(A/N): Another long chapter... yup. I think that the rest of the story will also have long chapters, too. My schedule calmed down a little bit. I have only a little more of my history paper to write, and I actually finished my science project. Yay for not-so-crazy schedules. Now I only have to study for finals and the various assessments...so wish me luck on that!
The song in this chapter is titled "At the Beginning" by Richard Marx and Donna Lewis from the movie "Anastasia". If you want to listen to it, a link is in my profile. This chapter's more of a filler than anything...but I tried to make it sweet...so see how I do on that.
Disclaimer: I don't own New Moon or Twilight nor anything associated with that...
Chapter 23
May arrived in all its glory. The spring flowers were in full bloom, and the garden was the in its prime. Lilac bushes and camellias were in full bloom (A/N: I don't know the name of the little white flowers that bloom in my front yard in spring…so I'm calling them camellias for now. I only know that the things I speak about the lilacs are true). The garden was filled to the brim with their sweet scents. My window, which was just above the gardens, brought in their sweet smell. I was very giddy that particular morning. The birds were singing their bright songs, the sun was streaming through the window, and everything was just plain…cheery.
When Edward walked into my room, I had already fell…let's see…twenty-plus times from my happiness. I cared not that I broke my record for the most falls in one morning. I was too happy to even think about, let alone really notice that I had fallen. I was giggling and twirling in the patch of sunlight when my feet were tangled up somehow on the soft mat. Edward was there to stop my new record in the making.
"Silly Bella," he chuckled. "I just left for fifteen minutes and you start falling…how many times? Ten? Twenty?"
I giggled. "I don't know. I lost count after twenty-five!" Truth be told, I did not know what made me so happy that morning. Perhaps it was because of a premonition? Some way overdue sugar-high? Women's intuition? You tell me. I'm out of ideas.
The day was naturally sunny, so Edward had to stay inside. After all, it would do no good if Mother found out that he glowed like a thousand diamonds in the sun;…nor any of the palace guards, for that matter. The palace was a big one. Even throughout my fifteen years of explorations, I could not truthfully say that I had seen all the rooms and corners. There were even secret passages that led from one hall to a totally unexplored corridor and holes that led to another room where many more holes end.
Stealing some food from the kitchens, Edward and I went palace-exploring for the day. During the few hours before lunch, we had started walking into foreign territory. "We'd better mark our way," I said, looking around. Finding nothing, I sighed. "Hansel and Grettel had bread and food. We only have some food that can't be broken apart."
"We must have something…" Edward muttered, looking down himself. He tugged at one of the buttons on his doublet, careful not to ruin the entire thing. A few seconds later, an ivory button fell into his hand. He placed it carefully on the floor, chuckling at his handiwork.
There were so many places to explore. I had never known that there were so many hidden alleys in the palace. Sure, I know they existed, but I never expected this many. We peeked through the various rooms to discover that some were completely bare while others were fully furnished. My favorite room had a lounging chair, a loveseat, an elaborate carpet, and beautiful scenery painted on the walls. On one particular cushion on the chair, there lived a family of mice. I squealed at the sight of the tiny babies. Edward just grinned.
"This is not too hard for you, is it?" I asked him, suddenly fearful for the mice I had found.
"Them?" His eyes widened, almost as if I had insulted him. His eyes, though, gleamed with mischief. "I could hardly make a meal out of mice, could I? They have barely enough blood for a mouthful!"
I sighed in relief. They were safe! As if hearing that, he laughed, his laughter ringing with music, making my heart flutter. "So self-less. When are you ever going to be afraid for yourself?"
"Afraid of you?" I almost snorted. "I don't mean to burst your bubble, but I don't think you're that scary."
In response, he just stood there, still as a statue. I saw his pale eyelids and the pale dark circles under his eyes. He looked so perfect – so beautiful. What did I ever do to deserve his love?
Just as I was about to touch him, his eyes snapped open, and he jumped on me. I yelped in surprise as I felt myself being borne through the air, landing with a soft thud on the loveseat. I was not hurt at all, but I was shocked that he dared to scare me like that.
"You were saying…?"
