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Chapter Text

When I first read the Princess Bride by S. Morgenstern, annotated by William Goldman, I was about 16. I had seen the movie, and I really enjoyed both. In fact, I often daydreamed about what I would do if I were in any of the characters places. This led to, of course, realizing that a lot of the characters could solve a lot of their problems by making some different choices.

I don’t want to be rude to Morgenstern, he was a classic writer and a satirical genius, but his writing certainly came from a different time. (The annotations in my version were probably the only thing that kept me from getting bored by 16 chapters of hats.)

No, the very main thing about the story that I so disliked was the way everyone treated Buttercup. They ordered her around, showed her no respect, called her ‘dear child’ and so on. The worst part was probably that she just took it, not speaking up for herself or talking back at their blatant rudeness. As a woman myself who would not stand around and take it, this rubbed me the wrong way.

I mainly thought, if I was in her place, that I wouldn’t let any of that slide. Why should I? So after re-reading the full annotated book, and re-watching the movie, I feel as though I know the basics of why the book was so good. I also know the basics of what can be removed or changed without worsening the lovable story.

So, dear reader, this new version shall have all that! All the fencing, fighting, torture, revenge; giants, monsters, chases and escapes, true love, and miracles! I tried not to change much of course, and some scenes are just barely changed to fit this new version.

All in all, I want to do justice to the original story, while putting a more modern and enjoyable spin on it. And as in the original book, I may or may not be stopping in for an annotation here or there, just to give my own opinion where it seems fit. Now without further ado, The Princess and The Bride…

Chapter Text

Buttercup was raised on a small farm in the country of Florin. She was in her late teens, and wasn’t one for looks. Buttercup almost never brushed her hair unless she had to, didn’t clean her clothes as often as she should, and almost always had some dirt on her face. Despite this, she was probably the most beautiful woman in the world.

It’s not that Buttercup’s parents told her this of course, but one stable hand did. Her name was Wes, and she hadn’t told anyone this yet. Wes worked on the farm as a stable hand, and she cleaned, and she worked the farm collecting wood and harvesting the plants they grew.

Wes wasn’t much older than Buttercup, but she held herself much taller than her. She also had a bit of a stronger body from so many years doing physical labor on the farm. She didn’t have much time for hobbies, but that was alright with her, she had a long term goal, and that was enough.

Buttercups favorite pastimes were riding her horse, and tormenting Wes. She never called Wes by her name, or her old name, but is wasn’t for lack of knowing. She only ever called her “farm boy,” but Wes couldn’t say she minded that too much.

Every day it was something along the lines of, “Farm boy, polish my horses saddle, I want to see my face shining in it by morning.” Wes would just turn quietly to her, and take her horse by the reigns, answering only with a,

“As you wish.”

That’s all it ever was between them, “do this, do that,” and “as you wish.” Buttercup meant nothing but to make fun at Wes, or to entertain herself. Wes always meant more, but never said it. They had been like this, saying almost nothing as conversation, for years.

It wasn’t surprising then when, very gradually, more was said than words on both ends. One day, Buttercup came back from a ride as usual, and called out to Wes as usual,

“Farm boy, I want you to varnish my horses hooves-“ As Wes turned, a moment passed before she spoke again, “Please.” The softness in her voice was subtle, but new. Wes let herself smile very slightly, and nodded as usual.

“As you wish.” As Wes took her horse away to the stables, she looked back at Buttercup, and found she was looking back at her just as intently.

It happened then one day, that Buttercup finally realized what Wes was saying. It was very slight, in her tone, but it was always there.

“Farm boy!” She spoke hastily, as Wes was just about to leave the barn’s kitchen, “…Fetch me that pitcher.” Buttercup pointed in front of her, at a hanging pitcher above the counter. Wes was surprised at her request, but didn’t for a moment hesitate to fulfill it.

