Disclaimer: I do not own Robin Hood nor profit from it.
A/N This is my first try at fanfiction please R&R it helps feed the Muses.
It was a chilly night much colder than the previous nights had been, but an welcome change from the days blistering heat. Everyone was asleep having retired to their tents hours ago after the long and bloody battle that had taken place the previous afternoon. That is everyone, except for Robin, Much and two other soldiers at the other end of the camp who were on night guard. Robin and Much moved silently through the camp, well almost silently.
"I don't understand" Much sighed stumbling slightly as he walked through the sand, no matter how much time he spent here he could never quite get use to walking in sand. He kicked at the offending ground as he trudged forward. "How can it be so hot here during the day and so cold at night. It's like the weather can't seem to make up its mind, I hate the desert."
Robin smirked slightly at his manservant's well worn complaints, but remained silent keeping a sharp eye and ear out for anything that might indicate trouble. With one hand on the pommel of his sheathed sword and the other seemingly relaxed at his side, they continued walking around the perimeter of the camp passing the stables and continuing on down the line of tents.
"All I want is a little regularity, maybe a little bit of rain," Much continued wistfully looking up at the night sky. "I miss the rain in England nice, cool..."
"Much." Robin stopped turning to his manservant and gave him a long look. "Shut up." He missed England as well but he preferred to not think about it about what he had left behind. Especially not now when his only company was his thoughts (and of course Much's non-stop babbling.) "The idea of night guard is to protect the camp, not wake them up."
"Master, I do not understand why we are on night guard anyway," he continued unperturbed "I thought when you became Captain of the private guard we would no longer have to do such…" Much paused searching his mind for the correct word. " subordinate tasks."
Robin gave him a strange look at his choice of wording, he looked around at the camp in front of him before bring his eyes back to Much's. "Well I can hardly expect my men to do something I'm not willing to do myself. What kind of Captain would that make me?" Robin replied sharply and then turned to continue walking the by the tents of sleeping soldiers.
"None of the other Captains are out here Master, I think…"
"Shhh..." Robin interrupted Much. He paused mid-step to listen for a repeat of the sound he just heard. Robin opened his mouth to say something when some of the horses from the stables came running through the camp. Much and Robin started running towards the horses when an idea caused Robin to change directions leaving Much and the other two soldiers on duty to contend with the horses.
Robin ran until he was about two tents away from his destination and then slowed down to move at a more quiet pace. When he was about ten feet from the King's tent he spotted a shadow moving quietly but quickly towards the back side of the tent. Knowing that no soldier would dare enter the King's tent at this hour much less enter it from the back, Robin pulled his sword from its sheath as quietly as he could and moved toward the shadow.
Robin moved with careful steps toward the would be assassin, the sand muffling his footsteps as he went. At least there are some advantages to fighting in the desert, he thought cynically. As he moved closer to the assassin he lifted his sword over his right shoulder hoping to take the man out with one blow. He swung his sword in a fast downward sweep only to find it blocked by the assassin before him. Surprise flitted across his face as he had not realized that the assassin had detected his approach. The assassin moved quickly catching Robin's jaw with his fist, the blow causing him to stumble backwards cursing himself for the momentary lapse in concentration. It's mistakes like that that get people killed on the field.
He put some distance between the attacker and himself swinging his sword threateningly and waiting for the assassin to make the next move. His opponent charged him lifting his sword in a high above his head, Robin waited till the last moment then ducked down causing the assassin to flip over his back and land in the sand behind him. Robin turned toward his enemy ready to finish the fight but was instead met with a foot to the face, knocking him down to the ground and forcing all the air from his lungs. The assassin wasted no time, moving to his feet and aiming his sword for Robin's stomach, the young Captain barely having enough time to avoid being skewered, caught the blade on his right side above his hip.
He let out a small cry as the blade made contact but moved quickly to his feet, he couldn't afford to worry about it right now. His adversary charged at him again swinging his blade in a diagonal upward sweep clashing once again with Robin's own blade. Seeing an opening Robin spun on his foot bringing the pommel of his weapon into his opponents jaw stunning him before swinging his sword and hitting the intruder in the back of the head with the flat of his blade causing him to fall to the ground unconscious. He gave the man a weak kick make sure he was in fact unconscious then bent over placing his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath.
The Captain of the Private Guard straightened up and wiped the sweat from his forehead and sheathing his sword, as some soldiers came running up, drawn by the sound of the fight. "Well nice of you to join us," he said sarcastically, he pointed to the assassin on the ground. "bind him"
Much came up a few seconds after the soldiers and looked around before spotting both the assassin and Robin."Master, what happened? One minute you were next to me, the next you were gone. " He moved to his masters side hastily looking for any injuries the man might have received in the fight.
"I am fine, Much"
Much knowing his master as he did continued his visually exam of Robin when his eye came to rest at the young Captain's right side and the blood slowly dying the cloth of his tunic. "Master, you are not fine you are bleeding" Much cried exasperatedly, moving closer to the injured man to look at the wound.
Robin brushed Much's concern off but grimaced as he looked down at is right side, the wound throbbing as it reminded him of its present now that the adrenaline of the fight was starting to wear off. Robin placed his hand over the wound. "It's was just a glancing shot - hardly a scratch."
Much looked at him skeptically but before he got a chance to say anything more the King stepped out of his tent surveying the area before his gazed came to a rest at Robin.
"Captain Locksley?" The King asked questionably.
"Your Majesty" Robin said with a slight bow then pointed prisoner now in the hands of the soldiers. "I caught this intruder trying to sneak into your tent. I believe he is an assassin."
"That so?" the King replied then turned to the soldiers holding him "Take him to be questioned - get all the information from him that you can." The soldiers bowed to the King before dragging the still unconscious prisoner off to be questioned leaving only the King, Robin, and Much standing outside the tent. Much fidgeted nervously wanting to take a look at the wound his master had received, but not daring to interrupt the King.
"My decision to make you Captain of my Private Guard seems to have been a smart one." King Richard said after a moment, looking at Robin with a kind of fatherly approval.
"Thank you, your Majesty it is my honor to serve as such," Robin replied a little shocked at the high praise. He shifted a bit to trying to take some weight off his right side.
"Robin, go have that injury treated, I would not want you to fall ill cause of it," the King told him kindly turning away to head back into his tent.
"Yes your Highness." Robin bowed his head before walking in the direction of his tent with Much following closely behind.
The following night as a new moon covered the desert in a thick blanket of darkness, a crusader slipped away from the camp as silently as he could. Making sure no one was following him, he ran from the camp a good distance until he meet up with another man, a Saracen on horseback.
"Well?" the man ask impatiently as soon as the crusader had approached him His tall lean form was covered from head to toe in black garb with only his eyes visible. His horse, also black, snorted and moved about nervously as if sensing the tension that radiated off the Saracen.
The Crusader came to a stop in front of the Saracen and took a moment to catch his breath before answering "The King lives, the assassin was stopped before he could reach him."
"Stopped? By whom and where is the assassin now?" the Saracen asked angrily.
"The Assassin was questioned, tortured for information, he gave none up but he is now dead. His body burnt just this pass evening," the soldier told him hurriedly ignoring the first half of the question.
"And the man responsible for his capture?" the Saracen pressed
The crusader hesitated for a moment. He had nothing against the Captain who captured the Assassin - he actually liked him despite his blind devotion to the King. If he gave his name up to the Saracen the Captain's life would be forfeit but if he did not give up the name his own life would be forfeit. The Captain would probably die in battle long before the Saracen ever got to him. The crusader tried to convince himself as he came to a decision. "The Captain of the King's Private Guard, Sir Robin of Locksley."