Everdog: Tale of the First Female Knight

Chapter 31 - Sewing, Sutures, Stitches

"The punishment for adultery is the same for both parties. Why is the woman still here when ye released the man?" The knight asked the guard.

"This is not her first time. According to the mother-in-law, the female prisoner has been unfaithful to her husband before." The guard said explaining why they lengthen the woman's sentence.

"Taylor." Sir Lee called his squire over to carry the reports.

"Yes, Sir Lee."

The squire ran past the cell and the woman curled herself up in the corner. When the lad peeked into the cell, it saw the female prisoner trembling in distress. The food and the water in the cell have not been touched and the female prisoner's clothes were torn and ripped. Visible bruises could be seen underneath the female prisoner's torn clothes and there were obvious signs of physical abuse.

"What happened to her? Why are her clothes like that and why is she covered in bruises?" The lad asked the guard.

"She was already in that state when we arrested her." The guard informed the lad. "The mother-in-law seemed to have locked her up in the storage room and punished her before we arrived."

No matter how the lad thought of it, something was not right. The lad squatted down to the woman's eye level.

"Ma'am, what is your name?"

The female prisoner did not answer and crawled herself further into the corner. When the lad asked again, the woman seemed disturbed. She didn't look like someone who has committed adultery. There was no sense of poise or shame, all the lad saw was fear. Was the woman afraid of men?

"Lad, there is no point of speaking to her. She won't answer ye. She is mute."

The guard smacked the wooden bars of the cell and the loud sounds startled the female prisoner. She covered her ears begging for the noise to stop.

"Ye husband will be returning today. When he arrives, he will decide what to do with ye. How unfortunate he is to be married to a mute and to an unfaithful wif-," (The lad grabbed the guard's arm to stop him from making more ruckus and pushed the guard away from the cell.)

"She is mute, not deaf. She can hear you perfectly fine."

The guard stood up straight and eyed the lad. "Young lad, ye shouldn't fall for tramps like her. She has broken the law and betrayed her husband. She doesn't deserve any sympathy."

"And the man who you released does?" The lad said.

"Quit it." The knight told the lad to stay put and not to cause a commotion.

"The woman can't speak for herself!" The lad argued. "They arrested her solely on the drunken man and the mother-in-law's words. The man said that he couldn't even tell the difference between his neighbor's wife and a prostitute. How would you know if she was the one who seduced him or if he was the one who forced himself onto her?"

"Are ye questioning my competence?" The guard asked offended.

"No, I am simply pointing out the flaw in the man's statement."

"That's enough, step outside." The knight ordered the lad.

"But...,"

"Outside!"

The lad clenched its fists and exited the jailhouse. It patiently waited outside the jailhouse for the baronet to finish his inspection. When the men exited, they saw the lad on the side waiting for them.

"What did the guards say? Will they bring the male culprit and the mother-in-law in for questioning again?" The lad asked.

"Do that again and I am never bringing you out of the residence." The knight warned the lad.