Messina

Chapter still a work in progress. May be subject to change and is still being written currently.

Robin stumbled over to Will nearly falling over the table of two Italian men. Robin flopped onto the bar counter using it to prop himself up. He put a firm hand on Will's shoulder and took a fit of laughing.

            'You've a queer look, brother.' hiccupped Robin. Robin did not mean brother in the literal sense. Robin never had a family of his own and grew up in the Scarlett household since he was born.

            Will glared at Robin. It wasn't so much a look of anger or disappointment but more a look of pity for the drunken state his 'brother' was in.

            'We should return to the ship before General Locksley notices our absence.' said Will. Robin simply laughed at him, slobber bursting from his lips spraying Will.

            'You worry too mucsh.' giggled Robin. 'He won't even notish we're gone. I'm gon' talk to that pwetty lady over der'.' Robin staggered across the tavern to the slim figured Italian in a red dress with a black corset. Truthfully she was dressed like a lady of the night with dark crimson hair and dark brown almond shaped eyes.

            Robin leant on the wall beside her and flicked his fringe back out his eyes. The motion captured the woman's attention who grinned a cheeky smile and gave him a flirtatious wink.

            'Puzzi come il formaggio di capra.' said Robin in his best Italian accent. The woman's mouth opened in shock. Her eyes narrowing and eyebrows furrowing into a frown as she slapped him so hard that it nearly knocked him to the ground. She cursed him and stormed across the tavern.

            Robin returned to an ecstatic Will who could hardly keep a straight face for more than mere seconds.

            ‘What happened?’ he chuckled. Robin rubbed his reddening cheek.

‘Not shure.’ He said. ‘I either told her she’s the mostest beautiful woman I’ve ever sheen or that ssshe smells like goat’s cheeese.’

            ‘More likely the second one.’ Will smirked. His eye caught the woman from across the room talking to a rather large framed man with a queer handlebar moustache combined with untamed muttonchops. The woman pointed toward Robin and the man’s face tensed. He aggressively pushed through the crowd.

            ‘We’ve got trouble.’ said Will. Robin turned to be greeted by a large fist to his lips. The blow knocked him over the bar counter shattering the glasses and sending the mugs of ale flying.

            Will assisted Robin to his feet.

Robin shrugged Will off wiping the blood from his busted lips. He took a slow, lumbering, swing at the somewhat sober man. The man leant back from the strike. The swing threw Robin off balance and he collapsed onto a table.

            The stocky man grabbed Robin by the collar and threw him across the tavern where he crashed into another table. The tavern broke into a fight. Mugs of ale went soaring across the tavern as the women fled from the tavern and the men stood their ground and fought for the sheer pleasure of it. At the end of the day, everyone loves a good scrap as a release from stress that is everyday life.

            A mustached man took a swipe for Will, who gracefully dodged and pushed the man over a stool. Will ducked a flying ale mug and thrust his fist forward into the stomach of a stumbling drunk.

            The drunk collapsed over a bar stool. The tavern doors burst open and Italian guards burst into the tavern with drawn swords. The guards barked orders in Italian and the fighting ceased. The room fell deathly silent all apart from the alcohol induced laughter from the toppled over Robin.

            'You find this funny?' said the guard. He thrust his sword in Robin's face. 'How about now? Is this still funny?'

Robin slapped the sword away and spat in the guard's face.

            'Piss off.' he said. The guard went to slap Robin but Will intervened catching the guard's arm.

            'Sorry sir,' he said. 'My friend has just had a little much to drink.' He released the guard's arm and aided Robin to his feet.

            'F*****g crusaders.' spat the guard. Robin lashed out at the guard striking him in the back of the head with a mug. The guard's helmet took most of the force but it still stumbled him. The guard drew his sword and slashed for Robin.

            Luckily Will was quick to respond and tackled the guard to the ground before the blade was set in motion. He grabbed the guard's sword arm and twisted the wrist till the sword fell clattered off the stone floor, he kicked the sword away and released the guard. He went to stand up but found several sword points against his back much to the humour of Robin.

            'You two are under arrest for the disruption of peace and for assaulting a guard. Have you anything to say in your defense?' said the guard, to which Robin replied by blowing a raspberry at the guard. The guards locked Robin and Will's wrists in shackles and dragged them off to the prison where they spent the night.

            The next morning they were awoken by the clattering of metal against the steel bars of their cell.

            Robin writhed from the sound grasping his pounding head that felt like his brain was frantically trying to escape him. He squinted at the silhouette of a man standing outside their cell with a sword in his hand.

            'Boy, are you two a sorry bunch.' the voice was unmistakable.

'General?' puzzled Robin. 'What are you doing here?' It took Robin a few minutes to become aware of his confinement and current situation.

