Isabella's POV:
Night passed faster than I thought it would.
Daybreak was now here, the sun beginning to peak over the horizon as our ship drew nearer to the island. I stood on the edge of the ship, holding onto one of the ropes for support as I watched the distance between me and the island get smaller and smaller.
"Prepare the long boats." I order, turning my head to make sure I was heard. My eyes narrowed slightly when I saw the uneasy looks on the men near me, and at my look they saluted me, shouting "Yes ma'am!" before running off to do what I told them to.
"Nothing can stop us now." I mutter under my breath, a dark look in my eyes as I stare at the forsaken island, knowing my daughter was there right now.
Hopping down from my perch, I look around, spotting Harry ordering the men to get their weapons ready for battle. Walking over towards them, I find myself growing more tense with each step. We were so close now. We were so close to getting Layla back.
"Drop the anchor. We're close enough now to paddle the boats the rest of the way." I command and Harry lets out a sigh before nodding to the men, who followed my orders.
Soon the sound of the anchor splashing in the water made me take in a deep breath, my body trembling with anxiousness. I needed to get to my daughter.
"We're taking three boats. You will ride with me. Shayla, Niall and Louis will be in another, and you choose your best men to fit in the third boat." I say to Harry and he raises an eyebrow confused.
"If we want to infiltrate them why not take our full forces?" he asks and I give him a wry smile. "We won't need them. I have a feeling a smaller invasion force will work better than a large one." I say and Harry opens his mouth to protest but thinks again and closes his mouth, nodding to me.
"That's true. They'll be expecting a large force to come attack." he says and I nod, turning away and putting my hand on my waist, my finger on my sword's hilt.
"Harry...we are getting Layla back today. No matter what." I say and the tense atmosphere around us thickens. "Yeah," he says after a pause and I look over my shoulder, seeing him giving me a determined look.
"We'll get her back." he says surely and I smile.
A few minutes passed, and after all the preparations were made, our groups climbed into the long boats, getting lowered down into the water before we bid farewell to the rest of the group, promising them we'd be back before nightfall.
Everyone was silent as we approached the shore, and the feeling of a battle began to press onto my chest. There was no way we were getting out of here without a fight. But then again, we could beat these guys, so it shouldn't be that pressing of a matter.
The sun was halfway hidden behind the island when we got to the shore, all of us getting out and dragging the long boats to a safe distance, trying to be as quiet as we possibly could.
Every single one of us were silent as we walked towards the front line of the trees, unsure of what would meet us once we got inside the forested area. The eight of us crept towards the trees, drawing our swords as we got closer.
Harry stuck his hand out in front of me, a wary look on his face as I gave him a stare. He stared into the forest with a cautious eye, and I followed his gaze, all of us trying to see what he saw.
"There could be an ambush waiting for us," He whispers and I frown, looking past him and into the trees, an odd hue reflecting off of them because of the strange morning light. "We have to be on our toes." he says before we continue cautiously, our eyes looking around as we entered the line of trees.
After a few minutes of wandering aimlessly through the trees, we found a stone pathway breaking through the line of trees, forming a neat route deeper into the forest.
"This is bound to lead us to their hideout." Shayla says and I nod, my gut telling me this wasn't a trap. It didn't seem out of place, strangely enough.
We followed the pathway for awhile, Harry and I in the front followed by Shayla, Niall, and Louis, while the next three brought up the back. My sword was out in front of me defensively while my eyes darted back and forth, trying to catch any signs of movement.
It was dead silent as we continued forward, coming to a break in the line of trees, all of us slowing down as we entered in a large opening.
My eyes widened in shock and I nearly dropped my sword out of astonishment.
This wasn't a hideout.
It was an empire.
Smaller homes and buildings surrounded an enormous castle, larger than the one in England that I have grown so accustomed to seeing. The streets were lined with markets and trade centers, stables off to the side with horses stocked in full.
"Wh-what is this?" I whisper, my body slightly shaking as I stare at the enormity of it all. We never got this information on them. They were supposed to be a large bandit group...nothing more.
