Do you cry out in your sleep?

All my failings exposed

And there's a taste in my mouth

As desperation takes hold.

Just that something so good just can't function no more

Love, love will tear us apart again

Love, love will tear us apart again

- Love Will Tear Us Apart, Joy Division

Can't say why I kept this from you

My those quiet little eyes become you

Leave it where it can't remind us

Turn this all around behind us

Oh, well, I know

I'll fall right in to keep you out

But I'd like to tell you all about it

- Turn Into, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs

The huntsman felt like his head was about to implode. All the things he'd experienced in the last few days started to make sense. The queen had been after this girl because she was the princess. The dwarves knew her identity because dwarf ambassadors had served on King Magnus's council. They would have told them her secret name because she was the princess. He felt hurt and angry that he hadn't found out about her true identity sooner. And he felt stupid because all this time he had been with her and she was the princess!

But at the same time, another feeling was bubbling up to the surface, a feeling he hadn't felt in a long time: hope. With the death of the king, he and all the rest of the kingdom had thought everything had been lost. He didn't know how it was possible or why the decision had been made, but for whatever reason, the Black Queen had chosen to keep the girl...no, Snow White, locked up in the tower this whole time. There was a legitimate heir to the throne. There was a reason to fight again.

All these thoughts took about three seconds to siphon through the huntsman's brain. When he came back to the present, he realized it had only been a moment since he had shouted and the girl and the archer were both looking at him. He looked at the girl...no, Snow White, and she gazed back. Maybe she was searching for approval or acceptance or something, but he wasn't in the state of mind to cooperate at the moment. A second later, she was standing in front of him defensively.

"Why did you attack us, William?" she asked defiantly.

The archer made a move to step closer, but the look in her eye must have kept him in his place. "We thought you were part of the Black Queen's forces that we ambushed on the road. I had no idea it was you until I saw your face." He did take one step closer, his voice lower now. "Snow White, milady, if I had but known you were still alive, I would have done anything - I hoped every day that you would be alright, and now look at you...you have returned to me." He beamed at her.

She, in turn, backed up into the huntsman's side, maintaining distance between herself and this William fellow. The huntsman noted that his feelings of jealousy were irrational at this point, but he couldn't help but feel satisfied that the girl...no, Snow White, was not running into the young man's arms.

William's face fell. "All this time dreaming of you, and you do not trust me?" he asked sorrowfully. The huntsman saw Snow White as she looked down, but could not discern her expression.

She walked a few paces forward and placed her hand on William's arm. "I am sorry, William. I do trust you. The last few years have been difficult for everyone and I am not the same girl I used to be. I apologize." She looked at the huntsman, then back to William. "We have been trying to get to you without the queen knowing our whereabouts, and it has left us tired and anxious. Please accept my apology." Her hand slowly fell to her side.

William was beaming again. "Of course, milady. Think nothing of it." He then lifted her hand to his lips and he kissed her knuckles. "My father will be so thrilled to see you." William turned his attention to the huntsman. "And what is the name of the brave man who has been helping the princess this whole time?"

Snow White couldn't answer because he had never given his name. She now looked at him with what seemed to be a mixture of regret, of embarrassment, of anger, and of hurt. She opened her mouth a few times, but no words came out.

The huntsman sighed. "I was but a humble subject doing his duty for the kingdom, and you need not worry yourself over my name. I am known to many simply as 'Huntsman.'"

This did not seem to bother the duke's son at all. 'Very well, Huntsman. You have my thanks, and when we reach the stronghold, you shall be rewarded richly for keeping the princess from harm."

The huntsman felt the girl's eyes on him, but he did not look up to see her expression. He wasn't even sure if he wanted a reward at this point. "Very well," he answered automatically, heavily. What had his motives been in the first place? He hadn't wanted to get involved. So why was it that now that they had found the person the girl had been looking for, he felt less inclined than ever to leave her side?

William looked to the other swordsman, who had an expression of utter shock and had probably never been a bandit after all, and gave him directions to retrieve the seriously injured man. The swordsman, surely reacting to the fact that Snow White was alive after all these years, snapped into action. William went to the side of the first man the huntsman had dispatched. He was injured, but William pulled him up to his feet and wrapped his arm around the man's back, helping him walk to the road. William beckoned the huntsman and the girl...no, princess, to follow him.

