"Revenge For a Daughter"

Kay hadn’t gone on the hunt. Now of age, he could have, but he didn’t. Not this afternoon. He was dead tired from the festivities the night before. He and the young squires, those about ready to become knights, had fought to lift the testing stones of Glamis. Only Kay and two others had succeeded in lifting the heaviest of the five rocks to their shoulders. Kay’s legs were still stiff from the repeated efforts they had made in admitted attempts to impress the young girls who were also now of age. They had succeeded.

Kay now walked through the halls of Castle Glamis, toward the kitchen. He preferred to get food himself when he could. And the servants had a bit of a day off with the men out to hunt. He didn’t really care to mess with it. He liked most of them.

He paused right outside the main hall. Shouts. It sounded like the servants yelling at each other. He continued on.

“You dare call yourself a stewardess?”

Kay whirled back around and threw open the door of the main hall. It smashed against the wall as he strode in to see his mother backed against a table, a knife to her throat. A man in peasants clothing held the knife. His other hand held one of his mother’s wrists.

“Leave her alone.”

The man stepped away, but kept his knife at her throat, held out arms length. “Do you know what your mother did?”

“Step away, dammit.” Kay moved toward the peasant.

“Back or I cut her throat!”

Kay halted. 

The man looked from Ailsa to Kay and back again. “You sent my daughter away to the far reaches of Glamis. All because she took a shine to your boy. And you know what? Do you know what they did there?” The man’s eyes were wet. “They took a shine to her there.” He drew a shaky breath. “She was eleven, Stewardess! Eleven!”

“Things like this happen every day,” said Ailsa. “It was no fault of mine.”

“Leave her alone,” shouted Kay. “I caused the problem.”

The man looked taken aback. “No, no it was your mother. Don’t defend her.”

Kay shook his head. “No, I’m challenging you. Aim the knife at me."

"The Deaths"

I wiped the blood from my hands. There wasn’t much, really. Such a terrible accident. To have “fallen” upon those rocks, what a shame. I smiled to myself at the memory. The hardest part was dragging him back up to a place where the men could find him. I was all sobbing and tears and worry. My poor, poor tutor. He was so kind to me and I just couldn’t help him when he “fell”. Serves him right, really. And father. Really, his death is on my father’s hands, not mine. If father had not hired him to make me a “proper Scottish lady” then he wouldn’tve had to die. He was the last one. My history tutor. First was my mathematics and science teacher. It wasn’t my fault that I needed a hands on lesson the day the archers had their shooting practice. Then it was my classics tutor. She was the easiest. It was so simple to introduce the poison into her habitual tea. There were two others, but they never made it to their lessons. Food poisoning. I’m not sure yet if they’ve recovered. I finish writing the details down in my soft, leather bound journal that my father gave me. It goes back on the wooden table by my bed. The bloody cloth goes in with my clothes for the washing. My lady has learned not to question me, lest she be next. My father would never assume I was behind my tutors deaths. I am a poor misunderstood little dear. His angel rescued from the fire. I braid my thick black curls and the reflection of my blue eyes smiles back at me in the mirror. I can go out to play with my brothers now that my lessons are “over”. They have wooden swords and toy bows. The man made on for me, but my father had it taken away when he hired the tutors. Oh the fit that I threw then. My brothers all ran and hid from my raging. My father tried to console me. Told me it wasn’t proper for a girl to hunt, that I was going to be a lady.  And why shouldn’t I be? What would be wrong with a lady knowing to hunt? Even the highest nobility hunt. The kings knows how to fight, how to defend himself. Why should a lady not know how as well? As I run through the cold stone halls and courtyards towards the sunny green hills, I decide for myself that I will be a lady, and a fighter. And anyone who tries to stop me… Well let’s just say they’ll find out personally just how strong I am.

"Far Away"

Kay pressed his ear against the door of the main hall, straining to listen. He could hear his mother’s voice and the voice of the farmer, but words eluded him.

A shout from his mother reached audible levels. “-far away!”

Kay heard footsteps and retreated away from the door, started down the hall. The door swung open behind him. He froze, heard the farmer retreating.

“Kay. Come here.” His mother’s voice was calm. She’d been getting better over the past two years. She still kept his name from the tapestry hidden away, but the violent outbursts had become fewer and fewer ever since.

Kay turned to face her, kept his face stiff. “Come here. We need to talk.”

Kay closed the distance between himself and his mother and did his best to hold her gaze.

Ailsa folded her hands. “I have sent her away.”

Kay bit his tongue.

“She had no place here, certainly none with you. You’re about to come of age in two years, Kay. You have no place with a peasant girl. Whatever was happening between you two… It’s unacceptable. You must only love a girl worthy of a throne.”

Kay nodded. He couldn’t say anything. He didn’t want to set his mother off.

 

“Come now, Kay. Your lessons await.” She pointed down the hall.

And Kay went. This was one battle he knew he could not win.