Alistair listened in horror, shocked at the change that had come over his father.
Alistair listened in horror, shocked at the change that had come over his father. It was apparent his father was mad. The baron had created a plan to set Alistair on the throne of England, and swore Alistair would be the next Charlemagne. Alistair tried to leave but was restrained. The baron ranted that he had sold his soul and paid an unthinkable price to make Alistair invincible. Alistair tried to reason with his father, to no avail. He entreated the other men present for help, but they seemed to believe the baron‘s story absolutely.
Shortly thereafter there was a quiet knock on the barred door. Every man in the room, including the baron, blanched. Some clutched at crosses. One man scurried to throw the door open. A man entirely enveloped in a dark red hooded cloak glided silently into the room.
Everyone bowed to him. He was greeted as Astaroth by the baron. Quietly, Astaroth asked for the room to be emptied. The aristocrats ran to the exit. Only the baron stayed. Astaroth thanked the baron for his offering. The baron looked sick, but nodded and left, leaving Alistair alone with the hooded man.
Astaroth laughed casually and told Alistair that his father was certainly mad, but that it was true Alistair could be king if he wanted.
Astaroth, whose name was actually George, threw off his cloak. Alistair was surprised to see a very handsome man who had long blond curls and wore modern clothes. The man was not much older than Alistair. Astaroth laughed casually and told Alistair that his father was certainly mad, but that it was true Alistair could be king if he wanted. Astaroth would give him power to stand against any man — even an army. Alistair could do what he wished with the power, but he might think about honoring his father‘s wishes, as his father had indeed paid a great price to buy this honor for his son.
Astaroth/George was a vampire not unlike Boris, the vampire who changed Laurent.
George also enjoyed entertaining himself with humans; he just had a darker idea of fun than did Boris. He led on humans in love with the occult, asking them to sacrifice everything they held most dear in exchange for his supernatural assistance. He liked to see how far humans would go to get what they wanted. Of course, he could always have taken their sacrifices without their consent, but he liked to watch them struggle with the dilemma. He pretended to be one of the princes of hell because it impressed the mortals.
George gave Alistair a few pointers: Stay out of the sun, and don‘t attract too much attention. Of course, Alistair had no idea what George was talking about. George then bit Alistair, wished him good luck, and disappeared.
Unable to restrain himself, Alistair slaughtered most of them.
When Alistair‘s transformation was complete, he found himself surrounded by a large group of terrified peasants bound together with manacles. Unable to restrain himself, Alistair slaughtered most of them. When he was totally sated, there were still a few left living. It was then that his father entered the bloody council room; Astaroth had given him advice on how to stay alive when dealing with his indestructible new son.
The baron was prepared for Alistair‘s thirst, but not for his anger. He tried to explain the next steps to Alistair, but Alistair was furious with him — horrified by what he‘d just been through, followed by the murders he‘d committed. He shoved his father out of his way, accidentally killing him.
Alistair was surprised by many things that night: his super strength, his sharp senses, his speed — none of which he expected. Escaping the underground maze was child‘s play, as he quickly discovered he could break through the stone walls. He wasn‘t able to ride a horse — he found his father‘s and tried to mount it, but the poor beast broke its own neck trying to escape him — but once he tried running he found that horses were unnecessary. He raced home to find his house empty, his mother and sisters vanished. In a burst of insight, Alistair realized what his father‘s offering to Astaroth must have been. Totally devastated, Alistair sought refuge with his falcons, only to find that they could bear his presence no more than the horse could.
Alistair left civilization that night. He avoided all contact with humans, except when he hunted. He mistrusted everyone from that point on, assumed conspiracies existed everywhere, and was paranoid about authority figures.
Alistair met Carlisle in the seventeenth century. Carlisle had already discovered a way to exist without the traditional vampire diet, but had not yet gone to Italy or met the Volturi.
Alistair was a total recluse at that point, and had no interest in conversation. Carlisle was lonely, though, and so enthusiastic about finding someone to talk to that eventually he got Alistair to respond a little bit before he left. Carlisle was concerned about Alistair‘s isolated life; every few decades, Carlisle would visit to see how Alistair was doing. Against Alistair‘s wishes, they ended up as friends of a sort.
FAMOUS QUOTE
“I can"t believe I got myself sucked into this mess. What a fine way to treat your friends.”
Breaking Dawn, Chapter 32
CHARLES
NAME: Charles
DATE OF BIRTH: 1922
DATE OF TRANSFORMATION: 1949, at age 27
SOURCE OF TRANSFORMATION: Makenna
PLACE OF ORIGIN: Denmark
HAIR COLOR: Dark blond
EYE COLOR: Red/black (vampire)
HEIGHT: 6‘0‖
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Charles is thin, but muscular.
SPECIAL ABILITIES: Charles can sense when someone is lying to him.
FAMILY/COVEN RELATIONSHIPS: Charles‘s mate is Makenna.
