Title: The Aegis of Marriage
Genre: Historical/Romance/Non-Canon/LGBT+
Word Count: 5,939
Summary: How can you marry someone you don't love? What if marrying a person you could never fall for is the only way to be with the person you do love? Perhaps both bride and groom can be each other's protection.
Disclaimer: The author does not own any publicly recognizable characters herein. No copyright infringement is intended.
New York – 1890 – Present Day
"I, Isabella Swan, take you to be my husband, and these things I promise you: I will be honest with you; I will respect, trust, help, and care for you; I will share my life with you; I will forgive you as we have been forgiven; and I will try with you better to understand ourselves, the world, and God; through the best and worst of what is to come, and as long as we live."
The bride and groom shared a light, quick kiss before they turned to face their families and friends sitting in the church pews as Bishop Cullen pronounced them husband and wife.
Edward glanced at his now-wife from the corner of his eye, then swept over the sea of happy, cheerful faces, until he landed on and found a different pair of brown eyes belonging to the person he wished stood next to him.
An impossible dream, but a dream, nonetheless.
He felt Bella squeeze his hand and tore his attention away from the one whose arms he wanted to be embraced by.
"Careful, sir. You don't want to let it all slip away from us now, do you?" she whispered to him, and he let out an involuntary sigh that tugged at her heartstrings. She squeezed his hand once more. "I feel the same pain, Edward. You know I do. But we've gotten this far and we're doing it so we can be with them. Try to keep that in mind."
The two of them gradually made their way down the aisle, all loved ones stopping them every few feet to give their congratulations, and they both put on their masks and thanked every person profusely.
Bella cast an eye over her shoulder at her best friend, maid of honor, and true love. The only woman she had ever wanted to marry, and whom she planned to dedicate herself to later in the evening at a much smaller, much less legal ceremony, where her husband and his lover would be the only witnesses.
As Edward and Bella left the church, she imagined a world where both of them would've been allowed to love and marry the people who actually held their hearts.
(((AoM)))
Three months earlier
"It's not fair," Bella complained and reached for Rosalie's hand to find what little comfort she could. "I don't want to spend my life with anyone but you." She glanced at her barely visible reflection in the window glass. "Why is my father so insistent on marrying me off? I'm not that old, am I?"
Rosalie let out an amused, soft laugh and kissed the tip of her nose. "In maiden years, you're practically ancient."
Bella huffed and stood, only to take place in front of her dressing table. "I'm only twenty-eight. And not a maiden, if you want to get technical."
Rosalie leaned back to lie down, and only supported herself with her elbows. "By our definition, no, you're definitely not a maiden, my love, but in society's eyes, you are until you invite a man between those thighs of yours."
"You're fortunate I'm quite partial to that crass mouth of yours," Bella said and met Rosalie's mischievous look in the mirror with an affectionate smile.
"At least the Masens aren't that bad of a family. I haven't heard a single bad word about your fiancé anywhere in social circles, and that's rare."
"Really? You're saying being called an 'odd recluse' isn't a bad word?" Bella asked and let out an unattractive snort. "Our engagement was arranged four months ago, and I only just met the man tonight, and there was something about him that I can't quite put my finger on."
Rosalie shrugged. "It's well-known he's always been reluctant about acquiring a wife, but that doesn't make him odder than the two of us. We haven't exactly jumped at the chance of finding husbands either."
"True, but we have a very particular reason for that."
"And who's to say he doesn't?" She sat up and walked over to Bella, gently placing her arms around her lover's delicate frame. "Who knows? The two of you might just be a perfect match."
Bella turned around and looked up at Rosalie. "You're my perfect match. The only one for me. I can never love another the way I love you."
A sad, resigned smile graced Rosalie's face. "I know. But at best, if not love, you might find a companion to build a life with. Someone you can be seen with. Because you know, as well as I do, that living in the shadows like we are, isn't a life."
Tears welled in Bella's eyes. She didn't want to accept the truth of Rosalie's words. "I'd still be content if I could share it with you."
