Here we are guys, chapter 31. I'm not going to lie, this chapter was not planned, but when the idea was planted in my head from a review I received, it just wrote itself. And I love it. We're winding down, next chapter is the one I think we've been waiting on. Thank you guys for all the reviews, favourites and follows, I really appreciate them all.

Chapter 31

BPOV

Life is a peculiar affair, one minute you're down and the next you've achieved victory. I truly believed victory was ours, I believed that we had won the war after losing in the many battles that came against us. However, life is a peculiar affair.

The ballroom had cleared of royals faster than I had anticipated, many refused to stay the night at the castle, and decided to take the risk of going home or staying with a neighbouring courtier. In the mist of that commotion, I was summoned to the doctor's quarters, it was Rose. Edward and I made our way as quickly as we could, somehow the pain I was in came secondary to the thoughts of Rose and what was happening.

As I rounded the corner, her screams echoed down the hall from where she was, and I faltered. The sheer terror and pain mingled in her screams, brought me to my knees. Edward grabbed me by the shoulders calling my name, but I was so far away. It was too early for her to have the baby, and I was scared to enter that room, I couldn't face what I knew was happening. I couldn't be at her side, I was a coward, but fear held my heart in its icy grip.

"Bella!" Edward's frantic voice called to me, and I could feel his hands holding my face.

"I need a physician!" Edward's voice sounded far away, and I suddenly felt hands touching me, lifting me, but all I could hear were her screams.

My surroundings changed as I was whisked away in the opposite direction of where I needed to be, but didn't want to be. We had finally reached my bed chambers, and I was placed in my bed, where a doctor tended to my wounds.

'Oh yes, my wounds.' I thought to myself as I remembered I had been stabbed earlier. Life is indeed peculiar.

"Princess, I need you to drink this." A cup touched my lips, forcing me to pull away. Suddenly everything came into focus, and I saw my mother standing behind a doctor I had seen before, but never knew his name.

"Bella, it's alright my dear. Drink the brew, it'll ease your pain and help you sleep." My mother took the cup and sipped some before putting it to my lips. I didn't know how I appeared to everyone, but she could tell I needed this reassurance. Drinking the bitter brew, I slowly reclined to a laying position as Rose's screams faded far from my thoughts.

The sound of voices speaking roused me from my deep, dreamless sleep. Opening my eyes, I caught my parents talking in hushed tones standing before a roaring fire. I couldn't make out who or what they were talking about and curiosity got the better of me.

"What is the matter?" My raspy voice caught me off guard, as it felt like gravel paved the walls of my throat.

"Oh Bella." Renee walked over to me, as Charles moved to pour water into a cup.

I sat in bed, quenching my insatiable thirst as I was brought up to date on the matters of my life. The castle was empty of those who did not need to be here, my wounds were bandaged, but I would be watched in case they became infected. Mary Alice had been carried off to fulfill her sentence at the break of dawn, as well as Lady Esme, who was transported by Queen Gianna to France. Carlisle had drunk himself under the table and was held up in father's study, while Edward had been forced away from my side to get some rest.

Renee rambled on about things that did and did not matter, and I could tell she was stalling. "Mother, please." I begged her. The silence was deafening and my heart slowed, as I saw a look in her eyes.

"Rose… she went into labour last night, and she gave birth to beautiful daughter." She paused before continuing.

"Her daughter died." Tears flowed down my cheeks, as my heart broke for my beloved Rosalie. Had last night not taken enough from me, now it had robbed my sister of her child. I felt guilty for not wanting to be there for her, because I was scared and ran away. However, Rose needed me now, and I pushed myself out of bed.

'I can do this, I can be there for her, I'm strong enough to be there for her.'

"Isabella, where are you going?" Charles called out to me, as I reached for my sleeping robe.

"I need to go to her, Rose needs me, and I can be there for her now." A large hand grabbed me, forcing me to turn back towards my parents.

"No… you can't go…" Charles trailed off and I tried to pull away from him.

"Yes, I need to go, release me father." The more I tried to tug away from him, the more he held on to me.

"What are you doing? Let go of me!" I was getting angry, why was he preventing me from leaving? Renee stood up from her perch on my bed, her eyes hallow, her face void of any emotion.

"Isabella…" my full name coming from her caught my attention.

"You cannot see Rose."

"Why?"

"Rose… she… after she gave birth, she started to bleed. The doctors tried everything but they could not stop the bleeding. Bella… Rosalie is dead."

"Dead? What? No, you said her daughter died, now I must go and attend to her." I pulled my arm free from my father's grip and marched towards my chamber doors, which opened before I reached them. Edward stood in the doorway, his hair wet from a bath, his eyes focusing on me, as his body visibly sagged with relief.

"Bella." My name on his lips caused me to smile.

"You're just in time my love, I need to get to Rose, she needs me." I reached out to him, but his eyes quickly went to my parents. Whatever was exchanged, caused his disposition to change.

"Bella… Rose died in child birth." He was so sure of his words, as they left no room for an argument.

"Stop it! Why would you say that?"

"My love, look at me." He paused. "Rose is gone, she and her daughter did not survive the ordeal."

Nothing.

I felt absolutely nothing.

Somehow I knew the words both Edward and my parents had said were true, but I needed to see her. Walking past Edward, I slowly made my way out of my chambers and down the hall. Footsteps behind me alerted me, that I was being followed, but they didn't try to stop me. As I passed maids and servants, they bowed, but this felt different, it felt like a funeral procession, quite fitting indeed.

