- "You're human. He wishes he were, too."
- ―Edythe to Beau about Royal[src]
Royal Hale, born in 1915, is a member of the Olympic coven. He is the husband of Eleanor Cullen and the adoptive son of Carine and Earnest Cullen, as well as the adoptive brother of Jessamine Hale (in Forks, they pretend to be twins), Archie, and Edythe Cullen, and Beau Swan.
In 1933, Royal was turned into a vampire by Carine Cullen after being beaten to the brink of death by his fiancée's secret lover. Two years later, Royal rescued a young woman named Eleanor from being mauled by a bear, and after turning her into a vampire, the two fell very deeply in love. Along with Eleanor, Royal is an integral member of the Cullen family and fights eagerly against those who threaten their coven. His Twilight Saga counterpart is Rosalie Hale.
Biography[]
Early life[]
- "He told me about a life consumed with vanity, with material things, with ambition. He told me about the only daughter of a powerful man—exactly what kind of power this man wielded, Royal hadn't entirely understood—and how Royal had planned to marry her and become heir to the dynasty. How the beautiful daughter pretended to love him to please her father, and then how she had watched when her lover from a rival criminal syndicate had Royal beaten to death, how she'd laughed aloud the whole time. He told me about the revenge he'd gotten… He told me about losing his family, and how none of this was worth what he'd lost."
- ―Beau, on Royal[src]
Royal Hale was born in 1915; he had two younger sisters whom he adored, a housewife for a mother, and his father worked at a bank, which kept their fortune intact during the Great Depression. His life was consumed with vanity, material objects and ambition. Royal was engaged to Rowena King, the sole daughter of a powerful man. He planned to marry her and become the heir to that dynasty. However, his dreams came to an end when his fiancée and her secret boyfriend from a rival criminal syndicate brutally beat Royal near death. His fiancée stood there, laughing the whole time, revealing that she only feigned affection toward him to please her father. Royal was later found by Carine, the scent of blood having led her to the dying young man. She turned him into a vampire to save him. Royal soon got his revenge; he went after his attackers one after another, then murdered Rowena's boyfriend and carried his limp body to her before killing her himself. After he was avenged, Royal begrudgingly stayed with the Cullens to avoid loneliness. Carine had intended for Edythe and Royal to become like she and Earnest were, but Edythe only saw Royal as a brother. Royal missed his family terribly, and eventually outlived them all.
Two years after his transformation, in 1935, Royal stumbled across a young woman named Eleanor being mauled by a bear. Royal carried her over one hundred miles back to Carine, who then turned her into a vampire at Royal's request. Eleanor accepted her new status quite well, and became Royal's mate. They rarely separated after this; the two having found in the other their true soul mate. The pair would marry often and sometimes lived separate from the rest of their adopted family so as to live as a newlywed couple. In 1937, while living in Forks, they were discovered by a pack of shape-shifters. To secure both sides, the Cullens and the pack made a treaty: they shall not attack or expose the Cullens unless they bite a human or cross over to the Quileute traditional lands. They moved away sometime after the agreement was made.
By 1950, the family welcomed two new additions, Archie Cullen and Jessamine Hale. Due to their similar features, Royal and Jessamine would often play the role of biological siblings, even twins. Over the years, Royal has attended several high schools and universities, and earned many degrees.
Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined[]
- Main article: Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined
- "What is he to me?"
- ―Royal to Edythe on Beau[src]
Royal moves to Forks with his family two years prior to the beginning of Life and Death. He is furious when Edythe saves Beau Swan from being crushed by a car and accidentally gives their secret away.
When Edythe and Beau begin a romantic relationship, Royal is the most upset with the situation and ignores them at all costs, and even stays absent when Beau comes to meet his family. While playing baseball with Beau watching, Joss's coven appears. When Joss's lust for deadly games endangers Beau's life, everyone works hard to protect him, but Royal retorts until Carine and Edythe convince him to help.
After Joss was destroyed, Beau was unexpectedly transformed and joins their family. Like before, Royal ignores him, but doesn't object to him joining them. He also tells Beau his life story, only to be angered by Edythe.
