Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight and the characters that make it amazing. I'm just borrowing them for a little while.

Chapter 3

Cursed

They finished their breakfast before heading outside. A storm did come through the night before, leaving frost behind early in the morning. The grass still wasn't dry as they stepped away from the castle and made their way to the trails Edward told her about that looped through the forest. While she did enjoy the outdoors, where she and Alice had always played, that didn't mean that she wasn't clumsy. A few times, Edward had to warn her of stumps and other things she needed to watch out for. Since breakfast, she hadn't said a word to him, feeling almost as if he preferred it that way.

"We will have to tell my dear mother that she was overreacting to this storm we had last night. She should know better than to believe old Randolph. He's reaching that age where his sense is being outweighed by his graying hair."

They continued on in silence until they came to a small clearing and he veered her to the right. It opened up even further into a large, rather mushy, field. Despite the soggy ground, it really was beautiful with thick overgrown trees looming over a sea of never-ending green. A makeshift bench sat a little further down and he motioned her towards it. When she went to sit, Edward tugged at her hand to keep her standing. Surprised, she watched as he took off his overcoat, laid it across the bench, and then helped her down. When she gave him an appreciative smile and squeezed his hand a little, he reached up to tuck a strand of loose hair behind her ear.

"Please speak, Isabella. I've barely heard your voice in the time that you have been here."

"I don't have very much to speak of, Master Cullen," she said, keeping her eyes down at her hands.

"Please, call me Edward."

"I'm sorry, sir," she said quietly.

He gave her a small smile before rubbing his thumb over the top of her hand. "Do you like to be called Isabella? Do you prefer Isabelle?"

She froze, her heart breaking into a million pieces all over again. "As there are things you have asked me never to speak of, I beg you to never call me that again."

"My apologies. Surely, though, you have no objection to being just simply my Bella. Yes, I think Bella suits you well. My beautiful Bella," he said with a grin. She couldn't help but smile at that. She was a woman after all and he was a very handsome man. He nodded in acknowledgment "Ah, we have agreed upon something. Beautiful Bella it is."

Feeling like he was finally opening up with her a little, she asked, "Do you have no other name you prefer to be used?"

"No, Bella. I would very much like for you to just simply call me Edward. Will you tell me about your family? Your father seems like a very agreeable man."

"I love him very much, Edward," she smiled again, becoming slightly more animated.

"Will you share the whereabouts of your mother with me?"

She looked away then, the smile dropping immediately. "She died. A man killed her when she went to the market. He wanted money but all she had was the items she had just purchased. He killed her over a bar of soap and a block of tea."

"I am sorry for your loss." She opened her mouth to tell him she was sorry for his but caught herself. Finally, he prompted her to speak again. "Did you just live with your father?"

"No. We had one servant, Miss Charlotte, she was there since I was born. Peter worked the stables..." her voice trailed off. She could not bring herself to discuss Jacob with him. He had no reason to know about this man who his wife longed for. So, she decided to stay quiet once again.

"Is that the only family you know?"

"Well, my friend, Alice lives close by. She is my best friend...I mean was."

"She is the one you write to?" he asked, as if already knowing that the answer was yes. Isabella just nodded. "You're not a very talkative little thing, are you?"

"There is nothing for me to say, Edward."

"You speak easily with young Emily."

"I love children. I had once dreamt of becoming a schoolteacher. I knew I would not be able to marry...or have my own children if that were to become a reality."

He frowned, "Your own children? You are young."

"In the village I am from, many of the girls my age are already married and have children of their own. Even then, every little girl dreams of becoming a mother someday."

Silence seemed to envelope them. She shivered a little then, the air seeming to be just as damp as the ground. "Let's get you back inside, I can't have you getting sick. In fact...I...I need to apologize...for my behavior your first night here. I should have made sure to keep your warm. I seem to always be warm and sometimes forget that because I am it does not mean that you are. Come, let's head back."

~EA~

"Isabella!" Emily called as soon as she saw them walk into the castle together. "Can we go out to play?"

Edward chuckled and scooped her up, planting a big kiss on her cheek. "Little one, it is entirely too cold for you to be out on a day like this."

