few seconds later, there was a figure standing a few feet from the tree line directly in front of them. It felt like the world froze around her. She stared, eyes wide, at the man in front of them.

The figure in front of them didn't seem much less scared than Rowan, this was something Felix picked up on immediately. He was a young man, shorter than Felix, no older than 20.

The newborn rose his hands in a sign of surrender, "I don't want any trouble." The young man's voice was shaking slightly.

Felix stared, gauging the situation. "Did you run the first chance you got?"

The newborn nodded slowly, hands dropping. "My name is Tristan. I didn't want any part in this. I have a family I need to go back to. Just please, let me go and I'll leave you both be."

Rowan couldn't help but feel sad for the man. She knew vaguely about the rules of the vampire world, and knew what Felix would say next.

"You can't see your family. It's not safe for them. Your thirst is too uncontrollable at this stage," Felix replied gruffly, letting his guard down slightly.

"I wasn't going to approach them – just watch over them-"

"Believe me when I say, you are better off leaving them behind," Felix spoke, slightly gentler, trying to make it clear he was giving genuine advice.

Tristan only stared, jaw tense, but gave a sharp nod. "You're right. I know you're right. I just didn't want to believe it," whispered harshly, mainly to himself, but loud enough that even Rowan could hear.

"I'm sorry for what happened to you. You deserve the life you wanted," Rowan finally spoke, stepping out from behind Felix.

Tristan's gaze snapped to the human figure in front of him but didn't move. It didn't take much to realize the human was being protected, so he was able to control his thirst enough to protect himself. "Thank you," he mumbled in return.

"How did you pass through the forest so quietly?" Felix asked abruptly as if the question was nagging at him.

Rowan looked confused, her gaze darting between the two immortals.

"What?" Tristan asked, confused as well.

"I didn't hear you until you got very close to our location. I should've heard you from much farther away. How did you do that?" Felix asked sternly, his analyzing gaze locked onto Tristan.

"Oh, I have this thing," Tristan replied, as if a lightbulb went off over his head. "I don't understand it and can't control it much, but I can hide my presence when I want to. Not for very long, but for a little bit," Tristan said with a shrug.

"He's gifted?" Rowan asked in surprise.

"Seems that way," Felix replied. "I may have an opportunity for you, if you're interested. It's much better than the one you were forced into, I can promise you that much," Felix stated.

Before Tristan could speak, Felix continued. "If you're interested in an actual coven to be a part of then stay near this town – I can find you. But go, I know how hard it is to be near blood as a newborn – don't torture yourself more."

Tristan nodded, thankful he could finally leave the smell of blood. "I'll hear your offer," he quietly replied. "You should know that others picked up on her scent. I just ran first, that's why I'm here. I had no loyalty to Riley. I wasn't dying for their cause. I wouldn't be surprised if a couple of others run soon though, once the battle gets worse. Good luck," he finished, immediately running off in the opposite direction of the battle.

A minute of silence passed, before Rowan finally felt like she could breathe again. "He seemed nice at least," Rowan said with a shrug.

Felix gave her an incredulous look, "He came here to kill you."

"Yeah, well, you know. That aside, nice guy," Rowan answered.

"I'm going to choose to ignore you calling the newborn that followed your scent for food a 'nice guy'. He's lucky he's gifted, or else Jane would want him dead," Felix stated, shaking his head in disbelief.

"I have to stay positive somehow," Rowan mumbled sheepishly. She logically understood why he followed her scent, but Rowan also knew newborns couldn't control their thirst very well. Overall, in Rowan's mind, there were more important matters to focus on.

"With the wolves there, I doubt it's even a battle. He's right, there are a few starting to flee. They are nearing here, but could miss us – it's hard to tell by sound alone," Felix stated gruffly. It was clear he was growing more frustrated with the situation by the second.

Felix took a few steps forward, making sure to keep Rowan behind him. It took only a few more seconds of listening for him to draw his conclusion. "Damn it," Felix growled, moving quickly to Rowan's side. "What? What's going on?" Rowan asked, trying her best to stay calm given her confusion.

