Page 11 of Falling for His Cousin’s Betrothed

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“If only I could get this animal to respond,” said the man. He’d been trying for a long time to get his horse to move more than an inch but was unsuccessful. “I know his hoof is shattered, but I thought he could still make it out of the forest.” The man ran, placed a hand on the horse’s neck, and patted his withers. “Come on, Quest.”

“He seems like he’s in so much pain,” said Laila as she roused from a fitful sleep. “I wonder if some water would get him moving.” She could tell by looking at the stallion that he was on the brink of death. His head hung low, and he made a steady stream of low, groaning noises. Her heart ached for his suffering but there was little she could do except try and send healing messages for strength and encouragement. “You know,” she said, stepping out from beneath the yew tree, “I never did get your name.” She looked at the man as he rubbed Quest’s leg.

“I’m…I’m… ” Laila was trying to understand what he was trying to say.

“I don’t know my name, lass. But I remember you from somewhere. Yes. I believe I’ve seen you before,” he said.

She brushed a tress of hair away from her cheek and wondered what her face looked like at that moment. She wasn’t used to sleeping without washing herself, and she could tell that a fine layer of dirt and sweat was caked on her brow. A part of her didn’t mind so much. It made her feel a sort of primal connection to the earth, and with that connection came a deeper healing aura. She could sense what the man was about to say, where his pain emanated from and where he wanted to go. It was as if, she dared to muse, she had met him in another life.

“I’m not sure we’re going to get this horse out of the wood. I need to decide what to do.” The man rubbed a hand over his chin and patted Quest once more. “I’m going to get atop and see if he’ll respond.” With a grunt, the man placed his left foot in the stirrup, then flung his right leg over the back of the saddle. “Argh!” His face was contorted in pain. “My leg,” he muttered.

“Can I help?” Laila placed a hand on his shoulder, and he shook his head.

“No. I can do this.” Again, he placed his foot in the stirrup, then lifted his opposite leg and circled it around Quest’s rump. This time, he landed in the saddle with a resounding thump. Quest shuddered. “Okay, boy.” He lifted the reins in his hand as Laila watched from the ground. “Forward.” He kicked his heels into Quest’s side, but the horse remained unmoved.

“He’s too hurt. I can tell.” Laila choked back a tear. Being an animal lover made the scenario almost too much for her to bear. She would rather the horse simply pass than watch him wallow in his misery. Just as she was about to reach down and look at Quest’s hoof, she heard galloping hoofbeats. “Where is that coming from?” she asked. The man straightened up in the saddle and looked forward but Quest snorted and flung his head back and forth. “It’s…” Laila craned her neck and moved past the trees. “It’s a horse, lad. It’s a mare.” She held out her hand as a Belgian draft horse, saddled but without a rider, trotted toward her. “Hello, girl,” said Laila with a smile. “I see you’ve lost your mount.”

“Peculiar,” said the man. “I’ve never seen that horse. I wonder if she’s from the Godiva Castle.”

“Where is that?” asked Laila.

“Yonder.” The man tilted his head, indicating left, then leaned back in his saddle. “I’m worried we won’t get Quest out of here. You go ahead. Maybe he’ll follow if you get on that mare.” Laila walked slowly toward the horse, then reached for the braided, leather reins that swung loosely from her neck.

“I suppose this could be our destiny,” she whispered as the golden mare sniffed at Laila’s hand. “Will you let me on?” asked Laila. The mare neighed and tossed her head. Laila beamed. “She’s without her rider but clearly broken.” She led her by the reins to a nearby pine stump, then placed her left foot in the stirrup. The mare stood patiently, and Laila circled her opposite leg over the back of the saddle. “I’m ready,” she declared.

“Then let us try to move out,” said the man, gathering his reins in his right hand and rubbing Quest’s neck with his left. “I fear this is going to be met with adversity.” Quest buckled under Robert’s weight and squealed. Laila urged the mare onward and took the lead, bowing her head as she passed under an alcove of low-hanging pine branches. The air was cool, but the sun, making a modest appearance, had lifted some of the chill off the land.

“We can make it.” Laila gave the mare a pat on the neck and looked up just in time to see a flock of blackbirds take flight above the pines. “Look, lad.” She pointed and watched with childlike wonder as the birds, their wings outstretched, glided far above the forest canopy, then disappeared into the sky.

