Chapter 12

The bells were blaring and people were in a panic. Aro called for the guard and they were assembled in less than two minutes. Edward, Jasper, and Emmett were with them.

I snuck out a side door and took the maid's stairs up to my level and made a quick bolt to my room. My trunk sat under my bed, awaiting to be opened. Then I started having second thoughts.

Should I fight for my kingdom?

Of course, the answer was yes, always. I shrugged off the second guessing and dug through the trunk for my suit. Ripping through it, I found weapons that would come in handy. A bow with venom-laced, vampire nail-tipped arrows; knives made from vampire bones; two silver swords.

I threw on my leather suit and sheathed my knives and swords. My bow was thrown over a shoulder with the quiver and I then made my way back to the ball room.

Those who were able to fight were lined up in military form and the others were heading for the cellar. My eyes locked with my father's and I shook my head once.

His eyes were hard as he moved swiftly through the line and came to stand before me. "Isabella, I will not have you fighting the Lycans. You have just returned and in very much need of rest. You're in no state to battle."

"But father, you do not know what state I am in. I am very much rested and I need to fight with my people. It's only just," I argued.

Aro sighed heavily and he rubbed his forehead. "As you wish. But I want you leading the archers. Up on the high tower, away from the wall."

I nodded, that was as good as I was going to get. "Of course father, thank you. I will go now.""Isabella," he caught me in a strong hug. "Please be careful. I can't loose you again."

Squeezing him once more, I let go. "Always am father." With that, I disappeared through the line.

I didn't get far though. A hand reached out and grabbed my wrist, pulling me to them. "Bella, don't go."

"Edward," I pleaded with my eyes. His emeralds were relentless though. "I have to. I just do."

"If you must," Edward's face fell. "I love you."

I smiled softly, "I love you, too." He bent his head down and kissed me passionately. His lips were gentle, yet urgent. His hold was strong, yet loving. Gah, he was just perfect. And he was making it harder for me to leave him here. I pulled away from his embrace with great difficulty. My body yearned to return to them, missing his touch too much. It seemed to scream at me to go back, but I resisted the urge to run off with him and hide from the world. Let them fight their pointless battles. But I stayed and kept by head held high. I was meant to be here. To fight. "I must go. Good-bye my love."

Edward frowned as I turned and ran through the doors of the castle and to a tower that was positioned in the front of the gates. Running to the top, I couldn't throw off the thought of what Jacob would think if he'd seen me and Edward's embrace.

The thought gave me shivers. I continued up to the top and took my post. Demetri, who had been in command of the archers, now stepped down to second-in-command.

"What's the outlook?" I asked him as he ended a conversation with a messenger from the wall.

"It's not good your highness," Demetri stated grimly.

I gave him a look to continue.

He sighed and looked out as if to see the hidden beasts that threatened our kingdom. Narrowing his eyes, Demetri answered, "Close to a thousand. And there are more coming from all over the Underworld. It looks like this is it."

I knew what he meant immediately. This was the battle. We've been anticipating this for years. But only now, it was coming into play. And we were hopeless without other cities' help.

"Then we should fly the signal," I replied calmly.

The soldier nodded and flew off down the stairs. I heard a cry a minute later from the castle and the 'whoosh' of wings flapping. Demetri returned and took his post again.

My eyes were trained outside the wall on black lumps that were moving through the trees, preparing to rip through the Devil's Playground. That's what we called it anyway.

"How long do you think it will take reinforcements to arrive?" I broke the eerie silence that had settled over the tower.

There were three guards up there with me. All but the one I had been talking to averted there eyes back to the forest, their mouths shut tight. Demetri looked at me answered in a strained voice that seemed to bite the night air and stir the dark spirits that roamed the open field where so many had lost their lives; Lycans and vampires.

"Too late."

I took a deep, unneeded breath. The night felt suffocating as it closed in around us. Clouds rolled in to cover the full moon. The only noise came from the crackling of fire and the occasional creak of wood or metal scrapping.

