Chapter XXV – Prospects
"There is absolutely no way in hell I'm going to allow you to get away from me," Emmett warned.
Edward laughed unconcerned. "And how are you going to stop me? Your brute strength?" he asked mockingly.
"Damn right! I have been growing stronger with each passing day here on the farm."
"Uh, I hate to tell you this, but you being physically stronger than me can't possibly help you in this situation; in fact, your extra weight alone could actually have the opposite effect," Edward told him.
"Yeah right, we'll see," Em scoffed.
"Yes, we will see," Edward agreed.
"Okay, are you two about done goading each other now?" I asked, semi-irritated.
"That depends on him," Em said, sounding more like a child than the grown man he appeared to be.
"Oh stop whining and let's get this started so I can win already," Edward jeered.
"You wish!" Emmett spat.
"Yeah, and my wish is about to become a reality," Edward said arrogantly.
"On three!" I said forcefully, hoping it would get them to shut up and ready themselves already. "One… Two…Three!"
And they were off. I never really understood the ridiculous way boys and men constantly needed to be in competition of some sort. Why did they feel the need to prove they were the fastest and strongest at everything? It was frustratingly baffling to me, but on the bright side, at least Edward and Emmett were getting along…in their own way.
Anthony laughed at the sight of his papa and uncle riding their horses fast through the snow covered gulch, but unfortunately before they finished the race, we were caught…
"Why is it that every time I come looking for them, they are always doing something they're not supposed to be doing?" my father groaned as he approached and noticed what was going on.
"Papa, fast!" Anthony squealed excitedly, making even my stiff father crack a smile.
"Yes, you're right about that," Charles agreed. "I've never seen that old horse run at that speed."
And Anthony was right - Edward had to be the fastest rider on the farm. It didn't matter which horse he was using, somehow he always managed to push them to go so much faster than anyone else could, and the horse never seemed to struggle because of it. He just had a way with them, and I suppose that wasn't surprising considering his equine upbringing.
"Ha! I told you you couldn't win!" Edward gloated when he returned five whole seconds before Emmett.
"No way, you cheated," Emmett sulked.
"How?" Edward asked with a laugh. "As you pointed out before, you are much stronger than me, so shouldn't that mean you win at everything?" he jested.
"Well… I am heavier, maybe you were right about it being a hindrance when it comes to horse racing," Em mumbled as they both dismounted their steeds.
"Yeah, you're heavier, but your horse is younger and twice as healthy as mine. You should have won, and yet, you didn't," Edward teased him. "It's time you just accepted it, I'm a better rider."
"No way, you just got lucky."
"Don't be upset about it, Emmett, while you were busy scheming with your fellow terrorists, I was learning how to be the best rider I could possibly be."
"Well while you were busy studying to become a tyrant, I was… locked in a dungeon," Em said slowly, realizing that he really didn't have a good comeback for Edward's comment. Edward snickered, making Em become even more bitter. "Hey, don't forget, I'm the only reason you're even allowed to be out here and spending time with your son. You should be kissing the ground I walk on, not gloating about your lucky win."
"In all fairness, you did almost kill me by stabbing me in the chest back at the palace," Edward reminded him. "I'd say we're even on that front, so I can gloat as much as I want… And it was not a lucky win; I won because I'm simply a better rider."
"I think the only way to settle this is a rematch," Em suggested.
"I think not!" Charles interjected. "You're not even supposed to have the horses way out here. You know Carlisle…"
"Oh, to hell with Carlisle," Emmett said dismissively. "He really needs to relax. I'm with Edward, how the hell is he going to escape?"
"Oh, I don't know, maybe by outrunning you on a horse," Charles pointed out, making Edward erupt into a fit of cocky laughter.
"Yeah, well I sure beat him in everything else. He could never outrun me on foot," Em sulked.
"Want to bet?" Edward challenged.
"Yes, I want to bet. Let's race - right here, right now!" Em said eagerly.
"No, you're not racing anymore!" Charles yelled at him. "Now get back to the farm before they send out a search party for you all."
"It would probably be more of a hunting party in Edward's case," Em joked. "I'm sure a number of people would love Edward to be hunted down with the end result being his head on a stick."
"Head. Stick!" Anthony said with a mix of innocent excitement and confusion.
Charles's face fell disapprovingly, and then he proceeded to smack Em in the back of his head. "Watch your mouth around the baby!"
"Yeah, watch your mouth around the baby," Edward echoed before using his own hand to smack Em again.
Emmett was flabbergasted by Edward's audacious strike. "Oh, you are dead," he said darkly, and then they both ran off and began wrestling around and kicking up the snow as the fought. If I didn't know any better I would have thought the two of them had been life-long friends or even brothers, but neither of them would ever admit to actually enjoying the other's company.
"Boys will be boys, Bella," Charles told me when he noticed my playfully annoyed expression.
"Yeah right, tell that to Carlisle," I muttered.
"Your uncle has to be stern, it's his job to make sure there's order on the camp," Charles defended him.