Felix grabbed her hand and pulled for her to follow after him. He kept in mind to be gentle with her human form, but still knew to act quickly. He positioned her near the back tree line, as far away from the battlefield as possible but still near him.

"Stay here. It's better than out in the open near the tent. Do not leave this spot," Felix stated, before walking a few feet ahead of her.

Rowan didn't question his judgment, didn't even speak for that matter. She had been nervous the whole time, but now she truly felt in over her head.

A minute passed, and Rowan had never hated the silence of the forest so much. She listened, but heard nothing other than birds in the distance, and slight rustling in the forest from all directions. Whether it was wildlife or immortal beings – she wasn't sure.

It was as if she blinked and they were there. A small group, no more than four newborns in front of them. Rowan could hear them snickering amongst themselves, whispering, though she couldn't understand. She backed herself up against the tree as close as she could, using it to ground herself at the moment.

"You were smart enough to run from a useless battle, yet showed up here. Pathetic," Felix stated with a scowl.

One of the newborns scoffed, stepping a few feet in front of the group, "Four against one? I like our odds more than yours."

Rowan watched, fearful of what was to happen next. Fearful for her life, but also fearful for Felix. She could almost sense his rage at this point as it built up more and more.

"Felix...?" Rowan whispered, as if asking what she should do next. What he was going to do?

Before the newborns could make the first move, Felix did. He moved so fast that Rowan could barely keep up. In a second, he stood in front of the newborn who spoke seconds earlier, gripping his shoulder, and ripping his head clean off in a second. There was a quick struggle, but it was no matter to the Volturi member. Felix knew he was at a disadvantage when it came to numbers, but knew he could use their ignorance to his advantage. Possibly intimidate them.

With a growl, he threw the head behind his shoulder, kicking the body of the newborn aside. The other three stood in shock, eyes wide, mouths open.

"He was our friend," one spoke in disbelief.

"Your friend was a fool," Felix muttered, almost as if he was growing bored. Rowan listened to the quick exchange of words, almost in disbelief that Felix was purposely agitating them more.

The three newborns growled before all lunging at Felix. He was able to dodge their advances, moving fluidly through each grasp and pull. Rowan watched, holding her breath, as Felix dodged every attack. It brought her back to when she watched his battle with Edward, when she first met him. At the time, everything was too overwhelming for her to fully appreciate his skills in battle, but now, she was amazed.

Felix threw one of the male newborns as far as he could off to the side, giving himself an opportunity to take care of the others before finishing the fight entirely. His opponents were strong, that much was true, but they were reckless and held no real fighting skills. This played in his favor hugely.

Rowan watched as Felix was able to grab the other male newborn by the throat, holding him up in the air, while the female newborn was gripping his free arm. While he was struggling, she still could tell he was holding his ground. It was then she heard a growl off to the side. Felix was too distracted to notice, but not Rowan.

The newborn, angrier than before, slowly stood. She knew Felix was holding his own, but feared what would happen if another joined the battle again. So, without thinking, she did the first thing that came to mind. She took a few steps forward, grabbed a rock, and threw it.

As the newborn went to take a step toward Felix and the others, he flinched when something hit his head. He looked down in confusion to see a rock at his feet, and with a growl, his gaze snapped to the direction of where it came from.

Rowan stood, like a deer caught in headlights, as she realized she was now an open target. "Well, fuck," Rowan muttered to herself, backing up until she hit the tree behind her. The male newborn slowly approached her, as if toying with her. She looked around for something, anything, she could use as a weapon. She didn't find much, only a large branch. She grabbed it quickly, hoping it was better than nothing.

The newborn approaching laughed, "A stick? Really?"

"Oh, fuck off, it's not like I can run," Rowan snapped back, lunging forward with the branch when he got close enough.

