Chapter 2-
Meanwhile in Jerusalem Robin of Locksley awaited his fate. The Holy Crusades under his king was not what he had thought they would be. Often he had wondered if his father had been partly right. The Crusades hadn't much to merit it. Robin had gone thinking that they could bring the infidels into their faith, but he saw that it was more like bullying people into the faith.
Robin had felt the Crusades had changed him. Especially after he saw a soldier kill a child not much older than his 12-year-old daughter, Anne. Anne. Robin hadn't really given his daughter much thought since her mother had died in childbed fever just days after her birth.
Robin knew he had been a spoiled, rich man's son who hadn't cared much for the woman his father had picked for him or the daughter he had with her. By the time Anne was five years old she had kept her distance from him unless for the times he supped with her and his father. He knew Anne's opinion that her father rejected her because she had been born female instead of a son. Now he regretted it.
If he ever got out of this prison he'd make amends with his daughter. Have her know that she was as prized as if she had been a son. Robin looked up as the potentate of the prison stopped in front of Peter, his best friend. Robin and Peter had been falsely arrested on charges of theft. In Jerusalem theft was punishable by having your hand cut off.
"He said you were stealing the bread," the potentate said briskly to Peter.
"It is a lie. We caught him stealing ours," Peter said wearily. Peter's health was suffering from the climate of the Holy City. If it was possible Robin had to get him away from here the best he could.
The potentate looked at Peter with a hard glare. "Remove the infidel's hand," the potentate said after a long moment.
"No! I took the bread!" Robin protested before they could unshackle Peter and the potentate could walk away.
"Wait, that's not true," Peter said. Robin nudged his friend's arm with his shackled arm.
"They're not interested in the truth," Robin whispered to his friend.
"But he's lying," Peter still protested.
"Truly, Peter, we will not live through the day," Robin said as the potentate looked at the both of them.
"As you wish. Cut the other one's hand off as well," the potentate said, pointing at Robin with his sword. The jailers unshackled them as Peter protested and apologized to Robin at the same time.
With a bit of a struggle Robin placed his hand on the chopping block. Let the Moorish jailers see any fear in him! One of the jailers looked at him for a long moment before grabbing his hand and tying it to the block. "This is English courage," Robin said defiantly.
The jailer nodded to the man with the smoking scimitar. The man raised the scimitar once and twice before swinging it down with deadly speed at Robin's wrist.
Robin ducked just in time, pulling his hand free, and impaling the sword's man on his own scimitar. Peter picked up a bundle and threw it at another jailer who landed in the furnace.
Robin fought off guards, not able to watch his back. "Behind you!" He heard someone warn. He turned just in time to fight another guard. He looked at the prisoner who had warned him. He was a bearded black man; Muslim, by Robin's guess.
"Come on, Robin, for heaven's sake," Peter protested as Robin looked at the rest of the prisoners.
"Please, take us with you!" A prisoner shouted. Robin picked up the scimitar and hacked at the chains holding prisoners.
"You cannot save these people, Christian, but you can save me!" The Moor who warned him yelled at him.
"Come on, Robin," Peter protested, pulling at him.
"Christian!" The Moor yelled again.
"Why should I?" Robin asked, going to the Moor.
"For pity's sake. I am under the sentence of death," the Moor said.
"No, Robin! He's a Moor, don't listen to him!" Peter protested.
"Let me free. I will show you a way out," the Moor said.
"Why should we?" Peter asked.
"If you do not we are all dead men," the Moor said bluntly as he looked at Peter.
Robin looked at the Moor for a long moment before soldiers broke through the door, making up his mind for him. He raised the scimitar and cut through the Moor's ropes. Robin knelt next to a prisoner and touched his head. "Sorry, my friend," Robin said, before he followed the Moor and Peter through the sewers.
"This way," the Moor said, going into a small tunnel off to the side and up a metal ladder. They exited into a street bathed in moonlight.
"Thanks. I misjudged you," Peter said as the Moor helped him and Robin out. Robin started as Peter gasped in pain. An arrow was sticking out of his back and Robin pulled him to the side.
"It's mortal. Leave me," Peter said. Robin and the Moor looked at each other before looking at Peter. Peter pulled out a ring with a ruby cross on it. "Give this ring to my sister, Marian. Swear that you will protect her for me," Peter said, grabbing Robin's shoulder.
"The wound is bad. We cannot save him," the Moor said regretfully.
"Swear it, Robin!" Peter said, shaking him.
"I swear it," Robin said in a low voice.
"They're coming," the Moor said rising.
"Tell Marian I died a free Englishman," Peter said as he got to his feet and ran to the soldiers.
"Peter!" Robin tried to follow him only to be held back by the Moor and dragged down the street.
"Come, my friend. Make his sacrifice an act of honor," the Moor said.
"You don't know," Robin said as he ran in the direction opposite from the soldiers and into an alley, the Moor behind him.
The Moor cracked a grapefruit on his knee and handed half to Robin, which he ate hungrily.
"Why did you cut me free, Christian?" The Moor asked while they ate.
"No matter what blood is in your veins, no man deserves to die down there," Robin said, watching the alley. "Farewell, my friend. God speed your way," Robin said when the guards went past.
"Our way lies together with the speed of Allah," the Moor said stubbornly.
"What?" Robin asked.
"You have saved my life, Christian. I will stay with you until I have saved yours. That is my vow," the Moor said.
"Thanks, but I go to England. I relieve you of the obligation," Robin said, grabbing some grapefruit.
"Only Allah can do that!" The Moor said, following Robin.
"What if I say no?" Robin asked.
"You have no choice. I am Azeem. You may call me Azeem," Azeem said, holding out his hand.
"Robin of Locksley," Robin said, shaking Azeem's hand briefly before they ran down the alley. Robin felt light as if he had been granted by God a second chance. He could go home and make things right with his father and Anne. Robin had been gone for five years. Anne had to have changed in that amount of time. He wondered if she looked like him or her mother. Her mother had been beautiful, but Robin hadn't loved her when he had married her. He didn't see how love could happen in an arranged marriage that his father and her father had arranged.
Of course now he had seen the errors of his ways by shunning his daughter and leaving her for his father to raise. He hoped Anne forgave him for his attitude and was willing for him to try being her father for the first time in their lives.
XXX
Anne of Locksley slipped back into the courtyard of Locksley castle. With no moon Anne had to feel her way around the castle and step over rubbish that the hooded men had strewn everywhere. All was quiet now and the hooded men were gone. Anne didn't know if her grandfather had survived or not. It was highly doubtful since it was common knowledge that the Sheriff of Nottingham hated her grandfather and Anne had heard the Sheriff and his cousin, Guy of Gisbourne insulting her grandfather and anyone else who supported King Richard and spoke out against the Sheriff and Prince John, Richard's brother; a miserable usurper to the crown.
Anne made her way through the castle and to her father's room. Her grandfather had saved her father's clothes and Anne wore them often when she went hunting with Duncan or some of the serfs who worked the property. Now would be the best time to wear them. If bad people were looking for Anne of Locksley they would never figure that she was in plain sight and wearing boy's clothing. She changed quickly out of her dress and into her father's clothes. She left the castle quietly, willing to hide until King Richard or her father came back. If her father was still alive.