Inside the stable, Augustin Walton and Henry's groom are doing some daily care and feeding of their two horses. When he saw Isabel walking straight towards him, he nodded in greeting, "Good day, ma'am." ”

Isabel complained about the order Henry had given yesterday. So much so that no matter where she goes, the people who live and work in Nottingham Castle salute and greet her when they meet her. Even Father Thomas, who celebrated Mass every day in the church of Nazareth and accepted prayers and confessions, was polite when he saw her.

When the Jazz and the groom saluted her, she could only accept a kind of "respect" that was not for herself. Then she brought Augustine to the side and whispered, "Sir, I have a request for your consent. ”

Augustine smiled lightly: "Isabel, on the surface, you are still my knightly squire. However, His Highness never intended for you to be a real squire, you know? ”

"God, sir, why do you see me the same way now? Is it just because of the Duke's words that I like to associate with people, to do things? ”

"Isabel, it's not His Highness's fault, at least he wants people to value you and respect you. I don't think you wish you were still the same as you were when you first came to Nottingham Castle, did you? ”

Isabel recalls what she looked like when she first came here. Hungry and cold, she fled in panic, and the "witch", who was considered to have magical powers, was nearly burned to death and thrown into a dungeon like a perverted murderer...... Scenes of terrible scenes are clearly displayed in front of my eyes.

Isabel shook her head helplessly, looked at Sir and said, "Of course I don't want to go back in time. It's just that I don't want to create that kind of hierarchical or identity distance between me and your family. ”

Augustine nodded and said, "Except for my eldest son, Ernest, who has been away from home for many years, my wife, daughter, youngest son, and housekeeper are very fond of you, and the servants are willing to approach you. This is a fact, and no one can change it. ”

"Sir, sometimes I really wish I was your daughter."

"I know, and I hope so. Okay, what do you need my permission for? ”

"Sir, I'm going to go to the county and find Rees and make a longbow that suits me."

"This is what the Spanish priest taught you? Isabel, as much as I believe in you, you always give me a... A sense of mystery from Europe. Augustine's eyes were marked by a sense of surprise.

"Sir, that's just the way Uncle Sam told me, he's been to many places." In Isabel's mind, she has already regarded her country as a human being of flesh and blood.

"Today, there will still be nearby nobles who will come to participate in His Highness's hunting activities. You can follow me and go back after I'm done. ”

"Thank you, Sir."

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Shortly after four o'clock in the afternoon, Isabel rode out of the castle on her newly-named Onix (meaning Onyx). The name was chosen because the thoroughbred horse's black mane is as beautiful as black agate. Just as the legend of black onyx brings joy and confidence to those who wear it, she hopes that this horse will strengthen her courage and courage and not lose her way in a complicated environment.

As for why this Bobu horse is a purebred high-class war horse, she also asked Yuphimia, who likes horses very much. Euphemia told her that the horses were native to the Barbary region of ancient northern Africa, and that they were probably introduced to England in the 3rd century AD along with Arabian horses.

Isabel had never heard of this claim, and she only knew that the future thoroughbred horses were bred in England. Of course, she didn't care if this war horse from ancient North Africa was the fastest horse breed in the world, and the ancestor of the most valuable horse breed, the thoroughbred.

In appearance, the Bob horse is not as lively and beautiful as the Arabian horse, and her movements are not light and smooth, but she can tell from the feeling when she rides that this horse is strong, enduring, fast and reflexive.

Soon, Onyx was carrying her to the town outside the castle where many civilians lived. Walk through a few alleys to the door of the bow maker Reece Turner's family. At this time, Rees was sitting with his coachman friend drinking ale, talking loudly about something of interest to them.

As Reese put down his glass, he caught a glimpse of a heavily armed Isabel leaning against the doorframe with her arms folded, looking at them with a smile on her face. Hurriedly reached out and poked his friend, stood up and said respectfully, "Ma'am, I'm sorry, I'm drinking with my friend Benson. ”

Isabel walked into the house and said, "It's okay, as long as you're not too drunk to finish what I've asked you to make." ”

Benson, the coachman, bowed and left in amusement, and Isabel took out a drawing of an American hunting bow and spread it on the table. Reece stepped forward and, after taking a serious look at it, said, "Ma'am, this bow of yours doesn't look much different from a longbow." ”

Isabel knew that the bowmaker would say this, because the American hunting bow longbow she drew was indeed very similar to the English longbow. The similarities are not only in the appearance and choice of materials, but also in the fact that both bows have the same way of archery.

The same archery method means that both bows place the shaft on the left side of the bow and scatter the arrow with the three fingers of the back hand. The advantage of the arrow shaft on the left side of the bow body is that the archer's line of sight and the pointing of the arrow are easy to converge to a point, so that you can easily aim and abandon the gauge, so that the bow and arrow have good outdoor adaptability and movement.

Because this type of shooting first originated in Crete in southern Greece and spread throughout most of the entire Mediterranean coast, it is called Mediterranean shooting. Therefore, in the later outdoor archery sport, the American hunting bow longbow and the English longbow were both grouped into the Mediterranean traditional bow series of archery.

As for the American hunting bow longbow, it is more popular with people who like archery than the English longbow because the modern American hunting bow longbow is designed with a fur arrow stand and an engraved arrow stand at the place where the arrow is attached. The appearance of the arrow tower is to ensure that the bow is drawn at the same position every time, which further improves the archer's archery accuracy. Under the condition that there are no too many accessories and precise mechanical structure, it is more convenient for enthusiasts to learn and train.

Isabel pointed to a small enlarged drawing of an inscribed arrow platform on the right side of the drawing and said, "Reese, this longbow of mine is indeed very similar to the longbow, but you can take a look at this little dotted picture first." ”

Reece lowered his head again and looked at her carefully, and asked her curiously, "This picture looks like a magnified grip in the middle of the hunchback." Ma'am, why is there a groove carved inward above the grip bound with fur? ”

"Reese, do you know how to shoot arrows?"

"Yes, I will. Ma'am, since the enactment of the law by Edward I, archery has been included as part of education. ”

"Wait, Edward I? Is it the same Edward I who is known as 'Edward the Long Legs', the Hammer of the Scots? ”