"Touch her and you will die!" Felix yelled, seething as he looked back towards his mate in danger. One more newborn was down, now he was dealing with the last one near him.

The newborn grabbed the branch effortlessly, pulling it out of her grip. Ignoring Felix's words, he quickly gripped Rowan's throat, holding her up against the tree. As her airway was cut off, she gripped his wrist with all the strength she could muster, though she knew it was no use. She kicked and thrashed but his strength was too much. As the newborn went to take his first bite, he paused suddenly and yelled out in pain.

Rowan gasped for air as she was dropped, landing sharply on her left elbow as she fell. There was a popping sound as she landed, causing her to yell out in pain upon impact. She crawled away, coughing and breathing hard, gripping her elbow as well. It wasn't until she was quite a few feet away did she finally look back.

Her eyes widened at what she saw. A large thick tree root, most likely from the tree she was being held against, had shot up from the ground and pierced the vampire that was in front of her. The newborn was attempting to pull it out of his abdomen, but it wasn't moving.

"What the hell," Rowan muttered to herself, before crawling back even further. She was in shock, in pain, and didn't fully understand what was happening anymore.

Felix, who had finished his battle, came rushing over, immediately grabbing the last newborn. "I told you, touch her and you die," Felix muttered, before gripping his body and ripping him off of the large root that was still lodged inside of him. The root immediately fell to the ground once it was dislodged. He would acknowledge the plant saving her later, when the time was right.

Seconds later, with both hands inside of the newborn vampire's mouth, Felix ripped his head in two. There was a part of Felix that wanted to take his time, allowing the pathetic excuse of an immortal to suffer for what he did to his own mate. Unfortunately, Felix didn't have time for that. Once the battle was officially over, Felix threw the pieces of the newborn aside, and rushed to Rowan.

"I'm sorry," Rowan quietly spoke, gripping her elbow tighter to her chest.

"Don't. It was reckless, but I'm just glad you're alive."

"I panicked. I didn't want you hurt."

"I know," Felix spoke softly. He noticed the bruising on her throat, and knew her elbow was damaged as well. As gently as he could he went to pick her up, holding her to his chest. As he went to pick her up, the sound of moving could be heard near to tree line. Rowan was too distracted by her pain to fully process the sound, but Felix glanced over, thankful for the sight.

"Glad you could make it," Felix stated sarcastically, walking to meet Paul. Paul quickly ran over, meeting them in the middle of the open area.

"The battle was wrapping up. It looked safe enough to leave the rest to them. But what the hell happened to you?" Paul asked sternly, taking in her rough appearance. Rowan couldn't help but smile at the sight of her best friend being okay, "Oh, you know, being a dumbass can do this to you." Paul couldn't help but chuckle, relieved to see she was okay enough to joke around.

"I need you to take her. I have to take care of these newborns and go," Felix stated, gently handing Rowan over for Paul to carry. "Take her to Carlisle's house, she needs looked over."

Paul gave him an annoyed look as he held Rowan, "Yeah, yeah. I got this." Paul started walking away while Felix quickly piled the newborns into a pile. He knew he shouldn't keep Jane waiting. 

Rowan wanted to say something to Felix before leaving but was too exhausted to even speak. She knew he would find her eventually, and that was good enough for her.

---

Paul stayed with Rowan as they waited for the Cullen's to arrive. They talked, not about the battle, they both were too exhausted to think of it further, but about mundane things – like friends would do if they lived normal lives. Once Carlisle arrived, he had to make it quick, since Jacob was hurt as well. Paul knew this, but kept it to himself to not add extra stress to Rowan.

Rowan tried to usher Paul off, to have him join Jacob's side, but he was adamant about waiting until her examination was over.

As Rowan sat on a chair in Carlisle's office, he wrapped her injured elbow slowly, trying to make the action as painless as possible. The pain medications helped as well.

"I thank you for your part in this battle. You did well Rowan," Carlisle spoke, a slight smile on his face as he continued his wrapping.