            'Will? What did you do?' he said. 'Why are we in prison?'

'You started a fight in a tavern.' explained General Locksley. He was a man of short stature but stout of nature. His shoulders broad from wearing heavy chainmail, his arms thick from extensive training exercises. A small scar ran down his cheek from a bout he had with Robin two years ago when Robin was still a recruit. His muttonchops and moustache gave him a fierce look that matched his quick temper and lack of leniency with his troops.

            'That explains the thumping headache.' groaned Robin. He pushed himself to his feet and dusted himself down.

            'Are we free to go?' said Will.

'Thankfully the leader of the guards has agreed to let your little mishap slide due to the pope's support of the crusade,' said Locksley, 'but if you disappoint me again you will be on the first boat back to England. Is that clear?'

            'I'm not sure.' smirked Robin. 'My Vision's a little hazy.' The General rolled his eyes and opened the cell door. He unlocked the shackles around their wrists and lead them out of the prison.

            Robin rubbed the raw flesh from where the shackles had been. They hadn't done any real damage just a few scratches and some broken skin.

            'How much longer do we have left in Italy?' asked Robin.

'We are leaving for Messina today.' said Locksley. ‘The King wishes to gain an ally in King Philip.’

            'Just let me know when the ‘actual’ fighting takes place.' grumbledRobin.

'As long as you promise not to get killed or you'll bring terrible embarrassment to my family name.' said Will.

            'It's my name too!' said Robin. 'Lest you've forgotten, it was your mother that took me in as a baby and named me.'

            'How could anyone ever forget you, Robin?' laughed Will. 'You'll be a legend for sure.'

            'A legendary drunk more like.' snorted Locksley. The General lead them down to the docks and lead them on board one of many ships the King had in his fleet.

            'You two will be on this ship with me so I can keep an eye on you.' he said. 'I don't want any more trouble from you too for the rest of the trip. Alright?'

            'You won't even know we are on the ship.' said Robin. Robin and Will split off from the General and headed from the crew quarters. The men were lazing about waiting for the ship to depart for their first battle.

            ‘Ah, Robin,’ said a voice. ‘How is my shadow doing today?’ Robin gazed in the direction of the voice. Sure enough in the back of the cabin sat Gilbert. He stepped out of the shadows and into the light, a knife in one hand, and a piece of wood he had been whittling in the other.

            ‘I never knew you wanted to be a carpenter,’ smirked Robin, ‘Will here could teach you how to do it properly.’ Will blushed. He quietly slipped over to the cabin bed that had been set aside for him the night before.

            ‘Oh please,’ said Gilbert. ‘I’m a soldier not a carpenter. These are simply pieces for a chessboard. Would you like me to beat you in four moves again?’

            ‘No.’ smiled Robin. ‘I’d rather you’d stop being such a pompous git.’

‘A game, then?’ said Gilbert, ‘To prove your worth. If you win I’ll stop bothering you.’

            ‘And what if you win?’ said Robin. Gilbert pulled over a crate and set a chessboard he’d carved on top.

            ‘Well I will undoubtedly win so I expect nothing in return other than the satisfaction of knowing that I’m better than you.’ Robin bared his teeth and thrust himself into the stool that sat before the crate. He set up the chess pieces on his side of the board - the pieces were surprisingly well carved from smooth oak. Robin set the final piece on the board and waited for his opponent to do the same.

            'I'm white so I go first.' said Gilbert. He moved his first pawn two spaces forward into the center of the board. Robin mirrored the movement. Gilbert moved a second pawn forward in the center.

            'A bold move leaving both King and Queen so defenseless.' said Robin. He moved his knight in place to cover his pawn should it be attacked.

            Gilbert moved his bishop forward to C4. A great position to launch an attack from.

            'Sometimes risks are necessary to allow for the bigger plays.' he said. Robin hummed in agreement whilst he moved his pieces making sure not to leave open any lines for his opponent to attack from. The match went on for quite some time without any exciting maneuvers and then...

            'Checkmate.' grinned Gilbert. He'd trapped Robin's King with two Knights and a bishop.

            'Whatever.' Robin slid off the chair and slumped onto his bed. Gilbert tidied the pieces away neatly placing them in a wooden box he'd crafted to house all the pieces made of fine mahogany with beautiful engravings of flowers carved into the wood.

            'So the word is we are meeting with the French Army under King Philip.' said Gilbert looking up from his packing. 'We don't know much about the French tactics really so it might be interesting to watch them train.'

            'What is there to learn when we fight under the Lionheart!' said one soldier. The comment caused an uproar of cheering and men slamming fists against the wooden bowels of the ship.