She stepped up beside Buttercup, needing to be that close to reach, and as she grabbed the pitcher she spoke,

“…As you wish.” This time it was not subtle, Wes’ tone, and her eyes. When she said ‘as you wish,’ what she really meant was ‘I love you.’ Wes handed Buttercup the pitcher, and for a long moment, they stared into each other’s eyes. Buttercup’s eyes were bright, and suddenly she understood.

Wes’ eyes were dark, like the sea before a storm, and full of longing. But she didn’t say more now, she just turned to leave. As she walked back to the stables to clean up for the night, Buttercup lingered in the doorway, watching her leave. She felt it the same as Wes now, that silent longing.

More amazing than Buttercup finding out that ‘as you wish’ meant ‘I love you,’ was her realizing that she loved Wes back.
…
(This is one of the moments I changed from the book, and a bit from the movie. You see, in the movie it just cuts to them kissing at a sunset, and as romantic as that is, it doesn’t translate into writing well. But in the book, there’s this big romantic confession from Buttercup to Wesley. I didn’t really like either, and since Buttercup is a bit more forward in this version, I just changed it as I saw fit, (although I kept one part of a speech). If you prefer either versions to this, just imagine that instead.)
…

Buttercup didn’t wait for long, as the next morning after sleeping on her feelings, she confronted Wes as she was piling up some wood.

“Farm boy.” Wes turned, fully listening to her as she always did. “It comes to this, I feel that I love you, and you love me.”

Wes was immediately stunned, never thinking that she would actually get reciprocation while being a poor farm boy.

“I haven’t noticed it for too long, but for months and perhaps years I have loved you.” In Buttercup’s estimation this was all true, “I do not want to stand around and dance around each other, so do you love me the same? If I am wrong and you reject me now, tell me.” Buttercup stood her ground, feeling tightness in her chest for the anticipation.

“…Do I love you?“ Wes took a second to gather her thoughts, but just as she did, she fell into her feelings and words just spilled out. “I have stayed these years on the farm because of you, I have taught myself languages because of you, I have lived my life with only the prayer that you might glance in my direction. I have not known a moment in years when the sight of you did not send my heart careening against my chest! I have not known a night when your visage did not accompany me to sleep, nor a morning when you did not flutter behind my waking eyelids.”

Wes took Buttercup’s hands in her own, grasping them as tightly as she could without harming Buttercup’s perfect hands.

“I love you. Do you want me to go on?” Wes was smiling now too, brighter than she thought possible considering she didn’t smile much.

“Never stop-“ And as Buttercup cut her own request off by leaning forward and kissing Wes, all the years of teasing and ‘as you wish’-s became worth it.
…
(This is the part where I cut in and remind everyone that stories need conflict. As much as I would like to say that they live happily ever right now, happy wives and all that, they do not. They don’t live happily ever after for a little while, but the journey’s just as important. If you want, you can also put this fic away, close your laptop, turn off your phone, and imagine that this is where it ends. It doesn’t end here of course, but you can if you want to. Anyway, back to the main plot, a few weeks later I would estimate.)
…

Wes had no money for marriage, and her plan all along had actually been to save money. Not only was she working on the farm admiring Buttercup all these years, she had been working a few other jobs as well. So one day, it came time for her to break the news of this great plan to her beloved.

It was a emotional time when Buttercup learnt of this, that Wes would be leaving to America to seek her fortune. She was happy for her in some way, that Wes was taking charge and going out into the world for the both of them, but she was mainly sad. They had many conversations in the week before Wes left, and one a day before was the most emotional for them both.

“I fear I’ll never see you again-“ Buttercup was on the edge of tears again.

“Of course you will.” Wes held her in her arms as she had the days before,

“But what if something happens to you?”

“Hear this now,” Wes looked into Buttercup’s eyes, knowing that she didn’t have much control over her journey, but all over her words. “I will always come for you.”

“How can you be sure?” Buttercup wiped her eyes the best she could on her dress sleeve.

“This is true love,” A soft kiss, “ you think it happens every day?” Buttercup shook her head, pulling Wes closer into a tight embrace.

