Edward's Plan

"Good morning, mistress," Len says cheerfully, opening the curtains.

I bury my head underneath my covers. My eyes are not yet prepared for the light. Prince Edward must have carried me to my bed since the last thing I remember is falling asleep on the couch in his arms. He wrapped a blanket around my shoulders and made sure our skins did not touch because of the natural coldness of his body. He softly hummed a lullaby until my eyes fell heavy with sleep. Last night feels like a dream—our conversation and his embrace. I miss him already.

He says to not worry myself sick because they monitor the borders day and night. I suppose tis good vampires require no sleep, but our Quileute wolves do. Rotating their patrols closer to Castle La Push, Swan Manor is not as heavily protected. I can only hope James and Victoria do not know I no longer reside in the castle. Regardless, Prince Edward says Lord Carlisle has already sent soldiers to Canada to stop their rampage before they try to get near the Olympics again. He has also sworn to protect me, even from afar. I can ask no more of the vampire prince than his already due diligence.

Because I am not the only one in the Manor, I cannot help but worry for the safety of the house staff as well, especially Len. No one is safe here. My selfishness to move back has potentially cost the lives of the people I hold dear and I do not know how to protect them without raising an alarm. My family has a small cottage closer to Castle La Push, but the snow still poses a challenge of getting there. If we did not need the wagons and carriage, a few may make it on horseback, but I refuse to leave anyone behind.

For a good part of the day I remain indoors and instruct the servants to do the same. Walking around our property I cannot help but feel watched. I tell myself it is only Prince Edward who keeps an eye on me in secret and continue to brave the cold before I return inside.

Staying within the walls of the Manor is maddening. I feel like a prisoner in my own home. Len is comfortable with the others because they have each other to keep themselves company and I only have myself. My lady friends and I are spread across Western Forks, trapped in our own respective households.

To escape boredom, I write Angela a letter, which I doubt she will get a chance to read. The crows in the rookery are old with poor sight, and do not like the cold flights. I only risk one letter to her instead of writing others to Leah and Jessica in case the winds pick up and the birds do not make it home. We cannot afford to lose three flying messengers. I secure my letter in the tiny canister on the crow's leg and let him fly out into the snowy day, saying a small prayer for a safe flight. My day goes on with embroidery and reading.

I I I

I awake with the fire crackling in the grate. Rubbing my eyes, I did not realize I fell asleep on the couch again. Still in the same clothes from this morning, the sky is darkening outside.

"I did not wish to wake your peaceful slumber."

The voice startles me and takes every fiber of my self-restraint not to scream, my hands over my mouth to muffle any sounds that might escape to the hallway. "Prince Edward you nearly scared the life out of me!" I chide him quietly. His subtle movements and steps are too quiet for my nerves, especially now.

He smirks and apologizes, although I sense he enjoys scaring me. "I am glad you remained indoors today."

"Tis not—wait. How did you know that?" I eye him suspiciously. "Have you been…spying on me?" Was I correct in feeling his presence around the Manor?

He looks aghast. "Me? Spying on you, my lady?" Prince Edward says. I blush with embarrassment. I do not mean to accuse him. Just then, his crooked smile returns. "I would merely call it…surveying the area for dangers."

"Whatever you say," I mutter. "Is there any news from your scouts in the Northern Lands?" I am anxious to know if they have dealt with the two rogue vampires. The longer they roam free, the longer Jacob and my father are away from home, and the longer my life and those I care about are in danger.

"Please do not worry, Isabella," he sighs quietly. His words do not comfort me from the distressed look on his features.

"What are you not telling me, Prince Edward?" He looks into the fire, undoubtedly not wanting to give me more bad news. But I must hear it for I do not like to be kept in the dark on this matter. "No more secrets."

"James and Victoria killed one of our scouts and two of our soldiers. Lord Rumer was finally notified they are behind the attacks. We offered our assistance to protect his people but he is a traditionalist and a prideful man. He will accept no such help from vampires. He believes they can take care of the situation themselves."

"What about...Jacob? Do you have any news on him?" Surely his people saw the wolf prince and my father among the ranks of the Northern soldiers.

"He has an obligation to stay since his services are still required by Lord Rumer. Although, I do not think he wants to continue the manhunt for vampires that he thinks is not a threat to Western Forks."