"This is a nightmare." Shayla breathes from behind me and I silently agree. If we were declaring war on this group...there would be almost no way we could defeat them.
Sweat began to form on my forehead at the thought of the battle we might have to go through. But to my surprise, the streets were mostly empty. There were a few townsfolk here and there, but no troops or anything of the sort.
"How are we going to find Layla in this massive city?" Harry mutters and I shake my head, not able to give an answer. "What did we get ourselves into?" Louis asks, but no one was able to answer his question.
This place was thriving...almost more than England was at the moment. There was no doubt about that in my mind, I could see it at first glance.
"You must be them."
All of us jumped at the voice, turning to our left to see a young woman with her hands folded in front of her, a smile on her face.
"I've been expecting you. I'll lead you to where the negotiations will take place." she says smoothly and I raise an eyebrow.
"Negotiations?" I questions and she just smiles again, motioning us to follow before walking away, heading towards the enormous castle.
Exchanging looks with everyone, I let out a sigh before I sheathed my sword, following the unknown woman. Everyone followed my lead and we all began to walk behind the woman, staying quiet as we all surveyed the city.
"This could be a trap." Harry whispers to me and I nod, motioning down to my sword and patting it, trying to signal to him to get ready to fight if need be. He understood my signal, giving me a slight nod before straightening up.
We stayed silent the entire time we followed the woman, seeing her guide us quietly and calmly through the city, before turning left at the palace gates. Unnerved by her sudden turn, we followed. My suspicion grew as we walked towards the side of the castle, a feeling growing in my stomach that this would be no ordinary meeting place. If we weren't going to meet inside the castle, then it could easily be a set up trap.
"Be on your guard." I mouth to the group, everyone nodding to me and gripping the hilts of their swords, preparing themselves for whatever we were about to get into.
The woman paused before a massive door, turning to look at us before gesturing to enter.
"My master awaits you." she says before walking off, leaving us in front of the door alone.
"Bella I don't like this," Shayla mutters and I take in a deep breath. "It could easily be set to explode or something like that." she says and I let out a sigh.
"I know that. But as of now we don't really have any other choice do we?" I grumble, looking at the door and clenching my fists together before mustering up courage, reaching out and opening up the door, the wooden frame swinging wide open, revealing a dimly lit room.
We all piled into the room, looking around cautiously, before my eyes looked ahead and I froze in my spot.
My eyes widened in shock and horror, seeing a small human lying on the ground, a man sitting on a throne-like chair with his foot on the head of the child on the ground. Layla turned her head at the sound of the open door, her green eyes lightening with hope as she sees me.
"Mommy..." she whispers, smiling weakly and rage boils up within me. My hands start shaking as I stare at the man in the chair, seeing him give me a wicked smile, removing his foot from the top of her head, crossing his leg over his other one, leaning his head against his hand, giving us an amused look.
"You got here in good time. Beat the two week deadline by a week and a half." the man says and I clench my fists tightly, glaring at him murderously.
Harry took a step forward at his teasing tone but I stuck my hand in front of him, halting his movement.
"Who are you?" I ask darkly and the man smiles politely at me. "I am a general. General Zang of the Aluverian Empire." he announces proudly and I narrow my eyes. "You've made an empire?" I ask angrily and Zang grins.
"I didn't make it. The Emperor made it." he says snarkily and Harry grits his teeth together. "Stop playing around. Give us back our daughter." he growls and General Zang laughs.
"You're always so anxious Harry. That's why you always miss the most important facts." he says and I scoff. "You're playing the obnoxiously mighty person who is in no position to do so. You're stalling. Why?" I snap and he gives me a small bow.
"Very nice deduction, my Lady. We've been waiting so patiently for you to arrive. But I can't just divulge everything all at once, now can I? We have to discuss many things. Firstly, negotiations on getting your daughter back." he says, motioning down to Layla, who was staring at me terrified.
Dirt was on her face as she looked at me helplessly, her eyes glossed over with exhaustion and hurt.
