I will try and add some mushiness, since well who wouldn't want to get themselves some Hemsworth? Again, my main concern is trying to make everything as believable as possible and not tacky.
Tackiness is never the way to go.
I'm sorry I didn't want to post the chapter like this but I'm flying out tomorrow for three weeks and I'm not sure our villa comes with Wi-fi. Also excuse any mistakes I skimmed but anything that slipped is my fault.
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Eric's emotions were a mess and he was torn as to what he should be feeling at the moment. He was so overwhelmingly relived that Rose was okay, that she was alive but he was also angry with himself. He had taken too long to get to her, she had come too close to death and for a gut wrenching moment he thought that he had not made it in time. Also, he was glad that he had taught her to defend herself and would continue to do so, if anything make their training more intense.
He had gone to the back shed to grab the supplies he had put together finally leaving that hellish place, and was just finishing strapping everything in place when he had heard the horses and knew instantly that they had been found. Immediately he went for Rose, but the horsemen were already in the small square and he was a fair distance from the house. Upon seeing the blonde man that he had supposedly killed take hold of Rose he was taken aback - he had died, he had killed him himself. How any of this was possible he was not sure but he managed to pull himself though the shock. Again he tried to get to her but was overtaken twice on his way there and it had taken longer than he liked to reach her.
But seeing her laying there with that man hovering over her, his hands on her throat his mind had gone blank and he was all sensation and feeling spurred on by complete need to get to her.
For a moment his mind had flashed back to Sara. It was happening all over again and once again he was going to be too late to stop it. But she had saved herself, her small hands reaching for him and grasping at him tightly was evidence of that. He could make out her sobs by his ear, feel her tears on his neck as she continued to press herself against him her actions desperate. Though he had taught her to kill he had wished that she would never of had the need to.
Now he was pulling her along by her hand, her sobs subsided somewhat but still there. He knew she needed a moment to herself but he couldn't allow it now, they needed to get away; the danger still too close. Not allowing his mind to linger on the death and chaos behind them he concentrated on the best method of disappearing and the person he was pulling along with him.
Thankfully the village was surrounded by forest and although he was not completely sure which way they were heading he just needed to get them hidden and away. They made a lot of noise, branches snapped under their feet and the sound of dead leaves being trampled heavily added to the noise Rose was already making. He never let go of her, didn't chance a look back but just continued to pull her with him her shorter stride moving quickly to keep up with his own. He had managed to kill a few of the invaders, the other men in the village also had risen up and from what he had last seen they had managed to push back against them.
But none of it mattered now, escape was the priority.
They didn't stop for what felt like hours, pushing past branches and other obstacles that got in their path. She was grateful for the contact of the huntsman's hand, in a way it helped with her troubled thoughts. Every time Finn's widened eyes invaded her mind she concentrated on the warmth of Eric's hand; the feel of his roughened skin against hers and how he held on firmly.
The winds continued to pick up and Snow White's body felt battered and exhausted. Truthfully she hadn't done anything to exert herself but the events of today had worn her out and all she wanted to do was shut her eyes and lay down. As if reading her thoughts Eric stopped suddenly stating that this was where they would spend the night. She looked around she saw nothing remarkable about it, it all looked exactly the same as what they had passed earlier. He released her hand but only to take hold of her face, forcing her to look up at him, his eyes moving rapidly over each feature looking for some kind of answer. He waited a long moment before asking her if she was alright.
She shook her head. She wasn't, and he lowered his hands to her shoulder squeezing slightly.
"Are you hurt at all?" again she shook her head.
The sun was dipping low and the light was growing faint. Reaching a hand up to pull back her hand, something caught her eye. Her hands were covered in something dark that had caked itself in the grooves of her palms and around her fingernails. Droplets streamed down her wrists to her arms and she spread her fingers wide, turning them over trying to recall what it was. Eric took hold of her wrists and she stared at him in confusion.
"Rose?" his voice held a type of caution and warning mixed together.
He was watching her again and she was about to ask him what was wrong when dread filled her. The feeling of warmth; slick and wet lifted from her memory and moved ghost like over her hands. Blood. Finn's blood, on her hands. And as she ran her eyes over her arms she saw that it had splattered over the front of her dress, she could feel it dried on her neck and face.
