Chapter seven
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Solitude
I tense. Alex tenses. Silver jumps off of Edward's lap. I even hear Alpha shifting. We all stare at the prince, momentarily stunned by his words. I open my mouth, trying to get anything out but my throat has closed up. My tongue feels numb. My fingers twitch in Alex's fur, my other hand slipping out of Edward's grasp. I try talking again, this time managing something that could only be identified as a squeak.
"Bella?" Edward's head cocks, his eyes wide with concern. Glazing themselves over with confusion. It pangs in my heart that I had managed the facade for this long.
Soon, his heart would break.
"I… I…" That is all I manage to say before Sky's weight rests on my shoulder, his talons gripping me sharply. I look up and cringe when I look into his pitch-black eyes. Panic is all I see.
Soldiers… coming this way… must have followed Edward… no time to leave… Sky pours in his thoughts, gushing a scramble of words. The bird must have made a sprinting flight to arrive in time.
My body and mind go numb. It feels like I'm not in my own body anymore as I jump up. Alpha, Alex, and Silver are already there, ready for my command while Edward's dazed eyes stare up at me.
"You have to run or they'll kill you on sight. Alpha can stay." I swallow back the lump in my throat, closing my eyes briefly in an attempt to slow my pounding heart.
"I'm sorry."
But what about you? Silver whines softly.
"I… I'll be fine. You have to trust me, ok? Now go! Before it's too late."
Alex and Silver both give me a soft nudge with their heads, before scurrying off into the woods. Sky squeezes my shoulder, rising into the air and away from the cabin. I watch him fly away, biting harshly on my bottom lip to stifle the pain that radiates from my heart.
This is the same pain I felt about twenty years ago, the day my father left me alone.
My heart, which finally felt whole again when I lived peacefully in the cabin, now feels like a stone under my ribcage. My eyes begin to water, blurring my vision into a mash of blues and greens. I clench my fists tighter, determined not to cry. Crying is weak.
My father's very first lesson.
I can still remember that day very clearly. We were climbing a dangerous path to the top of a mountain when I slipped on some rocks and banged my head against a tree. I cried hard and long. We had to go home immediately. When we got to our house, my father grabbed my shoulders tightly and had spoken the words I've never forgotten.
"Never cry. Not alone and not in front of the enemy, it shows them your weaknesses and gives them strength. It will kill you."
His words hadn't made much sense then, but I can see the importance of them now.
I run my hand roughly across my face, wiping away the two traitorous tears that had silently slipped from my eyes. Scanning the trees, I retrieve my bow from my back and nock an arrow to the bowstring. I know I really won't stand a chance against more than five guards, but I don't want to be undefended when they get here.
I feel fingers rub over my arm, hesitant in their demeanor. Edward, trying to understand what had happened. Reminding me, unknowingly, he was still here.
"May you tell me what is going on?"
I hold my gaze on the treeline, my fingers twitching against the feathers of my trusted arrow.
"You were followed," I grit out.
"No, I was not… why would I be?" Edward's voice sounds confused, hurt even. His fingers crawl to my clenched fist. Comforting. Perhaps one of the most warming touches I had felt in many years; full of a trust that could not be spoken in words.
We both jump at the sudden appearance of several knights, who come charging at us with their weapons raised. I raise my own bow, aiming at the iron helmet of one of the soldiers. My hand tightens around the curved wood, however, when the others swarm around me. I count twelve individuals; four aiming their bow, six pointing a sword or halberd, and two on horseback. One of them carries a large, red flag, the roaring lion of Hebyra standing proudly in the middle.
A thirteenth man comes rushing through the horde. The red mane adorning his detailed helmet points that he is the captain. Surprisingly, he does not draw the large broadsword strapped to his waist but crosses the ground quickly to Edward.
"Your highness, for your safety, step back!" The captain pushes the prince back some and then keeps his hand on Edward's shoulder.
"What? What is this? Lower your weapons at once!" Edward draws his sword, shaking the hand of the captain off his shoulder and striding toward me. "Stand down, soldiers. Who gave you this command?" Edward barely makes it into the circle before he's jerked back again, this time with a heavy arm around his waist.
"The king gave the order and told us not to listen to you. She's gotten into your head already, my prince. We are ordered to bring her in and throw her into jail."
Edward fights against the hold of the man. "You will not! You will let her go this instant! And let me down at once, Emmett!"
Emmett ignores the prince's screams, only tightening the arm around Edward's waist. He nods to the soldiers. "Take her."
I shift my eyes from the struggling due to the approaching knight in front of me. "Lower your bow, leech!" he sneers.
I glare at him, briefly tightening my arm before I release the bowstring. The knight's eyes widen comically underneath the heavy helmet. The arrow I fired is now embedded deeply into the tree's thick trunk behind him; only inches away from his face. I then throw my bow on the ground in front of him, my gloves and wrist blades follow next.
