So SORRY for the late update. Life has gotten in the way. And by life I mean my job hanging in limbo due to financial woes ( I need this job to pay for school. Yikes!) and also my best friend is going through some tough stuff right now and demands a lot of my attention when he's not seeing his therapist.

So I'm feeling a little worn thin right now, and poor since my other laptop fell to its death from the armrest of the couch.

Thank you gravity!

Anyways, here's the chapter, I made it longer to hopefully make up for the long wait and have already started a good chunk for the next chapter.

...

Ravenna stared at her image in her dressing mirror, her hands running over her face; examining each feature. feeling the silkiness of her skin. It was still smooth, the beginnings of fine lines around her eyes and mouth were the only signs that her powers were weakening.

The more dramatic changes were the backs of her hands; wrinkled and lightly spotted she had, had her sleeves made longer to cover them. Those same hands ran through her golden waves, the one thing she had always prided about herself even before her mother had cast that spell that had given her, her beauty.

Her stomach clenched when clumps of hair remained wound through her fingers, and she let them drop to the floor, afraid to touch her hair any further. Her power was draining and rapidly. The temptation to rejuvenate her appearance was high and she pushed herself away roughly from the vanity, her chair knocking back onto the floor with the force, the clang resonating throughout the room. If she were even to attempt it, she would continue to degrade even more rapidly.

Longingly she gazed over to the door, seeing her bronzed mirror in her mind's eye calling out to her beyond that wood. The pull was so strong that they only thing that kept her rooted to the spot was the knowledge that his words would be the same as before.

"You are not fairest, there is someone more beautiful. Someone greater than you."

Until she had the girl's heart in her hands, felt its blood stream down her wrist and arm, she would not rest. Until she lay cold, and motionless at her feet; she would not rest. Until her lips turned from red to blue, until her eyes were still and unseeing; she would not rest.

And after, she would have her stripped naked, tie her lifeless body behind a carriage and have it dragged through the streets for the birds to pick at her broken, rotted body. Make it a public affair, have her kingdom see what she was capable of, what would happen to anyone who dared defy her.

Her breathing was becoming ragged and she could almost feel the heart in her hands, imagined the feel of its tissue against her fingers. She needed distraction, something to occupy her mind. The castle was dark, bare of any real extravagance. She wanted to be the only thing of beauty here; the only light in the darkness.

Before she could move a sharp bang on her door made her turn sharply. Lifting her chin, she made sure her back was straight and defiant, that she was strong and feared none; no one was to know of her diminishing powers or pain.

"Enter." she called out calmly, yet her heart pounded against her chest as it had not done in years.

A guard opened the door in a full suit of armor, helmet under his arm his beard untrimmed and unruly. She wrinkled her nose in disdain, such a pity that such ugly people had the misfortune of being born.

"My Queen, your brother has returned."

The Queen's heart pounded harder yet, her throat tight and jaw clenched. She was torn between excitement and relief, her beloved brother had always succeeded for her, always would be the only one by her side.

Without another word the queen moved around the guard and down the dim, corridor the few torches making her shadow a sinister, deformed looking creature walking behind her. Her steps were hurried, not moving fast enough to get to Finn.

Upon seeing Finn standing in the center of the dark throne room alone, Ravenna paused looking about her before, searching for the girl, starting towards her brother. She was holding her breath, she felt an odd sensation course through her body that she could not identify. Was it nerves?

"Well where is she? Where is the girl?" she sounded breathless and stared into Finn's face eagerly.

He remained still, his face without emotion as it usually was, but there was something different about it. She knew her brother all too well and she knew something was wrong.

"Well? Did you find her?" her impatience bubbled to the surface, the anticipation slipping away with every moment he stood there and did not produce the princess.

"I found her." Finn said quietly.

"And?!"

Finn hesitated, moving from foot to foot. His sister had always terrified him, he had seen what she was capable of, the power she carried in her hands. Although he knew she would never take his life she managed to instill a unmovable fear within him. He was torn between his love for her, and his terror.

"The huntsman turned on us and took the girl with him into the Dark Forest."