Physical appearance[]
- "The taller one—who was definitely taller than me, I'd guess six-five or even more—was clearly the school's star athlete. And the prom king. And the guy who always had dibs on whatever equipment he wanted in the weight room. His straight gold hair was wound into a bun on the back of his head, but there was nothing feminine about it—somehow it made him look even more like a man. He was clearly too cool for this school, or any other I could imagine."
- ―Beau, on Royal[src]
Royal is easily interpreted as the star athlete in school, as he is astoundingly gorgeous, even for a vampire. This is due to his natural good-looks as a human. Because Royal was already god-like handsome as a human, the transformation only enhanced his physique, making him many times more attractive than most vampires. He has an elegant figure similar to a male model's, with golden hair worn in a bun behind his head that perfectly suits the golden/black eyes that he shares with the rest of the Cullens. Like all vampires, he sparkles as if thousands of diamonds were embedded in his skin when exposed to sunlight.
Personality and traits[]
Similar to Rosalie, Royal is narcissistic and self-centered, but also loyal to those he cares about. He was also ambitious as a human, as he dreamed of becoming heir to a powerful man and eventually gain the power for himself. Edythe points out that Royal brought his tenacity, or "pig-headedness", when he transformed.
Royal struggles with being a vampire the most. He never got over losing his human family, and in his point of view, nothing was worth losing them along with his humanity.
Relationships[]
Royal is the husband of Eleanor Cullen, as well as the adoptive son of Carine and Earnest Cullen. He is also the adoptive brother of Jessamine Hale, Edythe, and Archie Cullen, and Beau Swan.
Eleanor Cullen[]
Eleanor Cullen is Royal's wife. Royal saved her from a bear that just about mauled her to death and, despite the extreme effort this cost him, carried her 100 miles to his home, for Carine to change her, because he didn't think he could do it himself. The two then fell in love with each other. They have gotten married several times over the decades.
Jessamine Hale[]
Jessamine Hale is Royal's adoptive sister, and uses his last name to ease the confusion they cause the people around them about their relationships to Eleanor and Archie Cullen.
Due to their physical similarities, Royal and Jessamine pretend to be fraternal twins who have been adopted by Carine and Earnest Cullen while attending high school in Forks. They also tend to fake biological relations for said reason when they move.
Carine Cullen[]
Carine Cullen is Royal's adoptive mother as well as creator. She turned him into a vampire in 1933 to save him from the fatal injuries inflicted by his fiancée's secret boyfriend, who beat him to death while his fiancée watched. Royal resents being a vampire, as he treasures humanity and often wishes he was still human. He only reluctantly joined the family because he didn't want to be alone. As time passed, however, he came to love and respect her as a mother, especially after she changed his wife, Eleanor at his request.
Earnest Cullen[]
Earnest Cullen is Royal's adoptive father. They love each other deeply and are very protective of each other.
Earnest had hoped that Royal would become Edythe's mate, but even though that plan did not work out, they came to love and respect each other.
Archie Cullen[]
Archie Cullen is Royal's adoptive brother and brother-in-law. Archie is married to Royal's adoptive sister Jessamine Hale. They both are close like real brothers and have a very strong bond, partially due to their shared liking for fashion.
Edythe Cullen[]
Edythe Cullen is Royal's adoptive sister. When Carine changed Royal into a vampire, part of the reason was that she was hoping he would become a romantic companion for Edythe. But Edythe and Royal's relationship never advanced beyond that of siblings, and not always on good terms.
Beau Swan[]
- "What is he to me?"
- ―Royal[src]
Beau Swan is Royal's newest adoptive brother. Their relationship is in a rather rocky state due to his jealousy of Beau's humanity; Royal yearns to become human again, and Beau was a human when they met. While Royal is constantly annoyed by his brother's presence, he doesn't actually hate him.
When Beau became a vampire, Royal told him about his human life, and explained how losing it had cost him his family.
Appearances[]
Main characters | |
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Bella Swan • Edward Cullen • Jacob Black • Renesmee Cullen • Carlisle Cullen • Esme Cullen • Rosalie Hale • Emmett Cullen • Alice Cullen • Jasper Hale • Charlie Swan • Victoria • Bree Tanner Beau Swan • Edythe Cullen • Carine Cullen • Earnest Cullen • Royal Hale • Eleanor Cullen • Archie Cullen • Jessamine Hale |