That made William laugh. “Half this lot are here as a punishment. The other half are farmers trying to avoid paying taxes. Anyone of title is trying to show the King how faithful they are so they’ll be rewarded when it’s all over. Not one of them should ‘be here in the first place.’ But they deserve to have England protect them while they’re here. They deserve to have a sword if they need a sword.”

“For England to protect them?” Robin said with a sly smile. “Are you familiar with the concept of war? They’re here to protect England. They’re here for their king.”

“Please.” The open walls of the tower room afforded a breathtaking view of the city, its many tiers of rooftops cascading down to the sea walls, and the stormy seas beyond. But gorgeous as it was, it was not England. And Acre was but the first battle in the war. Nobody wanted to be here. “Show me a single man here who is honestly trying to save Jerusalem for Christianity.”

Robin pointed his finger uselessly and let it drop. “Alright, you have a point. Call it duty then.”

“Duty,” William echoed. “Duty is a thing you do because you have to. An obligation.”

“Duty is a choice,” Robin countered. “You choose to do your duty against your own personal interests, and there’s tremendous sacrifice there, because it’s the right choice.”

“Hm.” William’s father had done his duty, and it had been anything but the right choice. “The right choice is whatever protects the people.”

“Then all the more reason, I say! If they can’t do without a sword, they should have brought their own.”

William stared at him. “Farmers don’t usually own … are you familiar with the concept of farming?”

“They could buy one.”

“You just don’t want to climb that staircase again.”

“That plays a heavy factor, yes.” Robin laughed. “But if you really think a dozen swords will make a difference, I’ll climb it again.”

William kicked Robin’s leg playfully, and they lingered to listen as Richard hacked, coughed, probably died, and coughed again.

“No. You’re right, they’ll have to make do. Those replacement swords … they’re not coming.” Perhaps it was Richard’s health that had him on edge. They had not discussed what would happen if his ailment went south, what an unthinkable future might hold if the king perished here. William guessed he and Robin could grab the crown, roll Richard’s body into a river, and rule England together in secret for the next five years.

The very thought of it made him nauseous.

Robin grunted. “We can agree that the Austrians are terrible though, right?”

“Absolutely.”

“Useless bastards.”