Part 11

"Mom called. She's not coming for my graduation. Phil broke his leg and she's staying with him." Bella informed her father.

"Are you disappointed?" he asked her.

"Not really. At least she'll be away from the trouble. Plus, we're not as close as we used to be... I... I just realized that it's nice not to have to take care of her all the time. You're still going on the reservation with Billy right?" She asked her father.

"Of course, Sam is ordering the younger wolves to stay there." Charlie nodded.

"Good, because I wouldn't put it past Billy to commit a murder just to get you to spend the day on the reservation and keep you safe during the attack." Bella joked.

"It won't come to that, there's a big game on that day." Charlie replied, amused.

.

Even though they were a bit worried for her, Bella knew that her Viking family was excited for the coming fight, and so were the wolves. The wolves were excited because it would be their first fight and it was the reason of their existence but Bella knew that Rollo, Bjorn and their family all remembered their human years and the battles and raids they had gone on back then.

"Promise me you won't do anything that would risk your life." Rollo asked Bella the night after her graduation as they both laid on her bed.

"You'll be here, I'll be safe." She simply replied.

They had just come back from the reservation, where they listened to Billy telling them all the story of the third wife of Taha Aki, who had sacrificed herself to save her son' life.

"You know what I mean, Love. I saw the look in your eyes during Billy's tale. I know you, I know how you think." He insisted and Bella sighted.

"You do know me well. I wish they had bothered to remember her name, she deserved to be remembered by more than her status of wife." Bella tried to distract him.

"Promise me you'll be safe and you won't do what she did." Rollo demanded as he shifted position so that he was above Bella, his arms on each side of her face and his legs on each side of hers, trapping her underneath him.

All he wanted was to look in her eyes to make sure she was sincere but he couldn't hide how much this new position inspired the lower part of his anatomy. Of course Bella knew that he wanted her that way, he showed it more and more to her as their make out sessions grew more passionate every time.

"I promise not to stab myself to the point where it kills me just to distract the vampires. But I won't promise not to cut my hand a little to draw just enough blood to distract the nearby vampires if it's needed to prevent someone I care about from being hurt." She replied with confidence and a bit flushed because of their new position.

She could feel his manly length against her and she could feel that it was hard. She knew that she had an effect on him and she couldn't wait until they had sex, until they could be together.

"Always looking for loopholes... You spend too much time with Lagertha." Rollo laughed before he dropped a kiss on her lips.

At first, Rollo's kiss had been a short one, but quickly, he dropped a second one, and a third, before he started a make out session, rolled back on his back and held Bella against his chest at first, then let his hands explore her back, her legs and her ass. For now, most of the touching was done over the clothes, but he started touching her lower back under her shirts once in a while. They were pushing the boundaries a little more each time, slowly.

"I love you, Bella. I refuse to lose you, especially to something as stupid as you cutting yourself to distract the newborns and help us win." Rollo declared once they stopped making out and Bella placed her head on his chest while his hands were still on her ass.

"I love you too, Rollo and I want to spend forever with you, which is why I won't do anything that would jeopardize our forever." She replied.

"Good. By the way, I've been planning the world tour, for the two of us, that starts this summer." he told her.

She knew that he was taking her on a world tour but he hadn't told her anything about it yet.

"Where are we going?" She asked him.

"Lots of places. Mostly anywhere we have property on, as well as places where we have history that you seemed interested in. An island near Brasil, one in the tropics, our castle in France, in Italy, in Germany and in England. Kattegat too, among many other places."

"I thought it was called differently now?" She asked, lifting her head to look him in the eyes.

"We refuse to call it anything else." He smirked.

"I can't wait to see all of this with you." She smiled before she kissed him again and placed her head back on his chest where she drifted off to a peaceful sleep.

.

Over the next few days, Bella went hiking in the woods with Jacob and Paul, or Sam and Jared, to escort her. She walked several path that led to the clearing they'd confront James and Victoria in. She even collected the hair from her hairbrush over the past few days and made sure to drop some along the way. Her scent would be strong and Alice saw that it would lead them right where they wanted them to go. The two wolves had to stay away from Bella so that their own scent didn't cover hers but they were close enough to protect her in case of a danger and to show her the way. They all thought that it would be best because if a vampire's scent was near Bella's, James and Victoria might figure it's a trap and change their own plans.

