I do not own Robin Hood BBC or the characters. Only my own thoughts and that's even questionable.
Knowing something of the loss of a brother-in-arms.
Dedicated to my best friend (Sasquatch). I held you as you died.
For where you have gone I have yet to follow.
(Calvin)
Prologue:
Deviations from script;
Much's talking and ignorance is only an act so he doesn't have to fight as he tends to forget not to kill.
Much survived the Holy Land and fought alongside his master as Robin said in the very first episode. Therefore, he must be at least as good, and knowing how protective he is of his best friend, probably better.
Marian didn't die in the Holy Land, and Djaq and Will returned with Robin and the gang.
For some background to my stories please read:
SilasBrandybuck, Mentor and beta reader. You-ll-Be-the-Death-of-Me
Also:
Empathise-Much
I-Was-There-When-You-Died
Assassin
"What do we do now master?" Quietly exclaims the worried spotter, the pitch of his voice rising in proportion to his concern. "I don't know!" Snaps his master harshly then gives his spotter an apologetic glance which pacifies his life long friend. Lord Robin peeks through the third floor window at all the Turks shaking their swords in the air milling around below in the streets looking for them. Robin, projecting a calm exterior to mask to his friend the calmness that he does not feel, tells his spotter, "At least we fulfilled our duty to King Richard. Don't worry Much we'll get through this, we just need to wait for an opening to escape." His nervous protector looks out over his sniper's shoulder and says blandly, "I'll see what I can do." Then runs down stairs before his master can stop him.
Robin jerks his head down and to the side and exclaims under his breath, "Damn it Much!" and thinks to himself, You're not invincible! and jumps up running down the stairs taking two at a time hoping to stop his friend from doing something that they will regret later. Below in the streets the sniper hears a familiar voice cry out, "OVER HERE!" causing the street to clear as Robin exits the building. Once outside he watches his life long friend sprint away followed by wall to wall angry Turks wielding swords. Robin, without a second thought, runs after him but Much yells over his shoulder, "MASTER RUN!" Then with the sound of more Saracen Warriors approaching, he abruptly stops and speeds off in the other direction crying out over his shoulder, "DAMN IT MUCH! I'LL BE BACK FOR YOU!" hoping his best friend has heard him as he disappears around the corner.
Once away from his sniper's perch Robin retrieves his horse, and with a running jump straddles the beast and gallops out of the city heading back to camp. Outside the city walls he glances back over his shoulder hearing his loyal servant's ringing laugh and the rapid clash of swords and brings his mount to a jarring halt causing the beast to rear up angrily on its hind legs. Once back on all fours, he quickly turns his steed around, and digging his heels in mercilessly gets the stallion back up to a gallop heading back the way he came. As he nears the city walls the gate to the city vomits forth wall to wall Turks spreading out in front of him all screaming and waving their swords fiercely baring him from rescuing his live long friend. His sorrow beyond words Robin utters under his breath, "Much…" Then halts his steed causing his steed to protest angrily, turns, once more digs his heals in and unflinchingly whips his mount to full speed galloping away from the city leaving his one and only true friend behind alone to be held accountable for what they have done.
Much unhesitatingly runs downstairs into the residential street yelling at the top of his lungs, "OVER HERE!" then watches as all the Turks stop, turn, and run after him yelling and waving swords. He thinks to himself, this was a baaad idea, and sprints in the other direction hoping his best friend and master will be able to get away safely. Glancing backwards he sees his master running after him and yells over his shoulder, "MASTER RUN!" He hears more screams from an adjacent alley but above that hears his master's hasty reply, "DAMN IT MUCH! I'LL BE BACK FOR YOU!" Much runs around the corner away from his master and the direction they had come in and is met by a wall of Saracen Warriors closing off the end of the alley. Panicked, he stops and looks at the milling horde of Turks behind him then back at the wall of professional Warriors in front and thinks to himself, Well, this is it. If Robin escapes then my life is worth it.
Much lifts his sword and points it at the wall of Saracen Warriors yelling, "I AM THE ENGLISH DEMON AND ALL OF YOU ARE ALL GOING TO DIE!" Much then charges laughing loudly directly into the Warriors taking down fifty or more before he is swarmed over by the rest and disarmed. Bleeding profusely from more than a dozen wounds and painfully bruised all over his body he looks up from the burning sand directly into the blazing sun as the head of a man blocks the midday sun revealing a extravagantly tattooed Warrior standing over him, his foot resting on his chest trying to press him into the desert making it hard for the defeated man to breathe stating contemptuously in Arabic, "So the English Devil is only a man after all." Then unwelcome darkness overtakes him as something hard knocks him in the head thrusting him into oblivion.
