Despite the rather grotesque childbirth episode in Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer, the fourth Twilight book still won the British Book Award for "Children's Book of the Year" for 2009 and the New York-based Children's Choice Book Awards.

Chapter26/Cursed

[Tanya]

She had ceased her pitiful, useless crying. Tears were her companion for a long time and it only stopped, briefly, when she married him, her beloved Edward.

She didn't complained when the rider compelled her to travel all night without rest. There was no use complaining. She was at the mercy of forces too powerful for her family to fight against.

She was told that Lord Argyll had taken control of all of Lord Montgomerie's holdings. This seemed to include men like her father, who was now a prisoner along with her mother and little brother.

Tanya supposed she should be grateful that her father still lives when Lord Montgomerie was now rotting in his grave. She said a quick prayer of thanks to Mother Mary that the evil duke was dead.

She spurred her horse faster and tried to keep pace with the rider ahead of her that she was following. She didn't know where they were heading and when she tried to ask, she was backhanded.

She shivered at the thought that she was being led to Lord Argyll. She detested that man, he who wanted her husband destroyed at all costs.

Oh, what was to become of her and her family? She sobbed silently. Would she always be forced to betray Edward and the Cullen clan? Would she ever saw her little son again?

She must find a way to end their bondage to the Montgomeries. They were no more, and Lord Argyll was next. She firmly believed that the Cullens would eventually destroy the last dissenting duke.

They had been riding for half a day more when the rider abruptly stopped his horse and raised his arm, signaling the end of the journey. She strained her neck to see what was in front of them. Riding at a much slower pace now, their horses rounded a copse of trees and then stopped.

It was an old castle, small compared to the great halls in larger fiefs, but this one was surrounded by a high wall.

A trickle of cold fear traveled along her spine. She closed her eyes and prayed that Lord Argyll was not hidden inside this fortress. She let the horse led her inside and past the thick gates, her head bowed.

The rider ahead of her halted and leaped off his horse. There was silence in the front yard, not even barking dogs could be heard. She started to tremble and when her name was called, she snapped her head up in shock.

"Lady Cullen, how nice to see you again," the woman said, her smile wicked.


[Victoria]

She should have killed her many years ago, she thought, rolling her eyes at the fearful woman. She has had many opportunities to end her life in the past, after all.

The week before Tanya's wedding to Edward, Victoria did try to slit her throat. Two things stopped her from spilling her blood.

Edward was hers and it didn't matter how long it would take her until he belonged to her. The other reason was that Tanya was weak and her weakness was an asset to her family, the Montgomeries.


"Edward is here, dear Tanya," she said in a simpering, sympathetic tone.

She paled and would have probably fainted if not for her quick movement. Victoria was by her side and digging her nails onto her arm to hold her up. She didn't care that she was hurting her. "There, there, now. He is unharmed," she lied.

Tanya slumped on a chair and stared at her, her mouth popping open and close like a fish.

Reining her impatience, she told her that her husband, Lord Argyll, had ordered her to capture Edward. "But, my dear, I have every intention of releasing him. The poor man never did me any harm," she said, smiling reassuringly at her. Then, suddenly impatient again, she rounded on her. "But you must first help me, Tanya, would you do that? Help me so I can help you?"

Tanya blinked and nodded like a simpleton. "W-what must I do?" she whispered.

Victoria stood in front of her, watching tears fall down her bloodless cheeks.

"Go back and spy on the queen's household," she said, her tone icy.

Tanya abruptly stood up and what little color she had vanished. "Th-the queen? I… I cannot do that, please, Victoria," she pleaded.

Victoria eyed her, lips pursing in contemplation.

"You must know, Tanya, what we have known all along." She paused dramatically, waiting for her to look at her. When she did, she emphasized her every word. "Listen to me, Tanya, the queen wants Edward. She wants him, your husband, for herself."

Stunned, Tanya fell back on the chair and Victoria took advantage of her prone state and knelt in front of her. She clasped both of her hands to her bosom, her eyes limpid with false sincerity. "My dear, I have seen what will happen. Isabella will enchant your husband and he wouldn't be able to help himself. The Spirits have told me so …"

"Believe me for I tell you true!" she exclaimed, grabbing her face between her hands. "But know this … only I can help you. The queen is a manipulative and powerful woman. Let me help you, Tanya. You and Edward are meant to be together."

