This song basically encompasses the entire series in a whole, and it's perfect for this chapter. Very fitting, so give it a listen!!
Isabella's POV:
As I let Harry lean on me, we exited the garden, making our way towards Phillipa's throne room. He was already getting tired, sweat forming on his forehead as his breathing started to grow ragged. He still isn't in the best shape... I think bitterly, doing my best to support him.
But my own body was beginning to grow tired and I sigh lowly. Then again, I'm not in the best shape either.
Hunter and Louis spot us along the way and hurry over to us. Louis takes Harry from me and Hunter lets me lean against him. Both Harry and I let out a sigh of relief once they assist us.
"We need to speak with Layla." I say and Hunter raises an eyebrow, but nods his head.
"She was with Prince Edward and Princess Elizabeth. I'll go get her." he says and I straighten up so he can leave, watching as he goes up a spiral staircase.
Harry and I watched as he went up the staircase with ease, and I felt sick just looking at those stairs. Trying to get up them like this would be a nightmare.
Looking over to see Harry's pale expression as he stares at them too, I know he's thinking the exact same thing. As of now, stairs were not an option for either of us.
After a few minutes, Layla comes bounding down the stairs happily, Hunter following more slowly behind her. She smiled brightly at us and jumped into my arms, giving me a tight hug.
I winced at the contact, still very sore, but made myself smile for her. Patting her head, I stood her up on the ground.
"You wanted to see me?" she asks curiously and I nod my head. Glancing over at Harry, he gives me a firm nod.
"Louis, Hunter, can you excuse us for a moment?" I ask politely and I can see the uneasy looks from both of them. They didn't know what was going on, but now they knew something wasn't right.
Harry pats Louis on the shoulder and gives him a smile, making Louis let out a sigh. "We'll be back in a few minutes." Louis says, having Harry sit down in a chair before him and Hunter left.
Layla gave both of us a curious stare, her green eyes wide with caution. She knew as well that something wasn't exactly right. We were acting way too calm.
"Listen, Layla, we have to talk to you about something really important..."
***
When Louis and Hunter returned, Layla had accepted what we had talked about, although I could see sadness in her eyes.
"Is there any way we can see Phillipa?" Harry asks Hunter, who looks at him surprised.
"Well, yes, but it's a little unexpected. Do you need an audience with just her?" he asks and I shake my head.
"If possible, we'd like all of you to be there. In her throne room." I say and Louis raises an eyebrow before nodding.
"I'll go get Niall." he says before walking off, not questioning us. I had a gut feeling he already had an idea of what was going on, but he was being nice enough not to say anything.
"I'll go fetch Lloyd." Hunter says and I nod, watching as he walked off as well. It was weird to know what was happening, but Harry and I both knew we couldn't do anything without letting them know.
We head to the throne room after they leave, walking in, and my eyes widen in surprise as I see Wesly talking to Queen Phillipa.
He was officially cleared because of Dr. Gregory's confession. I had nearly forgotten.
Wesly saw us and his face echoed my surprised look, turning to face us fully. Phillipa had raised an eyebrow curiously, not knowing why we suddenly entered.
"Wesly, you're dismissed. Return to your post." Phillipa says with a kind smile and Wesly nods, beginning to walk towards us. Harry tenses slightly as Wesly gets closer, but all I do is offer the kind man a smile.
"It's good to see you free, Wesly." I say genuinely and Wesly laughs, nodding his head. "It's nice to be a free man." he admits and Harry takes in a deep breath.
"Look, I know we haven't exactly gotten on well...but I am sorry for falsely accusing you." Harry says in a strained voice and I smile. This was good. We needed this.
"It's okay. Let bygones be bygones." Wesly says and Harry grins at him. "You know, you may not be so bad." Harry jokes and Wesly rolls his eyes.
"Oh thanks," he snorts and I giggle. "But honestly, I'm glad you're back." Wesly says in a serious tone, making both Harry and I look at him in shock.
"It seems you've finally gotten back to the man Miss Bella loved. And that's all I could ask for." he says and I feel warmth come to my cheeks as Harry slowly smiles at Wesly.