It was at this moment that something clicked in the huntsman's mind. William, son of Duke Hammond, the red lion, held the girl's scarf in his hand as he walked downhill with the injured man. It was just as the dwarves had told him: the story about the would-be lovers meeting on a hill, only for the girl to encounter a lion first and leave her veil as she ran away.

He must have stood there for several moments as he tried to figure everything out. He didn't care, though. He was completely stunned by the turn of events. Someone touched his hand, and it almost seemed to burn his skin. He pulled his hand away and looked up. The girl was in front of him and her eyes were suddenly so sad. The soldiers were far away from them now. If he could have formulated words at this point, it would have been a good time, but he just couldn't. And he couldn't look at her, either. It hurt too much. A gulf had somehow opened up between them and while he might have had a desire to reach her on the other side, he didn't see a way for that to happen.

She began crying and wiped her face with her hand, leaving blood smeared across her cheek. She had fought for him. She had probably saved his life. She was the princess. She was going to make the kingdom whole again.

He didn't know why she was crying, and it made him a bit angry. They had found her childhood friend and they were going to Hammond's keep, everything she had wanted. He didn't understand why she should be sad at all. He hooked his thumb underneath the cuff of his shirt and wiped the blood off her face.

"Stop crying, Girl," he said gruffly, forgetting to call her by her name because he had always known her as this.

To his surprise, she actually smiled up at him, and this simple act cleared some of the doubt, anger, and confusion he was feeling.

He turned her around toward the road and pushed her forward. "Come on. Let's go."

They walked behind William and his men. When they got to the road, they saw a wagon overturned and several members of the Queen's cavalry dead or dying on the ground. The huntsman took the lead and Snow White followed after him. As they walked past the overturned wagon, fear iced over the huntsman's heart. The blond man was lying in the middle of the road, mortally wounded, but still clinging to a thread of life. His eyes were spinning in his head wildly, clouded with pain. Suddenly, his eyes landed on the huntsman and focused.

The huntsman got the unsettling feeling that someone else was watching him through those eyes. Before he could think about it, he turned around and guided the princess away, taking her out of sight of the blond man. He doubted that it would help, though. What the blond man had seen could not be unseen. He called William over.

"What's wrong?" Snow White asked quietly.

The huntsman leaned in closely. "The blond man, the queen's brother. He is alive. He saw me. We have to move as soon as possible."

She looked absolutely stricken. "But...but she knows now." she whispered. She started looking around. "She knows where I am..." She looked around, her eyes full of despair. "All this work, all we've been through, and now this?"

The huntsman pulled her close to him. "We've got to keep moving." He wasn't expecting it when she put her arms around him and held tightly to him. After a moment, and against his better judgment, he placed a hand soothingly on her back.

William approached. The huntsman found himself resisting the urge to force the princess off of him. "What is it, Huntsman?" he asked urgently, evaluating the situation.

"We must move now!" said the princess. "The dwarves told us about the queen's brother and how she sees what he sees."

William looked confusedly at the girl. "What are you talking about?"

The huntsman cut in. "It's magic. The queen has been using her brother, the blond man over there, as a scout of sorts." When William gave the huntsman a dubious look, he continued. "I know it doesn't make a lot of sense, but it's true. The dwarves told us many things, and some of what they foretold has already come to pass."

Snow White looked at him surprised, a question in her eyes. He simply looked at her and nodded, answering the question without words.

"We must move now, William," the princess demanded. "If you do not want to spare any of your men, we will continue on the way we were."

"I cannot allow that," said William, troubled with the suggestion. "I will accompany you both, along with two of my best men. We will get you to the keep before nightfall tomorrow."

"Very well," said the huntsman, pushing the girl away from him and looking at her, then looking at William. "We will continue on and you and your forces can catch up."

William agreed quickly and went about summoning two of his finest men. The girl and the huntsman continued toward the keep on foot. William and the two swordsmen caught up very quickly, though, so there was no real time for conversation. The huntsman wasn't feeling very much like talking to the princess anyway.

When they had walked far enough that William's forces were out if his sight, the huntsman turned off the road and back into the forest.

"What do you think you are doing, Huntsman?" William demanded.

The huntsman sighed. "Sir, the queen's forces know where we are. We will be safer traveling away from the road." He continued to walk towards the trees. Snow White followed him.

