She Who Would Valiant Be - Episode 1

The young Lady stared wistfully out of the window in the castle walls, a slight breeze ruffled her finery.

“He looks so gallant, doesn’t he?” She said, to the room at large.

“Very nicely turned out, yes miss” The old lady, bustling around behind her, agreed.

“He’s using my scarf as his pennant, you know?”  The young Lady said, with pride.

“Hmmm, bright orange eh?  I should think the enemy will see him coming for miles”

“And he will strike fear into their hearts!” The young Lady said, loyally.

“If you say so, miss”

“I do say so!  And he will return victorious and bring glory to our House”

“Like I say, if you say so, miss”

“Don’t you think he will be victorious?” The young Lady asked, suspiciously.

“Put it this way, the lads in the kitchen have him at 20 – 1, which I reckon is bit on the generous side.  Still, who knows, eh?”

“He will prevail!  He has right and the might of the Good Lord on his side”

“That’s as may be, but he’s also just got a couple of dozen lads what were still working the fields first thing this morning.  Plus, it’s not as if he’s got a lot of experience himself, is it?”

“He has been practicing diligently for weeks.  Why, look at the injuries he sustained only the other week!  I bathed them and put sweet unguents on them and restored him to full health” There was a slight catch in her voice.

“Oh, I know you did, lovey, and a right fine job you made of it.” The old lady responded, reassuringly, “but, you’ve got to bear in mind, he was practicing on his own.  Them injuries…he did that to ‘isself!”

“What are you saying?”  The young lady asked, sharply.

“I’m just sayin’, if he can do that much damage to ‘isself when he’s practicing, how’s he going to go on when he’s got a real foe in front of him, eh?  That’s why I’m packing a bag” The old lady busied herself, rooting through an old oak chest.

“Packing a bag?  Why, where are you going?”

“Well, I was working on the general principle of ‘away’, miss”

“But why?  Soon my Lord will return, victorious, and there will be feasting and much celebration” The young Lady said, hopefully.

“Well, that’s as may be, miss” The old lady agreed, still rummaging through the chest, “but what if he’s not, eh?  What if, instead of him coming back all victorious and how’s-your-father, what if it’s them what he’s fighting what come back?  What then, eh m’Lady?”

“That will not happen!” The young Lady said, firmly, “anyway, why the rush?  The battle could rage for hours, days even”

“Five minutes”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Five minutes is as long as I’d give it, and that’s only if he manages to put up a halfway decent fight” The old lady said, emphatically.

“You are disloyal and I shall tell his Lordship so when he returns” The young Lady stamped her elegant foot and turned back to glower out of the window.

“You do that, miss.  Like you say, I’m not showing much loyalty.” The old lady went back to her rummaging.   “What I will be showing is a fine pair of heels.  You sure you don’t want me to pack a bag for you?”

“Quite sure, thank you” The young Lady said in a clipped tone, then, “just out of idle curiosity, you understand,” She fiddled with a fine scarf, running it between her fingers, “what might happen if my Lord were not to be victorious?”

“Well, m’Lady” The old lady took a break from her rummaging and eased herself upright, “in that case, them what he’s fighting, the barbarians as you might say, they’ll come rampaging up here and pillage the place”

“Pillage the castle?”  The young Lady’s hand shot to her mouth.

“Well, let’s call a spade a spade, eh?  It’s not really a castle is it, if we’re going to be honest?  It’s more a tower with a walled yard outside”

“He’s had a lot on, lately.  There hasn’t been time to do more” The young Lady sniffed.

“Oh, I’m sure you’re right m’lady.  Any road, these ruffians, they’ll come ‘ere and pillage the place. Take anything what’s not nailed down, type of thing.”  The old lady sat down, heavily, on the chest.  “And then, being barbarians an’ all, they’ll probably do that what usually comes with pillage”

“That comes with pillage?  Oh, you mean…” A blush crept over the young Lady’s cheeks.

“Ah now, come on, I know what you’re thinking an’ you’re wrong” The old lady slapped her knee for emphasis, “you’re thinking this hulking great barbarian is going to come striding in ‘ere, say ‘Well, me proud beauty, I have come to claim my prize’ or summat like that, then throw you to the floor and have his wicked way with you, aren’t you?”

“I’m sure I don’t know what you mean?” She sniffed and turned to look out of the window again, but the blush deepened.

“It ain’t like that” The old lady shook her head, furiously, “It’s nastier, it’s messier, it’ll probably involve a whole bunch of them, and it could end up with you having your throat cut!”

The young Lady’s hand flew, involuntarily, to her fine, slender neck.

“Surely not!”

“Well, there’s no telling.  Happen as they might take you away with them, you being young and beautiful an’ all that, but they’ll burn this place down whether they do or they don’t!  Shall I pack you a bag?”

“Perhaps it might be expedient.  Just until my Lord returns” The young Lady nodded.

“That’s the style, miss.  I’d get summat sensible on your feet an’ all, it’s going to get muddy out there and we might have a bit of walking to do”

“I will retire to a safe distance to await my Lord’s victorious return” The young Lady said, chin upturned and looking every inch the heroine.

“Yeah, that’s the spirit missy.  You and me, we’ll watch for his glorious return from a nice safe distance, eh?  Now, get your boots on, we need to get cracking”

As they scurried out of the tower, the old lady laden with two large bags, the young Lady holding her fine linen up so that it wouldn’t drag in the dirt of the yard, they could hear, from a distance, the clang of metal on metal and the loud shouts of many men.  A sudden cheer and the sound of much running caused them to stop and look over their shoulders.

“Has my Lord vanquished the enemy?”  The young Lady asked, hopefully.

“Well,” the old lady began, still striding off into the distance, “it could be that way but, ask yourself this.  How many lads did his Lordship take with him to battle?”

“A couple of dozen, I suppose” The young Lady admitted.

“And, does the sound of all them running feet sound like a couple of dozen lads heading back home to you?”  The old lady asked, over her shoulder, one eyebrow raised questioningly.

“I’ll follow you, shall I?”

“That’s the way, m’Lady” The old lady smiled grimly, jogging toward the open country, “that’s the way”

You can now read the whole Young Lady and her Maid saga in a handy book form, for just 99p for the Kindle edition, or FREE if you're on that Kindle Unlimited thingy!  If you're happier with a paperback, there's one of those as well for only £4.99.  Just follow the links, below:

The Chronicles of a Young Lady (and her Maid) - Kindle Edition

The Chronicles of a Young Lady (and her Maid) - Paperback