Charles said he would be there through anything.
PERSONAL HISTORY:
Charles was a law student in Barcelona when he met Makenna. They fell in love. After some time, Makenna told Charles that her family was unusual and she was approaching some big changes. Charles said he would be there through anything. Makenna told him she had to leave for a while, but would come back. If Charles wanted to wait, he could. If not, she would understand. When she returned more than a year later as a vampire, Charles was still waiting.
After hashing through all the pros and cons together, Charles decided to join her. They waited three years so Makenna would be able to keep from killing him, and then he was successfully transformed. They live nomadically for the most part, but Makenna still visits her family often.
FAMOUS QUOTE
“I, too, know when I am hearing the truth, and when I am not.” Breaking Dawn, Chapter 37
CHARLOTTE
NAME: Charlotte
DATE OF BIRTH: Between 1920 and 1925
DATE OF TRANSFORMATION: Approximately 1938, at around age 18
SOURCE OF TRANSFORMATION: Maria
PLACE OF ORIGIN: Southern United States
HAIR COLOR: Pale blond
EYE COLOR: Red/black (vampire)
HEIGHT: 5‘0‖
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Charlotte is very petite.
SPECIAL ABILITIES: Charlotte does not possess a quantifiable supernatural ability.
FAMILY/COVEN RELATIONSHIPS: Charlotte‘s mate is Peter.
PERSONAL HISTORY:
Charlotte was added to Maria‘s newborn army during a time when Maria was regrouping and not actively planning to conquer any more territories. Maria still kept a large number of newborns to protect herself, but she was not as picky about the newborns she selected. Jasper had just destroyed a large batch of newborns, and when Maria went hunting for more, Charlotte was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Peter was in charge of babysitting the newborns on a day-to-day basis, keeping them from attacking one another, feeding them as inconspicuously as possible, and helping Jasper a little bit with their fight training. Peter was the first person to talk with Charlotte after her transformation. He was the only stable, sane thing she knew during her first weeks of vampire life. As Charlotte‘s first year of life passed, a deep bond formed between them.
Charlotte could tell something was wrong with Peter in those l
ast weeks with Maria. He was tense and irritable with everyone. Though Peter idolized Jasper as if he were an older brother, Charlotte saw them arguing heatedly. A few times it seemed as though he wanted to discuss something with her, but he always changed his mind.
She trusted him enough that she broke into a sprint without a second of doubt.
One night, Jasper was giving the newborns one-on-one instruction. He would call them out individually, but none came back before the next was called. Charlotte was the eighth to be selected. Jasper called for her and gestured for her to follow. But Peter was there, looking both furious and fearful. He yelled for Charlotte to run. She trusted him enough that she broke into a sprint without a second of doubt. She heard him running with her. She listened for some other pursuit, but heard nothing.
When they were very far away, Peter said they were safe, and Charlotte stopped running.
Peter finally explained what was going on, and what he feared they were up against. However, they quickly learned that much of what they knew about life applied only to a limited geographic area. Soon they were comfortable with the new vampire world they‘d discovered. Peter only had one lingering regret, and after five years, he decided to go back for Jasper. Charlotte wanted to go with him, but Peter told her that he could sneak in more easily alone.
Charlotte was surprised that Jasper chose to join them. She wasn‘t entirely thrilled with having him in their new coven. Certainly, he added to their strength. However, he was depressing to be around in those days. When he decided to leave them, she was relieved. She preferred to have Peter to herself. Peter always kept in touch with Jasper, and after Jasper found Alice, Charlotte enjoyed his company a lot more. If not for their dietary peculiarities, Charlotte would have been tempted to join Jasper and Alice.
MAKENNA
NAME: Makenna
DATE OF BIRTH: 1920
DATE OF TRANSFORMATION: 1946, at age 26
SOURCE OF TRANSFORMATION: Luca
PLACE OF ORIGIN: Malta
HAIR COLOR: Black
EYE COLOR: Red/black (vampire)
HEIGHT: 5‘2‖
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Makenna is short and thin.
SPECIAL ABILITIES: She does not possess a quantifiable supernatural ability.
FAMILY/COVEN RELATIONSHIPS: Makenna‘s mate is Charles.
PERSONAL HISTORY:
Makenna comes from a Maltese family with a very unusual link to vampirism. One of her ancestors, Luca, was converted to vampirism around 400 B.C. Unlike most vampires, Luca did not leave his mortal family behind; he continued to look after his family‘s prosperity and safety.
And, with a vampire on their side, the family prospered greatly. Everyone in the family was in on the secret and thought of Uncle Luca as a kind of personal family saint. The next generation grew up with an entirely different perception of vampirism than was usual. After several more generations had passed, one of Luca‘s relatives, a distant nephew, asked if he could join Luca.