"You allowed her to escape?" her voice raised, reverberating off the walls giving Ravenna an air of greater power.

Finn cowered back, slightly though it really did not help him in the slightest. His sister was prone to these temper tantrums, she bellowed, yelled, even used to pull at her hair until Finn caved, his concern for his sister over ruling all else.

She began to have one then right before his eyes. Her hands, though small and delicate were heavy and landed on him sharply, the sting smarting when it connected with flesh. They found his own hair this time as she pulled he head around and he allowed her, he was like a limp doll in her hands. The pain finally brought him to his knees which only gave her a greater handle on him causing him to fear that she would eventually break his neck with the force she exerted.

Finally she released him, managing to fling him down where she then preceded to kick him sharply, screaming at him, her face quickly becoming red at the force of her rage, the walls echoing back her anger.

"He is one man! How could he manage to take her? You were not alone!"

"I will find her!" Finn finally managed to get out, once his sister had stopped to breathe in heavily, as if it took great effort to suck in air.

"Will you!" the statement was more disbelieving than anything as she stared at him wild eyed. "She is in the forest! I have no power there, I cannot see her she is as good as gone! And I cannot help you, or save you if you should fail me a second time!"

"I will get her back! I have been made strong over the years, my own strength did not leave me when yours did."

Finn realized he had made a drastic mistake.

Ravenna stopped breathing heavily, altogether is seemed as she stood perfectly straight. As unmoving as a statue, she stared down at him disgust clear on her face.

"Did it not? How fine for you." she sneered, the painful reminder that her own power was slipping as sharp as a slap to her face.

Finn remained where he was, the two siblings staring at one another the moment dragging on the air heavy with trepidation. He slowly gathered his thoughts and nerve, standing taller than she but still feeling as he if he was insignificant.

"I will bring her back for you." he spoke softly now, bringing his hands up to her shoulders in what he thought to be an act of truce between them.

"See that you do." and she moved away from him, turning on her heel and back to her chambers, leaving his hands empty and cold.

Finn watched her back while his mind was a mess of emotion. He loved and despised her. Wanted to help her, to bring the princess back so she could live on as she had for all these years; flawless and without worry. At his side. But the thought of the princess stirred other emotions for him as well. She had been the only constant besides his sister throughout all his lonely years. Every woman Ravenna met was given an early death or dwindling years to live as an old woman where she became insignificant in his eyes.

Snow White remained as she was. She had blossomed into a beautiful, young woman before his eyes. He had dreamt of her often, craved to touch her skin to feel if it felt as smooth as it looked, until he felt that his desire for her would likely tear him apart. But his sister had not allowed him to enter the cell, it was the one rule she had laid out for him.

How was he to bring her here? The thought both thrilled and frightened him. He would see her again, be able to touch her and smell her; satisfy his need as a man. It was a certain death, and she would be gone from him forever. But if he did not bring her, it would mean his own.

The door seemed to loom before her, she could not be certain but she felt there was something in the very air that was wrong; a sense of foreboding. It could have been how desolate and empty this sad little village seemed, void of any activity. Only the smoke from the chimneys were any indication that people lived here at all.

The door was old and worn, possibly by weather or reused from some other house from long ago. The edges were soft, the colour faded away and chipped. She recalled staring at it, waiting for something to happen when the Huntsman's heavy hand pounded on the door, startling her and causing her to jump slightly.

"Remember," his voice was low and near her ear. "Not a word." His voice was a hard whisper and it only succeed in filling her with more dread. But he straightened before she could ask any questions as the door swung open.

In front of them stood a tall, thin woman with skin that sagged and wobbled. It was as if she had been a larger woman at one point, only now deflated leaving her skin to sag freely. Her hair was a dark blonde, lined with gray and done in a plait that hung over her shoulder. Wrinkles lined her face heavily though she could not be more than fifty. But what caught Snow White was the scowl on the woman's face and the hardness in her eyes.

There was a moment of stunned silence and the woman, who she assumed was Magdon, stared at them a beat before her face became firm once more.

"We have nothing to give you, we don't accept beggars here. Move along." Her voice was shrill and commanding and she went to shut the door when Eric pushed against it with his hand, forcing it back open.