"E-Edward and my son -" She stammered and couldn't go on, she was sobbing too much. Victoria hid her irritation and stood up. "Yes, yes. You will all be together." One happy family, she mused evilly.

She watched the miserable woman for several moments more. She tried to control her hatred of her, for daring to carry Edward's child in her unworthy womb. I should have been the mother of his son! She hissed at herself.

"Well, dear Tanya? Will you help me destroy the queen?"

"No," she sobbed, her hands tearing at her hair. "I cannot do it!"


With the exception of her desperate, insane obsession with Edward, Victoria was a woman who knew when to cut her losses. As soon as Tanya denied her, she sent two burly men to drag her screaming to the darkest bowels of the castle.

If she wouldn't help me, then I would ruin and damage her, she thought, and a giddy feeling enveloped her entire being.

When they reached the last gates of the dungeon, she ordered the two men to open the heavy iron and they pushed Tanya inside.

Victoria stayed outside of the cell, her ears straining in anticipation of Edward's reaction when he saw his traitorous wife.

She smiled a feral smile.


[Edward]

The sound of the heavy metal clanging made him look up. His jaw dropped at the sight of his wife, pushed rudely inside the dark prison.

His first panicked thought was of his son. "Willie? Where is he, Tanya?"

Tanya's eyes bulged wide and still kneeling on the ground, she brought both of her hands to her mouth to stifle her sobs.

"God damned it all to hell, Tanya! Where is my son!"

His roar spurred her to action, hearing his anxious growl. She stood up and flew to his side. He wanted to shake her shoulders and snap her out of her hysteria but he was chained to the damned wall.

"Edward, oh God, Edward. He is safe, our son is safe!" She threw her arms around his torso and he grunted when she pressed her face against his wounds.

"Well, well … the loving wife has come …" said the wretched Victoria.

He closed his eyes when he heard that evil voice. His entire body rippled with hate and renewed revulsion.

"Victoria," he growled. "Let my wife go. She has nothing to do with this madness."

And she laughed and laughed, even clapping her hands in glee.

Tanya cringed and she stepped away from him, her face averted.

"Oh, I beg to differ, my love," Victoria crooned. She slowly approached him and leaned closer to whisper in his ear, "She has secrets to tell you." She giggled and the sound scraped him raw.

Edward would have loved to spit on her face but he was a Kent and even direly provoked, he wouldn't disrespect a woman, even a woman as blighted as Victoria.

"Enough, you vile woman! Release her!" he snarled.

She walked away, still giggling uncontrollably, and stood behind Tanya.

She placed her hands on her shoulders. "My love, it pains me to have to tell you that -"

He watched in shock as his normally timid wife suddenly whirled around and pushed Victoria roughly. She landed in a heap on the dirty, wet floor and Tanya jumped on her. The scuffling sounds drew the guards inside and they pulled his wife off their mistress.

Instead of turning on Tanya, Victoria again laughed her mad cackling squeals and pointed an accusatory finger at her.

"My love, here stands before you a desperate woman. Shall I tell you why?" Victoria danced around the now restrained Tanya and said in a sing-song voice. "Your wife has betrayed you - you and your entire proud family, the most powerful clan in the kingdom! Duped! Why, I wouldn't be surprised if little Willie wasn't even your flesh and blood!"

Her words – even as his mind was screaming at him that they were lies – impacted on him like a ton of bricks.

Edward swung his startled gaze at the wide-eyed Tanya. She had managed to free her one arm from her captor and slapped her hand to her mouth, her eyes huge with pain and horror.

No. This was not happening.

God Help me, these were all lies!

He narrowed his eyes at Victoria, his heart turning into stone.

"Victoria," he said softly, hoarsely. "You will say no more and you will not harm my wife."

The witch's hard eyes grew wistful and her face changed. Her mouth usually pinched and hateful at the corner, slightly softened.

