The Lady and her Vampire
Word count of chapter: 4600
Summary: Alexonia is a kingdom in a far away world, where kings and queens rule the earth. Isabella Marie Swan is the crown princess of Alexonia, living in the castle in the kingdom's capital city, Marilen. Her whole life is being dictated by her parents, the nobles in and around the castle and the rules of the royal family. But Isabella, or Bella, is a free spirit, and doesn't like to be told who to be. Every now and then, she sneaks out to the city. One day, after sneaking out of the royal grounds, she meets a handsome young man. From that moment her life is turned around. Her parents push her to find a husband and plan certain events, the ancient legends of her kingdom come to live again and there are threats coming from everywhere. The most surprising thing—at least for Bella—is that she is the only one who can solve the trouble. But she has no need to worry, for friends are there to help.
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, it's characters, and it's storyline belong to Stephanie Meyer. This storyline, however, belongs to me.
Have fun reading and please review when ready. It's the only way I (and the story) can get better!
Bella's Point of View
The morning bells hadn't chimed yet as I quietly made my way through the laundry room. It was too early for anyone to be there—for they would most likely be in the kitchens at that hour—and therefore it was the perfect escape-route from the castle. With my breath held, I carefully opened the door towards the gardens and slipped out. The fear of being caught had completely left me when I ran towards the stables were a few hundred meters away. Destiny had obviously heard me coming as the sound of her morning greeting reached me from inside the massive shed. A soft laugh escaped my lips as I opened the door and entered. Luckily enough, I didn't need a torch to see inside, for there were enough windows and the sun rose very early.
"Good morning, Destiny! Ready for a ride?" I asked the beautiful black horse cheerfully as I patted her neck. She whinnied and shook her long dark manes. "I take that as a yes! Now let me brush you up and get you ready, so that we can go." I took the brushes and started to work on my favourite mare, preparing her for a ride to the city. It was something that I usually did once a week on different days, so I wouldn't be caught by my parents or the royal guard.
The stress that seemed to inhabit the castle could drive one crazy, especially if it was expected from you to be perfect at all times. Off course I knew that I was living the dream of many girls, however, I had never asked for any of it. But no one seemed to mind that, for I was still Isabella Marie Swan, the crown princess of Alexonia. And at that moment, it was time for the princess to run away again, even if just for a few hours.
After I was finished with saddling Destiny, I guided her towards the forest and mounted her gracefully, as would be expected from a princess. The only difference, though, was that I sat astride, instead of sideways-on, which was considered highly inappropriate for a Lady, especially for the future Queen of the nation. But I didn't mind that. I was my own person, and I had the right to do as I wished. It's not that I would do anything that would have a negative effect anyone, and therefore I saw no harm in doing what I wanted to do. Without throwing a single glance back to the castle, Destiny and I rushed through the dark green woods.
There was a large wall surrounding the Royal grounds, and it was almost impossible to pass, except for me. I happened to know of a small hill that was situated very close to the border-wall, this was accompanied by another small hill on the other side of the wall, about a hundred meters to the left. Destiny was well trained and an exceptionally strong horse, this was why, when I encouraged her speed more at the top of the first hill, she was able to jump on top of the wall. The space where the guards usually did their rounds allowed a horse to roam the wall as well. Automatically, Destiny made her way to the left and jumped off on top of the second hill again. A piece of cake, I thought with a smirk when her hooves hit the soft grass.
"Well done," I whispered in her ear while leaning forward and patting her neck. "Let's head down to the bakery, I'm hungry!" My stomach growled as a response to my directions . I do hope that everybody's awake, it is quite early… It was around six in the morning, which was too early for any sane person to wake up—in my opinion—, but it was only that early that I could leave the Royal grounds without being caught. Well, there's a price for everything, I guess, I though grimly.
After a few minutes of fast galloping the small bridge to the middle part of Marilen came into view. Marilen was—next to being one of the largest and liveliest cities—the capital city of Alexonia. Whenever I could, I would sneak out to roam through the busy streets of the main part of Marilen. I loved how all the citizens treated me as one of them when I talked to them through the day. Although it was understandable, for I made sure that I was always in disguise. I hadn't been presented as the Crown Princess of Alexonia in public yet, which was why no one recognized me on the street. I smiled as I heard Destiny's hooves clacking on the bridge's stones.