"Sometimes I wonder if he's any better than Aro," I admitted.
"Bella, of course he is. Carlisle never ordered unjustifiable executions, or starved anyone, or tortured people, or…"
"Okay, okay," I said, just trying to appease him. Of course I knew Carlisle was better than Aro, but sometimes his rules made no sense and forced me to reconsider his qualification to lead anything.
With playtime over for the day, we all headed back to complete our remaining chores before dinner. In the dead of winter, there wasn't as many chores on the farm since the land was iced over, but the animals still needed tending to, and there was always washing and cooking to do, so we all separated and went about our business.
Like every other evening when dinner time arrived, Edward, Emmett, Anthony, and I took our food back to the servant's house and ate together away from the rest of the farm's inhabitants, but that night we were pleasantly surprised that my parents asked to join us.
"Of course," I said to my mother after she made their request.
For the most part, Edward had made large strides when it came to his attitude towards the people there, however being comfortable around everyone was still a work in progress so I wasn't sure how he'd feel about having my parents dine with us, but he actually seemed to be welcoming of the idea.
"You should spend as much time with your parents as possible while you still can," he told me after I took him aside and asked how he felt about the situation.
"While I still can?" I questioned confused.
"Yeah. If I learned anything about being here, it's that you never know what tomorrow will bring. Take advantage of having your family close by now, because they may not be so easily accessible in the future."
I nodded. "That is good advice… perhaps you should follow it as well."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, Renee did raise you… she's the closest thing to a mother you ever had…maybe it's time to talk to her a bit more," I said carefully. Edward was never rude, but he certainly wasn't that sweet loving man I had seen him be in the past towards his one-time nanny. My mother never said anything about it, but I knew it weighed heavily on her.
Edward shrugged carelessly. "I never knew anyone named Renee before, so I have no idea what you're talking about."
I grimaced at him.
"What?" he played innocent. "Bella, give me a break, I am trying to behave myself around all these terrorists, but it's still hard."
"Is it still hard for you to behave yourself around me?" I asked him playfully.
"Since you're asking, I'm going to be honest with you - Yes, it is difficult. I really can't stand you personally, but since you're beautiful and you let me have my way with you, I've learned to tolerate your presence."
I laughed. "Oh really?"
"Yeah."
I wasn't sure if I should smack him or kiss him, but ultimately kissing him always beat out any assaults I was tempted into doing. It was absolutely freezing that evening, but our sweet little peck soon heated us through and we became down right hot as our passion took over right there outside the servant's house.
"Eh-hem," I heard someone grunt, so I forced myself off of my entrancing husband. "Come in and eat before it cools," my father said uncomfortably.
"Right, sorry," I said awkwardly before grabbing Edward's hand and leading him into the house behind my father.
Dinner started out awkward, but with Emmett around we were all soon laughing and were able to forget about the underlying tension that I was currently convinced might always be there. Edward was never going to accept the Cullen ideals if he didn't try, and trying was not something he was interested in. He did his best to be cordial to everyone for my and Anthony's sake, but he still wanted nothing to do with the politics of it all, which meant we were still no closer to our goal as before. But even if he were receptive to changing his beliefs, politics had no place at the dinner table, and I was grateful…
"So Emmett, since we're probably going to be here for a while, any prospects?" Charles asked my brother as we ate.
"Prospects?" Em asked confused.
"Your father wants to know if you're courting anyone," Renee clarified.
"There are many beautiful women here that would make fine wives…You're not getting any younger," Charles added.
"And what potentially fine wives are you talking about?" Em asked irritated. "Because from what I hear, most of the women here were offered the role of prince's whore, and most of them seriously considered it and some even agreed. That certainly doesn't sound like marriage material to me."
"Don't be so self-riotous, Em," I chided him. "Many women these days contemplate that type of lifestyle as a means of supporting themselves."
"And it's even become acceptable for good men use whores for things their respectable wives won't do for them," Charles added unexpectedly while momentarily glaring at Edward with some sort of underlying meaning. My father was a very proper man and usually would never speak of such things in front of women, so we were all a little surprised, and his strange looks at Edward while speaking of such only added more confusion to the peculiar comment.
"Father, I have nothing against any would-be whores, but I have no desire to marry one," Em told him. "Gosh, there are many unwed men here, why aren't you off bugging them?"
"None of those other men are my son. By the time I was your age I was married with two kids and…"
"Was running an organization - I know, you've only told me that a thousand times," Em said irritated. "But I'm not you, father. I do want to marry eventually, but right now, with everything so up in the air, it's just not the right time, especially not with any of these women here."
"The choice of woman doesn't really matter; love will come, and if you wait for the world to be a perfect place you'll never start a family," Charles argued.
"I don't expect the world to ever be perfect, but I would like this mess with the current king handled. I mean, we don't know what's going to happen, we may all die for all we know. I just…don't want to make someone a widow just after I made them a wife."
"I think that's fair enough," Renee said with a loving smile to her son.