She furiously began rubbing at her hands trying to get rid of it, Eric was gently shaking her urging her to relax, to calm down. But how could she? She had taken someone's life, his blood was literally on her hands and she was meant to be calm?
"Get it off of me." there was a trace of panic in her voice and he moved quickly to pull a flask with water from his side pouring it over her hands. She splashed some onto her neck , blindly scrubbed at her face and didn't stop even when Eric's hands replaced hers and did it for her.
"I need this off." her voice shook and it transferred to her hands as she began tugging at the strings on the front of her dress.
"Rose, relax a moment." his hands hovered over hers
"No! I cannot wear this! Not like this!"
"So you're going to walk around half naked?" he gave her a challenging look, his voice gruff and callous. "Sit down and breathe."
The sarcasm was clear in his voice but she didn't care, she wasn't like him, was not able to spill someone's blood then eat a meal right after as if it were nothing. She offhandedly explained that Hale had given her another garment to wear and she continued to pull at the ties, already halfway down her chest. She moved away from him possibly for more privacy but the thought made him nervous, the horsemen could be close waiting for them to separate to strike. He explained this to her and sharply told him to turn around instead, her head tight with pressure which continued to thud the more he spoke. Her outburst made him stare at her incredulously but promptly turned around when she began to pull the the front of her dress open, revealing pale skin.
Her thoughts jumbled over one another but the one that resonated was the need to take the blood stained garment off. She did not care that Eric was there, she would feel shame later of being so ready to rid herself of her clothing in his presence but knowing now that Finn's blood was on her she would not remain in it a moment longer.
Eric could hear the rustle of the clothes as they fell to the ground. Could hear her rummaging through the satchel and her muttering things he couldn't understand. She was in shock he knew, needed to be calmly brought down from wherever her mind was floating at, at the moment. His eyes flickered around, analyzing everything and making sure that they weren't taken by surprise. Every rustle, every swaying branch or moving bush drew his eye until he was satisfied there was nothing there.
The feeling of fresh, clean clothes on her skin was incredibly intense and she was not prepared for the almost physical relief she felt. Immediately she could feel that this fit her far better than what she had on previously and above all it was clean and new. As she did up the tiny buttons she could see the huntsman pulling on his coat, the air becoming chill around them as the sun began to dip lower.
Snow White took a moment to breath in deep and release it, moving her hands to her temples as if trying to calm all the jumbled thoughts. Once again her body sensed when Eric stepped closer to her and she peered up at him, body heavy and eyes weary. He pulled the cloak Hale had given her around her shoulders, securing it and not speaking.
Snow White broke the silence, "I'm tired." came from her and Eric could see it for himself.
It was the type of weary that rode upon despair. It was not only worn on her face but body; in the way her shoulders drooped, the tilt in her neck as she observed him, and even her lips that weren't exactly pursed or pressed into a tight line. She looked so young, so forlorn so damned and so helpless that he simply stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her. He hoped to convey his apology for having her do something so irreparable and was grateful when her own arms wound around him.
He could feel her shuddering breath, the kind that carried numerous burdens that longed to be released. She did not cry, possibly worn from all she had already shed earlier and continued to hold onto him. One of his hands rubbed the space between her shoulder blades; the firm yet gentle pressure soothing, while the other smoothed down the hair that fell down her back. The huntsman held her for a long while, not breaking the contact until he could feel her begin to disentangle herself from him.
Offering him a half-hearted smile he was pleased to see no telltale streaks on her cheeks.
"Thank you." there was no way he could know what he had just done for her, allow her lean into him to build up on his strength. It had been years since she had last been hugged and it was not until that moment that she realized how much she longed for the simple act of a kind touch.
Eric nodded and let out a heavy breath, possibly just as worn out as she.
"It will cold tonight, probably colder than what we've seen so far."
Walking towards some rocks that had long, wild grass growing off to the side, Eric settled himself down rolling his shoulders and jerking his head slightly indicating for her to take the space next to him. She sat down drawing her knees to her chest while wrapping herself tightly in the cloak, her face the only part of her visible.
After a moment she felt the huntsman shift closer, his side bumping into her hers.
"As I said, it will be cold. You'd better prepare yourself."
Snow White would of laughed aloud at that. If only he had known about the bone numbing cold she had endured all those years in her tower. So cold that her fingers and toes had tingled to the point that they almost felt they were on fire. Instead she rested her head against his shoulder ready to be done with this day.
