Faelyn groaned. Her head was throbbing in agony. She must have spilled her drink, something cold and wet lapped at her feet. Wait, drink? What drink?
She pried her eyes open. She lay on the roof of her upended carriage. Icy cold mud trickled in through either side of the windows. She gasped and the action sent a bolt of pain through her head. She hissed in a breath and placed her hand to the afflicted area. Her fingers came away wet and sticky with blood.
Bile rose in the back of her throat. Fae concentrated on steadying her breathing. "One two, leave out food. Three four, fairies at your door. Five six, your gardens they'll fix..." She tried to sit up slowly, but the movement caused the entire carriage to shift and much more chilly mud oozed in. She froze. The mud was already inches deep. What should she do? Think! Think!
How deep before she couldn't open the carriage door? Certainly much more. She gently eased herself over the side. The carriage creaked and sunk lower still. Gobs of mud slinked in. It now covered her shoes. Okay, maybe not through the door.
The carriage began to tip sideways. Late afternoon sunlight poured in through the opposite side's open windows. She must have been unconscious for quite some time if the-the windows! Of course! She only needed to pull herself up and through the windows to get out!
Faelyn stood carefully and stretched her arm out to the sill. The carriage groaned. Almost there! She jumped up, causing the carriage to tip fully over on its side, and her mark to shift position. Fae splashed back into a deep puddle of mud and water.
Water?!
Water was trickling in from the the edges of the broken carriage. It must have landed on the edge of a marsh, and her actions had rolled it in!
She felt panic and fear begin to overtake her.
"Concentrate! Concentrate!" If no one had realized she was missing by now, she was most likely on her own. She would need to figure this out herself. The water was rising faster than she would have liked and she shivered from frigid temperatures. The water! All she had to do was wait for the water to rise enough and push her to the window! But his would leave little room for error...
Faelyn gathered all her courage and steely determination. She would do it. She would have to. The mud and water rose to her knees and she suddenly realized a flaw. The mud was still leaking in and would pull her down. Fear crept back into her heart.
Her absolute nightmare was becoming a fatal reality.
...
Guy grumbled under his breath. Most of his men had been wounded or killed during the attack. He ordered the remaining soldiers to accompany the convoy until the next village and stop for medicinal aid. He would return to Nottingham alone, sure Hood and gang would be too busy counting their stolen goods to bother him.
The sun was sinking below the treeline when he returned to the spot of the ambush. Blood stained the ground. Bodies of guards lay haphazardly where they'd fallen in battle. He'd have to send a troop back to collect them, which was more men away from the castle. The sheriff would not be pleased.
He guided his horse carefully around the dead and noted bitterly that none included outlaws. Then...What was that odd mark? He dismounted and knelt by the ground. Treadmarks. Hoof prints leading away from the battle. Hood didn't employ horses and he hadn't had issues with the nobles complaining of a loss of steed. That must mean...
Guy walked briskly to the edge. Sure enough, there was a carriage at the bottom of a ravine, more than half sunk into the bog. He cursed his lack of attention and inwardly hoped the passengers inside weren't dead.
Guy half ran, half slid down the leafy slope to the bottom. He picked his way cautiously around the mud and over to the upturned carriage, where he realized with a jolt of alarm it belonged to Faelyn.
All sense of self abandoned him as he lept from the bank to the carriage. The cab shuddered and sunk down several inches. Guy fought to catch his balance. "Faelyn! Can you hear me?"
The mud had risen neck high to Fae. She had also failed to take into account the freezing temperatures and was unable to move or think. She huddled against the corner, teeth chattering behind blue lips.
"Faelyn!"
"Guy?" She called out weakly.
Guy breathed an enormous sigh of relief. She was alive and conscious. He knelt to see her better. She was in the corner clinging to the curtains with every last bit of strength she possessed. She looked like death. He'd never seen anything so pitiful. Guy held out his hand.
"Faelyn, come." His voice was remarkably soft yet firm.
"I-I can't. I c-can't move."
"Yes you can. Focus. Reach out to me."
Faelyn clenched her teeth and slowly, so slowly, extended her arm. Guy leaned forward eagerly, but the carriage had had enough. The side splintered and cracked against the weight and water rushed in. Faelyn was pushed against the wall. "Guy! Help me!" She floundered for a moment before sinking below the muddy surface.
Guy cursed and plunged his arm into the icy water, groping. He fell to his stomach and reached further in until the tips of his hair dipped into the water. And then he felt her hand, reaching up through the murk, reaching for his. He took hold of her wrist tightly and pulled with all his might. The mud fought back, suctioning her down, but Guy's raw determination won and he pulled Faelyn free.
She clung to him, clawing at his coat as if afraid of slipping into the frozen depths again, coughing and crying. He held her close, sharing his body heat. "Shh, shh, it's okay, you're out. You'll be fine. It's okay." And then he spoke words he'd never spoken to anyone else before in his life: "I'm here. It's okay, I'm here. You're safe with me."
...
Whoo! *fans self* Who else wants Guy to hold them close? Things are starting to heat up!