"Happy now?" I ask.
His eyes spark with rage and he starts toward me, his sword raised and pointed at my chest. I don't move other than the mocking tilt of my head. I know Carlisle wants me alive and well, so he can see me rot in one of his cells. He doesn't want my death to be easy and quick - no - he wants to see me suffer. Especially now he knows I've been living on the edge of his land for years despite his threat.
It is the captain, Emmett, who stops the knight. "Do not let her get under your skin, Jacob! You are well aware of the orders. Grab her weapons and shackle her."
The sudden, harsh kick to the back of my knees and the hands that yank my arms roughly behind my back, have me gritting my teeth in anger. The knight I mocked with my arrow, Jacob, comes to stand in front of me and presses the blade of his sword to the skin of my neck. He smirks at me as two pairs of hands clamp down on my shoulders, a third locks a heavy piece of cold metal around my wrists. The iron makes it impossible to wriggle my fingers, let alone move my hands at all. Immediately, I feel the heaviness of the shackle strain my shoulders and arms.
I know that these kinds of shackles are only used against vampires. The scientists in the castle had created an incredibly strong mixture of steel and tungsten and tested it on vampires they had captured. It is extremely difficult for a vampire to break them without help. Especially because the guards have a fine technique to twist the arms of a vampire behind its back to make it immobile, and then lock the shackles around the entire hand and forearm.
My father told me that he experienced the shackles himself before he met my mother. He had traveled to Hebyra alone, hoping to come to some kind of agreement with the king to live there. Carlisle's father at that time didn't take it well at first, and my father had been imprisoned for some time. He told me that they didn't give him any blood for the first four months. The lack of blood drained his energy so bad, that he couldn't move his muscles. It had been young Carlisle who brought him a dead deer.
Two years later, the king died and Carlisle took his place, barely seventeen years old. Against all advice, Carlisle released my father from his prison and granted him a house in Hebyra.
I am snapped out of my father's memories by a heavy pair of hands on my ankles. They yank my feet against each other, holding them while a second shackle is prepared.
I twist my upper body, struggling against the hands on my shoulders.
Bad move.
The hilt of Jacob's sword comes down hard against my temple. My vision swims and my ears ring.
But I stay conscious.
"Stay still, leech!" Jacob spits in my face, pressing his blade tighter against the exposed skin of my neck.
I hear Edward howling in anger. From the corner of my eye, I see him fighting against Emmett's hold. It is pointless, I note, Emmett has him in a grip no human could escape from. But seeing Edward struggle against his own men, causes something to flutter in my stomach.
He wants them to let me go.
He is on my side.
My mouth curls into a slight smile as my head lolls to the side, briefly resting on the iron fingers before a hand in my hair jerks my head up again.
"Wait!"
My brows furrow at the unfamiliar voice. It is neither Edward's, Emmett's, or Jacob's.
"She's bleeding! I thought that her kind… Captain, are you certain she's the one the king wants?"
This time it is Emmett who responds. "Aye, I am certain."
With a soft click, a heavy shackle is closed around my ankles.
Jacob removes the blade from my neck, coming to kneel in front of me with a smirk planted on his tan face. His arms come up, strapped in a heavy iron gauntlet, and he palms my cheek in his hand. "You are quite a sight. Pity your father passed his demonic side to you, leech" he spits.
Edward's roar is deafening. "Do not touch her!" His words are followed by a loud bang and a low groan.
Worried, I try twisting my head away from Jacob to see if Edward is alright, but the hands holding me in place leave me immobile. Luckily, Emmett speaks up again.
"Your highness, you need to calm down! She needs to be brought to the castle, and we cannot trust her. You need to stop struggling or you'll hurt yourself! Why don't you ride to the castle on Marauder ahead of us, I believe the king wants a word with you."
The struggling noises diminish, exchanged for the heavy breathing of both men.
"No! I will take her horse to the castle." Edward's voice is strong and full of authority, leaving no room for any doubts or arguments even though he's still out of breath.
"My prince, I do not think…"
"No Emmett. And you," I see Jacob lift his head higher, and assume Edward is talking to him. "step away from her right now or I will personally see you banished from these lands."
Jacob's face twists into a scowl underneath his helmet, and for one moment I am sure he's going to object. But then he raises his hands in a none threatening gesture, sheathes his sword, and steps away. Edward nods, seeming satisfied, and then turns to me. I study his face, shining with sweat from the struggle with the captain, and note the obvious anger there, as well as the confusion.
Edward's eyes flash to mine, the questions in them clear as day.
Why have they caught you?
Are you hiding something from me?
What are you?
I shake my head slightly at him. Not here.