"We are not beggars. We only seek lodging and have heard that you would be able to help us."

Magdon looked around the pair and saw the two men tying up their horses over their shoulders when she raised her fist and yelled across the small square.

"Pyke! That's the last time you go running your mouth! Ya here me!"

She turned back to them half hidden behind the door using it as a barricade between herself and them.

"As I told you I have nothing here for you. I only have rooms enough for me and my own."

Again she went to shut the door but could not pull it free from the huntsman.

"We also heard you have no sons. We do not expect to stay here under charity. We will work in exchange for a dry place to rest our heads for the night."

Magdon continued to examine the pair weighing the odds in her head, her fingers tapping against the door.

"As I said I have no beds to give. Best I can offer is the floor in front of the hearth." she offered up a look of mock guilt, testing to see how far she could go with them.

"Done."

Eric agreed before the old crone could change her mind. She certainly was not a pleasant woman and he did not expect any kindness from her. He knew it was going to be a certain type of hell staying here but they had little choice at this point and a dry floor in front of a fire was better than spending another night outside. Magdon moved from the door revealing a dreary and dim interior.

"Come along then. Clean your boots I will not have muck trailing about in the house. I am Magdon as I'm sure they've told you. "

She mumbled some incoherent obscenities before walking further in the house with a no nonsense stride and not waiting for any response from the pair. The pale, faded blue of her skirts swishing furiously against her legs as she went.

"And you, who're you?"

"Eric." he said without hesitation, looking Magdon straight in the eye. "And this is my sister Rose. "

"Quiet little thing isn't she." Snow white could practically feel the disdain dripping off her voice as she looked her over, her lips pursing as if she did not like what she saw.

"She is a mute and will not give you any trouble."

"A mute. How sad." This time there was no mistaking the mocking in her tone and Eric narrowed his eyes at this woman, wondering at her boldness. "Anyhow I have no use for a girl who chatters too much, so it suits me well enough. Come, come."

She urged them forward once more and had led them through the cramped house which consisted of only two rooms on this level. The front was mainly a narrow hallway, a steep looking staircase took up most of the right side of the wall. It was bare of any decoration, only a small window cloudy with grime or a crudely made glass broke up the solemness.

The second room was larger and served as a well sized kitchen; a large fireplace lined with pots and ladles stood against the far wall. A thick, solid looking table was pushed off to the side several mismatched chairs lined around it as well as a heavily nicked bench. Jars filled with different coloured jams lined the many shelves and dried herbs and plants hung from strings their dead state matching the mood of the house perfectly.

There was an immediate heat coming from the room, the pot in the fireplace steaming and bubbling and although the window had been opened it did little to ease the stuffiness. This room too was dim and dreary and they noted that the house was mainly comprised of grey. Another table stood in the center of the room, no chairs were around this one and it was littered with knives in varying sizes along with other kitchen paraphernalia . Feathers had fallen from the table and spilled onto the hard, dirt packed floor as a half plucked bird laid on its side. They had interrupted the dinner preparations for the evening.

"Well, there is a barrel out back where you can wash up two look like you've managed to fall in every patch of dirt you've come across." She indicated the side door and moved back to the center table, plucking the bird as if she had a personal vendetta against it.

The slight breeze that greeted them was cool against SnowWhite's face as the sun began to dip rapidly as evening approached. Eric found the barrel quick enough and drew the lid off and what was waiting for them was muddy looking water which they could not even see through.

"Well, it's not like we're drinking it." Eric muttered, cupping his hands and bringing up a large handful of water rubbing his face roughly.

Snow white had spent years locked away and the water she had been given had been better than this. Even the water they had drunk in the dark forest at least had been somewhat clear. Eric continued to scrub away clearly not bothered by it and glanced over at her while water dripped off his face.

"You need washing up as much as I do. Perhaps more so." He grinned before splashing lightly and catching her in the face.

Her mouth opened from the shock of cold, but she shut it again when he put his forefinger against his lips, indicating for her to stay quiet. He continued to grin, apparently pleased that she could not argue with him for once.

