Author's Notes at end of chapter.

I'd walk the world for you, babe

A thousand miles for you

I'd dry your tears of pain, babe

A million times to you

I'd sell my soul for you, babe

For money to burn for you

I'd give you all and have none, babe

Just to have you here by me

- Rebel Yell, Billy Idol

I would die for you

I would die for you

I've been dying just to feel you by my side

To know that you're mine

- #1 Crush, Garbage

Early the next morning, the huntsman awoke slowly. As conscious thoughts surfaced, he remembered where he was. It slowly dawned on him that he was extremely comfortable for a change and didn't want to move. He took a deep breath, inhaling a very pleasant scent he remembered from the night before. Something shifted in his arms and he opened his eyes.

What he saw made him freeze.

Now, the huntsman was the epitome of a man. He was tall even by tall standards. He was broad of shoulder, his back was straight, his legs were strong. He swung his axe mightily against his evil foes, human and animal alike. He was a manly man. He did manly things. And since he had lost his wife, one thing he did not do was cuddle.

However, that is exactly what he was doing at this exact moment.

He had both arms wrapped around the girl's midsection and his face was nestled against her chest. She was flush against him with one arm around his neck and one arm thrown over her face to block out the rising sun. He remained frozen, hoping that some of this would make more sense, but he just kept asking himself the same question over and over and over:

What was he doing?

This was a girl he barely knew and how had this happened and she was almost eleven years younger than he was and he hadn't even been drunk last night! He attempted to move his arm in an effort to extract himself from the compromising position he was in, which was, by the way, in the middle of the commons in the dwarf town they had found the previous day. This was the same dwarf town where three men had taken him into a room and told him not to get attached to this girl. He hadn't had to deal with meeting fathers in a long time, and this girl technically lost hers years ago, but the thought of being taken to task by not one, but three angry father-types, no matter how much shorter they were than him, was something he did not want to deal with.

Despite the fact that he was a full-grown man, he succumbed to the irrational teenage desire to extricate himself from the situation before an authority figure found out what he had gotten himself into. When he finally lifted his arm, she moved, too, except in addition to sighing deeply, she tightened her hold on him and pulled his face closer to her chest. This only complicated matters, because while the majority of his brain was telling him he needed to get away from the girl as soon as possible, there was a fairly large, very calm, and quite content portion that was telling him that this was just where he needed to be.

He thought back to their previous sleeping arrangements and wondered what had led to this. The girl had leaned on him when they had been in the Dark Forest, but that had been different. He had simply been a soft place for her to rest her head. He certainly hadn't been partaking in any cuddling. No, he hadn't pushed her away, but he hadn't exactly been welcoming, either. And for the life of him, he couldn't figure out how or why his body had so thoroughly betrayed him and gotten into this position all by itself.

He had to do something. People were going to start getting up and see them. It was going to be a scene. He didn't want to deal with it. He didn't want to wake her up either and have her know they were laying like this, but he finally decided that rolling over might get her to loosen her hold on him so that he could be freed of this position.

He rolled onto his back, but the girl clung to him even still, which meant she ended up basically asleep on top of his chest with her body pressed against the length of his side. She sighed heavily and moved her arm from her face to lay across his chest, and she buried her face in the crook of his neck.

This new position might have looked similar to their previous sleeping arrangements, but it did not feel the same to the huntsman, who suffered the soft tickle of her breath against the sensitive skin of his neck with her every exhale. It felt exquisite and terrible at the same time, reminding him of the occasional lazy morning spent with Sara during a time that just moments before had seemed so impossibly long ago.

He remembered how soundly he slept whenever Sara was near, and how she had always taken comfort in his presence, and how he missed her very, very much...and how the girl in his arms had probably never been loved like that in her whole life.

At that thought, there was something in his chest that snapped and he found himself giving up. He couldn't exactly name the emotion that he was feeling, but he knew that he didn't mind being there with the girl anymore, and he knew that he wouldn't care if anyone had a problem with whatever this was. He just found that it felt good for someone to take comfort in his presence, and if that meant that he was, in fact, cuddling, then sobeit.

