Disclaimer: I own nothing.
I hardly ever stray from writing the Criminal Minds fandom, but Snow White and the Huntsman is one of my favorite movies ever, so I wanted to write something for it. Reviews are always welcomed!
Snow White walked the halls of the the castle. It was now cleaned up from after the battle that had won the kingdom back from Ravenna, and it looked as it once had in the days of her father's reign. The windows were open and a soft spring breeze was flowing inside, rustling her black mane. She couldn't believe she was back in the place where she'd lived happily as a child. It was surreal, like if she blinked she might find herself back in her cell in the North Tower, Ravenna ruling her kingdom with an iron fist, and the land diseased. In her nightmares these scenarios and more occurred, but when she woke fitfully after thrashing around and weeping, she found him sitting on the edge of the bed, shaking her gently awake.
My Queen, wake up, he would say gently, his deep voice low as he spoke to her. She hadn't often heard his voice being gentle and soothing, but it was those times when he woke her from her dreams. It made her feel safe, safe like no one else — not even William — could make her feel. Merely his presence gave her a feeling of security. Ever since he'd grabbed her from beneath the tree in the Dark Forest, she'd known he was a protector. She may have not trusted him immediately, but very shortly after his finding her, she started to regard him as an ally, and eventually she trusted him completely.
She didn't know what she might do without him. Yes, she was the Queen, but she was only one young woman. She needed advice on how to rule properly. She would let her heart guide her when she could, but she didn't always know if what her heart would tell her would be right. With the Huntsman by her side, she knew she would always have someone who would lend his guidance and help protect herself from going mad.
As she walked into the courtyard where the tree had begun to bloom with its blossoms once more, she found her protector sitting under it, rummaging through his pack. She took a moment to observe him. He possessed remarkable strength and his rippling muscles were visible under the cloth of his tunic. The usual leathers he wore were beside him and he took a knife out of his bag to begin to sharpen it. A small smile played up on her lips. She remembered them being in the Dark Forest and snatching one of his knives from him, only to have him take it right back.
Give me that…before you lose a finger.
She couldn't explain how she felt about him. With William everything was simpler, concrete, easy to pinpoint. She loved him like a brother and would always value his friendship. He'd been her childhood companion, a person from her past that knew her inside and out. For the longest time it was almost certain to her that William would be the man she married. He was a Duke's son, a person with noble blood. It was as if all their days as children were grooming them for a union with one another. And she might have been happy with him. They had a connection, that was for sure.
But for some reason that connection wasn't what it used to be. It wasn't enough. But there was another connection, a connection she'd built very recently that did feel like enough.
It wasn't clear to her why she'd come back from death, but she knew Eric had something to do with it. What was clear to her was that looking at him made her feel warm, fiery, alive. She didn't quite understand the feelings she had for him. She may have loved William in childhood, but when she thought about her feelings for him and then her feelings for Eric, the difference was drastic. It wasn't just gratitude for him saving her life that she felt for him. No, it was something more. At first she hadn't known what it was, but now she knew what it was. It was love. Fierce, ardent, vehement love.
She had a feeling in her gut that the Huntsman was her reason for being alive again. What had he done? What could he have done? Ravenna had poisoned her with powerful magic. She'd been dead. As far as she knew, Eric possessed no magic.
So what was the reason she was back?
Maybe she should just ask him if he knew anything? Would he tell her if it was him, though? She didn't think there was any harm in asking. Taking a deep breath, she emerged into the sunlit courtyard and walked towards him. "Huntsman," she said in greeting.
He looked up at her, his piercing blue eyes meeting her soft hazel ones. "Your Majesty," he responded, looking at her respectfully. "How fare you today?"
She sat beside him on the ground, ignoring the fact that she'd likely dirty her fine dress. But she was used to having clothes with grime on them. One more slightly dirty dress wouldn't kill her…unlike an apple. "I'm well," she responded. "I've been wanting some time to just think, and it appears as though I have some now."
"Am I invading this time for thought?" he asked with a slight snicker in his voice. Though his face was indifferent and reverent, there was a teasing twinkle in both his eyes.
