The Robber Knight's Secret

42. Love of Lies

As hard as she tried, Ayla wasn't able to convince Reuben to stop training women. After a few days of basic training, he mentioned to Ayla during supper that he judged the time right to introduce the fighters to the next level of crossbow shooting.

She was burning with curiosity as to what he meant. But she would rather have stabbed herself in the eye than admit it. So after supper, she waited until he had left the table, and then followed him to the training grounds on tip toes.

Ayla heard his voice long before she saw him. When she finally reached the corner of the keep and peeked around, she saw him standing before his recruits, holding something in his hand she couldn't see.

"This," Reuben said, raising his arm, "is a loading belt."

Ayla could see now that in his hand, he held a leather belt with a large, ugly iron buckle.

"It is used to get additional strength for cocking the crossbow. Watch."

Buckling on the belt, Reuben attached its over-long ends to the string of the crossbow, and placed a bolt in the groove. Then, just as he had demonstrated to the villagers before, he placed a foot in the stirrup. But this time, when he rose, he didn't grab hold of the string. He just righted himself, letting the belt around his midriff pull back the string until the crossbow was cocked.

"You see?" he asked. "Like this, you don't need to exhaust your arms, which you'll need for holding the crossbow steady when shooting. Instead, you can utilize the full strength of your body when loading."

One of the villagers raised his hand, cautiously.

"Why would you need all that strength?" the man to whom the hand belonged asked.

"I wouldn't," Reuben told him bluntly. "But you would."

Another hand was raised.

"I must have cocked a crossbow dozens of times now, and I never had difficulties with it."

"Yes?" Reuben raised an eyebrow. "And how do you think you will fare when you have to cock it hundreds of times, as fast as you can, while arrows a flying all around you, and your comrades and friends lie dying left and right?"

No more hands were raised.

"So, which of you gentleman wants to try on this fashionable crossbow loading belt?" He held up another one of the ugly leather things with one hand. "Or maybe one of the ladies might like to try? Trust me, they'll look marvelous on you. They're all the rage down south, at the Emperor's Court."

A few of the ladies raised their heads.

"Really?" asked a plump girl of maybe twenty.

Reuben gave her a smile that could incinerate underwear at a hundred paces. "Of course. Would I lie to you?"

"O-of course, not, Sir. No."

"Exactly. All the fashionable ladies in the south don't even leave the house anymore without putting on their loading belt. No satin, no silk, not even jewels must be on them. That rough, military leather look is the height of Italian fashion."

"Oh, well... If that's the case, maybe it couldn't hurt to try one on..."

The plump girl stepped forward, but before she could get three paces, another girl rushed past her.

"I'll try it! Let me!"

"No! I was there first!"

"Get out of the way, you two! I want one of those!"

It didn't take long until all the ladies were wearing loading belts around their hips. All it then took were a few significant looks from wives to their husbands, saying "Go on. If we're to look ridiculous in the name of fashion and for the defense of our home, you had better do the same" and the men grudgingly availed themselves of the loading belts that remained.