Rosalie sighed and crouched down to Bella's level. "Bella, I love you, more than I ever thought I'd love another person. You know how often I was scared something was wrong with me when I found no interest in men or marriage growing up. But you and I can never live the way we want, and I don't want to subject you or me to the ridicule and shame of being branded spinsters until the day we meet our maker."
Bella wanted nothing more than to fall into Rosalie's embrace and hug her so tightly that her own broken heart would mend, but she settled for leaning forward and gently pressing her lips against Rosalie's full, pink, soft ones.
An unexpected knock on her room's door startled them both and had them quickly jump apart and straighten their appearance to be more decent.
"Who is it?" Bella called, holding her breath. She hoped it wasn't her father or mother because her blotchy face would reveal she'd been crying, and Rosalie wasn't exactly supposed to be in her room at that hour.
"It's Edward Masen, Miss Swan."
She inhaled sharply and hurried to the door to open it just a sliver. She wasn't certain why her fiancé was outside her room. She didn't want to believe he was a bold enough man to ask for any physical relations before the wedding. He'd appeared much too uncomfortable during dinner with all the attention to strike her as such a man.
But then again, she had been wrong about such matters in the past.
A quick look in her mirror revealed her cheeks were still red from crying, but she hoped he would believe the shock of his sudden appearance outside her door had caused the flushing.
"Mr. Masen?" she said, slightly breathless when she opened the door. "What can I do for you? Are your accommodations not satisfactory? I can ask our maids to prepare a different room for you, if you wish?"
He shook his head with a small, nervous smile. "No, my room is more than satisfactory. I do apologize for disturbing you at this hour, but I was passing through the hallway, and I heard voices. Miss Swan's and Miss Hale's voices to be exact."
Bella's heart skipped a beat, and her mouth instantly became dry with fear. "Did you? Oh, I'm sorry if we disturbed you in any way. Miss Hale and I have known each other for a long time, and we sometimes forget we need to end our conversations and get a proper night's sleep. I assure you; we'll be much quieter. Good night, Mr. Masen."
She tried to close the door, but Edward stopped her by placing his hand on it and held it open, which surprised Bella so much, she let out an audible gasp.
"I heard your conversation, Miss Swan. Not all of it, but enough. And I would like to speak with you." He forced the door open farther until he also saw Rosalie. "Both of you."
(((AoM)))
One day earlier
"I have to go," Edward said regretfully. He slid out from the bed to reach for his trousers and shirt, but the warm hands traveling up his bare back stayed his movements, and he leaned in to the touch.
"Do you really have to? I hate it when you go so suddenly."
"I really do." The words tasted bitter in Edward's mouth, and the only remedy was to shift his body around to face the man of his dreams, Sir Jasper Whitlock—Captain in Her Majesty, Queen Victoria's navy—and tilted forward until their foreheads touched. "I need to tell you something."
"What?" Jasper asked with a relaxed smile, but his tranquil expression forced Edward to swallow hard.
"I'm engaged to be married."
"What?" he asked again, but much more aggressively in his shock.
Edward sighed and looked away from his imploring brown eyes. "My parents stopped accepting my reasons to remain unmarried," he admitted in a whisper. "They've arranged a marriage between me and Miss Swan. I'm spending the weekend at their upstate property."
Jasper leaned away from him; his expression colored with suffering. "Swan? As in the daughter of the richest man in the city?"
Edward nodded. "The very one."
"And a weekend at their estate already? This isn't a new arrangement then?"
"No," Edward said, shame roiling in his stomach. "It's been in the works for months, but I didn't know how to tell you without spoiling our time together. I'm sorry."
A humorless chuckle left Jasper, but Edward could see it was only to hide his true emotions. "How did your parents ever manage to match you up with a Swan?" he asked, but his avoidance of the apology didn't fool Edward. "It's not as if you can ever provide her with the same comforts she's accustomed to."
