Many years ago there was man whose family they say was cursed by the gods. The head of the family was a well off merchant, and while his family did not live in extravagance there was always bread on the table and money to pay the rent.
He deemed, however, that there was no so much money left over as to provide a sacrifice for the great goddess. At first he would try to get away with killing a lame goat, not worth much in the eyes of anyone. Then he tried a rabbit. Then a chicken. Until finally he gave up the practice all together.
For his greed a curse was placed on his family, but not on the head of the house, on his sons. They would each crave what they had no right to. And in the end it would become the death of him.
The first son Aro, coveted power. The second son Caius, coveted wealth. And the third son Marcus, coveted nature.
Marcus was the first death the goddess claimed. Bounding off into the woods, he could not bare to leave for food or shelter and soon became prey to animals of the hunt.
The second death the goddess claimed was that of Caius. Over the years he had accumulated vast riches though his expeditions and on one that started out much like the rest he was stopped by bandits. Rather than give up his goods Caius sacrificed his life, and so came the end of the second son.
The final son to die was Aro. ON the battle in the name of conquest, he was stabbed through the heart, and so Aro fell by the will of the goddess, but the curse did not end with him. Years before he had married a beautiful princess in order to secure her kingdom into his empire. With her he had a single son. His name was Carlisle.
With the death of his father, Carlisle came into his curse. He coveted life. He built up many armies, improved the instruments of both war and agriculture so that neither he nor his people would ever be plagued with invaders or famine. He created hundreds of vaccines and medications to combat the many illnesses of his day.
Though he was known as a great King for all these things, his greatest achievement was the invention of immortality. That was a curse in itself though it didn't look it at first. Not until the blood cravings came. Still with it he was able to live many years and seemed to be content. That is until he met his soulmate, Esme.
He loved her because she seemed the embodiment of life, always happy and smiling, she became his life. Together they had three sons, Jasper, Edward, and Emmet. Through him they each gained immortality.
There came a day when he offered the immortality to Esme and she refused. He was heartbroken but her mind could not be swayed. As the years passed he thought to assuage her every need. But at a certain point all the peace and food and medicine could not hold her fraying life thread intact. She passed away peacefully in her sleep.
Carlisle still had his immortality, but as Esme passed he realized his life was gone. Cursed with the need to obtain what he had no right to he killed himself in the hope of finding his life in the great beyond.
And so the curse claimed it's fourth victim.
Upon the death of their father, the curse descended on Jasper, Edward and Emmet. Jasper began coveting knowledge. Emmet began to covet beauty. But the middle son Edward seemed not to want for anything. While Emmet and Jasper were both consumed by their needs which could never be fulfilled Edward became a steadfast ruler.
The curse had seemed to skip right over him, at least until he met Bella.