"No!" cried Darcy as Elizabeth vanished from his sight. He dragged his battlewearied body to the edge of the bridge just in time to see her vanish beneath the water. His heart thundered his chest. Darcy had never felt such fear or panic rising within him before. Not even when Wickham was so close to ending his life. Nothing compared to this moment, when Elizabeth plunged beneath the surface of the canal. She had fallen. Elizabeth had fallen into the canal where hundreds of unmentionables now resided and continued to throw themselves into.
"Lizzy!" came Jane's frantic cry as she and Bingley joined him at the bridges edge. "Oh god!"
"Can you see her?" asked Bingley.
Darcy shook his head. "She sunk beneath the surface."
Jan'es chest heaved as her breathing quickened. "Lizzy can't swim. Her hands quickly flew to her coat, making short work of her buttons.
"Miss Bennet, what are you doing?" demanded Bingley.
"I will not leave Lizzy to die!" cried Jane. Tears welled within her eyes.
Darcy all but tore his overcoat from his body, tossing it from him. He removed his Katana from his waist and set it aside. "Charles, get a rope!" He leapt off the bridge and plummeted toward the canal, Bingley's cry echoing as he struck the surface.
The water frigid from the early morning hours, nearly sapping all of Darcy's strength. He plummeted several meters beneath the surface, until he slowed. For a moment, he floated seamlessly within the water. He was surrounded by hundreds of unmentionables. Some made the pointless attempt to rise toward the surface, whilst others seemed to have met their demise from the impact. If such impact could kill the undead, then Elizabeth could not have fared much better.
Darcy quickly focused his attention of searching for Elizabeth. He kicked out his legs, as he had done all his life swimming within the waters of Pemberly, driving himself deeper into the canal. Though the water obscured his vision, Darcy could make out the floating carcasses of the undead. A fair few tried to grasp hold of him and bring him to join their legion, but Darcy easily managed to outwit them.
His lungs began to ache and he would soon need to surface and regain his breath. He pushed his body through the water, deeper toward the bottom of the canal. The light seemed to lessen the further down he went. And then he saw her.
Through the darkness of the canal, Darcy made out the familiar figure of Elizabeth some distance from him. A new source of energy flooded Darcy as he kicked forcefully toward her. He swam with as much force as he could, driving himself toward her. She floated aimlessly within the canal, sending fear coursing through Darcy. He came up underneath her, catching her around the waist. Her overcoat had been removed, no doubt weighing her down as she made an attempt to resurface. Her blouse was torn and the tint of blood lingered in the water around her. Her eyes were closed, mimicking sleep within the water. Despite propriety, Darcy kicked for the surface, holding Elizabeth close to him.
Darcy pushed his body to its limits. Years had passed since he had done such, but he could do no less when it came to Elizabeth's safety. HIs lungs yearned for air as he swam toward the surface. Elizabeth's body slowed his progression up, but Darcy didn't falter. He felt his vision darkening, blurring his surroundings even as he rose toward the surface. His senses were dulling as he started to lose consciousness.
Suddenly the water vanished above him as he broke the surface. Darcy gasped for breath as his head broke the surface. the frigid air filled his body, quickly igniting his eyesight to the world around him. He floated atop the surface for a moment, steadying his breathing, all the while maintaining his grasp of Elizabeth. Her head was titled up against his shoulder, but there was no sign of life within. Though her eyes were closed and she appeared to be the physical resemblance of sleep, Darcy knew well enough that was not the case. He struck out his arm, pulling himself along the surface toward the wall of the canal.
What unmentionables that remained alive on the surface, were easily avoided. Darcy had plenty of warning to adjust his direction and keep Elizabeth and himself form their reach. The chill of the water and air stung like knives through his muscles, but Darcy pushed on. He took hold of the stone ledge and pulled himself against it. With the greatest care, he eased Elizabeth onto the ledge before pulling himself out of the water.
"Miss Bennet?" he asked. Mr. Darcy carefully laid Elizabeth onto her back. Her skin was cold to his touch, her lips tinged with a bluish hue. Darcy brushed the wet locks from her face and bent to hear her heart. His own picked up at the silence. Darcy quickly straightened himself and placed his hands over her heart. Propriety be damned, Darcy would take the consequences upon himself if it meant Elizabeth would live. He pushed against her chest, where he theorized her heart was situated. Again and again her pushed in hopes that she would awaken, but it was all for naught. In desperation, he pressed his lips to hers and pushed air into her body.
