Isabella's POV:
A week or so after Shayla's funeral, I was finally able to walk on my own. Hunter congratulated me on my progress, and I would smile brightly to him as I walked out of the infirmary.
But that smile was a farce.
I haven't hardly slept in days.
My mind is filled with nightmares, and every time I try to sleep, I always wake up dripping sweat, my body shaking as tears run down my face. Every time I think of what Caius did to me, all his words running through my head, the pain I felt, the hopelessness I had...it was too much.
Thinking of Shayla and seeing her death play back over and over in my head was a nightmare in and of itself. Seeing Harry being pierced by that blow...seeing all those dead bodies on the shore, blood everywhere. Knowing I killed so many people, their dead faces haunting my dreams.
It was horrible.
"Miss?" I turn towards Lloyd as he calls me, standing in the doorway of my room. I give him a smile and beckon him in.
"What is it, Lloyd?" I ask and he gives me a sad smile.
"You don't have to pretend with me, Miss. I know you're still hurting," he says and I open my mouth to say something, but sigh and look at him again. "The doctor wants to see you." Lloyd continues and I raise an eyebrow confused.
"What for? I just had my visit with him." I say and Lloyd grabs my hand and lifts me to my feet, trying to hide the smile on his face.
"I think you'll enjoy it." he says and I furrow my eyebrows down, but say no more as I follow Lloyd out of my room.
Layla was jumping up and down, looking a little anxious as she stands by a door. Once she sees Lloyd and I, a smile comes to her face and she runs over to us.
"Can we go in now?" she begs Lloyd and he laughs, taking one of her outstretched hands and nodding to her.
"Yes," he says, Layla taking my other hand as we walk back to the door she was standing at. Lloyd looks back at me and gives me a warm smile. "It would seem he's awake." he tells me and my eyes widen. My pace picks up, matching Layla's excited pace as we go to the door, Lloyd opening it before letting us go in first.
On a bed, covered in bandages, was a very, very much alive Harry.
"Harry," I breathe, running over to his bedside, not noticing the doctor standing on the other side. "You're okay." My voice quivers as I speak and Harry shifts his eyes over towards me, a lazy smile coming to his face.
"That's a bit of an overstatement." he jokes and happy tears come to my eyes. A smile comes to my face as he looks at me and I nod my head to him, agreeing with what he said.
"Daddy!" Layla says, getting up on the bed, but very careful not to touch his body. Her smile was bright as she beamed at him, just as ecstatic as I was that he was awake.
"Hey, little brat." Harry muses, weakly holding a hand up so Layla could take it. "I'm glad you're all safe." Harry breathes and I put a hand on his shoulder lightly.
"It's all because of you." I say and he laughs, but winces after he does so.
"Careful, Harry. You still haven't recovered." Hunter warns and Harry grumbles under his breath. Turning towards me, Hunter gives me a sigh.
"Your husband doesn't understand how to stay still and let himself heal." he says distressed and I can't help but smile. "But then again, you're the same way." Hunter continues on, obviously annoyed by the pairing of us.
I let out a small laugh, seeing Hunter's faint smile. He cared for us, so the fact that we were trying to do everything at once was stressing him out.
"It runs in the family, I guess." I say as an excuse and Hunter snorts. "That's one way to put it." he chimes and we all chuckle.
"But seriously, Harry is lucky to be alive right now. Had the organs punctured been vital, he would've been dead long ago." Hunter says and I swallow, looking over at Harry, who now wouldn't meet my gaze.
"Everything is stitched up and bandaged now, but he has to let himself heal. The insides need to heal before his outer body does. But if he keeps moving like he has been for the past hour or so, he'll rip open the stitches." Hunter says with a glare towards Harry, who gives him a sheepish grin.
Hunter explained a little more about Harry's condition, and Layla, Lloyd and I listened very intently. He barely got out of this alive...and even now, he was still very much so trying to recover.
I stared at Harry, seeing him beginning to grow tired, and I swallow hard. If only I had reacted faster, if only I hadn't of froze...he wouldn't even be like this.
Harry glanced my way for a moment and saw my expression before looking away, a small frown on his face.
"Can I have a few minutes alone with Bella?" Harry asks and my eyes widen slightly at his request. Hunter thinks about it for a moment before nodding, giving Harry strict warnings about not moving before walking out of the room.
