"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.