But I was rich. This single fact was the only thing keeping me going.
Our small group trudged on through the mist and the drizzle. It turns out mist is rain that can't be bothered to reach the ground so hangs around, soaking anything that trudges through it. Drizzle is just pathetic rain. Not like the rain we got back home. Now that was real rain.
Up ahead the other two were fazing in and out of sight as the mist rolled past. They'd been smarter than me and bought thick, fur coats. I shivered in my flimsy, silk, desert clothes and sank my arms further into the horse's mane.
Salena and the General were laughing up ahead. They got on well together, mostly because Salena was such a serial ass-kisser and the General liked ass-kissers. Naturally, she was paid more than me. I think I felt jealousy, although for which one I'm not sure.
Salena looked back at me, smiling. I smiled back, just as her expression turned nasty and she snapped, "don't lag behind!" She hadn't been smiling at me after all. Something inside deflated pathetically.
She continued to glare at me with those fierce, crystal-blue eyes. I urged the horse on faster, sinking back into my inner bitterness.
And suddenly a curl of mist moved and a dark figure seemed to appear from nowhere out of the white gloom at Salena's side.
"Watch out!"
My warning came too late to stop the assailant wrapping its arm around her waist and pulling her off her horse.
I kicked my horse into a gallop. She was on the floor now, a ball of flailing hands and feet as she tried to get to her feet and free her dagger from the volumous folds of the thick rat-fur coat.
I leapt from my horse, drawing my knife mid-air, and landed on the Hylian. I had the split second image of a young mans face framed by a beaten, rusty medium helm before my vision exploded into sparks- my knife blade had scraped uselessly off his helm. I turned it round and brought the hilt down sharply. The man went limp in my arms. I quickly disarmed.
"You OK?" I asked Salena, getting to feet.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she barked. "I'm not the one you're supposed to be protecting."
My heart sinking, I looked up. The ambassador's sadle was empty.
From within the mist there came the ring of sword clashing against sword. Running towards it, I found my protectee surrounded by Hylian soldiers. A few lay dead, dying, or unconscious at her feet but she looked mostly unhurt, save for a few shallow gashes. She was crouched predatory-style, her face smeared with blood and dirt and lined with sweat, her scimitar concealed within the folds of her furs. An insane smile twisted her face as the ring of twenty or so guards closed in.
This probably wasn't doing much for international relations.
Suddenly, a sliver of silver slashed out from beneath the furs, and a Hylian's knee was suddenly fountaining blood. He went down screaming. The ambassador leapt, her eyes hungry for death, and plunged her sword down into the crippled man.
It was a bad move, one only a bad fighter or one totally consumed with bloodlust would make. To overstretched herself so much had made her vulnerable. The others soldiers charged in on her, some dropping their weapons as they grabbed her roughly and tried to pull her off their comrade, who was vomiting blood and shaking on the floor. Some had their swords at her throat although she didn't notice. Her entire attention was focused on the man's eyes, as she watched the last bit of life drain out of them. She was drooling.
From my back I took the bow Nabooru had leant me, notched an arrow into it, and raised it. For I moment I didn't know which to shoot, but I had a job. Morals didn't come into jobs. I fired off three arrows in quick succession. Three Hylians dropped swords from bleeding hands.
A Hylian came at me with a knife. I disarmed him with a swift kick, then put an arrow through his leather boot.
Backing up, I raised my bow again, pointing it at the bearded face of the man holding down my protectee's right arm.
"Stop! We surrender!"
We did what now?