He stared at her for an immeasurable sum of time, her beauty as overwhelming as the first moment that he had laid eyes on her. He watched tendrils of her dark brown hair fall out of their place in her neat bun as she straightened her pink bonnet with her pale fingers self-consciously, watched her mouth curve into a smile as she caught him admiring her and watched her bright chocolate brown eyes alight with pleasure. Their eye contact never faltered, but propriety dictated that was the most he was permitted.

Stares were all they could share.

For he wasn't allowed in her company, let alone granted the chance to converse with her. Yet, his name on her lips was the one thing he desired above all else in his seventeen years.

He uttered her name as an invocation. "Isabella."

She smiled shyly, before smoothing her silk skirts and casting a worried eye toward her chaperone, who thankfully was wholly oblivious to their exchange.

So caught in her presence, he'd misplaced all sense of the world turning, until an anxious voice arose over his left shoulder. "Edward…Edward, we best be going." Jasper, his closest friend from the time they were old enough to play marbles, tugged his jacket roughly, breaking the spell. Edward permitted himself one last glance. It pained him to turn his back on her, for he never wanted to be denied the luxury of her presence, but Jasper was waiting, and he knew that even brief, this was more time than he was allowed.

Jasper shook his head with blatant disbelief, but his smile was one of understanding; they both desired girls that would never truly be theirs. If Isabella merely spoke with Edward, the consequences would ruin her. Her parents would never allow her to be with someone that couldn't advance her social standing. Lord and Mistress Swan were very firm on the matter. Therefore, he would never willingly cause her hardship.

His only solace was losing himself in a fantasy of her; that some day they could be together without the weight of expectation, in a place where social standing held little consequence. He imagined that in such a world, they would build a modest stone house in the countryside in which to live and love. They would have a fine piece of land to tend, and plenty of sheep to sell at market. Their dark haired children (a boy and a girl), would race freely amongst the spring grasses and climb the budding oaks. They would grow old together.

Edward sighed.

Such things would never be.

Pulling him from his wanderings, Jasper announced they would be late for curfew.

"I hate to see you so despondent," he said, as they attempted to separate themselves from the growing crowd who were in line for food at the markets. "Are you entirely sure there is no way to see her?"

"I don't want to risk it," Edward replied. "Could you imagine what her father would do?"

"Oh I know what he would do, but that shouldn't stop you from doing it." Jasper winked.

"Seeing her from a distance for the next twenty years is a better fate than watching her become a disgrace in society if something more were to happen between us, or if I merely expressed my interest with others present."

"Is it?" Jasper lifted an eyebrow with incredulity. "Gazing at her from a distance every day and watching as she marries, has children. Really? Is that such a worse fate?"

"Says the person who is in exactly the same predicament," Edward scoffed.

Jasper shrugged. "My case is…different."

"Alice is no different," he snapped.

Isabella and Alice Swan.

Sisters.

They were Mistress and Lord Swan's only offspring and considered to be one of their biggest achievements in the couple's life. Lord Swan earned his place in society by owning his deceased father's successful textile factory and his wife earned hers by her father's position as a lawyer.

Mistress Swan was well known around town as being an exceptional seamstress and the spreader of gossip. If anybody was out of the loop regarding the talk around town, all they had to do was find her. She pressured both Alice and Isabella to take piano lessons from an old family friend, Mrs. Cope – a rather pudgy, red faced, middle-aged woman – and more or less forced them to join her in the local sewing circle in town in order to maintain her place. She expected the world out of her daughters, and they never failed to deliver – wanting only her approval. Their father shared the same thoughts as their mother, but he was impossibly stricter. The punishments were not worth the defiance, they both agreed.

"Ah, but Isabella is the eldest and is favored most by her mother," Jasper reminded.

"Aye, we are both hypocrites then." Edward sighed. "At least you are well acquainted with the one you long for."

Alice and Jasper had been friends since childhood. Edward and Isabella did not share that privilege.

"Then take my advice and see her tonight in secret. I will inform Alice of my idea and she will pass it on to Isabella," Jasper suggested.

"This is a very risky idea."

"Without risks, life would be rather dull."

"If I do agree, then where do you suppose we would meet?"

"At the stables of course. I cannot see Mistress Swan taking a trip there at midnight."

