Summary: Takes place during the Civil War. Bella and Emmett are brother and sister, Alice and Edward and brother and sister, Rosalie and Jasper are twins. They are best friends and each have an arranged marriage to each other(Canon couples). They are all changed under different circumstances. This is their journey to each other (and Carlisle and Esme) when they do not know of each other's existence.

I hope everyone likes it/holds some interest!

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight..just the plot


I rushed to get changed into something more formal. Mother and Father said that we were having a three-family, family meeting. Our families have been best friends for many generations, including mine. My brother, Emmett, and I were best friends with the two Masens, Alice, who used her mother's surname Brandon, and Edward Masen, who are exactly nine months apart, and the Hale twins, Rosalie and Jasper. I was the youngest, born a week after Alice. Emmett was the eldest, followed by Rosalie and Jasper Hale, in that order, then Edward, Alice, and me. I was known as Little Isabella Swan and even at the age of thirteen. Alice, too, was thirteen, and Edward was almost fourteen. Jasper and Rosalie turned fourteen half a year ago and Emmett a month before.

Like our parents and grandparents before them, we were the best of friends since birth. The Civil War was raging in the east and our parents, tired of the bickering it caused since they were on different sides, moved us all west when we were just infants. I don't remember much of our expedition, but from what I recall, it was fun. My parents refused to talk about it because it was apparently an incredibly terrifying experience.

Our families were very respectable and rich in this area, and for that, all of us are always pressured to look and present ourselves as the best. However, we aren't nearly as perfect as we make ourselves out to be. Although neither Rosalie, Alice, nor I wanted to be shunned for being unladylike, we were taught to fight, ride horses side-saddled and not, fire a gun accurately, shoot an arrow from a bow, and many more activities that were not approved for ladies. Rosalie, Alice, and I had fashioned many of our bloomers to look like pants and wore our drawers without anything on top. We had many tricks to pull off a more boyish look and most of the time, we had more fun dressing up than the actual activity.

Since our families were rich, we had nannies, maids, and butlers. Our parents opposed of slaves, so we didn't have any. When we were all the age of nine and ten, we persuaded our parents into letting us fend for ourselves-for the most part. We were free to do as we wish, but when required our nannies would step into place and dress us, feed us, and tend to us in general. This was one of the times. My personal nanny, Margaret, was already in my room, hanging clothes behind my dressing partition.

"Come here dear," she told me as I stepped into the room, "Let's get you laced up in the corset." I sighed and walked over to her, letting her dress me. She took off the loser corset I was wearing, and put I prettier and tighter one on. Mother, including Alice's and Rosalie's mother, didn't approve of the incredibly tight corsets that were coming into fashion. They said that it would only harm our bodies and instructed our tailor to never make them.

Margaret tightened the silk corset over my chemise gently and I held on the edge of my bed, so as to keep my balance. Once the corset was snug, she tied it and instructed me to change my stockings into clean, white ones. I tugged them on and fastened them to the garters. Margaret then proceeded to tie a heavily starched petticoat around my waist. It was very full and had little frills on the bottom.

"Margaret?" I called to her as she dug around my closet.

"Yes, dear?" she called back.

"Am I required to wear a hoop?" I asked, wary.

"No," she said with a small laugh. She knew my distaste of hoops as they only meant that I would have to wear a gown that was too wide to walk properly in. She walked out of my closet carrying a brown dress. I raised my arms over my head so she could pull it over me. I fastened the brass buttons up the front. It was a new, silk dress. The long sleeves were as loose as usual, but the skirt was a bit fuller than my other dresses. Margaret walked behind my partition and came out with a frilly white apron and a cape, as it was still the winter season.

"An apron?" I questioned her.

"I'm not sure why your mother wants it, dear, but she instructed me to make you wear one," she answered. I nodded. She handed me a collar to attach to the neckline. It was an upright, frilled white collar. Margaret then handed me a light gold ribbon to tie around my neck. I tied it into a perfect ribbon and tugged it so it was centred. I put on the cape and was instructed to sit on the chair by my vanity. Margaret appeared from the partition carrying my brown boots. They had a slight heel and brown laces. She put them on for me, taking off my thin, house slippers. She redid my hair, rolling it back up into a bun at the nape of my neck. She made sure I had to stray hairs and gave me fur earmuffs.

"No hat?" I wondered out loud.

"Your cape has a hood," Margaret said, tugging the hood over my head. I blushed red in absurdity.

"Go on then, your parents are waiting downstairs," she shooed me out the door. Sighing, I took my gloves out of my apron and put them on. Emmett came out of his room then and held his arm out for me to take.

"My," I said, looking him up and down, "Don't you look dashing in a suit."

"Of course, my lady," he said as I took his arm. We walked down the stairs laughing.

"Come on, kids," Father said, "We don't want to be late, now, do we?" he finished in a rhetorical question. We followed him and Mother out the door and into the carriage.

"May I ask a question?" Emmett asked Father.

"Go ahead," he answered.

"Whose house are we going to?" Emmett tilted his head.

"We will be received at the Hale's Estate," Father replied. 'Estate' and 'Manor' were what we were told to call our houses. Our families all took pride in their wealth.