"Apparently, Mr. Swan has grown frustrated with her own evasion of marriage. Not one previous suitor has kept her interest," Edward explained and stood to get dressed, but he kept a close eye on Jasper still lounging in the bed. He was quite certain his lover wasn't as unaffected as he wanted to appear.
"And what do you have that those other suitors don't?" Jasper challenged with a smirk.
"A complete and utter resentment for the arrangement, which, according to what I've heard, is Miss Swan's exact feelings on it as well. Who knows? Perhaps she and I will be the perfect team to stop this stupid notion of forced marriage altogether." He looked in the mirror and smoothed his hair back before pulling up his suspenders over his shoulders.
Jasper came up behind him and wrapped his arms around his chest. "You can't pass over such a life-changing opportunity for my sake. Marrying Miss Swan would do wonders for your future. You know that."
"I know." Edward sighed and turned in his arms. "It's a pity I don't want that future if you're not in it."
"Oh, you sweet man," Jasper said and affectionately stroked his slightly scratchy jaw. "I adore you. I might even go so far as to say that I love you."
Edward chuckled softly and reminisced about the first time they told each other the depth of their feelings, and those exact words had left Jasper's mouth.
"But you know as well as I do that this wasn't meant to last." Jasper's hand fell from Edward's face to hang by his side, then he turned his back to him to search for his own clothes.
"Don't say that," Edward protested vehemently. "Our relationship is the only thing I'm certain about in this life. Everything else could cease to exist and I would care little, but the connection you and I share is my whole world."
"Edward, look at us!" Jasper said and once again turned around, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. "The world is against us. We'll never be allowed to have a life together. And now you're gonna get married and I—"
He stopped himself, but Edward had caught on to the change of his tone and knew there was something Jasper wasn't telling him.
"And you . . .what?"
"Since we're coming clean," Jasper murmured and swallowed thickly. "They want me back in England. They've wanted me back for a while, but I've ignored it to stretch out my time with you. Once you're married, there's literally nothing keeping me here."
Edward sat down heavily on the edge of the bed, only supporting himself on his knees as the feeling of his whole life crumbling around him swallowed him whole. "I don't want you to go back to England," he whispered.
"And I don't want to leave, but nothing short of a marriage of my own can stay my superiors' hands," he said despondently.
"It's too bad the church would never accept two men marrying, because I'd say 'I do' in a second, if it meant you could stay here," Edward said in an attempt at raising the mood.
"Thank you," Jasper said, knowing full well Edward was more serious than joking. "I'm going to miss you so much when I'm back there. There truly has never been another person like you for me."
"I love you, too," Edward said and reached out for Jasper's hand, placing a soft kiss on the inside of his wrist. "How long until you definitely have to leave?"
"A month."
"You'll miss my wedding."
"Perhaps that's for the best. I don't think I'd bear watching you marry someone else. Even if she is a woman."
Their eyes met, and through their sadness, they found enough humor to laugh at Jasper's statement, but then they embraced and melted into each other, never wanting to part again.
(((AoM)))
Bella shifted her eyes between Edward and Rosalie, terrified of what he wanted to discuss, and tried to deflect once more.
"It's very late, sir, and we should all retire to our rooms. Whatever you wish to talk about can wait until the morning."
Edward boldly leaned closer to her and spoke in a low, demanding tone. "Isabella, I'm not leaving until the three of us have talked."
Bella swallowed. "Mr. Masen, it would be very inappropriate to invite you into my room and—"
"Let him in, Bella."
Rosalie calmly met Bella's shocked gaze as she whirled around. "What?"
"I want to hear what he wants to say."
"Rose—"
"Just do it."
With a resigned sigh, Bella stepped back and to the side to widen the opening enough for Edward to stride through and gesture for her to close it again.
"First, let me say you two should be more careful of how you talk to each other when anyone can walk past and hear you," he started and gave both ladies a stern look. "Secondly, Miss Swan, we both know that neither you nor I want to marry each other. That's as clear as any fact."