Before Wes left, there were many goodbye kisses and hugs, and a lot of promises to write. Buttercup even gave Wes a small locket that belonged to her mother, and a request to ‘always think of her.’

“As you wish.” Was one of the last things Wes said before leaving the farm.

She didn’t reach her destination. On the way to America, the ship she was on got attacked by the Dread Pirate Roberts, who never left captors alive. When Buttercup got the news that her beloved had been murdered, she went into her room and shut the door. For days she neither ate, nor slept.

She had closed off her heart, metaphorically put a wall around it, and didn’t allow herself to hurt over Wes. She barely cried after receiving the news, and when she finally left her room, all she could say in explanation to her parents was,

“I will never love again.”

Chapter Text

It had been five years since that day, and for all of the emptiness in Buttercup’s heart, the neighboring kingdom of Florin seemed no less cheery.

The town square was filled with people, as today was the day the prince was going to pick his bride. Prince Humperdinck was known to love hunting more than ruling, and many had worried that when his father, the king, finally died, there would be no good ruler to take his place.

After all, the prince often spent so much time away hunting, he needed a whole zoo built in the kingdom just to keep him at home. But all worries were set aside when the news came that he was finally going to settle down and choose a bride, that he was ready to become king, and give the country an heir that they deserved.

Humperdinck stood on the top of a castle balcony, his father and step mother behind him, as he addressed the crowd,

“My people,” He waved his hand dramatically over them, “a month from now our country will have its 500th anniversary. On that sundown I shall marry a lady who was once a commoner like yourselves.” He glanced down over the people, and at the door to the side of the courtyard. “But perhaps you will not find her common now. Would you like to meet her?”

The crowd’s answering “Yes!” was loud, and unanimous. At that moment, the door behind most of them was opened, revealing a staircase, and Buttercup.

Beforehand, Humperdinck was surprised that she wanted to see them all at their level.

“Are you sure you will be safe? What if someone tries to-“

“They will not hurt me.” And she was sure.

So Buttercup walked down the stairs, as gracefully as ever, and greeted her soon-to-be-subjects with an air fit of a princess.

“My people,” Humperdinck introduces her to them, but the crowd is much more focused on her, “Princess Buttercup.”

In the last five years, Buttercup has changed much. In the first few years of Wes being gone and safe, she had tried to make herself more beautiful. It was an irrational fear that she would find someone else in America and not want Buttercup anymore, but she had it anyway. So she washed and brushed her hair more often, and wore nicer clothes.

Since Buttercup was already quite pretty however, this just led to an exponential growth of her beauty every day. Then, after the news of Wes’s ship and the attack, although Buttercup didn’t keep her appearance up as much, she didn’t bathe in mud. So when Humperdinck was searching for a wife, it just so happened that Buttercup had recently become the most beautiful woman in the world.

When she moved into the palace, it was easy to find dresses that complimented her figure, and made her autumn hair and fair skin really pop in any lighting. So as she walked through the crowd, they bowed to her without ask, and they made way for her. She had no worry of harm coming to herself, and they had no worry for their country anymore.

Buttercup was not happy with this though, and as she looked up to Humperdinck, he could see it.
…

The only thing Buttercup found joy in was riding out alone with her horse. The day had been moving of course, introducing herself to her new subjects, her new country, but she needed a break.

So she found solace in the breeze and solitude of the large forest by the countryside. It wasn’t too dense, but had good shade, and she often spent her afternoons here. Today was no different for Buttercup, this was because she didn’t know any different of what today would bring.

As she rode through the trees like usual, she pulled her horse to a halt, and stood before an odd trio. It was three men of varying builds, a giant, a hunchback, and a man with not many notable features except the scars on his face. She nodded to them, wondering who would be out so far aside from another rider.

“A word, my lady?” The center man spoke, small but polite seeming. “We are but poor, lost circus performers. Is there a village nearby, perchance?”

