Hey everyone! Another chapter done! I hope you like this one! I liked the second part the most to write. It came easy to me idk why! I hope you enjoy!

XXIII

Snow holds Eric's hand as they enter the throne room the next morning. William is with his back to them, discussing something in hushed tones with one of his knights. They look worried. When the door falls closed behind them, everyone in the room stops talking and turns their heads towards them. What they see is a radiant Queen and her lover, and their Queen is looking better than ever.

"Snow." Says William, surprise in his voice. He walks towards her quickly, and embraces her like she is not his Queen. Like she asked him to when she was crowned. "You look better."

"I am." she says, putting a hand on his face and smiling. "I have never been better."

"So it worked, then? The Medicus, he helped you?"

Snow turns her head, smiling at Eric, whose eyes are gleaming with love and the passion of last night. Snow herself is still feeling the effects of what happened, her body still tingling, her head still half in the clouds. "He did."

"My Queen," Duke Hammond says, moving forward and bowing before her, "You look most certainly lovely today."

"Thank you, Duke." Snow inclines her head towards him. "I have an announcement to make. Something everyone probably saw coming months ago. Eric has asked for my hand in marriage last night." Before she can say anything, those present in the room start applauding and cheering, making a huge smile appear on Snow's face. Eric moves closer to her, wrapping an arm around her, smiling broadly at her. "Thank you, everyone. That was it." Snow turns to William now, who is smiling just a little too widely to be absolutely genuine, however she does not pay heed to it. He has long since accepted her choice, even though he does not like it. "Sir William, what is the word in our Kingdom?"

William smiles, turning to a map. "The dwarves have run into some trouble with old enemies of your father in the South, but nothing they could not handle, we have received word that they are on their way now."

"Excellent. And what about Elijah?" The air changes around them, because they all know what Elijah is up to.

"Elijah is...still in the woods. He sends word every day, but...he is not well, Snow." William says, biting his lip softly as he thinks. Snow looks at him, and sees how much he has aged in just mere months. More lines have formed on his handsome face. The playfulness in his eyes is just a little less bright.

And that is her fault. Because she choose Eric.

If only there was a way to make it all better.

William POV

He can see Snow worrying about him. And he wants to tell her that he is fine, that he will be fine, that she should not worry...but he cannot. Because he is not fine, and he probably never will be fine. He does not understand how men can stand to live without the person they love. How did the Huntsman do it with Sarah? How did his father...?

Oh, what is the point? He looks down at the map, seeing his father's troops stationed at the southern border, trying to get his mind to focus.

Trying, but failing.

There is a loud knock on the doors, and they are pushed open the next moment, by a young girl with light blonde hair and soft features. A commoner, but familiar with the Queen, but she rushes towards Snow immediately. "Snow! You have to help me...my father...my uncle...please!"

"Greta!" Snow says, taking the girl's arms and steadying her. "Calm down, tell me what is happening."

The great hall is silent now, except for the young girl's sobs, who now had a name...Greta. Lovely name. "My father and my uncle, they are fighting. They are going to kill each other!"

Snow looks at Eric and William, and both of them nod. They do not need anything more than that, together with Snow and Greta, they rush out of the palace to the palace courtyard, where indeed, two men are rolling over the ground, screaming profanities at each other and trying to hit each other wherever possible. "IN THE NAME OF THE QUEEN, STOP THIS THIS INSTANT!" Eric bellows, like no one else can, and the two men immediately stops fighting. They stand up, shooting each other dirty looks, but the moment they see Snow, they immediately fall back to their knees, their heads bowed.

"My Queen..." they utter quietly.

"What in the name of sanity, is going on?" she asks, in that Queen voice she uses only if she has to. In this case she does. William stays close by her side, in case any of these two try to attack her for some reason. "Answer me!"

"He wants to sell my daughter to Duke Hammond!" the right man, Greta's father, exclaims, before his brother can say anything else. The whole yard hushes, and William can feel his jaw drop. His eyes search for the girl, who is looking at him with desperate, wet eyes, pleading him to stop this.