"Treat her properly this time, okay? She deserves the absolute best." Wesly says and Harry nods, putting an arm around me and giving Wesly another smile.
"Don't worry, I will." he says and Wesly nods to him, patting Harry on the shoulder before turning to me.
"Until next time, Miss Bella." he says, giving me a small bow and I smile at him, nodding my head before he walks by us, pausing in front of Layla and patting her head. He says something to her that makes her smile before he gives us one last wave before leaving the room. Now we were alone with Queen Phillipa and Layla.
Queen Phillipa smiles at the exchange, seeming pleased to see us end on good terms with one another. She stood from her throne and walked towards us in a graceful manner, a pleasant look on her face.
"To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" she asks and Harry snorts, rolling his eyes.
"Please drop the formalities with us." he jokes and Phillipa smirks at him.
"Fine with me. Why are you two injured idiots out of bed?" she muses and I laugh, watching as Harry's mouth drops in offense of her comment.
"Rude," he grumbles before grinning. "But also very true." he agrees and Phillipa smiles knowingly, laughing at both of us.
"Sit with me." she says, waving us over, and we walk to a table, the four of us sitting down. It was relieving to finally sit and get the weight off of my feet, and I could tell Harry felt the same relief. His face had been a little pale, so this rest was much needed for him.
"What do you need?" Phillipa asks and I give her a hesitant smile. "Let's wait until everyone gets here before saying anything." I say and she furrows her eyebrows down, unsure of what was going on.
A curious look came to her eyes and I had to look away, knowing if I stared too long into her eyes I would spill everything before the time was right.
A few more minutes of silence passed before Louis walked in, wheeling in Niall, who looked a little uncomfortable in his wheelchair, but smiled nonetheless. It made me happy to see him be able to leave that dreaded recovery room, and he seemed in much higher spirits than he had before.
"It's good to see you, Cap!" Niall says, giving Harry an awkward hug, which he returns. Niall obviously hasn't gotten used to only having one arm, but he was trying. Harry smiles brightly back at his friend.
"It's nice to see you very much alive, Niall." Harry says and Niall laughs, nodding his head. "You have to do a lot more to get rid of me." he says, casting a sideways glance towards me and I smile, nodding my head affirmatively towards him.
Hunter came in not too long after, Lloyd following behind him quite confused at what was going on. He saw all of us sitting at a table and I could see the curiosity in his eyes and I let out a sigh.
Everyone was curious as to why we were all here.
Once everyone sat down and got adjusted, they looked at Harry and I expectantly, and I felt a little awkward under everyone's gaze. Harry obviously felt the same pressure I was as he scratches the back of his head, his eyes looking away from everyone's stare.
"We've got something real important to announce." Harry mutters and everyone looks at us closely, their bodies leaning forward in a subconscious manner.
"The truth is, guys, is that we can't do this any longer." Harry says and mixtures of confusion and surprise cross everyone's faces as they listen. Frowning, I take over from Harry, knowing this was extremely hard for him to say aloud.
"We're retiring from piracy," I say, not looking at everyone's reaction. "Officially, I guess. Both of us agree we need time to heal and reflect on what's all happened, and to be a proper family. Plus, there are some things that just won't heal." I say, looking up to see everyone staring at us in shock.
A silence followed our announcement and I swallowed hard, moving my feet back and forth for a moment before I took in a breath.
"I think it's wise."
I look over at Phillipa in surprise, seeing her giving us a soft smile.
"Especially after everything that's happened, I think you realizing family is most important is good. I know this must be hard, but I respect your decision." she says softly and I smile at her gratefully.
"I agree. I mean, I'll be retiring as well. It's not like I can do too much as a pirate anymore anyways." Niall pipes up and Harry looks at him with a pained expression, but says nothing. "It'll be a new change for us. I think we need it." Niall says and I swallow hard.
Layla puts her hand on mine and gives both Harry and I a smile. "I'm a little sad you won't be going on any more adventures, but I'm glad we finally get to be a family! I'm sure that'll lead us on many new adventures." she says positively and I nod to her, leaning over to give her a quick kiss on the cheek before pulling back.