Over the few days before the foretold arrival of James, Victoria and their army, a few friends of the Vikings came, prepared to help. The one Bella liked the most was Garrett, a vampire from the american revolution who had been changed by Lagertha and, even though he was a nomad and spent most of his days alone, he loved the Lothbrok family and visited them often. Laurent and the Denali were going to arrive during the night, but Bella had no idea if Edward would be coming as well. Either way, she hoped he wouldn't come anywhere near her.

"Hey, how are you feeling, sister?" Bjorn asked Bella the evening before the fight.

They were camping near the clearing to make sure they'd be on site at the right time, without having to wake Bella up too early. The Cullens would only come the next day, right in time for the fight, just like the wolves, but Bella was already there with her Viking family. They couldn't light a fire because of the wind but they had been prepared for the cold weather and Bella was wrapped in one of Rollo's fur blankets. It allowed her to be in his arms without freezing to death and to share the tent with all of them without being cold.

They could have come in the morning, like the Cullen's, but Bella had asked to experience things as close as possible to what it was like for them when they went raiding, preparing for a fight, so they camped out near the clearing, all together.

Earlier that evening, according to their tradition, the Vikings made a sacrifice to the gods, hoping it would please them and that they'd help them win. Floki was confident that the gods were happy and were going to help them win.

"I'm fine. I mean, I'm a bit afraid that someone might get hurt and I know I'd feel guilty, but I know that the wolves are looking forward to the fight. And I know that you guys are too. I know that I'll be safe." She replied with a confident smile.

"Of course you will be." Lagertha smiled.

"As much as I want Bella to be safe, I hope it's not over too soon. It's been a while since we've had the opportunity to have a real fight." Bjorn added, making everyone chuckle.

"It hasn't been that long, has it?" Helga asked, thoughtfully.

"A couple of centuries at least." Lagertha replied nostalgically.

Bella closed her eyes, still in Rollo's arms and covered in furs, while the vampires discussed their previous battles. She let their voices lull her to sleep as she dreamt of joining them in battle, of being with them forever, and of Rollo, his lips on her skin, his voice in her ears, his arms around her, his hands on her waist...

"Aren't you worried she'll get hurt?" Ragnar suddenly asked his brother once they were sure Bella was asleep.

He, too, was worried about her. He had grown to care for Bella as much as he cared for Torvi and he knew that if anything happened to her, his entire family would suffer greatly.

"A bit, but I'm more worried she'll get hurt if she's not with us, either because someone will have found her or because she's stubborn and would have found a way to reach us. I know everyone will keep an eye out for her, she'll be safe." Rollo replied before Bella whispered his name a couple of times in her sleep.

"You're happy." Ragnar added.

"Of course I am. She's everything I could have ever wanted if I had known what to ask for." The warrior replied with a smile while Bella sighted in her sleep and whispered his name one more time.

"Like dancing naked in the sun." Floki smirked.

"She's a perfect fit for our family." Bjorn nodded.

"Do we know if Edward will come tomorrow? We know Laurent is coming, along with the Denali sisters, they might already be there, but Carlisle didn't know if Edward would come to help fix what can be considered his mess or not." Torvi asked, looking at Floki.

"I don't know, the gods didn't tell me anything. I guess, whether he shows his ugly face or not, it won't change anything major." Floki replied, shrugging his shoulders.

"If he comes, he better stay away from her." Rollo growled softly.

"Don't worry, we won't let him near her, he's done enough damage as it is." Bjorn nodded.

"You truly care for her, don't you? You truly see her like a sister." Lagertha asked her son.

"I do." he nodded.

"You all worry too much. Tomorrow will be fine, Bella will be safe, we'll have fun and punish those who came with James and Victoria. It'll all be fine." Floki told them.

"I still don't understand why Aro can't side with us on this, even though James created newborns, thus breaking his precious laws." Torvi frowned.

"It's all politics. He's a king, he needs to be careful because each of his choices can change everything or even get him killed. At least we know for sure that he won't join them... If he knows what's good for him, he'll send a few members of his guard tomorrow. Knowing him, he'll make them arrive at the last minute, hoping that James and Victoria will have done some damages to us. He fears us because we're such a large coven. Carlisle is considered one of us, which means his family is our family, that makes us, plus the 7 Cullens and the 5 Denali's. They'd like for our number to be cut down a bit." Ragnar explained.

"You do know that one of these days, we'll have no choice but to take them out and take their place, right? Aro abuses his power way too often, destroys entire coven just to collect his precious gifted vampires..." Bjorn asked his father.