Robin solemnly waits outside the King's pavilion for admittance and hears the King's personal servant George announce from within, "Your Majesty, Lord Robin." Robin sedately walks into the Royal pavilion and grimly bows to his King glancing aggrieved at all the conceited Nobles inside who have continually rejected and ridiculed him for being best friends with his servant no matter having spent their entire lives together. King Richard asks without rising or looking up from what he is doing, "And?" Robin tells him lifelessly, "Yes Your Majesty, my mission was successful." The King nods expecting nothing less, then pauses in what he is doing, lifts his head staring at his most proficient sniper hearing his tone of voice and asks severely, "Where's your spotter? You two are inseparable." Robin again glances at the other Nobles in the room who are staring at him smirking, takes a deep steadying breath, and replies mechanically, "He did his duty and distracted the Turks long enough for me to escape." The King cocks his head and asks, "And?" Robin, stone faced, pauses and adds listlessly, "He is only a servant."
The King rises and impatiently waves everyone out of his presence, walks around his map table and stares at his blank faced sniper until all have left except George. He then asks quietly, "Robin, where's Much?" Robin, blank faced, unwilling to let his concern show for his servant even to his King who fully understands mutters, "Captured I guess." The King responds disappointedly, "You guess… He's your best friend. You do know they don't take prisoners." When Robin doesn't respond, he shakes his head in disbelief and waves the Noble Lord Robin, Earl of Huntington away.
Robin follows his feet to his pavilion where he sits on his cot glassy eyed staring vacantly at the bunk across from his own. It's too quiet…
Much awakens and finds that he cannot move and futilely struggles against his bindings. As he struggles he can tell that he has been stripped naked lying face up with his arms outstretched from his sides in full submission feeling the rough woven cords bite into his exposed flesh. Frightfully he glances around intensifying his struggles realizing from experience that he is about to be tortured as this is how he and his master subdue their own unwilling subjects.
Frightened, unable to move any part of his body except for his eyes, he gazes around him and sees that he's in a large ornate room made from quarried stone and sand surrounded by bare chested, intricately tattooed men, waving their arms about arguing loudly with one man in particular. The man they seem to be arguing with notices that his subject is awake and steps over to him causing all of the others to suddenly quiet and says in accented English, "Ah the English Demon awakes."
Much helplessly feels the man's hostile gaze sweep over his outstretched naked body and hears him say in contempt, "You look like an ordinary man to me." and with a vindictive look, the Leader viciously strikes the naked man's bollox with the thin tip of the long wooden switch he is carrying to make his point. Much cries out in agony causing his eyes to water profusely and his mind to seize all thoughts terminating abruptly.
The tortured man looks up though distorted vision and asks painfully after regaining his breath, "What do you want of me?" The tattooed Warrior grins and while constantly striking the strapped man lightly all across his chest with his switch tells him egotistically, "For you to join us." Much, narrowing his eyes, defiantly exclaims, "Never!" The Leader of the Nizaris Assassins leans over him, his face directly over his subjects and says, "But you will. Accept it, as you have no choice." Much, gathering his will, spits in the man's face and says, "My master will rescue me and when he does he will kill you all!" The Warrior Leader wipes his face, laughs wickedly skyward, then lowers his head to once more look at his subject and tells him, "You mean the Earl of Huntington, the same coward who left you behind to die just to save his own skin?" Much thinks to himself, He escaped! Robin's alive!
Much exclaims joyfully, "My master lives! He escaped! Kill me, do as you will as my life is of no further importance fore I have protected my master and am only a mere servant. You do not have him nor any hold over him!" The Warrior looks him in the eyes, smiles smugly and tells him, "Ah, but he's not the one we want…" He pauses dramatically then says, "You are." Much stares upwards at the man in fear and thinks, Me? Why me?
The Leader smiles smartly down at his startled recruit then stands fully erect, head up proudly, and while staring at his men brings his arms up and out extravagantly showing all of his meticulous ink and calls out to his fellow assassins, "Warriors behold!... Our newest member!... Let us begin his indoctrination!" The Nizaris leader, solemn faced looks back down at Much, squeezes his bollox hard, and says to the withering former servant, "I have you now and you will be the greatest Nizaris Assassin yet!"