"That you are a very terrifying, daunting, creepy, frightening, intimidating, bloodcurdling, chilling, spooky, scary, unnerving, horrendous, ghostly, eerie, ghastly, vampiric …" He cut me off with a light kiss.
"You forget that I am a vampire," he reminded me, kissing my nose.
I stuck my tongue out at him. "I was running out of adjectives!"
"You certainly don't sound it."
"What can I say? I'm an excellent actress."
"Oh, really? Then I suppose that the yelp was an act, too."
"Yes. Don't you agree that it was very convincing?"
"Your heart was beating too quickly for that," he replied, smirking at me.
I stuck out my tongue again. Curse my over-reacting heart!
We had lunch…I meant I had lunch…with the mice family, and continued to stroll the hidden portion of the castle.
The most memorable moment was when we passed through a section of the castle that was directly beside the garden. Tiny slits in the wall brought in the fresh air as well as some much-needed sunshine. Edward did not glow, but we did see something I thought was very heart-touching.
Through one of the slits, I heard quiet voices. I was only able to pick up a few words, but I think Edward heard an earful. When I peered through it, I saw Jacob and Sophie sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G. (A/N: Lol…I didn't mean to go all childish there…but I do like the rhyming) When one of them suddenly broke off, they seemed to have some trouble breathing. And then, Jacob got on one knee holding a plain golden band with a single small crystal. Sophie gasped and hugged him as he slipped it on her finger.
"Awww," I whispered, sighing. "They need some type of a marriage. She deserves a private one, at least, seeing how she's basically my older sister in more ways than one."
Edward didn't say anything. He just wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed my neck, causing me to loose whatever else I had thought of at the moment.
-----
"And I pronounce you Husband and Wife…" the priest said as everyone burst into applause. I congratulated Sophie and Jacob as they finished their first kiss.
The reception went very well. The maids were paired with the footmen and butler. Even the cooks and scullery maids had their chance to a celebration. Street musicians were invited to play music. All-in-all, it was in a rare street-marriage style. Everyone, including Mother and Father, had much fun. When I caught the bouquet Sophie threw, everyone cheered, and Edward gave me a look that made my entire body tingle. A single though passed through my mind. Would I live long enough for that day?
Near the end, there was some singing by some ladies-in-waiting and several guards. Surprisingly, some were very good singers, but others just made a very bad fool of themselves. When the last of the volunteers had their chance, I was somehow shoved up the stage. I guessed that, since Mother proclaimed that there was neither royalty nor class difference, they took every advantage they could.
"Sing!" they chanted. I gulped. What could I sing? When Edward invited himself on the make-shift stage, I thought he was going to save me, but no. He just smiled, held my hands, and smiled some more.
I looked on the large group of servants hired in the palace – I had never known that many existed. They were all here to wish my friends good luck in their new life. That's what this entire celebration was about – seeing someone you love and live the rest of your life with that person.
Just as I decided the song, the musicians started playing it. It was as if they read my mind.
We were strangers
Starting out on a journey
Never dreaming
What we'd have to go through
Now here we are
And I'm suddenly standing
At the beginning with you
Just like always, Edward was there to help me sing the duet. He knew, doesn't he? I mused to myself.
No one told me I was going to find you
Unexpected what you did to my heart
When I lost hope you were there to remind me
This is the start
I peered at him closely when he sang. He was grinning at me with that look in his eyes. He knew I did not like to sing in front of this many people, and he still had a hand in getting me up here?
Life is a road and I want to keep going
Love is a river I wanna keep flowing
Life is a road now and forever
Wonderful journey
I'll be there when the world stops turning
I'll be there when the storm is through
In the end I wanna be standing
At the beginning with you
I was done being mad at him. When you were having this much fun, it was hard to keep anger up. He was twirling me across the stage, and everyone was swaying with the music. The more daring had started to dance, following our example.
We were strangers on a crazy adventure
Never dreaming how our dreams would come true
Now here we stand unafraid of the future
At the beginning with you
The more I sang, the more I realized how much this applied to me as well as my best friends.
