I Remember Nothing, But I Have Four Husbands

Isabelle expected to be tired and groggy after waking up, the usual sensations she had whenever she ran a fever in the middle of the night, but she was actually full of energy. The sun was already up, so she quickly dressed up and walked out of the empty house and into the noisy yard.

In the yard, Lucas was working on the wood Ethan brought; Joseph was nowhere to be seen, though he was most likely at the patch tending to it; meanwhile, Felix seemed to be tinkering in the kitchen. She pondered for a moment on who to bother and headed to the kitchen. There, the teen seemed to be stoking the fire, even when he was not cooking anything.

"Good morning, Felix." Isabelle greeted, startling the teen.

"Ah, you scared me…" Felix nervously chuckled, patting his chest to calm his heart.

"I apologize." She said, half mirthful and half sorry. "I wanted to ask if there is something I could use to clean my mouth." She had woken up with a terribly stale breath, not having cleaned her teeth in such a long time. She could not ignore the problem anymore. There was another matter she had to attend, too.

"Right on time!" Felix beamed. Then, he scooped some ashes in a small bowl and mixed it with salt. "Here, ye can use this to rub on yer teeth, just add water." He passed the bowl to her, who took it with skepticism. "There's already a bucket by the well for ya." He added.

Isabelle nodded and headed to the well, on the flat rock beside it was the bucket Felix mentioned filled with water. For a moment, she wondered if she had to wash her face or her teeth first. Teeth first! With her hand, she scooped some water from the bucket and poured it in the bowl to make a paste. Then, she started rubbing that paste all over her teeth.

At first, she was not so convinced of it, but after using it, she felt it was not so bad. The ashes had quite a distinctive taste that mixed well with the salt. With her other hand, she scooped more water and used it to finish washing her mouth. In the end, she was left with a rather clean mouth. It was better than she expected.

Then, she scooped water with both her hands to wash her face, making sure to leave some for her last task. She looked around to see if someone was seeing her, and when the coast was clear, she dashed with the bucket in her hand and the bowl in the other towards the small hut away from the house and kitchen. Once in, she inwardly cheered when her guess was correct.

Yes! A toilet!

It was nothing but a slightly raised seat with a hole in the middle, but it was enough! When done, she cleaned herself with the leftover water. And then, she used the last of the paste for her teeth and water to wash her hand. She was happy that she managed to use well the resources she was given and did not have to ask for more!

Opening the door in a good mood, she found herself face-to-face with Felix.

"I forgot to tell ya that if yer usin' the loo, to throw some leaves in it afterwards." The teen said. He felt a bit awkward, yet pulled through as it was something he had to relay to her.

Flustered, Isabelle looked back and found a pile of leaves in the corner and a shovel. "Oh." That was all she could voice out before grabbing the shovel and… no, she could not lift it. The bucket was fine since it was small, but the shovel was too heavy.

"I'll do it." Noticing her predicament, Felix quickly volunteered.

Belatedly, he realized he also did not warn her about the snakes that might nest in the leaves. Those, they did not kill as they took care of the rats around the house. They were used to seeing them, but he was unsure how she would react to them. Well, ignorance sometimes was a bliss, he thought as he finished shoveling leaves.

After the two returned to the house from the sudden ordeal, he served her breakfast. As she ate, she pondered what to do during the day. There truly were too little things to do… Never mind, she could only wash her clothes by the well; then, she would again have nothing to do.

It was Felix once again who came to her rescue and asked for help with some mending. Joseph's clothes were the ones that tended to tear more often, so those were the ones Felix needed help with, plus a few others from the other brothers. Since she was good at it, then he did not doubt to ask for her assistance.

"It's fine if ya just stitch up the torn parts." Felix offhandedly instructed before going to help Lucas sand the wood.

Isabelle immediately put herself to work. There were many pieces that needed mending. Joseph's clothes mostly torn from the seams; probably from doing an ample move. She wondered if maybe he had already outgrown the clothes and they tore up because they were too tight on him. She could not undo the seams to expand them as they were already on the edge of the fabric.

What Joseph needs are new clothes. These are practically rags! How can he wear them?!

Ethan and Lucas's few pieces only needed a few stitches in some torn places; these ones in random places, most likely from jobs and hunting, respectively. Stitching these up were easier, but at the same time harder since she did not want it to end up all scrunched up.

By the time she was done, Felix was already cooking lunch, Lucas was feeding Mrs. Rabbit, and Joseph had already returned and was working on shaving some bamboo stakes. Isabelle stretched to wear off the kinks she acquired after spending a long time in one position. Her eyes then stopped on the cup of water resting by the side. Her parched throat reminded her that she had not drank anything since breakfast.