William sighed and followed after, along with his men. The huntsman, however, took note of his behavior. William appeared doubtful that the queen could really find them. The young man seemed to think that they were in the middle of nowhere and therefore out of harm's way.

"How is your father?" the princess asked behind him.

"He has been leading the resistance against the queen for many years now. He will be thrilled to know that you have managed to not only survive, but escape," said William. "You have grown so beautiful, Snow White," he also added quietly. "I never imagined..."

"Thank you," she cut him off. "You are too kind. How many men does your father lead? Does he have a cavalry? How large is his infantry? Does he plan to attack the queen's castle?"

William seemed put off with her reaction to his compliment, which made the huntsman smile. "Well...the duke has been taking in refugees of Tabor for nearly seven years now. We have a small cavalry. If we armed every man, we would have a good sized infantry, four hundred strong, perhaps."

"And what of arming the women?" she asked.

William laughed. "You are so different from anyone I have ever met."

Snow White was serious. "William, you don't understand what we are going to be up against. If I am to lead a force aga-"

"What?" William cut in. "My father will be leading a force against the queen, milady. You will stay in the keep, safe from harm."

"This is my kingdom," Snow White seethed, "and I refuse to sit back and watch while its fate hangs in the balance."

"Snow White, think about it," William reasoned. "We just got you back. You are the only heir to the throne. It would be sheer stupidity to put you on the front lines. Risking you by subjecting you to arrows, boiling oil, and fire-throwing trebuchets strikes me as utterly ludicrous."

She stopped walking. William stopped as well, and eventually the entire party halted. The huntsman waited for the argument to end.

"My father went on military campaigns and he was king!" she shouted indignantly.

"Your father had your mother to run the kingdom in his stead, and you to take up his mantle should he lay down his life," he told her calmly.

She cast her anger-filled eyes around, meeting the huntsman's for a moment, looking for footing, but could find no words.

"You just don't understand, princess," William said, still with the same gratingly calm voice. "Your life is very valuable."

"More valuable than those who would choose to fight for my kingdom?" she demanded.

William sighed. "Come on, we have to keep moving. We will discuss this when we get to the keep." With that, he tried to take her hand, but she sped up and walked past the huntsman instead.

The huntsman turned and caught up with her, walking side by side, and they traveled in this formation until they reached a place to camp.

When they found a suitable area to rest, things had not been resolved between the two. The huntsman started a fire and pulled some food out of his rucksack. He unthinkingly sliced off a piece of bread for the princess, but felt foolish when he realized William had already given her some of his food instead. He ate in silence and found a place to sleep as the sun set quickly.

From his own rucksack, William pulled a worn blanket and placed it on the ground between him and one of the swordsmen. "Milady, I think it would be wise for you to sleep here so that we may guard you tonight."

Snow White was very unsure. She looked to the huntsman. He looked back at her, but said nothing. With his lack of response, her eyes became heavy with sadness. She acquiesced, taking her place between William and the soldier.

The forest was very quiet at night, but the huntsman could not sleep. Aside from the crackle of the dying fire, there was nothing to disturb him besides the soft breathing of his companions. He wished he had some wine to drown out the thoughts that came unbidden to his mind, or at least could take comfort in the girl's presence, but both were out of his reach. He sighed heavily, weighing his options.

The princess began making quiet sounds in her sleep. He took note, but did nothing to soothe her. She was too far away to reach. He doubted he would do any good at this point anyway.

She suddenly jolted awake, looking around wildly, only calming once she saw his face across the fire. As quietly as she could, she got up and walked around the camp to sit by his side. She leaned on his arm, but he shook her off.

"Not tonight, princess," he said flatly.

She looked at him with those sad eyes. "I...I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Sorry for what?" he asked in a disinterested fashion.

She sighed. "I would have told you, but I thought...you didn't care, and that...you wouldn't believe me."

"Well, you were probably right about the former." He looked at her, trying to keep the emotion from his voice. "You should go back and get some sleep."

She looked at the fire, her eyes vacant as she stared. "I can't. I keep having nightmares. I'm back in the tower, and she is about to kill me. She is about to suck the life out of me and eat my heart."

He fought the urge to throw his arm around her and pull her close. "You can't sleep with me tonight."

