CHAPTER 2 - REGRET.
Recommended for mature audiences only. Some content is not suitable for young readers.
(Updated for errors & minor context - 13-Mar-2019)
Eric followed a step behind Snow as they walked back into the palace. She could feel his eyes on her as they walked into the entrance hall and her skin prickled. Her mouth was swollen and tingling from his kisses, and her skin pulsated as if remembering the way his fingers roamed over her body. The Huntsman had given her his coat to hide the torn back of her dress, and Snow pulled it tighter around her as they passed two guards in the hallway. She smiled sweetly to them, and they bowed their heads in turn. Snow exhaled a little when they reached her apartments, thankful that her maids were nowhere to be seen.
Once inside her bedchamber, Snow peeled off her ruined dress and flung herself onto her bed, exhausted. A fire was already crackling, a sure sign that Mary had come and gone already. A few quiet moments passed before Snow looked up puzzled by the silence, only to find Eric still standing in the doorway looking a like a lost lamb.
"You can come in, you know," she teased.
Eric shifted on his feet, unsure if he should dare enter the Queen's bedchamber. He looked down at his dirty boots, and then at the lush, clean rugs spread over the great room.
Snow watched his eyes dart around the room, taking in all the fine furniture and luxurious items she'd received in her younger years. She saw him swallow, clearly a little intimidated. She sat up abruptly and flung her legs over the side of the enormous bed, wondering suddenly if seeing her rooms had put him off. "Are you leaving?" she asked, her voice small. She wrapped a thin blanket around herself, hiding her nakedness.
The Huntsman's eyes softened at her question, "No." He cleared his throat and took a step into the room, still hesitant. "I promised I wouldn't."
Snow dropped her gaze to the floor. "I'm sorry. That was unfair of me to ask that of you. You can leave if you want. I won't stop you."
The sound of heavy footsteps on the floor made her look up, and the Huntsman knelt before her, taking her hands in his own. He stroked her skin, running his fingers up her arms. "I said I'll stay. Dinnae ye trust me?"
"I trust you with my life," she declared. "You just have a tendency to run off when you think I don't need you anymore."
"I'm here, Snow. I'm no' goin' anywhere."
Snow gave him a small smile, squeezing his hands, taking in their warmth. She bit her lip, nervous about her next question. "Will you stay with me tonight?"
The Huntsman laughed, easing her nerves a little. "I do no' think yer maid will be too happy to find me here in the mornin'." He kissed her hand. "Word might get around and young William may get jealous."
Snow frowned. What did William have to do with any of this? "I don't care what William thinks, and the rest can say what they like. You can leave after I fall asleep if you don't wish to make a scene, but I'll have to send for Mary and arrange a room for you."
The Huntsman sighed, a strained look in his eyes. He stood suddenly and Snow was sure he was going to leave. Instead he slowly kicked of his boots, and then rolled past her to the other side of the bed. Snow tried to hide her smile as she met him in the middle, but it was difficult. Maybe she'd finally get a decent night sleep with him beside her.
"Is it strange being back?" Eric took her waist and pulled her closer.
"A little. It is strange being able to walk around. I remember being here as a child but it's strange to see it all after such a long time. Everything in this room was exactly the way I'd left it the night Ravenna... killed my father." Snow swallowed hard. "It was hard seeing it all just preserved like that. I think I would have preferred it if she'd just burned it all. The I wouldn't have to deal with the memory of it all."
The Huntsman thought about Snow as a little child. She must have been so scared, locked up in the tower by herself. The thought of her all alone and crying in the dark room pained him. For a moment he wished Ravenna was still alive, just so he could rip her heart out himself. It would not have worked of course, but the thought still pleased him.
Eric could sense that Snow didn't want to talk about it anymore, so he rolled onto his back, pulling her on top of him.
Snow blushed deeply and Eric stroked the red in her cheeks. "What's the matter?"
"Nothing," she murmured. "I'm not used to this... being this close to someone."
Eric smirked and ran his hands down her back, tracing the curve of her bottom. "Ye didnae seem to mind it before."
Snow turned an even darker shade of pink.
"Dinnae be shy around me," the Huntsman went on. He took her hand and entwined their fingers. "We met when we were the worst versions of ourselves. I know ye. Ye know me." He kissed her forehead, then both her cheeks, and then her lips.
