Chapter 3.2

Darvo Ryon was the Chief of Yellow Leaf Village.

He retired at fifty-two from his position of lecturer at the most prestigious Academy in Silver City because he desired to enjoy a quieter life in his birth place: Yellow Leaf Village. That was a decision taken in conjunction with his Wife, Charis, after long talks on how they would raise their kids and how they would live with no more stable income.

He met his Charis when he was forty-two and she was thirty-one. Both were way past the 'appropriate' age to settle down, and many of his colleagues advised him to marry a younger woman. He did not want a younger woman who had no idea what she wanted with life; he wanted Charis because she had a good head, was very patient, and simply because he loved her.

After two years of courting, they married, and she gave him two precious kids, a boy and a girl.

In those eight years before his retirement, they lived frugally to save money for the upcoming move. He also sent people to renovate his practically abandoned home. Both learned how to work the land, so they could feed themselves. Furthermore, as teachers, they decided to take care of their kids' education themselves, not bothering to send them to school and save that money for the kids' dowries.

The family of four was well-received by the village. It was a family of scholars! Of course, they had to get along with the Ryons! Some of the women even eyed the seven-year old boy and five-year old girl with a focused intensity; there was their chance to get close to the family! Very close…

Aware of the thoughts in those women, Charis Ryon painstakingly reminded her children that they had to choose their partners well, even if it took them years in finding them. Her and Darvo were proof enough that no matter how long it took, they could find someone to spend the rest of their lives with. Or not, if that was that they wanted.

All in all, the Ryon family planned to be yet another family in Yellow Leaf Village and live quietly.

Yet their quiet days ended a couple of months later when the previous Chief suddenly quit and Darvo Ryon was practically begged to take up the position by the villagers.

He shot down the request at first, not wanting to act as the villagers' minder. He had enough with teaching stubborn children; he had no desire to lead a village of stubborn adults. However, when his wife discovered the reason for the Chief's resignation, he immediately put the Chief mantle on.

Darvo Ryon could not claim he raised the Edris brothers as the older kid – not much older than his own son! – was already working to raise of the younger ones. It was still heartbreaking to see him become a mini-adult in the face of responsibility, to see the second oldest take up the reins in the house and do all the chores by himself. They all grew up all too soon, not able to enjoy their childhood.

What Darvo could proudly claim was that he was one of the two adults who openly supported them when the kids mostly needed it. Either by teaching them how to grow their own vegetables, how to cook, and how to patch up their own clothes. His dear wife was the other person who cared and ran to the Edris household whenever she heard little Felix was sick yet again.

It was truly a miracle that child survived.

With time, his Chief and fatherly duties took more precedence, so he was not able to keep an eye on them that often. Then, his wife fell ill and he had no more time for them. When she passed, he admitted that he became taciturn and closed-off towards others that were not his kids.

With nineteen-years old, his son, Crisse, was about to take the tests to become a teacher himself, and he guided him through countless topics that could come up in his tests. His daughter, Celeste, wanted to move to Silk Town to work. It pained him to see his daughter move so far away, but he understood her need to move away from the place where her mother died. So, he could only write to one of his acquaintances in Silk Town to keep an eye on her.

Too focused on his family matters, it was too late for him to notice that his unofficial wards grew up and became quite a problematic bunch; gossips followed them everywhere. Ethan getting laid with whores. Joseph getting laid with married women. Lucas becoming a mute. Felix being an unlucky child, thus avoided like a plague by other kids.

Darvo had to once again pay attention to the Edris boys.

He advised Ethan to not spend his hard-earned money in those type of women, least he got some disease or became addicted to other vices like drinking or gambling as it was normal to see in whore houses.

He talked with Lucas about his sudden change, and the then teen assured him he was fine and that he had to be like that because of Joseph's wild personality. Darvo was unconvinced but he could not force the teen to speak up.

Joseph back then a bundle of rebellion, curse words, violence, hormones and blatant disobedience. More than once Crisse was the recipient of Darvo's constant grumbling about the problematic teen. The old man could only make sure Joseph did not get into too much trouble.

Nothing bad could be said about Felix, who was a joyful kid despite his weak body. Darvo only advise the older brothers to not let the youngest hear the vicious gossips the other villagers said about them.

For better or for worse, it was always through gossip that he got wind of what the Edris brothers were doing.

And the latest gossip he heard about them equally baffled and amazed him. Still, it was best to hear the truth from them.