"Servants have been known to tattle now and again."

"Do you really believe that they would visit at that hour also?"

"Well no, I see your point. All right, arrange this meeting, but if anything goes wrong I am holding you personally responsible," Edward consented, giving his friend a good-natured shove.

"I am never wrong. One day you will learn that," Jasper said, trying to contain his smile. He then let loose a boisterous laugh before turning on his heels and striding toward home.

...

Once the moon had found its perch high in the night sky, Edward crept inside one of the stables to await her arrival. At a lack for anything else to do, he leant against a wooden beam at the far end near the horse pen, trying to affect an air of calm. Though truth be told, he was anything but. He had been waiting a little over an hour, having arrived earlier than planned to make preparations. Nothing was needed but her company, but he tried to improve the stables anyway to make it a pleasant meeting spot for the two of them.

His hands shook as he glanced furtively out the window. His slight trepidation was for two entirely different reasons; the fear of being caught, and the fear of how he would be received. Even though Isabella appeared interested, he didn't know if she felt like he did, or her coy glances were was just out of politeness. Either way, he cared about her, and that was enough for now. He'd take her friendship and nothing else if it meant that he could speak to her.

A vague shadow emerged in the gloom outside the stables and Edward tensed up. He peered through the glass, and sighed with relief when he saw that it was Isabella. She crept inaudibly through the door, her flushed face and wide eyes portray gave away her timidity.

"Edward," she whispered shyly. He emerged from behind one of the wooden columns which supported the roof, and flashed her a demure smile which she returned. Wordlessly, Edward held out his hand and she placed it in his gently, before he raised it up to his lips and kissed it tenderly.

"A pleasure," he replied softly and then let their hands fall, still entwined.

"I cannot believe that discussion has eluded us so effectively these past few years."

"Being here, with you…I can't even describe. It's like, that first Lark song of the spring. Or…or maybe a fresh rain on a hot summer afternoon."

"As it is for I," she muttered.

"How are to do this every night? For I surely cannot keep up the pretense of ignorance forever. Pretending to not recognize you each day on the street, hearing about your undertakings from Jasper is harder achieved than anything I've ever attempted.

"You think I do not feel the same?" she demanded.

"What are we to do then?"

"Anything that allows me to be with you," she told him, squeezing his hand reassuringly. It was then that another path occurred, one so easy, so blatant that he felt like laughing at his idiocy.

"Do you mean that?" he pressed, wanting to know of her feelings for certain before he considered anything.

"Of course!" she replied indignantly, her wide chocolate brown eyes a trifle hurt.

"You hardly know me and I you. Why do you feel so strongly for me?"

"Alice has told me quite a bit about you from Jasper. I feel as if I have seen your experiences through my own eyes," she admitted. "Why do you feel so strongly for me?"

"I as well, feel as if I know you already. You see, over the past few years I have heard about your endeavors from Jasper who has heard them from Alice time after time. I feel a connection with you and I desire so badly to see if it's as present as I hoped. Only time will tell now," he replied, holding his tongue, waiting for the right moment to arise before he presented his plan.

She smiled. "Well that time would pass more quickly if we became well acquainted with each other, would it not?"

"Of course. It was unforgivably rude of me to behave so. May we start over, and pretend that I have just happened across you for the first time."

"Hardly, for then we'd have to start from a blank slate. All I know about you is your name, nothing more. Would you like to provide me with some insight, forgetting introductions and what not?"

"Well then Miss Swan, how about we begin with the most basic particulars such as how I spend my leisure time or even my favorite color."

"Hmm, that sounds appropriate." She nodded.

"Well, I prefer the color jade over all else. There is no particular reason for my preference except that it reminds me of life, of natural things. Things unscathed by man."

"That's a decent answer, mine is quite different if you'd like to hear it."

"I'd like nothing more," he assured her.

"My partiality is for the hue of a vibrant yellow. It reminds me of sunshine, of joy, of unperturbed memories, ones that I'll cherish for eternity..." she trailed off, her voice growing wistful.

"And of those to come," he said softly.

"Yes, I'd like to think so," she replied just as quietly before picking up in pitch. "What of your leisures' then?"

"I don't have much time for leisure. My work takes up most of my time, you see."

