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LOST IN YOUR ARMS(by Kenoquill)



In the village of Ravensbrook, nestled amidst rolling hills and vibrant meadows, a sense of tranquility filled the air.

Life flowed steadily for its inhabitants, guided by the age-old wisdom passed down from generation to generation, led by village elders the people lived in unity and harmony.

The people of Ravensbrook valued virtues and good morals above anything in the world, they saw it as what has kept them in peace and prosperity.

Ethan, the only son of the village Head, a young man of twenty-three summers, was a dreamer with a restless heart.

From his childhood, he always loved to visit Arim a young travelling merchant from their village.

Arim always came back from his travels with new stories of ports and cities beyond their own.

Ethan hoped to one day sail across the Deep Sea with him.

His days were spent overseeing the large farm his family owned, but his mind never stopped yearning for excitement beyond the village's borders.

On a crisp autumn morning, a mysterious stranger arrived in Ravensbrook's market.
Her name was Rosalind, her presence exuding an air of intrigue, immediately drew attention from the villagers.

With a cascade of red urls and eyes the color of emeralds, she possessed a beauty that seemed ethereal, but it was her enchanting looks that truly captivated their hearts, it was her high spirit, and this also made some wary of her.

When Ethan first laid eyes on Rosalind in the market, his world tilted on its axis. She was breathtaking in her red dress and lightly jeweled neck.

He watched her hands dance around the bottle of spices she was bringing to her nose. When she sniffed one she had a look on her face, one of utter bliss.

He was to collect the payment for his father's rams he had sold to Tam the butcher.
Ethan did so quickly and followed this mysterious woman as she made her way into the village.

As Rosalind weaved her way through the village she sang, her voice carried like a lilting melody, charming all who crossed her path.
Her voice was rich and was velvety to Ethan's hearing

They had gotten to the Village's central well when he was bold enough to speak
"Hello there" he said and she turned to him
There was a brief twinkle in her eyes and she gave him a half smile

It was enough to make his heart melt
"Well, hello to you too..."

"I see you are not from around here" he continued trying his best not to make a full of himself

"And who are you to know that, if I may ask" she said but it almost sounded like a calculated purr of a cat.

"I am Ethan, Son of Hermun the Village head, and I've known almost everyone since I was a child and I would know a new face when I saw one"

He smiled at her and luckily for him, she smiled back
"Ok then Ethan, I guess you could help me I. Getting to know about Ravenbrook, and maybe it's because I look so different no one has offered to do so"

Ethan scratched behind his neck "They aren't usually like this, the people here a very kind and they will warm up to you...soon" he eyed her jeweled neck and her bright colored dress, which showed off a lot of her chest, girls he had grown up with wore clothes that covered them more than this lady's did.

He knew she was different but it intrigued him
"I'll tell you about Ravenbrook, if you tell me about you and where you are from"
He grinned at her.

"Fine...My name is Rosalind" she turned and kept walking towards the path she had been walking towards and Ethan followed
Every evening since that they after Ethan was done at the farms, he met her at the well.
They got to know more of one another and as the days went on Ethan found himself more drawn in by this strange lady.

She spoke of distant lands, tales of adventure, and dreams too grand to be contained within Ravensbrook's modest boundaries. Ethan, a captive audience, found himself drawn deeper.

Whispers of circulated among the villagers, for they recognized Ethan slowly change from his cheerful self with everyone to them seeing less of him, and that it began in Rosalind's wake.

Some of the village elders tried to caution Ethan and Spoke to his Father about what they had observed.

His father decided to talk to Ethan one day
"Son, our lives may feel confined to you, but it has kept the peace within our walls and with other villages, and when I am gone the people will have you to look up to, to maintain the peace"

"Father, if you are speaking of learning our ways and tending to our farms and animals, I am doing that" Ethan argued, his features darkened.

"I am speaking of Rosalind, you will see her no more, focus on the work before you son, there are many other women even beyond Ravensbrook, but not that one"

"But why father?!" Ethan stood on his feet and started down at his father, his nose flared.

"Because she is Arim's bride!... he brought her home from a far country on one of his travels—he spent a month with her and left on one of his travels again...."

"That's a lie, no one heard of the marriage and no one held a party on their return" Ethan held his father's gaze, but Hermun only stared at his son with a look of pitiful sorrow in his eyes
"Son you need to understand.....she seems like trouble, and even his family disapproved so no one speaks of her."

" She doesn't live at Arim's house, I know this place like the palm of my hands father!..its just people spewing nonsense" when Hermun didn't give an answer, Ethan felt frustrating squeeze his gut

"I will ask her myself"

Ethan stormed out of his father's house that night and made his way to Rosalind's house, she had shown him the way to get there some days ago, he had seen no sign of a man, what his father had said must have been a concocted story to change his heart.

