A/N: I'm going away for a bit and don't know when I'll be updating, so here's a slightly longer chapter to hold you over.
Red's a little out of character in these next few chapters, but I hope you'll excuse that since she's younger than on the show.
Regina wasn't worried when she woke up to find Snow White gone. She'd been up almost all night, her racing mind keeping her from sleep. There was no chance anything bad could have happened to Snow in the few hours of fitful sleep Regina had managed, not without waking the Queen. She imagined the girl had just gone off in search of food; it had been almost a day since their last meal at the palace and Regina's hunger was the first thing that hit her.
She stood slowly, grabbing on to the tree to guide her. Her ankle still ached, and when she glanced down at it she saw how badly it had swollen from the previous day's walking.
She tested it, wincing with each step. There was no chance she'd be able to walk much today. If only Snow wasn't so afraid of horses, they could ride, but Regina couldn't begin to imagine how they'd procure them. Her ankle gave out beneath her before she could finish the thought, and she collapsed on top of it, crying out softly at the shooting pain.
She dug her fingers into the rough bark of the nearest tree and hauled herself up again, keeping her weight off her ankle. She stood too fast, finding herself lightheaded. She could feel the effects of the morning sickness even though her stomach was empty, and she clung to the tree, realizing that it had been more than a full day since she'd eaten.
"Snow," she called out, looking around wildly and only succeeding in making herself dizzier. The girl was nowhere in sight. "Snow!"
She still wasn't panicking, or at least that's what she told herself. The panic didn't set in until a man pushed his way through the brush. "I have the girl," he told her.
Regina shook her head vigorously. This man was clearly not in the royal livery, but that almost made things worse. She knew the worst Leopold could do. The idea that this stranger had taken Snow from her, though, had too many terrifying possibilities.
"I'll bring you to her," he said, coming closer.
Regina reluctantly submitted, letting go of the tree and not struggling when the man picked her up. She couldn't run, couldn't fight. She had to take a chance that he was telling the truth and that he'd take her back to Snow. "Who are you?" she asked, resting her throbbing head against his shoulder.
"The company I keep doesn't care much for names," he replied, and Regina didn't even bother to try to figure out what he meant. She fought as hard as she could against the lightheadedness. "When I'm in the company of men," the man continued, "they usually call me the Huntsman."
"Why did you take her?" Regina's voice went faint, and before the Huntsman could respond her consciousness slipped away.
"I know you're following me, Red." David didn't look back, just waiting for the girl to catch up with him. "You aren't going to talk me out of this, you know."
Red fell in step with him, pulling back her cape so he could catch the glint of her dagger in the sun. "I'm not here to stop you. I'm going with you."
David glanced at the dagger and then up at Red's face. "I don't want to have to worry about you."
Red smiled at that. So he did still care, on some level. Still, her answer was firm. "I don't need protecting, David. I can take care of myself. The only damsel in distress you need to worry about is your princess."
David's eyes went soft at the mention of Snow White, and he touched a hand to the pocket where he'd tucked away her picture. "I suppose your tracking skills might come in handy," he conceded.
"If we can get our hands on something of hers, I'll see what I can do." Red focused her gaze on the path in front of them, not wanting to meet David's eyes anymore. "Just promise you aren't going to forget about me when you're a prince."
His hand closed over hers, and Red was glad for the gloves that separated them. "You're my oldest friend, Red. I could never forget about you."
Red didn't respond immediately, just walking beside him in silence for several minutes. It wasn't until he dropped her hand, uncomfortable about the prolonged contact, that she spoke up. "Do you remember those games we used to play back when you first started loving all those stories about knights and princes?"
David grinned at her, and she looked up at him even though she couldn't quite bring herself to smile. "I guess it's a good thing you're with me, then. As I recall, you were always the one charging in to rescue me."
Red nodded, pulling her cloak tighter around her even though the day was sunny and warm. "I was always the princess," she added quietly, but if David heard her he didn't respond.
Snow watched as the Huntsman knelt down at the far side of the cave to speak to a few of the wolves. She'd been wary when he'd brought her here rather than a proper house, especially once he lit the fire and she could see the pack for the first time, but they'd been nothing but gentle and kind to her. They'd even let her play with their pups while the Huntsman was out finding Regina, and for the first time in a long time she felt really, truly happy.
Then the Huntsman had returned with her stepmother and worry had resumed.
Regina still hadn't come to, and Snow sat by the animal pelts that served as a bed and pressed a cool wet cloth to her forehead as she watched the Huntsman and the wolves. Two wolves got up and left the cave in response to his request, and then he returned to his human guests, crouching by the foot of the bed to inspect Regina's ankle.
"Do you know why it happens?" Snow asked. "Why we can talk to animals?"
The Huntsman glanced up at her as if surprised to hear another human voice. "I couldn't tell you. I've been able to for as long as I can remember."
"And why do you live here?"
He smiled, shaking his head just slightly. "You certainly ask a lot of questions, don't you?"
Snow blushed, looking back down at Regina. "I don't mean to be rude."
"I'm sure your manners are far more refined than mine." One of the wolves trotted back in carrying a plant between his teeth, roots and dirt and all, and the Huntsman took it and thanked him. "My parents discovered my talent when I was rather young." He began to crush the leaves of the plant as he talked, and Snow glanced back up to see him apply them to Regina's injured ankle. "They were frightened, so they abandoned me in the woods."
"That's terrible!"
The Huntsman ignored her comment, focusing on binding up Regina's foot with cloth. "I couldn't find them or any other humans, but I came across a wolf and begged her to give me somewhere to sleep for the night." He tied off the cloth neatly and reached out to the second wolf as he returned with another plant. "Here I've been ever since."
"I guess it's a good thing I never told anyone what I can do," Snow said.
The Huntsman fell silent again, snapping the stem of the second plant. Snow could smell its strong perfume and turned her head to avoid it when the man came closer and held it just under Regina's nose.
"I much prefer smelling salts." Snow pressed the wet cloth over her nose and mouth to fight the smell and looked back just in time to see Regina's eyes open.
"Snow," Regina whispered, blinking up at her blearily. "You're all right."
"I'm just fine." Snow gently guided her stepmother into a sitting position, lowering the cloth as the Huntsman went to discard the plant outside. The Princess took the dipper from the bucket of water she'd been working with and raised it to Regina's lips. "How are you?"
Regina drank gratefully. "I feel terrible," she admitted, but her eyes lit up when Snow offered her an apple from the Huntsman's makeshift pantry. "I was so scared I'd lost you."
Snow wrapped her arms around Regina, stroking her hair as the older woman ate. "The Huntsman says we can stay here until you're feeling better."
Regina glanced around, a little surprised to find herself in a cave and letting out a gasp when she saw the wolves. She met the Huntsman's eye as he returned. "I apologize for assuming you'd hurt Snow."
The Huntsman shrugged, crouching down beside them once again. "Man is a treacherous creature," he replied, his eyes lighting on the dark bruise on Regina's cheek, the last one Leopold had given her. He held out a sheet of paper, and Snow reached out to take it.
Snow and Regina stared in silence at their pictures and then at the lettering below Regina's. Dead or Alive.