At some point, he must have fallen back to sleep, because the next thing he remembered was being roused by the girl. She was shaking his shoulder gently and telling him to wake up. He opened his eyes and saw her face and she had the cutest blush he'd seen on a pretty girl in a long time. For some reason, knowing that her rosy complexion probably had something to do with their sleeping arrangement made his heart beat double-time for a moment. He looked into her green eyes, but she only stole the occasional glance while she mumbled something about breakfast.

They had breakfast with the Council inside the ornate dwelling. The huntsman sat on the floor, but the girl was only slightly bigger than the dwarves themselves and had no problem sitting properly at the table. The girl asked questions about some of the different plants they had seen while in the cavern, and the conversation remained light and pleasant for the most part.

Several times throughout the meal, the huntsman noticed the girl's gaze lingered on the blind dwarf, but the girl said nothing. She was clearly curious, though, and seemed to want to ask something. As the huntsman was almost done eating, he caught her looking again and he shook his head. He elbowed her, getting her attention.

She looked over, startled. "What?" she whispered.

He rolled his eyes. He leaned over and said quietly, "If you've got something to ask, now is the time, Girl."

She gave him a questioning look, but when he gestured to the dwarf with a slight inclination of his head, she understood. She sat up straight, then began. "Clare, I wanted to thank you for all the help you have given us. I have had an amazing time with you all and I truly regret having to leave so quickly. You all are wise, noble, and kind."

The blind dwarf smiled and nodded. "It is you, Pale Lady, who is kind, and who will lead us all out of the dark times."

The girl spared the huntsman a glance tinged with guilt, then steeled herself to continue along her original line of questioning. "I was wondering, Clare, if I could ask you one more thing."

The blind dwarf nodded again. "Please ask. I would love to tell you."

The huntsman didn't exactly know what to make of this whole conversation, but he was quiet as the girl continued. "I was just wondering...how is it possible for you to know the things you know?"

The dwarf took a deep breath. "I was not always blind. A little over seven years ago, I was just a girl. At that time, our village was much closer to King Magnus's castle. My sister and I had been tasked that day with collecting mushrooms and other edible plants from the forest. We walked along a ridge and came across a clearing, and we met a strange sight: soldiers stood in formation without moving at all, and a beautiful blonde woman was standing behind them, commanding crows to fasten chains around her body." The dwarf reached over and felt for her glass with both hands. When she found the glass, she took a sip. "One of the birds saw us, and the woman turned around. She was so beautiful and terrifying and angry. She sent a curse at us, knocking us over the ridge. My sister died from the fall, but I survived and was found the next day by a group of dwarves who were going to the kingdom for a wedding. I couldn't see, but I somehow understood what was going to happen to the king. I tried to warn them, to get someone to tell the king the danger he was in, but I failed."

The dwarf stopped for a moment and the huntsman expected the girl to say something, but was surprised when she didn't. He looked over and saw she was weeping. He reached over without thinking and ran his knuckles down her arm. She looked over at him, then looked back at the dwarf. "I am so sorry that had to happen to you."

The dwarf smiled sadly. "We have all lost so much." At this, she cast her sightless eyes across the room, and the huntsman knew she was including him in her statement. "But I have also gained a power that will help us all. The witch created a bond between us when she cursed me, and as far as I can tell, she isn't aware that her victims have this power. It is this power that I hope you will use to guide you on your journey, and it is also my hope that I will somehow help to destroy the witch's power."

The girl and the huntsman were given fresh supplies to make their way to Hammond's stronghold and a group of dwarves led them through a tunnel that would take them fairly close to the road. As they stepped out in the sunlight, one of the dwarves cleared his throat.

"Watch out for humans," he said sharply.

The girl seemed confused. "Why is that?"

"Bandits on this road." The dwarf sniffed his nose. "And the queen's forces, besides. You'd stand a better chance of walking away unscathed from a wild troll."