"Ho… slow down, honey," I exclaimed and the rhythm of the clacking slowed immediately. "Let's get some breakfast." The store that I had in mind wasn't far from the bridge and it took us only around the two minutes to get there. The place was far away from the antics of the city's middle, but anyone who knew the Marilen good enough—and after all those sneak-outs I was one of those people—knew that it was the best bakery around. A small bell rung as I entered the shop, leaving Destiny outside to wait for me.
"Good morning!" a warm voice called from the back of the room. "I'll be right there, just a minute!" I laughed and decided to look around in the mean time. But the woman didn't give me much time as she hurried in my direction to greet her customer. She was covered in flour which seemed to fly in all directions as she skipped towards me. "Welcome, welcome!" she said and smiled at me. Her good mood was infectious and forced me to smile back.
"Hello ma'am, how are you this fine morning?" I greeted her politely.
"Very well, very well. Such a polite young lady! Please tell me, what can I help you with?"
"Well, you see… I haven't had breakfast today, and I was hoping that I could buy some here," I tried to say through the loud grumbling of my stomach. Immediately my cheeks coloured cherry-red and my hand shot to the noisy area. The lady laughed out loud at my embarrassment and nodded at me.
"Off course! Actually, I've just finished making an apple pie, would you care to try?" she asked me and I nodded enthusiastically. "Good, good! Come, I'll give you a piece," she said before walking towards a small door in the back of the room.
While I followed her I inhaled deeply, smelling the fresh pie. I moaned softly and walked through the door. It was a small and very cosy kitchen, obviously not the one she used to make the pastry she sold.
"Please feel free to sit down while I serve you a piece of my famous apple pie," she said, making it sound like she was announcing a newly discovered magic potion, instead of merely a delicious pie. With a low chuckle I did as I was told and watched her serve my breakfast. The pie was absolutely mouth-watering as it lay in front of me. "Go ahead," she said with a small smile as she took the seat in front of me.
"Thank you, ma'am!" I quickly said and took a small and careful bite of the pie, an action that had come out of my strict education. I moaned again with closed eyes as I tasted the dough and the apples in on my tongue. "This is extraordinarily scrumptious!" I said, even surprising myself with my choice of words. "I- I mean, it tastes really, really good," I stuttered as I tried to talk in a more common manner. The woman smiled and nodded in appreciation.
"Thank you, I'm very glad you like it! Would it be rude to ask for your name?" Oh no, I totally forgot!
"Off course you can ask for my name, I'm so sorry I didn't introduce myself in the first place! My name is Bella, nice to meet you," I answered hastily and made an embarrassed curtsy.
"Don't you worry, dear. It is indeed a great pleasure to meet such a sophisticated young la—"
"Mrs. Bodley!" a velvet men's voice shouted from the first room. I couldn't help but let my heart flutter at the sound. "Am I smelling apple pie? You did save a piece for me right?" The woman—or 'Mrs. Bodley'— produced a warm sound that resembled a giggle at the excited voice of the man.
"Ah, Edward. Just in time! I have someone you should meet, she is quite enjoying the apple pie herself!" she called back and as her last word rang through the air a god walked through the door. Yes, correct. A god. This 'Edward' had the most amazing bronze hair; it was extremely messed up but so modelled at the same time. His eyes were striking, to say the least. They looked like endless golden pools that I would so gladly get lost in. I was astonished by the contrast they made with his dark, long lashes and his perfect pale skin. Through his casual shirt—that hung quite tightly to his upper body—you could see the muscles move and contract as he entered the room. I was speechless, and the princess of Alexonia was never at loss of words. Edward, I though, trying the name in my mind. Edward, what a beautiful name.
"This young lady over here, Edward, dear, is Bella. She just came in to have some breakfast. I think the two of you are of the same age, am I correct?" Mrs. Eve was smiling the whole time as she introduced me to him. Apparently she thought that we would be a good match—judging by the way she raised her eyebrows suggestively throughout her sentence—, but I knew for a fact that this Edward was too good for me. It was something you could sense, when you're being in the same room as a person you'd know when he was a hundred-and-ten times better than you. And in that moment, I knew that Edward was one of those persons.
