Chapter 2:

A/N: So here is Chapter 2. There were a lot of different piano songs that helped me write this chapter and I will link it in my profile page. Some music, no matter how beautifully described, can't convey the same feelings with the same strength as listening to the piece first hand. Hope you like them :]

Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to Stephanie Meyer

The sun had barely risen over the horizon, when Edward began making his way home. It sat in a quiet meadow relatively untouched by the war, and was a usual place of comfort for him. He loved the way birds started their usual hymn just before dawn, a song accompanied by the familiar metronomic beat of his own steps in the tall grass. In the background, a small stream flowed lazily in the distance, and was always more than obliging to lend its tones to his morning theme. Edward continued on his way, humming the notes he would soon play along his ivory keys. Upon reaching the door, his green eyes scanned the meadow one last time bidding his wordless goodbye before entering.

After his mother's death, all the warmth of his home departed with her, leaving nothing more than a stinging loneliness that hung thickly in each room. Whenever Edward found the silence suffocating, he would rush out the door to his meadow, finding solace in the life around him. He felt her presence there, singing softly to him whenever he made time to listen. It was enough to ease his heartache.

Once a sufficient fire blazed in the hearth Edward turned to the piano that sat invitingly across the room. The familiar creak of the bench welcomed him as he sat down before the instrument, fingers slightly stroking the keys. It started slowly at first, the melody, and soon he was lost in the moment. This was his escape, a place to express himself.

The pace of the music began to dictate his breaths while he poured out all the pain, loss, and loneliness into his musical prayer. There were some lighter moments in the piece laced within the more somber tones, but before long he found himself composing yet another offering to his mother.

Edward remembered running through the meadow, perfumed with the smells a freshly prepared meal calling him home for the evening. He was young in this memory and barely stood much higher than her shoulders, but when he ran into the familiar embrace and felt his mother's chin rest on top of his head, he sighed, relishing in the feeling of arriving home.

A cold tear fell upon his hand, and once Edward realized that he had begun to cry, he was pulled back into the confines the empty room. He stared blankly into the hearth as the last note resonated before melting into the silence.

Short, abrupt knocks interrupted his thoughts. "Edward!" A voice called. "You will be late!"

Edward hastily grabbed his music and set off for without much more than a stop to ruffle his messy hair in the mirror hanging next to the door. "Tanya, thank you for reminding me," he replied, opening the door to meet her.

Tanya and Edward had always been close, even bordering on romantic at one point, but those feelings were long dead and buried in the past. Their feelings towards each other evolved into something more familial, especially with Elizabeth's death, just a year ago. She watched him crumble under the loss of his mother, barely waking to do much more than grieve with his piano. Since then, Tanya made a point to check up on him whenever she could, knowing that Elizabeth wouldn't want her only son to waste away in an empty home. Tanya was grateful that their short courtship didn't mar their friendship and that Edward had allowed her to be close to him while he learned to accept the loss of his mother.

"Is that what you will be wearing?" She inquired, her expression reflecting her surprise at Edward's choice of attire. She could not allow him to attend a royal function featuring his talents looking like such a mess. The clothing was slightly stained from his walk earlier that morning, and very obviously wrinkled from the sleeplessness he had been experiencing. "Edward we have to fix this, now." She said pulling him into the house by his sleeve.

Before long, Edward was looking much more presentable, allowing Tanya to feel more confident in the smoothness of his impending performance. This was a huge opportunity to debut his compositions before the court, and would do wonders to his piano career. Tanya smiled at herself as she thought about the importance of this event. He was truly gifted and people were finally starting to take notice. She was hopeful this would give him a new avenue to dedicate his time, ultimately helping him to move past his grief.

"What are you planning on playing today?" She asked, waiting to help him into his jacket. He didn't answer at first, so Tanya waited unsure if he heard her question. A few beats later she was starting to feel concerned, given the fact that he would be "front and center" in just a couple hours.

Edward looked up from his buttons before saying, "I came up with it this morning, and now I can't imagine playing anything else." He smiled to himself and began to tuck his shirt into his pants when Tanya opened her mouth, unsure if she should voice her concerns. She definitely didn't want to cause him to get nervous.

"Are you sure you don't want to play something that you already have experience performing in the past?" She turned to stand between him and the mirror, studying his confident expression.

"This song came to me earlier and it really captured me. I can't imagine playing anything else. " Tanya shot him a questioning look, clearly unconvinced. "I think that once you hear it you will understand what I mean." Edward added reassuringly.

"Alright then…" she sighed, "It's a good thing your talented, I trust you."

