Hello! So here is another chapter! It's been two days, I know! Crazy, right? We go from two years, to two days. So yes. Here it is, it's a bit long. I hope you enjoy it, I'm not really sure where to proceed from here (I think I have an idea). Most of this was written in Theology so it may be a bit distracted? But yeah...
Voice inside my head: ...can I say something?
Beagle Bug: No, you may not.
Voice inside my head: Rude.
Thank You:
Outsiders Obsessor: There will definitely be something similar to that, but we will see :)
Christina salvatore: Thanks! Haha, I'm very sorry! ^_^'
FIN
So enjoy! Feel free to give me some feedback.
As the man jogged along, Rosalina found herself wondering about her mysterious companion. He was amazing. He had defeated Fezzik, a giant, he had beaten Inigo, a mater, and now he would most likely defeat Vizzini. The last one gave her a bit of dark pleasure, but that's beside the point.
Who was he? Why did he care so much about Buttercup? She was confused about his intentions as well. He was making quite a lot of effort to get her, if the end result was going to be killing her.
He had not been cruel to her yet. He had even spared Fezzik and Inigo, who Rosalina wasn't sure, would have spared him as good as they were.
She sighed, well whoever he was, he was a better option than the evil Sicilian.
"Why do you sigh, child?" The man inquired, startling her out of her musings.
"I'm just thinking about stuff. And my name isn't child, its Rosalina," she replied, distracted.
Rosalina felt the man chuckle, "Rosalina, apologies."
"What's your name?" Rosalina asked.
She felt the man stiffen again. This time she was confused. Why wouldn't he want her to know his name? He knew hers. She couldn't just keep calling him, 'Man in Black' and 'Man'.
"It's R- W- Roberts… My name is Roberts."
Rosalina giggled, "Don't you know your own name, Roberts?"
"Not for a very long while," he murmured.
Rosalina frowned at that, and elected to remain silent as Roberts ran on to find their princess.
LINE BREAK HERE REMEMBER YOU DIDN'T LAST TIME
Roberts and Rosalina came over a hill and were met with a horrific sight. Vizzini and Buttercup were seated on some stones, a large boulder with a small meal and tablecloth before them. Buttercups hands were bound and her eyes were blindfolded. The short man was sitting calmly with a dagger pressed to her throat.
Rosalina scrambled off of Roberts as he carefully approached.
"So. It is down to you, and it is down to me." Vizzini said calmly.
Rosalina started forward, Roberts quick on her heels.
"If you wish her dead, by all means, keep moving forward."
That stopped them both, dead in their tracks.
Roberts smiled a bit and took another hesitant step.
"Let me explain-" he began.
"There's nothing to explain." Vizzini interrupted. "You're trying to kidnap what I have rightfully stolen."
Had Rosalina not been so scared, she would have been angry with the criminal. Roberts raised his hands in surrender.
"Perhaps an arrangement can be reached?"
"There will be no arrangement," the man spat out, pressing the dagger harder to Buttercup's throats. "And you're killing her."
Buttercup gasped and Rosalina let out a little whimper. Roberts laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder. He continued addressing Vizzini.
"Well if there can be no arrangement, then we are at an impasse," Roberts said smoothly.
"I'm afraid so. I can't compete with you physically, and you're no match for my brains."
"You're that smart?"
"Let me put it this way: have you ever heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates?"
"Yes."
"Morons."
Rosalina didn't know who those people were but she highly doubted they were morons, or at least less intelligent than Vizzini.
"Really," Roberts said. "In that case, I challenge you to a battle of wits."
"For the princess?"
Nod.
"To the death?"
Nod.
"I accept," Vizzini said smugly sheathing the dagger.
"Good. Then pour the wine."
Roberts turned to Rosalina, and crouched down at her level.
"You must stay here, and keep silent. Whatever you see, just wait until we are done. Understand?"
Rosalina nodded, "You'll get her back, right?"
Roberts smirked, "Promise."
"If you are finished, I'm waiting!" Vizzini called irritably.
Roberts nodded and walked to the makeshift table and took a seat. He pulled a small packet from his clothing, handing it to Vizzini.
"Inhale this, but do not touch."
Vizzini held the packet and took a big whiff.
"I smell nothing."
Roberts took the packet back, "What you do not smell is called iocane powder. It is odorless, tasteless, dissolves instantly in liquid, and is among the more deadlier poisons known to man."
"Hmm," Vizzini hummed arrogantly.
Rosalina watched as Roberts took the goblets and turned his back on Vizzini. From her position behind them, Rosalina saw Roberts dump the power into both goblets and turn back. He turned back to Vizzini and dropped the now empty iocane packet.
Roberts rotated the goblets in a little shell game maneuver then put one glass in front of Vizzini, the other in front of himself.
