"You rotten brats think that just because you're already hairy, you can't tell me things?!" The Chief impressively began his speech. Stunned silence followed his opening remark. Though, noticing the chastised expression on her husbands, Isabelle wanted to laugh. Pressing her lips, she managed to hold it in.
The Chief noticed he had started too strong, so he coughed and continued his speech with a calmer tone. "With that said, I'm happy. I am sure that in this village, the only ones genuinely happy for your marriage is my family; what remains of it." His Wife was gone and his daughter was far away in another town, so only his son was able to witness the brothers' happy event. "With my little ability, you grew up until this point…" The old man's voice broke at the end.
The brothers swallowed the knot that suddenly formed in their throats. To them, the Chief might not have been the best paternal figure, but he was still present. As their own memories of their biological father turned into fog, only this man stood up for them. He and his Wife were the only ones who paid attention to four orphaned and forgotten boys (one still a baby), and gave them the knowledge and tools to support themselves.
And he did it under the threat of being removed of his newly-acquired position as Chief since no one seemed keen in showing even a decent amount of kindness to four children.
"I could have done more… I should have done more." The Chief's eyes turned a bit glassy, lost in thought for a second before he cleared his throat. "But, I'm glad. I'm glad you found a wonderful woman to form a home and a family with. Someone who was able to see beyond appearances, who is stubborn enough to stay and face hardships together with you."
The smile the Chief directed at Isabelle was full of gratefulness. The kind a thankful father gave his new daughter-in-law. The image of his kind smile overlapped with the sudden and painful memory of her father's own, with eyes full of doting love. Isabelle powered through the pain pulsing in her head and kept her own smile.
"I only have to say that with these new doors opened in your life, you have to carefully trek the path, to open your eyes, to tune your ears and to enjoy your lives together. Remember that there are people who also support you." He gestured at the people gathered, who nodded, agreeing with his words. "Be happy and full of love." With those words, he finished his speech.
The new cups were filled with the homemade wine he brought, then rose as all the adults gathered cheered. The wine was sweet at first, but then the fermentation hit them. Isabelle's nostrils flared, Ethan knew that he would abstain after the first cup, Lucas frowned but still downed the whole thing, Joseph hesitated but decided to drink slowly, Felix just took that one sip and poured the rest into his second brother's cup.
The others also had their own reactions to the wine, and the kids were served some juice.
"Now, let's enjoy the food!" The Chief said. The table was full of clattering as the dishes were passed around and served. The sound of chatter also rose up.
"No, don't move." Joseph held his newly-minted Wife's shoulder as Isabelle made to stand to reach for food. With deft moves, everything was put in front of her: a little dish with fish balls to start with, the plate with braised pheasant and a cup with orange juice to wash away the taste of wine.
As soon as Vieve tasted the juice, he asked who had made it. Felix sheepishly rose his hand. The teen was, then, hounded by the woman asking how he made it. It was as simple as squeezing the fruit to get all the juice. They were all clever and immediately realized that as long as fruits had juice then they could be squeezed for juice. That gave them plenty of ideas.
"This is really good! Who made it?" Mrs. Attile praised, popping another fish ball into her mouth.
"I did." Felix proudly smiled. Seeing everyone enjoy the food, he felt it was worth it having woken up at such an ungodly hour to cook.
"A husband who can cook is a treasure." Corey nodded, giving a meaningful glance at David who was busy trying to stop his youngest kids from making a mess of their food. He was failing. Luckily, the kids were not throwing the food and only forwent utensils and ate with their hands.
"I also got help from my brothers." Not used to such an extensive praise, Felix quickly added.
"Much better! Four men alone and with no one to cook would have been a disaster!" Vieve stated, swinging her fork around.
"I would have loved for my husband to be able to cook." Mrs. Attile sighed dejectedly; half her dish of braised duck already gone. Her eating speed reflected that she was a through and through daughter of a military family.
"Mine can only make soup." Vieve threw a quick teasing glance to her Husband.
