CHAPTER 13 – Comrades

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

(Updated for errors & minor content - 02-Jul-2018)

When Snow opened her eyes, it was dark inside the cave, but she knew it was dawn. The air was frosty, and her face was numb from the cold; the fire must have gone out. She wriggled and stretched out her arm, searching for Eric's warm body but instead her fingers ran through the cold dirt. She sat up with a jolt; the memory of the rebels finding them the day before came rushing back to her. She let out a sigh of relief when she spotted him packing the horses at the entrance of their cave. Snow smiled and watched him work for a while before she stood up and walked quietly over to him.

"Morning," Eric spoke just before Snow reached him. He tightened the girth of her horse's saddle.

"Morning," she replied, hugging him from behind and burying her face into his back. He was so warm, and the heat felt wonderful against her cold face.

Eric tensed and cleared his throat. "We best be off. Are ye ready?"

Snow released him and nodded. "Yes," she replied slowly, noticing his tension. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he muttered and that was the end of it. The was no use prodding him.

They were soon on the move and Eric was edgier than ever. Now that they were low in the valley, they could be spotted by someone on higher ground. Before, they had been surrounded by trees and it was easier to stay out of view; now they could be spotted from miles away. Eric glanced around continuously, and his uneasiness was rubbing off on Snow. She was getting anxious too. Eric's eyes scanned the horizon and the top of the giant valley slopes, never pausing on one thing for more than a second.

They travelled like that until the sun was high in the sky, but it was barely noticeable behind all the clouds. A faint glow was all that could be seen. As Snow was looking up at the sky, she blinked as what she though was a water droplet landed on her cheek. No – it was too light to be water. It was a snowflake. She looked around and saw several more floating gently through the breeze. Soon, there would be snow everywhere, she could already see it coating the ground in the distance.

"Eric?" Snow walked her horse up beside his. She was restless and aching for a decent conversation, something to take her mind of their situation. "Have you always been a Huntsman?"

Eric kept his eyes on their surroundings, yet he seemed surprised at her question. "Why do ye ask?"

Snow shrugged. "I'm just curious. You're very good at it. Who taught you?"

Eric's eyes narrowed for a moment, and a shadow crept across his face. After another long moment, just as Snow was regretting her question, he smiled softly. "My father was a good hunter," he explained. "The best actually, but he never sold his catch. He was a blacksmith by trade and earnt enough to buy meat, but he was a damned stubborn man at that– why buy ye food, if ye could catch it ye'self?" Eric smiled again, remembering his father. "He started taking me out to hunt with him when I was a young lad, just before my sixth year. I took to it quickly and then officially took over the responsibility when I was about twelve." He went silent for a moment and appeared to be running the memories over in his head. "Then when I was sixteen the war came. I left to fight, and my younger brother took over."

"You have a brother?"

"Aye, I did. A sister too."

Snow swallowed. "Did?"

The Huntsman paused and looked at Snow, deciding whether he should continue. He did. "I went off to war with Bane. We were gone nearly five years. When I got back, my family wasnae how I left it. My father passed no' long after I left. My brother and sister were taken by the plague and my mother… Well she was barely alive herself when I got home. When she saw me," Eric swallowed hard and paused. "She was skin and bone, lying on her cot in our freezing cottage, but she smiled," he frowned, trying to hide the pain in his eyes. "She said she'd been waiting for me. The she was gone." Eric cleared his throat. "I blamed myself for her death. I wasnae there to help them after my father died. I didnae want to live after that. If it wasnae for…" he trailed off.

"If it weren't for Sara," Snow finished for him, her voice breaking from the sorrow she felt for him. "You married Sara."

"Aye," he said. A few snowflakes landed in his hair.

"Eric, don't be scared to talk about her. I know it seems easier to try to forget, believe me; I did it for so long with my mother and father. Sara was a part of you. You owe it to her memory, she should be remembered."

Eric eyed her curiously, a faint smile appeared in the corner of his mouth. "How in the world did I find ye?"