I gasp. "Jacob does not know their true goal is…me?" Of course not. Why would he? I have not told him about the altercation at Castle Stregone. "This. This is all my fault." I am the one responsible for sending Jacob and our soldiers to Canada and the death of Prince Edward's clan members.

"Do not think that." Prince Edward caresses my knuckles. "If you did not cross paths with them, James would have picked a different target that night, regardless. He would have picked another then another to kill, his actions most likely still leading him to Canada. Trackers are never satisfied for long and must always be on the hunt."

"The deaths of those villagers are still on my hands. He and Victoria are killing innocents, trying to get to me. If I never met either vampire they would have left the North a long time ago. They stay because of me!"

Had I known my desire to visit Eastern Forks would lead my fate to an early grave…I would have listened to Jacob and stayed at Castle La Push. Instead of the king needing to send him away, my best friend and I could be playing in the snow, getting the upper hand on each other with our snowball fights, laughing like children with no cares in the world. Instead, I am here and he is there risking his life without knowing the real reason why. If anything happens to Jacob, I will never forgive myself.

"There is no point in dwelling on the past or where our fate would take us if we had acted differently. What matters now is the path we take in the present."

Standing, I stare blindly into the fire. "You are right. I must let them have me."

"No, Isabella!" Prince Edward stands beside me. "That is not an option."

"Do you not understand?" I say with frustration. "I am but one life. Once they have me, the killings will stop and our soldiers can come home."

I sit back down before my legs collapse from under me. I keep my hands firmly in my lap so the vampire prince does not see how badly they are shaking. The faces of all the people I love dance in the flickering light before me. How do I say goodbye to all of them? My father will be devastated. And so will Jacob. I must write him a letter so he will not seek revenge against Clan Cullen. None of this is their fault. Somehow, I must send word to James that he can have me to kill as long as he promises his clan will leave our lands for good.

Prince Edward paces the room, his hands balling into fists. "I cannot allow it, Isabella. I cannot let you give up your life for that psychopath! I promised to protect you." He places gentle hands on my shoulders. "I will not—cannot—lose you. Your death will mean the end of me."

"But there is no other way," I whisper, the tears I tried so hard to suppress finally trickling down my face.

"There is…although it will still put your life at risk. But it may get James and Victoria to stop killing the villagers in the North."

"I will do anything."

"Come back with me to Castle Stregone."

I flinch away as if he has burned me. Prince Edward cautiously puts his hands up for I must look like a scared animal getting ready to run. "What do you mean go back with you to Castle Stregone? How does my leaving Western Forks solve anything? The people here will still be in danger if those two find a way to finally cross the Olympic border." If King William or Jacob finds me missing, it will not go well for the Immortal Clan either. The Blacks will think I have been kidnapped. My father will as well.

"We will tip off James and Victoria that you have been brought to Eastern Forks under our protection. This will lead them away from your territory. James will think this in his favor because he will not have to deal with both your wolves and our vampires. Remember, he is a tracker. He will know if we are lying on your whereabouts."

"This…this plan…" I cannot think clearly. "I cannot simply disappear without a word to anyone. You know as well as I do if the king, Jacob or my father find out you have taken me across the territory line, you risk a war between both kingdoms. They will never allow you to protect me—at least not on your side of the Olympics."

Instead of arguing, the smirk I know all too well is back. "And just a moment ago you were willing to blindly sacrifice your life to save the lives of others. I assume your plan did not involve telling anyone of your destination so they could attempt to stop you? Am I right?"

I open my mouth to argue, but cannot. I cannot believe he has turned my reasoning against me…although he is correct. When I decided to sacrifice myself, the only thing on my mind was quickly making my escape before anyone could stop me or change my mind. Now that I am thinking more clearly, I am clueless on what steps I would need to take to accomplish that goal.

"I am more than willing to agree to your proposed plan, but my disappearance to Eastern Forks will cause unnecessary discord between the two sides. Your clan will be the first suspect when people realize I am missing from my home."

"Then you will write a letter to your father and the wolf prince," he simply says.

"You honestly believe it to be that easy?" I laugh skeptically.

"Who is someone you trust to deliver your letters?"