"No," she replied. She opened her mouth, then shut it again. How was she going to approach this? "Ac — actually, I would like you around to think."
He looked at her, puzzled. Shaking his head, he pulled a leather canteen from his pouch and held it up in front of her. "Well then, do you mind if I drink while you're thinking?" She shook her head and he popped the cap off before taking a swig. They sat in silence for a good while, Snow White debating in her mind how she was going to bring up the matter that had been weighing down on her mind. Finally he broke the silence. "Your Majesty, may I ask you something?" he asked.
She glanced over at him and nodded. "Of course, Huntsman," she said softly. She loathed the formality he was exhibiting towards her, but she had to remember that they weren't on the road. They were in her father's castle…her castle now. She was Queen.
But she didn't want the formalities — she wasn't used to them. Certainly not from him.
"Why do you want me here while you think?"
Swallowing past the lump in her throat, she looked down at her feet and folded her hands on her knees. She was debating over and over in her mind how to do this properly. Her stomach was in knots, and she was tingling all over, her skin rising in goosebumps. She was extremely nervous. Should she really say something, or should she just leave it alone?
"I…" Her voice trailed off. Damn, she didn't know what to say to that. She was silent, her tongue swollen and numb in her mouth, her voice weighed down by a ton of rocks. It was like her mouth was stuffed with a clump of cotton, dry and scratchy. Her eyes were trained ahead of her, refusing to glance over at him for fear everything would spill out of her mouth in one clumped together rush and make her sound like a yammering fool.
He took a sip of his canteen, and he tossed it aside when he had drained it dry. "Well?" he pressed. "Or do you not want to answer that question?"
Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply and counted to ten in her head. She was going to have to say something at some point. Eric's eyes were burning into her skin, and she knew he was looking at her even though she was focussing on anything but him. Finally, she turned to look at him directly in his blue eyes. They were penetrating through her like sun rays through windows, exposing everything with ease and crisp light. It was clear he was looking for an answer, but she couldn't read anything other than curiosity on his face.
"I want you here because…well…" She held his gaze and her heart began to race like a horse thundering across the ground. His ruggedly handsome features were awaiting an answer from her, and she wet her dry lips. Impulsively, she reached out and grasped his face. Instead of a look of mild interest, Eric's face had turned startled. For a moment she thought he might pull away from her, but he sat completely still, not moving a single inch. Her slim, delicate hands held his cheeks and she leaned up to press her lips to his. That touching of their lips that she initiated made her whole body begin to feel light and airy, like she was floating up in the heavens, and the wind was taking her on a free-falling journey above the world. She felt a piece of herself begin to glow with ecstasy, and gradually that flame started to spread to every other part of her. Warmth filled her body and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
At first he pulled back and murmured, "My Queen, wh —"
But she didn't allow him to finish; she pulled him back towards her and replanted her lips on his, leaving him no option but to comply. And she felt that he wanted this too. His lips took control of the kiss and she shivered with delight at the feeling. A feeling of pure, unfaltering happiness filled her to the brim, and her fingers wrapped into the fabric of his tunic. His hands were rough, calloused, so different from William's softer ones, but they caused her to feel as if every nerve-ending was a live wire. When he pulled back from her, he rested his forehead against hers and cupped the back of her neck in his hand, his fingers tangling in her raven's wing hair. She held his cheek in her palm and whispered, "Is it your doing that I live again?"
Eric pulled back to look at her and he shook his head. "I do not know, my Queen," he said honestly. "But I do know that you possess innocence and strength, the likes of which I've seen in only one other woman…my wife. I never thought I'd feel this way about any woman but her." He gave her his brilliant pearly smile that she loved so much and rubbed his thumb over her cheekbone. "I don't know how it is you live again, but what I do know is that I love you."
Her own face broke into a smile, and she let him envelope her in his body. Leaning her head against his broad chest, she breathed deeply and watched the sunshine filter through the blossoms onto them. "And I love you, Huntsman," she murmured softly as he kissed the top of her head.