They stood side by side before the barrel washing their faces, necks and hands as best they could. Dirt seemed stubbornly trapped around and under her fingernails and she was sure by the time she was done with them she would be bleeding and raw.

Eric used the water to slick back his hair to try and bring some order to it. Snow White had tried to use her own fingers to pull through the knots in her own hair but was having little success when she happened noticed a small smear of dirt on the huntsman's cheek, half concealed by the scruff on his face.

She reached up unexpectedly and without hesitation and rubbed the spot, washing it away. There was no tenderness in the act, if anything she seemed more like a mother wiping her child's face who refused to sit still. The action made him pause and caused him tense while his eyes trained on her face as her brow furrowed in concentration.

She had never touched his face before, in fact a woman had not touched his face in that manner in so long that the feeling was foreign but not entirely unpleasant or unwelcome. Her fingertips were cold from the water, but felt soft against his skin. Her brow was crinkled and her eyes remained zeroed in on his cheek and the spot only she could see. It took her a few moments before she moved back, apparently satisfied with her work. She offered him up a smile as he seemed unsure how to proceed.

"Well it's as good as we're going to get." His voice gruff, sufficiently shattered whatever moment had passed between them and ushered her inside.

The kitchen that had before been void of people was now filled. There were two girls, young woman truthfully, who sat unsmiling and staring at them at the table. One had wheat coloured hair that was dull and fashioned in plaits that wound about her head. Her eyes were the same cold grey as Magdon's but down turned, giving her the look of being tired or nose was slightly wide and flat while her lips were full which may have been pretty had she been smiling.

The second had corkscrew brown curls which were quite pretty and bounced with each move she took. She too had the same grey down turned eyes though her own nose was pert and narrow, it also was covered in freckles. Not exactly pretty girls though they were interesting to look at.

Along with the shared eyes neither seemed impressed by any means that they had company. There was not a word of welcome, a smile or any indication that they even knew what hospitality was. A man stood slowly, reaching out with a contorted hand, the fingers bunched in a half curl and the knuckles large and swollen. He took Eric's hand in his own and patted him good-naturedly on the back.

"Welcome to my home. I am Hale, these are my daughters; Jahn and Liv. "

The girls continued with their work, eyes cast down with the same unpleasantness their mother displayed radiating from them.

"Please sit. We rarely have guests come to call, it really is a treat. I understand you will be needing a place for a few nights?"

Hale settled himself at the head of the table though he seemed timid and meek compared to Magdon, though warm and friendly. It was a more suitable place for his wife who seemed to run things around here. He hunched over slightly, was lean and looked slightly ill.

"Yes, we've been travelling a long while and would prefer someplace that is not damp for a change." the huntsman attempted amiability and his demeanor changed entirely, taking Snow White back slightly.

"Of course, of course." He smiled warmly as if he genuinely was enjoying the idea of entertaining guests. "And I hear that this is your sister? A mute if I heard correctly?" Eric nodded all eyes now on Snow White.

"That's alright my dear, what God has failed to give in voice He will give back to you in other aspects of your life."

His was smile was kind and Snow White wondered at the fact that he lived with such a vile person as Magdon. Speaking of which, the women cut her eyes sharply to her husband who caught the look and looked down at the table almost ashamedly. His gnarled fingers running along the small bumps and rivets in the table.

" So," he continued trying to push past the tense moment."Where are you lot headed?"

"Not sure." Eric leaned back in the chair, his eyes taking in the kitchen they were occupying seemingly comfortable in the space. "There is no work to be had in the city, so we took with us what we did not sell and set out for a new village with more opportunity."

Hale nodded. "These are harsh times. What was it you did?"

"Blacksmith. There were too many in the city, and I'm not ashamed to admit that most were much better than I. So we decided to start anew."

He grinned at the older man as if sharing an old joke with him, leaning back comfortably in his seat. It took great effort on her part to keep her mouth from hanging open like a fish.

Snow White listened intently, knowing every word from his mouth to be lies and yet shocked by how honest it all sounded. If she were in Hale's position she would have believed everything bit by bit, just as it seemed he was at that very moment. She knew Eric to be a huntsman but what if he had actually been a blacksmith at some point? Realization dawned on her that she knew very little of this man whom she had spent several days and nights with.

