Chapter Thirty-Seven

I take a deep breath to brace myself for the fatal cut of the knife, but before Larxene can finish the act, a body crashes into hers. She goes toppling off of me, the knife skittering across the floor. I roll onto my hands and knees, sputtering, and look up at Larxene's attacker.

"Demyx!" I exclaim, my eyes widening as Demyx pins Larxene under him. I hear a soft groan and turn to see Axel wrestling Saix down. He must've taken advantage of Saix's surprise and grappled free. He knocks Saix to the floor, both rolling over the other in an attempt to get each other pinned. My eyes dart back and forth between the two fights, and I'm momentarily in shock before Axel's voice reaches me.

"Iris! Shoot him!" he shouts, causing me to snap my attention back to his fight. He has a struggling Saix pinned against the wall. I scramble at grab my bow and one of the many arrows on the floor. I ready the bow, but my hands are shaking violently and I can't get a good aim.

"Axel, I can't! I might hit you!" I shout back, panic creeping into my system as I see Larxene land a blow against Demyx's cheek from the corner of my eye.

"You won't! Just shoot the bastard!" I release an arrow, but it lodges itself in the wall inches from Saix's head. Through his struggling, he smirks at me.

"Shit, shit shit," I whisper, grabbing up another arrow and readying it. I try to take a steadying breath, but my nerves mixed with blood loss just keeps my hands trembling. I take the best aim possible and fire again. This arrow, however, pierces Axel's shoulder, immediately darkening the sleeve of his shirt. He hisses in pain and glares at me, but manages to keep his grip on Saix.

"Third time's the fucking charm, Iris. Concentrate!" he orders.

Before I can aim a third time, though, Saix breaks free of Axel and slams his head against the wall. Axel falls down the wall, unconscious and losing blood from both his shoulder and a newly formed split at his temple. Saix picks up one of the lances dropped earlier and is bearing over Axel. Not even thinking this time, I launch the third arrow, knowing it's my last chance. It shoots through his back, and I see a bit of his blood splatter onto Axel's face. Saix turns to face me. I see the arrow has managed to go all the way through him, right through his heart. Despite the fact he'll be dead in moments, he smiles. He throws the lance at me right as he falls to the floor. His action takes me by surprise, and I don't have time to dodge. The lance pierces through me, knocking me onto my back and causing my bow to skid across the floor. I release a scream as hot tears start sliding down my face, and I know the lance has punctured my lung.

The pain keeps me on the ground, but I turn my head to see Demyx staring at me in terror. His lapse in judgment gives Larxene the chance to punch the side of his head. His eyes roll before closing, and he collapses off of Larxene in a heap. She stands up and brushes her clothes off. Her eye has been blackened, her lip is split open and swelling, and there is blood matting her hair, but she strolls over to me almost casually. She bends down over me and smiles.

"Aww. Poor Iris. At least you had the sense to leave the lance where it is. Wouldn't want to remove it and let all the blood into that lung, huh?" she smiles evilly and wraps a hand around the lance. "How long will it take for you to suffocate, hm? Let's find out," she hisses. She twists and wrenches the lance from my chest, and I scream again from the pain. "Oh my, that must hurt," she croons. I can feel the blood entering my right lung. I cough and feel some of the blood trickle from the corner of my mouth. My tears pick up the pace, pouring down now. The salty tears burn at the wound on my face, but the pain is infantile compared to the pain in my chest. Larxene smiles and lifts the lance. "This is already taking too long. Let's speed it up. I'm a very busy queen after all." Fear saturates every fiber of my body, and I wrench my eyes shut this time, resigning myself to my fate.

Instead of feeling the pain of the lance piercing through me again, I feel a splatter of something warm against my face. I pop my eyes back open, and Larxene is looking down at me with a pained, shocked expression. I suddenly notice the arrow protruding from her stomach and turn my head to look over to where it came from. Demyx is on his knees, my bow in his hand, the string still quivering.

Larxene takes a step back and falls to her knees. Demyx stumbles onto his feet, walks over quickly and deals a hard blow to Larxene's head. She falls, unconscious. Demyx kneels in front of me, his face scared but intent.

"We have to get you to a hospital," he mumbles, his voice trembling. "I need a phone. Iris, where's a phone?" he asks.

"There…should be one…in…Axel's pocket…" I get out, my voice breathy and shuddery. He hurries over to Axel, pulls the phone out of his pocket, and relays information to the operator as fast as he can. Moments later, he's at my side again, his hand clasped around mine. Black spots are dancing in my vision, and I know it's only a matter of time.

"You're gonna be fine, Ris-Ris," Demyx says, but I know he doesn't believe himself. I don't believe him either.

"Me-Me…finish…Larxene," I rasp out, turning my head to gaze at him with as much intensity I can muster right now. His eyes widen and he shakes his head.

"I can't," he whispers. "I can't kill someone." I squeeze his hand.

"You…have to. If you…don't…all of this…will be for…nothing," I say, coughing up more blood. "Do it…for me…and for mom…and dad… Do it…for you and…your kingdom." His eyes search mine imploringly for a moment, his brain registering my words. Something in his eyes sets and he nods. He lets go of my hand, grabs the lance next to Larxene, and stands. He looks down at me again before turning his attention to Larxene. He bites his lip, tears swimming in his eyes.

I black out right as he brings the lance down.