The Hart

It had felt like another life when Finn attacked, the cottage burned down to the ground, and Gus had died. In truth, it had only been a few hours since the sun rose over the wandering individuals, consisting of Snow White, Eric, and the seven dwarfs. It had taken time for them to adjust to the light of the day, especially Snow White who had endured the most of what the night's deceits had to offer. The only thing moving everyone forward was Gus' lifeless body that laid upon a bed made of branches and twig. Their destination was set, only time was able to take them there – and the time moved ever so slowly.

As they walked through the mystifying forests, the burns on each of their bodies throbbed greater with each step they took. On top of that, the weariness of not sleeping that night was overcoming Snow White's body, her muscles feeling weak and sore. She rubbed her eyes and blinked them briskly as if trying to find the strength to keep moving. However, when she put her hand into a fist, they only hurt more and she let out a grumble of pain that she could no longer hold inside. Her grumble was the first sounds anyone had made for almost an hour; if someone glanced at the nine of them from a distance, they would think that they were a group mechanical zombies, brought back from the dead. Dark bags supported each of their eyes and their skin was covered in an ashen coat of smoke.

"What's wrong?" Eric asked, trailing his vision to Snow White who walked beside him. He looked down at her body which stood much shorter next to his giant size.

"The burns," she replied with agitation. "They cannot escape my mind. Only keep reminding me of the greater pain I felt." Eric sighed in understanding of Snow White's words, moving his eyes down to his feet which walked along a path covered in roots and bush. It was discovered by both Snow White and Eric that this majestical place in which Gus always spoke of was hidden much deeper than they had thought. And while all of the dwarfs had been there before, Gus was the one to lead them, knowing his way perfectly along the overgrown path.

They had began their journey moving in the opposite direction of the caves which brought upon the dark forest. Snow White was at least happy that it was not necessary to venture through the woods of hidden monsters, sly creatures, and dark magic; where bad things always found a way to manifest among them. After beginning their voyage that morning, they had first approached the stream in which Eric had stripped his clothes in front of Snow White's bright red cheeks. The memory was now lost in their minds, only the bad thoughts of that evening protruding through their head. And after they hit the stream, they patted themselves down with the icy water, merely spreading around the ash. Until a short time ago, they had followed the path that the stream produced, until a frail bridge of wood appeared in their sight which they crossed to the other side. After crossing, Snow White realized that in all the years that she had spent with the dwarfs, they had never ventured even a mile passed their quarters.

"There should be some sana-weed somewhere along here," Beith said, gazing at the growth which fenced the pathway. They had encountered huge ferns and flowers with petals as big as Snow White's head, many things she had never witnessed before. And never before had she heard of sana-weed.

"What is that?" Snow White curiously asked.

"Nature's wonderful remedy for harsh burns," Beith informed. "Its a thick-leafed plant that you have probably seen before. However, not many people know of it's curative abilities, and in the time that I can remember, you've never had to use it." Without another word, Beith wandered off of the uneven trail and bent over a large bush. From it, he plucked free a large leaf that appeared even thicker than Snow White imagined. It had a track of spikes supporting the edges, and a thin layer of white fuzz varnished it's skin like that of a peach. Beith snapped the leaf in half. "Here," he said, and moved to Snow White's side. He instructed her to hold out her hands, and from one half of the leaf, he squeezed out a cooling gel that fell upon her hands. "Just rub it in, and the pain should ease."

The pain of the burn had decreased significantly within seconds. Even the redness of inflammation was eroding away, turning her skin back to a pale-white.

"Mind if I use some of that?" Eric asked, pulling his dusty shirt over his head.

"Eric!" Snow White exclaimed in panic as Eric unveiled the gruesome sight that hid beneath his shirt. Burns covered the whole of his back and biceps; blistering and red. Some looked as though they had even began to infect. Snow White failed to realize that Eric had endured the worst of the fire, having to protect her body with his own through the final moments of it's ignition – the worst and most broiling moments. She felt selfish for not having thought of his pain, while relentlessly thinking of her own. "Why didn't you say anything? You must be in awful pain," She said with a slight frustration.

"I didn't want to worry you," he said with a faint smile. "It isn't so bad anyhow."

"Here, let me," she said, taking the other half of the leaf from Beith's hands. "Don't let us keep you waiting," She said to the dwarfs. "Eric and I will catch up. It shouldn't take long." The dwarfs agreed to keep walking as Snow White squeezed the clear gel from the leaf and it descended onto her hand.

