Trapped : The Island of Torment

Chapter 25 : A Dead Body

Bruce woke to a start, hearing the sounds of birds chirping outside. Isabella was asleep in his arms, a hand against his chest while he had his hand wrapped around her waist. He leaned down, kissing Isabella on her forehead, watching her as she slept. Bruce had been in love with her, ever since he first saw her again when they were adults, and because of this, he promised himself that he would never leave Isabella. The late Duke of Malborough had disapproved of his romance with Selina, when Isabella was unwittingly dragged into the mess, that is. He was aware that Bruce had feelings for his goddaughter, and he eventually revealed that Isabella was also his grandniece. It is clear that both the late duke and now the dowager duchess had doted on Isabella, raising her as their own, by providing her with a well-rounded education that made her a fine young woman, despite losing her mother at fifteen. 

When visiting Blenheim Palace following their engagement Isabella had also sought the late duke and now dowager duchess' permission to marry Bruce. The couple did grant their permission, but they too, like her grandparents, put him under intense scrutiny because of the harm Selina had done to her. They were unwilling to allow Isabella to marry him, but the issue is that Bruce had already sought permission from Isabella's grandparents to marry her, permission which was granted following the said round of scrutiny. Helen, the Dowager Duchess, was understanding of her niece's situation, as she herself also had to face the challenge of asking her parents' permission to marry Fabian, minus the aspect of Fabian not being liked by her parents which was the opposite. Fabian too promised his parents and his future-in-laws that he really liked Helen and wished to marry no one but her. 

Bruce looked at Isabella, his eyes filled with feelings of tenderness, as the events of their relationship came to mind. He held her close, knowing that she had to endure pain and suffering before they began a relationship. Isabella's eyelashes fluttered and her eyes opened, and he held her close, giving her a kiss. "Morning." he said, brushing a strand of her black-gold hair aside. Isabella smiled, snuggling in his arms as she found herself in his warm grasp with no escape, due to his arms around her. 

"Did you sleep well?" she asked.

"I believed that I should be the one who should be asking you that." he said, brushing a hand on her cheek. "You have been doing the heavy lifting the whole time."

"I'm used to it, but my husband on the other hand..." she said. 

"I'm not the somewhat immature playboy you see on TV." he smiled. "Yet, only those close to me knew this." 

"I know." Isabella said. "I have more than ten years' time to know that." 

"And with a strict in-law, I would have undergone forms, one form or another, of martial arts training, so that you wouldn't have to always be the fighter."

"Hmm... my other uncles who worked normal jobs did have to be conscripted into the military before pursuing their careers." she said. 

"Not to worry, he can fight." Bruce said, leaning in for a kiss. As they did Bruce's hand brushed against the scar tissue on Isabella's abdomen, which was from the wound she sustained while fighting Selina to stop her from stealing the infamous Ibiza Diamond, on display in the New York Metropolitan Museum at that time. "It won't happen again, I promise." he whispered. Isabella's smile disappeared as she touched his hand that was on her abdomen. He then lets go of her, allowing Isabella to sit up and button the shirt properly. 

"I can feel your physical contact, like always." she said. "But, I ask." she added. "That we consummate our passion at a later time." hearing this Bruce had a smile on his face, agreeing that his wife was right. "We already had twelve children, after all." she whispered. 

Despite his initial reluctance to embrace fatherhood following the birth of their first child and daughter Bruce has now fully embraced his role as a father, as he and Isabella parented more children throughout their marriage following the birth of their daughter. Unzipping the flap of the tent Bruce emerged, followed by Isabella as they moved to the site of the campfire. The fire had long been put out, leaving only embers. "We'll have to keep the embers for the fire later on, and now we go hunting." Isabella had kept the longbow and arrow that she now uses as her weapon for the time being in the tent they shared for the time being on the island. 

"Do you have something alongside you just in case?" she asked. "A weapon perhaps?"

"If my good looks were considered a weapon, then I can say that I have." Bruce said. 

"You certainly qualify in that category." Isabella smiled. "But... you wouldn't survive that long on an island filled with dangerous men." 

"Considering... that I found someone who took a different path from the rich and famous, survived ten days in a desert, kicked a guy out of a window, and became the daughter of a general, albeit not in real life, we came a long way from being just childhood friends." 

"Yeah..." she said. "We should get going." Bruce nodded and they prepared to leave, while his adopted son and his girlfriend emerged from the tent they shared. 

"Going hunting?" his son, Dick, asked. 

"Yes." Isabella replied. "And to gather water for our journey." 

"Journey?"

"Even though this is a comfy spot, we're not sure how long we can hold out until help arrives." she said. 

"Time to go." Bruce said, a hand on her shoulder. Isabella nodded and they left the cave, trekking on foot to look for more prey and fresh water. "They had more than four years to know you." he murmured as they walked along the forest path. "But her lies made them turn their back on you." he then added. Isabella did not flinch as she removed her jacket, ripped off a small piece of cloth and tied it to a nearby tree to mark their path. Soft rustling was heard and a wild rabbit darted out of the bushes, prompting Isabella to stop, notch an arrow on her longbow and fire the shot. The arrow found its target, but it was not a rabbit, it was the dead man of a figure clad in black.