Chapter 150

Isobel handed her two grain filled bags. "Every night before you go to sleep and every morning as soon as you wake up, you need to squeeze these bags. It's designed to strengthen your hands and wrists which is even more important than your arm."

"Will I be learning to fight with both hands?" Meghan asked.

"Not likely," Isobel smiled, "unless you suffer a grievous injury to an arm, but it's good you get strength on both sides at once, else you'll be lopsided; one side bigger than the other. Makes a lass less pretty."

"Might not be so bad for a boy," Ailene agreed, laughing, "men are ugly brutes anyway, but women have to look good regardless."

Meghan laughed with her. "Aye, I want to stay pretty."

"Try not to get any holes in your skin. They don't help your appearance any either," Ailene said.

"We're going to show you all how you must stand first and later, all the positions. The names are French, but don't worry about it, and don't try to memorize all of them at once. We'll show you all of them, then concentrate on two to start. Learn those two. Every other day, you'll get two more until you know them all," Isobel said. "Now watch."

They showed her the fencing stance. "Lower," Ailene said. "It's unnatural to start, and your legs will be screaming at you before we're done, but you'll get used to it. In a couple weeks, it won't bother you at all. I'll give you some cream to rub on your legs later, else you'll have a hard time sleeping, they'll ache so."

Meghan followed their instructions and when they were satisfied, they walked around her, pushing and pulling, trying to knock her off her stance. "Getting lower makes it harder for you to lose balance," Isobel said.

They then showed her how to advance forward and retreat backward, taking small steps, never losing position, never losing balance. "I don't know how she does it," Ailene said, "but Isobel can go backward faster than I can go forwards. I don't think Frang can either unless he runs at her. Pay attention how she does it. Retreating is a useful skill to have when you're fighting a better or unfamiliar opponent."

"You can't turn your back to run away," Isobel said. "Your rapier must remain targeted on them. We only want you going straight forward and back for now, you can learn to adjust direction later."

For an hour, they worked with her footwork until they were satisfied she had a good grasp of it. At the end, they were satisfied she could move to and fro while maintaining balance as they pushed and pulled in a variety of directions.

"I can see what you mean when you say I'll get sore. These muscles here," Meghan rubbed her inner thighs, "ache."

"It will be beneficial later when you start straddling a man," Isobel said.

Meghan blushed and Ailene said, "Isobel! Your mouth today."

Isobel laughed. "I'm merely telling the truth, sister. One of my favorite positions now I'm pregnant."

"She's not wrong, Meghan," Ailene whispered. "I enjoy it too."

Meghan blushed again.

"It's kind of fun training another woman," Ailene said. "We can get a little silly."

Isobel said, "The first eight positions are based upon whether your wrist is facing up," Ailene showed her, "or facing down, and if your hand is higher or lower and towards the right or the left." Ailene went through all of them quickly and Meghan was a little bewildered at how quickly they flashed before her eyes, before Ailene reminded her she didn't have to memorize them all right now. "We're doing all defense at first, but it's possible to make attacks out of these positions as well."

"We're going to start with the two where the wrist is down and the hand is up and guarding the left and right," Isobel said.

Ailene very slowly went through the two positions. "These are used primarily to defend attacks against the upper body and face. You want to deflect the opponents blade with this portion of your blade," she pointed to the quarter of the blade closest to her hilt, "where you have the most strength from your wrist, against that portion of their blade where they have the least strength, the tip to midway up the blade."

"Isobel is going to make attacks on my high line, and I'm going to defend only using those two positions," Ailene said.

Isobel did slow thrusts and Ailene showed how they were parried based upon where her hand was and the attack came. "Now you, Meghan. We're going to go slowly at first, then faster. We want you to use only those two positions until you have a good feeling for them. Get your feet in position and ready yourself."

Meghan prepared and Isobel and Ailene each took turns taking thrusts at her, slowly to begin, then increasingly fast. Meghan got quicker and quicker in response as the attacks came faster.

It went for another hour and finally Meghan dropped her arm in exhaustion and stepped back, saying, "I can't hold my arm up anymore."

"You see the importance of strengthening your arms, wrists and hands. We can stop today, but all the instructors are going to market tomorrow. I want you out here working on your footwork and these positions only for at least two hours tomorrow. If you can go until you can't stand or hold your sword, it would be even better. One of the other students can do it with you. They've done the same drills themselves. Don't let them show you anything else. I want you to work on these until your response is automatic. You recognize the attack and make the block automatically. After you've mastered this one, then we'll show you two more and start all over again," Ailene said.

"Come with me into the house and I'll give you the liniment," Isobel said.

Meghan followed Isobel into the house, limping badly her thighs burned so bad. Isobel found Jinny and got a jar of liniment from her.

"Jinny, Meghan is going to learn swords like Ailene and I have. She is to be out on the practice field by 6:30 in the morning in lieu of her maid duties, rain or shine. She is to remain out there a minimum of two hours, longer if she can, until lunch if she lasts that long. I expect it will be a few weeks before she can though. If you find her lallygagging instead of working with her sword, you may give her five hits on her bare bum with a willow switch. She may have a half hour after her practice to massage her sore muscles with this cream, but put her to work immediately after, so she keeps exercising and strengthening and stretching her muscles. You may give her hard work so she gets stronger. She needs to get tougher faster if she's to keep up with the boys."

Isobel turned to Meghan. "Do you understand what I've just told Jinny?"

"I do, Lady Isobel."

"I told you it was going to be harder work than anything you'd done as a maid. I want you to get better, but just because I'm not here is no reason for you to rest and training doesn't mean you get to fully neglect your other responsibilities. If you can stay on the training field practicing hard until lunch, you can, but it's to work at your training, not get out of work. You get a half hour after to rest or until lunch is over until your muscles get toughened up. When you no longer need the cream is when your rest periods end. I still want you busy from 6:30 until Jinny releases the rest of the servants. You can work at training and your other duties or your other duties alone, the choice is yours."

"Aye, Lady."

"Here's the liniment. You have a half hour, then report for duty."

Meghan nodded and went to her room.

"You're going to train the lass to fight like you and Ailene?" Jinny asked.

"I'd like all the women to learn to fight like we do," Isobel said, "but not all are cut out for it. I'll wait until they ask for it, because it will be one of the hardest things they ever do if they decide to take it up. It's why I don't want to cut Meghan any slack. She needs to want it if she's to get good at it. Ailene wanted it because of her attack and near rape. I wanted it because of the way my husband abused me. I'll never again be treated that way by any man. We both need it because of Blackthorne." Isobel sighed. "It's a shame any woman needs to learn how to protect herself, but it's the way of the world for now."