Snow kissed him back deeply and the dwindling embers low in her belly sparked into flames. She broke apart to catch her breath and sat up straight, her long ebony hair hanging down past her breasts, hiding them from view. She grabbed hold of his shirt and he moved so she could pull it over his head while he kicked off his trousers. Snow ran her hands over his stomach and up his chest, tracing the contours of his muscles with her fingertips. She stopped when she reached the deep wound in the groove of his shoulder. Finn's sword had done that too him; it seemed so long ago now. It had been stitched up, re-opened and stitched up again, but it was finally healing. She bent down and placed a soft kiss on the red, puckered skin and then moved up to kiss the Huntsman's waiting lips.
Eric rolled over so the young Queen was now under him, lifting both of her legs up by his sides. He continued his gentle kisses, slowly moving along her neck, over her breasts and down her stomach, taking in her sweet scent as he continued his way down to the inside of her thighs and then back up to her warm centre. He held her legs to keep her from squirming.
"Eric!" Snow gasped and sat up.
The Huntsman pushed her back down, returning to her throbbing middle. "Be still."
Snow blushed, absolutely mortified, but did as she was told, and before long she had to hide her face in a feather pillow to muffle her noises. She'd never felt anything like it, never even thought it was possible for someone to do that with their mouth. Snow's toes curled and her fingers tangled in his hair. Her breathing quickened and her stomach tightened, the elastic band deep within her ready to snap at any second. Her skin was hot and red from the blood pulsating beneath it. The pink buds of her breasts were tight with anticipation. She'd lost her breath, lost her ability to even think of anything but the man between her thighs.
Then that man was gone. A breathy exclaim shot out of her, her chest heaving.
Before she had time to protest, the Huntsman was inside her, making her cry out at the sudden movement. Her toes curled and her fingers clenched in the sheets as every bit of her moulded around him.
Eric moved slower this time; they weren't as hurried as they were in the garden. He watched her, wanting to see her facial expressions and hear those wonderful noises that escaped her parted lips.
Snow kissed him deeply, and all of a sudden, she was back on top of him, the movement sending her tumbling into ecstasy. Eric's hands moved her hips as she cried out his name. He pushed her and pushed her, not letting go of her hips until she exclaimed again, seconds before he reached his own glorious finish.
Snow collapsed next to the Huntsman, motionless and exhausted. He pulled her into his strong arms and kissed her one last time for the night. "Sleep," was the last thing Snow heard before she dove happily into the darkness.
The sun was just a slither on the horizon when the Huntsman woke. The birds had not yet begun to sing in the trees outside and the air was damp and cold. He looked around the large room twice before he remembered where he was. The hunter turned over to stare at the young woman next to him. Her dark hair spread out around her porcelain face as she slept. He had the sudden urge to kiss her but stopped himself when he realised the enormity of the situation.
What have ye done?
He rolled onto his back and covered his face with his hands as he tried to collect his thoughts.
How could ye have done this?
He had stolen her honour as if it belonged to him; ruined her for any other man.
If William found out there would be hell to pay. Eric clenched his teeth. He knew the Duke's son wanted Snow for himself; he'd known it the moment they'd met. They were supposed to be man and wife, it had been common knowledge across the Kingdom since Eric himself was a young boy. Even though it was not yet official, Eric new that William wouldn't be too pleased to find out his bride-to-be had already been with another man. Eric scoffed quietly. What a pathetic notion. The girls in his own village had been far from pure when they took a 'd been responsible for quite a few of them himself, come to think of it.
He moved a strand of hair from Snow's face. She certainly hadn't seemed to care about William last night. In fact, he had the impression she had no intention of ever marrying William. She didn't look at the Duke's son the same way he looked at her. There was affection, but not love. She hardly knew him, after all.
Eric rubbed his face again. William's feelings aside, he should never have come back to the palace. He should never have told Snow he was staying. Why would he promise such a thing? What was he supposed to do in this giant palace? He had not skills aside from hunting and fighting. The thought made him pause. The palace was no place for a Huntsman, but an ex-soldier maybe. He could speak to Bane and ask for a job; his old friend did owe him a few favours...
He turned to look at Snow once again and all of his worries vanished. He'd tried to leave once and it was torture. He couldn't stay away from her; she was in his very soul, consuming every part of him.
He'd entered dangerous territory, he could feel it deep within him. He'd only had that feeling once before, and he'd sworn to never let himself feel it again. Snow shifted in her sleep, letting out a soft moan. Eric moved closer to the sleeping Snow and buried his face in her hair; taking in her sweet scent. He moved his face to hers and gently kissed her soft lips, before whispering "God help me, I love ye."