Robin, sitting on the edge of his cot stares blankly at the empty one across from him, and startles when Lord Westin comes barging in and sits unwanted on Much's cot across from Robin and asks callously, "Where's your servant?" ,already knowing the answer. Robin, not wanting to speak with anyone, especially him, replies despondently, "Gone, captured, dead. I don't know." Lord Westin leans forward telling him brightly, "Well that's alright! There are many more servants around here that would jump at the chance to serve a General." Robin lifts his head and stares at him darkly telling him, "I don't want another." Lord Westin sits up straight and says gleefully, "Oh come on now mate! After all, he was only a servant."
Robin's mind catches fire as he leaps furiously at the irksome Lord, locking his hands around the neck of the unsuspecting Lord knocking him over the cot and onto the rugs below staring at him viciously while angrily enunciating each word, "He's my best friend!" Lord Westin stares up into the blazing eyes of the embittered Noble and asks hoarsely, "Then why aren't you going back for him?" Robin violently slams Lord Westin's head on the ground once, releases him and stands up yelling savagely, "GET OUT!" Lord Westin jumps to his feet rubbing his neck and sarcastically adding just before he leaves, "If he is, you have an odd way of showing it." then hastily departs.
Robin meticulously sets the overturned cot back on its feet in its original position then methodically arranges the sheets and blankets on it returning to his perch on the edge of his cot staring numbly at the vacant one across from him. As darkness descends he curls up on Much's cot and succumbs to a tormented sleep. Robin, lies withering in pain, sweating and crying out in sympathy for his tortured friend but is unable to wake from his tormented slumber. Still embroiled in his tormented nightmare, he jumps up and runs out of his pavilion attempting to steal a stallion and ride to the aid of his tortured blood brother.
Much comes too and looks around him from drugged blood shot eyes, his thoughts slow and drifting. The Nizaris leader watches his new recruit waken and strolls over to him sitting on a chair placed next to the tortured man and opens his subject's mouth and drops in another small brown cube and tells him magnanimously, "We'll hold off for awhile and let you catch your breath." Much swallows, sighs then begins to weep, "Robin, where are you?" The Leader hearing his plea tells him, "Don't you remember? He left you behind so he could get away. That's all you are worth to him, a distraction. Three weeks ago you found a horse to escape on but instead of taking you with him, he rode off without looking back leaving you out numbered to die." Much shakes his head and angrily says, "No! He would never do that, he's my best friend! He'll rescue me and kill you all!" The Leader laughs and says companionably, "Best friends? Come now Much, he's a Lord and Earl, close to the King, a Nobleman. A mere servant would never be accepted as a friend, much less best friends."
Much feels his mind begin to soften again as he feels the Leader place a sympathetic hand on his sweating chest and hears his lowered voice ooze sympathy, "He used you as all Nobles use their servants, and you know that when Nobles lose their servants they will find another and go on without ever giving their last one a second thought. You also know that there are many other servants in the King's camp who have lost their masters and will fight for the chance to be a General's servant."
The leader gives Much his most pitiful look and continues sadly, "I'm sorry Much, I didn't want to tell you, but my spies in your King's camp inform me that Lord Robin has already found a replacement for you as you've been with us for over a month now. So you see Much, he's already forgotten you and will not be coming back for you." Much begins to weep and thinks to himself, Robin, is it true? You're not coming back? You said you would. But this is not the first promise you've broken.
The Leader holds up another small brown square and drops it into his subject's open mouth and tells him, "Here chew this, it will help." Much chews the earthy tasting cube and swallows. After awhile the Leader rises and places a still wet cloth over Much's eyes and says benignly, "We begin again." Much screams in agony once more as brain numbing pain hits him full force, then howls even louder when he smells burning flesh.
The Leader stops and whispers his venom into his weeping subject's ear. His calculated ministrations of torture added to their special mix of concentrated hashish mixed with other hallucinogenic drugs aid his subject's drugged malleable mind to accept his deceitful words. The Leader begins his ministrations once more causing his subject to writhe in abject agony, his inability to see what is being done to him intensifying his pain, real or imaginary.
