Chapter (9) Torture


Later Robin is called to the King's tent. Robin and Much bow when they enter the King's presence. King Richard from across his map table addresses them, "Robin, Much I have a prisoner that has information that we desperately need but he will not talk. It is imperative that you get the information from him." Much gives Robin a worried look and asks his King, "Do you mean… Torture him?" The King sighs, "This is an important but unfortunate part of being the General of my Personal Guard. You will save hundreds of lives by retrieving information from uncooperative prisoners. I cannot give this responsibility to anyone else. It must be someone I can trust without reservation."

Robin sighs looking distraught, "May I talk to Much about this?" The King nods and they bow out of his presence and return to their tent. After they sit down with a pint, Robin motions for his servant to remove his cap, then looks at his best friend, "What do you think? I abhor torture but the King has asked us to do this for the safely of the men." Much distressed asks, "But Robin, torture?" Robin disquieted shakes his head, "I know… But sometimes it must be done. I will not force you to do this with me, but if we don't, we go home in disgrace." Much thinks for several minutes then holds up his scarred left hand. Robin smiles thinly and grasps it with his right. Robin solemnly states, "Then we shall bear this burden together." Much with equal conviction looks his friend in the eyes, "As always."

Much follows Robin back to the King's tent and requests an audience. Once they are standing before their King, Robin speaking confidently, "Together we will do this for the safety of our King and his army." The King nods in affirmation, "Thank you Robin, Much, and I will tell you this before you begin. If you hadn't gone off to think about it before answering I would have relieved you from your command and sent the both of you home with dishonor. I expect high morals in all my Generals."

Both Robin and Much nod solemnly, and Robin asks, "Where are we to perform this interrogation?"

"There was a tent set up to do this by your predecessor but it was destroyed in the last sand storm. Go see Lord Wigand about another tent and anything else that you think you will require. Speak only with him and no one else. Also ask him for the black box, it has all the tools that we could find. After you are set up, come back to me and the prisoner will be turned over to you. Be quick about this, we have only so much time." Robin and Much echo, "Yes Your Majesty." They bow their way out and quickly walk to the commissary to gather what they need.

Robin and Much arrive at the commissary pavilion and ask the Lieutenant at the entrance for Lord Wigand. When the soldier asks why they stand mute. The soldier shrugs and returns with an older, stout, salt and pepper haired man. Lord Wigand asks, "What is so urgent?" Robin nods silently towards the waiting soldier. Lord Wigand turns and waves him off then returns his attention to Robin with a questioning look. Robin, looking around moving only his eyes confirms there are no unauthorized ears around, "Lord Wigand, the King has asked me to acquire a tent from you." Lord Wigand asks, "For what purpose?" Robin answers with, "He also said to ask for the black box." Lord Wigand's eyes open wide and he takes an involuntary step back and nods in unspoken understanding. He then Yells out, "Soldier!" After a moment the soldier that was at the door arrives, "Yes sir?" Lord Wigand tells him, "Gather all the other men and bring them here." "Yes sir!" The soldier leaves and after several moments ten other soldiers arrive and fall to attention. Lord Wigand commanding, "All of you leave until I send for you." One of the soldiers asks, "Where?" Lord Wigand glares at the man, they get the message, and quickly depart.

Once they are out of sight Lord Wigand asks, "What else will you need?" Much asks him, "Do you have a large black tent?" Lord Wigand cocks his head but nods. Much nods, "Master, I'll go get a horse and cart and be right back." Robin nods and Much disappears on his errand. Sadly Lord Wigand asks, "So you're the one." Robin nods gravely. Lord Wigand places a fatherly hand on the younger man's shoulder and quietly, "I do not envy you or your friend as this is a grave burden to carry. The only good thing I can say is that you have someone to shoulder the responsibility with. Your predecessor had only himself and it destroyed him. Take my advice and talk with your friend, never hold it in or it will destroy you, and him." Robin nods, "Thank you for your advice." After several minutes Much arrives with the cart and with Lord Wigand's help they gather the gear that they will need to accomplish their duty. Before they leave Lord Wigand gives Much the same advise with Robin standing next to him, "And if you ever need someone else to talk to, I'm here." They thank him and mount the wagon turning it back the way they came.

On their way Much asks, "Shall we get some help to set all this up?" Robin thinks for a moment then tells him, "This evening we'll get a few of the newest less proficient soldiers, to help us set up the tent and unpack the wagon then request the King to send them out on a mission." Much nods and directs the horse and wagon back to their pavilion. Much ties the horses so they won't wander and follows his master to the King's tent to explain their plan of keeping the location of the black tent a secret. After explaining themselves, the King agrees and points out a good location that would be hidden and protected from the frequent sand storms by a rocky bluff far enough away so as not to be seen, or heard. Afterwards they return to their tent to wait for the evening and their troops to arrive.

