Chapter 2: CHAPTER II
Ainsley Durham is not the type of noble lady to sit back and wait for the result of her orders; she is a person of action. The citizens of Dizmon calls her odd but they also love her oddity. Unlike the typical noble lady, Ainsley Durham does not enjoy being the center of attraction because of her beauty that she inherited from her parents, or the beautiful dresses she received as presents from her brother Ailen and her father, or the dazzling jewelries she wore on occasions. Ainsley Durham finds comfort in wearing simple clothes, training garments and be covered in sweat and dirt after sword and archery training with the knights. She would gladly wear commoner's dress and walk around in town without any bother.
Ainsley Durham arrived at an alley near the border of the town. This part of the town is usually empty but there are reports that say they saw a few people gathering here. This alley in this part of town is usually used to store the used crates by farmers after distributing their crops in the market.
The young lady of Durham 's initial plan is to snoop around town in commoner's clothes alone but because Count Durham told her to bring a maid and a knight, she has to wear a proper dress and can't go around snooping.
"Tobacco?" Ainsley whispers to herself sniffing the faint smell of burning tobacco.
Smoking tobacco is prohibited in Dizmon to promote healthy living, although there are still few that can't stop smoking tobacco out of habit. Ainsley searched where the smell is coming from and found four men gathered in a corner, three sacks big enough to fit a kid inside are on their feet, and the man in ragged fading brown tunic and faded black pants and a dirty red bandana tied on his head puffed tobacco smoke.
"The knights locked the gates." A short and bald man sitting on top of two wooden crates said.
"Bah! Locking the gates won't stop us! We can leave through the cliff tonight. Those petty knights won't go near that death cliff."
"Smart thinking, Boss." The red haired man with an arrow tattoo on his neck said and laughed.
"But that's far from the viscount's domain." The small and bald man said picking his nose and wiping it on the crates. Disgusting.
"Aah.... the viscount will be mad again." The red haired man said and bit his nails.
Ainsley's sight is focused on the three sacks on the feet of the men, there is no time to spare to hear the whole conversation. Ainsley discreetly lift her long skirt and take out the double edged knife that she hid in her calf before leaving the mansion. The knife is custom made by the blacksmith in Dizmon and it is similar to the knife that her mother, the late Countess, used to have with her at all times.
Ainsley came out of her hiding place and attacked surprising the men and delaying their reactions to wield a weapon. The twins of Durham House trained with the knights since they were young, both twins inherited their parents' talent in both pen and sword and they are praised for their inherited skills. Ainsley is not only the spitting image of her mother but she also acts like her, it looks like the late Countess came back in a younger body with a slightly odd personality. The young lady managed to put down two men; the short and bald, and the silent man, while the other two scrammed leaving their comrades and the three sacks where they slid the three kidnapped children. Instead of chasing the criminals, Ainsely freed the kids. The two criminals will be chased by the knights and she is more worried of the punishment looming over her head for getting hurt while visiting the town.
Ainsley takes out her handkerchief and tie it on her wounded left arm. The man with the red bandana managed to land a hit on her while she was dealing with the short and bald man. The 6 year-old girl started to cry upon seeing the young lady. Ainsley gently pats the girl's head to comfort her.
"You're safe now. You'll go home to your parents." Ainsley said. The kids helped themselves up and followed Ainsley out of the alley. The knights who saw them rushed to their side.
"Take them to their family." Ainsley ordered.
"Milady that wound..."
"Oh it's alright. It's just a scratch."
"Milady, a scratch will end the three of us in trouble." Sarah said checking her lady's wound. Sarah gasps seeing that it is not a scratch but a deep wound. Even Tim who is watching from the side has a bad premonition of what would happen when the Count learns of the lady's adventure today, the short straw he drew is an unlucky straw. An elder doctor from the nearby clinic cleaned the wound and wrapped it nicely, the elder doctor also offered the best ointment for the lady that graced them kindness and security.
~*~
"Milady, your meal is ready." Nancy, a maid said.
"Thank you Nancy." Ainsley said getting up from the single bed. Nancy bowed towards Ainsley and left the room. This room is called punishment room, this is the room where Ainsley is locked when she is grounded every time she gets in trouble or does something that is against the Count, a narrow room with a high window that can't even fit a person, only a single bed, a table and chair is in the room.
After writing a report of the kidnapping incident, Ainsley is grounded until the harvest festival, she is also not allowed to meet with anyone other than the maids that brings her meals and other things that she asks for. As for Sarah she is punished to manually weed the garden alone and without the help of gardening tools and her duties have increased twice her normal duties, while Tim is locked in the Durham mansion's prison. All three of them will be relieved of their punishment before the harvest festival.
"Warm soup or cold soup or stale bread?" Paul asks carrying a tray of food for Tim. the Durham prison is dark and cold the bare ground is covered with hay and the torch provides little light for the prisoners. The kidnappers are tied and locked together inside one cell three cells away from Tim's.
"Warm soup with meat if you would." Tim replied with a goofy smile. Paul opens the cell and gave him the warm chicken porridge. For a prisoner to receive warm chicken porridge is already a blessing. Normally, prisoners only get stale bread and a cup of water.
"No soup. Bear with porridge for now."
"This is better than stale bread. How's the lady?"
"What do you think?"
Tim shrugs and starts to eat.
"You're lucky to be locked than get whipped. Donald was complaining why he has to be whipped while you only get to be imprisoned."
Tim chuckled. "Maybe I'm both lucky and unlucky."
"Yeah right. " Paul slaps Tim's shoulder. "I'm on rounds tonight. I'll come to chat again later."
"Let me sleep in peace."
"Forever or temporary?" Paul joked.
"Latter."
There are only two fates awaiting those who draws the short straw of escorting the young lady; it's either they are safe from punishment or get punished. Donald was in charge of the young lady two months ago and he got whipped ten times because he left his post letting the young lady go into the forest hunting wild boar with the town's local hunters. Being locked in prison is getting off easy. Tim takes this time as a rest than punishment. The lost wages can be earned next time sleeping is more important now that the busy season is approaching.
"Oh please shut up." Tim grumbles hearing the groans of the kidnappers. They were personally tortured and interrogated by the Count today to confess their crimes. Tim and a few knights witnessed Count Durhams way of dealing with these kind of people in the past and it was brutal that it sends shivers to ones spine, especially when the Countess died, no one would know what brutal fate those assassins had gone through before they were sent to the afterlife and meet their creator. Kind as he is, the Count can be scary too.
______________________________End of CHAPTER II
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