The ride was short, as the Hale's lived just down the street. I took a deep breath, letting the chilly breeze wash over me. It didn't get too cold here, but it was never that warm, either. The sun shone from behind the clouds as it started to set. Father exited the coach first and held his hand out for Mother. Emmett stepped down after her and held his hand out for me. I grabbed it and jumped out of the coach, landing lightly on my feet.

The Masen's carriage pulled up right after I exited ours. The brown horses went from a trot to a sudden halt. I watched as their coachman rushed to open the door for them to get out. Emmett and I waited until Alice and Edward made their appearance. Edward jumped out of the coach, much like I did. He looked at me and smiled. He had piercing green eyes and his bronze hair was neatly combed. It was an odd sight for his hair was usually unruly. He held his arm out for his petite sister and we made our way in together.

Mr and Mrs Hale, Mr and Mrs Masen, and my own parents, were already seated around the capacious reception area. Jasper and Rosalie walked down the stairs as Emmett, Alice, Edward and I made our own appearance. We grouped together and the girls sat on the single sofa chairs across from the adults, and the boys stood next to us.

"We have something very important to discuss with you, children," Mr Hale started.

"You are all growing up, and are getting close to the age of marriage," Mrs Masen continued. My eyes widened at this comment.

"This has been a tradition from our great-grandparents, and will have to stop after your generation," My father said.

"We have arranged your marriages," Mr Masen said as all us 'children' gasped, "to each other." He continued, not noticing our astonishment.

"You will not be able to do this when you have kids, though, since it would be incest. So, this will be the end of the tradition," Mrs Hale spoke up.

"Do we get to choose? Or is it just redundant to ask?" Rosalie said quietly.

"The latter," her mother told her. The six of us sighed in displeasure.

"Emmett," Father said, "You will marry Rosalie when you both turn eighteen," Rosalie pretended to huff in disappointment. I knew for a fact she has had a crush on Emmett for the longest time. Emmett, unashamed, smiled widely, walked over to Rosalie, and kneeled in front of her.

"Rosalie," he said, "I know that we are young and naïve, but I know that I love you. Will you marry me with your own free will?" Edward, Alice, and I stifled our laughs while Jasper looked confused. He always wanted to protect his twin and give the 'you better not hurt my sister' speech to whoever courted her, but with Emmett, it was arranged, and Jasper wouldn't be able to scare Emmett. Emmett was huge; not in an obese way, but in a labourer way. Rosalie sat on the single sofa chair, shocked. She finally sighed and nodded, faking her disgruntlement. Emmett smiled even wider and kissed her hand. Our parents cooed.

"Jasper," Mr Hale said. I crossed my fingers behind my back, hoping it was Alice. She liked Jasper, the same way Rosalie like Emmett, and the same way I like Edward.

"You will wed Alice when you are eighteen, and she seventeen," Mr Hale finished. Alice, like Rosalie, let out a fake huff and sunk into her chair, folding her arms across her chest. Jasper followed Emmett's example and proposed to Alice.

"Mary Alice Brandon," he told her, "I have loved you for as long as I can remember. I promise that it will only grow as time passes. Will you marry me with your own free will?" Alice reluctantly gave her right hand to Jasper.

"I guess," she replied with mock discontent. Jasper kissed her hand and our parents cooed.

"Edward," Mr Masen said. I realized I was the only candidate left and the familiar heat of a blush made its way to my face. I tried to blend in to the chair I was seated on.

"You will marry Isabella when you are both seventeen," I huffed, just as Rosalie and Alice did, and pushed myself further into the chair. Edward kneeled in front of me.

"Isabella Swan," he said taking my hand, "I promise to love you forever. Will you marry me with your own free will?" he asked.

"Why not," I faked my nonchalance as he kissed my hand. I felt a slight tingle where his lips touched. Our parents cooed at the three couples they forced upon us.

I looked over to Alice and Rosalie, to see that they were sitting as awkwardly as I have been. Edward, Jasper, and Emmett were still holding our hands, and standing to the right of us. I looked at Mother and saw that she was frowning at my posture. I sat up and held my head up.

"We will be announcing your engagements next Saturday," Mrs Masen said sternly.

"You will all be in your best clothes for there will be a ball," Mrs Hale continued.

"For the rest of this week, the boys will be staying at my house," Mother said.

"And the girls, in mine," Mrs Hale said.

"You will not be allowed to see each other because of tradition," Mrs Masen explained.

"But next week, you will be in couples," Mother said.

"You will go to the grooms' house until the day of the ball, where you will return home to get ready," Mr Masen told us.

"Girls, head on upstairs now. Your things will be arriving shortly. You may stay either in the guest room, or Rosalie's room. We will talk more of your engagements next week, in your new family arrangements," Mrs Hale said, ushering up the stairs.

"And boys, you may head on out to my family's carriage," I heard Father's voice say, "Jasper, you may want to grab your belongings, and Edward, we will stop by at your place to gather yours."

Rosalie, Alice, and I linked arms and ran up the stairs. We stumbled into Rosalie's room, where her maid was lighting candles.


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