Buttercup shook her head, “There is nothing nearby, not for miles.” Although she had suspicions, they seemed genuine. That’s what she thought to herself the moment before she was entirely proven wrong.

The hunchback smiled almost mockingly, “Then there will be no one to hear you scream,” he then nodded to the giant, and in an instant he had taken a step forward, and grabbed Buttercup on the neck. She tried to scream, perhaps one came out, but everything went dark after that.
…
(Quick annotation, I won’t be writing many scenes that aren’t directly from a main character’s perspective unless they are very important or I find it funny. Aka, I’m not going to write all the cut away scenes with Humperdinck hunting them, and I’m not going to write this scene on the boat before Buttercup wakes up. I’m focusing on our main two girls for now!)
…

Buttercup wasn’t sure how long she had been knocked out for, but when she opened her eyes, the sun had already began to set. The sky was painted a dark orange fading up to an even darker blue, and the moonlight contrasted the flickering yellow of the lanterns hanging on the boat. She was on a boat.

Buttercup looked around, confused. She was sitting against one of the sides of the boat, a blanket covering most of her body. The three men from before were standing and milling about, tending to the ship and steering it as needed. The hunchback was moving less than the other two, and he seemed to be the brains of their kidnapping.

Buttercup then realized she had been kidnapped, and that none of them had fully realized she was awake, so she decided to play it safe for now and listen. It might help her even,

“We shall reach the cliffs by dawn,” The hunchback. The scarred man nodded to him, and continued his steering at the back of the ship. He glanced behind himself, and the boat, for a moment before looking back.

“Why are you doing that?” The hunchback seemed slightly annoyed, so Buttercup assumed this had been going on for some time.

“Making sure we are not followed,” The scarred man had a bit of an accent, not as familiar to Buttercup, but she recognized it. He was most likely a Spaniard, and along with the sword at his waist, he was a seemingly skilled one.

“Believe me, that would be inconceivable…” The hunchback leaned against the opposite side of the ship from Buttercup, and rested his eyes. It didn’t take long for him to open them again, from paranoia or senses, since the Spaniard had looked behind the boat once more.

“Stop doing that-“ He grumbled at the Spaniard, “We can all relax, it’s almost over.”

“Are you sure no one could be after us?” He replied in a less than relaxed tone.

“As I told you hours ago, it would be absolutely, totally, and in all other ways, inconceivable. No one in Guilder knows what we’ve done, and no one in Florin could have gotten here this fast.” He tried to rest his eyes again, but then sat up slightly and looked back at the other, “Out of curiosity, why do you ask?”

The Spaniard shook his head, and shrugged, “No reason. It’s only that I just happened to look behind us, and something’s there,” He turned to check again, while the other two joined him hastily to look as well.

Buttercup wasn’t able to see behind them as well, and the moonlight wasn’t doing her much help either. However, what the three men saw worried them all. It was a ship, slightly smaller than their’s, manned by only one person standing at the ship’s bow.

It was all black, with black sails, painted or stained black wood, and very ominous. The more worrying part was how fast the ship was traveling, it was gaining on them despite their possible lead.

“Probably some local fisherman out for a pleasure cruise at night through…” The hunchback was trying to use logic to calm himself, “eel infested waters.” It wasn’t working very well, and the other two weren’t buying it either.

Buttercup couldn’t see this so called “fisherman” or his boat, but she knew that it was a ship coming for theirs. If she was able to take this chance, it was possible she could be saved even before she was taken for good. Maybe they were helpful, and even if they weren’t, it was better than being stuck on a boat with three men wanting to kill her.

So she got up quickly, and threw herself over the side of the water, swimming for the mystery boat behind them. She had never been a very quick or strong swimmer, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t get distances quickly when her life may depend on it. Buttercup had also heard the hunchback’s comment about eels, and she would have to be fast enough to avoid those too.

The three men began to panic after seeing and hearing her leap of faith, and were rushing around trying to get her.

“Go in! Get after her!” The short one yelled,

“I don’t swim!” The scarred one protested,

“I only dog paddle…” The giant unhelpfully added.

