Once the elder men and my father were in the room, the doors were locked. They would not open again until a decision was made. Thankfully, these kinds of meetings were exceptionally quick. Though maybe I am not thankful for that after all, considering my life, and dare I say my happiness, are all on the line here. I know it is selfish to think of my happiness before the well-being of my community and family but I do not think I can help it anymore.

"Today, we will discuss the matching of Isabella Schwann, to an eligible member of the community," the head of the council, Mr. Miller, began. I did not want to listen to them talk about me like I was not in the room, so I tried to tune them out.

I kept my eyes plastered to the ground, but I did not see the patterns in the dark hardwood. Ever since I was a little girl, I have been very good at tuning out the world around me. It always came in handy every week in church. I would just go off into my own world, imagining the unimaginable.

I smiled softly to myself as my field of vision turned bronze. Maybe luck would be on my side, maybe he was eligible for marriage too. Out of all the boys I grew up with, he would be the only would I could bear to spend the foreseeable future with.

My cheeks flushed as I thought about a few bronze-haired little ones helping me out in the house or running around in the fields, and sitting on the porch holding his hand, watching it all unfold in front of us. Dear God, please, let me marry someone as kind as Edward Maurer…Let it be him, please. Amen.

I knew it was a selfish thing to ask of Him, what with the medical problems that the Troyer's were going through, but for once, I allowed myself to be selfish in my own prayers. I was allowed to ask for happiness in my own life, as long as I was not hurting anyone else.

I caught the sudden movement of Mr. Miller in the corner of my eye and it shook me from my musings. I looked up as he once more got to his feet. I knew what that meant and held my breath as I waited for my sentence to be handed down to me.

"Then it is decided, Isabella will be married to James Schwartz, to take place in one month's time. Thank you Mr. Schwann for your time today," he shook my father's hand before he filed out, followed by the other seven council members.

But I could hardly breathe. I fought so hard to control my emotions, the way I was taught, but it was almost too much.

Now, my life was utterly and completely out of my hands for good.


A/N: Chapters may get a big longer depending on the mood. Any thoughts of what's going on? Also, I have translated last names into German to fit the genre of this story.