Work Text:
Inigo was in agony.
He, alongside the giant Fezzik, the Dread Pirate Westley, and the Ex-Princess Buttercup had been riding for two hours with the Florin army hot on their heels, and his adrenaline had worn off not even an hour ago. He had been enduring stabs of pain with each gallop and inevitably Inigo didn't realize he was passing out until he was halfway through falling off his horse.
"Inigo!" he heard a startled shout just before he was greeted with the sweet relief of darkness.
Coming to was more painful than passing out. Everything below Inigo’s chest cavity felt wrung out and beaten dry. Inigo was certain that if he sat up, all of his organs would fall out of the hole in his stomach. He could barely let out a groan; breathing felt like a knife being twisted into his gut (which was what happened, but regardless his victory over Count Rugen was worth the excruciating misery he was experiencing). He was almost afraid to open his eyes until he heard thunderous steps creak overhead, shaking the floor beneath him.
Against his better judgement, Inigo blearily opened his eyes. He was greeted by a small room housing an ornate table with a pair of chairs. The walls were adorned with paintings and curtains. He was nestled in a surprisingly comfortable bed. He attempted to lift his head up and decided against it after being hit with a wave of nausea. He opted for lifting his hand weakly and feeling for the wound in his stomach, gauging the severity.
He was mildly surprised to feel it dressed and bandaged in a thick gauze.
Inigo felt shame burn behind his eyes and his hands went to his face. Once again his life was saved. This was the second time someone had brought him back from the brink and he had nothing to say for it. In the back of his mind, he almost wished that he could return to that blissful emptiness, no longer gripped by the unbearable sadness of losing his one purpose in life. He destroyed the six fingered man, and had nothing left.
I haven’t even said Thank You to Fezzik yet, he thought mildly.
His eyes opened with a start. Where had Fezzik been in all of this? Wasn’t it Fezzik’s shout of terror he heard before he hit the ground? Had Fezzik moved on? Had he finally decided that he could live without Inigo’s company? Well, that’s just it then. He would say Thank You to Fezzik and then he would pass away in peace.
Such is the way of coincidences, he heard the thunderous steps finally reach the door to his chamber, which creaked open carefully. Inigo closed his eyes and leveled his breathing as he listened to the owner of thunderous steps ever so carefully try to tiptoe across the floorboards, but the sheer magnitude of his feet made the floor complain louder than ever. Inigo heard a chair scrape across the room, which dangerously groaned as the interloper lowered himself into it.
“Hello, Inigo,” Fezzik said.
Inigo waited. Breathe in, breathe out.
“We’ve been on The Revenge for two days now. Westley said he wants his cabin back and if you aren’t back in the land of the living this week he would toss you overboard. It would be good for you to wake up soon. Please.”
Inigo felt his hand disappear into Fezzik’s giant grip.
“Our lady friend is dressed as a pirate now. After you fell off your horse she had to tear her wedding dress to stop the bleeding. I helped you get stitched up. Well— I watched you get stitched up. It wasn’t good.” Fezzik fell silent. All Inigo could hear was the splashing of waves, the creak of floorboards, and an intermittent sniffle from Fezzik.
“Life at sea has been hard,” Fezzik finally continued. “It would be nicer if you were here. I miss your rhymes. I miss your jokes. Please come back soon.”
“Loon,” Inigo whispered.
Fezzik startled. “Inigo? Inigo, are you here?”
“Unclear,” Inigo managed to groan out.
He felt a shot of pain as he was lifted into a spine-crushing hug.
Fezzik wept, “Oh Inigo! I missed you, I missed you so dearly. I was so afraid I had lost you again.”
“Please be careful,” Inigo squeaked.
Fezzik released him from the hug and obediently lowered him back into bed.
“I’m sorry. I just terribly happy to see you again.”
“I haven’t gone anywhere,” Inigo replied, wincing slightly as he felt his internal organs arrange themselves back into their proper order. “How long have I been out?”
“A week. We’ve been on The Revenge for two days.”
“The Revenge? The Dread Pirate Roberts’ ship?”
“The one and only. Westley doesn’t have a crew anymore to outrun the Florin navy, so we’ve been hiding in a sea cave. I’ve been lifting sails.”
“Oh Fezzik, is there anything you can’t do?” Inigo sighed.
Inigo expected Fezzik to reply with a playful rhyme. What he didn’t expect was Fezzik’s eyes to be filled with tears. “You weren’t breathing, Inigo. I thought you were dead,” Fezzik said. He lifted Inigo’s hand and held it to his forehead. “I was scared you would leave me.”
Inigo was stricken. He had only just finished deliberating on calling it quits with the whole living thing mere minutes ago. Here, his one dear friend who had stuck with him through thick and thin, who had nothing to gain and everything to lose from Inigo’s quest for vengeance, who had nursed him back to health not once but twice now. Fezzik had asked nothing of Inigo except for his company.
Inigo’s quest for vengeance was for his own honor. What was more honorable than fulfilling his friend’s wishes?
Inigo put his forehead against Fezzik’s. “My friend, no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn’t leave you. I suppose you will have to put up with me for just a little bit longer.”
Fezzik sniffled, “That’s just fine by me.”