"Hey! It's good soup!" Monthe's indignant comment was ignored by the already pumped wives.
"I even burn water, so my husband had no other choice but to learn." Corey added with mirth.
"What did your mother-in-law say?" Vieve quickly asked.
"What could she say? Either he learned to cook, or we'd be eating my disastrous food. Maybe we would have even fallen ill from a stomachache." Corey laughed, same as Vieve. Mrs. Attile chuckled, not wanting to open her mouth to show what she was chewing.
Their lively conversation made Isabelle smile and giggle. It truly felt like a blessing to know her husbands were men who could defend themselves in the kitchen.
"Don't just listen to them, eat." Joseph nudged her. Looking back at him, Isabelle noticed he had cut all the pheasant meat in bite size portions.
"Thank you." She smiled at him. He nodded and went back to listening to the already drunk Chief recount childhood stories from the brothers.
Since the women started talking about the cares of children, which Isabelle still did not have, she decided to pay attention to the old man's stories. Sure, the knowledge of child rearing was valuable, yet information about her husbands' childhood was also important.
"...and he came, all wet and naked, to my house yelling: 'Got a fish, Chief!'." Wildly swinging his arms, Darvo vividly recounted about the first time Felix fished. The teen was trying to hide his tall frame out of embarrassment; he knew how that story ended. "'twas this tiny!" The Chief said, using his fingers to show the size of the fish; though, having drunk so many cups, he also used the gesture in a different sense.
"You ate the fish?" Monthe, eyes full of tears from holding back his laugh, asked. He and the brothers clearly caught the double meaning.
"There was a dog..." The Chief took a sip of the wine.
"No!" Monthe looked expectant.
"Oh, yes. That dog took the hardly-earned fish and ate it." Both men laughed. Ethan chuckled. Lucas patted Felix's head to console him while Joseph shook his head.
"And then, he ran back, cryin' that a big monster ate his fish." Joseph grinned.
"The dog was really big!" Felix cried out his excuse.
The men laughed at his indignant expression. Isabelle chuckled and then a thought crossed her mind, just caught the past innuendo. Her mouth filter failed her at that moment, and she could not help but blurt out: "Now, there's nothing small about him." Her words were a bit slurred, either from the wine or out of exhaustion, but it was clearly heard in the moment when both sides lulled to silence.
The Chief and Monthe choked on their wine. The women shrieked in delight, their gazes gaining a teasing light when they looked at the teen that hid his flushing face in his hands. The brothers just uproariously laughed while Isabelle pretended it had not been her who had spoken such words and continued eating, ignoring her own blushing face.
Though, looking at the group gathered around, she could not help but feel warmth.
A Chief who looked after the brothers and acted like a paternal figure. A future Boss who neatly weaved herself into a group of humble people. A couple who helped them get things at a lower cost when in need. And the other couple that were basically family friends.
Finally, there was the four handsome, skillful, responsible, hard-working and loving husbands with whom she was going to spend the rest of her life. She could not be happier.
By mid-afternoon the celebration lowered its intensity. The empty dishes were picked up and carried to wash. Corey and Vieve took upon the task and forbid the bride to help when she proposed to change and accompany them.
"It's your big day! Don't bother yourself with such menial tasks." Vieve said, Corey nodding behind.
Isabelle did want to change out of her dress and wash away the make-up. Since her excuse vanished, then she would have to do it on her own. As she walked to the front yard, she noticed Mrs. Attile standing by the rabbit pen. The chicken shed was built inside the rabbit pen and both species were getting along so far, so there was no need to separate them yet.
"Would you sell me a couple of rabbits? They look so cute!" Mrs. Attile suddenly voiced out, turning to Isabelle.
"You can take whichever you like." The younger woman dismissed. For the other to travel all the way from Basin Town to such a place like Yellow Leaf Village to be gawked, pointed and stared at, then Isabelle could give away a few rabbits with peace of mind.