"Fine," Charles said before turning to Edward. "Can you just hurry up and figure things out so my son can find a wife before he becomes an old man?"
Edward laughed once. "I have things figured out. If you people would just return me and my family back to the palace, I could get back to my real life."
"Sure, we'll return you… just as soon as the king is dead and you've proven yourself a worthy leader," Charles replied evenly.
Edward just rolled his eyes as a response. Again, we were getting nowhere with that particular topic.
"Whatever happened to no politics at dinner?" I reminded them.
"You're right, I apologize," Charles said before thankfully changing the topic.
We spent the rest of the meal in comfortable mundane chatter, and I was grateful. Those quiet times with my entire family were the happiest of my life, but I knew all too well that they wouldn't last so I made it a point to drink in every second of it. Em was right, nobody knew what the outcome would be in the war against Aro, and I was terrified to think of all the devastating possibilities, but that was the future, and an unexpected event in our present actually proved to be a wonderful distraction…
"Wow, more terrorists to join the cause," Edward said bitterly one afternoon. I had finished my chores early that day so Anthony and I were enjoying one of my favorite pastimes – watching Edward work the stables – when he noticed the new arrivals. It wasn't abnormal to have people join our cause, so I didn't even care enough to look behind me as they exited their carriage, but then Edward said something surprising – "Wait, is that Heidi?"
My heart jumped at the sound of her name. "Heidi?" I said hopefully while turning around, and sure enough, walking towards the main house was the most beautiful woman I had ever known. "Edward, watch Anthony," I instructed before running off towards my old friend. "Rosalie!" I called excitedly.
She looked at me stunned, as if she couldn't believe I was there. "Bella? Oh my word, it is you!" she said with a mix of excitement and apprehension. We embraced tightly, but then her smile turned into anxious fear. "Bella, what are you doing here? I thought we agreed to never stop running? What happened to your baby?"
It was only then that I noticed she was covered in blood. "Never mind that, what happened to you?" I asked concerned.
"My brother, he…" she paused as we watched two men carrying an unconscious Jasper towards the house. "We were attacked and he managed to save me from assault, but I'm afraid he didn't fare so well himself. I didn't want to come here, but I had no choice."
"Well, I hope it eases your mind some that nobody here is after you. My uncle knows you were never pregnant with a potential heir. We have a skilled healer too; Jasper will be in good hands."
She nodded, but didn't seem to calm. "Bella, but your child. We ran to keep it safe. Please tell me it survived?"
"My son, Anthony, is fine," I assured her with a smile. "He's just down at the stables."
"You left him alone here?…With the rebels dedicated to eradicating his bloodline?" she asked in almost a panic.
"It's okay; they've come up with a new plan, one that doesn't include killing the entire monarchy."
"Still, you can't trust anyone."
"I agree, but I'm confident his father wants to see no harm come to him," I smirked.
"His father?" she questioned while looking past me towards the stables. "The prince is here…and nobody is trying to kill him?"
I laughed. "Edward is sort of a lightly guarded prisoner, and no, nobody has tried to kill him lately, but you never can be too safe, which is why my very large brother has been guarding him and our son."
Rose still looked confused and concerned, so I led her into the house where I explained everything, which only made her feel slightly better, and in turn, she told me all about everything she had been through since we parted. She too had a rather difficult past couple of years, and I started contemplating whether we would have done better if we stayed together. Still, we were both safe, and if her brother managed to survive his injuries then I'd say it all worked out thus far.
Over the next few weeks, Jasper recovered from his wounds, and Rosalie spent that time molding herself seamlessly into our farm family. She did chores with the rest of us, and during our down time she played with Anthony and flirted with Emmett, however when it came to Edward, she was just one more person he knew from the palace who planned to betray him, so it was safe to say he was a little resentful and standoffish for a while.
As time continued, it was wonderfully obvious when things became much more serious between Emmett and Rosalie, and I couldn't have been happier about it.
"What happened to you not wanting to marry?" I teased my brother when he came to me for advice about proposing.
"Rose is…she's…just so amazing, I'd be stupid to not want to spend the rest of my life with her."
"Well, nobody ever said you were smart," I joked.
"True, but I want to know your honest opinion; I mean, you've known her a lot longer than I have. Do you truly think we'd be happy together?"
I shrugged. "You're happy with her now, right? Then I'd say it will continue into your marriage. Rose is a great person; you'd certainly be lucky to marry her."
Emmett agreed whole-heartedly, and then ran off to presumably prepare to propose. I was so excited for the two of them - It was a brand new beginning emerging out of a terrible situation, as well as renewed hope that good things could prevail over evil. However, my enthusiasm on the matter soon waned when the outcome of the proposal was the opposite as I was expecting…
"Why would she deny him?" I asked, mostly myself. "She seemed so…in love."
"Sometimes love has nothing to do with it," Edward told me strangely.
I scowled at him. "What do you know?"
"A lot more than anyone here would like me to," he said evenly…