"What did you do to her?" I seethe, the anger of seeing my daughter like this amping my feelings up more than before. General Zang laughed at my anger and shrugs his shoulders in an innocent way.
"Well, not too much. She is very well-behaved for a six year old, I will say. But before I indulge you in what's happened to her, we need to discuss negotiations." he says, changing the topic again and I feel my body shaking with impatience and rage.
"What negotiations?!" I shout and he grins victoriously. "What will you do to get your daughter back? Anything, I presume?" he asks and Harry narrows his eyes.
"What are you insinuating?" he growls and Zang smiles viciously.
"If you want your daughter back, you will do exactly as we say. The Emperor has given me very specific instructions." he says, snapping his fingers, all of us stiffening as men creep from the shadows, armed with swords.
"A trap?" Niall mutters, his hand on his sword but he doesn't draw it. All of us were on our guard, staring at the men before looking back at the general, who smiled at us victoriously.
"The price of getting your daughter back is you remain here for five days," he says and all of our eyes widen in confusion.
"What?" all of us say at once and he chuckles. "We don't want you involved with our war. We're still going to kill both Harry and Isabella, but for now we want you out of the way." he says and my eyes widen.
"War?" I ask and he nods, straightening up and folding his hands in his lap. "Of course. We needed you out of the country. Your reputation and skill levels are far greater than the royal army England has employed. With you out of the way, our war is as good as won." he says and shock fills my body.
"You're taking over England." I whisper and he laughs. "Of course we are! The expansion of the Aluverian Empire is our top priority!! We will replace England and become the ruler of the entire nation. That is the Emperor's first wish. His second is for you to die." he says, pointing fingers at both me and Harry.
"That's insane. It'll never work!" Louis says surprised and General Zang grins. "Or will it? You're already surprised by how massive we are. And shocking to see not many people out and about, no? That's because our entire fleet has left. They left as soon as you entered the forest. They'll be in England long before you can warn your precious Queen." he says and I grit my teeth together, glaring at him angrily and shockingly.
How were they able to pull this off??
"Oh dear, Lady Bella, your looks give you away. How, you wonder? You gave us six years to expand into the empire we are today. Six years of planning, plotting, waiting, and conspiring have all led up to this moment. We were thinking our stunt with Harry's brother and father might've bought us one or two years at most, but I do commend Harry in his ability to hold a grudge, because six years has given us more than enough time to perfect our plan." he says and Harry balls his fists angrily.
"You mean everything with my family has been for your own expansion?!" Harry shouts and General Zang shakes his head.
"No, no, it's been more than that. You see the Emperor's second wish is to repay you two for what your family has done to him. Over the next five days you'll be able to figure out what reason that is. He'll return from the war by then." he says and my eyes widen.
"He went with the fleet?" I ask and he grins. "Dear, he's leading them." he says smoothly and I take in a deep breath.
This was far worse than anything I could've ever imagined. An entire fleet of God knows how many ships were on their way to England at this moment about to start a war of destruction so this new Empire could take over, and we were stuck here.
"We have to get out of here." I say and General Zang shakes his head at me.
"You are not leaving. If you've forgotten, the only way you're getting your daughter back is by staying here and waiting it out." he says and my anger flares up again. "And wait to be killed after that? Like hell!" I snap and he shrugs.
"I thought you might be difficult," he mutters, bending down and picking Layla up, my eyes widening as he presses a knife to her throat. "I won't ask nicely again, Lady Bella. Stay here or your daughter dies right now." he says and the action pisses me off, my body trembling with anger as I stare at him.
"Get your hands off her." I seethe and he grins. "Then you will do as I say. My men here aren't very patient either. All of us are highly skilled, and we outnumber you. If you try to fight, you won't make it out of this room alive." he says and I glower at him.
"Besides, we wouldn't want another accident with Layla, now would we? She already found out what happens if you go against my orders." he says, reaching down and lifting Layla's shirt to reveal a dark bruise on her side, and a few cuts on her stomach.
