Ok, this chapter starts off nice but I have to warn you, it does turn nasty! THAT WAS MY WARNING SO DON'T COMPLAIN! Review though, thanks.
"Well, good day, my handsome guard. Aren't you looking fine today?" The guard looked up as he was addressed and gave a gappy, yellowed toothed grin, his greedy black eyes eyeing the woman before him hungrily.
"Why, 'ello, and what is a noble beauty such as yourself doing in the slums o' Nottin'am?" the guard asked sending waves of his stale alcohol ridden breath over the woman. Her nose wrinkled in disgust.
"I am visiting someone within the castle walls," the woman replied haughtily but then began tugging at her long hair self consciously. The guard sneered, he could tell she was shy.
"And what be you name?" he questioned, eagerly.
"Um…er…Allanena," the lady looked flustered for a moment but regained her composure, her sky blue eyes becoming confident once more," And this is my servant and friend….Jackella."
"What unusual names for two very pretty ladies," the guard smirked as a young, dark skinned woman appeared, "I'm afraid I can't let you through though. Sheriff's orders."
"Oh, but please, my good sir," Allanena batted her eyelashes, "You see, this is a very tense and distressing time for me. My wife…I mean sister, is having a baby within these walls and I must see to her." Allanena begged, her lips pouting slightly.
"Oh, alright, I s'pose, but you owe me a favour mind," the soldier let them past.
Once the two were out of sight and earshot, Allanena removed her hair and frumpy, noble's clothes to become a scruffily attired and considerably disturbed Allan 'a' Dale.
"I can't believe that bloke was attracted to me! He was flirting! He believed I was a woman!"
"That was the point, was it not? You'll just have to face the fact you make a very pretty woman. I knew I'd see you in a dress one day." The once Jackella also removed her unnecessary garments and reverted back to her simple boyish clothing.
"Hmph," Allan muttered, "I just hope Robin's got this distraction sorted or this'll be the shortest rescue mission ever. Look at all those guards."
Just as he pointed at the said guards, as if on cue, an uproar erupted from the other end of the castle courtyard and they knew the mission had begun. They didn't have much time, Robin could only distract the Sheriff for so long. The guards sprinted off and Allan and Djaq slipped, unseen, into the castle passageways.
Vaisey marched out of his chambers and onto the steps flanked by Gisborne to be met with the irritatingly arrogant face of Robin Hood. He groaned inwardly. What could the annoying twerp want? Oh yeah, his little outlaw friend in the dungeons. He'd completely forgotten him.
"Hood, what an unpleasant surprise," the Sheriff addressed the outlaw in bored voice.
"The feeling is entirely mutual," Robin replied, "I'd rather not be here but unfortunately you seem to have my carpenter and I would like him back."
"Who?" the Sheriff put a finger on his chin feigning puzzlement, "…Oh, the boy!" Vaisey clicked his fingers, "Sorry, I rather enjoy his company despite the fact he seems mute. Provides very good entertainment."
"What have you done to him?!" Robin yelled angrily.
"Not much, he's not dead if that's what you mean, though I doubt he'll be out of here in a hurry. At least not on his own two feet."
"What d'you mean?" Much shouted, stepping forward, his face livid with fury.
"Oh, just a few tortures." Each of the outlaws faces became even more agitated.
"What kind?" John spat.
"Um…flogging, burning, force drinking….the knee splitter. In fact, considering your boy is so stoical and insists on keeping his mouth shut to protect you, my jailer had resorted to the last face," Vaisey's eyes lit up with glee but Robin felt bile rising in his throat.
"And what would that be?" he asked, apprehensively.
"The Rat Torture," this received sharp intakes of breath, not only from the shocked outlaws but also the crowd of peasant spectators that had gathered.
"No!" Robin cried.
"Yeesss! And don't think you'll be saving him, I have you surrounded!" the Sheriff grinned happily.
"I think now would be the time to leave, Robin," John hissed.
"I know, I know," Robin nodded, eyeing the circling guards warily, "But we need to buy as much time as possible for the others."
"How?"
"Um…run?"
"Isn't that what we were going to do anyway?" Much frowned.
"No, run into the castle."
"That's mad!"
"And your point being? Do you want to help the others or not?" Robin smiled and charged off, sword in hand, he ran straight through a bewildered throng of guards and shot into the castle.
"Get him!" Vaisey yelled just as Much and John followed their leader, "Get them!"
Allan and Djaq made their way into the dungeons without much trouble as all the guards seemed to have disappeared bar two who they took out quietly and stealthily with no commotion. Then they descended the steps into the underground prison in search for their friend.
