Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer, now matter how much I wish I could actually remember my dreams well enough to write them down. The Twilight Saga will never belong to me, just as I will never stop checking the copyright page to see if the world miraculously changed overnight. :D

***

Prologue: Edward's Demise

It was a quiet night in the castle, the servants weren't being a nuisance for once, and the only sound was the rain on the roof. I turned the page of my book and sighed. This guy was so stupid and heartless. I slammed the book closed and threw it at the wall, where it made a loud cracking noise and a piece of paint chipped. I'd have to get Jasper or someone to paint that now. As I thought that, I heard Alice call to Jasper that he needed to find some light blue paint to match the library walls. I smirked and turned back to the shelves of books, wondering how Alice seemed to know everything before it happened. I scanned the shelves for a decent book to replace the one I had thrown.

Just then there was a knock at the door. People rarely came to call, and certainly not so late at night in a thunderstorm. I wondered who it could possibly be as I strode toward the foyer, my cloak billowing around me. Emmett swung the one side of the French doors open when I waved my hand at him, and I soon stood face to face with a little old beggar lady.

"Hello. What are you doing here?" I asked, peering down at her, attempting to see her face through her cloak.

"Please, sir," the lady stuttered pathetically, "Can I come in? It's very cold and wet. I'll give you this rose in return. It's all I have." She held up a bright red rose to me with her withered hands. Her face was disgusting, I saw now. I couldn't have such vermin in my castle.

"Certainly not," I replied. "Vermin are not allowed in a castle. I'm sure there's a peasant farm not far from here that will take you and your rose."

"Don't judge by appearances, sir, please," the woman begged. I scoffed and nodded to Emmett to close the door. He started to when suddenly the beggar transformed into a beautiful woman with glowing topaz eyes. I gasped and Emmett stopped closing the door, peering around it. He reacted much the same as me, and dropped to his knees.

"Lady, I'm sorry," now I was begging. This was embarrassing, but what was I supposed to do, keep slamming the door? "Come in!"

"You have already revealed your true insides, Prince Edward," the woman said disdainfully. "It's time for you to be punished for that." I trembled involuntarily. There was a flash of light and I fell to the ground, groaning. All over the house, I heard the servants do the same.

"If you manage to find true love before the last petal of this rose falls off, you will live peacefully in the way you want for all eternity. If you do not, you, as well as your servants, will be doomed to this life for all time," the woman intoned. The door slammed closed and I was left burning on the floor, listening to screams of pain all around me.

***

Edward was so mean to the poor beggar lady. But then she was even worse back. Grr. :D
Review!! Virtual cookies and hugs if you can guess what book Edward threw at the wall! Tell me what you think, and I might post the next chapter sooner rather than later…