The tension continues...
Thank you guys so much for all the faith you've given me by reviewing that you love it. I know this is a bit shorter than last one, and that some people like longer chapters, but I just felt like it had to end the way it does.
Of course, any suggestions on how to make it better/longer/more exciting: please tell me. I will look at every single review and I will mention you if you've given me some brilliant idea.
This is pointed directly to the guest who gave me this brilliant idea for a storyline: please sign up or use a screen name, so I can give you some credit for the idea!
Love you guys!

Lily

VIII

The bundle of heat in his arms wakes him by whimpering softly, creasing her brows in a dream he cannot live or take from her to ease the pain. William sleeps only a few yards away, his hand clasped around the hilt of his sword tightly.

Eric looks down. Snow is sleeping still, her forehead covered with beads of sweat. The fever hasn't passed overnight. His poor little Snow White. He puts his hand on her forehead and gasps. She is even more burning up than before. He looks up, glad to find Muir up and about. "Muir?" he asks softly.

The blind, humble dwarf comes towards them. "Yes, Eric?"

"Can you get me a cool wet cloth for Queen Snow? I don't want to leave her."

Muir puts a small hand on her forehead and frowns. "What has she done?"

Eric shrugs. "I do not know. I think the forest is getting to her. We have to get out of here. She needs sunlight."

Muir nods and moves to get a wet cloth. When he returns with it, he puts it over her forehead and Eric is relieved to see that her frown lessens. "You are right. This is the forest's doing. It's too wet, too cold here. She's not dressed for it. How did you do it last time?"

Eric feels his cheeks burn. "Shared body-heat."

"From now on, share body-heat. Alright?"

Eric nods and pulls Snow closer to him. "I haven't seen her this messed up since she was dead. And she's still breathing now."

"Just a common cold, Eric. Nothing to worry about. She's going to have to ride with you. My son can take her horse with him." Not so sure about that, thinks the Huntsman, but he doesn't say anything. Whatever is causing his lack of control and William's lack of respect...maybe it is causing this, too.

Eric nods again and looks down to his Queen, sighing. "I don't know if I can stand that, Muir."

Muir frowns, obviously concerned a bit. "Why? Why would you not be able to stand that? She's your Queen. You owe her your allegiance."

The Huntsman shakes his head and buries his face in Snow White's hair. Should he lay his feelings out in the open? Should he tell the blind, all-knowing dwarf how this girl, this unique, beautiful girl, changes him? How she makes his heart beat faster, stronger? Just because he wants to live to see her grow more beautiful? Because he wants to live for her, to make her happy?

Well, why not? "That's not it, Muir. I love her. I love her more than I'll ever love anyone else. And I don't know how to hold myself back in my feelings. Because she loves me too."

"But she loves Sir William, too." Muir says, nodding his head.

Relieved with the understanding, Eric smiles and inhales Snow's scent. "Indeed. And she does not know what to choose. I promised I could wait, I would wait. But it's getting harder and harder to control myself." He feels tears come up behind his eyes and blinks them away furiously. He can't cry. Not in front of a dwarf. It will make him look weak, and weak is not good with dwarves. "I love her too damn much, Muir. And I just can't help myself…" He presses his lips to hers softly and holds her and his face out of the dwarf's sight, so that silent tears can streak his face. "No matter what I do, no matter how…no matter how hard I try, I can't seem to fall out of love with her." He looks at her face, which has relaxed more since he started talking.

"Do not try to." says Muir. "You remember we've met before, but I've never seen you this… radiant. You've grown into a different man since you've met her. Do not try to fall out of love with this girl."

The Huntsman strokes a few strands of hair out of the Queen's face, now focusing solely on her. Seeing her smile when she feels his touch warms his heart.

"But what if she chooses him? I wouldn't be able to live with that."

Muir smiles. "That's called a broken heart, Huntsman. It hurts like hell. But it'll mend. It did before."

Now Eric turns to the dwarf, certain that his face is a solid mask against the tears. "It mended because of this girl. After her, I will not be able to find someone this special, this unique. No one else will be able to mend my heart like she did."

The old dwarf puts his head in his hands. "Then pray. Pray that she chooses you." Eric scoffs at that. God has abandoned him long ago. "And if you want my opinion… I think she'd do well to choose you." Muir rises and leaves Eric to his thoughts. The Huntsman tries to smile, but another rush of sadness comes over him. He presses Snow close to him and buries his face in her hair, crying softly, letting his sadness going away by holding her safely in his arms.

Snow White POV

Snow White shifts from her unconscious state into a half-conscious state, to find a soft, familiar, soothing voice right next to her ear. "But what if she chooses him? I wouldn't be able to live with that." What is Eric talking about?

"That's called a broken heart, Huntsman. It hurts like hell. But it'll mend. It did before." What are he and Muir talking about?

Oh no. God, no. Please, body, move. Let him know your awake, so that he won't have to continue. But the second she starts to exert herself, she passes out again. She dreams weird, about her and Eric, just alone, nobody else, nothing else, just the two of them. She smiles as he strokes her hair.

Then she comes back to consciousness permanently. For now. Her fever still burning hot. The moment she opens her eyes, the world starts to spin around her and she feels like she wants to throw up. "Welcome back." She looks up, and that earns her another rush of nausea. Eric smiles down on her and puts his hand on her forehead. "Quite a night you've had."