The hunchback and possible leader ran to the side of the ship, and frantically searched for Buttercup as she swam, but could see nothing in the darkness. He used his other senses then, and tried to save his anger for after they retrieved her.

“I can hear her kicking, veer left!” He gestured to the Spaniard, and he obediently pulled the ship’s helm to move left. Buttercup was swimming with all the might she could in the direction of the black ship, and even though she couldn’t see it, or swim very well, she was trying her very best to make it.

That was until she heard the sound. A high pitched, shrieking sound. She didn’t stop swimming of course, but she slowed her pace slightly. The three men leaned over the side of the boat, still trying to find her, but now listening too. The sound, piercing and continuous, seemed to get closer.

The hunchback smiled, he knew what the sound was.

“Do you know what that sound is highness?” He cupped a hand over his mouth so she could hear him better over the waves, “Those are the Shrieking Eels!” He had heard of them a while back when learning about the Florin channel and what to look out for. Currently, he was trying to scare her back to the ship.

“If you doubt me, just wait. They always grow louder when they’re about to feed on human flesh…” He smiled to himself, knowing it would work on most young women.

Buttercup was not this, and she had also heard of the eels. The whole story sounded made up to her, and old wives tale designed to scare little children from swimming out too far, but she had to admit it was a lot more scary when she was the one out swimming. It was also fully night now, so the only thing she could know about these eels was the sound of their shrieking and splashing…

Now they were getting louder, the shrieks were becoming higher pitched and closer, the sound of eels swimming closer too. She tried to keep swimming away but her arms were getting tired. She didn’t have many options, and none of them were appealing to her.

The short man made a last ditch attempt to lure her back, assuming she would take it without hesitation, “If you swim back now, I promise no harm will come to you. I doubt you’ll get such an offer from the eels…” He added some dramatics to the tone in his voice, just to make sure.

Buttercup didn’t turn back, but she had to tread water instead of swim forward. She was too tired for this, not skilled enough for it, and very much scared out of her mind. The only thing she was holding onto was her wits, and they told her to still not trust him. The large figures she could see the outlines of were also not trustworthy, certainly eels, she thought.

They were getting closer, and the shrieking was louder still, and she just wanted to be back in the castle sleeping right now even if it meant dealing with Humperdinck.

The hunchback was impatient now, and he was shouting at her, almost desperately trying to find her, “I won’t warn you again-“ He couldn’t lose her now, “Call out your position or die!”

Buttercup shook her head to herself, death it is then.

Suddenly behind her, a large splash. One eel has found her specifically, and starts swimming toward her, it’s shrieking ear-splittingly loud, and she tries to turn in time to do something, but it’s mouth has already opened wide to eat her—-

Chapter Text

Buttercup was about to be eaten, she saw the eel right in front of her, she saw its mouth and teeth ready to greet her.

She had never faced certain death before, as much as she had complained that she would die, this was much different than that. Everything almost slowed, and her life passed before her eyes. Well, that’s what normally happened when you were about to die, she thought to herself. So she looked back on anything she could’ve done to change the outcome.

But it was actually alright, since just as the eel’s gaping mouth was in front of her, just as she could see the moonlight reflected in it’s teeth and she could smell it’s breath, it died. She saw it before she heard it, a piercing arrow head driving through the eels mouth, a loud sound from somewhere far away.

She knew it could not have been the kidnappers, the angle was too wrong. But then who? Buttercup swam around in a circle, not caring about the sound she made anymore as the eel sunk back into the water with blood seeping around it. She saw the other ship again, the black ship with black sails, and a single figure standing on the bow.

They were wearing black too, they were tall, and holding what looked to be an object glinting in the pale light. Something sharp recently reloaded in the front. Buttercup wanted to swim closer, perhaps be saved, see what they were holding, but she didn’t get the chance. As she had turned, and as the arrow shot so loudly through the air, her kidnappers had steered the boat close enough to grab her.

