The Shield And The Sword

Isla Chapter One Part One

"Okay. Lunchtime is over."
I give the big kitchen table a good last-minute wipe and was about to reach for the broom when Lizzy walked through the door.

"Allow me, miss Isla."

Lizzy took the broom but set it aside to look me up and down. She raised her brow disapprovingly.
"Ye cannot go to the Manor looking as frazzled as that."

"Of course not. I just finished the stew for tonight's dinner. I hope it tastes better than last night. I was afraid that my reputation as a bad cook would spread and no one would come today..."

"I said I would do it. Now, look at ye," she mumbled, loosening the strings of my apron. I waited for her to contradict what I just said about my cooking. I should have known better. Lizzy is as honest and straightforward as they come.

"Go and wash up at the back, I will fetch a clean apron and a brush for that unruly hair of yours."
I pulled a pouty face at her.
"You are being mean."
She shrugged, a sad smile tugging at the corners of her mouth and shooing me along impatiently.
Although she does not know this, Lizzie suffers from manic depression. If she starts to cry now, it might last for hours and hours, and that will do us no good at the moment.
"I'm going. I'm going," I whined and walked to the back of the kitchen to the big wooden tub. I scooped out water with a ladle and into a smaller basin we used for washing and rinsing our hands, I poured some fresh water to wash my face. I rubbed vigorously at my neck and chest with a piece of rag, then smoothed down my hair with my wet hands.
Hopefully, it will make brushing and braiding my hair so much easier.

I heard Lizzy's footsteps and hurried to carry the basin to the back door and drained its contents over the herb beds outside.
When I returned to the kitchen, she waited with a fresh apron and the dreaded brush in hand. She pulled out a chair and indicated with a lift of her brows for me to sit.
I pulled a pained face at the torture to come. I narrowed my eyes into suspicious slits.
"Sometimes I think you secretly hate me, Lizzy."
She clucked her tongue in answer and continued unbraiding my thick, curly hair.
My hair is long at the moment, almost hanging below my bum. Lizzie lifted the ends and started brushing out the knots and tangles.
"Wherefore ye neglect a chore as simple as brushing hair, I can not fathom, Isla dear. You have such lovely hair, match the tails of the Athenian horses when you bound it with that hair tie of yours. I am convinced you are just as extraordinary and as hard-headed as they."
This is not the first time Lizzy admired my hair or complimented my looks in that tone like I don't know what I have and I should be thankful and take better care of myself.
I thanked her for the compliment and the insult by giving her a shoulder bump against her thigh.

I have never seen these Arthenian mountain horses but Mister Farly once mentioned that they are dark brown, larger than their average-sized horse and their fur is slightly coarser.
I have type B curls not coarse at all but it dries out if I don't apply some kind of oil like castor or coconut oil to my hair. A hairdryer could straighten it out but the luxury of electricity and appliances are still a few hundred years away in the future.
Why Lizzie would prefer my darker complexion or my curls and smaller height to her fair complexion and lithe body, I just can't see.
I stick out like a sore thumb around here, and most days that is not fun at all.

She finished by fish braiding my hair on both sides of my head and into two tight ropes then tied it with the small hair ties I provided. "Just brush those down, Lizzie."
Because of the heat in the kitchen, the short hairs at my temple started to frizz and curl away from my head.
"Thanks, Lizzy," I said distractedly, as I took the clean apron from her.

She is taller than me by a few inches, so she helped me lift the clean apron over my head, careful not to mess up my freshly braided hair.
Once it was tied around my waist, I smoothed down the long sleeves of my dress, giving the skirt a good shake to get rid of any lint or fluff, then pulled on my black genuine leather boots with their sturdy rubber undersides. These are quality shoes. I do not wear them frequently cause the village does not have a tannery yet to repair them when needed and I doubt they will be able to match the soles on these shoes. Nevertheless, I'm moving back to the Manor house today. Might as well put them on before I forget to pack them.
"It is almost time for them to arrive, Liz. We will know by tonight whether the militia will stay here and make use of our rooms and our kitchen."
Lizzy moaned.
"It is going to be arduous serving so many men. They are not peasants and farmers and the odd traveler. They are crude, city men. They would take liberties with us poor females if their masters allowed them."