So, he waited...

And waited...

And impatiently kept waiting until finally…!

"Ah, Ethan! Come in, boy. How're you?" He cheerfully received the young man and woman into his home and led them to the few chairs on the deck. "So, who's this?". Because his patience was worn thin, he immediately asked the important question after posing his eyes on the young woman.

Quite pretty. And quite different to the other women the brothers courted; definitely not a villager. Darvo could identify a city girl when he saw one. It was all in her posture and presence. All her students back at Silver City were the same.

"This is Isabelle." Ethan merely presented her. Darvo's eyebrows twitched up. No surname? Curious. "She's the reason I came today. We, as in my brothers and I, want to marry her." Ethan's words made the old man pause.

Why was a city girl willing to marry four poor villagers? Darvo did not want to disparage the brothers, but the reality was that she had more future in the city she came from than in that out-of-way village. Rather, how come a city girl appeared in the village without him ever noticing?

"Is that so?" The old man drawled, fully leaning on his chair and staring at the two youngsters. His solemn mood was accentuated by the low light of the setting sun. The trees sway with a fresh breeze of the incoming night. "Now, tell me the truth of the matter." He demanded, startling the two in front of him. There was something going on. He knew.

The two youngsters shared a look and she nodded. Ethan looked back at him with a straight back and started speaking. "Lucas found her on the other side of the mountains. She was hurt, and now she doesn't remember anything but her name. She stayed with us for a couple of days while she recovered." He paused. "You know our situation, and what Joseph and I went through. We talked about it, all five of us. She's willing to marry us."

It was better than what the rumors said – of her being a bought woman or a whore – but it was still a troublesome situation. This Isabelle – no surname – was an amnesiac that somehow fell in love with the four Edris brothers and wanted to form a family with them. It made sense as she had nowhere to go, and they had become her anchor in a moment of uncertainty.

But what would happen to them when she remembered everything?

Considering that was more of a family matter, he left the matter aside and focused on what concerned him.

"Are you aware of the rumors around the village?" Their silence was enough answer. "They're calling her a whore, a shameless hustler, a bought tramp." He noticed Ethan's darkening expression and stopped. So, it's a serious courtship, Darvo thought. "You should've come to me the moment you found her. Much of the gossiping could've been avoided if I had known of her. It's good that you now want to give her a status, but I'm not sure if that will help her already stained reputation."

Darvo was relieved to see Ethan's properly chastised expression. That meant that the man truly only had good intentions towards the woman – even if lust was mixed at some point, or from the very beginning. What he could not make out was her expression. She was relatively calm if one ignored her frown, but that did not tell him much. If she was a trustworthy woman or not.

Again, he could not claim to have raised the Edris brothers, but he did see them grow up. They held a special place in his heart.

Villager women, he could discern as they were practically the same. City women, on the other hand, were quite difficult to pick out.

So, he addressed her with all the intention of an elder, and authority of a Chief. "I'm going to be very honest with you. The village isn't very receptive to outsiders. The rumors won't stop soon. You'll have to face them if you really decide to stay. Besides, marrying isn't an easy step. That's without counting your forgotten background that might return in the future. Maybe then, you'll want to leave the brothers behind."

It was not a threat to leave, but he did want her to know what she would face if she so desired to stay. He did not know how severe her amnesia was; if she remembered the luxuries she had before and would sorely miss in the long run, or if she was a blank slate willing to start anew. Furthermore, he wanted to measure how committed she was with the brothers.

He allowed her the moment of silence that followed his words. Either if she was still undecided or if she was truly analyzing her current situation, thus coming to the best conclusion after taking into account all her circumstances, remained to be known.

"I am very sure, Chief." She eventually said with conviction. "I do want to marry them."

"Even if you're going to suffer with them?" He kept questioning with a severe gaze.

The young woman – Isabelle – smiled. "Tell me the name of a city that has been built in one day." Darvo raised an eyebrow in surprise, then laughed.

"Rightly said! Alright, then." He nodded in acceptance, making Ethan sag in relief. Oh, this wary child; as if I would prevent him from being happy. Darvo wryly thought. "There's nothing more I can say to you. As for the rumors…" He rubbed his stubbled chin and hummed. "I will say your parents had arranged this beforehand, and that she came to live with you after her parents died. That she did not present herself to others, only to me, due to her grieving period."