When he saw that the boy‘s parents were willing, Luca agreed. The nephew went his own way rather than staying a part of the family, and Luca was disappointed. He looked for another family member to help him protect the family line. He converted a few more of his relatives into vampires, two of whom became his constant companions. Others left the family for various reasons; Renata, for example, was adopted into the Volturi. It became the tradition that every other century, one child would be chosen to join Luca as a family protector. Makenna was one of the chosen ones, and she grew up knowing this would be her destiny. She looked forward to her fate, until she met Charles. Luca told her she could give up her heritage if she wanted to grow old and die with the human. Makenna did not want to give up either, so she chose immortality, always planning to go back for Charles.
When she went back to Charles, Makenna was honest with him. She explained to him all the drawbacks and advantages of vampirism. They discussed everything thoroughly before Charles chose to be with her. Knowing her uncle Luca would not change someone unrelated to the family, Makenna waited until she was sure she was strong enough to handle the temptation, and then she changed Charles herself.
Renata was the one who invited Makenna and Charles to accompany the Volturi to Forks to witness the crime the Cullens had committed. Because the Volturi were sure that Renesmee was an immortal child, Charles got no sense of dishonesty until they arrived in the clearing.
FAMOUS QUOTE
“We did not come here for a fight. We came here to witness. And our witness is that this condemned family is innocent.” Breaking Dawn, Chapter 37
PETER
NAME: Peter
DATE OF BIRTH: Sometime between the 1860s and 1920s DATE OF TRANSFORMATION: Sometime between the 1860s and 1920s SOURCE OF TRANSFORMATION: Maria
PLACE OF ORIGIN: Southern United States
HAIR COLOR: Pale blond
EYE COLOR: Red/black (vampire)
HEIGHT: 6‘3‖
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Peter is tall and lean.
SPECIAL ABILITIES: Peter does not possess a quantifiable supernatural ability.
FAMILY/COVEN RELATIONSHIPS: Peter‘s mate is Charlotte.
PERSONAL HISTORY:
Peter was created by Maria to fight in her newborn army. Jasper found a kindred spirit in Peter and was impressed with his abilities; he advised Maria that Peter might be worth keeping.
Maria didn‘t care much either way, and so indulged Jasper in his preference.
Peter knew Jasper had saved his life, and he felt indebted; he would do anything Jasper asked.
Jasper enjoyed Peter‘s company, and they worked well as a team. Peter knew Jasper had saved his life, and he felt indebted; he would do anything Jasper asked. He cheerfully took on the responsibility of the other newborns. He was not concerned about their fate. Like Maria and Jasper, he viewed them as tools without individual personalities — until Maria brought Charlotte back.
Charlotte was different from the other newborns. Usually Maria selected humans she thought would make good warriors, but during her brief interludes of peaceful living, she was less picky. There were some women, a few physically older individuals, and some who were too young to be of much use. They were just numbers. Charlotte was one of the vampires who did not have physical attributes or life experience that would lead to her being a good warrior. She was very small physically, and scholarly by nature. She was the most self-controlled of all the fresh newborns, which gained Peter‘s attention. She was able to carry on a conversation, a rarity for newborns, and Peter found himself spending more and more time with her.
At first Peter did not think he was in danger. Charlotte was interesting and oddly pleasant, but still just another newborn. She was also very pretty in a delicate way, but all the female recruits were beautiful. She was fun to talk to, but that was just killing time. It wasn‘t until nearly nine months had passed that Peter suddenly realized she would be destroyed soon—
and it wasn‘t until he imagined her gone that he realized how much she‘d come to mean to him.
Peter waited for a good moment, and then spoke to Jasper about maybe preserving a few of the newborns. Jasper brushed him off, saying Maria would make that decision. In truth, Jasper had seen nothing special about any of the group. They were poor soldiers; he wouldn‘t make any recommendations this time. Jasper could tell that Peter was agitated, but he assumed it was a similar emotion to his own depression. He thought Peter was opposed to the coming destruction in a general sense. Jasper knew Peter would need to get over that weakness in order to stay alive.
As the time for Charlotte‘s demise approached, Peter agonized over his options. To his understanding, the world was entirely made up of warring factions of strong vampires surrounded by newborn armies. He had powerful allies in Jasper and Maria; he was in as good a position as possible for a three-year-old vampire. His best option was to convince Jasper to leave Charlotte alive. Peter could barely conceive of trying to strike off on his own with Charlotte—
>
they‘d be massacred in no time.
Charlotte‘s time grew closer and Peter became more frantic. Again he tried to talk Jasper into letting him save the ones he wanted. He never said Charlotte‘s name, worried that drawing attention to her would prove dangerous for her. Jasper told him to relax and not worry about it—
there was still plenty of time to make a decision. He promised to talk to Maria. Peter thought that sounded promising, so he waited. Jasper actually went to Maria to ask, for Peter‘s sake, but Maria felt that three permanent vampires were enough. She didn‘t want another Nettie/Lucy situation on her hands.
The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide (twilight) Page 23