Elisset The Gold

Chapter 8

"Who were those raiders?" Elisset asked, her voice was quiet and thin as she spoke, and she saw her hands shaking as she accepted the cup of spiced wine from Mabyl.

"Raiders? They weren't raiders lass, no, they're with the local Sheriff. He sends them out to squeeze more taxes out of us, but we ain't got nothing, so every moon or so, they come along and burn down a barn or two, or abscond with someone in a sack, like they were trying to do with young Bernie. Sometimes they come back, sometimes they don't."

"The Sheriff?" Elisset was struggling to understand what Mabyl was saying. Her words seemed to sift slowly through a treacle in her mind before coming to clarity.

"Aye, the Sheriff. Employed by the Earl to gather taxes and the such." Mabyl sat down next to Elisset and helped her raise her cup to her lips. "Take a drink lass, it will help you with the shock of things, warm your blood up."

Elisset took a short sip of the drink, the heat of it filling her mouth and nose, the fragrant spices dancing across her tongue as she swallowed it. 

"It's nice." She took another sip, then a longer draught of the cup. It felt like the first warm spring wind after a cold winter to her. "That was delicious." Elisset said as she finished the cup, surprising herself with her own enthusiasm for the drink even now missing the warm sweet floral dance across her tongue. 

"Does the Earl know about these brutes?" Elisset asked the old woman.

"Oh I'm sure he does. He don't do anything to stop them, that's for sure. Always been that way round here, since I was a lass myself. Aye, we pay the taxes, we get left alone, we don't pay the taxes, they come round hassling us. That's the way of it."

"But that's barbaric. The Earl should be protecting and shielding you from harm, not causing it!"Elisset slammed down her cup and stood upright.

"Easy lass..." Mabyl put her hand out to calm Elisset, and Elisset took hold of it firmly as her head spun and she felt weak.

"What was in that wine?" She asked as she slumped back down, her body sinking into the wooden backed chair as lead filled her limbs.

"Just something to help you sleep. You're all shook up after that fight. It's nout that will hurt you lass, don't worry."

Elisset looked over to Mabyl as she felt the soft embrace of sleep cover her. She forced herself to stay awake. 

"Who is your Earl?" She asked.

"Earl Landsbrooke, he's called. His Grandsire was the previous Earl, died about twenty years ago now. Was much the same. Never seen either of them but I hear they are harsh men, albeit some say they are fair."

"Fair? Beating and kidnapping his own people is not the actions of a fair man."

"Well, they don't do it if we pay the taxes, though. Its only if we don't pays up. Some say that's fair. But no, not me. We should pay our taxes, aye, that's what we agree for his protection, and we should be punished if we don't pay, fair is fair, but the beating and the taking of us is too harsh, too much punishment." Mabyl looked at Elisset quietly for a moment, her eyes wet and large. "But what can we do about it? We make sure we pay what he asks, and then we live on happily. Sometimes we can't, and what you saw tonight happens. Nothing we can do about it."

"Where is  Earl Landsbrooke's hall? Is it near?" Elisset asked. Mabyl sighed, then stood and opened a trunk in the corner of the small room, taking out a wool blanket.

"Don't you worry about that, young Lyffa the Brave. You've done enough." She said as she tucked the blanket around Elisset's limp form. "You rest up now, sleep deep and sleep well."

Elisset thought to ask again, but a soft kiss on her forehead stopped her, and she allowed sleep to take her once more, feeling the warm weight of the blanket and the soft cushioning of the wine insider her as she slipped into slumber.