Bella crossed her arms and gave him an incredulous look. The tension and fear were slowly leaving her body as she realized this man—her fiancé—wasn't going to raise the alarm for having found out the real nature of her and Rosalie's more-than-friendly relationship. All that remained was a sense of disbelief over his audacity to blatantly tell the truth in such an uncensored manner.
"Where are you going with this?" she asked. "Except to tell me how undesirable I am to marry?"
"Oh, don't act offended, Miss Swan. It doesn't become you." He waved away her pretenses as he leaned back casually against a wall. "Your secret's safe with me, and to assure you of that, I'm going to tell you a secret of my own. One only a very select few have the knowledge of."
Rosalie leaned forward with interest.
Edward took a deep breath and hoped he was doing the right thing. "Just like the two of you, I am currently engaged in a less-than accepted relationship . . . with another man."
Bella felt her knees weaken with surprise, and she had to sit down before they gave way. She couldn't quite wrap her mind around the unlikely situation she found herself in.
"Had the world been a different place, one more open and receiving to all forms of love, I would've married him. But instead, I'm facing his imminent departure back to England and an arranged marriage to a woman who clearly holds no romantic or sexual interest in men," Edward continued. "In a way, I suppose that will make our marriage much easier in the long run. I won't ever have to worry about breaking your heart."
"Mr. Masen—" Rosalie started.
"Please, call me Edward."
"Edward," she said. "As sympathetic as we are to your situation—we're all, unmistakably, in the same boat—why tell us? Why reveal that you know about me and Bella? What good will it do? As you said, the marriage is arranged, and the wedding will still happen. Nothing's changed."
He gave her a small, slightly crooked smile. "Because everything's changed. I'm not interested in keeping you two apart. Even after the wedding, you can still be together—as long as you're discreet, of course—and all I ask is that Miss Swan shows me the same courtesy when I find love and intimacy where I find it."
Bella looked at him with confusion. "When you find love? I thought you already had with your Englishman."
Edward ducked his head down to hide the sudden tears in his eyes at the thought of never seeing Jasper again. "I have, but he's a naval officer, and he's been ordered back to England. He told me himself that nothing short of him marrying as well will keep him in America."
"Oh," Bella said. "I'm sorry. I can only imagine how painful that must be."
"It's not a feeling I recommend, that's for sure."
"Then it's very gracious of you not to ask Bella and me to part," Rosalie said. "I don't know how I'll ever repay you."
A sudden sharp intake of air caused both Edward and Rosalie to turn their attention to Bella.
"I just had a mad idea," she said and looked at them. "But it's so mad it might just work to our benefit. For all four of us."
(((AoM)))
Present Day
Early, on the morning of the wedding day, Bella stood in front of a tall mirror, as her mother, Mrs. Masen, and Rosalie fussed about her; brushing a light dusting of rouge on her cheeks, pinning up her hair, and ascertaining everything was as it should be with her gown.
"Oh, Isabella, I am so happy to see this day finally arriving," her mother gushed. "You've had us so worried for far too long, and it'll do my heart good to see you settled with such a nice young man as Mr. Masen."
"Yes, I have no doubt you're exactly the kind of woman my son needs," Mrs. Masen agreed with a reserved but warm smile.
Bella refrained from pointing out that the marriage was neither her nor Edward's choice, and only settled with meeting Rosalie's eyes in the mirror and sharing a knowing look. If no unforeseen obstacles presented themselves during the day, Bella would, indeed, settle down. Legally, and on paper, she would become Mrs. Isabella Masen, wife of Edward Masen, but in private, safe circles, she would be Isabella Masen Hale, wife to Rosalie Hale Swan.
The idea she had the night Edward had caught Rosalie in her room, while still mad, had captured both her companions' interest, and a wisely worded letter addressed to a certain Jasper Whitlock had encouraged him to join the plan as well.
It wasn't a particularly complicated plan, but the simplicity made it easy to execute and caused no one in their surroundings to question it.
