I do not sleep. I cannot. The worry plagues me like a heavy shield settling on my chest.

I pace back and forth in my room, so absorbed in my thoughts that I do not notice my mother standing in the doorway.

"What troubles you, sweetheart?" She asks. I jump, startled.

I trust my mother. I trust her with my life, more importantly I trust her with my heart. But I will not put her in a position where she must lie to my father. Because I know she will, she would do anything for me.

"Mother, what would you do if you knew something horrible was going to happen, but you could not do anything to stop them?" I ask.

"Them or it?"

I clear my throat. "It."

"Well, my dearest, if there's nothing we can do to change the world, we must find a way to live in it. It is up to you which way you choose to do so."

"And if living through it breaks my heart?"

She smiles sadly, and walks over to me. "I pray it does not, my dear child, a heart is a terrible thing to waste." She brushes a stray hair from my face. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No." I kiss her cheek. "But I must go. Good night, Mother."

I hurry down to the stables, not caring that I run right past the guards. I'm by them so quickly that they barely have time to process my escape. They're rushing to the stables as I mount my horse, but I'm off and into the darkness before they can even free their horses from the ropes.

I do not think about the ride into town. No, my mind is elsewhere, wondering what I can possibly say or do to make her change her mind.

The moon is high in the sky by the time I make it to the blacksmith's house. The fires are out, the house quiet in the stillness of the night. No one is out in the village. They are probably all asleep, preparing for the excitement of the tournament.

One of the side shutters is open, curtain flowing in the brisk night air. I take a chance and peek inside. A candle burns low on a table beside the modest bed. In the bed, a sleeping figure slumbers softly, shoulders rising and falling with their breath.

I dare not approach the door. Jacob would not be pleased to find me calling on his sister this late.

"Isabella," I whisper, watching the door across the room. "Isabella!" I say a little louder.

The figure in the bed turns and my breath catches in my throat when I see who it is. Jacob. Not Isabella.

I depart from the window and walk gently around the back of the house. Up on the second story, another light, brighter than the candle in Jacob's room. A ladder, lying sideways in the grass, is my step to Heaven above.

I carefully lay the ladder against the house and begin to climb, closer and closer to my heart.

When I reach the top, I peer inside. Isabella sits at the edge of her bed, combing through her hair.

"You took longer than I imagined," she says, glancing up at me.

"What?" I ask. "How did you?..."

"I expected more of a fight, Edward. I thought you'd chase me, lock me up, force me not to do it. Not let me out of your sight until this tournament was over."

When she put it that way, it reminds me of someone I know. Someone playing puppet master with other peoples' lives, with no regard to their feelings. As much as it will destroy my heart to watch her go through with this, I will not destroy hers by stopping her from doing so. Not like my father does to the people he supposedly loves. I would fear her resentment every day for doing so. In that moment, I know that I'm going to let her do this, even if it kills me. I just pray it does not kill her.

"Do you understand how much I adore you?" I climb inside and step toward her. "How I would do anything for you? How my entire being comes alive when I'm around you?"

Her fingers brush against my stomach and a shiver rushes through my body. "I love you, too," she whispers, smiling.

I lean down and kiss her, deep and hard, pouring everything I am and everything I feel onto her soft lips.

She surprises me, pushing me down onto her bed and straddling my waist in one quick motion. Her hair falls over her shoulder, tickling my chest ever so lightly.

"This feels indecent," I muse, quirking my eyebrow.

"I am sorry, my Lord." She leans down and I groan as her teeth tug on my ear. She pulls the bottom of her night dress up her thighs, so it rests just at her waist. "Is this better?" She whispers.

"Much, much more indecent." I smirk, pulling her down to me, my hands finding their home on her bare thighs. Her soft skin pulls me in, my fingertips aching to explore every inch of her.

She hums against my lips as I dip under her nightdress into the warmth of her. Her breath quickens, chest heaving against mine.

"Edward," she moans, bucking her hips against my palm. "I want you inside me."

"Your brother is asleep downstairs." I glance toward the door, already anxious of being discovered. I do not think Jacob would take too kindly to finding me in his sister's bed with my hand up her dress. But God, it feels so good.

"I do not care. Will you deny me?" She kisses me again.

