For the 2010 Robin Hood drabblefest
Prompt: Guards; dereliction of duty
Summary: The punishments meted out to the guards are severe but they take care of each other when necessary
Cold stone dormitories on the north side of the castle provided shelter for the guards who had no property of their own, ten men to a room.
"Edward! What's wrong?" Raymond asked, awoken by the sound of weeping one night.
"Got whipped," Edward mumbled from under his threadbare blanket.
"What for?"
"Dunno. Derry…derry-lick," Edward said uncertainly.
"Dereliction of duty?" It was an all encompassing offence, anything from sleeping on duty to not being quick enough to respond to an order. The punishment was almost always a whipping. Raymond had suffered the punishment several times.
"Yeah," Edward sniffled.
Raymond got up and went to the chest where he kept his meagre belongings. He took out a tiny jar of salve and went over to Edward, crouching alongside him.
"This'll help," he promised. He moved the blanket away. Edward was prone on the floor, unable to lie on his back. Raymond carefully peeled back Edward's shirt. The lashes had been washed in salt water but nothing else had been done to treat the angry red wounds.
Raymond sang a lullaby from his childhood, carefully rubbing the floral scented salve into Edward's wounds. Edward's hands clenched at Raymond's touch, but soon the ointment took effect. By the time Raymond had finished, Edward had drifted off into what Raymond hoped was a healing sleep.
They had to look out for each other, Raymond thought, placing the jar in the wooden chest. No-one else would.