"Will you read to me, then, Isabella?" Emily asked, her eyes wide with hope.

Isabella looked at Edward and saw him nod at her encouragingly. "Of course, Emily. The novel you gave me as a gift is one of my favorites. Would you like to come back with us? We can sit in the library."

Setting his niece down gently, Edward looked to Isabella, "Take her with you. I shall inform her parents that she is with us and then come join you."

Emily skipped ahead happily and Isabella sat down with her on the plush couch in the corner of the room. Opening the book with much care, Isabella settled in and began to read to the little girl. The story seemed to catch and keep the little girl's attention as she hung onto every one of Isabella's words. By the second chapter, Edward had joined them and sat at the desk. She could tell he didn't want to disturb them but she also knew that he wasn't doing work like he was trying to let on. He was listening intently to her as well.

When she was growing tired, she set the book down and noticed that Emily had a new heaviness about her. Pushing the little girls hair from her face, she saw that she was sleeping soundly. Edward was watching his niece with a smile. "It seems your story has tired her out."

He came over and gently took the sleeping girl in his arms, hushing her quietly when she stirred until she was resting comfortably against his shoulder. It was very endearing to see Edward, who was usually so cold-natured, taking such care with a vulnerable child. Laying her head back, she began to doze and only an hour later did she awake to Edward writing at the desk.

"I'm sorry," was all she said, though she didn't really know why she said it.

He didn't say anything, just continued to keep writing in the large ledger book. Standing up, she walked over to the desk and picked up her composition book so that she could finish her letter to Alice. Realizing that it had been moved, she wondered briefly if he had read it. She blushed and hurriedly went to sit back down. Soihban knocked quietly on the door before calling through that dinner was ready.

~EA~

Isabella had just finished eating her turkey when a man she had never seen before walked quickly into the room and over to Jasper. They talked quietly before Jasper shook his head and stood up. "Edward, join me outside."

She looked over to Edward, watching him stand up and lean over to whisper, "I'll be back soon. Finish your meal."

Esme mouth was set in almost a straight line and Rosalie was looking at her with a frown. Carlisle followed his son and Jasper out of the room. "Emmett, go see what's going on," his wife whispered, nudging him in the ribs and pulling Emily from his lap.

"Can I go with papa?" she asked.

"No. Eat your vegetables."

Isabella ate quickly and by the time Emmett came back in, striding towards the hallway that lead back to his room, she was finished. "Emmett?" Rosalie called out, standing up as quickly as she could.

He came back in then, sheathing a dagger and heading back towards the door. "I don't know," was the only answer he gave. "They're lowering the bridge."

Isabella stood, then. Fear coursing through her body. Leaving her empty plate behind, she followed Emmett out, only to have Esme trail behind her, calling her name. She had lost her mother and she was in this mess because her father had been attacked. The idea of intruders made her severely anxious and she found herself short on breath. "Isabella, please! Just wait..."

While she wasn't stopping, she also wasn't stupid. Instead of heading out front like the men, she ran up the narrow steps that lead to the widows walk where the guards stood, overlooking the property. She nearly bumped into one of them as she hurriedly looked over and down into the courtyard. She shivered, briefly wondering if she would ever feel truly warm again. Her heart nearly stopped when she saw the brown horse carrying a black robed figure over the bridge. The violence that came through her village had been rare but it was still very much real. She had hoped for reprieve from that here and cursed her new family for letting someone like this in...for not realizing that they could be in danger. O course, she reminded herself, they probably knew and there were many guards...but it still frightened her.

"Lady Isabella, I implore you..." The guard begged for her to go back inside but she wasn't listening. Instead, she stood there stunned. As the horse carried it's passenger towards her husband, the true identity of the robed figure became clear. It was not a pillaging, violent man. It was a woman.

From her perch, far up and away from them, Esme came to stand beside her. She as well had been there when the girl had lifted her hood gracefully revealing straight wheat yellow hair, and even from afar, Isabella could see that her eyes shown a deep, majestic sky blue. To say the tiny figure was beautiful was an understatement. "Who is she?" Isabella asked Esme but didn't wait for a response. Hurrying back down the small stairs, she rubbed her arms for warmth and hurried out to where everyone seemed to be standing.