Snow smiled, "Fate." She paused for a moment. "You were only sixteen when you went to war?"

"Aye," Eric nodded.

Snow frowned, "Did they teach you how to fight?"

Eric shrugged. "I already knew more than most. My father made weapons for the soldiers of the palace. A lot of the time, I would go with my father when he delivered them, and I'd sit and watch the soldiers practice in the training yard. I guess I picked up a lot."

Snow remembered it as well. There were always soldiers fighting in the training yard. She and William would often sneak down there and have their own duels with their own wooden play-swords. It only ever ended in one of two ways; either in an argument, both claiming to have beaten the other, or in tears, after copping a whack across the knuckles with the hard, unforgiving wooden swords.

Snow tried to remember if she ever saw a tall, scruffy young boy with beautiful blue eyes lurking around the training yard. She couldn't, but the thought of Eric and her being in the same proximity all those years ago gave her chills.

All the talk of the training yard made her miss her daily sessions with Eric. She shifted in the saddle, her thighs tight and stiff from the riding. "I never thought I'd say this, but I actually miss all that running you made me do," she laughed, and Eric smirked.

Snow's ears prickled then, and her smile turned into a frown. "Do you hear that?"

"Aye," Eric's face hardened.

A faint drumming sound was coming from behind them. Snow and Eric turned in their saddles and saw four men on horseback riding fast down the side of the valley. Snow's eyes widened, and her heart sunk to her stomach when she realised who they were.

"Go!" Eric shouted, and they kicked the horses into a gallop. The rebels were in fast pursuit and arrows flew past Snow at every angle. Her horse whinnied loudly as an arrow lodged itself in its rump. She urged it on, stroking its neck as they rode and kept her head low.

Snow dared not turn around to look at them, so she focused on what was in front of her. Squinting ahead, she saw a large blur on the horizon. It wasn't until they got closer that she realised it was a large group of people. Some were on horseback, but most were walking. There were at least forty or fifty people, a mix of men, woman and children. Before she could help herself, Snow called out. "Eric it's them! The survivors, we found them!"

Before Eric could answer, an arrow flew just inches past his face. "Keep going and yell for help," he shouted.

Snow felt uneasy. What was he going to do? The group of people still marched on ahead, completely unaware of what was happening behind them.

"I'll try to slow them down," he yelled again. "Don't ye dare stop!"

Snow stared over her shoulder, overwhelmed and not sure what to do as the Huntsman pulled his horse to a grinding halt. He dismounted and stood behind his horse, waiting for the four rebels to get closer. Snow panicked; he couldn't take on four men by himself. She pulled her horse to a stop and jumped off. She smacked its rump and it bolted off towards the group of survivors. Snow ran towards Eric, abandoning her task of yelling for help.

"What are ye doing?" he growled through clenched teeth when she reached him. He grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her behind the safety of the horse.

He was furious, but Snow ignored him; he could yell at her later. She concentrated on the rebels; they were barely fifty yards away and gaining fast. Out of nowhere another arrow flew past her, this time coming from the opposite direction. It struck one of the rebels in the chest. He flew from his horse with a thud and rolled along the ground. Snow turned and saw a man riding towards them with his bow drawn. Snow gaped at him. It was William, and Bane was on his own horse, right beside him.

Snow grunted loudly as Eric forced her to the ground. The rebels had finally reached them, she quickly realised. A second rebel took an arrow in the shoulder and fell from his horse. He landed on the ground in front of Snow, so close that she could see the blacks of his eyes. Eric grabbed his head and slit his throat before the man even had the chance to stand. Blood splattered across Snow's shocked face as she lay in the dirt beside him.

Snow was still staring at the dead man when she heard Bane yell at Eric and throw him a sword. Not a second after Eric had caught it, she heard the clang of metal against metal above her. Eric ripped her to her feet and held her close, a sword pointed at the third rebel already locked in combat with him. She gasped as the rebel jolted forward suddenly then fell to his knees, leaving Bane to pull his own sword out of the rebel's back. He nodded once at Eric. The last Rebel had retreated, but he only got a few yards away before William ended him with another arrow.