"She's my family too," Rowan replied, not with any venom behind her words, just stating a fact. "As long as she's in your life, I will be. No matter how annoying that may be to you all," Rowan said, hints of humor in her tone.

"Well, it doesn't bother me. You're always welcome here," Carlisle stated with another smile, nodding his head to signal he was finished. "Your throat looks bruised but it should heal soon. I can get a sling to you tomorrow for your elbow as well."

Rowan nodded, "Thank you. I'll be fine, I know you need to go. Both of you." She said, her gaze falling on Paul.

Paul cleared his throat, "Well, if you're fine, I'll go see how he's doing then," before walking out of the room. While he would've stayed if needed, Paul couldn't have been happier to leave the Cullen's house. Carlisle followed soon after, gathering needed supplies first.

Rowan stayed seated for a while, enjoying the peace and quiet, especially after the chaos everyone just experienced. She leaned her head back against the chair, and closed her eyes as she finally felt safe enough to relax. Her thoughts raced back to Felix, Paul, Jacob, Bella, and even Charlie. She couldn't help but think of her dad as well. If he had lived, the normal life she could've had by never having to move to Forks.

A few moments later, she heard a knocking on the door. Her eyes slowly opened, and she leaned her head back up to look at who it was. Bella stood at the open door, knocking to announce her arrival.

"Hey," she spoke, walking in to greet her cousin. "Hey," Rowan replied, clearly exhausted, partially from the pain meds and partially due to the stress her body as undergone.

"I'm glad you're okay. Does it hurt right now?" Bella said, nodding to Rowan's elbow.

"Oh," Rowan glanced down at her injured elbow, at the sight of it wrapped. It was in a makeshift sling, one made out of random cloth Carlisle tied into a sling. "It hurts a little, but the medication definitely kicked in a little bit ago."

"I'm glad it's helping," Bella said with a small smile.

"Yeah. Uh, I heard about Jake. I'm just surprised you checked on me first, I guess," Rowan stated, shifting uncomfortably in her chair.

"I'll check on him later. There isn't much good I can do there right now. Plus, you're my cousin, of course I'll check on you," Bella said with a sheepish shrug. Rowan knew Bella wasn't the best at showing emotion, and Rowan wasn't one to push. She understood what her cousin was trying to express to her.

"Well, thank you, I appreciate it," Rowan said with a small smile.

"You've been there for me a lot lately, I'd like to be there for you when I can, especially with your elbow how it is now," Bella said. Her eyes were staring at the ground, almost as if she was embarrassed. Rowan wasn't sure if it was guilt or what – but she was just glad to have some family around at the moment.

"Yeah, well, I appreciate it. I'm probably going to rest though, so, don't worry about me," Rowan stood from the chair in Carlisle's office, making her way to the small sofa in the corner. "He mentioned getting some rest on it, so I think that's probably best right now."

Bella nodded in understanding, "Of course. I'll see you later then?"

"Yeah, of course," Rowan nodded in assurance.

As Bella walked out of the room, leaving Rowan in peace, Rowan couldn't help but go back to her previous thoughts about a normal life. She didn't believe in fate, but she also didn't believe in vampires a year ago. At this point, she wasn't sure if she was ever going to have a normal life. If Felix would have found her eventually no matter what.

Regardless, it didn't fully matter to her at this point. All that mattered currently to Rowan was getting some rest, so that's exactly what she did.

---

a/n: hi all! i apologize for taking so long on updating, but this chapter was hard for me as i kept not liking the outcome. i'm still not a huge fan of this chapter but hope you all enjoy reading it! i did put a lot of time into it overall so i hope it's okay!

while the battle was important, my overall goal is to:
1. show rowan's ability manifesting more in times of stress or dire need.
2. as always i love showing her friendship with paul :)
3. i love growing her and felix's relationship!

so i hope you enjoy! we will be entering breaking dawn timeline but that's kinda where the story fully enters into its own thing which i'm excited about! wishing everyone well as always!