"Ah yes, I know of that. My mother does work you hard, doesn't she?" she murmured. Edward and Jasper both worked as stable hands for the Swan household and it was there, several years ago that he caught his first glimpse of her. She was taking a stroll with a chaperone at the time, and Edward couldn't keep his eyes off of her poise, her beauty. Jasper had to physically push him in order for him to regain motivation and return to his work. Even then, his thoughts lingered on her…

"What do you do for leisure?" he continued.

"Play piano, sew, stand there and look pretty." She scowled. "I know it's my place but sometimes I wish that I had been born a man."

"Where would we be then?" He smiled. "We would most likely have never met. Imagine if someone heard you proclaim that statement. You'd be the talk of the town"

"That is why nobody is going to know. It was just an errant thought, and it sounds quite foolish now that I think of it."

"Foolishness or no foolishness, I think a woman is what you are supposed to be. I couldn't imagine you as anything else."

"Neither can I." She giggled.

"Aside from that, do you relish your life here at Bermont?" He continued thoughtfully, his plan returning to him. He intended to act on it now, at the very first opportunity that arose. She didn't seem that happy here, at Bermont and if his intuition was correct then his plan would most likely succeed.

"No of course not. Wealth means nothing to me."

He took a deep breath.

"Well if that's the case, then would you be averse to the idea of running away with me?"

Her eyes grew wider than he deemed possible and her hand flew to her mouth. To his absolute shock, after a few long seconds, a smile stretched across her face and she brightened with optimism.

"Do you really mean that?"

"Of course."

"Where will we go?"

"Anywhere you desire. We won't have to tell anyone. We can be free, to be with each other."

Her face fell. "Wait, what of my family. I cannot abandon Alice."

"Alice has Jasper and you'll have me," he replied confidently.

"What if Jasper were sent away, what then? I'm terribly sorry, but I have to stay for Alice's sake."

Edward understood that it was Isabella's selfless nature that prevented them from leaving, and he was selfish for asking in the first place. Without a second thought, he decided that he wouldn't give up trying to convince her, knowing it to be the only thing he would ever desire, so he put the notion aside until the following night.

"Okay," he said half-heartedly, and she squeezed his hand in apology.

...

Every night the same question was presented. 'Will you run away with me?' And the same reply was granted 'I have to stay for Alice,' But Isabella's resolve wavered little by little every night, and it became harder to offer the same reply as each night passed. She dreamed of running away with him, and her imagination grew more vivid, more real, more possible. She envisioned them running across the countryside with clasped hands, only stopping for hurried kisses with no glances back, no thoughts of regret, but her selflessness hindered them and all they could have was the sweet night to satisfy their need for each other.

Edward knew that her reasons were valid, and that Alice wasn't the only reason for her hesitance, so he waited diligently every night for a different answer – the one that he craved for. One night, exactly a month after their nightly visits, Edward's patience had grown to its thinnest due to the day's hard labor, and he demanded outright for more reasons of her delay, asking why staying with Alice was so important to her. Her answers flew out of her mouth like knives – her day hadn't been pleasant either.

"I have to stay for Alice because I owe her my company and if Jasper is sent away, then she will have nobody but my parents who will lay every responsibility on her. Only until she is married, will I let that notion go. I have duties and responsibilities myself, not only would it be unfair to Alice for me to have every expectation placed upon her when I supposedly go missing, but also to my parents who will grieve of my absence every day until I return, and will have to create a story to cover up my disappearance. My absence would be an inconvenience to many people, and not only that but perhaps I'm not ready to venture out into the world of the unknown. Did you ever consider that?"

"I'm sorry for losing my temper." Edward sighed. "I just need to know every reason, so that I may fix it."

"None of those problems can be solved at the present. And aside from all that, I am promised to a man."

Edward paled.

"You can't be serious."

"Oh but I am. When he returns from medical school in two years time, I will be forced to marry him. He is very well off and my mother says that I will be happy with him, I think otherwise."

If it weren't for the devastated look on her face, Edward may have believed that she didn't mind this alternative.

"All the more reason to flee."

"I won't run away from my problems. Let us just cherish the time that we have and face the future when it comes."

"All right." He decided after a minute, seeing that nothing could sway her decision at the present, and kissing her pink cheek chastely.