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He had been right of course. The cold seemed to work its way through the folds of her cloak, to find the small openings and graze softly over her skin. She had awoken to her teeth chattering loudly, and moving slightly seemed to trigger her body into a strong, constant tremble. Her breath came out in small white puffs, it hadn't been that cold when they had settled down for the night and although he had warned her she never imagined this. In her tower at least there was the walls to block the steady breeze that had a bite to it.
Curling herself into a tighter ball, she pressed herself closer to Eric who had his chin down on his chest and arms crossed possibly to retain as much heat as possible. His body stiffened immediately and he drew in a deep breath his head snapping up.
"Christ." he muttered rubbing his arms slightly before turning his head sharply and looking around them. Sensing no danger, he turned back to Snow White. "You alright?"
She nodded before letting out a mumbled, 'cold, pulling the cloak tighter around herself.
"Come."
Grasping her arm he gently tugged and maneuvered her between his thighs, shifting as well to accommodate her better. Pulling her to his chest, he adjusted her cloak so that it covered her legs and most of his. Her upper body was pressed against him as she moved slightly onto her side, feeling like a small child being cradled. He also brought up her hood gently tucking it around her neck enveloping her further.
His arms wrapped around her waist under the material of her cloak, proving to her that he was as cold as she. It had taken her a a few minutes to relax, this was much more intimate than anything she had experienced, even before the tower and she was very aware of the man holding her. Her heart thudded loudly against her chest and she was unsure as to completely why. There was the need to constantly swallow yet her throat felt dry. None of it made sense to her, they were such strange and new sensations and the only thing she could liken the feeling to was fear. Racing heart, dry throat, odd pressure in her chest.
But she did not feel afraid. If anything, she felt safer than she had while leaning so closely to him. His arms almost felt like a barrier against the outside dangers and she was struck by the memory of her mother and father holding her this way, keeping away the imagined creatures lurking in the shadowy corners.
"Can we really not make a fire?" she had a feeling she knew the answer but wanted to speak nonetheless.
"No. We should not have even stopped when we did. We're too close for my liking and for all we know they're combing the area looking for us."
"But we'll freeze."
"If it comes to that then we will make one. Until then we're going to rough it."
Soon the combined heat from their bodies and the steady rise and fall of his chest made her relax. She eased down more comfortably, hearing the dull thud in his chest and felt her eyes grow heavy once more. It was still cold though considerably less so now that they were so close to one another and she prayed that this would be the worse of it.
Early the next morning just as the sun was beginning to rise and the sky was still nearly black they rose; a sense of relief that they hadn't been found in the air. Eric had broken off a piece of bread and sliced a piece of cheese, handing them to her before wrapping each item back in the their cloth. They ate in silence, standing as if impatient to get moving. You could no longer see your breath but there was still a bit of a chill in the air, which caused her to stamp her feet slightly anxious to begin moving and causing the dew on the blades of grass to propel onto the ground.
Eric's mind however had been occupied all night. Questions about why they were even running from the queen still, let alone at all, and why she was pursuing the girl so vehemently sending so many men after one girl. Why was she worth so much trouble? He had been distracted throughout their journey, exhaustion, worry survival taking up much of the space in his mind to give the idea much thought.
But a small village was strewn with dead behind them. Innocents were killed and he was not putting the blame on Rose, but he also could not ignore that she was a major factor of why it had happened at all. He needed to know why her. What did she have or know that the queen was willing to cause so much destruction in order to obtain it.
He caught himself watching her. Sadness clouded her face along with worry and fatigue and he wondered briefly if she had had any nightmares during the night. He knew the burden of taking a person's life all too well, feeling as if it tainted your very soul. And instead of giving her some time to work herself out of her emotional haze he pressed her, needing to know what in the hell was going on since frankly he deserved to know.
"Why is the queen after you."
The question was so abrupt, his voice loud against the silence that had enveloped them that she only stared back at him. Then the meaning of his question struck her and she felt her walls go up. There was no way she was telling him who she really was, since there would be no way to gauge his reaction. Their past conversation of him not serving any royal and that they were all damned rang through her ears. He would leave her behind, shun her and possibly hate her. Never mind adding to the fact that she had practically lied to him this whole time. But she never imagined being with him this long, experiencing so much with him and reaching a point of companionship.