"Excuse me?" Snow says, and William is startled by the harshness of her voice.

"Your Highness, my family, we are very poor, and if we marry my brother's daughter to Duke William, we will have enough money to survive at least a year!" William sees Greta's father twitch, but otherwise he does not move to strike his brother. William would have, as hard as he could. Selling your own niece without her consent, without her own father's consent...that is very low.

"William!" Snow calls, and he is snapped back to attention. He realises he has been staring at the girl, and blushes. "What do you know of this?"

William shakes his head. "My Queen, I promise you that I know nothing of this disgusting business. But I do know that both my father and I do not buy people. We would never do such a vile thing."

Snow nods, his statement being enough for her, and she turns back to the two brothers in front of her. "You cannot just sell a human being to another human being. That is not how I want my kingdom to be. Selling young girls to men they do not know so that their family can live another day. If you want money, I would gladly share my riches with you. I have plenty." She walks towards the father, and, to everyone's amazement and shock, kneels down with him. "You are her father?"

"Yes, Your Highness. Please, do not take her from me."

"Do not worry, kind man. I will not have such a vile business happen in my kingdom. Rise." They both rise. "Go now, take your daughter and take a day off from your duties." She gestures at one of her guards and whispers something in his ear. He nods and disappears inside the castle. "My guard will soon bring you extra food and some money that will allow you to buy new crops for your fields. You are farmers, I presume?"

The man bows deeply before her, a bright smile adorning his face and Greta joins him. "Yes, yes, we are. Thank you, my Queen. You are truly the most just ruler this land has ever seen. Long may you reign." Snow smiles and then excuses them with a nod.

William stares at Greta as she turns around, her bright eyes lingering on his for just a moment longer than necessary. He bites his lip again, trying to hide a smile. This girl...he stirs something inside of him that he is not familiar with. She makes him want to smile again.

"And you," Snow says, her voice ice cold and harsh. William shakes his head, shaking off the feeling of floating, and turning his attention back to his Queen and the whimpering man in front of her. "Never even think about selling young girls again. I will let you off with a warning this time, but next time, there will be consequences." William admires Snow's just way of dealing with this situation. "Understood? And no more fighting."

"Yes, Your Highness, thank you." he says, bowing deeply and scurrying off quickly.

Snow turns around and moves back to the castle gracefully. "William?" she says. "Could you make sure the food and money arrives at their house safely?"

"Certainly, milady." William says, bowing his head and turning around to wait at the castle gates for the guard who has the food and the money. Luckily, he does not have to wait long. The guard carries a basket filled with food and money. Well, Snow is certainly not greedy. He smiles. She is so kind and selfless. "I am going to escort you." he tells the guard , who simply nods and they walk to the framers' establishment in silence. The guard is not overly talkative, but William does not mind. He has other things to think about. The beautiful young girl called Greta, for example. Her blonde hair and bright blue eyes are still haunting him, bright and large with tears and desperation and after that shining with happiness and gratitude.

William does not understand how his mind can be so occupied by a woman that is not Snow, but he cannot shake this girl off. And he cannot find out why. Greta's house is situated in the middle of a grand field of poppies and grass the colour green like he has never seen before, and on a somewhat more remote field, all kinds of vegetables and a few pigs on another field. It all feels very cosy and homely, and William immediately understands why Greta looks so happy with her life.

Speaking of, the girl is standing in front of her house, hauling water from a well. When they approach, she looks up, and her entire face lightens. "Sir William." she says, her lips in a small smile. "Welcome to my humble home. I am sorry for the mess, we did not expect someone from inside the court to visit us."

"Queen Snow White wanted me to make sure these arrived her safely." he motions towards the basket with food and money.

"Could you thank her for me? She is really too kind." Greta takes the basket from the guard with a polite nod of her head. "Why do you not come in? I have just made some tea, would you like some?"