Come springtime, Edward learned that Mr. Swan had arranged a marriage between Alice and a nobleman, Mr. James Skinner and believed that this would reassure Isabella of Alice's security in life. Shame flooded through him as he realized that he was putting his own happiness above Jasper's. Isabella informed him that Alice had declined the marriage arrangement and was not on good terms with their mother and father who were still attempting to make her see reason, which meant that Isabella's reaction to his question was very much the same. However he didn't take his nights with her for granted and poured his whole heart into them.

Two months later, Isabella began receiving letters from her betrothed and wanted nothing more than to discard them in the hearth of the fire, but considerately wrote back and learned more of her suitor as the days went on. The letters did not weaken her relationship with Edward, only strengthened her resolve to run away with him. She did not care for her future husband in the slightest, finding him boring and incompatible, that is, regarding her interests and morals. Edward's workload grew but that didn't prevent him from meeting Isabella every night. Jasper took over the work that Edward's fatigue stopped him from achieving without so much as a word, and allowed him to sleep when everyone's attention was otherwise occupied. Both Isabella and Edward owed him for that.

Each night, they progressed further and it was not until a full five months had passed that he built up the courage to kiss her – he had been restricted to kisses only upon the cheek and hand. They were discussing a possible rebellion against the nobles and monarchy when confidence suddenly sprung up inside of Edward and a hint of a smile touched his lips as Isabella began babbling about what her opinion was on the matter. He inclined his head inwards and she stopped, looking at him curiously before smiling. When their lips met and their mouths interlocked, it took all of his will to keep it chaste and simple. It was then, that he first told her that he loved her. She flushed with pleasure and shyly said it back, knowing that she could no longer deny it.

Before they realized how fast time was going, a year passed and it was the beginning of the New Year. It was that day that Isabella asked Edward gently if they should stop their secret meetings.

"No!" he cried out instantly.

"Why? It's the most plausible thing to do. This day in one more year, I will be married."

"We should savor the time that we have."

"I don't know what to do!" she wailed, tears welling in her eyes. "This future that you have thought up isn't possible, I don't want to marry that man but it's my only option. We're already in this too deep, we need to stop!"

"Please, please don't leave me," he begged, falling to his knees and clutching her hands. "I'll stop bothering you about running away with me, just please stay. I cannot let solitude consume me, I love you. Please stay."

"What's the point of attempting that? Didn't you hear my words? I spoke them as clearly as you have. I am promised, there is no point loving you now when it will come to nothing."

"I wouldn't trade one day of my time with you even if the stable collapsed and killed us both. I want to use all the time I have."

"I don't know what to do," she repeated, still conflicted.

"Please just stay, stay until the minute you have to leave."

Her face scrunched up in pain and tears began to slip down her pale cheeks.

"All right I will. But that time will come, sooner than we think."

He pulled her into a tight embrace with no intention of letting go. Neither of them knew what to do, but both couldn't bear to let each other go.

...

It wasn't until the following summer that an immense change occurred and Isabella's resolve was broken. At the time, Edward had his arms around her in an adoring embrace and they had been kissing rather chastely despite their solitude when the odor of smoke entered their sensitive noses and caused them to cough wildly and gasp for air. Alerted by the smell and dry burning in their throats, they rushed to the window and gaped in shock as they watched men dressed in dark cloaks, light the main house on fire with torches.

"The rebels!" Isabella gasped. "The rebellion rumor was accurate. They'll either kill us or kidnap us. They want to start out small, showing the monarchy that they have power against the nobles"

"We have to leave now before they notice us," Edward exclaimed, horror coloring his tone.

"What of Alice and my parents? They'll die," she cried.

"If we go to them, we'll all die," he replied harshly. "And Alice has already made her escape."

Despite the fog, the two undeniable shapes of Jasper and Alice could be seen escaping on one of the horses; a black and fast Arabian of high skill with finely muscled withers and quarters.

"All right, take me where you will. Fortunately, I have some gold with me and we can take Glory." She gestured to the pure white Lipizzaner, that pawed nervously in her stall, the smoke a threat to the beast.

"Where are the other horses?" Edward asked.