Just as the sun is a hand width above the horizon Robin and Much are summoned to the King's tent. There waiting for them next to several transport wagons is a contingent of some of the most worthless looking soldiers they have ever seen, some are even shackled. The Lieutenant in charge of them with disgust in his voice tells them, "Here are the men requested, what are you going to do with them? Sword practice?" He laughs at his joke as he hands Much the keys to the shackles and walks off laughing.

Robin and Much stand before them armed with their swords and bows as Robin addresses them, "I am Lord Robin of Locksley and this is my servant Much." Murmurs of awed recognition reach their ears as Robin continues, "I have asked for you for an important duty that I cannot tell you about here. So mount up and we'll depart."

The grumbling, unruly soldiers, climb into the wagons and follow Robin and Much to their wagon and as a group they depart to the designated location for the black tent. Once there Robin instructs them as to where and how to set up the tent as Much unshackles the soldiers that are encumbered by them. As the soldiers perform their job, Much and Robin watch to make sure that the ones who are prisoners do not escape.

Once the pavilion is up Robin enters to check on its condition. One of the unshackled soldiers takes this opportunity to depart as fast as his feet will carry him. Much shouts from outside, "Master!" Robin exits the tent, sees the escaping soldier, and nods to Much. As the other men watch, Much quickly turns while removing his bow, aims, and looses his arrow at the fleeing prisoner who is now about a hundred yards away and drops him. Much turns and points to one of the other soldiers, then to the fallen man, "You, check him." The soldier swallows hard and runs to check the fallen man as they watch. The soldier shoves the dead man over with his boot, kicks him, then runs back and with respect in his voice he addresses Much, "He's dead." Much waves him back to the others. Once back amongst them the soldier places his hand in the middle of his chest indicating where the arrow was embedded. The soldiers all gawk for a moment at the general's servant then quickly return to their duties.

From where Robin is standing he calls to Much, "Nice shot!" Much calls back, "Not really Master, I was aiming for his neck." Robin calls back, "Then we need to practice with moving men more." The men around them mutter and work faster. Robin approaches as Much places the bow back over his shoulder and whispers in his ear, "I think you got their attention." They both grin slightly and Much answers, "I think so."

Once the pavilion is up they instruct the men to unload the wagon into the tent but not to open the crates or boxes. When they are done, they all mount the wagons and return to camp using the full moon to light their way. When they get back the Lieutenant is waiting for them and counts the number of men, "Ah, one got away did he?" Robin shakes his head and nods to his servant sitting next to him who pulls an arrow and puts it back. The lieutenant laughs and asks, "How far?" Robin replies nonchalantly, "Oh about a hundred yards." This wipes the smirk from the Lieutenant's face as he stares at the General's servant. Much grins back and the man looks away, mounts one of the wagons with the other soldiers, and orders the others to follow him. When they are out of sight Much and Robin laugh. Much then turns the horse and wagon around and takes them back to the commissary, acquire their rations, and walk back to their tent, eat then sleep for the rest of the night.

The next morning Robin and his servant ride out to the black tent, open up the sides do that they can have what breeze there is, and set up the equipment contained in the crates and boxes on the shelves and tables. As they unpack and sort the tools the gravity of their duty comes grimly to mind causing both to occasionally pause in thought. They place the boxes and crates out of the way against the cliff side. The last thing they do before they leave is to sink a long legged chair with leather straps into the sand in the center of the tent. They stand in front of the chair for a moment, staring, thinking about it's intended purpose, look at one another, turn, remount their horses and return to the encampment. It's late when they return in the dark to their tent, clean themselves up and fall instantly to sleep.

It's still dark when Robin moves causing Much to instantly wake watching him. When he sees his master's silhouette move to the back of the tent he relaxes but doesn't go back to sleep until Robin returns and his breathing evens out again. After a few hours the morning sun illuminates the interior of their quarters waking the reluctant torturers. Much rises first and moves to the rear of the tent, after he's done Robin takes his place. They dress and Much takes the used pots to be dumped. When he returns, Robin motions for him to sit with him. Much places the new pots where they belong then sits on his cot across from his master and patiently waits.

Robin remains silent for several minutes then looks up at his friend and sighs, "Much, are you ready to do this?" Robin patiently watches his servant as he contemplates the ground at his feet. With his head down, Much answers him quietly, "Wherever you go I will follow." Robin sighs and moves over to sit next to his best friend, "Much, I cannot do this without you. I need to know if you are with me." Much looks up into his best friend's eyes, holds up his left hand which Robin fervently grasps with his right, and tells him sincerely, "I will always be here for you." Robin stands and lifts Much up by his hand, "Then let's go." Together they walk to the King's pavilion to begin their assigned duty.