A large hand took her by the back of her collar, pulling her back onto the ship, soaking and shaking from the cold. She was set down back onto the boat with less grace than she would like, and a blanket was clumsily shoved at her.

“I suppose you think you’re brave don’t you?” The hunchback crouched beside her, and spoke with disdain.

She didn’t look away, lifting her chin in defiance, “Only compared to some.” She particularly feel brave, but it was needed to be said. If she looked scared in front of these men they would show her no respect, and certainly not the respect that the future queen deserved.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the Spaniard at the back of the boat shouting, “He’s practically on top of us now-and gaining!” For once in these reports, the hunchback did not seem to worry,

“It doesn’t matter, he’s too late.” He turned, and Buttercup realized where they were. The sun had just started to rise, the sky bathed in orange and blue light, perfectly highlighting their destination. “See? The Cliffs of Insanity!”

They were huge, taller even than Humperdinck’s castle doubled. They led up to a grassy plateau that Buttercup couldn’t see the end of, and were surrounded by a small beach barely big enough to dock a boat. Any one wanting to continue up those cliffs were… well, insane. But as she continued looking, she saw a rope secured and dangling off the side of the cliffs, certainly put there by her assailants.

She was horrified, and now very scared since it showed on her face.

The boat pulled up to the small patch of sand beside the cliffs, and the three men docked before pulling Buttercup out of the boat harshly, and to the edge of the cliff.

“We’re safe now, no one is strong enough to climb the cliffs expect Fezzik! He’ll have to sail around for hours to find a harbor…” The hunchback seemed quite excited about all of this as he pulled another coil of rope out to them from the boat.

The Spaniard took Buttercup over to the cliffs and directed her of how to stand so she could hold on as they climbed. The extra rope was used to create a harness so the three of them could ride comfortably (enough) on the giant. Just looking up at the cliffs was enough to give her vertigo. They were practically 90*, perfectly straight up, and she couldn’t comprehend how they wouldn’t fall halfway climbing.

She glanced back again, the black ship wasn’t far away now, and as much as she worried about their ability to climb, she hoped the stranger would be able to follow no matter where they went. It wasn’t a stretch to assume they were there for her after all, she was the future queen, Humperdink or anyone could’ve sent them to save her.

But she wasn’t able to wish for too long, because before she knew it, they had started to climb. Her stomach lurched, being stuck holding onto someone else climbing and only being able to look at nothing or down, it wasn’t the most pleasant situation. So she shut her eyes tight, and held on for dear life.

Below, the black ship had just docked beside their own, and the captain of said ship jumped off hastily to follow them. They wore all black as well, along with a black mask, and were a very good climber. Fezzik was quite strong, and must have made it a third of the way up when the mystery person grabbed onto the rope and continued trailing them.

The first to notice was the Spaniard as he looked back down to check on that very person, “…He’s gaining on us.”

“Inconceivable!” But it wasn’t true.

The mystery in black happened to be climbing behind them with the same rope, and gaining since their climbing speed happened to be faster. No Olympic medal worthy speed, but fast enough to eclipse the distance in half the time. Buttercup couldn’t feel the rope swing slightly as they climbed, and she couldn’t feel the wind pushing them in the early morning light. But she could hear things.

She heard the birds this high up, and she could hear the three men bickering about their new problem below, and she could certainly hear the creak of whatever the rope was tied onto. The mystery in black had the opposite issue, they could see everything, the people above, the cliffs, the rope and the previously mentioned birds. They could even see how the morning light reflected perfectly off of Buttercups hair, but that wasn’t the focus as they climbed.

No, the issue was that they couldn’t hear what the three men bickered about, and they couldn’t hear what the rope was attached to at all. It was mostly dumb bravery that kept them climbing, and even with the crossbow on their back, and the mask on their face, their main goal happened to be much less threatening than they appeared.

