Neither Henry VIII nor James V, as well as the many hereditary nobles and knights of both countries, could have believed that a tragicomedy was being played out at Castle in Kerlefzeck, Scotland, just 34 miles from the small town of Carlisle on the western border of England.

Oh, of course, tragicomedy was one of William Shakespeare's favorite plays in his later years. Moreover, this form of script did not appear until after Henry VIII's daughter, Elizabeth I, succeeded to the throne. So, which theatrical form should it be called now? Well, yes, the court of Henry VII and Henry VIII often appeared in the Italian "masquerade", which can be used to describe this chivalric-themed drama.

When the cunning, valiant and fearless knight Isabel Walton captured Baron Robert Maxwell, the hereditary nobleman of Scotland, the baron's look of horror, timidity and sorrow immediately caught her eye, "Lord Maxwell, let all the sergeants and squires in this castle come to the square. ”

The baron was terrified and tried to break her left hand, for he felt that the woman was about to scratch her expensive fur collar. However, he was afraid that the woman, if she became angry, would plunge the dagger in her right hand into her neck. After a futile struggle, he stared at her with wide eyes and asked in English with a trembling voice, "When... Of course. Just, can you not hurt me? ”

"Why? Could it be that you can be the king of the highlanders? ”

"No, I am a Scottish nobleman with a hereditary title, status and status. If you will release me, I will have my family pay a large ransom to you and your people. ”

"Ransom?" Isabel turned her gaze to the group of "Scottish hussars" who were two or three paces away from her, and said in a loud voice, "Brothers, do you hear? Lord Maxwell was willing to pay a large ransom in exchange for his life. ”

By this time, a dozen or so men disguised as Scottish hussars brought by Isabel had already encircled her and the baron in a circle. All men are armed with their own handguards, swords, battle axes, or armor-piercing cones and hammers, all facing out of the circle, ready to fight to the death against the Scots who rush to the rescue of the Baron.

"Great, this man is a nobleman, he must be asked to pay some more ransom." A man with his back to Isabel spoke out without looking back.

"No problem." Isabel had a greedy smile on her face and looked at the baron who was caught. She noticed that the other party had already grasped her left hand with both hands, trying to break free from her own restraint on him. Hurriedly pressed the tactical knife he held with his right hand to the baron's neck again, "My lord, if you want to resist and escape, I will let your head fly up and look down on your castle from the sky." ”

When the baron heard this, he quickly let go of his hands, raised his two hands and showed her the empty palm, "Miss, madam, you see, I don't plan to resist anymore. As a sign of sincerity, the baron addressed her with two titles of noble women.

Isabel weakened her right hand a little, stared at the baron's face and nodded, "Very well, let all the sergeants and squires come to the square." Lay down your weapons fifteen paces away from me and you, hurry! ”

"Yes, Miss, Madame."

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The night was still dark, and the triangular square of Kell-Lefgerk Castle was still brightly lit. The difference is that Isabel has only used a very simple self-inflicted method to gain the trust of the castle lord, Baron Maxwell, which allows her to easily capture the Scottish hereditary nobleman who holds the position of Border Guard.

By this time, the dozen or so would-be lancers she had brought with her had imprisoned the castle guards and baroness' attendants who had laid down their arms in a detention chamber in the southeast corner of the castle. The unarmed barons and their families, the butlers, and a dozen male and female servants who remained in the castle square, were driven away by several quasi-lancers armed with various weapons, "Hurry up, all stand over there." ”

When everyone was driven to the base of the wall of the three-story house on the east side of the castle, they all looked at the uninvited guests with frightened eyes. Isabel put on her two custom-made daggers again, put on her infantry bust helmet and wiped clean humanoid mask again, and paced back and forth in front of the group of people "expressionlessly".

"Come, go and get two chairs for Lord Maxwell and his wife." Isabel danced in circles with a dagger in her hand as she looked at the old baron and the young baroness.

"Who the hell are you? Why do you treat my father and my stepmother like this? One of the three young men standing beside the Baron and Madame glared at Isabel with resentful eyes, and spat out a few words of fluent English from his mouth. As he spoke, he clenched his fists and tried to rush in front of her several times, but was driven back by the quasi-lancers on the side.

Isabel glanced at the young man with slanted eyes, "You speak English very well. Well, I can tell you that I'm just a nosy northerner in England. ”

When two would-be lancers brought two Gothic chairs, a young man and a young woman sat down with the baron and his wife in their arms. The young man stood up straight and glared at her without fear, "Nosy? Do you Anglos always meddle with other people's business? ”

"Someone else? Boy, do you know what your father intends to do to us? ”

"I... I just heard my father talk about it. ”

"Robert, don't say any more. This young lady is here for this war that is about to begin. In a hurry, Baron Maxwell was busy stopping the young man in English.

Isabel stopped and walked up to the young man as she put her dagger back into its scabbard. He glanced at the seated baron, and then at the young man who was standing with an angry face. Soon, her face, which was hiding behind the mask, smiled, and focused her gaze on the old baron's face, "Well, this kid is also called Robert?" I see, he's your eldest son, the heir to the family. ”

The Baron's eldest son's eyes were about to burst into flames, and he howled at her, "I am Robert, the heir of the Baron Maxwell's family!" If you want to hurt my father, I won't let you go! ”

"Robert, your father is a hereditary nobleman who can not only pay us a large ransom, but also do something for us that is good for everyone."