"Mother must have sold the majority of them for breeding to that horse buyer who came by. He wasn't interested in Glory." Isabella frowned. Without a word, Edward loped into Glory's stall, and hoisted himself up onto the horse's bare back effortlessly. For a second, Isabella froze, panicked, and then responded swiftly once he held out his hand in offering, following his steps into the stall and allowing him to help her up onto the mare. Once safely situated on the horse, Isabella wrapped both of her trembling arms around her beloved's waist and squeezed as if it were her only salvation.

Needing no other sign than that, he kicked the horse firmly with his heels and held onto its mane as they exited the open stall. Many years of grueling practice had taught him how to control a horse and in any case the horse wanted to get as far away from the fire as possible, so they rode west. Edward had no idea where he was taking them, but was content with the fact that it was away from the blaze and the menacing men. As they rode, Isabella's grip never faltered, but her emotions couldn't be contained. Tears tracked down her cheeks unbidden as she fought to keep her sobs quiet.

She didn't like portraying weakness, even in a time like this.

Edward simply spoke to her soothingly and soon her sobs quietened down and her tears ceased.

"Don't look back, you're safe now," he kept murmuring.

"Where are we going?" she asked quietly, speaking for the first time since they had escaped.

"I don't know," he told her honestly. "What I do know is that we're together and we're going to build the life we've always planned."

"Where will we find income?"

"I'll find work somewhere, and we have enough to last us a while anyway," he replied, gesturing to the hidden pocket in her skirts, before slowing the horse's gait.

"Where are we to live then?"

"Let's just focus on the present and see if we can find a town."

She nodded, liking the sound of that.

...

They traveled for many days and nights, their search for a town coming up empty each and every time, and having to live off the fruits that the forest provided. Eventually, after a week of futile traveling, they found a town too many miles to count, away from their homes. It was small, concealed in the edge of the forest and the only visible source of water was a river. Not caring if it was clean or dirty, they lapped it up greedily and moaned at how incredibly good it was. The tired horse followed their lead, slurping out of the river contently.

"That poor horse," Isabella had remarked. "We really need to find somewhere to stay before Glory faints from exhaustion."

They then searched for somewhere to stay, not only for Glory's sake but also for their own. They could only find a simple inn. Edward was used to living a simple life however he believed that Isabella would find it unendurable compared to the life that she had previously lived, so he apologized for their limited options. She shook his sincere apology off with a smile, replying that simple was a greater alternative than nothing. Before they went inside to check in, they tethered Glory in the inn's stable and ran over their cover-story. Not only because it was safer, but also because they wanted to start their lives over as new people and start on a blank slate.

Although the people in the town were very friendly, they only planned to stay for two nights in order to get equipped for their next leg of the journey. They bought a small supply of food, water and simple clothes so that Isabella could blend in. Their stay in the town was temporary – they knew that they'd find the right home in time, and the town of Wevervale was certainly not that.

When they walked into the inn, a elderly, kind-looking woman welcomed them to her humble establishment, but her warmth suddenly turned to suspicion when she saw no rings on their entwined hands and a lack of luggage at their feet.

"We would like to stay in one your rooms for two nights," Edward informed her quickly, slightly concerned that she would protest or start trouble.

"The only room we have left contains a double bed. Unless you are married, promised, or siblings, I cannot sell you this room. It simply isn't done, and I can't bring disgrace to this here place."

"I am promised to him," Isabella blurted out impulsively.

"Where is your ring then, Miss?" The woman raised a knowing eyebrow.

Isabella then burst into tears. The stress of the past events they faced in the past twenty-four hours made the ruse easy.

"We…I lost it… and it was a family heirloom… and we came to stay here to see if we could find it…I've got to find it." She wailed. Playing along with the charade, Edward glared at the woman.

"You see, we get this everywhere we go."

Despite the flaws in Edward's acting, the woman seemed to buy it.

"Of course dear, I'll alert everyone I know about it. We'll find it," she told Isabella anxiously. Nothing unsettled her more than tears.

"We have to…" she howled, keeping up the pretense.

"Here's board." Edward passed the money to the woman who accepted it gratefully.

"Your room is the first one on the right up the stairs." She handed him back a brass key.

He took it and then put his arm around Isabella's shoulders, guiding her up the stairs. Once they were out of earshot, a giggling fit ensured and all their stress melted away.