Once Edward was finished, he and Tanya left for the palace. No one knew he would be playing today, mainly because the Queen insisted on keeping the performance a surprise. It barely mattered; he was still relatively unknown and even if announced by name throughout the kingdom, only a hand full of people would know who he was.

Edward was told that he would be performing during the official proposal of the youngest princess. He had never met her, or anyone else in the royal family, but he knew her name was Isabella, and she had recently lost her father to the war. Edward pitied the princess. He could not imagine having to publicly uphold composure after loosing a parent. Queen Esme herself was barely able to function after the loss, forcing Princess Rosalie to act in her position, while allowing her mother to grieve. Edward shuddered at the thought and inwardly decided he was grateful for his simple existence.

Tanya slowed her horse to more of a relaxed pace once she realized that Edward had fallen behind, lost in his thoughts. "What's the matter?" She called to him. He looked up at her realizing that he fell behind her pace.

"Edward? Are you nervous?"

"No…"

"Then what's on your mind?" She pressed. "Are you worried about the vampire court? This isn't Volterra we don't have anything to worry about." Tanya paused for a moment, thinking about what she said. "Well Aro will be there, but he can't feed from humans here. It would void the treaty." She continued on this way and Edward was starting to think Tanya was trying to reassure herself.

In this part of the world, vampires lived amongst humans for centuries. It was as normal as seeing different ethnicities walking down the street. The vampires treasured the shortness of human life and opted to drink from animals. Outside Volterra, it was relatively uncommon to hear of a vampire murdering a human.

"No it's not that," he laughed, "I've never been to the palace, or played for a more important audience. It is a little intimidating, but I want to show them what I can do."

"Oh, okay. That's good, because I can't have you going into the performance scared for your life. "She added, trying to hide her nervousness.

"Or yours," Edward teased.

Tanya narrowed her eyes at him in response, something she normally did right before teasing her best friend. "You will be fine, Edward," she said, suddenly upbeat, "and if you play horribly, your looks have always saved you." Tanya added sarcastically, laughing at the memory of his last performance. Half the audience barely paid any attention to his performance once they had seen his face. Girls swooned over him and many of their upset partners left the hall before Edward had finished playing his piece. Nowadays the events went much more smoothly, since the women had learned to keep their excitement under wraps, unless they wanted to deal with their husbands forcing them to leave early.

"I'd like to think that my composition earned me this event Tanya, not my looks." Edward countered, rolling his eyes at her.

"Don't be embarrassed Edward, you've charmed vampires before, and our plain human looks are supposed to pale in comparison to theirs." Tanya went on giggling between words. The rest of the morning went about this way, with Edward and Tanya teasing each other to lighten the mood.

When they reached the palace, it was bustling with activity. All around the grounds were people hastily preparing for the royal event. Edward admired the surrounding gardens and the beauty of everything that was coming together. It almost seemed like the palace glistened in the morning light. A nice touch he thought. Considering the royal family held the same kind of iridescence in the sunlight. When he and Tanya reached the entrance they were greeted by a kind looking man who introduced himself as Laurent. He gave them a quick tour of the gardens where Edward would later perform, before leading them to the music room to allow him to prepare himself for the event.

Each new room had been Edward's favorite, as they all seemed to be even more handsome than the last, but as he reached the music room; Edward knew that he had arrived in the perfect wing of the palace. The walls were ornately marbled with golden flecks that added a shimmer all about. Different stringed instruments were beautifully arranged throughout the room, inviting Edward to play. His hand grazed along the scroll of a cello as he made his way to the grand piano that waited proudly in the center of the room, outshining all the other instruments. It was perfectly poised underneath a chandelier, mirrored ebony surface. Edward reached the piano and eagerly sat before the instrument, testing a few chords, and relishing in the sounds that were emitted from the glorious instrument.

Laurent walked over to the piano, opening the lid. "Here, let's give it a go shall we?" He smiled, stepping back. Edward nodded in agreement before beginning his new melody, eager to hear it played on the piano far superior to his own.

Tanya and Laurent watched as Edward transformed the mood of the room with his piece. He was right Tanya thought, each succession capturing her as quickly as the last. His entire demeanor changed as his fingers gracefully traveled along the ivory keys. It was clear that Edward was truly at peace whenever he sat before a piano. Like most of his compositions, there was apparent sadness in the notes he played, but soon the song took on a new light. It seemed to make her feel lighter, but she couldn't think of a word to describe sensation.

"This piece, it portrays an emotion. It makes one feel… as though something new is to come." Laurent whispered.

