A part of her I thought I'd never see

I watched the princess disappear into the bushes. It was too dark to see her clearly but she was clearly looking for a suitable location to do her business. I couldn't believe how fussy the princess was, even her going to pee was causing her to have a fit, haha. I kept laughing at her for a few seconds before realizing that I had to keep an eye on the princess while she was doing her business... 

I followed the princess as she walked further into the bushes. She kept making a lot of noise as she walked so I was able to keep track of where she was. I couldn't help but notice how cute her footsteps sounded when she walked through the woods. It was a delicate, almost dainty gait that she had. I couldn't help but find her adorable even as I followed behind her, keeping watch... 

As she continued to walk into the woods, the princess suddenly froze in place. She must have heard something, maybe wolves? I instantly went into alert mode and stayed quiet. I listened carefully and heard some rustling in the bushes off to the side, as if some animals were moving... I heard the rustling and I saw the princess slowly back off, coming closer towards me. I couldn't see much, it was too dark but I was getting a bad feeling. I thought about grabbing her and running in the other direction but I was also worried about the noises that I could hear. The rustling of the bushes seemed to be coming closer, as if something was creeping towards us... 

I heard the growl and I instantly reacted, pulling the princess over my shoulder and carrying her in the same way as before. She wrapped her arms and legs around me and buried her head in my chest. I moved us as far away from the bushes as I could and I also tried to listen carefully. Was that a wolf that just growled? Were there more? I kept my ears open and tried to stay alert... 

I ran as fast as I could but it was still difficult to see in the dark. The forest was so thick, the trees blocked out most of the moonlight. I kept the princess on my shoulder and continued to run. I couldn't see much but I could still hear the growling of the animals. I didn't know if we were going in the right direction, but I couldn't stop now. The princess kept clinging to my neck, I could still feel her legs around my waist... 

"NOAH-" 

The wolf was right behind me and I didn't notice it until it was too late. It slashed deeply into my back, causing me to fall and drop the princess. I felt a sharp pain as the wolf sank its claws into my flesh. I turned around to fight the wolf but it already ran away. The princess was no longer clinging to me either, I couldn't see her in the darkness... 

I called out to the princess but my voice was shaky and weak. I was losing a lot of blood and it was getting harder to stay conscious. The woods were so dark, I couldn't see her at all, she must have run away when I fell. I tried to stand up, I needed to find her... 

I tried to fight the pain, I needed to get up. I knew the wolf would come back for another attack, and I needed to protect myself and the princess. I was on the brink of passing out but I tried to fight the urge as I stood up. I couldn't see the princess, I kept listening for her but I still couldn't hear anything... 

My eyes spotted her shoes in the dark and I looked up. There she was, the princess was leaning against a tree nearby, her hands covering her mouth. She must have run out of fear when I dropped her. I couldn't speak, I was losing too much blood. I tried to look at her and I raised my hand to get her attention... 

I raised my arms and I opened them wide. It was a silent way of asking the princess to jump into my arms. She was on top of a tree and I was on the ground below, but I needed her to trust me that I would catch her. She must have seen the blood on my back because she gave me a look of worry. I held my arms open, waiting for her to trust me and jump...The princess finally noticed my gesture and she jumped off the tree, falling into my arms. She landed softly, it felt like I was holding a feather. 

"I-I'm sorry... Its all my fault..." 

I looked down at the Princess and I tried to reassure her. She was blaming herself for what happened but it wasn't her fault. I pulled her close to me and held her tightly in my arms. The Princess lay in my arms, her face buried into my chest, she was crying softly. I held her for a moment then pulled her back and looked at her. Her face was wet with tears and her legs were trembling. She looked so delicate and vulnerable. I couldn't help but feel protective of her, she really wasn't any normal princess... 

I wiped the tears off her face with my fingers. I was worried about her, she was still trembling and she looked so fragile and small. Her beauty really made me emotional, it was like holding a flower. "Shhhh" I whispered, trying to soothe her.

"It's not your fault." I hugged her tightly, holding her close to me. She was still shaking but she finally started to calm down... 

I felt the weakness spread through my body. I tried to fight it off but my strength was fading. I was losing too much blood, I was going to pass out any moment. I wanted the princess to know that she wasn't the reason I was losing consciousness. I tried to keep her close to me.

"You're not the reason..." I whispered, as I saw her face, worried. She was looking down at me with tears in her eyes, trying to fight back the tears.

"I'm just... Losing a lot of blood..." 

I was fighting to keep myself awake as I saw the princess looking at me. She was so beautiful, I couldn't help but admire how delicate yet so full of strength she was. Even despite all her silly comments, I was starting to realize that the princess was actually a very kind person. I was so used to her sassy personality that I had never realized it. I wished I had noticed her kindness sooner. I continued to pull her close to me, I couldn't let myself lose consciousness... 

The darkness was getting heavier, it was almost as if the woods were swallowing me whole. It was becoming harder and harder to keep my eyes open. The princess started to cry in my arms, I didn't know what to do. She had done nothing wrong yet she was blaming herself for everything. "Shh..." I tried my best to console her, but I didn't have enough strength left in me. It felt like the dark forest itself was fighting against me, trying its best to make me pass out... 

The darkness was overpowering, it was all surrounding me. I couldn't see anything as I kept fighting to stay conscious. I was aware of the princess crying in my arms. But I was too weak to do anything about it. I was slipping away, my breathing became shallow. I tried to keep holding onto her, I couldn't let her down now... 

My eyes were getting heavier and heavier, it was so hard to stay awake. I was losing the fight to stay conscious. The darkness was completely surrounding me, it was making my head dizzy and my vision even more hazy. I was trying my best to hold on but I felt myself slowly losing grip, my fingers were slipping off the princess' back. It was as if my body wanted me to finally give up, finally let myself fall away... 

My vision began to blur. I couldn't see clearly anymore, the darkness was overtaking my whole field of view. I couldn't even see the princess in my arms anymore, she was all blurred out. I could only feel her delicate body in my limp arms. I couldn't believe that I was passing out in front of her. I was getting more and more scared of the darkness now, it was enveloping me like a blanket. The only thing I wanted to do was to stay awake for her but my body was failing... 

I felt my body going numb and I lost all strength in my hands. The princess fell in my limp arms just as my consciousness finally faded. The darkness was finally taking over everything. My last memory before slipping away was of the princess's delicate frame curled up in my arms. I held her closely in my arms, I didn't want to let her fall. I was powerless now, I had lost the battle...