Disclaimer: snore I am Stephanie Meyer….. snore louder I am Stephenie Meyer! wake up "I am stephenie meyer!!" "No you're not…" say's Stephenie… "Damn"
"You're going to have to get all my weapons to me after I convince them I'm 'safe'," Bella said as she mounted Smoke, preparing to leave her father's home.
"Don't worry, I'll get them to you in the evening. You have your dagger don't you?" Bella patted her leg where it was sheathed in a hidden holster. "Good girl." Edward seemed to struggle with words for a moment. "You'll be careful won't you, Anemone?"
"Anemone? What does that mean? What happened to 'Tuulikki'?" Bella asked curiously.
Edward grinned. "Tuulikki means little wind. You're barely little anymore, Anemone. You're a strong wind."
Bella covered her mouth with her hands, blinking rapidly trying to keep the tears from coming. How was she to succeed without him? He was just to perfect to be left alone. Despite her efforts to keep herself from crying, her tears began to overflow and fall to the ground beneath Smoke's feet. Her hands shaking she let her hands fall from her mouth, reaching for Edward. He took her hand ignoring her tears like she wanted him to. He kissed her knuckles, one by one, silently wishing that he hadn't come up with this plan, wanting instead to spend the rest of time with her, wanting to not have to do this Hunt, wishing that his three friends hadn't been taken.
"Go before I decide to lock tie you to a tree," he laughed, Bella didn't know how serious he was.
Then before his eyes, he watched her trot to the castle that she despised, that she secretly feared, and he could do nothing to stop her, mostly because she wouldn't let him despite her fears.
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Bella gulped loudly as a young man, slightly older than herself jogged towards her as she approached the castle gates. Only when he was about ten feet away from Smoke did she recognize him. It was Peter, his blond hair had grown lighter and he was a lot taller than she remembered. His hazel-green eyes looked different, duller, depleted of hope. Without a thought she jumped from Smoke gracefully and sprinted towards him, slamming into his chest. He flinched at her touch, trying to pry her off of himself. Finally when he pushed her away, holding her at arms length he was able to look into her eyes, silently cursing the stupid cloth that concealed the bottom half of her face; he needed to find out who she was since she greeted him like an old friend. Suddenly the deep brown eyes and delicate eyebrows looked familiar.
" . . . Bella?" He asked incredulously, deniably.
"Mm-hm," she nodded smiling beneath the cloth. She watched as his dull eyes once again became the light hopeful eyes she remembered. The eyes that had calmed her when she felt that James would go one step too far.
He pulled her into another hug, but it was only for a second because he finally realized who he was hugging. "Why are you here?" he was angry and Bella flinched. "You'll be killed, don't you understand?!" When he said that she didn't understand anymore. "Answer me," he commanded.
"I'm here on a Hunt," she said looking down at the purple slippers on her feet that matched the cloth on her face. "The prisoners, the Sandhyans, in the dungeons, I'm here to save them . . . with my . . . with Edward." She didn't know why but she knew that he would help her, maybe even come to the Sandhya Society if they succeeded.
"How do you expect to get inside without getting killed off immediately, especially after you killed my sister?" he had no problem with his sister's death. His family was so messed up that he had come to resent and despise the half-crazed princess of Kali. He flinched at a distant memory of her half drowning him in a lake by the castle. Any longer and he would've died- Kia knew this of course, she would've gone all the way if it hadn't been for Bella. She had jumped into the lake and smacked Kia right in the mouth, freeing Peter from her grasp.
Bella grinned under the cloth, and pulled it down so it hung at her neck, revealing her sinister smile. Peter recognized it immediately, and couldn't prevent a smile of his own from appearing. Memories of childhood pranks flowing through the river of his mind unbidden. "I've got a plan."
He waited expecting more but all she did was grin. "And?" he asked impatiently.
"You'll see," she said in a smug singsong voice. It annoyed Peter immensely. "Now bring me into the castle like you would to a traitor," she pulled the cloth above her face again. "Make sure Smoke is tended to," she added as an afterthought, inclining her head towards her faithful steed. She turned her back to him giving him access to take hold of her arms to force her to the castle.
He hesitated for a moment, then got a grip shifting his expression to that of disgust and dark exhilaration, a look that Kia would adopt when she predicted a murder, that she would perform. He took hold of her arms, gripping them tightly, but not too tightly. She willingly let him shove her forward when they passed through the gate and the guard that opened it. The guard gave Peter an approving nod, and returned to manning the gate, knowing that the royal family would take care of the "wench".
