NightIntent: Originally, I'd planned for this to be a one-shot. But... it had other ideas. So it's three chapters long. Anyways, I'll let you start reading it.

Disclaimer: I don't own Snow White.


Kara woke up beside Finn once again, their little fight finally resolved. She looked at him for a few seconds, then moved to get up. Before she could throw off the blankets, Finn had grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back to him. She snuggled up against his side, perfectly happy to just lie next to him for a while. Then her energetic nature tugged at her, and she got out of the bed.

Kara got dressed and left the room, leaving Finn to stare after her. She went straight to the kitchen. "Can I get some breakfast, please?" she asked the woman she found there.

"Of course, my lady," the woman said, curtseying and staring at the floor. Kara nearly sighed. She'd never get used to how people treated her in the palace. Kara took the plate that was handed to her and walked up to the room that was her own in the palace. She ate it slowly, thinking. What could she do during the day?

Now that she had no chores to do, Kara's days were extremely empty. She finished her breakfast, sighed, and got up to take her plate back to the kitchen. Before she even took a step, a servant opened the door and asked for her dishes. Kara sighed again and let the servant take them. She lounged in her chair for a while, but got bored and went to the stables.

Kara, ignoring the grooms that offered to get her mare out for her, got Night out of her stall and groomed and tacked her up. When she was finished, Kara led the mare out of the stables, into the fresh morning air. Kara took a long, deep breath, and mounted the mare. She squeezed her legs and the mare walked forward.

After a few minutes of walking, Kara nudged Night into a trot. She was content to stay at this pace, moving easily with the mare's gait. She reached her favorite spot, the place where the river turned into a waterfall. Kara tied Night to a branch and walked to the river, lounging on a rock and listening to the sound of running water.

After a few minutes, Kara's endless amount of energy kicked in. She got up and paced for a while. When she got bored with that, she sat back down for a little while again. Kara couldn't sit still for long. She went back over to Night and untied the mare. Instead of getting back into the saddle, Kara led the mare back down the path, heading back to the castle.

Kara was only a half mile into her hike when someone cut her off from the front. Kara stopped dead, pulling Night to a stop beside her. "What is this?" Kara demanded. "Who are you?"

The man in the road, who was riding a large horse, one much bigger than Kara's delicate Night, grinned cruelly. "Me? Oh, I'm no one."

Kara glared at the man. "You're not Odysseus, so therefore you're someone. Now tell me who you are."

The man's grin widened. "Feisty, are we? I like that in a woman." He looked Kara over, a sweeping glance that made Kara's face redden. "Not quite a woman yet, are you? How old are you? Fourteen?"

Kara was touchy about how she looked. Everyone always thought she was younger than she was, and it annoyed her. She snapped, "I'm seventeen. What do you want with me?"

"Just to take you to see one of your… fans."

Kara rolled her eyes. "Lying now, are we? You need practice. And better thinking skills. Really, how do you expect me to believe a blatant lie like that? Do you really think I'm that stupid?"

The man became suddenly serious. "I was hoping. Would you mind coming with me anyway?"

"Yes, I would, believe it or not," she said. "Would you mind going away?"

"Yep, I would." The man kicked his horse. It should forward. Kara, completely unprepared, was swept up behind the man's saddle. She screamed and tried to struggle, but the man had her tightly, not giving an inch. He pressed something over her mouth and nose. Not again, she thought. Though Kara tried not to breathe, she couldn't help it.

A deep breath in and the world went black.

Kara woke up with a headache. She sat up, groaning at the pain. Her head wasn't the only thing that ached. She wasn't used to being draped over a saddle and being carried around that way. Then Kara realized that she didn't know where she was. She looked around, suddenly completely awake and alert.

"Hello?" she called. "Is there anyone here? Why was I brought here? Hello?"

Silence greeted her questions. "I guess not," Kara muttered to herself.

A voice came from somewhere. "What is your name?" it asked regally.

Kara looked around, thoroughly annoyed. "You kidnapped me, without even knowing my name?" she demanded. "Well, isn't that rude?"

"Just answer the question, will you?" the voice asked, not sounding regal at all this time. The annoyance in it almost matched the annoyance that Kara felt. Almost.

"If I answer yours, will you answer my questions?" Kara inquired.

"No," the voice replied simply.

"That hardly seems fair!" Kara exclaimed. "If I answer yours, isn't it only right that you answer mine? A fair exchange, don't you agree? Until you agree to that, I just won't answer any of your questions." Kara sat down huffily, folding her arms. She nearly winced when her head twinged, but managed to ignore it.

"You're in no position to argue," her captor said. "So why don't you just tell me what I want to know?"

"What do I get if I tell you?" Kara asked.

"How about I don't hurt you?" the unseen person threatened. Someone walked from the shadows to Kara's left. It was a young man, about twenty-two years old. He was tall, somewhat handsome, and obviously well-versed in kidnapping. And torture. He held a knife in one hand.

Kara raised her eyebrows, trying to remain calm. "Threats now, huh?" she commented. "Wanna see how well that'll work?"

The man smiled. "In fact, I do," he responded. "My question to you is, do you want to see how well it will work? Because that can be easily arranged." The man ran his finger along the dull edge of his blade, almost a caress. Kara swallowed, beginning to get nervous. The man walked over to her. He was smiling "Will you cooperate?"

Kara's face hardened. "I told you, if you answer my questions, I'll answer yours."

The man's smile widened until he was grinning. It was more of a baring of teeth than a sign of mirth. "I was so hoping you'd say that," he remarked, bending towards her, his knife moving ever closer to her skin.


NightIntent: A cliffhanger! Yay! The more reviews I get, the faster I'll update.