"My poor love, look into your heart and you will see. This woman never loved you, was never true to you -"

"Victoria!" Tanya cried. "I-I b-beg of you -"

"No! He must know. You have made a fool of him!" With unleashed violence, she swung her left hand and slapped Tanya, hard. Her head slumped forward with a cry. With a petulant sound, Victoria forcefully grabbed and pulled Tanya's hair and raised her face to him, as if in offering. He saw a trail of blood on her bottom lip.

"This charlatan whore was in cohorts with my uncle all these years, Edward! She married you in pretense, to spy on you! To cripple your entire clan!" Victoria shrieked at him, her eyes flashing in fury.

"Enough, Victoria!" he growled.

He tried to shut down the greedy pain that was enfolding him, to keep at bay the demons that her words released in his mind. Betrayal, treachery, deception.

In the dim of the torch light, he was able to discern Tanya's haunted eyes. They said eyes were the windows to the soul and what he was seeing in hers made him clenched his jaw tight but not before he let out a low and vicious curse.

Tanya's aggrieved blue eyes revealed it all to him. The perfidy, the dishonesty. God Have Mercy on her! What has she done?

He wanted to shout and claw his way out of this damp hell, to spew his own hateful words at her, at them, to leave him alone to his damnation. Killing him now would have been the most charitable and gracious act anyone could lay on him.

He couldn't even hide under the veil of dignity anymore. He took a deep breath and prayed it would be his cursed last.

No! God, no.

"Tanya ..." he rasped, his voice shook. "Did … did you betray me?"

She would have fallen to the ground if not for the two men holding her up. She wouldn't raise her head to look at his face now, concealing her expressive eyes that couldn't deceive anymore.

Slowly, she nodded her bowed head.

His heart cracked and he prayed for numbness.

Was he too late? Was his family, his son, now in grave danger because of him? Because of his forgery of a marriage?

"Who made you do it, Tanya?" he asked quietly.

"L-Lord Montgomerie," she whispered, broken.

"Is he … Willie … Is he mine?" He felt as if his heart has completely stopped beating.

At this, Tanya raised her head and frantically nodded her affirmation, and he breathed a sigh of relief for he believed her.

"Oh, Edward … I love you! P-please forgive m-me," she sobbed. "I had to do it!"

He didn't say anything for several moments. His gaze slid from hers and looked straight at Victoria.

"Give me your word. Now." As if mesmerized by the ferocity of his tone, Victoria eagerly nodded, licking her red lips. "You will let her go, do you hear me? You can do what you will with me, but leave her be."

Victoria looked down, clearly trying not to smile. "For you, my love," she whispered her agreement.

"Edward?" Tanya breathed, uncertain. She opened her mouth to say something, but the look on his face must have discouraged her.

Suddenly, he no longer felt quite angry. Instead, he felt tired, old.

"Leave me."

"Edward!" she cried, struggling against her captors.

He stared at her without any emotion.

"You are no longer my wife."


[Alice]

"I am Lady Brandon, the queen's cousin. Let me see her." She said the words as imperiously as she could. The stern-faced guard, however, did not move, not even a tiny budge.

"Forgive me, my lady, but the queen forbids anyone from entering her chambers," an apologetic voice said behind her.

"Are you the only one allowed to see her then?" Alice tried not to feel hurt and disappointed but the truth was, she was hurt and more than disappointed by Bella's continued seclusion.

"Not I, Lady Alice. No one has seen her since yestermorn," said Sigourney.

Alice closed her eyes and prayed for guidance. This could not go on. She wanted, needed, to talk to Bella. Now.

"Your grace!" she yelled, not caring about the glaring looks she was receiving from her guards. Sigourney's mouth gaped open in surprise.

Oh, God's Hell.

What could she do to me? I am her kin for Heaven's sakes, she thought.

"My lady, please! I know where he is!" The last five words were shouted louder than the rest.

She waited. They all waited. They all held their breath.

One of the guards, the tallest, visibly paled expecting his dismissal for allowing a disrespectful harridan such as herself to dare raise her voice in the presence of the queen.

Silence.

Alice placed her ear against the closed heavy doors.

Lingering silence.

She sighed, her shoulders drooping.