Fezzik was half way up the cliffs now, and the mystery was still gaining, as that was how physics worked. Then Fezzik got three fourths of the way up, and the mystery was more than half. Then Fezzik got- and etc. It was a very close race, and with barely any time left to keep the lead, the three men and Buttercup finally reached the top. The second Fezzik let go of the rope, and the four of them solidly planted their feet on the ground, the hunchback was moving again.

He ran over to the large tree that the rope was around, and pulled out a knife. Although size doesn’t matter, the few seconds Buttercup saw it, she wasn’t sure it would be able to cut through the thick rope. The next second she had collapsed on the ground, catching her breath and remembering that she wasn’t dead. She heard the rope getting severed slowly behind her, and she actually crawled slightly back to the edge of the cliff.

The mystery was still climbing, looking up with a bright determination that never seemed to dwindle. Hand over hand, their speed was incredible, and Buttercup had to be impressed.

“He’s almost here-“ The Spaniard was standing beside Buttercup, watching the stranger’s progress the same as her. The hunchback was still furiously cutting the rope, and just as Buttercup was sure the mystery in black would make it, she heard the rope snap.

She instinctively turned her head just in time to see the rope sliding across the ground to the cliff’s edge, only to plummet off the side and down the 1000 meter drop. All of them walked to the edge of the cliff now, and Buttercup turned her attention back down to see if they had fell when the rope did. All four of them were shocked.

Instead of falling, like they all thought the mystery would, they had taken out two arrows and wedged them into the rock, using them as makeshift hand-holds. It was a feat of strength and quick thinking, and above all, they were still climbing. One hand over the other, taking out and re-wedging the arrows one step at a time.

“He’s still going,” Said Fezzik, a little surprised and a little worried.

“He has good arms,” The Spaniard said after a moment of staring, honestly impressed with the resilience. The hunchback was much less impressed, and his face was almost red,

“He didn’t fall? Inconceivable!” Buttercup took a moment to look back up at the three men, and at him in particular. She assumed he was the mastermind behind the kidnapping, but he certainly had some anger issues.

“You keep using that word,” The Spaniard said, in a surprisingly calm tone, “I do not think it means what you think it means.” The four of them turned back to watch the stranger’s progress as they slowly climbed, but only for a moment.

“Whoever he is, he has obviously seen us with the princess and must therefore die.” Said the hunchback, “I need you to carry her.” He had turned to the giant, and neither of them seemed to like the idea. Buttercup had just been carried up the cliffs, and that was enough to make her more than grateful for solid ground.

“We’ll head straight for the Guilder frontier,” Buttercup also didn’t like that idea as she was pulled up to her feet, Guilder was barely on neutral terms with Florin. She’d learned this a while ago while preparing to be queen, and along with the kidnapping, it was obvious why these men were hired.

They wanted to start a war using her death. Well, she wouldn’t let that happen in a million years.

The hunchback turned now to the Spaniard, and nodded to the cliff, “Catch up when he’s dead. If he falls, fine. If not, the sword.” The Spaniard gladly unsheathed his weapon, testing it’s balance as Buttercup stood by Fezzik.

“I’m going to duel him left-handed,”

“You know what a hurry we’re in,” The hunchback complained.

“It is the only way I get any satisfaction-“ He swapped his blade from hand to hand a few times, making it look almost weightless, “If I use my right, it’s over too quickly.”

The hunchback just huffed, and turned, beginning to lead Buttercup and the giant behind. “Oh, have it your way.”

Buttercup looked up at Fezzik pleadingly, and put her hands behind her back as they started to walk. “You don’t have to carry me, I can walk.” He looked from the hunchback to her, then back to the Spaniard, then he lowered his voice.

“Ok, but don’t run or I’ll get in trouble with Vizzini,” She nodded, grateful. He then turned and spoke once more before fully following behind, “You be careful,” He sounded more serious now, “people in masks cannot be trusted.”

The Spaniard gave him a nod, and a small appreciative smile, before turning back to the cliff.

“Come along, hurry now.” Vizzini had turned, impatiently watching as Fezzik and Buttercup finally followed behind.