"The Princess Bride"

by William Goldman.  

Westley threatens to fight Prince Humperdinck, not to the death, to the pain.

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To the pain....To the pain means this: if we duel and you win, death for me.  If we duel and I win, life for you.  But life on my terms....The first thing you lose will be your feet....The left, then the right.  Below the ankle.  You will have stumps available to use within six months.  Then your hands, at the wrist.  They heal somewhat quicker.  Five months is a fair average....Next your nose.  No smell of dawn for you.  Followed by your tongue.  Deeply cut away.  Not even a stump left.  And then your left eye--....Your ears you keep, so that every shriek of every child at seeing your hideousness will be yours to cherish--every babe that weeps in fear at your approach, every woman that cries, 'Dear God, what is that thing?' will reverberate forever within your perfect ears.  That is what 'to the pain' means.  It means that I leave you to live in anguish, in humiliation, in freakish memory until you can stand it no more; so there you have it, pig, there you know, you miserable vomitous mass, and I say this now, and live or die, it's up to you: Drop your sword!