Outside the King's pavilion they request an audience with their King. From inside they hear the King's servant call to them, "Enter!" Robin and Much bow into the King's presence and stand waiting to be recognized. King Richard looks up and waves his servant and the other guards away. Once they are gone he addresses his new torturers, "Are you ready?" Both Robin and Much nod gravely. King Richard calls out, "George!" His servant walks in and bows. The King tells his servant, "Go get the Lieutenant and have him bring the prisoner." While George is gone the King tells his General the information that he requires and what to do with the prisoner afterwards. Once the request is clear, Robin instructs Much to go and get a horse and wagon and be waiting for him outside the King's pavilion.

When Robin hears a wagon pull up outside he bows his way out of the pavilion and waits next to the wagon for his prisoner to arrive, but his wait is short as from behind the closest tents comes the Lieutenant shoving a manacled and chained prisoner before him. When he sees Robin he nods his head in recognition and tells him, "Here is your prisoner." The Lieutenant glances up at Much sitting on the wagon, "With your servant around I'm sure that this one will be of no problem." The Lieutenant blindfolds the prisoner then helps Robin force him into the back of the cart and tie him so that he cannot escape. Robin then climbs up and sits beside his friend and signals him to proceed. Much prods the horse to move forward and out of camp.

They take a roundabout route to the black tent and once there they dismount, pull the prisoner off the wagon and take him inside the tent. Robin holds the man while Much straps the struggling prisoner to the waiting chair, removes his blindfold, then each using a dagger silently cut away all of his clothing leaving him vulnerable to the heat and ministrations of his captors. When Much rips the blindfold off, the prisoner spits in Robin's face and receives a vicious backhanded slap across his face from Much.

Robin wipes his face with a piece of the prisoner's discarded clothing and laughs at him. He then tells him, "You shouldn't have done that, my servant here doesn't like it. But let's begin easy. Tell me what I want to know and I will let you go, if not, we will kill you as you are of no use to us. Understand?" Robin asks the prisoner the questions that he wants answered, to which the prisoner responds with insults, curses, and denials. Robin nods to Much who picks up a tool that's like a pair of pliers and instantly yanks a finger nail off of the prisoner resulting in a loud scream from him.

Robin grabs the man by his chin lifting it up and back painfully silencing him, "That was just to get your attention. Here is where we start." Much holds a dagger up in front of the prisoner's face close enough that he has to look cross-eyed at it, then traces the tip from the man's chin down his chest leaving a bloody red mark as it travels south. Robin gruffly tells him as the dagger continues it's decent, "And this is where we will end." Much nicks the man's scrotum with the dagger deep enough to expose the white of a testicle resulting in a muffled scream as his body struggles violently against the restraints. Robin gruffly whispers in his ear, "There is a lot of area to be covered in between, and at either end. So when I release you, you need to tell me what I want to know." Robin releases the man's jaw and waits.

The prisoner looks down at the point of the dagger and where it is, fire shooting up to his ears, then looks up at the man wielding it and steadfastly glares at him. Much's face maintains a mask of cold indifference showing no emotion, but the prisoner remains mute. Robin nods at Much again and holds up three fingers. Much lays the dagger in the prisoner's lap and picks up the pliers. The prisoner tries to break free of the bonds but Much swiftly removes another fingernail to the sound of the man's screams then in rapid succession two more.

The prisoner screams louder and violently fights the restraining straps. Much walks behind the prisoner giving Robin time to try again, "Give us the information we seek. All you have to do is raise a finger, while you still have one, and give us what we ask and it will all be over. Shall we continue or will you answer?" The prisoner refrains from answering and Robin backs away and nods to his comrade. Much comes back around with what looks like sand, takes a pinch of it and sprinkles it on the open wounds eliciting an even more painful scream than before as the salt slowly does its job.

Much walks back to a shelf and picks up a thin, pointed, iron rod and returns to the prisoner's side. He holds the rusted rod in front of the prisoner for him to see then starts tapping it against the prisoner's head, "Master, perhaps he cannot hear your request from this ear. Shall I check to see if it is clear?" The General nods grimly and his servant takes the rough, flaking, iron rod, inserts it into the prisoner's ear and smacks it with the palm of his hand. The prisoner's screams are the loudest and worst yet and echo against the canyon walls but still he does not speak. Next comes the thumb screws, moving on to the bones of the fingers and toes.

