I apologize for any spelling mistakes. I'm at war with my spellcheck.

XIV

(Edward POV) Dream...

I was fighting hard but something was keeping me back from them.

"Father!" screamed Belle, "Help!"

"Isabelle!" I cried, fighting harder, "Masen!"

"Father!" Masen yelled back.

Shadows seemed to take them and muffle their voices into silence. I cried out helplessly. Then, a figure emerged. A devil of nightmares. He seemed to emerge from the pits of darkness and manifest into the one man I hated most: King Leo.

He laughed cruelly, "They're mine now, Cullen. You'll never see them again."

"You bastard!" I yelled in fury. I attacked him with an over-the-shoulder, one-handed swing of my blade but he disappeared. I looked around wildly.

"Poor Edward Cullen."

I spun to behold him again.

"You may have the love of people but I will turn your children's love to venom."

Fear gripped my heart, "They would never turn against me."

"I will make sure of it."

Tears entered my eyes and my voice faltered, "They know I love them more than anything. They will never serve you!"

His laugh echoed and I felt myself spinning into darkness...

End Dream...

I awoke panting heavily and clutching the ground underneath me. My body heaved with my gasps and my heart seemed to be pausing. I sat up quickly and took in more breaths. I put my hand over my eyes and started shuttering, attempting with little success to calm down.

"Edward?" Emmett's hand touched my shoulder, "Are you alright?"

I sighed and forced myself to calm down, "Yes. Yes, I'm alright. It was...just a dream..."

I knew he would want something more than that but didn't ask, "Come. It's morning. We still have a way to go."

I nodded and got up. The morning frost was on the ground, indicating winter was coming. This wasn't an ideal time to travel across the kingdom but there was no choice. Hate drove her pawns hard.

"Jasper," I called quietly, shaking his shoulder, "Time to move."

He groaned as he woke up but went about getting his bedding packed onto his horse with the rest of us. Our escort comprised of Dominic, William, Fredrick, and two young knights. We woke them up and got them to saddle their horses.

Despite our half-asleep nature, we were on the move within minutes and moving down the forest road. We were travelling almost in a direct line across to Lord Luneth's kingdom. We hoped to save time this way.

"How did you meet Lord Luneth again?" Emmett asked.

"He was one of my trainers," I said, still shaking the remants of my dream off, "Last time I saw him, he was on his way to asking for a knight's daughter's hand in marriage."

"Did he ever do it?"

"I'm not sure. I was sent on the first of my campanions beforehand. I haven't heard from him since."

"I have heard that he has a good heart," William said, "I imagine his wife would be very happy."

"Lord Luneth would make a good husband," Dominic agreed, "I met him, once."

"I just feel sorry for his wife," I laughed, "I knew her. She was a very shy girl and choose to shelter herself from being put out into the open like her older sister was. That was the reason Lord Luneth fell for her."

Jasper chuckled, "I imagine the sudden change from sheltered girl to Lady of a city was quite a journey for her."

"It wasn't so much for Lady Bella," Emmett teased.

I rolled my eyes, "Only because she isn't one of the shy women of this world."

We all laughed. However, our laughter was cut short when we heard the sound of war cries around us. Men came from the bushes and attacked.

"Ambush!" I yelled, "Defend yourselves!"

My men sprun into action immediately. The clash of our swords and the screams of pain rang loud in my ears. I couldn't see the faces of the men I attacked but I keenly felt the lack of armour they were wearing. The blood flew so easily at the swing of my sword. It almost frieghtened me.

The battle ended almost as it began and we looked around.

Emmett rolled his shoulder casually, "I expected more than that..."

"They wear no armour," Fredrick voiced.

I turned to see him kneeling over one of the bodies, "Does he bear any Lord's mark?"

"I see none, my Lord."

"Highwaymen then?" Jasper asked.

"No. Highwaymen, at least, have leather armour."

"They are naught but young men," William said, studying another body. He sighed, "Many of them have not even had the chance to find their place in life."

I shook my head, "What would possess undefended, young men to attack trained knights?"

Fredrick held up a pounch, "This is a fair amount of gold."

I sighed, "Leo?"

"None of the peices have a trailable mark and there's enough to be given by any Lord in the kingdom."

"But I think we all know who would hire people to attack our Lord," Dominic said.

"Ah well," I said sadly, "Come. The least we can do is give these poor boys a proper burial."

Lord Edward's City

(Bella POV) Meanwhile...

The halls were so silent. My steps echoed loudly as I walked through them, By now, I would have been tackled by Masen or Belle...

"Bella?"

"Hm?" I turned, "Oh, good evening Elizabeth."

She smiled a little, "You seemed to be in a daze. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine...I guess I am just not used to not being tackled in the hallways anymore."

She hugged me immediately, "You poor dear. I know how you feel."

"I don't think my feeling was like yours. I mean, you had fear around you as well and you thought Edward was dead."

She sighed, "Yes. There was that."

I smiled, "Elizabeth, I appreaciate your efforts to sympathize but I don't want you to belittle your experiences in the attempt. I understand you had a great amount to deal with."

She laughed lightly, "Oh, that's what I like about you Bella. You're so observant and understanding."

I hugged her, "It's getting late. I'm going to go to bed."

Elizabeth's face fell immediately, "Are you going to be alright alone?"

"I will be fine. Don't worry about me."

"If you're sure. Sweet dreams, Isabella."

Dream...

My eyes saw so many images I couldn't tell them apart. My worries and fears grew together and attacked me like the ocean did the shore.

My children growing up without me, continuously tortured and broken by Leo; Rosalie falling further and further into a smothering depression; and Edward, Jasper, and Emmett killing themselves in an attempt to retreive their children.

"Oh God," I screamed, "Make it stop!"

I fell to my knees and covered my face with my hands, crying. Suddenly, it all stopped and arms wrapped around me. Arms I recognized and missed more than I ever admitted.

"What's wrong Bells?"

I looked up to see the face of a battered knight. I blinked to make sure it was him before I whispered, "F-Father?"

Review please! And vote! I have a 3-way tie going for Esme.