Chapter 9

Confused even more, Emmett didn't resist. And he's glad he didn't.

Emmett whistles and stares unabashed at the stunner before them. He may be confused but he wasn't letting this moment escape him.

"Hey!" Edward whisper shouts as he stands between his beauty and his kin and taps both of them of the cheeks to snap them out of their ogling. "Focus! We need to leave, now." He implores as he shakes their shoulders gently before turning to hold out his hand for his mystery beauty. She happily takes his hand and he begins to lead them towards the balcony doors. His bothers look at each other with equal confusion before following.

Edward was relieved they were on the ground floor, meaning they onto had to hop the balcony and jump about his height down to the dirt ground below.

"Edward, what is going on? Who is she? What are you doing?" Jasper asked as he watched his eldest brother straddle the balcony edge. Edward paused for a second before looking back at his two brothers. He looked towards his beauty before looking back at them. The two people in this world who he could trust wholeheartedly.

"I…I don't quite know," He stuttered out. His brothers don't think they had ever heard Edward stutter in his life. "But I just need you to trust me. We need to get away from here. We need to leave and I don't think I can do this without you two." He said, for the first time showing some other emotion to his brothers than anger and annoyance. He looked desperate and earnest.

Without even having to look at each other, the brothers both said, "We trust you, Edward."

Edward nodded slightly and collected himself before squeezing his beauty's hand and releasing it.

And with that Edward swung his other leg over the balcony and jumped the distance down to the ground. He turned back around and held his arms up to his beauty. Without fear, she swivelled her legs over the side and pushed off. Catching her under her back and her knees, Edward gazed into her eyes before the landing thuds of his brothers brought him back. He placed her onto her feet without releasing her hand and they all took off into the surrounding forest.

Whilst young Edward was being forced into strategy meetings and combat training by their father, their mother let his brothers outside to play within these very forests. So Edward was thankful they knew the trails and tracks well enough that they could escape undetected. As they skirted around the outlying houses of the palace village, they nabbed some clothes and food to take on their way. None of them really knew where they were going but they just needed to be as far away as they could.

As they couldn't find any shoes to fit his beauty's feet and they were far enough away from the palace that they could slow slightly, Edward offered to carry her. He'd offered to carry her at least ten times since they set off, which had his brothers chuckling but also in disbelief. Their ruthless brother had shown a different side to himself today. She tried to deny him once again but her cut and bruised feet along with her drooping eyelids had Edward smiling inwardly and shaking his head as he swept her up. She was out like a light just moments later. The group didn't stop until the sky was pitch black and the air was bitter.

They came across an abandoned hunting shack. It was way off of any known road and dilapidated enough that they felt safe in the assumption no one would bother them for the night.