He gritted his teeth against the burning pain in his arm, hanging down uselessly while his hand clutched at the gaping wound, desperately trying to stop the bleeding. He knew he hadn't much time left, that he needed to find help soon if he didn't want to bleed out out there completely on his own.

And not only would he never want to die in a way like this but moreover, what kept him upright, kept him fighting, was the promise he had given.

And if it's the last thing that I do. I bring you down.

Gustav, obviously scared by the fierce look in his eyes and the poison in his voice, had then made sure to make it harder to keep his promise.

So I bear my skin.

The leader of the bandits they had searched for weeks had lashed out with his sword without warning, cutting through flesh, muscles and veins until the blade hit the bone.

He hadn't been able to hold back a scream then, tearing through the night as he fell to his knees.
As he had looked up a moment later, Gustav and his men were gone.

Since then he was stumbling through the forest, searching for the man responsible for not only his own injuries but also the not-only-physical wounds of his loved ones.

And I count my sins.

He wondered how all of this would have worked out if he hadn't gone out to search for Gustav and his men and had stayed behind. He would have been there when the criminals had attached the village where she was resting in the room of an Inn. He could have protected her and all the others that had been injured in the ambush.

And I close my eyes. And I take it in.

The mess they were in was just as much his own responsibility as Gustav's. He should have acted differently, should have changed their route. Should have done everything except for the things he had done.

And I'm bleeding out

I'm bleeding out for you.

He wondered if she was still alive, prayed that she did. Because, if there was one thing he knew in this god damned world, it was that he would rather die himself than see her suffering anymore.

When the day has come

The blood still ran freely down his arm and he wondered if his time had come. He didn't want, no one really wants to die. But if it was supposed to be like this, he would be ready. As a soldier, death was a constant comrade, hovering behind every corner. He shouldn't be sad or scared but he couldn't deny the feeling, that he was still too young to leave already.

But I've lost my way around.

After being too lost in his thoughts for too long, he thought he had lost the trace. But as he finally looked up again, ears scanning for something tell-telling, he heard it loud and clearly.

And everything is screaming.

A new wave of pain pulsated through his arm as he renewed he efforts to follow the hushed voices of what he guessed were Gustav's and his men's.

I will reach inside just to find my heart is beating.

His lungs burned from the cold air rushing in and out while his heart hammered in his chest, trying to fight against the blood loss and the exhaustion. It would not be long until it would slow down, and then, stop eventually.

You tell me to hold on.

He thought about her, lying wounded in the room. Waiting for him to return and do what his job had been. Protect her. He had to keep going, had to full fill his promise and then return to her.

But innocence is gone

And what was right is wrong

'Cause I'm bleeding out.

A fury swept through his chest as he thought about how wrong all of this was. It shouldn't have been him bleeding out and fighting for his life. It should have been Gustave, clutching desperately on a deathly wound. But it wasn't and that was so completely wrong. He had to take things in hand and change them.

Said if the last thing that I do is to bring you down.

When the hour is nigh and hopelessness is sinking in, and the wolves all cry

When your eyes are red and emptiness is all you know.

It was the moment he saw them. They had stopped for the night, obviously thinking that they had shook him off. He grinned, white teeth flashing in the dark night like the ones of a wolf looking at his prey.

There were three of them, normally heavily armed. But they were stupid. Putting their weapons aside to sleep comfortably, only one man staying awake to watch out. They felt save.

He waited until they were settled, even though his time was precious and slowly running out. He had to do this one thing right.

As only the watch was left awake, he surged from the trees, throwing his dagger and hitting him in the chest. The man was dead before he hit the floor.

Unfortunately, Gustav and the second man hadn't slept as deeply as he had hoped. They woke at the gasp of pain of their guard, immediately jumping to their feet.

He had to hold his sword in his left hand, as his right arm wouldn't have been able to hold a sword. But he had seen them fighting and new that he was better. He could do this. He could make right what he had done wrong.

So he lashed out at the other man, engaging him in a short fighting. The man had only his main-gauche as he hadn't been able to retrieve his sword in time. So he ended soon on the tip of his sword, gurgling as blood spluttered out of his mouth.

He didn't watch the man fall to the ground but turned to Gustav immediately. The Bandit had managed to get to his weapons during the fight, pointing his sword right at him.

He grinned and attacked. He was slower to react than usually and it was harder to coordinate the sword with his weaker hand, but still Gustav hadn't have a change from the start.

He was a brute, but once swords were brought to a fist-fight he was helpless. Using the blade more like a butcher than a swordsman, he managed a few parades before the Musketeer's sword found it's target and pierced through his stomach.

Though deathly, Gustav would have to live quite long until he would succumb to the pain and bloodless.

But once he was done with his job and had fulfilled his promise, the adrenaline left the Musketeer's body and he feel to his knees, his heavy legs not carrying him any longer.

He looked down on his sleeve, blood stained and wet and gulped.

Maybe his time had come.

There was nothing he could have done, so he waited. Waited for death or his brothers to find him.

He wondered who would arrive first.