As no answer is forthcoming, the general and his comrade now must step up the interrogation of their uncooperative prisoner. Much lights a brazier of charcoal and within it he places a wrought iron poker with a long, wide, flattened end.

Much removes the glowing red poker from the heat of the coals and holds it to the prisoner's arm until they can smell cooking meat and yet the prisoner still does not speak. He returns the poker to the fire and when it is red hot holds it up to the prisoner's face then slowly lowers it to the last place he made an incision. This finally breaks the strength and will of their prisoner who, while sobbing, tells the general what he wants to know.

The General's servant pulls a dagger from his belt, steps up behind the prisoner and holds it to his throat. Disconcerted the prisoner reminds the General, "But you said that you would let me go if I told you what I knew!" Robin sees the hopeful look on their prisoner's face and calmly tells him, "Yes I did. However, you spit in my face, and I told you that my friend would not like that." At that moment Much slits the throat of the prisoner. They watch as the man's heart stops beating. Much wipes his dagger on a piece of cloth and returns it to his belt.

Robin watches as his best friend replaces the dagger in his belt and asks concerned, "Are you alright?" Much looks up at his master and faintly nods. Robin motions to Much and they untie the prisoner, pick him up and toss him into the back of the wagon. Much returns to the tent, wipes down the chair, buries the blood in the sand, and cleans the tools returning them to their places. He then closes up the tent and returns to the wagon jumping up to sit next to his friend and urges the horses back to the King's camp as the sun sinks on the horizon. Once they reach the camp they return the wagon and what remains of the prisoner to the waiting Lieutenant who, after seeing the haunted look on their faces, leaves without saying a word.

From outside the King's pavilion, Robin calls for an audience with the King. From inside they hear the King respond, "Enter." The two new torturers bow into their King's presence. King Richard asks, "Did you recover the information?" Robin nods and tells him what the prisoner told him earlier that day. The King nods and says, "You and your servant will be well rewarded. Go now and rest." Robin and Much bow and leave the pavilion and solemnly walk to their own tent unaware that they are quietly being followed by the King's servant George.

Once inside and disarmed themselves, Much sits down on his cot and starts shivering violently with his hands wrapped around himself, staring forward blankly, and slowly rocks back and forth. Robin walks up to his best friend and lifts him up. They embrace tightly releasing their horror and sorrow of the deeds that they had performed that day. From outside their tent the King's servant watches unseen through a thin opening in the flaps that cover the entrance. After a moment he leaves the two friends to shed their grief alone and returns to report to the King.

The King looks up as his servant enters the pavilion and beckons him near. George whispers what he had seen in the King's ear so as not to embarrass the two friends. The King nods to his servant after he has finished his report and returns to his maps as his servant retreats to the corner until needed again.

After what seems like forever the two friends release each other, wipe their eyes and disrobe to their braises. They move their cots together and lie down back-to-back finding comfort in each other's presence, as they have done so in the past when either would have nightmares, both knowing that tonight neither would find sleep alone. Much draws up their blankets to fend off the desert's night chill.

For two days the only man that ventures out of their tent is Much, and that is only to empty the chamber pots and to get their rations. On the third day following the torture of the Turk the King comes to them and enters their tent unannounced. He finds them sitting side-by-side on Robin's cot in silence both staring at the ground. The King draws up and sits on one of the chairs and watches the two men. After a minute and neither speaks nor seems to recognize his presence he breaks the uneasy silence, "Robin, Much, you must not blame yourselves for the duty which I have assigned you. I realize that what was required was no easy task and understand the grief that you feel now. You would think that being a King I do not understand nor care, but you are mistaken, I do care. While there is nothing I can do nor say to relieve your heart of its burden, know this, the information that you retrieved has already saved more than half of the army, including the men entrusted to your care." The King rises but this time their eyes follow him. The King places a hand on each of the friend's shoulders, "Take a few days to recover, then I need you to return to your duties. I will check on you from time to time."

Over the next week the King himself comes often to comfort the two friends and talk. Each time they are more responsive and grieve less. The following evening they request admittance to the King's pavilion, upon entry they bow into his majesty's presence. The King approaches them and with his hand lifts Robin from his show of fealty, "Lord Robin do you and Much feel that you are able to return to your duties?" Robin glances at Much then tells the King, "We are. Thank you for understanding." The King replies, "Then do so. Perhaps with a training session with your men?" Robin and Much smile at the thought, bow, and depart back to their pavilion. There they grab their swords, step outside, grin and work out their remaining horrors in melee until they are too tired to stand.

The duty of interrogation continues to weigh heavily on their minds, but having done it once the task becomes less difficult to bear but never becomes easy, and their nightmares begin.