Wow I am so sorry. This took way too long to get out. I've had absolutely no time the past month or so with school and vball practice everyday. I think I'm going to have 2 or 3 more chapters with this and then that may be the end of HIWMHL series. I was going to write a 3rd part, and maybe I will later, but I've forgotten the idea I was going to use. Anyway, here's chapter 11 FINALLY!

Chapter Eleven

BPOV

Aro was away calling in probably hundreds of IOU's from various covens and tribes. So far, along with Carlisle also calling, I think there's about 150 of us. Most of them have favors that they owed either Carlisle or the Volturi. Alice and Jasper had disappeared a couple of weeks ago to search for nomads who would be willing to come help us. The Romanian vampires have been the best by far. They hate the Volturi for taking over their era, yet they're completely fine with me. It's really confusing, but they're hilarious and they love to play pranks on Caius, so we work together really well.

Alice and Jasper came back about a month later, after sending about 15 nomads to us. Aro refused to begin training until the army had at least 200 in it, not including the guard itself. "Aro, you do realize that I have to train over 300 vampires in less than a month right?" Alice said they would have sent more, if she hadn't had a vision of Charles attacking on the night of the lunar eclipse....which was within the next month.

Fantastic...

Aro simply laughed. "Silly Isabella. You will only oversee the training. The leaders of the guard will do the actual training." I rubbed my temples, "Still doesn't make my job much easier." I stalked off before he could say anymore. I had too much to think about. Not only did I need to help train this army, I also had to worry about the Cullens. I had to keep a constant eye on Esme and Jane, to make sure that Jane didn't try to "help" and send all my plans spiraling down into the ground. I had to check with Alice at least twice a day to see if Charles had changed any of his plans, in case he chose to attack sooner, in which case... we were screwed. Carlisle was always off with Arden...not that I minded at all..but I really needed him to say something to make this situation seem better than he and I knew it was. Emmett and Jasper were the two I wasn't really concerned with. They were either preparing with the guard or with each other, usually accompanied by Felix and Alec. I wanted Jasper to help the guard prepare, but I never asked him because he had enough to worry about.

Then there was Edward... my concern for him was off the charts. I couldn't remember if Charles knew we were together, but if he did, he had to either stay away from me or completely miss the fight. I knew he wouldn't approve of either, especially the latter. But I had to keep him safe somehow. I sighed as I walked through the many corridors that weren't in use. If I could somehow convince Charles that Edward and I weren't together, then maybe there's a chance (a very small one might I add) that he'll leave Edward alone. I hated where my thoughts were taking me, because even now, I can feel my heart ripping at the seems because of them. I stopped and rested my head against the wall, holding in my small cries. I felt someone's arms wrap around me and soothing words began to flow from their mouth.

"Edward."

"Shh...It's going to be fine Bella. Our family is strong and the Volturi have had issues like this before. I prom--" I couldn't hold this in any longer.

"We need to talk."

Arden POV

My brother and I walked through the halls of the castle, discussing whatever came to mind as we passed by multiple paintings, statues, you know...the boring things you normally see in a castle. "We need to talk." What? I turned towards Carlisle, raising my eyebrow. "I didn't say anything." I looked around the corner and saw Edward and Bella standing in the hall. "Edward, I love you, really I do... but I think until this is over... we should act like we're not together. I don't want to even consider the possibility of you getting hurt or killed because you're my husband. I think it would be best for us to take a break." She started to walk away, but he grabbed her waist and pulled her back. "Bella... please... don't do this.... please. I've had to try to survive without you many more times than I ever wanted to. Please don't make me go through that again. I'll do anything... please..."

Oh god, what is Bella doing?!

"The only thing you could do is stay here in the castle, where you're safe, when the time to fight comes." He snarled at that idea. "That's what I knew you'd say. Edward, please. I can't be the wife I want to be for you until this has passed. I won't be able to spend long afternoons or nights with you." His fingers formed manacles around her arms, holding her in place. Carlisle and I watched, horrified at Bella's stupid idea. She began to ramble on and on, making up pointless reasons as to why they should follow her plan. Carlisle touched my shoulder and lightly pulled me away from the scene in front of me. I would have to talk to that girl later.

Too self-sacrificing for her own good.

EPOV

My fingers wrapped around her wrists as if they had become chains to hold her in place. I lightly pushed her back up against the wall, now completely ignoring her little rant. I heard Arden's thoughts as he and Carlisle watched, and I agreed with him. I began kissing her neck, moving up and down it very slowly. Her words slowly became jumbled and slurred. I kissed up her neck, moving onto her jaw, "You're far too selfless Bella." She wildly pressed her lips to mine, her fingers pulling and clutching my hair as if she were afraid if she were to let go, I'd disappear. I pressed her against the wall harder, making her wrap her legs around my waist. Luckily, we weren't that far from her wing. I pulled away, only to go back to her neck. "Any chance you could transport us into your room?" I whispered.

Next thing I knew, we were in her room, on top of her bed.

