A/N: This is my very first Lips As Red As Blood fanfiction. Please review, it would mean a lot.

...

Snow wrapped her cloak tightly around her shoulders, shivering from the frosty air. It was nearing the end of Winter, yet there was still a chill that refused to go. She glanced down at the flowers. They were beautiful, she thought, smiling at how some had already bloomed in defiance of the cold.

"Princess."

Snow turned to the dark-haired huntsman walking beside her. She frowned in concern upon seeing his tense face. "Yes?"

He seemed to hesitate for a moment, before releasing a heavy sigh. "How about you pick some of those lovely flowers?" he asked tightly, forcing a polite smile.

The young woman nodded, gracefully crouching down on the grass and carefully searching for the few colourful flowers that had already bloomed. "You know huntsman," she said, "I'm old enough to go here on my own. I really don't need someone to follow me everywhere." There was silence, before she suddenly saw a tall shadow looming above her.

Snow turned, her terrified scream ripping through the calm forest. The huntsman had raised a sharp, jagged dagger, the tip pointed at her chest. Her hands shook, her heart thudding in her chest. She had no weapons of her own. Not even any potions. She was defenceless.

Then the realization dawned on her. "My stepmother," she whispered, her eyes still focused on the dagger. "She put you up to this, didn't she?"

Nicholas gritted his teeth, his grip tightening around his weapon. But as he looked at the horror on Snow's face, the terror in her gaze...he realized he couldn't do it. There was no way he could just kill an innocent woman. But The Queen, he reminded himself. Who knows what she'll do if she finds out you failed. He clenched his jaw so hard he feared his teeth would crack.

Snow suddenly moved away, glaring at him. She wasn't going to die so easily. Her eyes flickered around, searching for something, anything, she could use as some kind of weapon. She doubted she could actually fight...but she had to try.

Suddenly the huntsman dropped his dagger to the ground.

Nicholas slowly walked up to her, as one would to a spooked deer. "Princess," he said quietly, "Please, you have to go. Your stepmother wants you dead."

"Obviously."

The huntsman's expression was grave. "If she finds you, she won't hesitate like I did. Go, Princess. Save yourself. Go deeper into the forest. She'll think you're dead as long as you never return to the castle, and I bring back a heart."

Slowly, Snow nodded, pulling the hood of her cloak up around her face. "Thank you, huntsman. I owe you my life."