Layla looked over at Lloyd before getting off of Harry's bed, taking Lloyd's hand as they walk from the room. Harry stared after his daughter as she left, the door closing behind them.
"First of all, what the hell is that?" he growls, pointing at the now closed door, and I can't help but laugh.
"Our daughter has taken a liking to the young man." I explain and Harry scowls. "I don't like it." he grumbles and I sigh.
"I know you still have mixed feelings about Lloyd...but he's been good help." I say and Harry huffs, wincing as he forces himself into a sitting position, despite Hunter's nagging.
"He better not do anything to our daughter." Harry says with a hint of anger and I fight the smile from my face. It was nice to see his protective side every now and then.
A silence fell over us and I looked down awkwardly, rubbing my arm before Harry lets out a sigh. He looked over at me, a frown on his face as he did so.
"What's wrong?" he asks and I give him a confused look. "What do you mean?" I ask and he gives me a small glare.
"Don't act dumb, Bella. We both know you aren't. This is bothering you, and I want to know exactly what is going on in your mind that is making you like this." he says and for a moment all I can hear is Caius' laughter, but I blink a few times, bringing myself back into reality.
"It's all my fault," I whisper, his eyes widening at my statement. Tears come to my eyes and I try to wipe them away, but they keep coming, blurring my vision. "If only you hadn't have had to push me, you wouldn't be this way. If I would've thought of a plan faster, Shayla could've...if you hadn't have gotten in the way, Harry, you wouldn't even be hurt!" I cry, only catching a glimpse of the shocked look on his face before I cover my eyes, trying to pull myself together.
"What are you talking about, Bella?" Harry asks bewildered, and my eyes widen as his hands wrap around mine, making me look at him.
"It isn't your fault. I'm this injured because I wanted to make sure you were safe," he says, frowning at me. "I'm not too sure what you're talking about with Shayla, but I'm sure she would say the same. She wanted to help you out, just like I did." he says and I grit my teeth together.
"Shayla's dead!" I shout and his face pales, his green eyes wide in shock. "Wh-what?" he asks and I sniffle, nodding my head. The story of what happened spilled from my mouth faster than I could keep up, and I was nearly in shambles after telling it. Harry stares at me stunned, blinking a few times as he tried to comprehend what I said.
He finally looked down, closing his eyes for a moment before taking a deep breath.
"It isn't your fault." he says seriously and I look at him disbelievingly.
"No one could've convinced Shayla to do any different. She wasn't about to fight you, and she wasn't going to jeopardize anyone she loved. She saw her options and calculated the one that would work best...even though it wasn't the easiest." Harry says sadly and I swallow hard, taking in a few deep breaths to calm myself down.
I wish I would stop crying so easily. But this war...it broke me in a way I didn't think it could.
"And Bella?" Harry starts and I look back at him. "I saved you because I couldn't bear the thought of losing you. You have saved me time and time again, in more ways than one, and I was finally able to save you. This one time, I was able to save the woman I loved. And I couldn't ask for anything better than that." he says in a gentle voice, a smile on his face and I felt my lips tremble slightly, but I kept my composure as I stare at him.
"I'm so sorry if I worried you, Bella. I know you must've gone through so much in the weeks, and I feel guilty because I wasn't awake earlier to ease your mind," he says, moving forward and I gasp at his movements. He holds both of my hands in his, staring intently into my eyes, ignoring the pain he had to be feeling right now.
"But I promise you, Bella, that I will never abandon you again. I will never cause you to doubt, to worry, to cry, to want to give up, or anything. I devoted my life to you nearly seven years ago, and I'm renewing what I once said. Except this time, as a man who will honor his word." he says seriously and I feel breathless.
I searched his eyes for any sort of hesitancy, but there was none. The only thing I saw was honesty and loyalty.
"I'm glad." I whisper, a smile coming to my face, and I lean forward, my forehead touching Harry's. He smiles at me, holding my hands tighter as we stayed like that, and for a moment all my troubles melted away.
My eyes shot open as I thought about it and I immediately grabbed Harry's shoulders, pushing him back down on the bed. He looked at me with wide eyes, confused and a little afraid at my sudden movements. "B-Bella?" he asks and I huff at him.