"As your doctor, I could not be more relieved to hear this," Hunter says and Harry scoffs. A laugh leaves my lips before Hunter smiles at us and continues. "As a friend, I'm happy you've been able to come to this decision together. And as the Queen said, I respect that."
Lloyd gave us a smile and nodded his head. "I'm thankful you've given me a second chance at life. And seeing you make the brave decision to lead a different life gives me hope I can do the same." he says and to my surprise, Harry reaches over and pats the lad on the shoulder, giving him a strained smile.
I could see the conflict in Harry's eyes, but I could also see the genuine look on his face as he reassured Lloyd. "All of us can start over again. It takes the right people to see that, and it looks like you've finally found those people." Harry says and I can't help but smile at him.
Lloyd looks like he could cry, but he nods his head, taking in a deep breath to calm himself down. I'm sure that was the last thing he was expecting to hear Harry say.
A small silence fell over us before I looked over at Louis, who hadn't said a word since he walked back in. He was looking at the ground, his shaggy hair covering his eyes and I couldn't tell what was going on in his mind.
"Louis?" I whisper, hoping to hear what he was thinking, and I could see Harry swallow hard as he stared at his best friend.
"Cap...this isn't it is it?" Louis asks in a low voice and I see Harry shake his head.
"I'm not sure what you mean." Harry replies and Louis clenches his fists tightly.
"We've been through so much. Being a pirate was our life. Can...can you really say goodbye to it all? Say goodbye to all of us?" he murmurs, his voice shaking and my heart clenches at his words.
"Of course we've been through a lot," Harry says, struggling to stand up, but does so anyways and walks over to Louis. "But we aren't saying goodbye to each other. I won't let that happen." Harry says seriously and Louis finally looks up, a pained look on his face.
"That's what will happen if this all goes away. This was how we connected, how we became family. You can't..." Louis trails off, not knowing how to finish his sentence and Harry puts both hands on his shoulders, giving him a hard look.
"We aren't giving up family. That's why we fought that war. So we could still have our family. We are doing what is best to keep our family safe. I'm not losing anyone else, and because I can't protect any of you anymore because of the state of my body, I'm doing the only thing I can think of that will keep my family safe." Harry says seriously and Louis looks at him surprised.
"This is so hard for me, Louis. It's been just as much of my life as it has been yours. But it's for the best. And this isn't goodbye. No matter what, we're still going to stick together." Harry says and Louis tightens his jaw, staring at Harry.
"I don't want this to go away." Louis whispers and my eyes widen, remembering who he used to be. Harry had saved him and took him on this whimsical journey for so long...it was all he knew anymore.
"It won't." I say, making both Harry and Louis stare at me.
"We aren't telling you this for no reason. We're taking you with us on this journey as well." I say intentionally and Louis' eyes widen slightly.
"Family sticks together. You should know that." Niall says with a grin and Louis finally begins to smile, his eyes misting over.
"You're right." he whispers and Harry hugs him as I wipe my own eyes, trying not to cry. Niall begins to laugh as everyone else smiles at them, and I let out a sigh. This felt right. Like how it should be.
Louis finally pushes Harry off of him, complaining how he wasn't a crybaby, while Harry teased him lightly. Lloyd and Hunter laughed along with Niall as they watched the two best friends bicker, and Layla took my hand.
"This is our family?" she asks me and I smile warmly at her. "Yes, it is." I say, looking at the group in front of me fondly. So much has happened to all of us over the years, but looking at us now, it was like it was meant to be.
"Oi, Capt! Leave Louis alone!" Niall finally says, snickering and Harry pauses, looking over at Niall while a sad smile comes to his face.
"I'm...not a Captain anymore, Niall. I'm just...Harry," he says, looking over at me. "I'm just Harry."
There was a small silence at his statement, but Louis soon let out a sigh.
"I guess we'll have to find jobs to keep us busy." he says and Phillipa nods, standing up.
"I can have that arranged for you all. If you don't want to work out there, there's always jobs around the palace you could take." she says kindly and Niall smiles.
