She was a total foreigner, so odd and defiant but still in a mysterious way appealing. He finds it quite entertaining recalling now from the height of a complete consciousness of who he is and what he feels their 'before-the-kiss' interaction, the perception of it, his attitude toward her. A smile barely leaves him since then as the sensation is so marvelous, he doesn't even dare to doubt it.
And he has no reason for that. She is already so native like home to him, sweet and cosy. He places soft kisses from her shoulder to her neck holding her in his arms and helping her to wash as they sit in waters of a stream, this time not embarrassed by their nudity.
"And why… how do you know all that? Why didn't you tell me before? Or you didn't remember then?" even though she hardly believes she keeps asking him questions.
"I did, but… me as Huntsman know only half of that, despite the fact he… I grew up here… And, well, you with all your bizzare appearance was… weird to me, the same as I and my story would seem to you. I'm not so ignorant, even then I wasn't, not to understand you'd take me for a psycho who escaped from bedlam."
"Yep, I was close to that thought," she laughs.
"You see," he embraces her tighter. "But I couldn't blame you. Once even I suspected myself becoming demented."
"No wonder when the only one you can talk to is the wolf. You two have got to have a lot of substantial, philosophy and vital conversations, right?"
"We have," he smirks mischievously and bites her skin. It comes sharper than a usual caress, making her gasp and jerk in his arms. "He's wiser than most of people… and lacks the need to mock others."
"That's out of love," she rushes to defense herself since it's evident what he implies to and then she cuts herself short. That's just a saying. Meaning, it's not malice. That's all. She, though, doesn't try to explicate it for him, instead she changes the subject. "That life of a sheriff, why is it what you remembered? What about other past lifes?"
"No…" he realizes she misconceives it. Of course, she does. "That's not a past life. That is a part of this one." He still prefers to omit such essential details about this realm as the curse, Evil Queen and other fairy but so real characters, so he doesn't know now what else to say. She's not ready yet to comprehend that.
And yes, she turns to him, astonished and in need of a further explanation.
"Give it time. I'll tell you everything. Just give it time…" he pulls her back close to him, reassuring her through his caress that he will… one day he will. "What you need to know now is that I will take care of you no matter what. And I won't leave you. Not for my own will. Not even if you'll be banishing me away."
"So don't provoke me," she sneers and again relaxes in his arms, however her mind dips into unquiet thinking.
Time flows with the river run and nothing breaks the visual harmony, until she startles and moves from his embrace to sit across him. Alarm in her eyes gets him concerned.
"Tell me. People die here… Well, but before that, they are born here and go through all those… steps… like in any other world… I mean… They grow up, can get hurt, ill… and…"
"Yes," he nods still not quite unaware of her bother.
Meanwhile she plucks up courage to voice it, "...And get pregnant?"
"They do…" he says slowly with such a belated realization and watches her emerging out of the water like a siren.
"So we're not doing that anymore!" she leaves him with this harsh dictate when he was about to retort it with a joke, but…
Their inconsideration is… awkward.
Her reasons and fears are… grounded.
The consequence, though, is… promising.
And not doing that anymore is insane!
But he'll give it time, for her indignation to settle and for his own mind to taste this possibility and consider it thoroughly.
The castle, a real damn magnificent castle, appears to be the same abandoned, but it's much more secure and comfortable there in its walls. And still it's not an easy life of what she imagined for royalty. That could not be easy at all for a modern town girl to be stuck at ancient times in a weird world with no matter what fancy surroundings. But she endures. It is not unbearable, but inconvenient. And it's vincible. She has someone igniting eagerness in her to try, and learn, and live, and enjoy, while he encourages and teaches her how to.
And in passing she's so close to believe in realness of everything been happening, told and alluded. Especially after a woman springs from nowhere, names herself Johanna and recognizes the Huntsman in her Graham. The very indeed Huntsman, who, by the woman's words, spared Snowwhite and helped prince Charming to escape from Evil Queen.
So, that is when she and Graham were forced to have that serious plain-spoken conversation. Nothing is longer concealed. All is how it is. Terrifically improbable. Could ever be worse? But she had to believe…
And, above all, that True Love thing Johanna refers to them when she hears their story. What that means? How can it be true love? Finding herself in a fairy-tale, whew, ok, let it be… Seriously? Yep, let it be…
Well, she knows she has feelings for him. Otherwise no kiss and no second chance would ever happen. Yes, he appealed to her. His regard, his grace with the wildness behind his eyes. And she trusted him –a total weird stranger. And when she sent him away, she still wanted him near, not because she needed someone to protect her. It would be easier for her to come to senses in a state of solitude but he pursued her and paternalized her. And that glow and greatness of his captivated her bringing more confusion to her heart.
She has feelings for him. That's undeniable. It even doesn't embarrass her anymore to confess that for herself or in front of him. But calling it true love? Especially back to the early moment when that kiss forced his memories. That's ridiculous. Love comes with time. That is how it works. It could be, though, that it was sped up by the extreme circumstances, but still…
God, still, she was in love with Huntsman... or Graham... whatever...