"You're not supposed to be moving this much!" I scold him and the fear in his eyes got replaced by humor, and he began to laugh at me.
"I give you that long speech and we start having a moment, and then you scold me for moving?! You never change!" he laughs, pointing a finger at me and I scowl at him, narrowing my eyes.
"And if you rip open your stitches?" I snap and he gives me a smirk. "Hunter can put it together again." he says jokingly and I grab his ear, making his face drain of color as he saw the look on my face.
"O-on second thought, I'll stay still." he says with a nervous laugh and I let go of his ear, giving him a smile.
"That's better." I say and he lets out a long sigh, laying his head down on his pillow. "I'll let you get some rest." I muse, standing up straight and Harry looks over at me tiredly.
"Soon, I'll be able to walk again. I promise." he says and I smile softly, nodding my head to him before walking towards the door.
"Thank you, Harry." I say, barely loud enough for him to hear.
"I should be thanking you." he murmurs and my smile grows as I walk out of his room, feeling much better than I was before.
Once Hunter saw me leave Harry's room, he gives me a smile. He excuses himself to go back to tending Harry, wanting to make sure he didn't overexert himself. I had to hide my smile, knowing Harry didn't obey the doctor's orders. In fact, he did the exact opposite.
Turning back to Lloyd and Layla, I give them a tired smile. "I'm thinking of heading back to lay down. I'm getting a little tired." I admit, my body feeling weary, especially after crying again. Both nod to me in an understanding manner, and I excuse myself, walking back towards my room.
As I walk, I send a prayer up, hoping that when I lay down, I can actually get some peaceful sleep. Maybe, I think with a sigh, Just maybe, I can get some sleep.
***
A few more days past since Harry first woke up. He was able to walk somewhat, but he had to have assistance, which bothered him greatly.
He would often nag Hunter, me, or Louis as we helped him walk, claiming he could walk on his own. Louis let go of him once just to prove his point, and when Harry nearly fell, Louis laughed as Harry grabbed for him so he wouldn't fall.
Layla was now no longer bruised. She had a few scars on her arms and legs, but it wasn't anything horrible, which I was so grateful for. Harry had informed me of the role she played in the war, and I nearly had a heart attack when I learned she set off a bomb.
But everyone was beginning to relax again, and the citizens were beginning to recover from the sudden invasion of their homeland. Phillipa informed all of us the beach was now cleared and all the bodies were now either buried or shipped to where they originally belonged. A lot of the soldiers from the Aluverian Empire weren't from England, so they were shipped to their respectful homes.
Phillipa also announced that ships were being sent to the island where the rest of the Aluverian citizens were, and they would become subjects of England. It seemed everything was finally beginning to die down, and people were finally able to start recovering from what had happened.
It helped that the Queen of England was so strong and helpful in everything she's been doing. It amazes me to see how much action Phillipa has taken ever since we claimed victory over the Aluverian Empire. Because of her courage and action, everyone is able to trust her and hope our country will prevail even more because of this incident.
Letting out a long sigh, I swing my legs back and forth on the bench I sat on, coming out of my thoughts. I was sitting back in the garden, feeling some sort of comfortable peace as I stared at the flowers and plants. It was still the one place I could come to in order to clear my mind.
I've been doing a lot of thinking while I've been awake. I still don't sleep much, so instead I decide to think about everything that has happened.
Tears come to my eyes as I see Caius' demented smile in my mind. I don't think I'll ever be able to forget the sound of his laughter. It still brings chills to my body. I take in a deep breath, trying to think of anything but the war, but it wasn't really working.
"What are you doing here?"
I jump at the voice, turning to see Harry leaning against a pillar by himself, lifting a hand as he smiles at me. His smile disappears when he notices the tears in my eyes and I quickly wipe them away, standing up quickly.
"H-Harry! Why are you not with someone?!" I scold, rushing over to him and making him lean on me for support. He groans at my concern, giving me a sideways glare.
"You're still injured too, you know. You don't have to act like you're not." he grumbles and I stay silent, leading him to the bench where I was sitting before. After we both sit down, both of us let out a sigh.
I put my hands in my lap, looking down at the ground. For some reason, Harry always knew where to find me, and at the most inconvenient times.
