Chapter 20

If this be the last time we meet

Much opened the tent flap for Noor. "See, he really is dying Noor. Isn't there something you can do for him?" Much pleaded.

Noor nodded silently. She could see by looking at the figure on the bed that Much was right. Without help soon he would die. The fever had flushed his skin on the surface but beneath that he was pale with a slightly greenish pallor. He moaned through parched lips and struggled feebly in the bed. What concerned Noor the most was that he wasn't sweating. The fever hadn't broken.

"How long has he been like this Much?" Noor asked quietly.

"Almost a week and I didn't know what else to do. Please Noor, help him." Meanwhile the figure on the bed mumbled something she didn't understand.

Noor nodded again. "Of course, Much. You should have found me when the fever set in. I would have come then. Lay him on his side and let me see the wound."

Much gently rolled his Master onto his unwounded side and exposed the bandages underneath his rib cage. With a look at Noor he took his dagger and cut open the bandages. The skin crackled as the bandages were removed; they have been allowed to dry onto the skin for much too long, Noor thought to herself. As Noor looked at the wound the smell of decay hit her at the same time as she saw the red streaks emanating from the wound and the green puss seeping from it.

Between the odor of decay and sweat and the sight of the wound Noor found herself weak kneed. Rushing for the tent entrance she barely made it outside before retching. Much waited for her patiently. As she reentered the tent he asked her "are you alright my lady?"

Nodding Noor gratefully accepted the glass of water Much handed her. Forget about the smell; forget about how advanced the blood poisoning appears to be, forget that you may not be able to save him. Just focus on what you have to do Noor told herself. "Alright, Much I am going to clean the wound first. It's going to hurt him quite a bit and I need you to hold him."

Much nodded quietly. "Whatever you need me to do I will."

"Good, take this vial of alcohol and pour it over your dagger. Then place the dagger in the flame until the count of 100. After that, give it here but don't touch the blade!"

When the blade was sterilized Much handed it to Noor. "Now, hold him down tightly. If he moves I could kill him on accident." Much nodded again and pressed down on his master, who simply moaned in pain.

Noor uttered a soft prayer to Allah and then sunk the blade into Robin's fevered flesh. She opened the wound as far as she could without wounding him further and then drenched the area in the strong alcohol she brought with her. When the alcohol hit his skin Robin convulsed and screamed in pain. Noor thought it reminded her of nothing so much as a dying animal. Best to not think of that though.

"Much, I need you to bring me some clean bandages. Boil them in hot water yourself; don't trust that butcher of a doctor to do it. Then bring me as much rotten meat as you can find."

"What?!"

"I want the rotten meat for it's maggots. They will crawl inside and eat all of the infected, dying skin surrounding the wound. When the wound is clean they will crawl out. Don't worry it's perfectly safe and Robin won't feel a thing. Now go."

When Much returned Noor inserted the maggots into Robin's wound. As they crawled in to begin their grisly task, Noor reached for the wine. Pouring a glass of wine she added a green, earthy smelling powder. Reaching up, she lightly slapped the feverish Robin. "Robin, come on wake up."

Weakly Robin's eyes fluttered open. "Noor" he croaked. 'What are you doing here?"

"I'm saving your life Robin. Now drink this. It's wine with zombie powder in it. You will be awake and you will be able to understand what we are saying to you but you won't be able to speak or move. You also won't feel me stitching up your wound."

Robin sipped the wine slowly as Noor prepared the needle and bandages to finish working on him. When the glass was empty Robin balanced it precariously on the table next to his bed. "Noor?" She looked up. "I'm sorry. I love you."

"Hush, Robin." Noor placed her finger over his mouth to silence him. "Now lie still and let me stitch this up. I won't stitch it tight so that the maggots can get out in a few days so you'll need to lie still until the wound begins to heal on it's own."

Robin nodded slightly before the zombie powder took over, he knew she wasn't really here and this was a vision and he was dead. Why else would she be talking about maggots unless he was a corpse? Since he was still wounded Robin assumed that obviously hell and salvation would not be coming so he braced himself for pain. He was shocked by the lack of feeling in his side and watched as Noor moved the needle through his skin to sew the wound. He watched as she placed a poultice over it to help it heal and then wrapped it lightly in clean bandages. At no point could he feel what she was doing to him; perhaps this was some purgatory where he couldn't touch her but there was still the promise of her presence.

When she had finished bandaging Robin's side Noor wiped the sweat from her brow and looked at him. Touching his face she said "sleep now, Robin and let the fever subside. I promise you won't die." She watched as his eyes slid closed and his chest began to move regularly. Taking the glass of water from Much she drank deeply. Sitting back, Noor stretched her body out and allowed it to unkink. She would wait with Much until Robin's fever broke and then she would leave. He would live.

"Does he know Noor?" Much asked quietly.

"No. How do you?" Noor asked inquisitively.

"You got sick at the sight of his wound. That shouldn't bother you Noor. I'm sure you've seen worse. Then I got to watching you and you've changed. I can see it in the way you move and the way your face looks. It radiates from every pore in your body." Much smiled at her. This would definitely help his master heal!

"I was going to tell him that day Much. Then," Noor's voice trailed off and she waved her hand. "Well, its best to forget all of that. Somehow in the mess of it all I didn't get a chance to tell him. By the time it was over I figured he wouldn't want to know anyway." Noor explained patiently. Watching, Noor could see that Robin was beginning to sweat. That meant his fever had broken and the worst was over.

"You are going to tell him aren't you?" Much asked suspiciously.

Noor shook her head sadly. "No, Much. Neither will you. It's better this way. I will talk to King Richard when I leave here. I will have him send you both home to England so that Robin can heal. Then I will go to Medina to be with Salahadin; where I belong."

Standing slowly, Noor walked over to Much. She kissed him on the top of the head and said "goodbye, Much. Remember me, alright?"

Much nodded sadly and Noor walked out of the tent and into the night. Much put his head in his hands and began to shake with sobs as his heart broke into a million tiny pieces.