CHAPTER 4 – MARKS

Recommended for mature audiences only. Some content is not suitable for young readers.

(Updated for errors & minor context - 03-Jan-2018)

"Eric, no!" Snow ran after the Huntsman and pulled on his arm. "Please, it doesn't matter! I'm fine."

The Huntsman glared at her and pulled his arm away. "Stay in yer room!"

Snow ignored the Huntsman's command and ran after him. He was walking so fast that Snow had to run just to keep up with him. The people that they passed in the halls gave them odd looks as they moved through the palace. Greta and Mary ran out of the kitchen to follow when they saw Snow chasing the Huntsman through the corridor.

"Eric, stop this. You are being ridiculous." Snow pleaded and pleaded but it was no use. The hunter had picked his kill; there was no stopping him now.

There was music coming from the courtyard and a crowd of people had gathered around two small gypsy children. One child was playing a flute and the other was dancing; the bells on her feet jingled in time to her brother's music. Anna and her daughter Lily, the dwarves, servants, workers and villagers were all watching the performance. William was standing nearby with a group of men who were sharpening arrows by a stall.

The Huntsman stormed outside and headed straight for William, Snow still pulling on his arm.

"William!" The hunter's loud bellowing voice filled the courtyard. The gypsy's music stopped and everyone turned to see what the fuss was about.

William looked up and saw the Huntsman and Snow walking quickly towards him through the crowd of people. Snow's face was red and wet and she held onto his arm as she tried to pull him back.

Snow's desperate attempt to stop the Huntsman failed as he grabbed hold of William's shirt and vest and threw him against a wooden stall. Snow fell to the ground from the movement and her knee landed on a rock, sending a sharp pain up her thigh.

Everyone jumped out of the way, shocked at the sudden outburst. Guards appeared immediately with crossbows and pointed them at the hunter.

"Don't shoot, please don't shoot!" Snow yelled at the guards and they lowered their weapons. She stood up quickly, ignoring the pain in her knee. "Eric, stop! Please don't hurt him!"

William had already stood up and was bracing himself as the Huntsman moved towards him again. His voice bellowed through the crowd a second time. "How dare ye hurt her like that; ye have no right to interfere with her business!"

When they were close enough, William threw a punch, but the Huntsman dodged it and dived onto him, taking him around the middle. They landed in a heap and the Huntsman hit William twice in the face and once in the stomach before William elbowed him hard under the shoulder where his wound was; tearing open the delicate, fresh skin. The hunter fell backwards and William jumped up, but was instantly kicked in the legs and knocked into the dirt.

People had formed a circle around the brawling pair. The guards stood with their crossbows ready; waiting for the Queen's command. Snow's pleas were pointless unless she set the guards upon them, but she didn't want to do that. All she and anyone could do was to stand by and watch.

William stood up from the dirt and wiped his blood-soaked chin with his arm. "She is too good for you Huntsman! You are nothing but a common, widowed drunkard." William turned and ran across the courtyard towards the stand of arrows but the Huntsman was close behind him. William was about to draw a bow when the Huntsman's axe came down on him. The hunter swung it effortlessly in the air and slashed the surface on William's left arm, just enough to open the skin. William dropped his arrows and dived onto the huntsman, narrowly missing the swinging axe. Ignoring everyone's screams, the Huntsman blocked William's punches and kicked him off. William landed in a pile of hay and before he could stand up the axe came down on his right arm, making a gash nearly identical to the one on his left. The axe swung up in the air again, this time aimed for William's torso.

Snow ran towards the two men and shouted as loudly as she could manage. "Stop this right now, Huntsman!" Her voice echoed through the entire courtyard. The axe came down with great strength and hit the ground just an inch from William's body. Snow's heart stopped as she stared at the axe that was now stuck in the dirt. The crowd went silent and stared at the Queen and two men.

The Huntsman pulled William to his feet by the scruff of his neck and stared into his eyes. His voice was dark and cold. "A mark for a mark. Next time, I'll take both arms off so ye never touch anythin' again." The Huntsman let go of William, who fell to the ground, and turned to face Snow.

Both hands covered her heart as Snow tried to collect herself. She had only just noticed that Mary, Greta and Anna were standing around her. Duke Hammond had appeared from the crowd and was staring at his son's gashes whilst trying to make sense of the fight. Bane was close behind him.

Snow's emotions were running wild. She was terrified, upset and angry. Upset because of what William had said to her and because it had gotten him injured. She was angry because the Huntsman had ignored her and because everybody had witnessed it. How was she supposed to control a whole Kingdom if she couldn't control two angry men? People around her began whispering to each other. What would people say? Where they talking about her already?

Snow looked at the Huntsman who was now being held by two guards. He had a gash in his lip and blood was seeping through his shirt below his shoulder. He struggled against them, but was pushed to his knees in front of her.

The guards were waiting for an order. "What shall we do with him, Your Majesty?"

She stared at the hunter as she tried to find her words. He looked up at her, and there was no remorse in his eyes. He'd intended to kill William, she was sure of it. What was she to do? Only when he saw the panic in her face did his eyes soften.

In the background, Snow noticed William's bleeding arm reach for his bow. She barely had time to scream before the arrow flew towards the Huntsman.

Only the arrow did not hit its desired target...

In the split second it took for Snow to realise that the Huntsman had not been hit, the searing pain in her stomach began. Snow gasped for air as she looked down at the arrow, now embedded in her. She looked up shocked, watching Eric fight against the guards as he tried to get to her.

The space around her started to shake and everything went dark as the screaming rose up around her...