Layla whimpered and my body reeled with rage as I stared at him.
Without a second thought I reached over to Harry's belt, grabbed the gun from his holster and raised it to the man's head, his eyes widening in shock as I pulled the trigger, the bullet going straight through his shoulder.
"Layla!" I shout as his body drops to the ground and she immediately begins running towards me. I sprint towards my daughter, looking around to see all the men from the sides flooding us, so I point the gun at General Zang's head as he staggers up.
"Freeze!!" I shout, all his men stopping in an instant, looking at me.
"You take one more step I'll blow your General's head off!" I yell, my gaze piercing all of them as Layla reaches me, hugging me tightly as I put a hand on her head.
"We're leaving. Negotiations failed. We'll be sure to tell your Emperor what a failure you are." I spit, backing up slowly, making sure Layla walked with me as I got back to our group, all of their swords out and ready.
General Zang gave me a wry smile before he began to laugh.
"Men, let her shoot me. You know the Emperor's request." he says and his men glance at one another as I narrow my eyes at him, not sure what game he was playing at.
"I never expected you to agree to our request. I've prepared myself to die for the Emperor's cause. But I've stalled you long enough. You're too late." he says with a cackle and my eyes widen.
Cursing, I shoot him straight through the head out of anger, his body dropping like a log and the men begin to come at us.
Layla screams out of fright and I hold her close to me, shooting five more men, all through the legs, watching them drop like flies before I drop the gun, picking Layla up into my arms.
"Harry we got to get out of here!" I shout, turning around and running, holding my daughter tightly in my arms as Harry comes up beside me, making a path around us so we could escape.
Bursting from the room, I begin to run from where we came from, hoping beyond hope there wasn't another line of men waiting for us near the shore.
Soon Harry and I were joined by Shayla and Louis, with Niall not too far behind.
"If we don't get out of here now we're going to get blasted with guns." Shayla growls and I look behind us, noticing all the men who were fighting us going into an armory to get better weapons.
"Don't stop running! Take the path and head straight for the ship! We have to get back to England as soon as we can!" I shout, my feet pounding on the ground as we come to the entrance of the city, the path clear and void.
"What happened to the other three?!" Harry shouts and Louis shakes his head. "They were taken down." he says sadly and Harry curses, looking ahead again as we all exited the city, running as fast as our legs would allow us to.
The men weren't able to catch up with us. They took too much time trying to switch out their weapons, so by the time they got to the city gates, we were too far gone.
Gunshots echoed in the distance and I scoffed. They were shooting blindly, no doubt, just trying to hope they hit one of us.
It took us only ten minutes to reach the shore again, all of us slowing down as we saw the long boats, stopping only to catch our breaths. I gasped for air, my legs and arms burning. Setting Layla down in my longboat, I began pushing it with Harry's help back into the water, while the other three did the same with theirs.
Once we got into the waters, we began rowing as hard as we could, anxious to get back to the ship. Sweat was falling down my face from the beating sun as well as how much effort I put out carrying Layla and running at the same time.
"You saved me," Layla whispers and I look down, still taking deep breaths as we rowed, seeing my daughter look at me with a pained expression. "I knew you would." she says and I smile sadly.
"I wish I had gotten there sooner." I say sadly and she gives me a sad smile. "I know you did your best." she says and gives me a hug, making tears form in my eyes as I hug her back.
"What are we going to do, Bella?" Harry asks and I look up at him, seeing a helpless look on his face. "How can we win against them?" he asks and a heaviness weighs on my heart as we get closer to our ship.
"I don't know Harry..." I murmur, knowing we had to win somehow, but not knowing how we would do it. Looking down at Layla, seeing her silently crying to herself as she clung to me, I squeezed my eyes shut. We had to win...but...could we?
"I really don't know."
YOOO long chapter so yay! And boom! Bella's all good, Layla's safe and sound, and...there's a war. It's getting pretty intense! I really really hope y'all enjoy this chapter because I put a lot of effort into it. Let me know what y'all think!!