The dinner that proceeded was tense. Snow White forced herself to remain silent, though there had been many times she had wanted to join in the conversation that Hale was leading on his own. The Huntsman answers became shorter and more clipped, clearly not happy with the arrangement he had forced onto them. It had left him to do all the speaking, something of which he was not so inclined to do after the past hour of doing just that.

The three woman remained quiet listening to Hale's questions, his pleasant manner seeming to disturb them until Magdon finally snapped a snide remark to him, thus ending all conversation. For a long time it was only the soft clattering of their cutlery, or a soft thud whenever someone set down their cup. The excitement that had seemed to fill Hale earlier has disappeared altogether, leaving him looking older and tired.

He eventually bid them good night and removed himself from the room, invisibly signalling the women to begin clearing up. Snow White hesitantly following their lead; gathering the dishes and moving about the room awkwardly having never done this before.

She shuffled about behind them, listening to their directions which were not given kindly, cheeks blazing when she did not do something right and it was pointed out harshly. Eric remained seated for a moment, his eyes following her, her discomfort evident to him. It gave him cause to wonder why she seemed so out of ease but it attributed it to the women's prickly demeanor and that she had spent more than half her life imprisoned.

Abruptly he stood up, the chair silent as it scraped against the dirt packed floor and wedged himself between Snow White and Magdon, who were standing side by side as they worked . They were busily wrapping the left over food to preserve it for the night day while Snow White's hands seemed to fumble. Magdon raised her eyes to the larger man as he stood next to her, a frown on her face ready to say something. But she looked away continuing her work at the look he sent her way, daring her to speak.

Snow White's relief coursed throughout her body when the Huntsman's larger frame blocked her view of Magdon, and she felt his arm brushing against hers. It felt like reasurrance that he would continue to watch out for her though there was no real danger here, except for the old hag's forceful tongue. She watched as his fingers wrapped everything expertly, slowing down for her allowing her to follow his lead.

A normal child would of done these chores daily and ritualistically before the age of ten, but she could hope that he believed she merely had forgotten after being imprisoned all those years. Either way she was grateful to him.

Magdon moved away from them after some time and handed two thin, limp cushions to Snow White along with equally thin and worn out blankets. She did not bid them good night or offer them any candles as she took away the last one, heading up with her daughters to the second floor where their bedrooms were.

The only light was the low flames from the fireplace which Magdon had eventually agreed to let burn through the night for them. That was decided after a lengthy and heated discussion with her husband and an agreement from Eric to provide more firewood to replace whatever they used up during the night.

Eric took a cushion along with a blanket before settling down onto the floor, arranging a makeshift bed. Snow White followed suit, putting her own cushion against his, the top of their heads nearly touching as they faced the fire. The blanket was so thin she realized as she pulled it over her shoulder, that if it

were not for the fire it would have offered little protection against the chill.

They lay silent; the faint crackle of the fire was the only sound as she watched the flames dance and enjoyed the warmth of it on her may have been on the floor, but it was fast becoming the most comfortable night she had had since escaping the guards, possibly since being sent to the tower.

"I don't like them." She whispered her voice sounding loud even to her own ears.

"Not a happy bunch that's for certain. And I said not totalk." He spoke lowly in return, shifting to find a better position.

"Why not?"

"To avoid suspicion. It is unlikely we would tell them the same tales. Besides, people tend to ignore a mute, even if she is pretty enough to look at. "

The offhand compliment made her feel uneasy and she decided to change the topic.

"Were you really a blacksmith?"

"No. But I needed to say something to make our story seem believable. We've already established that we look nothing alike and they're suspicious."

"Why would you tell them our names and lie about being siblings?" she was bursting with questions having been kept quiet for so long she suddenly wanted to speak freely.

"No use in confusing ourselves. Also as siblings we could remain close without raising any concerns. An unmarried woman travelling alone with a man is a problem enough in their eyes and not to be trusted. However, if anything were to happen I'd rather us be close instead of wasting time to get you if they were to make you sleep upstairs."