BPOV

The next morning, I opened my eyes to see Edward watching me. I smiled at him and gently pressed my lips to his. "Mmm... good morning." He chuckled, "It is a good morning." I rested my head against his chest and closed my eyes. I began to imagine a place without any threats looming over us. I suddenly remembered something and began to giggle. Edward raised his eyebrow at me, a smile forming on his face. "I suppose I kinda ruined the wedding night by being away." He smiled, "Last night made up." A sudden knock at the door made me realize that we did need to return to the real world at some point. "BELLA!! I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE! YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE TO GET DECENT AND EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT, I'M COMING IN!" I groaned. Must Alice disturb us now? I rose from the bed and walked towards the carpet. I heard Edward groan, but if Alice was coming in, I'd really rather be decent. I brought him a shirt and some pants when I stepped back out.

Literally two seconds after we were both dressed, Alice came in, her face grave. "I read my vision wrong. He's attacking within the week. The eclipse is this week" I froze. "You're joking right Alice?" She shook her head. "Damn it!" I flew out of the room, down towards the throne room. Almost everyone had gathered there already. "Someone please tell me this is a joke." Aro shook his head. "It's true Bella. I've seen it myself. And...one more thing..." Edward and Alice had joined us now, and Edward tightly pulled me to him,

"In Alice's vision, you were dead. You were..."

I raised my hand. "I'd rather not hear about how I'm going to die. I'll deal with that when the time comes." Edward growled lowly behind me, but I ignored him. "Is the guard anywhere near being ready?" Aro shrugged. "I believe they're ready enough. Honestly, how hard can one man's army be to defeat?"

"They must be pretty good if Alice is seeing them killing Bella." I sighed. "Grandfather, now is really not the time. We have to make sure that the guard is prepared. I will not have the Volturi's army go against a nomad's army and come back after having their butts kicked."

God my life really sucked after that. I can't even begin to describe how long I spent on the training grounds, constantly drilling sections of the army. Jasper and Felix were nice enough to help me, so we split the guard into three groups. Arden came to many of my training sessions and simply watched me. I may have been trying a little bit harder while he was there, but whatever. "Bella," I turned to face him after I finished my final session of the day. The fears that I had revealed to Edward were beginning to come true. I barely spent any time with him anymore. "I know you had him on your mind the whole time, but that was a very stupid stunt you tried to pull." He sat me down on the nearest bench.

"Grandpa please. I really don't want to talk about it." He placed his finger over my mouth.

"But I need to say this. You need to relax. Don't worry about the Cullens. Not only are they very capable of protecting themselves, I have also arranged for the best fighters in the guard to keep an eye on them. I will be personally guarding Edward. I don't want to look into your eyes as you take your place as ruler and not see any form of joy, happiness, or anything other than emptiness. I may not be able to see the future like your friend can, but I do know what will happen to you if any of them are lost. I have made all the necessary preparations to ensure their safety. All you need to do is worry about yourself." If I could cry I would be bawling right now. I jumped into his lap, wrapping my arms tightly around his neck.

"Thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me. But I can't be concerned for myself. I know if I worry about myself for even a second, anyone could get hurt or killed. I know that now, if there were ever a better time, is the time to be selfish and care about my own safety, but you know me better than that." He smiled. "I want to give this man a run for his money, and if I die in the process," I pulled back and looked him straight in the eyes, "I'm taking the stupid bastard with me." He grinned and hugged me again.

"That's my girl."

Esme POV

Many days passed and the eclipse was nearly upon us. If I heard correctly, it was tonight. I spent as much time as I could with my family. Bella told me she wanted to spend the day with us, but she had somethings to discuss with Aro and the visiting covens. Edward played my song on the piano, while Alice and Rosalie hummed along, Jasper and Emmett argued over a game, and Carlisle stroked my hair. A sudden shout brought us to attention. "Everyone, the time for battle is upon us! They've captured her! They've somehow captured our mistress!!" The messenger vampire rushed through the corridors, shouting for everyone's help. Edward was out of the room before the man passed it. He sprinted down the hall into the entryway, the rest of us following behind as quickly as possible.

All of the vampires joined us faster than I realized. "Arden, please tell me what I've heard is a lie. Please tell me my daughter is here somewhere." I couldn't help but beg Arden. If anyone would know, he would. He shook his head, "I'm afraid the rumors are true. She was waiting for us in here, and when we arrived, all we found was a note."

"But how did he get into the castle?" He shrugged, his eyes filled with self hatred.

"It was my duty to protect her...and so far I've done nothing but fail her." I grabbed his hand. "No, you haven't failed. We all know Bella always has a plan of some sort up her sleeve." He sullenly nodded, obviously not believing me. I looked around the hall and saw hundreds of vampires, just as enraged as we were. Everyone loved Bella... it was hard not to. None of them wanted anything bad to happen to her because they all wanted her to be able to follow the path fate had given to her. I looked around the room, searching for some kind of clue as to either Bella's whereabouts or her plan. I looked up into the rafters and saw something moving.

Carlisle gently shook me, pulling my eyes away from where her figure had been standing. "Esme, he's coming into the castle with Bella. Please stay behind me no matter what." I gazed into his loving golden eyes and nodded. He quickly kissed my lips and turned his back to me, nearly hiding me from both seeing Charles and being seen by Charles.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear.