A strange feeling tore through her as the girl stepped right up to Edward and spoke. Unable to hear what was being said, Isabella couldn't stop herself from stepping right up to both of them. To her surprise, Edward put an arm up as if to put a barrier between the two girls. He opened his mouth to speak but Isabella saw the girl look upon her for what felt like hours. An awkward silence fell over the group, which consisted of the three men of the family, Esme, and a few guards—including Jasper.

The girl spoke then, "Isabella Cullen," she spat, looking Isabella up and down.

"Tanya, I beg of you..." Edward began.

"So this is the peasant whore who is replacing my sister. I must say, Edward, you've definitely done poorly for yourself."

"What do you want? What do you wish to gain from coming here, Tanya? Speak now."

"My sister, a princess, is buried on this land. As well as who would have been our possible future prince. I've come to be with them in the only way possible. Praying for them through the cold, almost frozen ground."

"Father, take Isabella inside..."

"You're cursed. You always will be," she said, interrupting him and shaking her head. "Don't you see that?"

Isabella stood there, stock still, begging herself not to cry. Tanya turned to her then, as Carlisle took Isabella's arm to lead her away. "He was married to a princess, Isabella. How could you possibly compare? He's unable to love again." Then, with a harsh laugh, even as she was almost inside, she heard Tanya call out to her, "Why do you think you were given to him? They had to do something with you!"

~EA~

Feeling as if she was to die inside, she grasped Carlisle's forearm, desperately trying to not cry. He squeezed her arm in response and picked up his pace. Esme made a step to follow them but then turned back to her son when Tanya began speaking again. Isabella couldn't hear what she had to say and she was grateful for it. "Isabella," Carlisle began, but they both knew there was nothing he could say to make it better. Letting go of her, he stepped back and shook his head. "I apologize for Miss Denali's behavior."

"It does not matter, Master Cullen. Everything she said is true, is it not? He never wanted to marry me. He will never love me and I will never compare to his princess. I thank you for all that you and your family have done for me but I beg you to just allow me time to myself. I beg you."

Walking away from him, tears coming freely now, she walked as quickly as she could until she came to their sleeping quarters. It didn't feel right. In fact, it felt very, very wrong to be there. Stepping back out, she went to the room beside the washroom and threw it open. She froze, her eyes wide, as she realized that they had not been sleeping in the same room as the room Edward had shared with Katherine. In this room, there was a very long, white dress spread across the bed. Gowns, both expensive and plain, were hung to the side. It was light colored, nothing like what she had been sleeping in for the past couple of nights.

Quickly turning from the room, as if she had just intruded on something private, she went into the room furthest from the front. Finally feeling like she could relax a little, she couldn't decide which new room broke her more. In the center of this one, lit with bright material, was a wooden crib. A rocking chair sat to the left of it and there were tiny outfits on the matching wooden shelves to the right. The tiny prince's room. Her heart pulled in a way that she had never felt before from looking at something so basic—the cradle in the corner. Of course the baby would be kept towards the back, he needed to be protected and that meant any intruder would have to get through Edward first.

Finally, she found the courage to walk out and into the last door. If the last two were the sleeping quarters, this one had to be the weapons room. The door opened easily and this time, she wasn't as shocked. Sliding down the now closed door, she rested on the cold, hard floor. With her head in her hands, she stifled her cries as best she could. Isabella sobbed for her loss of family, for wanting her mother, for the love she left back home, even for the loss of Edward's family.

When she was finally done turning those thoughts over and over in her head, she cried for another reason. Never would her husband feel the same way about her and her offspring the way he felt for the ones he lost...if he even allowed them to create a child together. Tanya's words were more or less the truth. At only seventeen, Isabella realized she was being forced to come to terms with the fact that she would be in a loveless marriage without the love of a child to keep her warm until she died.

~EA~

She woke to footsteps outside of the door and then heard doors opening and closing. Whoever was out there was getting closer to her and she crawled away from the door, leaning against the leg of one of the tables that held an arsenal of swords. "Isabella?" Edward's voice called out. She ignored it, praying that he'd go away. Praying that he'd let her stay in there until she withered away to nothingness, even though her growling tummy was actually becoming painful. The door to their quarters slammed a few seconds later and the footsteps were gone.

