Wilting

He glanced upwards at her briefly as she approached slowly. She was wearing dark armor, covered with the same blue markings on her face as he remembered from when she had saved his life and helped defeat Haggar once. She wore a large red cape that fell gracefully behind her and it reminded Lance of the color of blood.

Red and black, the colors of blood. The same two words he used to remember her by. "But it's not you. You're wrong, princess. You weren't supposed to die." He pointed the bayard to his chest while raising his other hand towards her.

He wasn't entirely sure it wanted to follow his commands, but he needed to defend himself, otherwise the princess' attack may land him with a serious injury, one that could easily incapacitate him. He hoped it would make him easier to hit. After all, she did seem to prefer knives over swords.