Eric turned Snow to face him. "Are ye alright?" he asked, but Snow knew he was mad. His eyes were dark as he glared at her.

Before she could reply, William was upon her, picking her up in a tight embrace. "Snow! You're alright!"

"William!" Snow beamed at him when he let her go. In the corner of her eye, Bane and Eric shook hands and hit each other good-naturedly on the back. Eric passed him back the sword. "I'm fine," she continued. "It was you I was worried about. Thank God you are alright. Both of you." She moved over to Bane and gave him a small hug, much to his surprise. William and Eric nodded curtly to each other.

"You were lucky just now," said William. "We wouldn't have seen you if it hadn't been for the horse. It caught our attention, that's when we saw what was happening."

Snow grinned, silently thanking the heavens she'd thought to do that when she jumped off her horse. She glanced at Eric but the look he gave her wiped the smile from her face. Bad move, it said.

"Yer Majesty," Bane said, interrupting their silent conversation. "I trust Eric has kept you well?"

"Very well," Snow tried to smile. "I owe him my life. Yet again."

Bane laughed. "Ye do seem to have a talent for gettin' into trouble."

Eric huffed, "That's an understatement."

"Did ye have any trouble up until now?" Bane asked him, serious once again.

"Some. Two others jumped us yesterday, but they willnae be a problem again. We should probably talk, but no' here."

"We best get the two of ye back to the group," Bane nodded. "We got who we could out of the palace, and we've picked up a few along the way. I've wondered when ye'd show up, but we couldna afford to stop moving and wait for ye."

While the two men spoke, Snow leaned towards William and whispered. "Tell me Will, is Greta with you?" She was nervous for his answer and a lump rose in her throat.

William smiled as he whispered back, "Don't fret. Greta is well."

Snow breathed a sigh of relief and the four decided to get back to the others. Snow remembered she was horseless, and she glanced up at Eric as he mounted his own. She felt her cheeks turn red as she met his eyes. He was so mad at her. She though for a second he was going to ignore her and make her walk, but with a stone face, he held out his hand and helped her up behind him. She wrapped her arms around him, and they all rode the distance back to where the group of people had stopped. Greta stood waiting for them, still dressed in Snow's green ball gown, though now it was torn, and mud caked the hem. She had a woolen shawl wrapped around her shoulders and a bonnet hid her wild, fiery hair. A delighted cry escaped her when she saw Snow.

"Greta!" Snow called. Eric's horse had barely come to a halt before she jumped from it. She ran towards Greta and flung herself at her, taking her friend tightly in her arms. "Greta! You're here! If something had have happened to you, I'd never have forgiven myself."

"Your Majesty! I've been so worried. I saw that horrid man grab you then disappear and I nearly died of horror, but Bane said you would be safe. He knew Eric would find you– Heavens, what happened to your face?" Greta pulled a rag from her sleeve and patted Snow's cheek.

"Oh," exclaimed Snow, remembering that she had rebel blood all over her. She took the rag from Greta and wiped her face, sure she was only making it worse. "I'm fine, it's just a little blood."

By now the other survivors had begun to crowd around the two girls, anxious to see the Queen.

"Alright, alright. Give the Her Majesty some room," Bane's loud bellowing voice came from behind her.

"Yer Majesty," he said. "We will stop here for a short while, but we must be on the move again soon. There may be more rebels no' far behind the last lot."

"Thank you, Bane," Snow smiled. She watched him walk away to where William and Eric were waiting, out of earshot from the rest of the group. The three began a deep conversation.

Snow wished she could join them, but Greta had other ideas. She led Snow to a small rock and the two sat down. "I would offer you something to eat, but we don't have much. We left in such a hurry, nobody thought to bring anything."

"Don't worry about me, Greta. I'm quite alright." Snow ignored the growls coming from her stomach. Someone else would be hungrier than her. She looked around them, taking in the survivors. The group seemed grateful for the stop, as if they'd been walking forever. Many sat in small groups, leaning or resting on each other, getting as much rest as they could before they had to leave again. "Have you had much sleep?" Snow asked.