"Be gentle with me," Eric joked, to which Snow White replied with a tired glare. She pressed the gel onto Eric's back to which he lightly flinched, clenching his teeth as to not reveal any pain. The gel effortlessly spread along Eric's back, cooling the sizzling pain that he had felt just seconds ago. Her hands moved along his shoulders then down his spine, sending a tingling through his body. The pain had decreased significantly, Snow White's hands now pleasant against his bare skin. She watched the redness on his back decrease before her eyes, revealing his smooth skin. Her hands against his bare skin left her with a fluttering in her stomach. She knew this time that she wasn't hungry, though she wouldn't admit to herself what the sensation truly meant. She finished with his arms and he turned around to reveal his strong, masculine body. She looked up to his face before getting lost in a daze.

"Thank you," he said, a grin spreading across his face. "It feels as though it was never there to begin with." Snow White let out a bright smile. Only he could make her feel as if everything was okay in such a dark time. Not just okay, but pleasant, like there were no worries left in the world and she could escape into a life filled with joy, love and family. But her mind knew better than that.

"We should catch up to the others," Snow White said as Eric pulled his shirt back over top of his body.

The rest of the day went by much like the morning had. The conversation was slight, and everyone returned to their dead-like statures. Already, without Gus, they had ran into the problem of not finding the hidden land that had deemed their destination. His absence was felt among everyone like a constantly pricking reminder; returning them to a state of pain, just as their bodies began to soothe.

The undesired darkness of night had quickly fallen upon everyone once again, though the air remained clear so that every star in the sky was visible. Having been drained of energy, Coll started a fire in a spot just off of the trail and through a bundle of mountainous trees, though just past that, the night was a sinister dark. It was almost impossible to see the people that surrounded Snow White only feet away from her. Once the fire ignited, startling Snow White with it's initial spark, the site around them was slightly illuminated and a warmth instantly surrounded them. Everyone positioned themselves around the fire.

Snow White propped herself next to Eric and looked up at the stars. They dazzled over her like small beacons of hope. Above her, a shooting star shot through the sky faster than anything she had witnessed on earth. She tightly shut her eyes and made a wish. It had come to her instantly, though before that, it hadn't even crossed her mind. She had wished for a sign, a gesture to point her in the right direction through the unclear time that she was experiencing. The elegant bird that had come to her aid while her and Eric had been locked up in Ravenna's tower rippled across her mind. She pictured it floating through the sky, free from earth's qualms and fluttering higher and higher until reaching a state of complete bliss – free from thoughts and worries. Horror would consume Snow White if she truly knew what had happened to that bird by Ravenna's murderous hands.

"What's on your mind?" Eric asked, interrupting Snow White's long, starry gaze.

"Nothing," She shyly replied.

"There has got to be something," he said, sneering. Snow White glared at him, her eyes sparkling in the light of the fire.

"If you really must know," she began, "everything is on my mind. Everything. And I don't want it to be, but it is. I wish I could just stop thinking about everything inundating me and let my mind free from the small prison that its been trapped inside. Every single thing is just compressing me tighter and tighter to the point that I can hardly think about anything but Ravenna, the great task ahead of us, Gus's poor soul, Finn on his way to foil our plan, my stupid mind which has made me forget who I am, my mother, my father – I-"

"Stop," Eric quickly interrupted. Snow White choked in air and held back her tears. Eric's hand fell upon her knee and gripped it tightly. It looked enormous against her thin legs. "You cannot let yourself crumble away under all of this pressure. You're stronger than that, I know you are." She looked into his deep-set eyes, a look of hope and of trust. "You've come so far from when we first met and I captured you from your home. I know for certain that if I were to try and capture you now, I would be shamefully unsuccessful." Snow laughed at his exaggerated compliment, her mind seemed to ease as the space around her loosened. "I see a lot of your mother in you. She was a good woman, a pure soul, and she held a lot of fight inside of herself."

"Tell me more about my parents," She urged, not knowing where the sudden curiosity of the strangers who were her parents came from. Maybe it was the empty feeling she had as a result of Gus's passing, she thought. Or the feeling that love had been absent from her life, while hatred seemed to persist all around her. She all of a sudden wished that she had her mother and father their for her at that moment, to console her and embrace her, and to fill her empty void.

"I can't say much for your father, except for that he was a great king," Eric began. "He, however, did not care for me much because of the relationship I had with your mother. It wasn't romantic of course, but the bond we held was very special, very strong. And when she died it shattered me for a little bit. Fortunately, Sara was there to console me. But when she left me too, everything completely fell apart." Snow White examined Eric's gazing face, as though he was picturing the faces of the loved ones who had left him alone. His expression was bittersweet. "If there is one thing you should know about your mother, it is that she always did things for others. Always put everyone else ahead of herself, and that, in the end, is what killed her." Snow White knew that if a cup of ale was in Eric's reach, he would be drinking it at that very moment.