She seemed to sink lower. "Why not?" she whispered.

The huntsman turned to her. "You won't be able to rely on me much longer, princess."

She sat up. "What do you mean?"

He shook his head, thinking back to what the dwarves had told him, then continued. "I mean, once we get to the duke's keep, I think it would be best for everyone if I took my leave. I have served my purpose. You will no longer need me."

Her eyes welled up with tears. "But you...you're the only person I have... If you leave, I'll be all alone."

"Are you kidding me? You'll be surrounded by people who care about you, who want what's best for you. What will you need with an old drunkard of a huntsman?" He sighed. "You don't know how William feels about you, do you?" he asked, a stab going through his heart in the process.

She looked at him with her piercing green eyes. "What does that have to do with anything? I have been alone for so long, and now that I finally..." She started to cry. "Why now? Why are you abandoning me now? When we're this close?"

He shook his head. "You're a princess. We're not the same."

"I am a princess who has spent the last seven years locked in a prison cell. You've most likely been leading a far more luxurious life than I have," she countered. "We're probably more alike than you even realize."

"You just don't understand," he said quietly. "I will be in the way of your new life. It's best for everyone if I am out of the way."

She was crying now, but her eyes were filled with anger. "You and William seem to think I understand nothing of what is to happen. The dwarves told me something, too, that would happen, and if what they told you has already come to pass, then it is only a matter of time before what they told me will happen. And you're going to leave me! You're going to leave me to face this all alone!"

"The dwarves told you something?" he asked urgently. "What did they say?"

She sniffed. "They said, 'You must lose your heart to pierce one of glass.' I don't know what that means. I don't want to lose my heart. I keep having nightmares of what the queen will do to me when she finds me. I am so scared."

He sighed, wanting to wipe her tears away, but knowing that it wouldn't make the situation any easier. "You are going to have to be brave, princess."

"Stop calling me that," she demanded.

"But that's who you are," he insisted.

"I don't even know your name," she said sadly.

He thought for a moment. He stared into the dying embers. "The less you know about me, the faster you can forget about me when you take back your kingdom," he replied, his voice lifeless.

She let out a small sob, but he could tell she was still angry. She got up and started to walk away.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"That is none of your concern!" she retorted. "Leave me alone, since that's your plan anyway."

He watched her as she walked away, scared of what would happen if he let her go, but terrified of what he would do if he caught up with her. Shutting her out had been one of the harder things he'd had to do in recent memory, and the entire situation was tearing him apart. Plus, what if she was relieving herself? He didn't need to add insult to injury by finding her in an embarrassing position.

He waited for a few minutes for her to return, but soon began to grow nervous. Suddenly, he heard a stifled cry and choking. He quickly roused William from his sleep and told him the princess was missing.

They used the reflection of the moonlight on the snow to follow her footprints and found her on the ground, convulsing. William ran to her and gathered her in his arms. The huntsman spun around, seeing signs of another person, but he could not find any footprints besides his, William's, and the girl's leading away from the location. He was startled by a wail of sadness that came from William.

"She's gone!" he cried, his voice full of sorrow. "I just found her and she's gone."

The huntsman stood for several moments, unable to comprehend what William was saying. Then he saw her pale, lifeless hand in the moonlight as a rotten apple rolled out of it and dropped into the snow. He sank to his knees, his heart filled with guilt and regret.

Author's Notes: Thank you so much for the reviews and alerts! I am so glad you are all still enjoying this story! Thanks to August Dawn, tiva auggie, HRM Mia, kyoko minion, alex20-pl, Syrena Swift, Kristin04, Kristinwd40, Pin11, Sepsis, Abandoned123, Snowy midnight 942, JG80, Eregyrn, Ayrpluto72, Pleuvoire, tee86elle, lilimora, DragonEye19, livelaughlove22, SadDaysLove, Dreamer Mist, vmg, gingergirl87, jadyn91, lwl208, sulou, abbyli, deskynowsky, GabzHaug, Black Elegance, Fire Element13, scorpio17910, Serena Swift, Horserider, C. I. TigerFan , EstelleFabregas, Islandcutie, PS, X, and xXxJoker47xXx.

I will try to update in a few days. Please let me know what you think about the developments in the meantime! Thanks again for everyone who commented and put this story on their alerts! :)