With that, the girl and the huntsman parted ways with the dwarves and travelled on a course through the forest that ran parallel to the road. The ground rose at a steady incline, but the girl was able to manage it today. She definitely seemed stronger and more confident after her visit with the dwarves.

After a while, the huntsman spoke up. "How did you know her name was Clare?" he asked.

She looked at him with a bit of disbelief, then she deadpanned, "You're not very good with names, are you?" When he didn't respond, she sighed and shook her head. "I just asked her."

"Oh."

A hint of anger sparked in the girl. "Did that never occur to you?"

The huntsman thought for a while. "They did not ask my name, so I guess I did not see the need to ask theirs." He thought for a moment more. "Why did they call you...the Pale Lady?"

He saw the girl's stride falter for a moment, but she resumed her pace quickly enough. "It's a secret name...that my parents gave me. It was to allow me to travel safely if they ever came to harm. I don't exactly know how the dwarves came across that knowledge, though."

"Oh," the huntsman said once again, not really understanding why someone would have a secret name. He was about to follow up with another question about it, but the girl spoke first.

"They referred to you as a soldier. Were you one?" she asked, giving him an appraising look.

He nodded his head. "Yes. Long ago, I was indeed a soldier."

"Long ago? How old are you?" she asked.

"Ten years ago, when I was only a year older than you are now, I joined King Magnus's army to beat back the plundering hordes that ravaged the outskirts of the kingdom."

The girl stopped dead in her tracks.

"You...fought...for my...for King Magnus?" she asked.

He walked several strides past her, not realizing she had stopped. When he did, he turned around and scrutinized her. He couldn't see her whole expression, since the scarf was done up around her face, but he could see her eyes, and they were wide with surprise. "Yes. I left home without telling my mother and joined the forces." He paused and smiled at the memory. "Went out to prove myself, seek my fortune, see the world, that kind of thing."

The girl held his gaze for a moment longer, seemingly trying to make sense of what he was telling her. Suddenly, she dropped her gaze. "That was a successful campaign, if I recall correctly."

"It was. I received a tract of land. Built a house. Moved my family onto it. Met my wife and we spent a few years together." He suddenly didn't want to continue.

"What happened?" she asked.

"She died and I turned to drink." He started walking again without looking at her face. "Come on. We're wasting daylight." He didn't wait for her to catch up.

They had been walking in silence for what felt like hours when the huntsman heard an unwelcome sound approaching down the road. Horses galloped closer to them. Though they were hidden in the brush a good ways away from the road, it still made him nervous and he suddenly changed direction away from the road, pulling the girl with him.

"What the-" she started.

"Shh!" he demanded. "Listen: horses." He saw the look in her eyes as the information sank in. "Hurry."

They moved through the trees as silently as they could, the huntsman leading the girl by the hand. Suddenly, he heard an arrow flying quite close to them and was horrified when he realized it had come so close to the girl that it had snagged her scarf and pinned the blasted thing to a tree.

He helped her free herself of the scarf quickly, her hair loosely tumbling down around her face, and he began running, pulling her behind him. He could now hear the horses had stopped along the road and the sounds of a battle reached his ears.

Three bandits materialized from behind a stand of trees and came at them. The huntsman let go of the girl and grabbed his axe, dispatching the weakest one quickly. The other two, however, were much better swordsmen, and they were giving the huntsman some trouble.

"Run, Girl!" he shouted back to the girl as he continued to fight.

One of the bandits kicked him in the knee and he went down painfully into a kneeling position. He blocked a sword with the handle of his axe. He didn't know how much longer he could hold them off, but the girl didn't stand much of a chance against these two if she didn't run fast.

He felt air rush past him as the girl threw her full weight against one of the bandits. The huntsman was about to curse about how stupid she was when he realized the bandit was not fighting back. Her hands were covered with blood, and when she removed the knife from the bandit's chest, he understood why. She had used the small dagger to stab the man in the chest, most likely puncturing a lung. The bandit coughed up blood, but he was still alive. She pulled him into a sitting position and placed the knife at the bandit's throat.