"I know." Ragnar nodded, resigned.

"It will be sooner than you think. Aro will want Bella. She'll be powerful. The shield that keeps Edward out of her mind will keep Aro, Dimitri or even Jane out. She'll be able to expend it to dozens of people at the same time with training. He'll want her as soon as he meets her." Floki warned them.

"Then I'll kill him myself." Rollo growled, holding Bella just a little bit tighter than before.

"And we'll finally be equals on the throne." Ragnar smiled at his brother who smiled back.

They had often discussed it. They had let the Volturi rule because they wanted to be free to look for Bella, but now that they had found her, nothing was holding them back from taking power and bringing justice back to the vampire world. Floki, Ragnar, Rollo and Bjorn would form a ruling council along with Lagertha, Helga, Torvi and Bella if she wanted to. People they trusted would occasionally be welcomed to sit at the council. For important matters though, Ragnar, Rollo and Lagertha would be kings and Queens. Floki couldn't take on such a position because the gods needed him to remain available to them.

It was all well planned out, they just needed to wait for an occasion to present itself, they needed a clear reason to attack, not simply because they wanted to take the power. They didn't want to have a revolution on their hands.

After a while, Bjorn and Torvi left the tent to spend some time alone away from the camp. They were soon followed by Helga and Floki, then Ragnar and Lagertha, each going in a different direction, leaving Rollo alone with a sleeping Bella in the tent.

"I love you, Rollo." Bella whispered, making the viking warrior smile before he dropped a kiss on her forehead and told her that he, too, loved her.

She smiled in her sleep and snuggled closer to him.

.

In the morning, the bad weather from the previous night had made place to a bright blue sky and a warm sun. Bella woke up to see that Rollo had already her breakfast ready for her. Once she was done eating it, he left the tent and Lagertha came in, followed by Torvi, to help Bella get ready for the fight. They first helped her change in an outfit that was close to what they used to wear when they went fighting but that was also very modern. When that was done, they did her hair, which would have taken longer if they hadn't been vampires.

"How do you feel?" Lagertha asked her with a soft smile once she was done.

"Great... Stronger." Bella replied with a bright smile.

"You look good, it suits you." Torvi complimented.

"Thanks." Bella nodded with a smile.

The three women left the tent and joined the boys. The Cullen's had just arrived, along with the Denali's, Laurent and a friend of Lagertha's named Garrett. The wolves were there as well and just about the turn around to take their positions.

"Wow, Bella, you look great!" Bjorn exclaimed while Rollo could only stare.

"You look like a true Shield-maiden this way." Ragnar complimented.

"Thanks." Bella blushed while Rollo came to take her in his arms and kissed her.

"You look perfect, my Love." He whispered in her ear.

"I see that he didn't see fit to show his face and fix his own mess." Bella commented when she noticed that Edward wasn't present.

"He does feel bad about it, but I think that he was afraid that his presence wouldn't be accepted and would cause his death..." A tall blond that Torvi introduced as Tanya explained.

"If anyone is hurt today, it'll be his fault." Bella replied.

After that, Bjorn and Torvi introduced Bella to the vampires she didn't know yet and Bella was glad to see that Laurent had found love while in Denali. He'd be able to have a new start.

"The wolves being so close... I can't see how it's going to end... I don't like it." Alice complained.

"Don't worry little pixie, the Gods are with us. They're happy today and we'll be victorious." Floki announced with a happy smile.

"You're way too exited." Ragnar smiled.

"Can you blame me? It's been so long since we had a real fight!" Floki nodded.

"When the spring come and my blood warms, I want nothing else but to raid and fight..." Bjorn said, remembering what he had told his father so many years ago, back when he was human.

"Let's get into position and spread out now, they should be here soon." Ragnar declared, the king in him getting out and everyone nodded and started to spread out.

Before Carlisle could leave, Ragnar held him back by the arm and looked him in the eyes:

"Be careful, alright? Don't get hurt stupidly."

"Don't worry, you thought me how to fight like one of you. I'll be fine." Carlisle replied with a smile before he went to join his wife.

Bella was standing in an open spot in the clearing, with Rollo , Torvi and Helga near her, forming a circle around her. In case they were to be separated, she had, in her hands, a lighter and a bottle she'd be able to spray and light on fire to gain some time before someone could get to her. She also had a knife on her belt, but she knew that the only thing she'd be able to do with it was to cut herself. Rollo hadn't been happy to see it there but he knew that there was no point in arguing with her. She was head strong.