Bella and Edward would get married, but so would Rosalie and Jasper. Only, they would wait a few months so it wouldn't appear odd since the two had no previous encounters. But the official story would be that Rosalie, as Bella's maid of honor, would meet Jasper, a close friend of Edward's from England who was temporarily back in New York to attend the wedding as a guest, and a spark of romantic interest would ignite.
Then, they would start corresponding, and continue to do so even as Jasper returned to England. Eventually, the two of them wouldn't be able to deny their love for each other anymore; he would ask for her hand in marriage, and she, the wealthy daughter of a merchant, would insist they make their life in America.
From there, it wouldn't be odd for the four of them to become neighbors, and in turn, they would all get to have a life with the person they loved and wanted to be with, all the while under the protection of being married by law.
Bella knew it was naive of her to think in terms of "happily ever after," but that was what she hoped for.
Mrs. Masen waved Bella over to the wardrobe to retrieve the lustrous bundle of silk fabric and French lace that her father had insisted her dress be sewn out of, and the three women helped her into it with care.
"What a marvelous bride you make, darling," her mother said, pulling out her embroidered handkerchief to dab away a couple of tears.
"Your beauty rivals Queen Victoria's on her wedding day," Rosalie said softly, and Bella smiled.
"Thank you. The dress is stunning."
"I wasn't speaking of the dress," Rosalie clarified, and the two of them shared a look that said all it needed. Luckily, the other two women didn't understand the real conversation and only heard the shallow words.
"You're so right, Miss Hale. She has that excited glow that only comes out on one's wedding day. Mr. Masen will certainly swoon when he sees you, Isabella."
Mrs. Masen let out a soft, unexpected laugh. "I can't say I've ever witnessed my son swoon, but seeing Miss Swan walking down the aisle like the vision she is now, I'd be surprised if he doesn't at least feel a little lightheaded."
Lightheaded with nerves for what's to come, for sure, Bella thought to herself. She wasn't, and would never be, the person who made Edward swoon, and she was fine with that. But she played along to allow her mother and Mrs. Masen to have their fun.
Her mother stepped forward and took a hold of both her hands before inquiringly looking at Mrs. Masen and Rosalie. "If you would both oblige, I wish for a moment alone with my daughter."
"Of course," Mrs. Masen said, while Rosalie simply bowed her head and the two of them left.
"Darling," her mother said the second they were alone, "I do hope you'll behave today."
Bella bit back the retort she wanted to give. She had always known she was a disappointment of a daughter to her mother, and the two had never truly gotten along. Only when Bella bit her tongue.
"What do you mean, Mother? It's my wedding day. Of course, I'll behave."
"Please, you don't have to pretend around me," she said, walking over to her jewelry box to pick out a couple of nice things. "I know this isn't what you truly want or probably ever envisioned for yourself, but look on the bright side . . ." She smiled as she decided on a stunning, simple, and elegant gold chain with a tear-drop shaped sapphire, then turned to face her daughter. "You could have done so much worse than young Mr. Masen. As far as arranged marriages go, you definitely didn't capture an eyesore."
"Mother!" Bella exclaimed as she clasped the chain around Bella's neck. "His appearance has nothing to do with what kind of husband he'll be."
"True as that may be, just imagine how beautiful your children will be," her mother said and chuckled proudly to herself.
Children.
Bella almost froze with anxiety as the realization caught up with her. Of course, the in-laws and her parents would expect children out of the marriage. It was what was supposed to happen once you were married.
The obstacle in this marriage, however, was that neither bride nor groom had any desire to be intimate with the other. How were they supposed to explain the absence of children?
Unless . . .
She quickly waved away the uncomfortable, fleeting thought. All of those discussions would have to wait until the four people involved could gather together and untangle all of the kinks and issues of their peculiar arrangement.
Fortunately, before the conversation with her mother could continue any further, the door creaked open behind them, and Rosalie poked her head inside.
"I apologize for interrupting, but we're ready for you out here, Miss Swan."