"All right: where is the poison? The battle of wits has begun. It ends when you decide and we both drink, and find out who is right and who is dead."
Rosalina furrowed her brows. But both cups were poisoned, how would Roberts survive? She began chewing her thumbnail, stressed and worried.
"But it's so simple. All I have to do is divine from what I know of you. Are you the sort of man who would put the poison into his own goblet, or his enemy's?"
As Vizzini briefly studied Roberts, Rosalina took a deep breathe, predicted a long winded speech.
She was right.
"Now, a clever man would put the poison into his own goblet, because he would know that only a great fool would reach for what he was given. I'm not a great fool, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you. But you must have known I was not a great fool; you would have counted on it, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me," Vizzini said cleverly.
"You've made your decision then?"
"Not remotely. Because iocane comes from Australia, as everyone knows. And Australia is entirely peopled with criminals. And criminals are used to having people not trust them, as you are not trusted by me. So I can clearly not choose the wine in front of you."
Roberts held his hand to his chin almost mockingly, "Truly, you have a dizzying intellect."
"Wait till I get going!" He announced proudly. "Where was I?"
"Australia."
"Yes - Australia, and you must have suspected I would have known the powder's origin, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me."
"You're just stalling now," Roberts suggested.
"You'd like to think that, wouldn't you?" Vizzini exclaimed. "You've beaten my giant, which means you're exceptionally strong. So, you could have put the poison in your own goblet, trusting on your strength to save you. So I clearly not choose the wine in front of you. But, you've also bested my Spaniard, which means you must have studied. And in studying, you must have learned that man is mortal so you would have put the poison as far from yourself as possible, so I can clearly not choose the wine in front of me."
It was clear to Rosalina that the man was fishing for information and frustrated with how he couldn't make a decision. This was apparently clear to Roberts as well.
"You're trying to trick me into giving away something- it won't work –"
"It has worked - you've given everything away - I know where the poison is!" He exclaimed.
"Then make your choice!" Roberts insisted.
"I will. And I choose –" He suddenly stopped and pointed behind both Roberts and Rosalina. "- what in the world can that be?"
Both Rosalina and Roberts turned around to look. Rosalina didn't see anything, and turned back just in time to see Vizzini switching the goblets. She opened her mouth to say something, when Roberts caught her eye and winked.
Still turned, Roberts proclaimed, "What? Where?" He turned back, "I don't see anything."
"Oh, well, I-I could have sworn I saw something. No matter," He said as he began to chuckle.
"What's so funny?" Roberts asked with suspicion.
"I'll tell you in a minute. First, let's drink - me from my glass, and you from yours."
Both men picked up their goblets. Vizzini raised his slightly to Roberts who returned the gesture. As they both start to drink, Vizzini hesitated a moment. After Roberts drank first, he swallowed his wine.
Rosalina's breathe hitched; both men had just consumed poison, now it was a waiting game.
"You guessed wrong," Roberts said.
Vizzini began roaring with laughter, "You only think I guessed wrong, and that's what's so funny! I switched glasses when your back was turned. Ha-ha, you fool! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders. The most famous is "Never get involved in a land in Asia." But only slightly less well known is this: "Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line."
Roberts just sat there, still and silent while Vizzini kept laughing and howling. After a moment however, he stopped, and promptly fell over dead.
Rosalina gasped, horrified. Vizzini was a terrible person, but she had never seen anyone dead before. Roberts only spared her a sympathetic glance before he moved to the Princess. Stepping past the corpse, he took the blindfold and bindings off Buttercup, who noticed Vizzini lying dead.
"Who are you?" She asked shaking.
"I am no one to be trifled with, that is all you ever need know," he said gruffly.
"BUTTERCUP!" Rosalina shrieked, unable to contain herself.
Startled, Buttercup looked up to see Rosalina come flying towards her and collapsing in her lap.
"Rosalina? Thank goodness you are all right!" Buttercup exclaimed as the two embraced tightly.
"I've been looking for you! I couldn't give up!" Rosalina said, near emotional with relief. "He took me with him, to find you."
Buttercup turned her gaze to Roberts now.
"Thank you sir, for taking care of my chamber maid."
Roberts coughed. "We must keep moving."
He knelt down and Rosalina dutifully climbed on his back. Rosalina observed them, her brow furrowing. She opened her mouth, and then closed it. She glanced back at the now dead Vizzini.
"To think - all that time it was your cup that was poisoned."
Roberts smirked, "They were both poisoned. I spent the last few years building up immunity to iocane powder."
With that he grabbed her hand and they were off.
I hope you liked that. Will Rosalina figure it out? Will they be caught by Humperdink? Where is our beloved Spaniard? Who knows? (I do). Thanks for sticking with me, if you're still here. Feel free to again, let me know what you thought!
Voice inside my head: I-
Beagle Bug: HUSH!