“Quest is pained.” The man sighed. “I’ll need another horse to make it out of this thicket.” Laila could hear the concern in his voice but wouldn’t allow it to deter her from remaining positive. She knew that they would find a way out, even if it took them all morning. “I know of a castle about three furlongs away.”

“But how will we get there with Quest? It would take us the entire day at this rate, lad. And besides…” Laila paused and shook her head. Quest was barely moving. “We are inching along at a snail’s pace, and he is wincing with every turn. Let him rest. I will think up another plan.”

“It shouldn’t take a lot of time to get past the creek and into the outcropping. Once there, we might be able to send a smoke signal.” The man sounded hopeful for the first time since they’d been atop the horses. Laila wished it indicated a promising outcome for them both, but one more look at Quest and her heart sank. He was frothing at the bit and his mane, shaggy and matted, exemplified all that was tangled with their situation.

“I think we can get you a stallion from one of the farmers along the lorry.” Laila was convinced they would need to leave Quest behind. How would they get out of the forest, otherwise?

“I won’t leave my horse.” The man, still stubborn about the situation, was testing Laila’s patience. Hopeful, she resigned herself to finding a solution because she wanted to respect him and his animal.

“Well, perhaps we can just take this mare, the two of us, and then come back for Quest. After all, I’m such a long way from the castle and must be getting back before long.” Laila looked the man in the eyes, but he turned away. “Please?” she asked, hoping he would have a change of heart. “I know that Lady Lyall is wondering where I am.” Laila knew full well that Lyall was probably infuriated by now, yet she didn’t regret her decision to leave the castle grounds. Sill, she would have to convince the man that she needed to get home. It seemed the only chance for them to get out of the wood alive.

“You have people wondering where you are?” he asked, curious. Laila nodded, then brushed a long tress of hair away from her neck. “That surprises me a bit.” He held on to the reins, and Quest made small movements forward toward the edge of the brush.

“Yes. I’m not usually out and away from the grounds for such a long period of time, but once I saw you and your fallen horse, I had no choice but to stay and offer my assistance.” The man, for the first time, smiled. In doing so, the corners of his mouth turned up ever so slightly to reveal a tiny dimple on the left side of his cheek. Laila found it absolutely charming.

“Well, in that case, I suppose we ought to try our best here and make it out, at least a bit further away from this clearing.” The man straightened his shoulders, and Laila batted her lashes. He was truly the most handsome man she’d ever laid eyes on, even with his mud-caked hair and his scratched, weathered face.

“I’m ready to do as you wish.” Laila directed the mare closer to the man and Quest. It was cool outside, much like the night before, yet still early enough that the chill hadn’t settled in along the stream and the valley. Laila hoped they would make it back toward the High Castle in the next hour, yet she still had her reservations based on how lame and wounded Quest appeared.

“I’ll see that we get you back toward the castle before nightfall. However, there are simply no guarantees because of my stallion here. I wish not to think about having to put him down after we return.”

“Thank you for making the attempt on my behalf.” Laila smiled and felt a wave of desire well up inside her. She hadn’t been attracted to a man in a long time, and she had to admit there was a subtle yet blooming magnetism between her and the unknown stranger. Laila gave her mare a slight squeeze on the sides, urging her to trot along, but the mare resisted. What now? she wondered. Was her cosmically divined horse now impaired like the stranger’s Quest? She hoped not. It was cloudy, and a flock of starlings circled overhead, their cries sending a shiver up her spine. A crisp wind then swept through the forest, and she knew that it was only a matter of time before the temperature plummeted across the valley.

“You appear to have handled the elements rather well,” said the man as they plodded slowly along.

Laila squeezed her mare’s sides again, hoping for a better response, yet all she received in return was a snort and a paw of her hoof. Laila was worried, yet her attraction to the man provided a much-needed distraction. She steered the mare closer to his side and, in that moment, picked up an earthy, cedar scent. It made her feel slightly intoxicated, and she smiled as the blood rushed to her cheeks. The two continued along, winding along the steep and often treacherous path that led out of the forest. Laila pushed aside her worries and gave her fears over to the angles. She knew that nothing would get in the way of her journey back to the castle, especially now that she had a man, a hero, by her side.