Isabelle seemed like a good person with a good head on her shoulders, thing the brothers desperately needed, so Darvo gave his full blessing by arranging a story for when the villagers went too far with their gossip. Betrothed orphans who looked after each other after the untimely demise of their parents. There was not much information to dig apart from what he, the brothers or she could provide.

It was the perfect cover!

"Thanks a lot, Chief!" Ethan widely smiled at the old man.

"Don't mention it." Darvo waved his hand. "If you need help, remember that my doors are widely open. Now, you better return home, it's late." He dismissed them. As he looked at their leaving backs, their twined fingers, and their closeness, Darvo Ryon sighed relieved. "Finally, something good happened to them, Charis." He closed his eyes, feeling the soft breeze caress his cheeks.

When Ethan and Isabelle returned home, Ethan immediately told his brothers what the Chief had said and arranged.

Needless to say, the other three were relieved to know that not only had Isabelle promised to marry them in front of the Chief – because that was a big deal –, the Chief was even willing to help them appease the villagers to stop spreading even more rumors. So, that matter was fixed.

One down, more to go.

Thanks to Lucas' good haul, they had a good dinner with meat cooked by Felix. The teen looked very happy as he devoured his chunks of grilled meat. He had not even held back with the herbs, giving the meat a very nice taste. Isabelle only ate a few pieces of meat and let the brothers eat more. They needed it more than her anyway.

The sauteed vegetables were good, too. Everything was delicious in the rather sumptuous dinner they had. Once they were done eating, Isabelle volunteered to wash the dishes together with Lucas. That gave her the chance to talk with him about what she heard earlier in the day.

"Monthe wants game as soon as possible."

Lucas hummed. "Ethan told me."

"How much does he pay for it?" She asked. Although Monthe's personality was to her liking, she was not sure how he acted when doing business.

"He pays well." Lucas guessed her thoughts and reassured her.

Isabelle paused in her washing; a bit ashamed at being caught digging for information. "Alright." She smiled at him. He smiled back. "Maybe you should tell him to promote you around in the other stalls. See if you can get more customers." She advised him. Lucas nodded, accepting her proposal. With the breeding plan on its way, it was best to feel up new customers for the future.

As they finished their task in companionable silence, Joseph's voice sounded from the kitchen. "The bath's ready, Isabelle."

Isabelle froze, still unsure how to face Joseph as uncertainty gnawed at her. Lucas tapped her shoulder, taking her out of her stupor. Luckily, he did not notice her dilemma – or if he did, he decided not to comment about it. Heading towards the kitchen, she saw Joseph and Ethan talking.

Her mind immediately came up with a solution. Though it was just another escape plan.

"Is there no problem if you two exchange bath days? There are some things I want to speak with Ethan." She quickly said as soon as she approached them.

"Uh… if Joseph wants." Ethan hedged.

Just when I needed you the most!

Isabelle did not let any of her vexation slip and looked at Joseph expectantly.

The third brother looked between Ethan and Isabelle a few times before shrugging. "It's fine. Just for today." She nodded and rushed to the house to get her sleeping garments and towel, looking ready to take her bath. Nothing more, nothing less.

Ethan's stare was too intense though. He did not even have the intention to join her in the tub unlike the other times he had been extra eager. Just when she could not stand his gaze anymore and wanted to invite him in, he spoke up.

"Something going on between Joseph and you?" Isabelle tensed.

Trust Ethan to notice!

She hesitated for a moment before telling him the problem. "I saw him with another woman the day we went to the market. The two left together. I could not see his expression, but the woman looked very happy." She was not looking for him to solve it, but to give her hints on how to address the matter with Joseph. He knew his brothers more than she did after all.

Isabelle twiddled her fingers underwater while waiting for his reply. "Our past is ruining this present." Ethan sighed. She looked up at him and saw his troubled expression. "If the woman is who I think she is, this matter'll be a bit complicated." There was only one woman who could make Joseph follow her.

Her stomach knotted in nerves. She immediately decided to finish with her bath to focus on the issue. After a quick rub, she wrapped the towel around her body and sat beside Ethan. "How complicated?"

Ethan frowned, unsure if he had to unveil such a matter, yet seeing the distressed Isabelle, he guessed it was fine. He deeply inhaled and started recounting how his rascal of a brother – that turned into a full dandy hooligan after all those fights and sexual encounters – had more luck than him and landed himself into a very serious relationship.