"I can't believe she bought that!" Edward chortled.

"Well I'm glad she did, otherwise we'd be sleeping the stable with Glory," she joked, her face red from the excessive laughter and sobbing.

"Come on, let's go find something to eat."

They then went to search the town once again, this time for food.

...

The next two days were filled with pleasantry and they knew they'd made the right decision coming here. They had even come to learn everyone's name that walked upon the streets of the town. To keep their identity safe, they were known as Miss Stewart and who were betrothed and searching for a lost engagement ring. Isabella thought their alibi to be quite humorous, and found it hard not to laugh when she was supposed to be despondent at the loss of her precious ring.

However, when they inquired around town about the fire a few miles from where they resided, news hadn't spread yet. Not until the following day, was the story the talk of the town. There were no survivors and no details on the cause of the blaze that destroyed the rich estate of the Swan family. Edward knew that they were believed dead. Isabella on the other hand, couldn't fathom the gravity of it all. Grief and guilt consumed her and she felt she would never be the same. She believed her parents deaths were entirely her fault and she should have been one of the deceased instead. It took a whole night for Edward to convince her otherwise, that her parents wouldn't have wanted her to live in their place and that it was God's will that they be taken from her, that all bad things happen in life for a purpose. He was her rock, her shoulder to cry on and it was that night after all the crying had ceased and she had faced the inevitable that she decided something that would change the both of them for the good.

"I've just been thinking…life is short and we shouldn't hesitate for a moment on the things that we desire," she said nervously.

"Yes," he agreed slowly, not knowing where this was leading.

"I was thinking that we should get engaged for real." She blurted out after a second of silence.

"Are you proposing to me?" He smiled hopefully, looking deeply into her chocolate brown eyes.

"I think I am? Why don't you ask me then?" she prodded, willing all of her dread away and focusing on the jubilant things in life, the things that mattered. Slowly, but steadily he got down on one knee.

"All right then. Ever since I first saw you, I knew that I wanted to marry you Miss Swan, to be bound to the most beautiful and intelligent woman I have ever known. Will you do me the honor?" he asked, his eyes shining with elation.

"Yes, I think I will." She laughed as he twirled her around effortlessly. The kiss that followed was deep, and full of promise. She had offered her hand and her heart, and if he died right now, he could want for nothing more. That night they made love for the first time, strengthening the bond that they had, to the point where it was literally unbreakable.

The following morning, both of them glowed as they never had before. They were more than ready to embark on the next part of their journey, although they didn't get out of their bed for quite some time, as they basked in each other's company. There was no hurry, for they really had nowhere to be.

"How long do you think it will take to find it?" she murmured, stroking his bare arm tenderly.

"Find what?" He smiled, kissing her forehead.

"Find our house."

"Well, I'm prepared to search for decades if that's what it takes, how about you?" he winked.

"Sounds right to me," she mumbled against the skin of his chest.

"I know we'll find it."

...

A few months later, and a few days after their cheap but still luxurious honeymoon, they were strolling casually down the street after having registered themselves at yet another inn, and accommodating Glory into one of the inn's stalls, when a chance wind threw Isabella's bonnet across the street and around the corner of it. Despite the fact that it was 'just a silly hat' as she had once put it, she dashed desperately after the bonnet, and when she stopped to catch her breath, Edward had already caught up to her.

"Edward. I simply can't run anymore. It's not worth it," she puffed, her face flushed. She received no reply. "Edward"

"This is it," he uttered.

"What is...," she trailed off when she stood up and saw what he was staring at. She let out a gasp of astonishment, for this was the house that they had both been dreaming of for many months, the one that they had envisioned living in, in what seemed like a life time ago. With the creamy white porch, dirt pathway, stone grey walls and the inclusion of rose bushes bordering the path, the sight caused Isabella to believe that it was her imagination creating an illusion in her fatigue.

"Is it really there?" she whispered, the bonnet entirely forgotten.

"Yes, yes it is." He reached out and took her hand, squeezing it gently. "And it's for sale."

For them, this was the beginning of a new future that they'd always craved, the start of everything wonderful, and full of promise. A life never spent in solitude.

A permanent life together.

I don't think many people are going to read this, so if you did, and you enjoyed it, then please review :)