Not two seconds pass did life suddenly rekindled within Elizabeth. Her body convulsed and turned from. Elizabeth coughed harshly, spewing the canal water from her lungs. Her jaw shivered as she took her first breath. She coughed and choked on air for several moments before her breathing finally settled enough. Still gasping, she returned to her back, looking up at Darcy. Her deep eyes opened to meet his gaze. Her voice was hoarse and weak, but it was still a great relief to hear her whisper, "Mr. Darcy."
"Miss Bennet." replied Darcy. "We must return you to your sister. Are you able to move?"
Elizabeth nodded, thought Darcy was unsure of her understanding what it required of her. but to her credit, Elizabeth did her all to rise. It was only then that she seemed to remember the painful state of her body. As her body rose from the cold stone, Elizabeth cried out in anguish, nearly toppling into Darcy. Darcy steadied her upright within an instant. He noticed how her hands seemed to focus on her side. His hands on top of hers, coming back with her blood.
"You need a physician." said Darcy. Knocking propriety into the wind once more, Darcy carefully lifted Elizabeth into his arms. Again Lizzy cried in pain, but she soon clenched her jaw to silence herself. Her eyes soon closed as he started moving. Every movement seemed to cause her horrific amounts of pain. He noted the pain flaring within his own body, focusing in his chest, but he pushed it aside until Elizabeth was safe.
"Charles!" called Darcy as he approached the remnants of Hingham Bridge.
From above, Bingley's head appeared from behind the stone. "Darcy!"
Jane's face soon joined his. "Lizzy!"
"I'm afraid Miss Bennet has been injured." informed Darcy. "She required a physician immediately."
With a nod, Bingley momentarily disappeared, only to return a few seconds later. He tossed a cord of rope over the ledge. It tumbled down the air, unraveling as it went, until it struck the ground.
Darcy returned his attention to Elizabeth, who had gone uneasily still in his arms. Her eyes remained closed, but the look of pain seemed to have disappeared. "Can you stand, Miss Bennet?"
Elizabeth's eyes partially opened to meet his. "I shall."
"It will be but a moment." informed he. He eased her toward the ground until her boots touched. Darcy watched with a keen eye as Elizabeth tested her own ability to take up her weight. She stood a full four seconds before her weak leg gave way and Darcy caught her. Lizzy leaned her weight against the bridge. Darcy could see what little strength Elizabeth seemed to have. Though her eyes were closed once more, Darcy sensed she was doing all in her power to remain upright. At any moment she could easily fall unconscious. He needed work quickly before it failed her. When Darcy was certain Elizabeth could stand without his aid, he quickly took the rope in his hands.
Darcy worked quickly, spinning two small loops into the rope. He took the remains and brought them around Elizabeth's waist. He secured it tightly, though not enough to further aggravate her wounds. Elizabeth seemed to sense what Darcy was about and without opened her eyes, she grasped hold of the smaller loops that were located near her head. She slid her wrists into the loops and twisted them around, ensuring her grip would not slip if she fell unconscious.
"Are you ready?" inquired Darcy.
"I am." answered Elizabeth. Her eyes opened partially once more and her face lifted to watch her ascent.
With a swift tug, Darcy removed himself form Elizabeth's side as the rope was lifted along the wall of the bridge. His eyes remained on Lizzy's rising form, watching for signs of distress. Yet despite Elizabeth's circumstances, she retained her strength, completing the journey up the bridge wall. But it was not until Darcy witness Elizabeth's body vanishing over the edge of the bridge, that his nerves settled slightly.
Darcy waited hardly any time before the rope returned and he secured himself within it confines. A swift tug was all that was needed before he found himself rising above the canal. As Darcy rose toward safety, his thoughts could not be contained. How many acts of impropriety had he acted upon to save her life? If any had witnessed his actions, Elizabeth would be forever tied to him. The thought gave Darcy both pleasure and distress. He respected-he loved- Elizabeth far too much to cause her such distress. If no one had witnessed his action, then by all account, Elizabeth's honor was still intact. She need never know of the actions he took to save her.
"Darcy!" called Bingley, pulling Darcy from the doubled edge sword of his thoughts.