"Certainly," her mother said. Then, she turned to Bella and ushered her daughter out of the room.
Soon, Bella found herself in front of the chapel doors, and she attempted a grateful smile at her mother. "This is my stop. The organ is sure to begin presently."
Her mother kissed her lightly on her cheek. "I will find your father for you and ensure everything is ready."
As she departed down the corridor, Rosalie passed her with a rose clutched in her hand.
"I brought you this." She offered the flower, and the fragrance perfumed the air around Bella. Rosalie ducked her head and appeared uncharacteristically shy. "Here I find myself, offering you a single red rose as a token of my earnest, unyielding love. I wish you to have that piece of me, of us, while you stand up front with Edward."
"And I accept it and embrace your love with my whole heart." Bella reached out for Rosalie's hand and squeezed it in her own. "Just remember, please, each and every word I utter before that altar is meant for you."
Rosalie smiled lovingly. "I know."
(((AoM)))
"Mr. Whitlock, may I introduce you to my wife, the new Mrs. Isabella Masen," Edward said pleasantly while the mask he maintained threatened to crack from the constant need to smile and thank all the guests for their kind words. "Isabella, this is Sir Jasper Whitlock, a close acquaintance of mine from England."
Bella stepped forward and daintily offered Jasper her hand as she'd been taught to do all her life, and he readily accepted it.
"It's lovely to meet you, Mr. Whitlock. And to have you here at our special celebration."
"The pleasure is mine, Mrs. Masen," Jasper replied and politely kissed the back of her hand.
They shared a smile that held the secret sadness only those in the know could detect.
"You're a long way from home, Mr. Whitlock. How did you and my husband meet each other?"
"Oh, Edward studied the natural sciences at Oxford quite a few years ago," Jasper said reminiscently. "That was where we first met and became best mates rather quickly. Turned out he and I had quite a lot in common."
She nodded in understanding of the double meaning. "How nice that you found each other. I can only imagine how lonely it must've been for Edward before you, being in another country with an ocean separating him from home."
"It was certainly comforting to have Jasper by my side," Edward agreed, and the two men's eyes met.
Bella could both read and feel the longing between them, and she lightly elbowed Edward in the side to ensure he didn't lose his sense of where they were at present.
He startled a bit, but then cleared his throat to cover up the misstep.
"I certainly know how it feels to have that one person you can rely on for everything," Bella said to continue the staged conversation and steer away from dangerous areas. She searched the crowd of guests until she spotted Rosalie. "Miss Hale, will you join us for a moment?" she called out, but not too loud so the guests would believe her to be uncouth.
Rosalie almost danced between the guests separating them and smiled happily once she had reached them. "Such a lovely evening to celebrate your and Mr. Masen's start to this journey you're now taking together."
"Thank you, Rosalie. Allow me to introduce you to Sir Jasper Whitlock. He's a close friend of Mr. Masen."
"Oh, a pleasure, sir," she said and made a show of their exchanged pleasantries.
At that exact moment, the quartet began playing their music and the middle of the floor emptied of guests except those who remained to start up the dance.
"May I?" Jasper asked and held out his hand for Rosalie, who immediately accepted, and the two disappeared into the crowd.
"It's no more than right that I invite my wife for our first dance, isn't it?" Edward said next to Bella, offering her his hand.
"It is, after all, what's expected of us, husband." Bella placed her hand in his, allowing him to lead her out on the floor.
(((AoM)))
The moonlight filtered in through the windows, dimly lighting up the empty room the four of them had found in a part of the building none of the guests at the reception was supposed to enter, and Bella gestured for the others to follow her inside before closing the door behind them.
"This is as good a place as any for a clandestine wedding." She giggled, then turned to Edward. "Since we're already breaking the law, it would mean a lot to me if you officiated. As my lawful husband and all of that."
He smiled his first, truly genuine smile of the night in response. "It would be my pleasure."
Placing himself at the far end of the room, he found two candles to light and placed them on a low table. Then he gestured for Bella and Rosalie to stand in front of him while Jasper found a chair and sat down.