I flip her over onto the bed and hover over her trembling body. Starting at her toes, I kiss the length of her leg, brushing my lips over her soft and quick. When I reach the fabric of her night dress, I pull it up as I go, placing a long kiss where my fingers had been moments before, before working my way up.

A long, red scar sits just above her hipbone.

"Leaned over a hot iron when I was young," she explains. "It is ugly, I know."

"You're beautiful," I mumble.

She smiles, lifting her arms above her head as I pull the dress the rest of the way off. My hands find their way to her breasts as she rushes to get my shirt off. Frantically pulling at the shoulders, it goes up over my head and I shake it off onto the floor.

She circles my chest, her nails digging slightly into my flesh as I work on my trousers, hastily kicking them off to join my shirt.

I fall on top of her, kissing her again as my hips move against hers, aching for more. I reach between us, glancing up at her one more time to make sure that this is okay, that this is what she wants. And right now, we both want each other more than anything else in the world.

As I push myself inside her, her body goes rigid and I wonder if I am hurting her.

"Are you alright?" I ask, panicked.

She nods her head. "I am not one of those porcelain dolls, Edward. You will not break me." She's breathless, panting as she pulls me down for another kiss. "Although I will not mind if you try." She smiles against my lips and locks her legs around me.

I thrust inside her, hard and fast, so much that it rattles the bed against the wall. I look at the door once more, expecting to hear footsteps clamoring up the stairs. I hear nothing.

"Again," she moans.

I do it again. And again. Until we find a rhythm all our own. One that drives me mad, tumbling into a dark place where all I see and feel is her around me.

"Isabella." I tremble, nipping at her neck. For a split second, nothing and everything matters. The chaotic world around me makes sense. Every question, every fear, every ounce of doubt I have in my body is gone. For now.

Her legs clamp around me and she cries out just before my hand clamps over her mouth. I hate to quiet her. I want her to scream. I want to know that I did that to her. But it will have to wait.

I come shortly after her, collapsing onto her chest, my heart beating like a big drum against my skin.

"Did I break you?" I ask, kissing her breast.

"Yes," she says, laughing under her breath. "In the best way."

We both fall asleep almost instantly, and I wake hours later to the first light of morning to an empty bed. Isabella sits in her chair, one of the blankets wrapped around her naked body. Her sword in her hands, she studies it, tossing it back and forth between her palms.

"Promise me something," I say.

"Anything." She looks over her shoulder and smiles.

"Think of me." I nod. I may be a selfish bastard, but I am a selfish bastard who wants the girl he loves to live. "When you are up there, ready to fight. Think of me." What I am really saying is, don't be foolish. Think of me. Think of our love. And do not let anyone take that from us.

Footsteps up the stairs make my heart stop. My clothes on the floor, all I can do is duck under the blanket to hide myself. Not very well, I may add.

"Morning, Sister." Jacob knocks and opens the door.

"Jacob!" Isabella says, I imagine pulling the blanket tighter around her.

"Bloody Hell, Bella!" The door slams shut. "What are you doing?"

"What do you mean, what am I doing? This is my room, I am allowed to be naked in it!"

"Not when there is a man in there with you! I saw your clothes, Edward!"

I throw the blanket off me and frantically try to put my clothes back on. I scramble to the ladder before he decides to come back in the room, kissing Isabella as I go.

"Will I see you before the tournament?" I whisper.

"I do not know." Sadness fills her eyes. "But I promise." She nods, eluding back to my request. "Always."

As I descend, she kisses me once more and disappears from the window. When my feet hit the ground, I start running toward my horse. Jacob's voice bellows from above. "Just because you're a royal, do not think I won't hurt you, Your Highness!"

Despite his threat, I do not worry about Jacob. I have bigger worries that plague my mind. And they all start in a few hours time. Let the tournament begin.


A/N: Hi, everyone! I hope most of you follow me on Facebook so you were able to get updates on the status of this chapter. For those of you who don't (come say Hi if you're on Facebook :)) I moved into my new house and had an absolutely HORRENDOUS time getting my internet set up. I just got it all set this past weekend, so I got this chapter out as soon as I possibly could. Hopefully should be able to return to a semi normal update schedule now. Thank you for your patience and I apologize it took so long!

And as Edward says...Let the tournament begin!