Fitz appeared to have been tortured for a long time. He was so gaunt he was nearly unrecognizable at a glance, his prison clothes caked with blood and filth.
The Old Count had lost all the vitality he'd had when they first met. He was like a fish that had been left on dry land for so long it had even lost the strength to struggle.
Rufus kicked Fitz in the side, forcing him over the tower parapet. He rested a longsword on Fitz's neck and shouted at Robert, down below the Tower of London:
"My dearest brother, let me witness your mercy once more. Your most loyal vassal, the great Earl of Hereford, the brave and unyielding William FitzOsborne, is undoubtedly pleading for your help and grace.
Tell me, what is it you truly care for? England? Or your loyal men? A merciful man should never be stingy with grace for his followers. Am I right, my brother?
Tell your men to take what doesn't belong here and get lost."
