The knight spurred his horse forward just as the carriage plunged into the river below. Cold water swallowed the sound, dragging it all into the dark.

He didn’t think — he dove — searching the green-black depths until he saw you: pale fabric twisting in the current, a hand reaching, weakly.

He caught your wrist and kicked upward, lungs burning. They broke the surface in a burst of air and rain. You coughed, choking, your eyes wild and unfocused.

“Hold on,” he rasped. His arm locked around your waist as the current spun them toward the shallows. He half-dragged, half-carried you to the muddy bank, collapsing beside you in the reeds.