Greta shrugged. "Some, but Bane is intent on keeping us all moving. We saved a few horses for people too injured to walk, but even then, there aren't enough horse to go around, so we don't move very fast."

"I know what you mean. We wouldn't have slept at all if I hadn't begged Eric." Snow glanced around again. Women lay stroking their tired children, men sat chatting together about nothing in particular. Almost everyone had some sort of injury, and those that didn't had been given an injured person to look after. "Greta, have you seen Mary? Is she here?"

A shadow swept across Greta's face at the mention of her aunt. She stared down at her hands and Snow's heart sunk. "No. I haven't seen her since she left the ball the night of your birthday." A few tears dropped onto her hands. "I still pray that she is alive. There was talk of a smaller group fleeing towards the south, I can only hope that she was with them."

Snow gripped Greta's hand and tried to sooth the girl. "Have faith Greta. Your aunt is a strong woman. She had a better chance than anybody of escaping, she left the ball much earlier than we did. She may have hidden somewhere."

Greta nodded at Snow's words and wiped her tears away. Snow glanced up again and saw Eric, William and Bane still talking. They seemed deep in discussion and Snow ached to be a part of it. "Greta, I have to see Bane, I'll come back soon all right?"

Greta nodded, and Snow walked over to where Eric, Bane and William were still talking. The men stopped when the Queen came to stand by the Huntsman. She let her hand brush against his as if by accident, but he quickly folded his arms across his chest. Her heart dropped.

Snow swallowed and glanced at Bane. "What is the plan with these people? Some are very injured and won't make it all the way through the mountains; especially when we reach the heavy snow."

Bane nodded. "I know, Yer Majesty. There is a village no' far from here. I was hoping to make it there for some medical attention and supplies but I dinnae know if it is wise, considering the danger. We may be leadin' the rebels straight to them."

"The rebels will search the village no matter what," Eric said.

Snow bit her lip. She didn't want to risk another village's safety for the sake of their own. "Is that the best idea we have?"

"We dinnae have a choice," Eric shrugged, more to Bane than to her. "We're exposed out here. That village is the best chance we've got."

"Aye, I agree," said Bane. "If they want, they can come with us to the Duke's. We have picked up a few people from various villages around the palace after the attack. It seems everyone wants to make it to the Duke's castle as quickly as possible." Bane stopped himself and quickly glanced over at William.

The mention of the Duke made him stir. "Excuse me," he said grimly, and he walked over to Greta, who was still sitting patiently where Snow had left her.

Bane clenched his teeth and cursed himself. "The boy's been a right mess. For one thing though, it seems to be pushin' him to get these people to safety."

Snow's heart sunk for William. She knew all too well what it was like to lose your parents.

Eric cleared his throat, snapping their attention away from William. "Bane has sent the dwarves ahead, in the hope they can find a quicker path through the mountains to Stonehill."

"The dwarves?" The mention of them sparked Snow's interest. "They are safe? All of them?"

"Aye," continued Bane. "They proved quite helpful when we escaped the palace. They created a diversion. They also know of a different path through the mountains from their mining days. It may be blocked off but it's worth havin' a look, for it will save a great amount of time. Hopefully once everyone is fit enough to pick up some speed, we can gain some real ground."

"Speaking of gainin' ground, I think it's best if we get movin'," Eric said. "Those four were no' the last of what's comin'. If we find this village ye speak of before night fall, we can talk properly there."

Bane agreed and gave the orders to start moving. Everyone got slowly to their feet and began to prepare for their next journey. In the commotion, Snow and Eric fetched their horses. Snow paused before she mounted.

"She's hurt," Snow said, noticing the arrow lodged in her horse's rump. "I'd forgotten about it. I cannot ride her like this."

"She'll be fine, Snow," Eric assured her, his voice still clipped when he spoke to her. "We dinnae have far to go. We'll get someone to remove it when we get to the village."

