Written in Blood

XXX . Half-dead

I've barely got my sword out when one of the Gerudos comes at me, her amber eyes leer at me, the only part of her face that's visible. Even in the dark, they seem to glow, as if there's still fire in the forest. And there could very well still be, the Lost Woods stretch on a long ways.

I block one of her blades with mine, watching the other Gerudo get a knife over the princess' throat, holding her in a death grip.

This once again proves bad things happen to me. And geez... does it go south fast. The goddesses must love me.

I've got to get out of this fight and deal with Zelda's current predicament and quick.

But I doubt they're going to kill her. They want her for something, or else her throat would be slit by now. She's right where they want her for that. There's a purpose they have to keep the princess and last heir of Hyrule alive. I don't know what it is, but at least I can count on them not killing her yet. At least, not until I provoke them into it. That can't happen.

I don't know what my relationship is with the princess anymore, but I won't let her lose her life because of my stupidity.

I push against her attack, and she almost lets my sword slash her at her shoulder. And, that turns out to be a mistake. She let her guard down, I had mine down too.

For the sixth time, there's a searing pain that explodes across my abdomen. The most pathetic part, even more than the pain, is that I'm used to the feeling by now.

Somehow I have a feeling that the Gerudos all know about this "weak point" and are just doing it to spite me even more. Fan-freaking-tastic.

I backpedal away from her sword, working around the pain as I try to keep my focus. My heartbeat is the loudest thing and my eyes connect with Zelda's which are frozen with fear. There's nothing she can do. I don't know what to do either. They've got the high ground, the Gerudos are in control. Anything I do could endanger the princess.

In that moment of distraction, I feel more flames erupt across my body. The double scimitars. Of course.

My strength, even though it's just coming back to me, is already sapped. I can barely manage to fend off her attacks as the metal finds blood again and again. This needs to stop. That's about the only thought my hazy mind can come up with.

Zelda's in such dire straits she doesn't even seem annoyed by my lack of offense- or defense, for that matter. The terror of the moment is too vivid and prevalent. Death is only a few slices away for the both of us.

I don't know what to do. I'm using my shield the best I can but I'm weak and it'll only be a matter of time until I pass out cold from blood loss. My tunic is already ripped in some places and the bloodied parts cling to my torso. Same thing with my pants. It's well beyond the healthy amount of blood at this point. The metallic stench is overpowering, but I can barely sense it because of how overwhelming everything else is.

Being delusional about my current condition will only kill me quicker. Truth is, I can't keep this up much longer, any resilience I had is snapped.

But the princess. If I let them get away with her I bet her fate will be worse than death. Especially if she's stubborn about forking over the Royal secrets. And for the love of Nayru... she's definitely strong willed. I guess the golden goddesses don't smile upon her either. Shame.

Like before, on the way to the woods, the blade of the knife is held against her throat, and there's a small bit of blood I can barely make out on her neck.

My mind is swimming and the pain has overcome me to the point where it doesn't feel like anything. I'm a wreck, completely busted up from the look of it.