That is easy. "Len, of course." I can always trust my loyal servant to do whatever she thinks is best for me, especially when it comes to my safety. In this case, I know I can convince her to deliver my messages to my father and Jacob if given a good enough reason. Although I do not think it will be as easy as it sounds, I need to try. Shock will no doubt grace her features once she discovers the truth about my visit to Castle Stregone and Prince Edward's presence.

I I I

"Mistress!" Len nearly collapses to the floor. I steady her and bring her to sit at the dining room chair. I dismissed the other servants early for the evening so I can speak to Len alone. The only thing I say is I plan to leave for Eastern Forks and suddenly her heart almost stops. I do not dare tell her everything here for the house has many eyes and ears.

"Let us continue this in my chambers."

Making sure none of the other servants are curious enough to follow in the hallway, I close the door quietly. "Mistress, what has come over you?" Len finally says, wiping her worried forehead. "You always have many ideas in that head of yours and I work my patience to understand them all, but this…this I cannot comprehend." She truly looks lost by my announcement. "Your poor father will be disheartened not to mention furious at such rebellion!"

"Len, you sound as if I plan to go there to meet my death!" I sigh, rolling my eyes. She always has a way of over exaggerating the worst. Sitting next to her on the couch, I take her hands into mine and look somberly into the fire that warms the room. "However, my life is in danger, Len, and I do not want the rest of you to get hurt because of me."

"What do you mean your life is in danger? Please tell me what is happening!" The old servant grows more panicked by the second.

Taking a deep breath, I nod. Facing her, I look directly into her eyes. I remember how her hazel eyes used to look so vibrant to me when I was a child, slowly dimming over the years as she got older. "You are the only living soul that knows about this, Len. By telling you, I have put you in a danger as well. I cannot ask you to lie to my father or Jacob because of the gravity of the situation. The last thing I want to do is put you in a compromising position, so I will only tell you what you need to know."

With every word I say Len's features go paler with shock and horror. She thinks I am merely playing a joke on her and I wish it was true, but even I cannot come up with such an elaborate jest such as this. Because Len will tell as much of the truth as possible once she is interrogated for information, I only tell her I became adventurous one night and saw Prince Edward in the purple meadow that serves as neutral ground between our two lands. I do not mention the harsh interaction and the threat of the vampire prince, only that he saw me and fled, doing the same on my part.

At the peace signing ball at Castle Stregone, he recognized me and we danced. Nothing more. However, I included the part when I clumsily spilled wine on Victoria's dress and explained her hate for me because of it and James's intention on killing me because of his tracker tendencies. The harder part of my story is the reason why our soldiers are currently in the North. These things I cannot keep from Len because in order for her to agree to deliver my letters, she needs to understand why I am writing them and why I am leaving Western Forks.

It takes a good, long moment before Len is able to process everything I have said. Her face is still in shock and disbelief. "And you say this…Prince Edward has been watching over you?" she finally says.

"Yes," I muster a smile. "He has been very brave and admirable in doing so, knowing that I am not of his clan. Because Prince Edward's ken knows the abilities of James and Victoria better than our wolves, Lord Carlisle feels I am best protected at Castle Stregone…at least for now."

"What about King William? If he gets word of this…"

"He will not," I raise a hand to stop her thoughts. "King William will only hear of what I have done when Jacob runs and tells him. By then, I will already be in Eastern Forks. Lord Carlisle will also send the king a message once I am safely inside their borders to avoid anything that sounds like treason or foul play on their part."

"Mistress…" Len squeezes my hands. I can see the fear she has for me in her eyes, alight by the flames of the fire.

"I know the concerns you have, but please…let me do this without your protest. You have protected me all my life—since the first day I came into this world—now let me protect you and everyone else I love. I know you love me like I was your own daughter and want to keep me close forever, but think about the potential war in the Olympics that could cause more innocent people to suffer if I do not do this."

We both are now silently crying. Len hugs me fiercely, her actions meaning more to me than anything she could have said, which causes more of my tears to flow freely onto her shoulder. I have never been apart from my caregiver before and once I leave for Eastern Forks…I will truly be alone. I do not know how I will survive.


Author's Note: Thank you for your previous reviews! It took me forever to write this chapter due to time constraints and this thing called life. Anyway, hope you liked!

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