Snow shook her head. "No, I can't ride her. There are others here who need her more than I."

Eric sighed. Snow's tender heart and stubbornness were often a frustrating combination. "So be it. If ye are walking, so must I."

Eric took the mares reigns from Snow and led both horses over to a young mother and her four children. Snow followed him. "You look like you could use some help," he said to the woman, gesturing to the children clinging to her skirts. The eldest two were no older than five and the third was barely two. The youngest was just a babe in his mother's arms – one of which was bandaged heavily. The woman nodded gratefully. "That would be wonderful, but I don't need both horses. The three children can fit on the mare."

Eric nodded in agreement. He removed the pack from Snow's horse, lifted the first two children onto it and sat the two-year old in front. All three children hung on tight and beamed from ear to ear about their exciting new ride. Eric took his own horse over to an elderly man who was struggling to stand.

While he was gone, Snow gestured to the babe. "I can carry him for a while if you need a break." The woman smiled her thanks and passed the small babe to Snow.

The group slowly began to move, and Snow trailed behind the young mother. Eric returned after helping the older man on his horse and fell in turn beside her. He lifted both their packs on his back.

"You should put the packs on my horse. It's light, it won't do any harm."

"No, I've got it," he replied.

Snow rolled her eyes. "Let me carry one then."

"I said I've got it."

Snow bit her lip. "You're mad at me." It wasn't a question.

Eric shot her a look. His eyes seemed as dark as the gloomy sky. In the sun they sparkled like ice and were as blue as a summer sky. Yet today, with no sunlight they seemed grey and only darkened when he was mad.

"I'm sorry I didn't listen to you," she went on. "There was no way I was leaving you like that. Besides, William and Bane saw us eventually."

"Eventually?" he scoffed angrily, but low enough so nobody would hear him. "What if yer horse never got their attention? I would have been stuck trying to protect ye and fight off four men. It was damned foolish, Snow. Ye have to listen to me."

"I'm not completely defenceless," Snow argued. "You know I can fight. What was the point in teaching me if you won't let me help you?"

Eric didn't reply. His brow furrowed in frustration, but Snow took his silence as a small victory.

She glanced down at the sleeping babe and stroked his soft little cheek and played with his tiny fingers.

"Watch where ye're walking," Eric grumbled, looking at the babe. His tone was not as harsh now. "Ye'll trip on a rock if ye're no' careful."

Snow smirked at his over-cautiousness. "Yes Sir," she teased and just like that, their argument was over.

They walked like that for a few hours, passing the babe back and forth when Snow's arm grew tired. She was surprised the first time Eric had reached over and took the babe from her, but grateful; for such a small babe, he seemed to get heavier as the day went on.

They stopped only once for a short rest and the young mother was able to nurse her babe. Snow sat with the young woman as the babe suckled at his mother's breast. In that small break, Snow learned that the mother's name was Elizabeth and she was a few years older than Snow. Her children were Samuel, Charlotte, Audrey and the babe was Henry. Snow also learned that Elizabeth's husband had died whilst she had been expecting Henry. She now baked and sold bread to the palace kitchens. She had been delivering bread when the palace was attacked and injured her arm in a fall as she narrowly escaped with her children.

The group began moving again, and a thin layer of snow now covered the ground and the air grew colder and dry. It was Eric's turn to carry Henry, and he had him tucked into his coat out of the cold wind. They hadn't been walking for very long when little Henry began to cry. Eric immediately tensed, and Snow saw his face grow nervous. He bounced the bundle in his arms to try and sooth him but to no avail. Wails echoed around the group. He looked at Snow and she saw the pleading in his eyes.

"Give him to me," Snow giggled and took the babe from the Huntsman. She rested him against her chest and covered him with her own coat. "There, there little one," she whispered, gently stroking him on the back.

The cries soon softened to a whimper and then they eventually faded into nothing. Little Henry was again fast asleep, his breath was steady and warm in the crook of Snow's neck.

Snow smiled up at Eric, proud that she managed to settle him. Eric just shook his head as he trudged through the snow.