An Arranged Marriage

Bella's Pack
Hega hega ya-hi-ye-hega
Ya-hi-ye-ne-he hega

Hega hega ya-hi-ye-hega
Ya-hi-ye-ne-he hega

Steady as the beating drum
Singing to the cedar flute
Seasons go and seasons come
Bring the corn and bear the fruit

Bella Swan, soon-to-be senior at Forks High, was not your average girl. She was the daughter of the widowed Chief of Police, Charlie Swan, who was also pack leader of the werewolf tribe. Unlike the rest of her pack, she could not turn into a werewolf, but she was very fast, ageless and had a few sharp senses. Her inability to change made her father fuss more over her protection and well-being. Bella loved her father and knew he meant well, but she wished he wouldn't fuss so much.

Her closet friends in the pack were Leah Clearwater and Jacob Black—the son of her father's closest friend, Billy Black. At first glance, one might think Jacob and Bella were in love, but in fact, they were just close friends and were the siblings the other never had. Leah was Bella's best friend and female confidante and the two were like sisters.

Bella enjoyed her life with her pack and friends, but she wanted something more and for weeks, she'd been plagued by a strange dream. She could never fully remember the dream, but she could recall a spinning arrow, something silver and strange, but handsome figure in the woods. She didn't know what it meant, but she felt it had something to do with her future.

By the waters sweet and clean
Where the mighty sturgeon lives
Plant the squash and reap the bean
All the earth our mother gives

O Great Spirit, hear our song
Help us keep the ancient ways
Keep the sacred fire strong
Walk in balance all our days

Few things ever changed for the pack. Things got more modern and they didn't do everything their ancestors did, but they still kept to many traditions. Traditions kept things simple without too much trouble and that was the way they liked it.

Seasons go and seasons come
Steady as the beating drum
Plum to seed to bud to plum
(Hega hega ya-hi-ye hega)
Steady as the beating drum

Hega hega ya-hi-ye-hega
Ya-hi-ye-ne-he hega

Bella's father and several other males of the pack were returning from an urgent police mission that had taken them across the world and they'd been gone for a few months. Billy Black had been left in charge, but now Charlie was back, he would be in charge again.

Charlie drove up to the house deep within the woods, eager to be home again. He saw the rest of his pack be greeted by loving wives and other family members. He walked over to Billy, who wheeled himself over.

"Hey, Billy," said Charlie.

"Hey, Charlie. Good to see you again," said Billy. "Everyone's missed you."

"It's good to be back," said Charlie, scanning the crowd for any sign of Bella. "Where's Bella?"

"You know Bella, she's like her mom. She goes wherever the wind takes her. Jacob will find her. Speaking of which, there's something I wan to ask you…"

XXX

Bella sat on top of the cliff that overlooked La Push, thinking of her dream. The arrow wouldn't stop spinning and she could never figure out what it was pointing to. Did it have anything to do with her future?

"Hey, Bells!"

Bella looked to see Jacob Black, one of her best friends, calling to her from below.

"Bella, your dad's back! Get down here!"

Charlie's back! She thought happily, as she ran down to meet Jacob. She got in the canoe and helped him paddle back.

"What were you doing up there, anyway?" he asked.

"Thinking," said Bella.

"About that dream? Have you figured it out yet?"

"No. But I think it means something. Something's going to happen, Jake, I just know it," said Bella.

"Well, we'll see," said Jacob. "Maybe you should ask our dads about it."

"Maybe I should," said Bella.

XXX

When Bella and Jacob arrived, Charlie was telling the story of what happened and Billy was adding little sound effects. They were also bragging about Sam Uley's strength and how great he'd been on the mission. Sam was huge, brave, strong and handsome, but also one of the world's biggest stiffs, in Bella's opinion. Privately, she'd nicknamed him, "Kocoum."

"Bells!"

"Dad!" Bella ran into the open arms of her father, smiling.

"Come here, squirt. I swear, you've grown about a foot since I left."

"Maybe." She smiled again. "I've missed you, Dad."

"I've missed you too," said Charlie.

They walked into the house, where they sat down with Billy and chatted happily for a few moments until Billy noticed something was on Bella's mind.

"Is there something you need to tell us, Bella?" Billy asked. "You look like something's bothering you."

"It's nothing," she said. "But…I've been having a weird dream for weeks now. I think it means something is going to happen that will affect my future."

Billy and Charlie exchanged smiles.

"It does mean something," said Billy. "Your dad's just agreed to let you and Jacob be married."

Bella choked on her drink. "What?!" she said, horrified.

"Well, it's obvious that you two are very close and Billy and I thought the marriage would be a good idea," said Charlie.

"But I don't love Jacob that way!" said Bella. "He's like my brother."

"Nonsense," said Billy.

"Ask him yourself. Besides, I highly doubt my dream pointed to Jacob. That's not the life I want. Why can't I choose for myself?"

"Bells, sometimes our lives are chosen for us," said Charlie.

"I don't care. I don't want to marry someone I don't love," said Bella.

Billy and Charlie sighed and beckoned for her to join them outside. They took her to the river that went down the path of the lake.

"Bella, not only are you the daughter of the Chief of Police, but you're also the daughter of the pack leader. You hold a responsibility to the pack," said Billy. "Even the wild mountain stream must someday join the big river."

"Everything about this place is steady and there's no huge difference," said Charlie.