"They're almost here, I can hear them." Bjorn warned them, using his heightened senses.

A few more seconds passed and, suddenly, even Bella could see the small army walking toward them. She could feel that most of their eyes were on her. She could guess that they had received orders to get to her as soon as possible.

"Up, to the overturned keel, Clamber, with a heart of steel. Cold is the ocean's spray..." Rollo started to recite his war cry poem as soon as the newborn army neared them and started to attack.

Bella had read it once, in one of the journals, but she loved hearing it from him and she could see that his family was waiting for it.

"And your death is on its way!" Lagertha continued with Rollo.

"With maidens you have had you way..." Ragnar and Floki joined Rollo and Lagertha in the poem.

"Each must die some day!" This last part was yelled by the entire Viking coven, including Bella who knew it by heart, and Carlisle's family just as the first enemies started to move toward them and the fight started.

Even though the Cullen's had never fought with the Viking, they knew this war cry and Carlisle had taught it to them, telling them that it would bring them luck to say it with Rollo, that it would please the gods and bring them strength.

When he realized that Bella had said it too, Rollo turned his head to her, winked and smiled, told her he loved her and jumped in the fight.

Quickly, everyone was in action.

Bella could see that James and Victoria hadn't expected such a strong resistance. James was fighting Rollo while Victoria was fighting against Lagertha. The wolves had truly surprised the vampires and Bella could guess that Floki had been right, it would be a win for them, an easy one even. Helga and Torvi, by Bella's side, didn't have much to do. Everyone else was doing a good enough job at keeping the enemies away.

"Are there some Volturi among James' army?" Bella asked the two blonds on each side of her.

"No, I don't see any but they might be here, nearby, waiting for the right moment to appear." Torvi replied.

"In any case, they look like they're having fun." Bella commented, looking at the fighting vampires and wolves.

"They sure are. Both our fighters and the wolves." Helga smiled softly, her eyes on her husband and on the vampire he was pulling appart.

"What's Carlisle doing?" Belle asked, seeing him stop his fight to talk with an attacker.

"She's a newborn, scared. He's offering to spare her if she stops her attack. She just agreed." Torvi replied.

"Anyone else thinking like her?" Bella asked.

"No, I don't think so. I think James and Victoria lied to them to get them all to do what they wanted. They're brainwashed." Helga shook her head.

"Looks like it's going to be over soon." Bella commented when she saw Victoria's head flying across the field and in a fire that Jasper had started while James had only one arm left and was having his left leg ripped off.

"Rollo is dragging it out, he wants James to suffer for even thinking of wanting you." Torvi told Bella.

"He's controlling the fight then?"

"Of course." Torvi nodded.

Bella didn't have enough eyes to watch everything and everyone during the fight but it looked like nobody had been hurt. Esme was standing in front of the newborn her husband had spared, trying to talk to her into having some control while everyone else started gathering bits of dead vampires to burn them. When Rollo was finally done with James, he let the wolves drag his pieces to the fire while he rushed to check on Bella, who was doing perfectly fine.

"See? I told you that you wouldn't have to use that knife. It was an easy win." Rollo told her.

"Rollo, Bree here says that one of the newborn that was supposed to fight is missing. She says that there's no way he ran away, he must be waiting somewhere to have a better shot at Bella." Carlisle suddenly told Rollo, rushing by his side after having spoken to the newborn he had spared.

"Everyone look around, there's one hiding around!" Rollo ordered and the wolves immediately spread out, along with most of the vampires.

"Is she okay?" Bella asked Carlisle, pointing to the spared newborn.

"She will be, she's scared. They've been lied to, manipulated and she believes that James and Victoria killed one of her friend when he figured it out. She's willing to learn with us, if we give her the chance." The vampire doctor explained.

"You'll be responsible for her." Rollo told Carlisle who nodded and walked off while Bella chuckled.

"What is it?" Rollo asked the woman he loved.

"When you say that, you almost sound like a parent telling his kid he'll be responsible for the stray pet he found and wants to keep." She explained, making Rollo chuckle as well.

"Come, let's get closer to the fire." Rollo suggested after they saw Leah, Seth and Jacob coming back with pieces of the missing vampire.

"Won't it be too hard for the newborn?" Bella asked him, concerned.

"Don't worry, she'll be fine. Esme and Carlisle will make sure of it." He smiled.

.