He had to ask her for himself, to hear her say it to him, after all these months he was sure she would have told him if she was married.

As he neared the house, he heard her sing, entranced by Rosalind's siren voice, he brushed aside the voice of his father’s concerns.

He told himself that he knew Arim's house and this wasn't it

"Hello Rosalind " he called out
She came out and smiled at him
Rosalind led Ethan into her house a secluded cottage nestled deep within the whispering woods, away from prying eyes.

They both sat at her table, with a basket of fruit in front of him, he stared at her hands as she picked an apple and brought them to her full lips.

When she was done with the apple, she turned her attention to Ethan seated quietly in the corner.

“Ethan, did you come all the way to be quiet?” she smiled at him

“Are you married to Arim?” Ethan asked, his palm sweaty

Her smile fell “No I am not married to any man?!”

She stood and walked away from him and he followed standing behind Rosalind
“Ever since I moved here, people have had one story or another about me…but I didn’t expect you to believe them”

She turned to Ethan and looked in his eye, he saw the pain there, the pain he had caused
“My family died in a fire, I lost everything including the house, it sat atop my father’s spices shop and all I left with we’re clothes, these clothes from my friends”

She swallowed “I couldn’t stay there, it was too hard…too painful, I wanted to start afresh somewhere quiet”

Ethan pulled her into a hug
“I’m sorry….I'm sorry” he kept saying in her ear, as his hands ran along her back soothing her as she sobbed.

She moved out of his embrace a little and looked into his beautiful blue eyes

“You were the only one that made me feel welcomed” she sniffed and Ethan raised a finger to brush away little teardrops that fell from her eyes.

Rosalind looked so vulnerable, so broken and alone; Ethan felt the need to protect this woman with all that he had.

He leaned in and kissed her on the cheek and then on her lips and she held onto him tightly
As the night wore on within her cottage, their desires intertwined like thorny vines, their hearts shrouded in a cloak of secrecy. The cottage became their sanctuary, a den of darkness where the rules of morality were discarded, and the intoxicating blend of love and lust reigned supreme.

When it was over, in the shadows doubts began to gnaw at Ethan's conscience, he questioned if he had done the right thing.

The flickering candlelight revealed the consequences of his actions, Rosalind laid asleep by his side, naked.

He loved her and Ethan believed it was enough to fight for what they had begun. He slipped out and made his way home before dawn while she still slept.

Weeks rolled by and he kept coming back to her, the intoxicating thrall of their affair kept him shackled, and he pushed aside the lingering guilt, choosing to live in the ephemeral bliss that Rosalind's presence provided.

He went back to her day after day, and spoke no more of her to his father, it seemed for a while that all the dust had settled.

Ethan spent less time in the fields and with the villagers. He stopped eating dinner with his father.

His heart hand wandered away from the things he once deeply cared for.
Time wore on, eroding the façade of bliss that Ethan had meticulously constructed.

Rosalind's charms, once irresistible, began to fade, revealing the hollow nature of their liaison. Doubt clawed at Ethan's heart, and he yearned for the simplicity of the life he had forsaken. In the depths of his soul, his father’s warnings resurfaced.

Ethan decided to spend time in the fields with his father’s workers and tend to the animals.
Some nights he didn’t leave the farm and for three days he didn’t go to Rosalind, he felt he needed to find a missing part of himself. He loved her deeply but he still felt incomplete, more lost than he had ever been.

Tessa an older woman who sold grains in Ravenbrook and other villages, drew him aside on a day he passed by her stall on his way to collect payment from Tam the butcher.

"How have you been Ethan"

"I am good Tessa" he gave her a kiss on the cheek

"Your father must be so proud to have you as a son" she chuckled

“You flatter me Tessa as always” he grinned at her

“Its true, you are a dutiful son, this village will be blessed by the heavens to have you be its head someday”

Ethan didn’t feel so sure about that.
"I have some exotic spices coming in tomorrow..." She said interrupting his train of thought.

"That's amazing, maybe I'll get some for father to make goat stew"

"Yes, you should, Arim always brings the best stuff home, he's our best merchant"
Ethan didn’t know why he stiffened at his name
“Arim is back?”

“Yes Ethan, he returned two days back with so many goods and he couldn’t stop talking about going home to his new bride”

“New bride?” Ethan felt the earth under him move, he felt like throwing up his breakfast
"That wife of his, she is a flighty beautiful thing…I would run home to her if I were Arim" she continued

"He has a wife? Who is she" Ethan felt his palms become sweaty, he prayed, hoped it wasn't Rosalind

"Oh that new friend of yours I see you with every evening...i thought you would know"
"No" He shook his head

" No?...well Arim did say she wanted to move to another house, she didn’t like the old one he lived in…she is quite different..." Tessa chuckled and kept talking but Ethan didn't hear the rest.