After downing the water, she headed to the kitchen. "Do you need help?" She asked Felix, who was toiling around the place.

"Oh, no, it's fine…" The teen waved his hand, about to tell her to go sit. However, he quickly backtracked, recalling how his brothers fought for Isabelle's attention the night before. And his own promise to teach her how to cook. "…If ya wanna look, ya can stay though." Although he still doubted she could become their Wife, he still tried to make her feel at home and not like a guest or an outsider.

"What are you making?" Isabelle took up on his offer and stayed.

"Uh… well, I'm making soup. I know it ain't novel but 'when sick, always eat soup!'; that's what someone always told me whenever I got sick." Felix recounted with a small smile on his face.

"Soup sounds nice." Isabelle said in support of his words and his apparent fond memories of this person he mentioned. Then, she felt silent.

Felix eyed her as she inspected the kitchen. She did not look as if she was judging it, but he still felt nervous of what she would say. After all, he also had heard what all those women his brothers brought home said about their house. He was aware that their conditions were not good, but for someone to crudely point it out like those women did, still made him feel ashamed.

What would Isabelle say?

"You know, I have noticed something about the kitchen." Isabelle suddenly commented. Felix subconsciously tensed up, as if waiting for a harsh remark, and hummed. "It is not hot." She finished.

"Huh?" Felix dumbly rejoined.

"It is a kitchen. There is a stove with firewood vividly burning in it; only one window and the door for relative ventilation and illumination; and then, there is the chimney for the smoke. The place is not that big overall, but it is still not as hot as one would think a kitchen is." She pointed out, her voice tinted with curiosity and wonder.

She had barely noticed it the night before while she was cooking, but as she stood there watching the teen cook, she could pay more attention to it. Felix was dumbfounded. She had used so many words he had never heard before that he did not know if she was looking down upon their kitchen or not.

"Our Dad made it." From the door, Joseph spoke up, having heard their conversation. "Or that's what Ethan said. Everythin' 'ere was made by Dad."

He waved his hand, referring to the house, the kitchen, the loo, the fence. Literally everything. When the man started building, the place was just weed and trees. With time, the decrepit place turned into what they could see now. One sole man did it all!

Isabelle nodded, not knowing how to reply to Joseph's words. She knew nothing about their parents except for the fact that they passed away long ago. And despite curious, she did not ask.

Of course, Joseph did not say that to trouble her. He had approached the kitchen to ask if, "Food's done?" while looking at Felix.

"Yep!" Felix popped the p as he started serving the soup in bowls.

"Go wash yer hands and sit." Joseph told Isabelle, who was about to help Felix carry the bowls to the table. She rose her eyebrows at Joseph, but did as told. At the table, Lucas was already waiting for the food. And, as usual in their meals, the brothers chattered away about this and that while Isabelle remained silent.

It was a habit all the brothers quickly noticed and that she subconsciously did. She did listen to everything they talked about, she just never participated. After eating, Lucas picked the bowls up, implicitly indicating his turn at doing the dishes. Isabelle wanted to help him, but the others basically forced her to rest.

She was starting to get annoyed at them telling her what to do, yet the moment she laid down she got so drowsy that it did not take long for her to fall asleep.

"Everything has been arranged. You leave tomorrow."

Where am I going?

"Somewhere you will not be a nuisance for us."

No!

"Ah!"

"Ai!"

Two heads crashed against the other, sending both backwards, one to the floor, the other to the bed. Isabelle felt one of those skull-splitting migraines coming as she held her forehead, specifically the spot she hit against Felix's forehead when she quickly sat up, spooked by her dream.

"What happened?" Joseph rushed into the house after hearing the loud exclamations. Seeing the two holding their heads, he got the answer to his question.

He rounded the board and knelt beside Isabelle. Prying her hands away, he peered down at her head. Luckily, there was no blood, but considering she had a head injury, then he could guess the headache she had. So, he gently started to massage her temples with his thumbs and the back of her head with his fingers.

If Isabelle could hold back when Ethan massaged her, it was an impossible task with Joseph. She whined in a very debauched way that made Joseph pause; even Felix stopped rubbing his own smarting forehead to look at her with wide eyes.

Oh, no, now I have done it…

Opening her wet eyes, she locked gazes with Joseph's sharp and dark eyes. "Now, Isabelle, those sounds fer whenever we shag like animals on the bed, or wherever ya like, I ain't picky." Joseph said with a very crooked grin on his face. Isabelle flushed, badly.

