Day 192: More of the Princess Bride

Prince Humperdinck stopped his horse and studied the ground.  His men hovered behind him and watched him get off his horse and track the paths the horses had taken.

"They had an accident.  Someone fell off the horse.  Buttercup, I think.  There's blood over here, probably from that Spaniard.  It looks like the giant went down this trail for some reason while the rest of the group continued straight ahead.  The giant is of no consequence.  We go this way."  He motioned down the trail where the blood was.

"Westley, we can't stay lying down in this hollowed out log forever.  Humperdinck will eventually find us."

"I know that," he said, breathing heavily.  "I simply need to rest a few minutes.  I don't know why I can't move my arms or legs."

"It could be," Inigo said in a barely audible whisper, "that your body simply needs rest.  Having just come back to life and all.  You need to slow down."

"Well, I can't slow down in good conscience when I have people chasing after me.  Buttercup, Inigo's wounds still need tending to.  I can't do it right now, so you will have to."

"Me!  I don't know the first thing about first aid!"

"It's a fine time to start.  Don't worry, my love, I'll talk you through it."

"I don't know, Westley."

"Look, I trust you, and if I trust you, then you can trust you."

"But I'm not sure if I trust her," Inigo muttered under his breath.

Using some plants in the forest and the makeshift first aid kit that Westley kept in his boot (all good pirates carry one), Buttercup sewed up Inigo's stomach wound and cleaned the two in his shoulders.  Inigo would have killed for some brandy about then, but all he had was some opium Westley had instructed Buttercup to pick for the Spaniard's pain.  It wasn't the best job, and Buttercup nearly fainted a couple times, but as long as Westley kept talking, she was fine.

When Fezzik finally realized that he wasn't with the rest of his group, he panicked.

"Stupid, stupid!  You had to keep rhyming, didn't you?  Now you've lost your way!"

He decided the most logical thing would be to retrace his steps.  It never occurred to Fezzik that he could have used his height to his advantage by merely staring over the trees and looking miles ahead.  Instead he wandered around in circles for a while, wondering if he was ever going to get out.  Finally, he became so upset that he started lifting tree stumps and branches out of his way so he could get threw them.  Fezzik didn't know it yet, but his method was working and would eventually get him out.

"Darling," Buttercup said to Westley a few minutes after she had sewn up Inigo, "can you move again?"

"Not really, no."

"I'm getting afraid now.  Humperdinck is sure to catch up with us."

"We will if you keep talking so loudly."

"I'm sorry," she added softly.

"Come on," Inigo said as he used the six-fingered sword to lift himself up.  "You help me carry him, and we'll put him on the horse."

"But what about my horse?  It threw a shoe."

"We'll have to leave him.  You can ride with him and hold him on the horse."

Buttercup complied, and with many "oofs" and "ughs" and "Ouch, that's my eye," the three were saddled and started galloping back onto the path towards the channel.  Prince Humperdinck was almost caught up to them now.  He could hear his great whites neighing ahead.  He urged everyone to go faster.  The three saddled figures soon came into view.  Prince Humperdinck pulled out his dagger from his boot.  The man in black's shoulder was sticking out from Buttercup's body, and if he could keep his horse steady enough, his excellent hunting skills could be used to nail him.  Prince Humperdinck held the dagger near the side of his face and gauged the amount of strength he'd need to thrust the dagger in the right area.  Just as he was about to fling it forward, a large tree branch fell in the path, right in front of him, making his horse rear up in fright.  He fell to the ground, and another branch landed near his head.  (You see, Fezzik had been making his way through the forest in a forward, sideways direction, so he was keeping up with his friends in a long about sort of way.  He had no idea that Humperdinck was nearby as he was flinging branches away, and that one branch stopped Humperdinck right as he was about to throw his dagger was purely coincidental).

"What is going on?!!" the Prince yelled, getting to his feet.

"I don't know," one guard answered.

"Then why are you on my army?!"
        
 "You're on the Brute Squad. DO SOMETHING!"

Fezzik finally emerged from the forest and saw Humperdinck's men in front of him.  He was quite scared and wanted tgo run but held his ground.

"You four," the Prince barked, "follow those horses.  The rest of you, take down the giant."