"Do you understand, Bella?" said Billy.

"As the rivers cuts his path
Though the river's proud and strong
He will choose the smoothest course
That's why rivers live so long

They're steady…
As the steady beating drum

Bella nodded. She understood what he meant, even if she didn't want to. She should've expected this. Charlie had always wanted her looked after and he trusted Jacob the most because he was Billy's son and he knew him well.

Charlie pulled out a silver locket in the shape of a heart, engraved with flowers and an emerald. "Your mom wore this for our wedding. She wanted to see you wear at your own."

Bella slipped the necklace on and bit her lip as she thought of Renee and how much she missed.

"We won't make any plans for the wedding just yet, but just think about it," said Billy.

"See you later, Bells," said Charlie.

They left her alone, sitting by the bank.

XXX

Bella sat alone on the bank, fingering her mother's locket as she thought of her marriage to Jacob. She didn't want to marry Jacob and she knew he didn't want to marry her. Besides, traditions in life could only go so far.

What if she didn't want simple? What if she wanted something different? Would it be so bad if she wanted something more?

"Hey," said Jacob, startling her.

"Hey," said Bella. She gazed at his face. "They told you?"

"Yep," said Jacob, looking displeased. "I tried to convince them I didn't love you like that, but they wouldn't listen. No offense."

"None taken," said Bella. "You're like my brother, for crying out loud."

"And you're like my sister."

He wrapped a comforting arm around her as they both sat in silence for a while.

"We'll figure something out, Bella," said Jacob. "I promise. Come on, let's go talk to Leah."

Bella sighed and nodded. "They just want us to be steady…like the river."

Jacob grinned. "But it's not steady at all."

They hopped in the canoe and began paddling.

"What I love most about rivers is:
You can't step in the same river twice
The water's always changing, always flowing
But people, I guess, can't live like that
We all must pay a price
To be safe, we lose our chance of ever knowing
What's around the river bend
Waiting just around the river bend

I look once more
Just around the river bend
Beyond the shore
Where the gulls fly free
Don't know what for
What I dream the day might send
Just around the river bend
For me
Coming for me

Bella loved going on the river. The smells, the animals, all the nature…

It was all perfect.

She especially loved down the faster parts of the river, the speed and the water made her feel more alive than she ever was.

"I feel it there beyond those trees
Or right behind these waterfalls
Can I ignore that sound of distant drumming
For a handsome sturdy husband
Who builds handsome sturdy walls
And never dreams that something might be coming
Just around the river bend
Just around the river bend

I look once more
Just around the river bend
Beyond the shore
Somewhere past the sea
Don't know what for
Why do all my dreams extend
Just around the river bend?
Just around the riverbend

Bella and Jacob slowed down for a moment as they gazed at their reflections. Neither of them was happy with the current situation, but should they at least consider it for the sake of the pack? Could they learn to love each other the way Charlie and Billy wanted them to? Bella turned to Jacob and they both knew that a life together as husband and wife was impossible.

Should I choose the smoothest course
Steady as the beating drum?
Should I marry Jacob Black?
Is all my dreaming at an end?
Or do you still wait for me, Dream Giver
Just around the riverbend?"

They continued on their way to Leah. She lived furthest down the river and the path there was not easy. And Bella had a feeling that her coming choices would be just like that.

XXX

Bella knocked the door and heard a voice say, "Do you really need an invitation? Come in, you two." Bella and Jacob entered the cabin to see Leah sitting by her table, making dream catchers for some of the children in the pack.

Leah knew about Bella's dream, but couldn't figure out its meaning. The ageless shape-shifter was stubborn and often quick to anger, but loyal to those she cared about. Leah was Bella's best friend and female confidante and the two were like sisters.

"Please, sit down," said Leah. "I had a feeling you'd visit today. There's hot chocolate or herbal tea if you want."

"Hot chocolate, please," said Jacob, pouring the cups as he spoke.

"So, what brings you to my door, today?" Leah asked. She gazed at Bella's neck for a moment, before blinking. "Goodness me, Renee's necklace," she murmured. "I haven't seen that since the day she married Charlie. It suits you, Bella."

"Thanks," said Bella. "But that's what we wanted to talk to you about. Charlie and Billy want Jacob and I to get married."

Leah was shocked. "An arranged marriage? You two? Have your fathers lost their minds? You're more like siblings!"

"We know, but try telling that to our dads," said Jacob, sighing.

"I don't think my dream was pointing to Jacob," said Bella. "Leah, how am I supposed to know what the right thing to do is?"

Leah sighed and smiled. "Renee asked me the same thing," she said. "And I'll tell you what I told her. I said, 'Renee, making the right choice is difficult, but if you listen to your feelings, you'll know what to do." She took them both outside as the wind blew around them. "This is silly, but just close your eye. Listen and tell me what you can sense."

Ay ay ay ya
Ay ay ya


Leah
Que que na-to-ra
You will understand

Listen with your heart
You will understand

Let it break upon you
Like a wave upon the sand

Listen with your heart
You will understand

Voice of the Wind
You will understand…

"I've been sensing something for quite some time now," said Leah. "Do you sense anything?"

"I smell something," said Jacob, wrinkling his nose. "And it doesn't smell familiar or that nice."

"But something is coming," said Bella, as she opened her eyes. "And I think it's coming from up north."