[onewhitetree]

As the evening waned, Aspida tended to all the injured men with a sharp tongue and a steady hand. When they had received all the care necessary for quick recovery, Aspida barked at Baranthol to join her in the kitchen to start preparing food. Baranthol nervously followed the woman into the other room and proceeded to shuffle about vegetables and spices, attempting to look busy.
"Be careful with those mushrooms, girl, they aren't made a stone!" Aspida snapped.
"Pardon, ma'am?" Baranthol choked, astonished and somewhat disbelieving that her facade was so easily seen through by the woman. She had spent years perfecting the disguise, now surely everything could not be torn down so quickly! She felt like a trapped animal and desperately sought her mind for a means of escape. "I am not...you must be mistaken...this can't be happening!"
"Girl, if you wish to pull the wool over old Aspida's eyes, you'll have to do better than that. And I don't rightly appreciate that you seem to think I'm out to give you away to all those idiot menfolk taking over my house. I've been around for many a year, and never would I have thought to see a woman trying to be a man. You are not leaving my kitchen until you tell me what you're up to, for it can't be any good from the looks a things. You could start out by giving up your rightful name. I don't hold with folks not telling true in my household."
The girl saw that there was no way out, for if she tried to escape, all the men would find out her secret and she would be cast out of the group. She did not know if the woman was to be trusted, but she had been pretending for so long that it seemed a relief to have a chance to talk about her real self.
"Well, ma'am, my name is Haleth. I once had a brother...."
As Haleth continued pouring out her story, Aspida noticed a slight movement in the doorway. It was the Dwarf, undoubtedly coming to pester her about offering his unnecessary assistance since she had ignored his previous suggestion. She watched out of the corner of her eye as he peeked inside the door. His mouth dropped open and his eyes became saucers as his eyes darted from Haleth, to Aspida, and then back to Haleth, who was beseeching the hard old woman to keep her secret. Aspida quipped that she was certainly no one to distrust and was not about to gab to those fool menfolk out in the living area, giving a piercing stare to the Dwarf.
Dwarin, disbelieving and knowing himself unwelcome in the discussion, quietly shut the door and rejoined the men in the other room.
Many minutes later, as Haleth started to slow down her torrent of words, Aspida was nearly done with the meal. Haleth peered at her progress and commented that she didn't remember if she had scrubbed those potatoes or not.
"Are you sure this is sanitary, Ma'am?"
She immediately realized her mistake as Aspida turned her hard grey eyes on Haleth's face and slowly recited, "I am a Wise Woman and a Healer. Do you think I would risk the health of my patients with unclean food? I always wash after cooking, and you would do well to learn my habits."

[ November 10, 2001: Message edited by: onewhitetree ]