Life is a road and I want to keep going
Love is a river I wanna keep flowing
Life is a road now and forever
Wonderful journey
I'll be there when the world stops turning
I'll be there when the storm is through
In the end I wanna be standing
At the beginning with you
I knew there was somebody somewhere
Like me alone in the dark
Now I know my dream will live on
I've been waiting so long
Nothing's gonna tear us apart
Life is a road and I want to keep going
Love is a river I wanna keep flowing
Life is a road now and forever
Wonderful journey
I'll be there when the world stops turning
I'll be there when the storm is through
In the end I wanna be standing
At the beginning with you
Life is a road and I wanna keep going
Love is a river I wanna keep going on...
Starting out on a journey
Life is a road and I wanna going
Love is river I wanna keep flowing
In the end I wanna be standing
At the beginning with you.
Finally, the song ended…although I could not say I was totally happy. I had felt like it was my fifteenth birthday again, and Edward with me singing a duet with me.
Near the end of the reception, Mother and Father bestowed their best wishes to Sophie and Jacob as well as a single golden ticket. The golden ticket would allow them to stay anywhere in Italy for a week in the suite of their choice. I ran to Sophie and gave her a hug. "You're going on a honeymoon!" She gasped, finally realizing the value of the ticket.
"Oh, thank you, dear Majesties," she said as she and Jacob fell on their knees in thanks, kissing the hem of Mother's skirt.
"Tut, tut," Mother replied. "What did I say about no royalty today?" The couple stood up, grinning at Mother sheepishly. "Your stuff is packed and loaded already. Now, off with you! And don't do anything wrong!"
As their coach disappeared in the horizon, Mother sighed. "Now that your sister's wed, when will you do the same, child?" I blushed. "I should ask that boy of yours when he's going to propose," she continued as if she didn't notice my beet-red face.
Just at that moment, Edward appeared. I was saved by my angel. "Off with you, too," Mother grinned, leaving us alone.
That night, Edward snuck into my room under the excuse that he couldn't sleep. I snorted at that.
"Can't you think of a better excuse?" I asked him.
"I want to see you."
"That's too cheesy."
"Then no."
We were silent for a few minutes. He climbed onto the bed with me, lying above the thin blanket.
"I never realized. Tomorrow's the summer solstice. I've been back for almost four months." I was the first to break the silence. Edward did not reply. He tucked his nose under my chin, pressing butterfly kisses along my shoulder.
I tried extra hard to remember my train of thoughts. "Edward…" Don't forget what you were going to say. Don't forget what you were going to say. Don't forget what you were going to say.
"Hmm…?"
"Um…how…do you…"
"How do I what, Bella?" he murmured softly against my neck.
"Stop." Perhaps I had said that with more force than I had intended. He stopped immediately, his topaz eyes sorrowful and hurt. Realizing what I had done, I continued. "Not that way. You're just…driving me nuts."
His look was gone, replaced by a crooked grin that made my heart beat erratically. "Do I, now?" I nodded in reply. His eyes sparkled in the dim light with love.
I could think again, I realized. "How did you become a vampire?"
His grin was suddenly gone, though his golden eyes still held love. "A vampire's bite," he said simply.
"Do you know how much I hate puzzles?"
"As much as you love me?"
"Edward…" I warned.
"Fine," he mumbled. "A vampire's body fluids are replaced by venom. When we bite into something, we inject this venom. Usually, it only paralyzes our…meals…by creating a fiery pain. If the vampire did not completely drain…it…then the venom spreads throughout the body, destroying everything, and creating a new vampire in turn."
"How long does it take?"
"Three days," he answered simply.
I knew he knew what my next question would be. But, I held my tongue. I had enough on my plate to think about tonight. I rolled over and kissed him goodnight. The next moment, I was deeply asleep.
I actually kind of like this chapter. I think it's somewhat better than some of the previous ones. Please tell me what you think of it. I like encouragement and any ways to improve my writing. I have finals and exams comming up in two weeks, so I might not be update within the next week. I'm kind of sad. I'm only planning about 3-4 chapters left. I don't think I'm going to do a sequel for this though, because I don't have a definite plot...but I'll decide when the time comes. Remember to review! (lol)
--Cathy
p.s. I didn't notice that the doublet buttons part was very similar to "Ella Enchanted" by Levine. Oops. I just want to say thank you for those who pointed that out to me and add disclaimer here that I don't own that book although it is one of my favorites and I didn't mean any copyright infringement.