            'That's enough ruckus!' said Locksley. His powerful voice easily overshadowing the commotion. 'We are about to embark for Messina now and yes we will be meeting the French army. That means all of you better not step out of line, for this alliance could prove crucial in the capture of Acre and our conquest of the Holy Land. If any of you disrupt this allegiance, I will personally see to it that your head is stuck on a spike. Do I make myself clear?'

            'Sir. Yes Sir!' the men said. There was no fear in them from Locksley's threats. He played the crude General well to new recruits but to these soldiers who had been living with him for the past several months they had learnt that his heart was kinder and more noble than most.

            The General left the cabins and went about his business elsewhere on the ship.

            Will moved beside Robin to talk- it would be about all the entertainment they would have 'til they reached Messina and even that could prove a bore.

            'You play strangely.' said Will.

'Sorry, what?' said Robin. Will shuffled on the bed making himself a little more comfortable.

            'You should have let him take your pawns earlier on then you could have exposed a straight line to his King.' he said. Robin smiled grateful of his brother's advice but he was too indifferent to take it.

            'Why would I let him take my pawns?' he said. 'Isn't a pawn just as important as a bishop or rook or knight. Who's to say that a pawn has to be the one to be sacrificed? I choose to value each and every one of the game pieces as if they were men and no man is any greater nor less of a man than the man next to him.'

            'You really are odd, brother.' giggled Will. Robin wrapped his arm and his neck and pulled him in close rubbing his fore-knuckles against the top of his brother's head.

A week passed before the King's fleet arrived in Messina. They had a few rough nights without sleep so the morale was low.

            Robin stepped out onto the port and stretched out his back taking in the fresh air of Messina. Will stepped onto the port and stood by Robin’s side.

            ‘Fresh air’s a gift,’ he said. ‘Any longer in that ship with you and I would have gone mad.’

            ‘What are you insinuating?’ said Robin. Will scuffed the splintered wooden planks with his foot.

            'Nothing much,' he sniggered, 'just that it's nice to be on dry land again.' Robin nodded.

'Agreed,' he said. 'However it would be nice to finally see some action for once. We've been travelling for an age now.'

            'Messina is a city port of thieves, bandits, and drunks,' said Gilbert, who had been unpacking his equipment from the ship's bowels. 'I'm sure you'll find something to keep you occupied.'

'Not to mention the tension there'll be between us and the French.' said a soldier. His face bore a resemblance to Robin but he'd forgotten the name it bore.

            'Have we had the luxury of exchanging names, brother?' said Robin inquisitively.

            'The name's, Much,' said the soldier. He swept his thick mop of dirty blonde hair back from his eyes. 'I'm from Locksley just like you but you probably don't remember me.'

            'Much?' said Will. 'The Miller's son?'

'Yeah.' Much piped up. His deep blue eyes glistened in the hot Mediterranean sun. The group moved forward carrying packs of equipment slung over their shoulders so they could set up a camp in the city alongside the French.

            'What brought the son of a miller to the crusade?' said Robin as they walked. Much froze solid in place, his whole body seemingly snapping to attention like something had startled him.

'I....' he started. 'I could ask the same about a carpenter's son!' Robin smiled gently and punched Much in the arm like he would Will. It was not a gesture of malice but rather a gesture of acceptance.

            Much winced from the strike but he smiled back at Robin and nodded in approval. How it must have felt for someone to have accepted him for once.

            'Robin's simply here so I can humiliate him at everything he turns a hand to.' smirked Gilbert. Robin dropped all the equipment he was carrying and turned to Gilbert in disdain.

            'Just because you selfishly sacrifice your pieces on a chessboard for your own gain doesn't make you better.' he said.

            'Well I'm a better swordsman not to mention archer.' said Gilbert calmly. His tone was condescending and mocking. Robin did not appreciate anyone mocking his archery, he took the longbow off the ground and filled his quiver with the arrows in his pack of equipment, He unraveled his bowstring from a felt pouch on his belt and began to string the bow.

            'If you are a better archer then prove it right here and now.' he said. Gilbert took his own bow and proceeded to string it like Robin.

            'I shall humbly accept your challenge if I can even call it that.' he said. 'What shall be our target.' Robin looked around for a suitable target and his eyes rested on Will, who looked up at him from setting his pack down to rest.

            'Oh no,' he said. 'I'm not some pawn in your game. I won't fall for this again.' Robin took the apple from his backpack out and juggled it in his left hand.

            'Oh come on,' he said. 'You know I'll hit the apple like last time.'

'I'm not in the mood to be shot at today.' said Will.

            'If you don't let me shoot the apple, I'll tell them about the cow.' grinned Robin. Oh what fun childhood secrets could be when used in a manipulative way.

Author's Note

Tear the ass out of it. Even if the smallest little detail annoys you I want to know. Also let me know what you think of the concept and whether you think it's stupid or not because I'm not quite sure how I feel about the book yet.