"What did ever happen to your wife?" Snow White asked.

"My wife," Eric paused as his voice cracked at the word 'wife'. "One day, I awoke in our small shack and the bed beside me had been empty and cold. I looked throughout the place, but she hadn't been anywhere, and after that day on, she never returned."

"She never died? She could be alive, you could be looking for her," Snow White exclaimed.

"I did look," he said. "For many years, through many dangerous woods and unexplored territories. It was foolish to think that I could ever find her, that she could ever possibly be alive. She was a frail woman, wouldn't even come hunt for dinner with me. Couldn't stand the sight of an innocent animal dying. But we had to eat, and it was either animal or people, like so many of the other villagers had turned to after Ravenna's reign." Snow White could feel the air around her grow cooler as Eric spoke. She gripped her shoulders with her hands and rubbed them hard, until she could feel warmth stimulate her skin. "I have come to accept her death," Eric remarked. "I did many years ago."

"It isn't good to possess such heavy weights in your life," Snow White said. An entirely knew side of Eric had been revealed to her that she hadn't taken notice to before, but realized that had been there all along. A sensitive side that he hid under his ruggedness and drinking. It was an affection of his that she admired. She thought back to what he had said to Muir the night that their home had crumbled.

"Something has been pestering me," she admitted, looking down to the grassy ground. The fire that had been lit to illuminate their surroundings was slowly fading, leaving only a flickering glimmer to brighten their vision. Snow White hadn't even noticed that each of the dwarfs had fallen into a slumber, only Eric and herself remaining awake. "Last night, I overheard what you said with Muir," she released from her lips. "I didn't want to listen in on your conversation," she quickly added. "I just had trouble sleeping and I happened to overhear after stretching my legs." She all of a sudden wished she had not said anything. "I- I just heard you say," she stuttered as the words came out. "That you love me." The tone of her voice had made it sound like a question, though it was not what she had intended for. It felt silly coming out of her mouth, she thought. Childish. Eric only laughed in response to her words. She suddenly felt hot and embarrassed, foolish for ever thinking to mention anything.

"It's true," he said, smiling. "I do love you, as strange as that may be. I've only known you for days and yet I feel like I have a reason to be happy again. And it is you that brings that out of me." A rushing plummet of relief fell upon Snow White, as a strange happiness overcame her body that she was not yet accustomed to. Hearing the words from his mouth felt unreal like she was living in a dream. And those feeling only told her one thing.

"I love you too," she let slip from her mouth.

Eric's face lit up and Snow White's cheeks reddened. But she had not felt shy about what she said, her words were definite and necessary. She knew that she could not fight the feelings that overpowered her around the Huntsman, they were complete and irreversible. Her cheeks brightened from the warmth that filled her soul and the affection that Eric revealed. The moment was happy, something that only he could muster from the pits of hell that they were in. But with the light of love came another feeling. A feeling of fright and strength all at the same time. The worry that if something would happen to him, she herself would break. She suddenly thought back to the fight against fire the night before, when she pushed herself through the burning house to save him. It wasn't something she had thought to do, but something that drove her from within. She could finally understand Eric's ceaseless drinking after losing so many people from his life.

"There is something else I wanted to mention," Snow said. "You seemed worried that I would die having to face Ravenna. That I wouldn't be able to go through with it. I just want you to know that I can do this. And not because I, myself, am strong enough, but because I'm surrounded by such strong people." She looked around at the peaceful dwarfs and then deep into Eric's eyes. They were like a pool that immersed her entire body. "I can do this, and I don't want you to worry that I-"

"There is something that you should know," Eric interrupted. "I don't doubt you. Not for one second." A wide smile lit up Snow White's face. "But when Ravenna dies," Eric paused before continuing when an immediate rustle came from the darkness alongside them.

"I would truly, truly appreciate it," a deep voice rumbled from the ground. "If you two could please pipe down. I am trying to sleep." Snow White recognized it to be Gort's voice. She whispered back an apology in condolences and Eric chuckled.

"What were you going to say?" Snow White asked.

"It can wait until tomorrow," Eric said. "It's late and we'd be better off to get some rest." Snow White agreed and laid herself onto the grassy ground. Her eyes met with the stars once again until she slowly fell into unconsciousness. She could feel Eric near her when her dreams began to fill her mind.