I found myself in the same hallway I ran away from last night, sorrow not fear, now my companion. Stopping outside the door, I strained my ears to hear, not sure what I would hear, however, silence was my answer, and I entered the room.

There she was, lying in bed as if she was merely sleeping. She looked so peaceful, causing me to stopped halfway to her bed, just to admire her beauty. As my eyes roamed her body, and there on her chest with her arms wrapped around them was a tiny bundle. My feet moved on their own accord, and I could do nothing to stop them, even if I tried too. Reaching the bed that she laid on, I willed my hands to touch her, but the fear of finding her cold and unresponsive to my touch, kept me in place.

The scraping of a chair against the floor, drew my attention away from Rose, and Emmett stumbled out of the shadowy corner. Our eyes met, but his were glassy and vacant, as if he too had died. I watched as he slowly walked over to her bedside. His red face, seemed hollowed out, as if he had aged years in one night.

"Emmett…" His name left my lips, but I didn't know what to say to console him. He was hurting just like I was, or maybe more.

"I never deserved her… I didn't deserve you either." He paused and held my gaze.

"I should have been a better man, then maybe life would not have been this cruel to me. To take not only my wife, but my daughter as well." Tears silently rolled down his cheek, before dropping onto the bed.

"Emmett, I'm so sorry. This… all of this… is my fault." I reached for him, but he shook his head.

"No, you have done so much for us Bella. You forgave us after we hurt you, you even brought us to the castle, and involved us in your new life. You, Bella have been our friend, when we were not yours. And I thank you."

Emmett slowly bowed after his speech, but it felt final. As he rose to his full height, he carried a smile on his lips but it didn't carry to his eyes. Turing, he made his way back to his corner, leaving me to say farewell to my sister. Kneeling besides the bed, I reached for her cold hand, placing a small kiss on it.

"I heard you scream, and it scared me so much that I didn't want to be here, in this room with you. I don't know why, but I wanted to be as far away from here as possible. Maybe I knew what was going to happen, and couldn't face it, or maybe I was a coward." Tears began to cloud my vision, and I blinked causing them to fall.

"You are gone now my dear sister, but I believe we will meet again. I will keep watch over him, and be strong for the both of us, if I have too. I love you Rosalie."

Sobs racked my body but I didn't hold back. I let it all out, screams ripped out of my mouth as I moaned the loss my Rose. Arms enclosed around me, but I couldn't tell whose they were, but I welcomed them as I let the pain wash over me.

Life at the castle was slowly getting back to some level of normal, but we were now thrown into mourning, which hung like a dark heavy cloud over our heads. I prepared Rose' memorial service, as Emmett was of no use to anyone, as he was either drunk or curled up in a ball crying. Carlisle had been his faithful companion during this part of his life, and indulged him in his sorrows. I grieved for Rose, but I didn't have the luxury to abandon my responsibilities, nor could I grieve openly. I had to appear somber, yet stoic in the face of those watching me. I was not a woman who lost her best friend and sister, I was the future queen and I had to act as such.

On the day of the funeral, Edward did his best to make Emmett presentable, but he reeked of stale alcohol despite his best efforts. The funeral was small and private, but felt like it lasted an eternity. Emmett sobbed painfully loud, and we did our best to carry out the service as beautifully as possible. As the last hymn was sung, her casket was lowered into the ground, and suddenly it hit me. Rose was gone, I would never see or speak to her again. Uncontrollable tears rolled down my cheeks, and I threw somber but stoic to the wind. I joined Emmett with loud agonizing cries, as the dirt started to fill the hole.

I had been three weeks since the funeral, and while Emmett had stopped crying, he walked aimlessly around the castle. We all did our best to avoid or ignore him, but I knew we couldn't do that forever. I sat in my father's study, as the men tried to quietly talk about him.

I listened, but offered no solution. I had tried, but Emmett said he didn't want to stay at the castle anymore, but he also didn't want to go back to our village. I begged him to stay until he figured out where he needed and wanted to go. My eyes slowly meandered around the room, and fell on the letter from Gianna. She was calling Carlisle home, and while she wasn't happy, he was needed back in France.

My mind drifted to our neighbouring ally, and the invitation Gianna had extended to me. It would be a while before I would be able to make my first visit outside of my kingdom, but I also knew Edward would have to return before our wedding, and then it hit me.

"Carlisle!" My excitement got the best of me, and I shouted my godfather's name much too loudly. Carlisle, Charles and Edward all visibly jumped.

"My apologies, but I believe I solved the problem of Emmett." I stood, walking over to them.

"Emmett won't stay anywhere that holds a memory of Rose, so take him to France with you." They all looked at me, thinking about what I had suggested.

"What if he refuses?" Came Edward.

"Then we make sure he cannot refuse, we could order him to go, he's still a member of the royal guard, and bound by duty." It was underhanded, but it would be the best thing for him. Once we were all in agreement, and the arrangements were made, Emmett was summoned to Charles' war room.

I anticipated pushback from him, and he did, but when Charles told him it was no longer a request but an order, he crumbled before giving in. Our goodbye was empty, as there was no emotion behind our words, unsurety was thick in the air, as we didn't know what would happen next. I knew Carlisle would look after him, and hopefully they both would be able to get back on the right path.

Ok guys, let me have it. Are you mad? Glad? Sad? Happy?

See you guys for the next update.

Cheltivia.