"Yes," Tanya agreed, whispering back, "While putting to rest the things of the past." She paused for a moment, hoping to decipher the meaning of her friend's new song. "Edward is painting a new emotion but I can't put my finger on it. It's not like anything I've ever heard him play before…It is…"

"It's hope," a new voice whispered softly behind them. Tanya and Laurent turned towards the door to see Rose and Bella walking over to join them. Bella smiled at Tanya and continued, "I think he is trying to portray a feeling of hope." Tanya nodded in agreement and turned back to Edward, now able to see the new hope his piece revealed. They stood quietly taking in the piece until the last note melted away.

Edward opened his eyes and was surprised to find a small audience had formed next to him. Tanya and Laurent were now accompanied by a beautiful blond woman and a lovely brunette standing next to her.

Laurent clapped and before eagerly introducing them to the guests. "Edward, Tanya, this is Rosalie and Isabella Cullen." Edward looked between their golden eyes and stood to bow along side Tanya.

Edward looked up at Bella and was captured by the smile that glowed in her face. "It is a great honor," he thought he heard Tanya say. He couldn't be sure though, the sound of his heart beating in his ears made it hard to hear much else.

Edward had never been so captured by anyone in his life. The way her ivory skin gleamed in the sunlight as she stood before the window, coupled by the sweet chime of laughter at something Laurent said. Edward began to feel lucky to have the opportunity to meet her at all.

He reached his hand out towards Bella and kissed the hand she gave him, a little startled by the cool skin that brushed his lips. "I'm happy to make your acquaintance," he smiled, "I hope you don't mind hearing that piece twice. I will be performing the same one this afternoon."

"Of course not," Bella said quickly. It was the sweetest sound Edward believed he heard in his life. "It was wonderful, you truly have a gift."

"Thank you."

"What was the inspiration?" Bella asked eagerly.

"My mother," Edward offered, going no further.

"You must love her very much to compose such a beautiful piece inspired by her memory." Bella replied. Edward stood speechless, startled by her insight.

"How did you know she passed?" Tanya asked, equally surprised.

"I'm sorry. I mainly assumed." Bella said, instantly regretting her assumption. "My father also passed recently, and if I could use music to express the emotion of loosing him, I believe it would sound similar to the song you played." Bella studied Edward's face, instantly recognizing the masked sadness she found there. She reached up to put her hand on his shoulder, looking him deeply in the eyes before apologizing again.

"It's alright," Edward smiled. "I did mention the inspiration of the piece, don't feel badly. Aside from my nerves, I'm feeling just fine." And he meant it. Edward didn't feel intruded by Bella's comment. Instead, he felt he had a connection to her. She was the first person to understand the emotion of his music without knowing what he'd been through in the past year.

"I'm glad." Bella replied, instantly relieved by his statement. "Well," she continued, "We have a few more stops to make before Aro arrives. It was wonderful meeting you both and I hope you enjoy yourselves today."

"And I have my tasks as well. Please let me know if you need anything I won't be far." Laurent added. With that, Rose and Bella excused themselves and moved on to check on the rest of the preparation, Laurent following close behind.

Edward was instantly eager to see Bella again and could not wait to play for her later that afternoon. He was happy to know that his song reached out to her, and while part of him hoped that she felt the same connection, he knew better. She would be engaged in a mater of hours, to end the war, and bring peace to her country.

"I see that look in your eyes." Tanya smirked.

"What are you talking about?" Edward replied a little too quickly, and inwardly cursed himself for being so obvious about his attraction in front of Tanya. She would be teasing him for at least a month if he was lucky, longer if he wasn't.

"Oh Edward, I hope you don't get too attached. You know why we are here, to celebrate her engagement."

"I know, don't worry I'm not trying to convince her otherwise."

Tanya sighed in response and moved on to strum a few notes on a harp that sat on the other side of the room. Though she was concerned Edward would get too attached, she wanted to give him a moment and leave him to his thoughts. Tanya knew he was enamored with the princess and secretly wished it were with a woman more available. Edward deserved to have love in his life, but so did Bella; and many have suspected that she agreed to the engagement purely out of duty. Tanya looked over at Edward who was already busily warming up for the afternoon. She continued playing her instrument, deciding to leave it all to fate, knowing that if he and the princess were meant to become friends, or more, everything would eventually fall into place.

A/N: Long time between updates :/ Still looking for a Beta. My friend has been way too busy to do it for me soo this is my excuse for the time it took between chapters. Anyways see you guys later :] (Oh yea listen to the song I linked in my profile, it's quite nice!)