The Leader varies his subject's level of agony and drug altered thought, broken at almost regular intervals with rigorous physical training combined with indoctrination teachings giving credence to the accelerated time throughout the passing days and nights with little or no sleep causing Much to lose all track of time an immerse himself in the ever intensified training mastering skills faster than any before him and through the Nizaris Leader's calculated application of torture, physical training, and coordinated use of mind altering concentrated drugs Much begins to eagerly accept what he is taught, his past life with his loyal best friend slipping away as false memories replace the truth and he embraces his new life as one of the elite Nizaris Assassins.
Robin wakes in the infirmary and looks around him recognizing where he is, but when he tries to sit up he finds that he cannot and bitterly struggles against his bindings calling out, "MUCH!" The physician runs over and tries to calm the struggling man, "I'm sorry my Lord, relax so I can release you." Robin stops struggling and asks confused, "Why am I here? Where's Much?" The physician tells him as he unties the bindings, "You were delusional my Lord. The guards caught you trying to steel a horse and as they brought you here you kept yelling that Much is being tortured and that he needs you and you must rescue him. When the King told you that they don't know where he is you attacked his guards saying that you do and to let you go. You then screamed, threw your arms around yourself and collapsed. Don't you remember?"
Robin shakes his head as he sits on the edge of the cot, sniffs the air and asks, "Are you burning corpses?" The physician shakes his head telling him, "No." Robin sniffs again but can't quite tell where the smell is coming from. Robin tells the physician, "I'll go back to my tent now." Without another word he rises and departs the infirmary returning to his pavilion. In the back of his head a sharp nagging pain persists causing him to involuntarily squint. When he enters his pavilion he takes a small pouch and pours some powdered willow bark into a mug of ale and drinks the mixture then returns to staring blankly at his loyal friend's empty bunk.
Robin, sweating profusely from the tangible mental pain endured through his reoccurring nightmares of his best friend being tortured, frantically calls out, "Much!" and jerks awake finding that he is once more bound to a cot in the infirmary. He lies back and glares at the two Guardsmen standing at the head and foot of his cot, and calls out bitterly, "Untie me!" and violently struggles against his bindings. The physician stands hotly over his bound patient with his arms crossed sporting a new black eye and tells him, "No. You attacked the guards outside your tent once more when they told you that you couldn't leave. Now, only by order of the King, may I release you." Robin stops straining at the bindings and lies back. He tries to move his arms to get them free but feels that they too are tied as well. The Physician smirks and tells him, "Go ahead and try, the King himself bound you to that bunk." Robin sighs and gives in then asks benignly, "May I have something for my head?"
On the morning of the seventh day George wakes Robin from his painful reoccurring nightmares and tells him, "The King requests your presence." He draws back Robin's sheets and unties the sweating Lord. Robin hurriedly washes, dresses and says, "Come on Much." He catches himself and gazes forlornly at George who weakly smiles back then leads the distraught Lord to the King's pavilion with two Guardsmen trailing behind. George announces, "Your Majesty, Lord Robin." Robin steps into the pavilion and bows smartly to his King.
King Richard asks, "It's been two weeks, are you ready to rescue Much?" Robin looks around at the other Lords who stare at him with contempt then back at his King, and replies stone faced, "He's only a servant." The King leans forward on his fists against his map table and yells angrily, "HE'S ALSO YOUR BEST FRIEND!" Robin bows his head and holding out his hands questioningly says, "I know, but what can I do? I know. I can feel his drug addled mind so he's still alive and being tortured as I have nightmares about him every night, but I don't know where he is." The King tells him, "But when you have your nightmares and try to run out of camp you say that you do…" King Richard continues staring at him and motions to his General in charge of his spies who steps forward looking amazed at Lord Robin and tells him, "Yes Lord Robin he is alive, but has been captured by the Nizaris, the greatest and most deadly of all the hashishi assassins. My spies tell me he is currently being indoctrinated into their cult…" He looks directly at Lord Robin disbelievingly and adds, "By drugs and torture…" Startled, the attending Nobles and the King stare at Robin in disbelief.
Shocked, Robin stares at the General, the King, then darts out of the pavilion at top speed leaving his guards behind. The King chuckles and tells all those who are left staring after the young Lord in shocked disbelief, "I knew he would do that. George, is everything prepared?" George replies, "Yes your Majesty." The King turns to General Hilliard and instructs him, "Take the two guards outside who have been trained by Much with you and two of your best agents and help him, but don't let him know. You know how deadly those assassins are."