He saw her hesitation, frowned in answer to it but continued to stare her down. She knew he wouldn't let it go. After all he did deserve an honest answer, it was just a matter of him believing her. Deciding at that moment, she would continue telling him her version of the truth; keeping to the truth but leaving out all parts of her identity.
"She wants my heart." this was not the answer he had anticipated, probably thinking she meant that the queen wanted her dead and was being dramatic.
She tried another approach."You met with her, did you not?"
Here he nodded, his fingers fiddling a thin piece of grass pulling and twisting it absently.
"Did you see her face? See how beautiful she was, notice how after all these years she has not aged?"
Snow White remembered the streets lined with people waiting to see their future queen all those years ago. Rumour of her beauty had spread like wild fire and they all wanted a chance to see for themselves. The few times Ravenna had visited the tower Snow White was always been taken aback by how she had not changed, how she remained entirely ethereal in comparison to her surroundings. As much as she resented admitting it, she almost looked forward to seeing her face it provided a break from all the grey and ugly that surrounded her throughout the years.
"Aye."
"She takes the youth and beauty from women. The ones from the village, beyond the walls. The more beautiful the girl the longer she can go without taking having to take another."
"What?" he gave her the same look when they were speaking of her father and how she would know anything of him.
"That what keeps her young, fi they don't die there they become old and frail, dying within days if not that very same day. I don't know how she does it but she has the ability to and that is what keeps her looking so unnaturally beautiful. "
Eric looked incredulous. "And that's why she kept you? All these years?"
Snow White shrugged, unsure why she had been kept alive and unaware of any other reason why Ravenna would be hunting her now.
"Perhaps she saw something in me as a child and decided it would be worth to set me aside until she did need me. Who knows what passes through her mind, she has killed so many keeping one little girl prisoner seems insignificant."
Taking a moment to absorb this information he examined her. She certainly was beautiful; dirty, her face scratched and certainly needing a bath he couldn't help but take note of her blue grey eyes framed by thick dark lashes. Her cheeks held a hint of colour enhanced by her fairness and her lips were a temptation he was having a harder time ignoring especially how red and well shaped they were, demanding attention.
"You're being serious?" her face fell, and he looked caught between laughter and disbelief. "You expect me to believe that? Witches and magic and all that is horse shit."
Snow White was angry now. Technically she had not lied to him, merely not telling him the entire truth about herself but that was none of his business in her eyes. Everything she had told him of Ravenna though was truth and it angered her that he had not believe her especially after not giving him any reason not to trust her.
"And why would I lie about this!" she wasn't yelling at him, but her voice was forceful. "What could I possibly have that she would want?!" she shook her dress to emphasize her point, forcing him to see how plain everything about her was.
"I know what I saw while I was there. What I heard and you can think I'm mad, set it aside as the blabbering of a woman whose brain has been addled. But I am not lying about this. As crazy and far fetched as it seems just think about it, put the pieces together."
"You were a child Rose. You're imagination probably made everything larger than what it was." he still didn't believe her but at least he was no longer condescending."
"This did not happen only when I was a child. The day I left she had taken another; Greta. I spoke with her before she was brought down to see the queen and she asked what was going to happen and I couldn't tell her. And when they brought her back, her hair had turned grey, her face was wrinkled and sagged but it was the same girl. And then they came for me.
I have no family, no money, no home. Nothing. What could I have that she hasn't already taken?" his face was solemn but he waited for her to continue. "I just want to get away." desperation and defeat hung on her words. "Just away. From wondering if today is the die I'm going to die. I will not go back." she said the last piece determinedly and Eric nodded. "Look around you."
She opened her arms wide and gestured to the half dead nature around them. "Look at whats happened to the land, do you remember what you told me? The land is diseased and she's the reason why."
"Alright." his own hands were raised in surrender. "If you say that is what she was doing than, that is what she was doing. I'm not sure if I can believe she or anyone has the ability to do what you describe but I will take your word for it lass."
She felt relief that he accepted her words but guilt that she was still keeping the full truth from him. Despite wanting to keep details of her life from her she found her mouth moving and words escaping her lips unbidden.
"I may not have the gold I had promised you when we started." she lifted her chin bravely, expecting anger from him.
Calmly though, Eric moved towards her, his face stoic and unreadable until he stopped a couple of feet away from her.
