The steel that saved his life is now killing him. It draws the cold from the air and spreads it across his skin, where it drives into his muscles and veins. In time it will grasp his heart.
The scratches across his breastplate where arrows ricocheted. The dent in his helm where a sword was deflected. All seems immaterial now. Die then with sharp steel in your gut or die now with ice in your blood.
Such is life.
Paddy Dobson
6th December 2023