One of the other Generals grumbles, "Then why not just leave him? After all, he's only a servant." The King turns to the offending General giving him a withering stare and tells him, "You've seen him fight. He's worth ten men and with his master they could decimate your entire legion, and as a trained assassin, no one would be safe." Ignoring the King's withering glare, the General asks, "Then why not just kill him?" The King sighs and replies, "It may come to that." General Hilliard bows and as he hurriedly departs, motions the two guardsmen outside to follow him. Once with his own men he then instructs his most able agents and the Guardsmen that they will be following Lord Robin heavily armed.
George says, "Your Majesty, I have a question." The King nods and George continues, "If Much is Lord Robin's best friend, then why did he not go rescue him right away?" The King projects a withering glare encompassing the remaining Nobles around him and replies loudly, "Because his best friend, whom he has been with from birth, is also his servant and that's considered unconscionable by some Nobles." He turns his head to his own best friend and servant and says loudly, "As you are mine." Then with a lower voice, "And George, as you well know, a Noble's life is all about appearances." He turns back to the other Nobles who are shifting about uneasily and adds bitterly, loud enough to add force to his words, "And keeping up appearances, even to those unworthy of it, can be confusing to a young inspiring Lord, especially if that young Lord has only one person to draw his strength from." From behind him George asks, "And who would that be?" King Richard sighs and replies gently, "Much." George's face lights up and exclaims, "So that's why you sent out…" The King snaps his head around stopping his servant in mid sentence and nods.
Much, with sandaled feet wearing black billowing breeches, stands proudly in the dry hot desert air sweat running down his bare chest and back. He majestically raises his two graceful Saracen swords up high at arms length tensing his muscles, defining them to add to the visual effect as taught, stares disdainfully from his drugged bloodshot eyes at the English spy kneeling in front of him, his hands tied behind his back, who pleadingly requests, "Much, please don't. Lord Robin sent me to rescue you." Much, with distain written on his face tells him indifferently, "He is dead to me." and swings both swords precisely downwards neatly slicing off the English soldier's head, then callously kicks the twitching body over backwards. The leader of the Nizaris strides up proudly to the heavily breathing, wide eyed man, places his hand on his shoulder and says, "Well done my friend, you are taking to your training extremely well. He was your enemy sent here to kill you because of your skill and deserves death."
Much swells with pride as he dispassionately wipes his blades on the dead man watching as the man's blood quickly soaks into the parched desert sand and says sarcastically, "Of course, why wouldn't Lord Robin come to rescue me himself? After all, he's supposed to be my best friend and loves me." The leader, amplifying the drugged man's distain tells him smoothly, "That's because he doesn't love you as you love him. He never did, he could never love a mere servant, that is why he left you behind to die. He doesn't deserve your loyalty or love. It's just another of his lies as he's lied to you so many times before."
As the Leader takes the swords from him, Much stands frozen gazing at the scar on his left palm sluggishly remembering that night and the matching scar on his best friend's left hand, and how they had almost healed together, his drugged mind writhes in turmoil, face openly showing his dismayed confusion. His left hand not his right, he did that for me. But Master Robin abandoned me, left me alone to die. After living our entire lives alone together he never loved me nor even cared. But he's my best friend, and does care. He will come to save me. He loves me and would never abandon me. Much hears his friend's voice in his mind, "Much, I promise that I will never, ever, abandon you, deceive you, or betray you in any way, on pain of death or merciless torture. Brothers for life." But he left me, abandoned me…
The leader sees Much's turmoil on his genuinely open face and hurriedly says, "Lord Robin left you to die to protect himself over six months ago. He could have taken you with him but rode off leaving you behind instead." Much's face clears and says evenly, "He left me to die. He wants me dead." The leader pats him on the shoulder leading him away to further indoctrination telling him, "He never trusted nor loved you." The leader hands him a large brown cube which Much puts in his mouth and chews.
Soon Much's horrific screams fill the build and courtyard echoing off the walls of the canyon and filling the desert as the Nizaris leader puts his new recruit to torture making his drugged mind more susceptible to his indoctrination, purging his mind of remaining doubt while providing an altered explanation for the scar on his left palm. From within the torture and drugs Much shouts out painfully with his mind, ROBIN, WHY?