William smiles, this girl with her radiant persona and her bright smile making him happier than he has been in a very long time. "I would love some, thank you." He excuses the guard, and follows her inside. The inside of her cottage is small, but very neat and homely. That word again. Homely. He grew up in a castle, yet he feels more at home in the small cottage, then inside the castle. He sits down when she asks him to, and she gives him a cup of steaming hot tea. He catches a whiff of the aroma and sniffs again. "What kind of brew is this?"

"A mixture of camomile, thyme and mint. It is supposed to be very calming. I hope you like it, it is my own recipe."

William smiles and takes a sip. He shivers as the hot tea spills over his tongue and down his throat. And then again, because this is good. "It is lovely, Greta. Truly." She smiles brightly again.

"Thank you." She takes a cup for herself and sits down across from him. "I am sorry for today's riot my father and uncle caused. That I came bursting into the hall like that." Her face flushes red, and it delights William more than anything.

"Do not worry about it. I am glad, actually, that you did that. I would never have believed you if I had not seen it for myself. To think that grown human being could even think about selling another human being into slavery – because that is what he was trying to do – it repulses me. I would never have accepted you." The moment the words leave his mouth, he regrets them. He did not mean to come over so rude. "No, I did not mean it like that – !" he begins, but she has already cast her eyes down to her cup, fidgeting with her fingers shyly. "Greta, that is not what I meant." He reaches over in an impulse and lifts her chin up with his finger, making her look at him. "I meant that I would never buy someone, anyone. As if a person is a piece of meat. That has nothing to do with you personally. You are a beautiful, lovely woman and every man would be lucky to have you. But I do not buy persons."

Her beautiful smile appears once again on her face and she takes his hand. "Thank you for those kind words, Sir William. You are kinder, gentler, than most men. How come?"

William looks at their entangled hands and smiles. "I do not know. It is just...nature, I suppose. I have always considered everyone, women, men and children to be human beings with just as much feelings and emotions and problems as I do. I do not understand why anyone else could see it differently."

Greta blushes – she blushes, and William does not know why that blush delights him so. "You are so kind. I wonder why the Queen did not choose you." Ouch. Her eyes widen the moment the words leave her mouth. " I-I am so t-terribly sorry, Sir William, I did not mean..."

"How do you know about that?"

She looks at him, confused. "Sir, everyone knows about that." William would be happy if he dropped dead right now. Everyone knows? Wonderful. "I am so sorry, I was out of line."

"Yes." he snaps, and deep down he knows he is being unreasonable. "Yes, you were. I am a Knight of the Court, and you are a farmgirl." Hurt flashes over her face, and then it turns stone cold.

"Yes, M'lord." she says, her voice small but emotionless.

"I have to go." He stands up and walks towards the door. "Thank you for the tea. It was lovely." His voice is harsh and cold, and not at all like him, but he cannot help himself. Everybody knows about the affair between him, Snow and the Huntsman. He would rather die than go outside right now, but he has to. He slams the door behind him and paces back to the castle. He has been gone far too long anyway.

As he walks back through the village, he notices the inhabitants looking at him more. Is it just him or are they whispering behind their hands and pointing at him? Are they talking about how Snow did not choose him? Are they ridiculing him? He picks up his pace and tries very hard to ignore all the whispering around him, until he reaches the castle and is safe inside the castle walls. He is growing extremely paranoid.

William keeps walking until he reaches his chambers where he locks himself up and goes over to the mirror. He looks at himself, and despises what he sees. He just made a girl feel awful about herself, just because he felt bad about his own situation. That is not alright. Not at all.

He looks at his own eyes and sees regret in them. He should not have snapped at the girl. That was stupid and cruel and not at all like him.

He will go back to her cottage tomorrow and apologize. She will probably not forgive him, but he can at least show that he did not mean anything he said. Because he really did not mean them. He just became very insecure and tried to protect himself. Which is not an excuse, but it is an explanation.

Yes, that is what he is going to do. First thing tomorrow.

Greta sure is a lovely woman.

Wherever am I going with this? *sarcasm*

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