It was a starry night at the castle. The sky was clear and black as midnight. There were no clouds found over the stretch of darkness. The only things illuminating the sky were the full moon and stars, which seemed to shine brighter than ever before. It was as if this was their way of sending me off, their way of saying goodbye. I strolled along the Royal Garden's path- wait, why was I in the garden at night? That didn't make any sense. I usually went right to bed afterI finished all my chores around the castle. What is going on? Part of me kept wondering, while the other half didn't care. I heard noisy crickets chirping and loud frogs croaking and - what was that? Is someone crying? Someone is! Why did this sound so familiar?
I followed the sound until I reached the dock, extending over the Castle's rather deep pond. There she was standing on the edge of the dock and staring at the moon with a look of longing burning in her eyes. She didn't notice me as I approached her. The moon's beam glistened over the water and reflected light on to her face. She looked slightly older than I remembered, with longer, darker hair and her face hard with pain, yet at the same time, she was so thin and frail looking. I could see the trail of dry tears running down her pale face. She had been the one crying.
Motioning closer, I reached out to touch her. She looked like she was so desperate to rid all the pain. "Bella?" I called in nothing more than a whisper. No response. She just continued to gaze blankly at the moon. She clasped her hands tightly together on her chest while a new set of tears began to fall. I was about grab her and demand from her what was wrong, when-
"Edward," she sighed. I stared, transfixed as she spoke my name. She was crying for me? Why? What happened?
"Edward," she murmured again, "Edward...Edward..."
"Edward, wake up, son," Carlisle said. "Edward, you have to get up and eat. You've got a long journey ahead of you, and you have to sustain yourself. Besides, if right now is our last moment together, I would much rather have it with you actually listening and well... awake," he said.
'Ah, I remember now. This morning, I have to leave for King Billy's Castle,' I thought.
"You know Edward...you don't have to do this. The King wouldn't mind if you stayed..." That was it. I stirred under the covers before getting up, and giving Carlisle a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry about me, Carlisle. You have the rest of your family to look after, I'm not part of that job. I will be fine. King Charlie wants me to go, and since it was him who gave me the home, only he can take it away from me. I owe him for giving me a place to stay. Before the castle, I had nothing, and so I'm grateful that I received everything I needed. Even now when I am supposed to leave, I'll still have a place to live in, food to eat, and a roof over my head. What more can I ask for? " I said. Carlisle shook his head in agreement. He understood how lost I was before and how lucky I was to get a second chance.
"Still so young and yet, already so mature. King Billy's castle will welcome you with open arms. Come along now, get dressed and then we'll all have breakfast together. Esme and the kids are preparing food for you as we speak. A carriage will arrive for you in an hour. It's still dark out and most of the servants aren't up yet, so it's best if you keep quiet. Oh, and Edward," he said just as he was leaving the room. "I think it's best if you don't take a detour to the Princess' room," he warned. I nodded. Bella was so upset last night that she didn't wish to speak to me. A weird feeling twisted through me, as I thought about leaving without seeing Bella for one last time. I hurriedly put on some clothes and headed to the Kitchen.
'My last time entering these doors, the last time I'll eat with Carlisle and the others,' I thought, as I slowly opened the Kitchen doors.
"Edward!" Alice chimed. She gave me a radiant smile and rushed over to hug me.
"Edward?" Esme asked, as she looked at me with anxious eyes. She took a step towards me and put her hands on my shoulders. "You don't have to go, Edward," she whispered. It pained me to see her sad over my departure. I shook my head, no. She laughed and hugged me too.
"Edward," Jasper and Emmett greeted warmly.
"Jasper, Emmett," I replied, then turning to Rosalie, "Rose." She smiled curtly and walked over to give me a hug.
"I'll miss you, Edward," she said.
"What the hey! Come here, Edward!" Emmett boomed, giving me a one arm hug. They all looked at me for a while. None of them knew what to say, and all of them knew that they couldn't talk me out of it. I had made a decision, and I'd stick to it... no matter how much it hurt me to leave them.
"I think it's time to eat now," Jasper spoke through the silence. He and I waited until the rest of them sat in their places around the table before turning back to me.
"Edward..." he hesitated.
"I won't hear of it, Jasper," I interrupted.
"But Edward, think about how the Princess will feel when she finds out you're not living here anymore. She'll never forgive us for just letting you go without even telling her. Think about it, Edward. Think about- about- us! We'll all miss you Edward. You're like a part of our family now," Jasper said. 'Part of the family?' I smiled. He was right. I considered all of them my new family.
Carlisle was witty and taught me everything I knew. He was there for me whenever I needed help. He was the first servant I met at the castle and he gladly took me in as an apprentice. He became the person I looked up to and the person I turned to when I needed guidance. Esme was always so warm and loving. She reminded me a lot much of my mother, always smiling. She was kind to me all the time, and when I first came to the castle five years ago, she took care of me. I had someone to care for me. They were like my new adoptive mother and father. The father I never had, and the mother I have always missed.
Even Alice, Emmett, Jasper and Rosalie came close to me and acted like my siblings. They were constantly around me whenever Bella wasn't there. They treated me like the little brother, their annoying little smart mouth brother that knew a little too much. I grew to love all of them, and somehow, they grew to love me. Jasper was right, we were a family; but I still had orders to obey, and I wasn't going let my weakness for them stop me.
"I can't Jasper..." I stated.
"Can't you at least think about it, Edward? No one is stopping you from saying no, not even King Billy, and even if did, the King wouldn't let him get near you. You can stay with us, Edward, and we can all continue with our lives as if this never happened. Think about Esme, she feels like she's losing a child! " he explained.
"Jasper, I've already made up my mind," I replied. He shook his head and gave me a worried half smile. "Hard headed as always, aren't we?" he asked. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and said, "Let's go, then. The others are waiting for you to be seated," He led me to the table. I looked at my new found family and smiled. I knew that I was going to miss them, but I also knew that they were better off without me. They survived nine years before I came to the castle, and now they'll survive the rest of their life without me.
We spent the remainder of the time we had, eating and talking. I knew I was going to miss this, the warm castle with huge wooden doors and colorful rooms. I was going to miss the sweet smelling flowers and the meadow. I was going to miss the pond and the rest of the garden, and everything else in the castle. I was going to miss...
'Bella,' I felt my insides turned as I thought about her. Her pretty smile, her deep, chocolate eyes and her wonderful laugh. I'd miss her following me and watching me work. I'd miss making plans to go to the meadow before sunset, and I'd miss listening to her playing the piano. I'd miss her stories and those frequent blushes of hers. I'd miss Bella, and I knew it. I felt so eager to just walk to her room and bid her goodbye. I was practically squirming in my seat, to see her for one last time before I left.
The doors opened again and three men wearing all different shades of brown marched into the room. As they approached, I realized whi they were and why they were here.
"Edward Cullen?" A man in almost black said. I stood up.
"I am Sam and I have come as a representative from King Billy's Palace. You are the one they have chosen to work at the castle?" I nodded. "Very well then, grab your things and let's go," he said bored. I followed him and the other two men outside to the entrance of the castle. Carlisle and the rest of his family went along too.
As we reached the carriage, I turned around and said,
"Carlisle, Esme, Alice, Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie, I love you all. I'll never forget you." They all crowded around me as they gave me hugs and said their finaly goodbye.
"Goodbye, Edward, my son," Carlisle said. I gave them all one last smile and looked all of them in the eye before I loaded myself into the carriage. Without turning back I settled myself in the carriage as it left, leaving the castle, my family, and Bella behind.