Blindsided

Writers: Suzee, Heather
Date Posted: 19th September 2013
Series: The Unwanted Sister

Characters: Arippa, Reven
Description: Over hearing something she wished she hadn't
Location: Green Valley Hold
Date: month 3, day 7 of Turn 7
Notes: @Green Valley

Mentioned: Felyna, Zathris, Benani (not by name)

Arippa

Reven

She sat listless at her table with her lunch in front of her
untouched. Looking out of the window of her room, she could see the
fields and trees beyond, but they'd suddenly lost their color. Her
entire world had taken on an immutable shade of gray.

She'd been blindsided as she walked in the garden that morning. On a
beautiful day with clear skies and if she hadn't planned a ride, she
like to stroll through the garden and enjoy the flowers as a break in
her work of running the house. So this morning she'd gone for her
customary stroll and while she'd been enjoying a particularly
beautiful flower that had just burst from its bud that morning. She
heard voices not far away.

"Do you think she even suspects?" The voice was pitched low but the
accent was obviously not of the upper class.

"Oh I doubt it. She only sees what he wants her to see. Haven't you
seen those stars in her eyes. She's so smitten by our Holder that she
wouldn't know it if he was lifting that girl's petticoat right in
front of her."

Arippa had dropped to a bench and almost forgotten to breathe. Her
trembling hand had risen to her mouth in disbelief.

The voices had gone on with crude intent and little flattery in her
direction until there was no doubt in her mind they were speaking of
her husband.

"Well alls I can say is iff'n he looks in my direction he won't be
disappointed, An' thas a fact! Thats some fine manflesh there." The
other had agreed and then they'd drifted out of earshot. Arippa had
fled back to her room.

**It can't be,** she told herself. Then there was a knock at her door
and she took a deep breath. She didn't want to but she had to let
whoever it was come in. So, she called out. "Come in."

Reven pushed open the door, revealing the Holder's tall, sturdy frame
as he leaned against the doorway, and gave his wife one of his
trademark grins. He had been thinking of nothing _but_ Arippa all
morning. He'd not even been able to concentrate when he had gone down
to discuss some things with Caenir. Ever since Arippa had come to live
at Green Valley, Reven had found that he wanted to spend every spare
second with her. When the man's eyes dropped to the food set out
before her.

"I had hoped to catch you before lunch," he admitted as he pushed away
from the doorway and closed the door behind him. Crossing the room
Reven pressed a kiss to the top of his wife's head, "Have you had a
good morning?"

She didn't flinch away from him but she gripped the edge of the table
so hard her knuckles turned white. "I took a walk in the garden," she
said finally though her voice sounded hoarse in her ears. "How was
your _meeting_." She couldn't help stressing the word and the thought
of which skirt he must have been lifting. Tears hovered hot behind her
eyes but Felyna had warned her this could happen.

Reven's mouth turned down into a frown as he glanced at Arippa's grip
on the table, "It was fine, Caenir has been working hard to sort out
the bloodlines of the runners so we can make Green Valley a good
competitor in the market." His eyes traveled up to the tense line of
her shoulders, "Arippa, what is wrong?" He was a newly married man,
and not a mastermind when it came to women, but he was smart enough to
know when something wasn't quite right with the normally cheerful
woman.

"Caenir?" She nodded though she wondered if that was just a cover for
what he'd really been doing.. They'd spoken much about runners since
she'd grown up at Amber Hills. Her home hold was noted for their
runners and she'd grown up with them. She took a deep breath. Felyna
had told her to go carefully if something like this happened. "I'll be
fine," she said and tried to smile. "Just some unexpected news."

"What can I do to make it better?" Reven asked, reaching out to gently
cup Arippa's cheek in his hand. If it was within his power, he would
do anything to see his wife happy.

She didn't flinch away from his touch but she did kind of lean away
slightly. Had she been foolish to think they could have a love match
like her Aunt and Uncle. She'd never heard a breath of Lord Zathris
ever seeing anyone not his wife. Not even when she was very heavy with
the twins. But perhaps that had been too much to hope for. Yet, she
smiled and then shrugged since she couldn't tell him what she really
felt. "Don't worry," she said. "I'll be alright."

"Did I tell you my sister is coming for a visit," she added since she
could really be happy about that.

Reven guessed that he was just going to have to file Arippa's odd
behavior under the "woman things" category, which he knew nothing
about, and continue forward. Instead, he smiled as she mentioned the
visit of her sister, "No, I knew that you wanted her to but I didn't
know that a date had been finalized. I didn't really get to see very
much of her before," it had been their wedding and there hadn't been a
lot of time for socializing, "so I look forward to meeting her
again.... And I'd like to see if I can tell my wife apart from her
twin sister." He chuckled.

She smiled at his quip though she knew that she and Faldrimme could
make it near impossible for him if they decided to take the challenge
but in her current state of mind she didn't' think she wanted to play
that game.

"You never know," she said. "So you should be careful who you tug into
a kiss." That last sentence held double meaning for her though it was
probably totally lost on him.

Reven reached out and touched a strand of Arippa's hair, "You got that
right, my dear, there's only one woman that I want to be kissing." He
told her affectionately. In the Holder's eyes no other woman could
even compare to his wife's beauty, not even her nearly identical twin.

Her heart nearly broke right then. But more than anything Arippa
wanted things to go back to the way they had been that morning before
any of this had come out, before she had heard a single word. Trying
to remember Felyna's instruction, she wanted to take the part of her
husband that he could give her.

Arippa stood and put her arms around his waist and buried her face
against his chest. She just couldn't help herself. "I love you."

He kissed the top of her head, "And I love you."

Last updated on the March 26th 2014

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