Forever My Love (Historical Romance) by Constance O'Banyon

cheek.
    Royal's heart lurched with fear when she saw the cart bounce over a fallen log and careen drunkenly, almost tipping over. By now Lady Alissa had managed to grab on to the sides of the cart, but the reins were dragging on the ground, making it impossible for her to reach them.
    With added determination, Royal prodded her mount to a full stride. Enchantress gradually drew even with the back of the cart, and Royal could almost touch Lady Alissa's beseeching hand.
    Glancing up, Royal saw the woods just ahead. The cart could not possibly get through the dense trees. Lady Alissa saw this, too, and cried out to Royal.
    "Help me! Please help me!"
    "Be brave," Royal called out above the din of thunder that rumbled angrily across the sky. "I'll have you in a moment."
    Royal inched closer to the cart and reached out to Lady Alissa, but just as their fingers touched, the cart bumped over a jagged rock, and the terrified girl had to hold on to keep from being thrown out.
    Royal knew that if she did not pull Lady Alissa free of the cart now, there would be disastrous results.

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    Enchantress shot forward with powerful strides. Time seemed suspended, yet Royal was aware of a bird's song in a nearby bush—she even felt the first drops of rain against her cheek.
    Jagged limbs tore at Royal's face, but she ignored the pain and thundered onward. Just ahead, the woods broke away to a deep crevice, and the fear-maddened team of horses was heading straight in that direction.
    "Please, Royal," Lady Alissa pleaded. "I don't want to die! Help me!”
    Enchantress, as though born to the task, kept her pace even with the cart as it bounced over fallen trees and huge rocks. Again Royal strained forward and, with a physical strength she did not know she possessed, clasped Lady Alissa's arm and held on. Slowly she managed to raise the girl out of the cart until she appeared to dangle in the air—her only lifeline was Royal's grip on her arm.
    Lady Alissa tried to twist her body so she could hook her foot over Enchantress's back, but she could not make her useless legs obey.
    "You must!" Royal insisted when she saw the effort Lady Alissa was making. "I haven't the strength to hold on for long. Help me save your life!"
    Lady Alissa saw something in the young girl's eyes that gave her the strength to try again. Her fragile body trembled with the effort she was making. She could feel Royal struggling desperately to keep a grip on her arm. She gritted her teeth and willed her useless legs to move.
    Lady Alissa's hair had come loose from its confines and blew across her face, blinding her. With an impatient gesture, she brushed her hair aside. She had never been so frightened in all her life. In a fraction of time she glanced back at Royal, and the look Royal gave her made her think she could do anything.
    With a wild cry, Lady Alissa thrust her legs forward and made contact with the horse.
    Royal dropped the reins and let Enchantress have her head so she could clasp Lady Alissa with both hands, thus pulling her free of the cart. A heartbeat later the frenzied horses tore loose from the flimsy rig and sent it careening toward the deep crevice. Both girls heard the splintering and shattering of wood as the cart slammed against a tree and broke apart before sliding over a bluff, to be lost from sight. A heavy silence ensued as both girls fought to keep Lady Alissa from falling.
    Royal felt as if her arms were being pulled from their sockets, but she managed to keep a grip on Lady Alissa, and finally, with a surge of energy, she dragged the lame girl onto Enchantress's back.
    Royal was unaware of the significance when Lady Alissa slipped her leg over Enchantress's back and gripped the horse with her knees. Lady Alissa herself was too exhausted to care that she had moved her legs; she only felt gratitude for being alive.
    Royal reached out and grasped Enchantress's trailing reins and brought the filly to a halt. Both girls stared, horrified, at the spot