Robin dashes to the stables and commissary and tells the Noble there, "I need two fast horses and two weeks of rations." The Noble calmly holds out his hand and asks, "Your orders?" Robin, taken aback by the request as Much usually handles these things stutters, "It's a secret mission for the King." The Noble stares at him for a moment then says, "Lord Robin, sorry, the King said that you would be here and instructed me to give you anything you requested." He hands Robin a folded parchment sealed with his Majesty's seal. Robin stares at it until in the back of his pained mind he reels from the nonverbal onslaught of an agonized question, ROBIN, WHY? Robin staggers from its intensity then righting himself, looks at the Noble and urgently says, "I need your two fastest horses and provisions for two weeks, NOW!"
The Noble calls for his servants who quickly gather and pack the requested supplies, the Noble asks, "Where are you going?" Impatiently Robin replies, "To rescue a friend." "Do you know where he is?" Robin stares at the red haired Nobleman and remembers that he left before General Hilliard could tell him. The Noble winks and instructs him, "Read your orders." Robin rips open the parchment and finds a map and instructions on exactly where to find Much. The servants jog up with two laden horses and hand him the reins. Robin asks as he mounts one of the horses, "What is your name my Lord?" The Noble replies, "O'-Dale. Michael O'-Dale." Robin nods, "Thank you." and violently kicks his mount to a full gallop leading the other horse behind him.
When Robin is barely out of sight General Hilliard rides up with two of His Majesty's Guardsmen and his best trained agents plus his second in command. Lord O'-Dale hands him an identical parchment and they take off at full gallop following the swiftly moving Lord.
Robin follows his map across the morning desert, the sun just above the horizon, past the city where he lost his protector and on to a small remote half deserted town where he conceals his steeds in an abandoned home. Hidden inside he studies his map once more, then by foot, moving faster than he knows he should without his loyal spotter by his side, he cautiously approaches the narrow curving canyon stopping a good distance away lying down on the burning sand looking over a short rise and watches for any activity around the twelve foot tall, fifteen foot around, wind shaped sandstone pillars lining the canyon edge. Satisfied that there are no sentries, he darts into safety of the long early morning shadow that the closest pillar to the canyon opening provides and cautiously creeps along on his stomach to the edge.
Peering downwards from the height of three stories he has a perfect view of a large hidden citadel formed by three one and two story buildings on three sides creating a courtyard in the middle with a large open gate facing just over his right shoulder and the open end of the canyon. From his location the sniper can see most of the courtyard and the activities below.
In the middle of the courtyard he watches the center of attention as a brown haired, bare chested, white man sits perfectly still on a low three legged stool his arms out from his side each hand gripping the top of a T shaped pole. From behind, the man is being worked on by a dark skinned Saracen also sitting on a low stool with a table to his side holding ink. From his hiding place he can hear the constant tapping of the hammer and just make out that the tattoo covering the white man's entire back and arms up to his elbows is almost finished.
Surrounding the white man lining the three walls are twelve bare chested fully inked swarthy men, all with new bleeding wounds, some barely able to stand swaying slightly but holding themselves proudly erect. Robin glances over the observing men and notices many narrow and wide gaps in their ranks. His gaze comes around and finally lands on the proud man standing in front of the center of attention with more intricately inked pattern than the surrounding men but not quite as elaborate as the man he is overseeing. He looks over the man paying close attention to the twin elaborately decorated Saracen swords at his side.
After watching them for awhile Robin scans the surrounding buildings and notices a set of stairs exiting the second floor roof of one of the buildings closest to the edge of the canyon. Robin creeps backwards then stands and runs out of sight to the men below to the cliff edge. He aligns himself across from the roof top with the stairs, gauges the distance, runs back, then taking a deep breath runs full speed and leaps the distance onto the top of the building, half rolling absorbing the force of his speed combined with the downwards drop.
Robin crawls over to the stairs, stands and dusts himself off, checks his bow and quiver of arrows, then stealthily descends the stairs one at a time. At the next floor he scans the empty rooms then returns to the stairs. When he reaches the bottom, scanning the room, he finds a long corridor enclosed within the buildings leading along the wall to the main entrance and the rear of the compound. Robin looks around then darts through the hallway until it dead ends in the building nearest the compound entrance below where he was before.
When he reaches the end of the corridor he looks around the large open windowed chamber facing the courtyard and sees a couple of rooms with cots holding sleeping injured men. Robin removes his dagger and enters the closest room making sure the occupants will never rise again. Having sent the men on to their next life, he cautiously walks across the main chamber towards the far room. Halfway across the two men sit up, each wielding a dagger and begin to quietly climb out of their cots overconfident of their abilities. Robin smirks and quickly dispatches each with a swift arrow to their hearts.