"Joseph! You sleaze!" Felix cried out scandalized. "Ethan! Joseph's sayin' stuff to Belle!"

Geez, Felix, go tell the whole world if you want to!

Not able to stand the embarrassment, she laid back down on her bed and covered herself with the sheets. No matter how much the called-out Ethan tried to coax her to show herself, she did not move an inch. She even ignored Joseph's apology; though he did not sound contrite at all. In the end, Felix left her food by the bed together with a bowl of medicine.

She quickly ate and drank the medicine, taking advantage of the brothers being outside eating their own meals, and returned to her cocoon. She heard one of them taking the plates away, but she still could not face them. It was no longer out of embarrassment, but because Joseph's words opened up a box that she did not want to open yet.

She had wanted to probe with Lucas, alone in the mountains; yet Joseph came like a landslide, providing all sorts of images that refused to leave her mind. Like that, she fell asleep. And if she had some spicy and lewd dreams of her and Joseph, no one could blame her.

"Good morning, Isabelle." The awaiting Ethan greeted, seeing her sit up on the board the following morning.

"… morning…" Isabelle grumbled, more asleep than awake.

Ethan suppressed his smile and walked up to her with the medicine box in his hands. "Last night, I wasn't able to check on the wound after bumpin' yer head with Felix's. Can I see it before I go?" He gently coaxed, and put himself to work after she nodded. "It's healin' up nicely. Maybe just two more days o' medicine and yer good." He observed while cleaning and putting medicine on the wound. "I was thinkin'…" He trailed off, still unsure of the idea.

"Hm?" Isabelle hummed, prompting him to continue, that she was listening despite being sleepy.

"You wanna go with Lucas to pick up those flowers today?" Ethan asked.

She whipped up her head, dislodging his hands. All signs of sleepiness gone. "Can I go today?" She knew how much they worried about her health, so she had refrained from asking when she would be able to go. She never thought Ethan would bring up the topic! So soon at that!

"If ye don't have a headache an' take it easy…" Ethan compromised.

"I do not! And I will!" She interjected, broadly smiling at him. "Thank you!" Then, she threw herself to him in a hug. Ethan barely managed to prevent both from toppling on the floor and immediately hugged her back despite being shell-shocked by her gesture.

His body, though, rapidly reacted after feeling everything it could feel from her softness. From her ample bosom, to her filled up waist, to her thick thighs pressing against his. The moment he felt himself starting to get a boner, he decided it was enough. "Be good, I hafta go work." He patted her back, careful not to go too low no matter how much he wanted to.

Isabelle sat back and demurely smiled at him. "Good luck on your job today!" She wished him. Ethan nodded and left. The moment he was out, she hid her face in her hands so she could freely blush and grin like a lunatic.

I felt it! Heavens, he too!

The moment passed as the thought of going out and explore the area inundated her mind and had her heart thumping in wild excitement. She rushed through her morning ablutions, and felt no shame to call Felix so he could shovel the leaves into the pit. She almost choked on her breakfast from how fast she ate, too.

"Slowly." Lucas admonished her, passing over some water. She downed it in one go and continued eating, this time slower. If she got an upset stomach, then it was most likely that she would be forbidden to go.

Her eyes went from Lucas, who was waiting for her so they could go to the mountains, to the sprawled and immobile Felix on the table. Was he weak in the mornings or was he ill from the head bumping of the previous day? In hindsight, he did look a bit exhausted while shoveling the leaves.

"He woke up earlier than usual today." Lucas explained, noticing her confused and curious face as she looked at the sleepy Felix.

"Ah, it is best if he goes back to sleep, then." She suggested, feeling bad for Felix. She turned to Lucas when he shook his head.

"He's things to do. He can nap later." Lucas said. Isabelle nodded. It made sense. It was best to do everything in the morning and then rest in the afternoon. "Let's go?" He stood up and beckoned at her once he saw she had finished eating.

"Oh. Yes!" She exclaimed, jumping to her feet.

As she took the dishes to the pile by the well that Felix would wash later, he gathered the things they needed for their trip; baskets, shovels and the food Felix had cooked for them earlier, sacrificing an hour of sleep. Then, he approached the still sleepy Felix. "Make sure to feed Mrs. Rabbit. Change 'er water, too. Did'ya hear?"

"I heard. Ye can go." He mumbled, waving at them.

With all the excitement, the spirits and the enthusiasm of the world, Isabelle followed Lucas to the back of the house, then made their way down the path to the river, but before reaching it, they deviated to another less beaten path. The way to the mountains.

This will be so much fun!