"STAND DOWN," she commanded to the last remaining bandit. "Stand down or this man will die."

The bandit backed away from the huntsman, but did not sheathe his sword. "You stupid fool. Our captain has his arrows trained on you as we speak. Surrender and you might live."

She scoffed. "Bring your captain to me so that I may have a word with him." When the bandit did not move, she proceeded to slice the injured man's neck. "Do it or he will die." At this, the huntsman stood to his full height, towering over the bandit. No longer at a disadvantage, he lifted his axe to strike.

The bandit turned tail and ran away.

The girl removed the knife from the man's throat. The huntsman felt an uneasiness at the injury, so reminiscent of the one she had given herself the first night they had spent together. He looked at the man, who was still breathing, but he knew if the man did not receive medical attention, he would most likely die soon. "What are you doing, Girl?" he asked breathlessly. "Just...what were you thinking?"

She looked at him. "You fought for my father. You fought for me. Now I fight for you."

He looked at her confused, but before he could say anything, the bandit was back with another man, an archer who was in leather armor. The huntsman recognized the crest emblazoned across the man's chest as the red lion...of the Hammond family. The archer carried the girl's scarf in one hand and a bow in the other.

When he got closer, the archer slowed down and lifted the faceplate of his helmet.

When she saw his face, the girl practically dropped her knife.

"...William?" she whispered.

The man continued to approach slowly. "...Snow ...White?"

The huntsman looked between the two.

"Snow WHAT?"

Author's Notes: This is bonkers!

So far, people from 44 countries/locations have viewed the story: Hong Kong, Thailand, Qatar, El Salvador, Honduras, Venezuela, Portugal, Jamaica, China, India, Iceland, Peru, Turkey, Denmark, Guyana, Europe, Lithuania, Vietnam, Ireland, Croatia, Romania, South Africa, Finland, Philippines, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Italy, Spain, Malaysia, Indonesia, Argentina, Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Mexico, Poland, Australia, France, Germany, UK, Canada, and US.

I've never been part of a fandom this big, so it's kind of blowing my mind!

I haven't been able to reply to everyone's reviews this time around (chapters are getting longer, trying to keep the turn around pretty quick), but thanks so much for leaving them!

Thanks for the reviews from Islandcutie, lfish2489, Kristin04, X, crystalstars88, Horserider, gentlelove, LenaLove, Addled2, The Next LJ Smith, ChamberlinofMusic, EstelleFabregas, Karin B, Cappoquin's Calling, hlee0890 (btw, thanks for the tip about the movie dialogue!), Hafthand, and emmmz!

Story Favorites: thanks to angeleyes2500, Diana-Wolfe-Naturea, Kristin04, Acara Otanbi, Miss Storyholic, MockingjayStew, ResidentAtSeattle, Sarahphrina, The Next LJ Smith, Xo BellaItalia oX, BoOkWoRmAbC, Cappoquin's Calling, EstelleFabregas, FizzyFeary500, Moonlight Through the Water, hlee0890, riseANDrevolt, and Salvation-in-a-can! The story isn't even done and you guys are already favoriting it? Awesome...

And finally, Story Alerts: this story has more alerts per chapter than anything I've ever written by a LOT. Thanks so much for your interest in this story! EzraFitzLove, GrangersTwin666, libfulknot, MangaGrl2665, M. Almeida, ChamberlinofMusic, ExtempGirlie77, Miss Storyholic, Sarahphrina, amylily123, BadlyWritten, BoOkWoRmAbC, Cappoquin's Calling, EstelleFabregas, FizzyFeary500, Lady Vamp 101, oldskoolsocks, phantom-lass, Zara Raine, .Manic, VampireLoverForever27, MeEksiNs, and riseANDrevolt. Thanks again!

The next chapter will be posted in a few days. Thanks everybody for taking the time to read this and review/favorite/alert the story. I'm very much enjoying writing it and I'm glad you guys are enjoying reading it!