The prince gives a small nod, but the warning in his eyes is clear. If I were to come out of this alive and see him again, I had to tell him. No excuses. He then steps to Marauder and Alpha and takes both their reins in his hand.
"Let us go back, then."
The captain nods at Edward's words, waving at the knights around me to come in action. Jacob is the first to reach me, a mischievous glint in his eyes and a smirk around his lips. I flinch away from him, knowing he's up to something. The captain and prince are in a deep conversation I cannot hear, with their backs facing me. There would be no stopping Jacob now, as I was bound and immobile.
He comes up behind me and wraps his arm around my torso, pulling me up and against his chest in one jerky movement. My eyes widen as his hand is now firmly planted on my left breast, but before I can utter a word, his other hand comes up to clench around my throat. His deep breathing is hot against the side of my exposed neck, and I shiver as he whispers in my ear. "Yes, let's go."
I frantically look around for someone to notice my position, but everyone seems confident that Jacob could handle me alone. They're packing up their things and position themselves for the march back to the castle. Realizing I have to do this alone, I take a deep breath and kick with all my might against Jacob's knees. My strength plus the extra weight from the shackle have him staggering back. The hand on my throat remains, now clenched so tight I can't breathe. I squeak out a soft no, struggling even harder against the iron grip Jacob has on me.
Jacob calls something to the knights, but the adrenaline in my blood is too high for me to notice anything other than to break free. I manage to knock Jacob's chin hard with my shoulder, causing him to stagger back and drop me to the ground. It is impossible for me to stand with my legs bound, but I try nonetheless. The attempt to come quietly flew out of the window as soon as Jacob laid his filthy hands on my body while I couldn't do anything about it.
I hear the other knights approaching me now, clamping their iron hands around me to keep me still. I do not stop withering though, the anger coursing through my veins enough to have me struggling against them with all my might.
I hear the arrow leaving its bowstring before it pierces through my knee.
I cry out.
Edward's howl is unmistakable.
Everyone is yelling now.
The captain is barking out several harsh commands while keeping Edward tightly to his side.
The harsh thud against my temple sends my head banging against the hard floor.
"No…" I manage before everything becomes black.
-0-
I wake with a start, jerking upright only to painfully bang my head against the smooth stone surrounding me. It is dark; only a sliver of light illuminates the small, musky place around me. I blink with my eyes, fighting against the black spots flecking my vision and the throbbing of my head; the blow from the sword left a small trail of blood on the side of my face. I run my finger over my temple, wiping away the dried blood. The wound already closed up, as did the one on my knee. The guards had been kind enough to remove the arrow, so the wound could close. They hadn't, however, cleaned up, so the sticky, dried-up blood stuck the thin, linen pants against my leg.
As I try to remove the cloth from my legs, the heavy shackles catch my eye. They're still clasped tightly around my wrists and ankles, only now a thick chain pins them to the wall behind me so I wouldn't be able to walk around.
I shiver, now thinking back of the events of yesterday, if I haven't been unconscious or longer than twenty-four hours that is. I desperately hope Alex, Silver, and Sky are alright, that the knights hadn't turned the entire woods inside out in search for my allies if they even knew about them. Then, I think about the rough way the guard handled, not only against me but also against their own prince. The captain had been ruthless in keeping Edward away from me, despite Edward's commands and rage.
Edward…
My eyes close as I think of the trouble he must be in now.
Because of me…
Does he already know about me? I wonder. Would Carlisle tell his son immediately that he spent time with a vampire? How disgusted is he going to be when he visits me in my cell?
If…
If he visits me in my cell.
Shaking my head, as if trying to erase the thoughts from my head, I have to come up with a plan to escape. From what I can hear, there is only one knight stationed near the exit of the prison. There would be no problem taking him down, even without weapons. But, I have no chance to come out of these bonds alone, and it seems like this cell is away from the other, regular cells. Carlisle wouldn't want me to interact with the humans and vampires there, and find a way to escape with each other's help.
I lean back against the wall. The throbbing in my head flared again, and I'm forced to close my eyes.
-0-
The sound of a heavy lock being unlatched has me jumping. Disorientated, I squint against the darkness surrounding me. It could have been hours, days, or weeks, I don't know. Because there are no windows here, I can't see the sun and its position.
I hear the guard being dismissed, and then the sound of heavy footsteps closing in on my cell. My body tenses, my breath gets stuck in my throat.
Please be Edward…
Please be Edward!
The tall man coming to stand in front of the cell is not Edward. Dressed in heavy robes with a golden crown perched on his pale blond hair, is none other than Carlisle Cullen. He has a bow in his hand. My body tenses; my bow.
The king leers evilly at me, cocking his head to the side as he watches me.
"Hello, Isabella…"
A/N: Soo sorry it took so long. Leave a review to let me know what you think.
Beta'd by NefariousRed