The golden eyes found mine and widened slightly, probably surprised to find another guest at such an early hour. I was taken aback when he held out his hand and smiled, waiting for a reaction. My mind was too occupied with processing all of his actions—although there weren't too many, they still filled all of my thoughts—to come with a immediate reaction. When I got myself together again, I raised my hand and placed it in his—which was surprisingly cold, but instead of making me flinch, it just send pleasant shivers down my spine—, shaking it like I'd seen other commoners do.
"Hello, Bella. My name is Edward, it's a pleasure to meet you," he spoke and turned our hands horizontally, before bringing them up. I felt his lips press softly against the back of my hand and my heartbeat went up twenty times. I was almost afraid that it would pop out of my chest. I felt the lips that were still against my skin curl up in a smile before he gently let my hand go again. "How do you like the pie?" Pie? What pie— Oh! Yeah, right. Pie!
"It is absolutely delicious. I think that it's the best I've ever had," I said and Mrs. Bodley smiled at my complements.
"Oh, thank you my dear! Would you like another piece?" she asked in return.
"As much as I want to," I said while putting my hands on my stomach. "I'd have to decline, I'm sorry. I still need to fit in my dresses, or else my mother would literally kill me!" Edward frowned at my comment and looked down. What did I say? In perfect timing, Edward explained his expression.
"I hadn't thought you were a girl that cared so deeply about her appearance," he muttered, still looking at the kitchen floor. I couldn't help it, I laughed out loud at his comment. Me? Caring about my appearance? What a joke!
"I don't actually, and that is much to my mother's and my best friends' dismay. My mother has always told me that appearance is one of the most important things, but somehow I can't bring myself to care about it. My two best friends are both fashion-addicts, which means that they force me into clothing that would fit a doll, and they do this every day. If I don't fit in those clothes anymore, I don't think that they would be very happy. And although I absolutely hate it when they play dress-up with me, I don't like to see them unhappy," I explained, and judging by Edward's breathtaking crooked smile, I had said the right thing.
While Edward ate a piece of pie himself, we spoke of a million-and-one subjects. It was the most interesting and worth-while conversation I had had with anyone outside of Alice and Rosalie for a long time. The only persons who seemed to have anything useful to say were in the castle were my two best friends, but outside the castle, Edward was in my top-three of best conservationists.
After an hour I learned that he had two brothers, Jasper and Emmett, who were his age. The three brothers had been adopted a long time ago, but they thought of each other as their biological siblings. Edward had been coming to Mrs. Bodley for breakfast for over a year now; he had obviously grown fund of the old woman. His life was so interesting, compared to mine, that it was fascinating. You'd think that a princess would have an exciting life, but nothing was less true. Without Alice and Rosalie it would be as dull as the life of a prisoner. It felt like we had talked for hours, before we heard the clocks announce the noon.
"Oh, no! Destiny!" I exclaimed while jumping up from the wooden chair. Quickly, I grabbed the money pouch and threw five golden coins on the table. "Thank you for the apple pie, and for the wonderful afternoon. I completely forgot that I had to be back before ten o'clock, or that my horse is outside waiting for my return. Have a good day!" I told them and turned around with a little wave.
"Wait, Bella!" Edward yelled after me and I stopped dead in my tracks. How could the boy have such an impact on me? "Will you come here again?" I turned around and looked him in the eyes, wondering if it was hope that I saw in his expression.
"Would you want me to?" I asked, unsure of the answer. Edward nodded and took another step towards me.
"Yes, I do want to see you again." He sounded so sure of himself...
"I'll try my hardest to come here again. But, as much as I would want to, I can't guarantee my return. I'm sorry," I said, the sorrow lightly noticeably in my voice, even though I tried to cover it up. Edward smiled and nodded again before taking the final steps towards me and taking my hand.
"The simple fact that you want to come back, and that you'll try, my lady, is enough to keep me happy," he said and kissed my hand before adding in a low voice, "for now."
That boy is going to be the death of me, I thought as I smiled one last time and left the store, leaving him standing in the middle of the room.
Edward's Point of View
"See you guys later," I said over my shoulder as I walked through the massive front door. I knew that I didn't need to shout it, as my brothers could hear even the smallest sound with their enhanced hearing.