He rapidly completes the distance standing over one of the dead men examining the unremarkable tattoos covering his chest and arms. From behind he barely makes out the silent measured sound of sand moving against stone. Without giving the intruder any notion he has been heard, he reaches out and purposefully grips the shaft of his arrow. Then in one time dilated moment, removes the arrow from its first recipient, spins and lodges it up and under the sternum of its next, neatly skewering the beating muscle blood coursing over his hand streaming to the ground. As the startled man slowly crumples wide eyed supported by the arrow in Robin's hand, Robin, staring into the man's face, hears the astonished man quietly mutter in Arabic, "Lord Robin, you did come for him…" After the man is unmoving on the ground, he examines the corpse while wiping the blood off his hand on the dead man's breeches, but doesn't recognize him.
Robin rises, stealthily crosses the room, and quickly climbs the stairs ending the lives of eight more of the wounded assassins on the second floor on his way to his new snipers perch, confident that there are no more men, alive or dead, housed in the building. Keeping himself low, he creeps over to the short ledge surrounding the roof, against which he comes to an abrupt halt, his back pressing firmly against the rise and catches his breath. He rises while turning to peer over the ledge quietly watching the silent men below as the artist finishes and wipes off the man's back causing him to twitch slightly at the stinging touch of water. Robin watches as the artist sits back admiring his work, then leans forwards once more adding some finishing touches that only he can see. Once satisfied, he sits back and washes his handy work once more then puts away his hammer and needles and stands off to the side.
The Saracen Leader standing in front of the newly inked man, using both hands with palms up, extravagantly sweeps his arms upwards encouraging the white man to rise as the artist retrieves the poles and the white man drops his arms to his side. Robin hears who he assumes to be their leader call to the man majestically, "Turn my friend so we may all bare witness to the honor which you have received and so amply deserve." Robin nearly calls out in exultation when he recognizes his best friend as he slowly turns and theatrically raises his arms to the honorific chanting from the surrounding men. However his exaltation wanes as he watches a broad smile grace the face of his best friend. Robin casts his gaze over his best friend's chest noticing that it has not been shaved nor does it support any ink that the others so abundantly display and allows his jubilance to rise once more.
Robin allows his hope to escalate even more when he hears their Leader exclaim as Much pivots back towards him lowering his arms, "Much! This is only the beginning! Your training is nearly complete except for one more task which you must perform alone!" Robin's elation is dashed when he hears Much ask with respect, "And what is this task master?" Their Leader proclaims with enthusiastic satisfaction, "In order for you to complete your training and receive your final markings attesting to your skill as our most acclaimed Nizaris Assassin, you must assassinate the Earl of Huntington!" Robin's elation is dashed into the hot desert sand upon hearing his name then his only loyal and best friend tell his new master earnestly, "As Lord Robin rejoiced in my death, he will know the same fate!"
Robin drops to the roof, sitting with his back against the ledge, lays his face in his hands, weeping at the thought that he has lost the only true friend he ever had.
As he weeps he hears from below, "Go now and prepare yourself to assassinate the heinous Noble who left you alone to die as you relieved us of all those who were unworthy to bear the mark of our Nizaris Assassin Brotherhood!" He hears his friend from below proclaim loudly, "As you command, so will it be Master!" Robin grits his teeth, wipes his eyes, and abruptly stands bringing his recurve bow instantly to hand.
Vengeance, combined with his stalwart hope that he can still reclaim his loyal friend magnifies his supreme talents with a bow. Faster and more accurately than he had ever thought himself capable of, he delivers arrow after arrow unerringly into the heart of all those standing around his best friend, the Nizaris Leader the first to receive two of his greeting cards neatly placed in the center of the accursed man's chest who took his loyal friend away from him.
Much stands firmly in place as his new master collapses in front of him, seemingly unable to grasp the concept of danger or fright, and watches as all of the other assassins fall around him while trying to run, dropping to the dry sand as so many dead birds. After all the remaining visible assassins are lying bleeding their life away into the welcoming parched sand, Much calmly looks up in the direction from which the deadly arrows came and watches a familiar back disappear from sight. Much unhurriedly steps over to the body of his fallen leader and retrieves his gilded twin swords, then casually spinning them, walks over to stand in the middle of the courtyard waiting for the man who had betrayed him.