A cold dread filled her.

"You think something is going to happen?"

Eric sighed heavily, tired and clearly weary of her questions. "Its always better to be prepared and assume the worst. Now stop talking and go to sleep Rose, they'll have plenty of work for you tomorrow I'm sure."

No more words were spoken and soon the warmth from the fire made her eyes heavy and droop, suddenly too tired to speak now. Her body relaxed and the hours of walking, of worrying who was behind her seemed to fade away. It was easier when walls surrounded you and a locked door gave you peace of mind. Slowly it became harder to listen to the wind outside, to Eric's breathing next to her and the worried little voice at the back of her mind

.

Sleep found her quickly, cradled her in the arms of a dreamless black that healed her physical aches and eased the mental exhaustion. She slept heavily and deeply as she had not done in a long while. Apparently soothed by this depressing house that offered up nothing but unhappiness. So she let herself go, to forget all the troubles and burdens she carried within her heart.

The next morning Snow White's eyes opened slowly. Her body felt rested, her head no longer heavy with fatigue or the headache that had settled itself behind her eyes for the last few days. Eric was gone; he had thrown his own blanket over hers as an extra layer of warmth. The fire had died out sometime during the night leaving behind a pile of grey ash and a chill within the room. She rose slowly, stretching out the kinks in her body enjoying the feel as joints cracked deliciously.

She was about to yawn loudly when she remembered she could not make any sounds and caught herself in time as Magdon waltzed in setting a heavy bucket onto the table, not caring if it disturbed her guests.

"Up are ya? Good, its time to ya did." Magdon looked down at Snow White still seated on the floor. "Well don't just sit there all day! There are things to be done. Up, up, up."

Snow White scrambled up quickly, wondering where Eric was and not too thrilled to be facing Magdon on her own.

"Are you just going to leave everything there on the floor? What do think this is? I don't know how you were in your own household but we will have none of that here."

She could feel the heat rising from her neck right up to her face as she realized belatedly she had left the bedding on the floor. Quickly, she scooped it all up, taking great care folding each piece before standing before Magdon.

"Put them away, over there." she pointed out to the hallway and her tone made Snow White spring into action.

Little did she know that this was only the beginning.

The huntsman she found was working with Hale going about the old house and repairing things the older man no longer could with his ruined hands. Hours past and they never entered the house and she began to wonder if this was done purposely on their part to keep him from stepping in whenever they lashed out at her.

Magdon yelled and berated her constantly throughout the day, every little thing sent her into a series of shrieks and fits. Snow White found herself scrambling desperately, faster and her body filled with anxiety she didn't know how to release. More than one occasion tears threatened and she bit her lips to keep them at bay. They made her feel like an idiot; like a simpleton who could not carry out the simplest of tasks.

Their words cut sharply as the three women joined together against her and she without a voice could not say anything in reply. She kept her head down, her plaited hair hanging down and shielding her face to some extent in an effort to become invisible. This of course did nothing to stop the women and only encouraged them. More times than she could recall her eyes would drift to the window, searching out the huntsman and annoyed that he couldn't tell she was in this situation. There was even a point where Liv, the flat nosed sister, became so angered by how Snow White was slicing the vegetables for a stew that she wrenched the knife from her hand, squeezing her fingers painfully against the handle while doing so.

She had muttered something about whore's and flilth while the other two women snickered gleefully the sound causing her to flush further with embarrassment. Eric needed to get them far from this place immediately, she would tell him when she had the chance to tonight. Until that time unfortunately, she forced herself to bite her tongue and push through though she could feel her anger building within in her.

I really wanted to protray Finn's cReePIneSs and this twisted love vibe I got off him when I watched the movie. Also, Jahn, Liv and Magdon because well, not everything is bunny and rainbows in the real world now is it?

Also, I really want to concentrate on Snow adapting to life. I'm sure she didn't run around knowing what to do and how to act around actual people. That and I sorta kinda like the idea of Eric showing her simple lil things.

Did you like it? I figured being locked up for years would make you somewhat socially awkward in large groups of new people and my characters are bitches, nuff said.