But I kept my cool and notched my bow. "Well then. They know we're outnumbered, why don't they attack now?"

"We don't know," he replied with the same strained voice.

Just then, a howl erupted from the trees. It ripped through the air like a whip which caused me to gasp and double over.

A hand touched my shoulder. "Madame, are you okay?"

I was breathing heavy as I shook him off and stood. "Yes, I'm fine." But I wasn't. I knew who's howl that was. It was the one who saved me from more torture by the hands of a deranged wolf. But it was also the one who ripped my soul from my body. No, that never happened, my mind reminded me. I repressed the memories that seemed to be slamming in from all sides. I couldn't have a breakdown here, now.

My back straightened and I jutted my chin out. "I'm fine," I repeated, more for myself than the worried guards. They went back to their posts, but every other moment or so, I would feel eyes on my back.

"There!" I heard someone from the wall shout while pointing into the darkness. My eyes followed his stretched arm and found what the warning was about. A Lycan was pounding from the trees with a pack behind him.

The wall was bustling with action as they notched the triggers and sent flaming arrows to meet them. I raised my own bow and aimed at the night, counting in my head from when the first lighted arrow was launched.

One, two… THREE!

I let my arrow go and had another one ready in a second. Listening, I heard a "humph" as a Lycan fell. Peering out on the field confirmed I had hit the leader of the attack. Good. A small smile somehow tugged at my lips.

"This is going to be fun."

I heard the other archers on the tower mumble curses, calling me crazy and such. I just rolled my eyes and launched another after another into the air, hearing the thuds of bodies falling as my arrows connected with heads of Lycans.

"They're nearing the wall! Prepare your weapons!" Jasper yelled to the soldiers on the wall.

The wall erupted into shouts and chaos as they prepared for the oncoming attack. As the Lycans neared and they grew in number, the cross bows were unable to pick them off quick enough. My archers could only shoot so fast and were starting to run low on arrows. Our last resort for our bows of silver tipped arrows. The sounds of feet thundering closer dominated all other sounds.

Just then, the first Lycan threw himself on the wall. An archer on the wall knocked him off with a quick shot but more just kept coming up and soon the archer was over his head and pulled over the wall with a swipe of a large paw. Our first fallen soldier, I realized. It would be the first of many though.

I aimed and shot an arrow right between the eyes of the Lycan who had thrown the archer off. With a yelp of pain, he fell just as the archer had.

That Lycan was soon replaced by two others and more appeared over the wall, sending some shocked vampires flying in through the air. I watched Jasper and shot any Lycan who tried to sneak up on him while he fought two Lycan at a time. Reinforcements soon arrived and I zeroed in on Edward as he threw himself into the battle. Jasper would have to watch his own back now.

Edward was so graceful as he battled his way through the chaos and got to Jasper so they could fight back to back. I smiled to myself and went back to shooting Lycans down.

We ran out of arrows when the second wave of Lycans hit. "Isabella," I looked to Demetri who was throwing his bow down and unsheathing his sword, "we should help. I'll send for more arrows and archers. But you and I are more needed in battle on the wall."

I nodded and we took off down the stairs, taking them two at a time. We reached the bottom and took off in different directions; I went to the wall and he to find more arrows and able archers.

The stairs wound up to the top and I took them quickly. Reaching the top, I unsheathed both swords and jumped into the fight.

A/N: Okay, so what do you think? A good place to stop the return of Underworld? He-he. Sorry I haven't updated. I truly am sorry. After dropping my Pre-AP Biology class so I could have time to write, my laptop's power cord went out. No joke. I was half way done with a new chapter for Lured when it happened. SO I apologize for the inconvenience. My mom has allowed me time here and there so I could work on my stories. This is my third story to be updated in the past month or two. So, thanks. Review please. I haven't gotten any for my other two stories. Kind of shocking because those are my two babies.