Only fractions of a second remained until the bridge collapsed and we fell to our deaths. I had to save us. My pulse raced as I pulled Vanessa from ahead of me and pushed her forward with all my strength. She yelped as she flew through the air and hit the dust hard on the other side. At that moment, I was glad to have supernatural strength, even if its source was uncertain. 

Thank the gods. She made it.

Now I was out of time. With nothing else to do, I jumped, propelling all my momentum forward while I could hear the bridge breaking beneath me. 

I'm going to make it. 

I'm going to make it. 

I'm — not going to make it!

My eyes were fixed on the side of the canyon. It appeared to be a few inches too far away, and they widened in horror as I fell. 

No —!!

At the last second, my fingertips caught hold of the very edge of the cliff, my muscles straining as I held on for dear life. Vanessa cried out again, thinking I had fallen.

"Vanessa!" I called to her in a strangled tone, "I'm slipping —!!" 

She scrambled forward and caught my hand when my fingertips were about to slip. With her limited size and strength, she would have to try her damndest to pull me up. 

"Hold on! Don't let go!!" she yelled, putting all her weight into heaving me up. Pure adrenaline must have given her body the extra strength needed because, after a moment, I ascended a meager few inches. Our sweaty hands soon lost their traction against one another, but by then, she had pulled me up far enough for me to hoist an elbow onto the cliff. It was all I needed. 

I groaned as I lifted myself the rest of the way, and then we both collapsed in the dirt, breathing hard. To my surprise, I heard laughter. 

Laughter? What type of lunatic laughs after something like that?

"What the hell is so funny?" I asked, between breaths, propping myself up on one elbow to see her. For a moment, she stopped laughing and turned to smile at me with tears in her eyes.

"That's the last time I ever follow you over a bridge, you ridiculous, reckless bastard!"

Hearing the noble use vulgar language was strange, but she had a valid point. At this, I cracked a slight smile despite myself, but I did my best to hide it, nodding, "Fair enough. Rest assured, I'm not planning on doing that again anytime soon."

She giggled again upon hearing my comment, "You better not! I may not be there to save you next time!"

Then, something struck me as she continued to laugh — she was captivating at this moment. When I first encountered her, I only saw fear in her eyes. It was all I had known, but now I couldn't help myself as I watched her, finding her more stunning than I realized. Even in the face of death, she was still laughing, still smiling like that. 

It looks like Vanessa has more guts than I gave her credit for.

"Hey, I was only on the bridge this time because you wouldn't cross without holding my hand, but whatever." I shook my head with a sigh, then added in a grumble, "Thanks for pulling me up — even if it was only a little." 

She's a bit crazy, but it isn't entirely unpleasant.

Both of us sat in the dust for a short while to regain our breath before I stood up, offering my hand to help her.

"Are you ready to go home now?" I asked, expecting to get another smile in response. Instead, her eyebrows knitted together in a melancholy expression.

She doesn't want to go home?

With a gloomy sigh, she glanced away from me and murmured, "I don't really have a choice, do I?" 

For reasons I didn't quite understand, I felt conflicted. A short time ago, I wanted nothing more than to dump her noble ass back where I thought it belonged. Now, I felt guilty for bringing her back to a place she didn't want to be. The air between us grew awkward when I didn't reply. I couldn't solve this problem for her. I had plenty of problems to solve for myself right now.

"You asked me last night what my name was…." I began, surprised at my own words, "The truth is, I don't know. I can't remember a damn thing."

She cocked her head, puzzled. "You don't know?" 

"That's right. I'd give you my name, but I can't remember it."

With those words, she fell silent for a minute, pondering over my confession. "I'm… I'm sorry you've lost your memory, but sometimes that can be for the best. Sometimes there are things you don't want to remember at all, but you've got no choice but to live with it." Vanessa mused in a soft tone, and I saw a profound sadness in her eyes, one that I never thought I'd see.

What would a girl like her need to forget?

Her comment was heavy; again, I wasn't sure what to say. I wasn't good at this type of thing— emotions weren't my forte. 

Eventually, she spoke again, "I suppose we should get going if we're to make it before it gets too hot. We'll be under the shade of the trees soon. Can you help me up on the horse?"

I nodded at her request, putting my palms out for her to step on so I could boost her into the saddle. Once she was on the horse, I mounted it myself and adjusted the reins so they were in the proper position. With a click of my tongue, we moved toward our destination, regardless of whether Vanessa wanted to return.