"Why were you crying?" Harry asks in a low voice and I swallow hard. "I haven't seen you like this before, Bella. It's actually really worrying me." he says concerned and I I grip my dress tightly.
"The war...it really did a number on me." I admit and I can feel his gaze on me. My shoulders sagged as I realized I wouldn't be able to leave now without explaining in full. "When I faced the first General, that's when Shayla and I were trapped. His name was Caius." I strain, and I can sense the sad look on Harry's face.
"After what happened with Shayla, I had to fight him. But he had more traps," I murmur, glancing over to see his wide eyes. "He was a strong fighter, of course. He had another dirty trick up his sleeve too...and he poisoned me." I say and Harry leans forward in disbelief.
"I was in so much pain. I lost my sense of smell, taste, and nearly my vision. I don't even know what type of poison he used, but he tortured me after I got shot in the arm with the dart of poison. The only way I got the antidote was to kill him. And...I don't even know how I pulled through, but I killed him. I made the decision myself and killed him." I say and Harry puts a hand on mine supportively.
"All I could think about was you, Layla, and Shayla. I made a promise to all of you. He said he would've killed you and Layla the same way he was killing me, by torturing you to that degree. I couldn't let you go through that pain as well. I guess that's how I got through it." I say with a shrug and Harry's grip tightens.
Tears came to my eyes and I struggled to swallow. "It was awful, Harry. It was so so terrible. I've never been in that much pain before. Never. And that's all I can think about. All I can see is Caius, or Shayla dying, or you getting shot, and I can't sleep. I can't do anything without seeing something horrible." I gasp, my body shaking and Harry wraps his arms around me, bringing me in close to him as I try to contain my cries.
"I'm so sorry, Bella," Harry says in the most heartfelt tone and I grip his shirt tightly. "I didn't know. I wish I could've done something. I'm so sorry." he whispers and I shake my head, knowing he couldn't have done anything. It was a war, after all.
"Are the nightmares ever going to go away?" I whisper desperately and Harry plants a kiss on my forehead, making me look into his eyes.
"They will. Maybe not now, because what happened is still new and still fresh. They may come certain days or certain nights, but they won't last forever. Because you'll have so many happy memories to replace those bad ones. And I promise I'll be there with every step you take, and I'll give you something else to remember than that." he says and a small smile comes to my face.
Harry smiles at me, reaching his hand up to caress my cheek. "And you know what?" he asks and I raise an eyebrow at him. "You, my dear, are the strongest person I've ever known in my life. To have been through everything you've been through and still be marching on? That's an amount of strength anyone would be jealous of. That's why I admire you so much." he says and a few happy tears fall from my eyes as I listen to his words.
"You won't be broken forever, Bella. This is just a part of our story." he says and I put my hand on his, closing my eyes as I lean into his hand that still rested on my face.
"Our story?" I question and he murmurs an agreement. "What a wild wide it's been." I breathe, opening up my eyes and he puts his hand down, staring into my eyes as we both sit there. A silence falls over us as we look at one another, and it feels like a mutual understanding passes between us.
A sad smile comes to both of our faces for a moment before we sigh. I look away for a moment, knowing Harry had probably been thinking about the same things I was.
"It's been a long journey," I whisper, looking at Harry, who nods his head solemnly. "And we've finally gotten back together." I add and he looks at me, his green eyes filled with a new sense of commitment.
"I don't think we'll ever fully recover from these injuries though. Or what's happened to us." he says, gesturing to his wound and I look down at my lap, a sad smile coming to my face.
"Yeah, I think you're right." I murmur and he puts a hand on my knee, making me look back up at him. A warm smile comes to his face and I feel my heart clench. This wasn't easy for either of us.
"We'll be together though. Nothing else will be decided alone." he says and I smile, nodding my head. Another moment of silence passes before I look into his eyes, feeling the tension around us.
"Then we're in agreement?" I question and I see his hesitation, thinking for a moment before he lets out a sigh and nods his head.
"Yes, we are."
2 CHAPTERS LEFT!!
Hope you liked this update, it was pretty long and filled with plenty of emotion and discussion. Harry and Bella are on the same wavelength once more. Please let me know what you think of this chapter! (And please, don't say it isn't long enough. I'm looking at my word count guys, trust me, it's PLENTY long)