The group finished gathering the pieces of vampire and proceeded to burn them while Carlisle and Esme watched over young Bree and explained everything to her. They had offered her a place in their coven, in their family, and Bree had accepted their offer. She didn't want to be alone anymore, she had been alone during her entire human life, which had been rather short. She didn't want to spend forever alone and since they seemed like nice people, she decided to give them a chance, to give their diet a chance.

"So, nobody got hurt, then?" Bella asked Ragnar.

"Paul got a broken paw and Jared broke a leg but they'll be fine in a few minutes. Everyone else is fine." The Viking king replied.

"Jasper got bit a few times but it's his own fault for trying to protect me when I was perfectly fine." Alice smiled.

"I hear someone coming. I recognize the smell, it's Felix, Jane, Alec and Dimitri." Bjorn informed them, using his enhanced gifts.

"Should the wolves go?" Helga wondered.

"No, we might as well show them how strong we are." Ragnar replied.

"The time is almost there when we'll have to take over from them." Floki informed them of what the Gods had told him.

"They'll want Bella anyway, might as well show them just how well protected she is." Rollo nodded.

"They won't be happy that we spared one of them." Jasper warned them.

"It doesn't matter, Bree is one of us now, if they touch us, they declare war on us and all of our allies." Lagertha shook her head.

"Don't be afraid Princess, they won't touch you." Rollo whispered in Bella's ear.

"I'm not afraid, I trust you all." Bella replied.

Suddenly, even she could see the 4 hooded persons walking toward them. Even though the girl was the smallest and looked to be the youngest, Bella could tell that she was the one with the highest rank.

"Felix, Demetri, Alec, Jane, it would have made everything much easier if you had arrived a bit sooner. Isn't it your job to take care of the people who break the rules and threaten our anonymity?" Ragnar asked, stepping forward with his beloved Lagertha by his side.

"We had business elsewhere before we came here." Jane smirked.

"Right." Floki snorted.

"You seem to have forgotten one." Alec pointed to Bree.

"No we didn't, she's one of us." Carlisle replied, stepping in front of the young vampire protectively.

"Aro won't like that much." Alec shook his head.

"We don't really care." Ragnar replied.

"Caius won't like the furry company you keep either." Demetri frowned.

"Once again, it's none of his business which company we choose to keep;" Lagertha defended.

"What about the human? She obviously knows about you all. Why is she still human?" Jane asked, her eyes on Bella.

For a second, several vampires turned to Bella worriedly as Jane glared at her but when nothing happened, they turned back to a frustrated Jane with a smirk.

"It won't work, Jane. Give it up. Bella's special and she's one of us." Floki told Jane before Rollo could say anything.

"She's still human though." Jane protested.

"I'll change when i reach an age closer to Rollo's when he was changed." Bella declared, deciding to be brave and to speak for herself.

"Aro and Caius won't like it." Alec protested.

"Doesn't matter what they think. She's one of us, she's my mate and you'll leave her alone." Rollo growled and Bella could see that the only one who hadn't spoken yet, Felix, seemed to bow his head slightly in respect.

"We'll see what they have to say once we get back home." Jane glared at them.

"Since we've done your job for you, you have no reasons to stay here. You should leave." Ragnar told them.

"Of course." Felix nodded.

"We'll be in touch." Jane spat with a glare before she turned around and left, followed closely by her brother first, and he other two afterwards.

"Party at our house to celebrate our victory. We're grilling food for you guys, so bring Charlie, the Elders and your imprints." Bjorn told the wolves who nodded and ran off.

Everyone went to the Vikings' house separately and Bella let Rollo carry her in his arms.

"See, everything went well. Now we can pack for our big trip." Rollo told her.

"I was wondering... Is Felix on our side?" Bella whispered.

"You picked up on that?" he asked her, surprised.

"Yes." She nodded with a smile.

"He's trying to be discreet... I found him when he was just a child, injured and all alone during a war. I saved him and took him in. He's secretly one of us but he joined the Voltury because we never trusted them. When the time comes, he'll fight for us." Rollo replied.

"He seems nice, but Jane scared me a bit."

"You don't have to be afraid, apparently her power doesn't work on you, so you're safe." He smiled.

"Good. Now let's go and eat, I want to see the wolves eat the equivalent of a cow each." She teased.

"I think that's actually pretty close to the amount they can eat." he laughed before he kissed her.

What do you think? I hope you're not disappointed by the way I played it out.

At least two more chapters, unless I get inspired.

Review please?

Lorelei Candice Black