“Why did no one say anything or throw some celebration?” he felt angry at himself, everything, everyone.

He was trying even his breath
“well it’s obvious to every eye that she’s not very tame..and we would rather avoid the gossip” Tessa eyed Ethan.

“Arim's taste for exotic things, the bizzare and exploring also affected his choice for a wife, something's going to go amiss soon” she clucked her tongue.

“He's so old and she’s so young…what was he thinking” she said more to herself than Ethan
"Save some spices for me Tessa" he said in a low voice he gave her a small smile and turned to go.

He stumbled through the market and found his way home. He tried his best not to throw up his lunch, he felt sick, sick with guilt.
He had pretended it was nothing for so long, but by tomorrow there was no more hiding from the consequences of his wandering heart, he had wandered so far till he became lost in her arms.

The defining moment arrived, shattering the fragile illusion Ethan had clung to.

The consequences of his actions unfolded before his eyes, leaving him hollow and disillusioned. With a heavy heart, he finally recognized the magnitude of his mistakes, and the weight of his remorse threatened to consume him.

In the depths of despair, Ethan sought solace in the embrace of his father. He searched for him, Hermun sat in front of the hearth starting into the fire.

"Father I need your help"

"I know" hermun answered, simply without looking at his son.

"I went to her and I did something wrong, and I kept going back, I couldn't stop"
"I know" Hermun answered, still staring into the fire

"Are you even going to look at me!...say something that is not 'I know'..." Ethan was breathing hard
His father stood from his chair and walked slowly towards his son, he held him in an embrace.

"I knew that day you came home, it was in your eyes....i waited for you to come to me" Ethan broke down and sobbed like a baby
"I should have listened to you father"
He wailed until he had no more strength and his father held him still.

Hermun held his son, his heart broken but full of love for Ethan, he had promised Mirsa his wife on her deathbed to raise and protect their son, with everything.
He planned to do just that.

The next day Hermun called Arim to his home. Arim felt it a great honor and shared with Ethan’s father his experience on his travels.
They shared a drink and a meal, and Hermun shared with him what had happened while he was away.

Arim was full of fury but he admitted that he knew of his wife's promiscuous ways, he had found out after he married her.

Her family had indeed perished, but she had been that way before he married her, but he loved her enough to give her a fresh start.
“What will be done about her ways Arim…she did lie to Ethan”

“And your Son did not also heed your warnings”
Both men stared at one another.

A compromise needed to be reached and they both knew it.

Arim was much younger than Hermun, he should show more respect, but Arim felt wounded even though he knew most of it was Rosalind's fault for leading Ethan on, but it didn’t excuse him either.

“I will speak to her, If she does something like this or even show any sign of misbehavior, we will move to another village “

Arim continued "Ravenbrooks has been my home, no matter my travels, it’d be a shame to leave…I want it to be hers too”

“We would not want to loose you or her Arim” Hermun responded understanding the man’s pain and the decision he might have to make if she didn’t change.

He left with a bow to Hermun, and a promise not to harm Ethan.

As he stepped out of their home, Arim met Ethan at the doorway kneeling, his head to the ground at his feet and in tears
“Ethan, rise” Arim's hands rested on his shoulders
“I don’t deserve your mercy, you should tell everyone and punish me”
“To what end boy?, it would shame my family too….I do wish you harm, but heavens help me “
Ethan raised his head to meet Arim's sad but smiling face
“In my travels I’ve seem many thing more shocking than her affair, and I risked a lot bringing her home…I loved her too much, I still do ”

Ethan understood how Arim felt all too well. Rosalind was like new wine to a thirsty man, she brought life to him, and with it devastation.
Arim left for his house to settle things with Rosalind.

Herman looked at his son glowing in the morning sunlight, he looked lighter, a burden lifted. He understood Ethan had a lot more training ahead of him to fill in his shoes, but he knew at heart Ethan was a true and caring leader their village needed.

As Ethan embarked on the arduous journey of self-discovery, he began talking with the people of Ravenbrook like he used to and the village enveloped him in a blanket of compassion.

Through his father’s unwavering support, he learned that it was never too late to reclaim one's path and rebuild a life shattered by regret.

Ethan emerged from the depths of darkness, a transformed man. The scars of his past became badges of humility and strength, reminding him of the dangers that lay in the pursuit of forbidden desires. With newfound wisdom, he set out to rebuild his life, to mend the broken relationships that had suffered in his time with Rosalind.

And when Hermun was laid to rest many years later, Ethan had found for himself a beautiful wife and he became a great leader expanding the village, just like Tessa and Hermun foresaw.


©Kenoquill

Good write up. Thanks for sharing

Thank you AryEmber. I'm glad you enjoyed it💕

Very impressive writing. Now let me go save a damsel in distress in Garki