She smiles faintly, her eyes closing and opening slowly. "Yes. But I'm glad you were with me all that time."

He leans his head back against the trunk of the tree he is leaning against and sighs. "I am, too."

Around them, everyone starts waking up and William starts awake at her voice. "Hello." he says, smiling at Snow White. "How are you feeling?"

She smiles back at him. "Dizzy. Nauseous. Tired. Everything considered pretty good."

He laughs and strokes her hair. "Glad to hear it." He turns his attention to the Huntsman holding her. "You better have protected her well tonight."

Snow feels the Huntsman tense up and relax. "I would not be able to live with myself if I hadn't. I would've never taken advantage of her in this state. In any state for that matter." He stays relaxed no matter what William says. That suits him. It earns him a point. Not that she's keeping scores. Oh God, her head. She lifts her hand over her eyes to shield it from the blinding daylight.

"Alright then. Are we going to stay here longer?"

Eric shakes his head and Snow White moans. She does not like the idea of riding a horse in her condition. "No. We have to continue. Muir says that the Queen has to be back in sunlight very soon. The lack of warmth and sunlight combined with the moistness here is what is causing her illness."

"But…I don't…" mumbles Snow.

"Don't worry." he whispers. "I won't let you down. You can ride with me, Muir already offered to take your horse with him and his son."

That's better. A lot better even. "Thank you." She closes her eyes and sinks in a comfortable state of half-slumber, while she listens to the quarreling of the two men.

William sucks on his lower lip and coughs, as if thinking hard about something. "Alright. I will see that we get something to eat. After that, we leave. We ride until we're out of the forest."

"But that is…two days travel. We can't ride for two days with the Queen so sick." Eric protests and Snow wants to say that it's alright to travel two days if that means to be out of this cursed forest, but her mouth refuses to move. "We have to rest, we can't arrive exhausted in my village."

William sighs and there's a long silence. "Alright. You're right. We ride till nightfall. Then we sleep until daybreak. Tomorrow, we will ride until we are out of this damned forest."

Alright, that sounds reasonable. And the idea of being held all that time appeals to her. "That works for me." says Eric.

"My Queen, wake up." murmurs Beith next to the Queen, and her eyes flutter open.

"I am awake." she says, her voice croaking. She opens her eyes to the dark-haired, grumpy leader and smiles at him.

The dwarf hands her a cup of steaming liquid. Eric helps her sit up and she takes the cup. "Nion and I went hunting last night, and we found some deer. Nearby, we've found some eatable plants. Coll made soup from it. Eat it all, my Queen, it is good for you."

"Thank you, Beith." The dwarf rises and leaves his Queen and her two bodyguards alone. Her hands trembled when she holds the cup and Eric wraps his hands around hers to prevent from dropping the soup.

"Why don't you let William do that?" he says.

William, surprised at this sudden gesture of faith from Eric, takes the cup from her and puts it gently to her lips. She carefully takes a sip from the hot soup and shivers. "Good?" he asks gently.

"Yes. That is very good." She leans her head against Eric's hard chest and closes her eyes. Her head clears a bit, if only a bit, and her eyes can stay open for a longer period than half a minute. "Thank you." William and Eric get a cup too and when they are all finished, they pack and saddle the horses. Snow White half-sleeps throughout the process and wakes when someone shakes her softly.

"Wake up, sleeping beauty." She opens her eyes and looks up to Eric smiling down on her. "We are ready to go. Are you?"

She nods and he puts his arm around her knees and the other around her shoulders. She wraps her arms around his neck to steady herself while he carries her to his horse. "Am I going to ride with you the entire time?"

"If you want. Of course, you could go with William later on."

But Snow is too tired to comment on it. The moment he sets her on his horse and then gets behind her, his warm body protecting hers, his strong arms making sure she does not fall as he takes the reins, she literally passes out.

Unknown POV

The illness has taken hold. Good. That means she will pass into my realm soon. It means she will be with me. Her body will grow old and wither, but her life will stay young and beautiful forever. Like me. She will be with me forever and always.

I grow weaker by the day. To keep this illness inside of her at all times, I have to focus all my energy on her. That exhausts me. But once she is with me, my strength will return times three. That is what has been promised to me.

And those dwarves and the humans are not helping either. They keep fighting her illness, trying to keep her in their world. A world she does not belong in. If they would just let her go. It would make it so much easier.

I have to keep paying attention. They are travelling again, moving away from my spot. I close my eyes and feel myself lifting and floating, following the fellowship of the Queen.

It is almost sad, you know. Just when this country has a fair and just Queen, I am taking her away. I know it is selfish. But I have been doing other people's biddings for my entire life. I always put myself second place. And from that I have learned. Now, I am going to take what I want. Even if I have to force it on people.

It does not matter anyway. Whatever happens to this Kingdom is irrelevant to me. I am dead no matter what.

So, my dear Queen. I am coming to get you. I will take you to my world and I will show you how you really deserve to live. How you should live alongside me. How you belong to me. I am coming for you.

You will be mine.

Dum, dum, dummmmmm...(= dramatic piano music;))

Who is this possesive little creature? What is it? I know. Some may have guessed. But it will remain a secret for a very long time(maybe not very long, but a little longer0_o)

*some dramatic horror-movie whistling sound and exit*