Feeling faint, she wondered how long she'd been on the floor of the room. There were dried tears around her eyes and her head was pounding at the temples. She had cried so hard and she began to wonder if she had slept for longer than just an hour or two. There was a possibility that she had been in there overnight. Surely, she thought, he would have come for her by now. Tanya's words ripped her apart again. She really didn't matter to her husband.

Allowing her head to rest against the hard wooden table leg, she let the exhaustion and hunger give way to sleep once again. This time when she woke, it was to the slamming of the door and the sound of two voices. "It's been almost two days. I'm not waiting. We'll search the grounds and..." Edward said before being interrupted by Jasper.

"I'm sure she is just hurting, Edward. Think about her for a moment. She's probably afraid."

"I am thinking of her! Do you want me to just let her go like that? She couldn't survive out there on her own..."

She felt sick, like she was going to throw up. Fighting her hunger and exhaustion now, she barely heard him tell Jasper that he couldn't bear to lose her as well. Assuming she was hallucinating, she just tried to go back to sleep. There was no reason for her to be awake. There was nothing for her to live for in this cold place.

She turned her head and squinted as the door opened, showering the room with light. Both men stopped suddenly when they saw her. She was sure she looked horrid with her bloodshot eyes, tear stained face, and tangled hair. The gown she wore the day before was wrinkled and dirty. "Jasper, leave us," Edward commanded.

Crouching down, he took her easily in his arms and carried her to their bedroom. Lying her on the bed, he walked out of the room. She just went back to sleep and she didn't know how much later it was when he came back in. Picking her up a second time, still having not said anything to her, he brought her into the washroom and set her down on a small stool. Removing her gowns, he lowered her into the large tub which had just recently been filled with hot water. With a soft cloth, he began to wash her, having taken off his shirt so as not to get it wet.

There was nothing but numbness for her as he washed every part of her body. There was no shame, no anger, no bitterness at all. It wasn't worth the feelings. It wasn't worth trying to feel again. She wouldn't look at him, though, refusing to make eye contact. He was too beautiful for that. When he was through washing her hair, he sat back on his heels.

"Look at me, Bella." It was done with authority and she didn't dare to not respect it. Then, through clenched teeth, he began. "If I could put you on the back of a horse and send you back to your father this instant I would. I know well that you deserve none of this. I know that this is not what you ask for. I haven't asked for it anymore than you have. This is the hand we've been given and this is our duty to the Creator to fight through it. We've both taken the sacred vows, therefore, we have no other choice."

She didn't say anything, she just stared at him. "Dammit, Isabella, speak! Speak out about your feelings! Speak of how much you loathe me. Speak!"

With the numbness having gone nowhere, she closed her eyes, only to open them so tears could escape. Daftly, she shrugged, "I do not loathe you, Edward. It is the very circumstance that is painful. The woman, Tanya..."

"Is overcome with grief for the loss of her sister."

"As you are overcome with grief of your lost princess."

"You will not speak of her!"

"That's right. The dead are the dead and the living are the living. We shall not confuse them," she spat, the feeling of anger seeping into her veins.

Grabbing a clean towel, he all but threw it at her. "Dry off. I expect you in our bedroom in a few minutes. Don't bother redressing in those clothes."

The anger boiled over and, as he opened the door, she called out, "Whose bedroom? The one we share or the one in which you shared with your precious princess?"

The slamming doors were the only response that came.

I just want to take a minute to thank my reviewers and subscribers. It means a lot to me. I'm going to continue the story, though I'm not sure how many chapters will come. This is a little project/challenge of mine and I hope that you will give me feedback through reviews or more email alerts :) I will say that while it may seem that Edward and Isabella both seem to be going in circles sometimes, they are both very confused and have been thrown into a situation they are trying to cope with. Please be patient with them. Also, I'm thinking there will be another chapter put up by Wednesday or Thursday. So, review and tell me what you think, I will send you a preview in return. Hopefully, I got everyone the last time. LP xx