"Nonsense! You feed and care for them. You invest time in them, so it's only fair that I pay." She took out a money pouch, opened it, pulled out bills and handed them to the younger woman. "Accept it." She almost ordered, probably noticing the other's resistance. She knew that marriage had to be built over love, respect, and a good sum of money, so it was the best gift she could give to the newlyweds.
"Thank you." Isabelle said, a bit ashamed. No only had Mrs. Attile brought a box filled with fabrics, she was also giving out money. She did not want to be seen as someone who took advantage of others.
How could Mrs. Attile not see the other's troubled face? "Don't feel bad. I will grab the cutest rabbits, anyway. And, you will also horse around my store in the future, so it's fair." She cheekily winked. The two looked at each other for a second before laughing. "Now, I'm afraid I have to go. My husband is pretty lenient, yet he insists in eating dinner together." She rolled her eyes good-naturedly but could not hide the deep affection in her eyes.
Once the driver, who had also joined in the festivities, grabbed the two rabbits Mrs. Attile pointed at, they boarded the carriage and left.
"Guess we'll be going, too." The other guests, seeing that the afternoon was ending, also decided to leave and return to their homes.
"You can use the cart." Felix immediately offered. The two families were going far and had kids, so it was best to travel fast.
Vieve shook her head. "We know a short-cut from here if we go by foot." She haphazardly pointed at a direction. Monthe nodded, confirming that there was indeed a way for them to arrive early to their village if they walked than by using the cart.
Then, the group of newlyweds turned to Corey and David, silently offering the cart. "The town is close, it's fine. Besides, we need to do some walking. It tires the kids." David also rejected the offer and gave an even better excuse. With how energetic their kids were, this bit of exercise was perfect to put the kids to sleep easily.
After seeing most of the guests out, the five members of the Edris family turned to look at the passed-out Chief. He had truly gone all out and drank a lot. The brothers looked at each other, silently deciding who was going to carry him back. Lucas tacitly nodded, then Joseph thought it would be best to accompany his taciturn second brother in case an explanation was needed.
The other two, then, took upon themselves the job of drawing up baths for everybody after putting the wedding gifts away and guide their new horse into the plot so it could rest. The cart was left in the courtyard, taking up a lot of space, but it was a temporary measure before they built the shed for both the cart and the horse.
As Crisse enjoyed the shoulder massage from his Wife (truly, that useless brat from Two Stone Village was a lost cause, not teaching him would relieve him from his stressing duty), he heard someone calling from outside the house. Crisse grumbled, thinking it was some villager wanting to ask a favor from his Dad, and was already coming up with a good excuse for them to return later, or never.
Big was his surprise to see two Edris brothers standing in the courtyard, with the biggest one carrying the aforementioned old man on his back. Was his Dad mumbling about his Mom and wedding drinks? What was going on? Had his old man drunk so much he passed out?
"Where should we leave him?" Joseph queried, unable to wait any more for Crisse to speak up.
Only then Crisse reacted. "Oh! Come inside… I, um, his room is at the back." He gestured at the two to come in, though only Lucas moved and walked in. Crisse's eyebrow twitched. He opened his mouth but hesitated. What should he say?
In his moment of indecision, his Wife, Isolde, took over the task of guiding Lucas to the Chief's room. A moment later, the tall man came out of the house. The two brothers quickly turned to leave. Crisse looked at their backs and sighed until he felt an elbow ribbing him. He turned to look at the woman standing beside her; his considerate and thoughtful Wife not so subtly gestured at the two brothers.
Without being prompted again, he followed the two figures who stopped when they heard his rushing steps. "Congratulations on your marriage! I will prepare a proper gift soon, and... if there is anything I can help you with, don't doubt to tell me." Crisse stated, his eyes filled with sincerity and determination, there was also a hint of hope.
Lucas nodded. "Thank you."
"We'll be waitin' for that gift!" Joseph smirked and carelessly waved as the two once again made their way back.
Crisse knew those few words were not enough to mend their broken past friendship, but it was the first step to build a new one.