She turned away and had walked several steps from the door when she heard it. A sound so faint, she could have imagined it. However, the alert expressions on the guards' faces, including Sigourney's, convinced her that she didn't misheard.

The double doors cracked open and a dullish brown eye peered at her.

"You really know?" Bella whispered, torn and hopeful.

"Yes ..." She too spoke in a low tone.

The eye disappeared and Alice stepped inside the queen's chambers, finally.


[Emmett]

Finally, the elite scouts brought good news.

They had been searching high and low for days trying out all leads which most often resulted at dead-ends, to his growling frustration.

His focus and destination were the Montgomerie regions while his father was combing the Argyll lands to the western borders.

"Dem luchd siubhail sight'd a band o' de Marseille's fowks headin' west o' Montgomerie's stronghold, sir, five days' past," Kent's tracker reported.

"This has been confirmed?" he snapped.

"Aye, me lord!"

Emmett hurled himself back on his big steed and barked orders to ride further west. According to the map that was hastily brought up to him, there was an old fortress in the area that most thought had crumbled into ruins decades ago. If this was the direction the Montgomerie men had taken Edward, then this castle must still stand.

"Send word to my father," he instructed one of the messengers.

It was near dawn. He narrowed his eyes at the new day's approach, praying to God in Heaven that this would be the day he would find his brother, and to find him alive.


[Edward]

It was curiously bizarre.

He could smell the now familiar minty aroma of incense but it wasn't inducing a certain calmness and submissiveness in him. He blinked, trying to clear his head but he realized it was not taking too much of an effort to stay alert. He was awake and he was aware of his surroundings.

Even more strangely, he could hear indistinct words, words uttered by another woman. He willed the effect of incense from his mind, tried to block its enchantment from luring him back to the abyss.

Entula

There, that voice, those peculiar words.

Who was she? Why was she in his head? Instinctively, Edward tried to grasp the voice and the words for he knew they were helping him stay lucid and disenchanted.

Eadbhard. Laita.

Entula a' moinayamen …

"Who are you?" he breathed.

The voice inside his head did not respond, instead it was the disembodied voice of the evil one who replied.

"Sleep, my love," she clucked.

He shuddered when he felt cold moist, slippery as slime, touch his skin.

"Take your f-filthy hands away from me," he slurred, breathing through his mouth to avoid inhaling the entrancing incense.

Entula a' moinayamen …

Entula a' moinayamen …

"Entula a' moinayamen," he mouthed lowly.

"Don't resist me, Edward," Victoria gritted out, not hearing him. "I do not want to hurt you."

He flinched when the wet, slurping cold – like a slithering snake - slid across his naked chest.

He clenched his fists tight. He was still chained to a wall but he was in a different chamber this time, not the dingy dampness of his dark prison.

Edward opened his eyes. At first he was seeing double but he tried to clear the blurry vagueness away from his vision.

Victoria. Taunting him, maligning him. Telling him about Tanya's duplicity. Married him to deceive him. Never loved him. Betrayed him. Cursed him with lies.

"You should have chosen me to be your wife, my love. I would never betray you, not I," she crooned but to his distorted mind, what he heard was her bleating.

He could feel his eyes drooping and he snapped back to wakefulness, shaking his head from side to side to keep alert.

A glint, a glance, made his eyes flutter.

Two blades, shears. Clamped together the blades formed a tube.

Victoria manipulated the shears until it opened wide, like the jaws of a rabid wolf. Inside the tube of blades were sharp spikes.

"I love you, Edward," she whispered, tears streaking down her cheeks.

He watched her dead eyes and ignored her hands. She gasped and dropped the shears. He felt her cold hands on him and blissfully, he was indifferent, unresponsive. He was benumbed.

He shut his eyes and tried to hear the words … words that would save him.

Entula a' moinayamen …

Yes.

I remember, he told the voice calmly. He wanted to reassure the woman who was helping him.

"Diola ile," he whispered, the words pulled from the deepest, unknown part of his soul.


***a/n

Elvish translations:

Diola ile – Thank you

Entula a' moinayamen - Remember (Remember who you are)

Laita – Bless or "Bless you"

Gaelic:

Luchd siubhail - tinkers or the traveling people