Despite looking all over the cells all they found was a drunk peasant man rambling about 'stupid, ignorant guards' and another, bug eyed man with dripping gums and spindly fingers which he reached through the bars of his cell and tried to grab Allan with. He pulled away swiftly.
"Where is he?" Allan whispered urgently, worried for their friend's and their safety.
"I don't know," Djaq looked just as frustrated and lost.
"I do," a breathy voice issued from the cell with the bug eyed man.
"You do? Where is he?" Allan asked, jumping at the man and staring at him, "Tell us."
"Let me see if I have the right lad. Tall, dark haired, quiet? Came in with a couple of nasty wounds?" the captive wheezed.
"Yeah, that's him. Where is he? We don't have much time."
"I'll tell you if you let me out. I'm to hang tomorrow," the man rasped, his lips twisting into a smug smile.
"Why you little!" Allan cried and grabbed the man through the bars by his collar and banged him hard against the metal.
"Ow!"
"Allan! Shh, I can here something," Djaq hissed and put a calming hand on his arm. Allan released his vice like grip on the grimy peasant and listened too. He heard a muffled yell that made his blood run cold.
"Will!" he yelped and hurried towards the source of the noise. Djaq followed swiftly, as they both ran towards a particularly dark corner of the dungeons that was not lit by flickering candles in brackets.
Allan stumbled blindly into the gloom and suddenly found himself in contact with a rough material. Wood.
"Djaq, there is a door here!"
"Well, open it then," Djaq replied. Allan complied and wrenched the door open before tumbling into the hidden chamber. What both outlaws saw made them freeze in absolute, unbridled horror.
In the middle of the dingy chamber was a wooden table that looked pretty sturdy but it had to be if it wasn't to break under the strain of its victim's thrashing and writhing. Strapped tightly to the table was the current victim, the vicious bindings cutting into the skin on his wrists and drawing blood. But that was the least of his problems and not the source of the agonising pain he was experiencing now.
On the wall was a grotesque display of torture instruments, hanging up like some repulsive shrine to everything that was horrible and inhuman. Their jagged edges glinting menacingly in the dim light from the candles.
Djaq hardly took any of this in though, her gaze stuck on the man attached to the wooden structure, struggling weakly, sweat glistening all over his naked body and his chest heaved it was obviously the effort of breathing. And on this chest was a metal tin like object rising and falling in time with the prisoner's ragged breaths. It was strapped on with a leather belt around the man's torso so it couldn't be shifted. Stood over him was a weasel faced jailer, a glowing torch in one hand that he was holding on the metal pot, heating it.
"No!" she gasped and darted forward, bringing up her sword and with all the strength in her small, slight body brought the blade down squarely on the jailer's head, slicing his scalp open, all regard for the outlaw's no killing policy ignored. This man had hurt Will.
The jailer crumpled on the floor and Djaq, panting with exertion and adrenaline, looked up from his prone body to come face to face with the scrunched up face of Will. The young man was still crying in agony, hot tears streaming down his cheeks much to his embarrassment. Djaq didn't care. She moved faster than she ever thought she could've and, instead of unbuckling the leather strap, cut it open with her weapon. The metal pot came loose and slid off his shaking body to reveal a rat.
A huge specimen for its species, filthy black fur matted and drenched in perspiration from its scorching ordeal. Its tiny, beady eyes met Djaq's and although she wanted to hate it for what it had done to the young man, she couldn't. It had been in as much torture as the human and had seeked the only way it knew of surviving and escaping the torment.
With one last frightened look at the Saracen, its saviour, the rat leapt off the man and darted into a crevice of the wall, never to be seen again.
Allan, who had stood, helpless this whole time, dived forward and inspected his friend's body. It was a mess. A mangled, disgusting, stomach turning ruin of what had once been Will's chest. Long, burns spread across his skin, crinkled and blackened, with open gashes down the middles of them where the jailer had sliced the blisters. Around these grotesque scars were bloodied welts, some of which were oozing yellowish pus and others had crusted over with congealed blood. Livid bruises spattered whatever skin was left creating a paintwork of colourful swellings, black, purple, yellow, brown…
But all those repulsive wounds were not the worst thing. The worst thing was what the rat had done in its frenzied panic. Its assault on the carpenter's skin had resulted in a small, deep gauge around the bottom of Will's sternum. Tiny, angry red scratches were the only indicators of the sharp claws of the rodent which had caused this. Ringed around this mark was a thin circular burn caused by the boiling metal pot.
Allan turned and threw up on the flagged stone floor.
Told you it was a bit gruesome. For some reason I just find I'm better at righting angsty stuff! Sorry if you just lost the contents of your stomach like Allan! Please review! In case you're wondering Eli will feature next chapter!