"Fine, but once you're back we'll have a rematch! Bye Eddie-kins!" Apparently Emmett did find the need to shout, for his voice echoed through the whole gigantic mansion. I growled at the nickname I hated so much before taking off running. The little bakery that I was about to visit was in the outer rings of Marilen, hidden in one of the small streets. The old woman that owned the store, Mrs. Bodley, had always been very warm and I had come to enjoy her company immensely. And other than that, her apple pie was great!
My extraordinary fast running shortened the journey that would take any other human approximately two hours, to a run of five minutes. I was the fastest vampire that my family and I knew about. Esme, my mother for all intends and purposes, considered that one of my gifts, next to the mindreading. I could read every single mind in a radius of around the nineteen miles.
Humans were such shallow creatures, that their minds were only filled with money, sexual related thoughts and—mostly in the case of men—food. Women, on the other hand, thought primarily thought about their appearances. It annoyed me greatly that I had to hear every single thought in their superficial minds. Especially when those thoughts were about me or my family. I knew that we were extraordinarily beautiful to humans, but that didn't give them the right to think such perverse fantasies about us. Well, there was nothing I could do about it.
When I reached the shop, I saw a beautiful black mare standing next to the door. Apparently Mrs. Bodley has another visitor, I thought as I inhaled deeply, taking in all of the different scents around. The delicious smell of apple pie reached my and I smiled at the thought.
As I had already mentioned, the Cullen family is made out of vampires. Special ones, I might add, for we didn't drink the blood of humans, but fed off of animals instead. 'Vegetarians' was what we called ourselves.
Together with the blood-drinking and our immense beauty, my family used to glitter when exposed to the sun, and we weren't able to consume any human nourishments either. But due to a discovery my father—Aka: Doctor Carlisle to other humans—made while studying the power of herbs, the glittering had been reduced to a breathtaking increase of attractiveness when touched by sunlight.
My family also gained the ability to eat and drink again, which allowed us to live more comfortable between humans. Ever since I could eat again, Mrs. Bodley's apple pie had been my favourite food.
As I inhaled further, I smelled a delicious mix of freesias and strawberries. At first I thought that Mrs. Bodley had made a strange—but good—smelling strawberry cake, but then I realized that it was the scent of a human. A girl, to be exact.
"Thank you, I'm very glad you like it! Would it be rude to ask for your name?" I heard Mrs. Bodley say from the back kitchen.
"Off course you can ask for my name, I'm so sorry I didn't introduce myself in the first place! My name is Bella, nice to meet you," a beautiful soft voice answered hastily, creating a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach. A look inside Mrs. Bodley's mind confirmed my theories. It was indeed a girl that she was talking to. She was absolutely breathtaking. Her chocolate hair was tied into a messy bun and her warm brown eyes shone with an innocence that I hadn't seen before in my hundred-and-seventeen years of walking on the earth. Her clothes seemed to belong to a middle class girl, as they looked old and often-used.
"Bella," I whispered, tasting the name on my tongue. It was a beautiful name, and it felt like it belonged on my lips. "Bella." While shaking my head to get rid of her name in my mind, I pushed against the front door and entered the first room.
"Don't you worry, dear. It is indeed a great pleasure to meet such a sophisticated young la—"
"Mrs. Bodley!" I called out, and started to walk to the kitchen. "Am I smelling apple pie? You did save a piece for me right?"
"Ah, Edward. Just in time! I have someone you should meet, she is quite enjoying the apple pie herself!" she called back. I get to meet her, was the only thing that rang through my mind. And there she sat, as I walked into the small kitchen. An empty plate was in front of her on the table and her hand were neatly folded on her lap, a posture that didn't really belong to a common girl. I noticed her brown eyes observe me and I involuntarily turned nervous. A vampire does not get nervous. "This young lady over here, Edward, dear, is Bella. She just came in to have some breakfast. I think the two of you are of the same age, am I correct?"
It wasn't until that moment, that I realized that I couldn't read Bella's mind. I couldn't hear a single thought, it was a complete silence. Why couldn't I hear her? Although it frustrated me that I couldn't understand the girl through her mind, somehow it also was a welcome change.
Mrs. Bodley, on the other hand, was thinking a lot of things. Varying from, they would look so cute together, to, I hope she really did like the pie. Maybe she was just trying to be polite...
I held out my hand to the beauty in front of me and Bella put her hand in mine, shaking it with an obvious false confidence.