"I didn't have it when I promised it to you and I possibly wont when we reach Duke Hammond's."
"I know." he began to chuckle when her expression changed yet again, perhaps the tenth time in the past minute. "I'm not as stupid as you may think. You weren't exactly glowing with wealth when I found you." he moved away from her and began walking, giving her a moments pause before she went scrambling after him.
"So if you knew why did you help me?"
"Well, for starters there was no way you would of survived on your own and secondly it wouldn't of sat right with me if I had left you."
"So you'll help me still?"
his reply was a wry, "I haven't snuck off yet have I?"
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They walked for another two days and without encountering anyone from the Queen. The second night they chanced a small fire, not allowing it to be anythng more than embers enough to get their blood flowing back into their fingertips and toes. Eric feigned that he had not noticed Rose's mood over the days past, knowing that she had dreamt and that they had been unpleasant. She hadn't cried out or screamed but she moved more, a mumbled word would escape and her brow was constantly furrowed. Then there would be the sudden opening of her eyes, paralyzed in a second of fear before realization dawned on her.
He made sure to keep himself occupied or feigned that he was asleep himself, if she did not wish to speak of it than that was her business though a part of him wished she would share her troubles with him. During the day she was quieter than the norm but still smiled and spoke with him and he took it as a good sign.
What he had not been expecting was the sudden change in the air; the crunch and rustle of leaves that did not follow the usual pattern of forest animals. It caused his to reach blindly beside and tightly grasping the girl's forearm making her stop alongside him.
"Wha-," Eric pressed a finger to his lips stopping all words from her.
Slowly and stealthily he crouched down and examined the dirt, using the very tips of his fingers to shift things around. His eyes locked on something she couldn't see and he rose back up just as slowly. Rose waited patiently, rigid and eyes wide. He removed one of his daggers and pressed it into her hands her face going white her hands resisting to clench around the hilt. His hand tightened around hers and he gave her a look that hopefully made her realization that he was serious. In the next moment her fingers took hold of the knife but her face remained the same.
Eric left her and began moving towards the messy and unusual tracks; they were too small to be a mans and too large to be any kind of animal that he was familiar with. The only thing he could think of was
"Rose," Eric called and leaned back staring at whatever was hidden between the wild grass and bushes. "I think you'd better come here."
To say she was confused was the least of it as she willed her feet to move forward until she was standing close to him staring at the same place as he thought unable to see anything. Using the end of his ax Eric moved aside some of the bush and revealed a small, very scared, wild haired little boy.
Instantly her heart constricted and she was overcome with the want to cradle him and take the fear away from his small, dark eyes.
"He's afraid of me, won't come close at all. I figured you'd have better luck." her hand with to his arm and pulled him down into a crouch beside her.
"Its because you're looming over him and terrifying the poor thing." her voice was low and a wide smile directed at the small child. "Hello little darling, we wont hurt you."
He curled into himself trying to inch his was from them.
"Come along now," Eric began and the child began to cry, loud sobs as he clenched his little fists close to his chest.
Eric looked temporarily taken aback, unsure of what he had done to frighten him. Rose's slap against his chest confused him further.
"You're scaring him." she moved onto her knees, slowly pushing closer. "Come, bait's alright."
Eyes filled with tears and still sobbing he glanced a look at Eric before sticking out his dimpled hands to Snow White, clearly picking her as the lesser of two evils. His head fell against her collar, face puckered and red with crying Snow White was suddenly filled with an strange yet forceful urge to soothe him, cradle and speak softly until he felt safe. The feeling was so strong that it took her by surprise just as when Eric had pulled her close that other night. They were two completely different emotions but both were just as powerful in their feeling and magnitude.
All these new sensations and emotions swirled in her mind, things she had never felt or experienced before. She wanted to ask Eric about them but suddenly felt shy and did not want to appear overly ignorant. Pushing all thoughts away she concentrated on the warmth that had seemed to swell within her as the child lay against her breast. Whatever this feeling was it certainly couldn't be bad, as if she was the only one who could help him. And she would help him as no one had done for her.
I really hated describing Snow White as the most beautiful girl Eric had ever seen, there's a level of cheesiness there that I hate, but I'm trying to stick as closely with the story, if we all need reminding she was the fairest of them all. I'll try to write while I'm gone but I make no promises. The beach will probably be calling. Just sayin'.