He walked in, a triumphant smile covering his face. Behind him, came Bella. Her wrists were chained by the strongest metal I've ever seen, and she had a rope around her neck, Charles leading her like she was some sort of pet. He stopped and pushed her to the ground in front of us. "If you wish to have your princess back, completely unharmed, give me back my wife." Carlisle snarled. Charles smirked. "No? Very well then." He pulled out a sword... the same one that I saw in that video. He placed it right at Bella's neck. She hadn't moved since he pushed her down. Her eyes were closed, almost peaceful. "Are you sure we can't work out some sort of agreement Charles?" Carlisle was completely torn. I know he loved me dearly, but he couldn't just let his own flesh and blood die. "Give me the woman and we have a deal." He sighed.

No one moved or spoke.

"Well, since I suppose this is how its going to be... there's no need for my prisoner anymore." Before anyone could do anything, he brought the sword down onto her neck, beheading her beautiful head from her body. Edward roared in anger, as did the rest of the Volturi. I jumped out from behind Carlisle and grabbed Edward. He snarled while twisting around in my grasp, but I made sure to hold fast. His snarls became cries of agony and he eventually stopped struggling. He screamed in pain for his mate, but we were too late. Charles simply laughed at us. A high pitched, more bell-like laugh rang out through the hall. "You honestly think you can beat me that easily Charles?" He had stopped laughing. Everyone's attention turned towards the ceiling.....

where Bella was smiling....

"Impossible! You're supposed to be dead. I just killed you right here!" She laughed once more and jumped from the rafters, landing in front of Edward and I. "No you didn't. You killed my clone." All hell broke loose after that. I released Edward and ran back towards the maze of corridors, Heidi behind me. Though she weren't pleased about it, she agreed to protect me from Charles and his army. I think she really wanted to get away from the battle because she wasn't a warrior at all. Anyway, we quickly found a room and locked ourselves inside, waiting for someone to come tell us it was over.

EPOV

I've only felt this kind of anger one other time in my entire existence. I felt it the last time Bella was threatened. I fought by her side the entire time, both of us watching out for the other. I saw tears running down her face as she watched her new found friends in the guard get ripped to pieces, but she never stopped. We must have destroyed over 150 vampires, and we only lost around 20 or 30. "Where is Charles?" Bella frantically looked around for the madman that caused all of this. I caught a glimpse of him running into the corridor Esme had followed, but Bella had already seen him and taken off. I followed behind, throwing off any vampire headed her way. I got stuck just before the door with 4 newborns jumping around like monkeys. Jasper soon came to my aid and we managed to destroy all of them. By then, what was left of Charles' army had either fled or been destroyed. Piles of ash covered the floor of the hall.

A sudden scream pierced through the air. My family and I dashed into the corridor to see the door to a room wide open. Carlisle and I both froze. One of our mates, if not both, was in trouble. We both swallowed the venom that had gathered in our throats and cautiously proceeded to the door. To Carlisle's relief, Esme was fine. She was leaning up against a wall, her eyes frozen on some sight in front of her.

No...

A pale body lay motionless in front of her, a sword sticking through the torso... right through the heart. This body had long wavy brown hair... like Bella's. The skin looked soft and smooth... like Bella's. I slowly walked around in front to catch a glimpse of the body's face.

NO!! "No! Bella! Please wake up!" I shook her body hard... lightly slapped her face..... begging her to wake up. No matter what I did, she wouldn't move. "You can't leave me Bella.... you can't leave me... you promised... please Bella!!" Esme was crying behind me. "It.. its... its my fault. She jumped in front of my before Charles could hit me with that sword. He.. he... he pierced right through her heart. She... she staggered after the impact... but she didn't give up. She killed him after that... its all my fault..." She cried into Carlisle, sobbing the way I was. Carlisle came over to me, his eyes filled with unshed tears. He gently pulled the sword from her chest and checked over her. "I.. I don't think she's gone. I think the stress from the fight, the sword, and destroying Charles was too much on her body... I hope." His voice was too hopeful. He was losing it, as was I.

"Bella!!" Aro had joined us. He rushed to her side and frantically tried to wake her. I heard a groan in the corner of the room. "Arden!" Arden was laying in the corner of the room, a huge gash decorated his face and was dripping with venom. He slowly crawled to Bella's side and collapsed beside her. "What happened?" He coughed. "I followed her in here to see Esme pinned against the wall with Charles looming over her. He heard us approaching. I took him on while Bella ran to Esme. He gave me this and turned to destroy Esme, only to have Bella stand in the way. She received the blow and fell to his feet. She managed to rise and fight him with that atrocious thing still in her chest. She destroyed him like she destroyed that tracker who was after her.

Her body collapsed after that."


I hope you enjoyed that. I've decided that the next chapter will be the last one. I want this to be over so I can work on my newest ideas. This has been fun to write, but I can tell people aren't enjoying it as much as the first. I personally don't like this chapter very much but I hope you did. Please R&R!!!