"Hello, Bella. My name is Edward, it's a pleasure to meet you," I said and lifted her hand to my mouth and did what I wanted to do the whole time that her skin had been touching mine, I kissed it. Her soft skin felt like silk under my lips and it was only when I heard her heart beat a thousand times per second, that I managed to part them from her hand.
Her blood smelled extremely delicious, but since we were able to eat human food, our thirst for blood had lessened considerately. It was easy for me to be so close to a human since that day, and—especially in that moment with Bella—I was very happy for that fact.
"How do you like the pie?" I asked, mentally slapping myself for such a sudden random question. Luckily Bella didn't think too much of it, for she answered after a moment of apparent confusion.
It is absolutely delicious. I think that it's the best I've ever had," she answered with her lovely voice, making Mrs. Bodley smile.
"Oh, thank you my dear! Would you like another piece?" the old woman asked in return.
"As much as I want to," Bella said while putting her hands on her stomach. "I'd have to decline, I'm sorry. I still need to fit in my dresses, or else my mother would literally kill me!" After she finished her sentence, an enormous feeling of disappointment came over me. I had thought that she was different, that she wasn't as shallow as other humans. But I seemed to be wrong.
"I hadn't thought you were a girl that cared so deeply about her appearance," I muttered softly, not looking at her face. To my surprise Bella laughed at my comment, instead of the panic reaction that most girls would have at seeing my disappointment.
"I don't actually, and that is much to my mother's and my best friends' dismay. My mother has always told me that appearance is one of the most important things, but somehow I can't bring myself to care about it. My two best friends are both fashion-addicts, which means that they force me into clothing that would fit a doll, and they do this every day. If I don't fit in those clothes anymore, I don't think that they would be very happy. And although I absolutely hate it when they play dress-up with me, I don't like to see them unhappy," she explained and a heavy weight was lifted from my heart. So she is different, I thought happily and smiled at her. Bella surprised me like no other human or vampire ever had. And even though I desperately wanted to know what was going on in her head, I was happy with the surprise.
As I ate a piece of Mrs. Bodley's apple pie, Bella and I spoke about my family and life. I was disappointed that I couldn't figure out much about her, but when I asked about her story, she got the most panicked reaction. There was something about her family that she didn't want to talk about, and I had to respect that, even though it troubled me that I couldn't figure her out.
I told Bella about my siblings and my parents, which she seemed to genuinely enjoy. But most of all, she liked the funny stories about Emmett's peculiarity, which made her laugh loud and long. I happily obliged to her story-requests as I absolutely loved to hear her laugh. It was a splendid, pure and carefree sound, stunning and calming at the same time. It made the person listening to the sound unable to keep a smile back themselves. It was a long time ago that I had actually laughed that loud, and it wasn't something that I wanted to give up like that. But every good thing has an end, sadly enough. The clock in the middle of the city loudly announced the middle of the day, causing Bella to jump up in shock. She lost track of time while talking to me, I thought proudly, before frowning at my manner of thinking. I sounded like a teenage boy.
"Oh, no! Destiny!" Bella exclaimed and threw five golden coins on the table, while the apple pie only cost two bronze coins... How did a girl with those clothes have so much money? She was seriously rich if she could throw with golden coins like that... "Thank you for the apple pie, and for the wonderful afternoon. I completely forgot that I had to be back before ten o'clock, or that my horse is outside waiting for my return. Have a good day!" she yelled hurriedly and turned around with a little wave.
"Wait, Bella!" I yelled before I could stop myself and ran after her. How could that girl have such an impact on me? "Will you come here again?" I asked, sounding almost desperate.
"Would you want me to?" she asked back. Off course I do! I nodded and took another step towards her.
"Yes, I do want to see you again," I said confidently.
"I'll try my hardest to come here again. But, as much as I would want to, I can't guarantee my return. I'm sorry," Bella said, I could detect the suppressed sadness in her voice thanks to my enhanced hearing. I just smiled and nodded again before taking the final steps towards her and taking her hand.
"The simple fact that you want to come back, and that you'll try, my lady, is enough to keep me happy," I said and kissed her hand before thinking about it and adding in a low voice, "for now."
That girl is going to be the death of me, I thought as she smiled and left the store. Pun intended, off course...
The end of chapter 1.
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