"Maybe one day. But I think it would be nice to kind of venture throughout England for a little while." he says and Louis slowly nods in agreement.
"We'll still see each other, even if it isn't every day." he says and Phillipa turns towards us. "As always, Bella, you have a place here if you need." she says to me and Harry puts a hand on my shoulder.
"We may need some time off. I can always go send someone to that island of ours. We'll be able to provide for ourselves pretty well." he says and Phillipa nods to us in understanding.
"Where will you stay?" Lloyd asks us and I smile. "I have my cottage down by the ocean. I feel it'll be a quaint place for our family." I say and Layla gasps happily.
"We get to go home!" she cheers and I laugh, nodding to her. "Yes, we do." I answer and she claps her hands.
Lloyd hesitates, looking from us to the ground, and I stand, walking over and grabbing one of his hands, making him look up at me.
"Don't worry Lloyd. You're part of this too now. You have a place here as well." I say and Lloyd looks at me surprised, his eyes moving over to Phillipa, who nods her head affirmatively.
"We may have...difficulties in our past, Lloyd, but those aren't entirely your fault. If you need anything, you can stay here as well." she says and Lloyd's eyes mist over. He obviously wasn't used to being treated this kindly, especially by people he thought were his enemies before.
"Is this what family is?" he whispers lowly and I smile, bringing him into a hug as I feel his shoulders shake slightly as he cries.
"Yes, it is."
***
Harry, Layla and I stood on the front porch of our house. Phillipa, Hunter, Lloyd, Niall, and Louis had come over for one last visit before they all set out for their new jobs.
It had been four days since Harry and I revealed we were no longer going to be pirates. I was no longer Lady Bella, and he was no longer Captain Styles.
All of us were going to spend more time healing, but with Phillipa's help, they were able to get jobs and houses lined up for them whenever they were fully healed. Hunter was staying in the palace as the new designated doctor, of course, and Lloyd was now an attendant of the Queen.
His loyalty to his newly found family was astonishing, and it made me wonder how much he had actually been wanting someone to really and truly love him before this. Although it didn't matter much now, as he was adjusting well to his second chance on life. It made me happy to see him smiling like this.
Louis was working at the harbor one town over. He was going to visit the town Shayla had been in while she was gone for six years. Since he was mostly healed already, he would be starting work within a week or so.
Niall, however, was now a clerk at a store. He's always had a bright and cheery attitude, and Phillipa got him set up in a classy, high-end store where he wouldn't have to worry about being judged for only having some of his extremities. This reassurance made him more at ease than he had been, and he now had a positive outlook on what he was going to be doing.
I ran my hand through Layla's blonde hair, watching as everyone got their things together.
"Well, I guess until next time?" Louis asks, none of us knowing how to say goodbye for now. All of us nod at his question, and Harry stands up straight.
"Soon we'll all meet up again." he says and Niall gives a thumbs up. "It's a promise!" he cheers and everyone else chimes in.
"It'll be weird, thinking that everything is calm." Harry murmurs and I nod my head. "But we're still together. All of us." I say and Phillipa smiles warmly.
"And we always will be. We don't have to worry about anything else." she says and Layla smiles brightly up at me, her green eyes shining. She doesn't say anything, but I can tell everything by the way she smiles at me.
"We'll carry on." Lloyd says determinedly and we all nod, a small silence falling over us before Phillipa lets out a long sigh.
She lifts her hand up and begins to wave, and Harry, Layla and I wave back, everyone soon following her lead. All of them began to leave, going their separate ways, leaving us alone on the porch by ourselves.
A silence fell over us as we stared out at them, the sun beginning to set over the ocean, creating a shadow as they left.
"Was it worth it all?" Harry asks as we watch them walk away, neither of us knowing when we'd see some of them again. I wipe a stray tear from my eye, thinking of everything we've been through, and the growth we've had. A sad smile comes to my face as I nod my head, staring out at our departing friends.
"Yeah, it was."
Guys it's basically done and over. Only 1 more left. I can't believe it! I hope you've really enjoyed this chapter, I've worked hard on it. Please let me know what you think about them retiring and about the choices they're making!!