The continued to walk, or stumble in that manor when they passed someone but when there was no one around he loosened his hold and let her walk more freely. Finally they entered the castle and a lone vulture screeched sending a message throughout the castle calling forth each member of the royal family. James was the last to arrive and Bella stiffened desperately wanting to hide behind something as his greedy, hungry eyes raked her body, making her feel dirty. She was grateful for the cloth that covered her face, because if he recognized her . . . she shuddered in discomfort.
Peter's mother, Makia, held herself as if she were smelling something unbearably horrific, her head held so high she was nearly looking at the ceiling. Beside her stood James who had an arm wrapped around the waist of a young woman with long flaming hair. She looked oddly familiar but Bella couldn't recall her name. She was looking up at James admiringly, taking no notice of Bella the "traitor". At Makia's side stood a fourteen year old Jane and Alec, the set of twins who had been nine when Bella had last seen them. They looked quite sallow and expressionless, numb. With a twinge of guilt Bella remembered that they had been oddly close with their older sister Kia. Then again they were half-crazed as well so she didn't care much about them.
"Who's this Peter?" James asked his eyes never leaving Bella, and with annoyance she noticed how his eyes seemed to look everywhere but her eyes. She rolled her eyes; typical James. Unfortunately the one time he did look in her eyes had been at the exact moment when she rolled them, and he recognized her instantly. "Ah," he grinned devilishly. "Isabella how are you?"
Bella flinched at his seductive purr when he had said her name. She flinched again when she heard Peter's rough voice behind her. "I found the traitor just outside the castle gates." For a moment Bella thought he actually meant what he was saying but remembered it was all an act a moment later.
Makia was holding the set of twins by their shoulders, they seemed to desperately want to run their blades through Bella's heart. It surprised her how suddenly they had come back to life, Jane's eyes burning with fire and Alec's freezing with ice. "Well, what brings you here Bella?" her voice was calm at the surface but had the ability to cut through stone in its dark suffocating depths.
"I've escaped from the Sandhya." Her voice was strong but slightly muffled by the cloth at her mouth.
"You killed Kia," Jane spat with no control at all.
"What makes you think we'd welcome you back with open arms?" Alec finished for his twin.
"I didn't mean to do what I did," she said with the right amount of self pity, looking down at her feet with shame. "They forced me," she whimpered. "Threatened me."
"With what?" Peter asked curious. For a moment he had also fallen for her amazing acting skills.
Bella remained silent trying to add effect. "Speak girl!" Makia barked impatiently.
"They," she took a shaky breath. "They threatened my . . . virginity."
Everyone in the entry hall had visibly stiffened, even Peter. It was silent for a few moments and Bella lifted her head once more, eager for their reactions. The woman with flaming hair had actually begun untangling herself from James and rushed across the room throwing her arms around Bella's neck in sympathy. The scent of her, pines, instantly jogged Bella's memory and the name of the woman resurfaced. Victoria. She was the daughter of another black smith and they had become, not quite friends but they understood each other, to an extent of course. (A/N: Yeah not a Victoria reaction you would expect from the actual Victoria but remember they strongly believed in a young woman's virginity… James is kind of like the oxi-moron to the society… or something like that…) Peter released Bella's arms and let her hug Victoria back. She willed tears to spring to her eyes and she sniffed into the older woman's shoulder.
"Well," Makia said in a chocked voice. "That certainly changes things. You remember where you're chambers are don't you? You must be tired." (A/N: I don't know if I mentioned it before but she would sometimes stay the night at the castle, much to her discomfort thanks to James.)
"Yes I suppose I am," Bella agreed despite the fact that she was quite wound up, feeling an extreme high at succeeding in getting inside the castle without being killed off, plus she knew that Makia would want to discuss some things with her family. Bella had no worry about that though because she knew that Peter would tell her everything his "dear" mother said. She made her way towards the grand staircase that led to the West wing, trying to ignore James' eyes on her retreating figure. She knew all too well that he would want to take that virginity that she had "protected". She shuddered once again half expecting Edward to calm running up behind her and fling her on his shoulder, bring her back to happy times.
Phew!! That's probably my longest chapter in my history of Fanfiction stories! Also just to set something straight: Peter and Bella are best friends! I swear that nothing shall ever happen between them except that! Lol now review review! I loved that chapter by the way, I found it very fun to right… despite the fact that there is barely any Edward in it… : ( sigh okay enough talk and more review! I love you all! kiss kiss