Edward gently cleared his throat. "I will admit, I did not have time to prepare anything for a wedding," he said, garnering laughter from all of them. "But I believe, as someone who has found love, that I should be able to find the words." He directed his eyes at Jasper, who appeared to blush and ducked his head. "We've gathered here this night, in this closed off room, to celebrate the union of Rosalie Hale and Isabella Masen."
They reached for each other's hands simultaneously and beamed with pure joy.
"We gather in the name of marriage, and after tonight, Rosalie and Isabella shall be bound as close as two souls can possibly be." He turned to Rosalie. "Please, I invite you to share a few words about Isabella."
She took a deep breath, then looked into Bella's eyes. "I've known you for what feels like forever. Our relationship began as friendship, but it didn't take long for it to grow into something more. Call it fate or destiny, but you are my life, my love, and my entire world. I love you, and I vow to look at you the same way I did the first time we shared that sentiment, now and always."
Bella had to wipe a tear from her cheek, and she could see even the men had to blink away the moisture gathered in their eyes before she spoke up.
"Rosalie, you came into my life when I was in a dark place. I was heartbroken and lost knowing I'd never be allowed to freely live the life I wanted and needed. I thought I'd never find the light. But then, at that ball so many years ago, I saw your piercing eyes, heard that enticing voice, and I was instantly revived. I vow to turn to you in times of darkness; to love you with all my heart; to listen to your advice; and to give all of myself to you every day."
Edward smiled again. "Thank you for those heartfelt words. Now, while I doubt anyone in this room objects to this union, I must ask if anyone can show just cause as to why these two may not be joined together?"
Jasper threw his hands in the air and shrugged. "Legal reasons? Too many to count. Just reasons?" He shook his head and winked at the women. "I've got nothing."
"Good," Rosalie said and looked at Jasper. "As your future betrothed, I wouldn't have appreciated it."
Once again, they were all brought to laughter, but hurried to calm down so they could continue and go back to the reception before their absence was noticed.
"Rosalie Hale, will you take this woman as your wedded wife in matrimony?" Edward asked. "Will you love and honor her, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, so long as you both shall live?"
"I will," she said eagerly.
"And will you, Isabella Masen, take this woman to be—"
"Yes, yes, I will," she interrupted and smiled happily.
"Then may I ask for a ribbon?"
Rosalie pulled one from her hair and handed it to him so he could wrap it around their joined hands, to bind them together forever.
"With this ribbon, you are handfast for life. May it symbolize how you are bound together in this world and the afterlife. In lieu of rings, I tie your souls together, but you must commit the words to each other."
Without breaking their eye contact, Rosalie and Bella said the words in unison.
"With this ribbon, I thee wed, with my body, I thee worship. And with all my worldly goods, I thee endow, now and forever."
Edward untied and removed the ribbon from their hands. "Then I happily declare you wife and wife. You may kiss."
Rosalie immediately swept Bella up in a tender but impatient kiss as Edward and Jasper clapped their hands together quietly, doing their best not to make too much of a ruckus and invite anyone to investigate.
A moment later, as the four of them made their way back to the reception, Bella reluctantly left Rosalie's side to hook her hand around Edward's arm. However, even as sad as she was that she could never announce her love for Rosalie to the world, she was happy and grateful of the small victory that her legal husband would never ask her to change or be someone she wasn't because he knew exactly what she was feeling and supported her in every way.
Bella leaned closer to Edward and gestured for him to bend down so she could whisper in his ear. "I want you to know that when you and Jasper have everything settled and want to join your souls together, I will happily do for you what you did for me. I will never forget it, Edward, and I'm so grateful I was arranged to marry you. I don't think I could've been luckier."
"That means a lot to me, Bella. And I am also grateful. Being forced to marry you has turned out to be not as bad as I first thought." He brought her hand to his lips where he placed a gentle kiss. "And I hope we can all live happily ever after."
