Chapter Nine:
BPOV
We rode for three days, only stopping to sleep and restock our supplies, which we also found that Emmett had given us some gold coins. We headed west like Emmett suggested.
"Do you know where we are going?" I asked Edward after we had set up camp for the night.
"Emmett said to head west. West is towards the sea" Edward said.
I thought for a moment.
Next time the guards capture Edward, they might just kill him instead of keeping him for the king.
"We have to keep moving" I told him.
He looked up at me from where he was roasting the meat over the fire.
"I know. I was thinking, and I want your thoughts on this afterwards, how would you feel if we caught a ship and headed to England? Start a new life?" he asked.
That could work.
But I would never be able to see my dad ever again.
That thought saddened me but the thought of spending the rest of my life with Edward over-ruled the sadness of never seeing my father again.
"We would have to cut our hair and change into the new clothes that Emmett got for us. They will probably be putting up wanted signs of both us all over the kingdom soon" I said.
Edward nodded, deep in thought.
We stayed silent, both thinking of the future ahead of us.
"If you continue to go with me now, you might never be able to go back and see your father" he said.
I looked him in the eyes as I spoke.
"I know. But if I return, they will search for me and probably kill me. I'd rather spend the rest of my life with you and not be able to see my father, than go back there and have the risk of being caught. Also, he was in on the plan to capture you" I told him.
"I love you Bella" He said.
Edward wrapped his arms around me and we fell asleep.
-BH-
We arrived at a village near the sea around night time. We set up camp just inside the forest.
"Tomorrow when it's light, we will see when the next ship out of Forks is. Anywhere in particular you would like to journey to?" he asked.
"England. I've heard about their beautiful country sides" I said.
"Okay, England it is"
"Also, tomorrow we will cut our hair with the gold coins that Emmett gave us"
Edward twirled a strand of my hair around his finger.
"I don't want you to cut your hair though, it's so beautiful" he said.
"I don't want you to cut yours either. It's like a lion's mane. Majestic" I said.
"In the morning we will start on getting our new looks, for now, let's sleep"
Edward and I curled up around each other and eventually fell asleep by the warmth of the fire.
By time the sun rose, Edward and I were packed and ready to start changing our looks.
"Lets' go and see when the next boat out of here is"
After untying the horses and sending them in the opposite direction, Edward took my hand and we walked out of the forest. Signs of life were starting to appear as we approached the seaside, fishermen preparing for their day.
"Over there"
Edward pointed to a sign, which we walked over to and looked at.
"Next ship out of hereto England is tomorrow morning. Looks like we came at the perfect time" I said, smiling at Edward.
He took my hand in his and gently kissed my palm.
"We sure did. Now, let's go get our hair cut" he said.
We got our hair cut without anybody noticing our looks.
With our newly cut hair, we looked a bit different but it still wouldn't do if the guards found us. We shopped for some new clothes, men's clothes for me as I would have to dress as a boy for the ship ride over.
A month in men's clothing?
I could do that if it meant that Edward and I got away from here unharmed.
We finished up our shopping, buying what we would need for the journey over the seas, saving enough of the gold coins to pay for both of our fares.
At mid day we retreated back to the forest, making sure no-one was watching us as we entered it.
"I think, tomorrow is going to be the start of our new life together" Edward said.
We were sitting on the forest floor, arms resting around each other.
"I think, I'm going to enjoy our new life together. Because I will have you to enjoy it with" I said.
"Good"
Edward kissed my nose gently and then we cuddled up together, enjoying the sounds of the forest.
-BH-
The next morning we extinguished our fire and packed up our belongings.
"Ready to catch that ship out of here?" Edward asked.
I took his outstretched hand and together, we walked out of the forest.
He dropped my hand once we were out of the forest, since I was now dressed as a man.
"All aboard for the journey to England!"
Edward and I walked towards the ship and bought our two tickets. We boarded the ship and looked over at the people who were standing on the docks. A movement out of the corner of my eye caught my attention.
"Edward!" I pulled on his sleeve.
"Yes?"
"There's the Kings guard over there" I pointed to the guards who were by now, talking to the man who was selling tickets.
"Duck your head and pretend as if you are looking at the water. Don't look at them. I'm going to go walk around the ship, they will probably be looking for two people together, a man and a woman. I'll be back as soon as they are gone"
Before I could tell Edward to stay with me, he walked off, leaving me by myself.
My stomach twisted as I saw the guards walk onto the ship. I looked over the side of the boat, pretending to look at the water when in all actuality; I was watching the guards out of the corner of my eye.
My breath got caught in my front as they walked past me. They took a quick look at me and moved on, obviously not finding what they wanted. I released my breath, taking in a gulp of air as they moved onto the next person.
A few minutes later, the guards were leaving the boat and I watched as they got onto their horses and started trotting off.
I watched as they untied the ropes, letting the boat slowly drift away with the current of the sea. I felt Edward stand next to me.
"We can relax now, they are gone" he said.
I wanted to wrap my arms around him and kiss him, but remembering that I was supposed to be a man, I refrained from doing that.
"Thank god" I looked up at him, hoping he will see the thankful look upon my face.
Edward leaned down and talked into my ear.
"When we dock in England, we can finally start our new life"
I looked out at the sun, shining brightly down on the ship, and was thankful that we had somehow managed to escape from the King.
We can look forwards to our new life now.
A/N: Hey guys, sorry it took a while to update. Only one more chapter left now, the epilogue. Wow. I could have added another twist to this story but I feel as if Edward and Bella have been through enough now so I will leave them be. :D Also, the next chapter might be a while (not a LONG while) as I have school exams coming up. But, I will try to finish it soon. Thank you for the reviews so far!