The next morning, the sun shined brightly and the birds chirped cheerfully. A scent of fresh water and honeydew infused the air around the individuals who slept on the earth's ground. Snow White's eyes suddenly opened, swiftly blinking to accustom to the bright day. She could feel something solid and warm enveloped around her small body; Eric's arms. She hadn't realized that they had fallen asleep right next to each other, but she appreciated the warm blanket that his arms generated. Suddenly, objects above her began to soar, leaving a trail of glittering dust sparkling in their path. After carefully and gently lifting Eric's arm from over her, she stood up and gazed at the amazement that surrounded her awe-struck face.

All around her, fairies soared threw the sky, leaving glistening colours of purple, pink, and blue in their path. Beneath them, large, sensational flowers sprouted from the ground, bringing every bright and vivid colour to life. Animals ventured the earth, from mossy turtles, wooly possums, and leaf-green snakes. It was a sight unlike Snow White had ever seen before and in that moment she knew where they had situated themselves the night before. It was the place of beauty that Gus had always spoke of, hidden behind a veil of dense trees. She could only look in wonder at her surroundings, as everyone else remained asleep.

She flew her arms through the crisp morning air, having no time to yawn in such a place of awe. Two birds flew around her body, chirping in joy and dancing through the air, until placing themselves on a tree's stump. From beneath the birds, emerged two tiny fairies that could manage to sit in the hand of Snow White. She chuckled at their cute demeanour, as they pranced and giggled, broad smiles visible across their faces. Before Snow White could approach them, they flung themselves into the air, and disappeared from her sight. Suddenly, her ears were met with a low, deep groan coming from behind the bushes. Her curiosity got the best of her, as she made her way in the direction of the sound, leaving behind the others in her tracks.

Snow White had not realized that the deep sound had cause many of the dwarfs to slowly waken from their peaceful slumbers. The note that they all heard could only come from one thing which they knew instantly after opening their wide eyes. "The white Hart calls," Muir announced, lost for words at the rare, but beautiful occurrence. The other dwarfs were filled with disbelief, but once the sound hit their ears once again they all knew for certain. "Wake him," Muir said to Coll, pointing to Eric's still dozing body. Coll kicked the Huntsman lightly in his stomach, to which he groaned and blinked open his eyes. He was irritated at the rude awakening until he heard the sound with his own ears and his eyes opened wide. Before Snow White walked through the bushes sheltering the peculiar sound, everyone witnessed her disappear through the path and quickly got to their feet before following her trail.

Snow White pushed back the large leaves that blocked her way to the alluring sound. After ducking under a heavy bush, she rose up to a sight that made her stop, breathless in her tracks. Before her stood a large white Hart in the centre of a shallow pond and behind it loomed a vast, towering oak tree. Upon the pond sat large lily pads and white flowers with many embellishing petals. The large Hart before her let out a calm puff, revealing that it meant no harm to the person that stood ahead. For the Hart had called Snow White to it's presence to present her with a gift. She slowly sauntered towards the edge of the pond where she heard the rustling of the seven dwarfs and Eric behind her. The expression on each of their faces could only be described as disbelief, as Snow White lightly stepped onto the first lily pad and made her way to the large Hart ahead of her. She grinned at it's beauty; it's shining white hair, clean and luminescent, and large, vast antlers, strong and smooth.

"The white Hart calls the Princess," Muir said in amazement, informing the other dwarfs as if they had not already knew. The only one confused was Eric who had not registered the significance of the matter before his eyes. Yet he knew what was happening was beautiful and powerful.

Snow White calmly rose her hand to caress the Hart. It slowly lowered it's head in agreement as her hand made contact with its soft, delicate fur. In that instant, a surge electrified through Snow White's body as the Hart turned to hundreds of white, airborne butterflies which surrounded her body like a mustering whirlwind. It hit her hard and in an instance. The whirlwind had turned into a rough tornado, igniting her forgotten mind. Each individual butterfly was like a memory that was once lost, revealed to her once again.

She witnessed her mother's eyes for the first time when she opened them as a new-born baby. Her father's strong face came next followed by William's who she played with in the courtyard of the castle – her home. Now Ravenna's home. Every lost memory came surging back until the night of the Queen's Massacres where she witnessed her father's dead body and her mother die before her very eyes by Finn's bloody hands. Next, someone saved her, wielding an axe, and she knew this man so well now that she didn't even have to think twice to know that it had been Eric. As everything illuminated her mind all at once and the butterflies swiftly ascended into the bright blue sky above her, the overwhelming feeling of everything hitting her all at once stunned her entire body.

She fell down to her knees against the large lily pad. Tears streamed down her face profusely after all of her lost memories crowded her mind.