Chapter 2: Into the Woods,

A/N: I might miss some things, but that's simply because I don't remember the movie that well. I do not own any of the characters.

As Snow White continued to work on her chores, the Queen sent a messenger to fetch a huntsman for her. Later when he arrived, the Queen met him in her thrown room.

"Welcome," she told the huntsman.

"Your majesty," replied the huntsman bowing in response,

"You might be wondering why I summoned you here." She assumed,

"Yes, your highness." He said,

"I have an errand for you to run." She said, "I am going to send my daughter out of the castle today, and you are going to escort her." She told him, he nodded at the command,

"Take her far into the forest. Find some secluded glade, where she can pick wild flowers." She continued,

He nodded and replied, "Yes, your majesty."

"And there, my faithful huntsman, you will kill her!" the queen ordered.

The man grew wide eyed with shock, "But your majesty, the little princess!" he noted, not looking willing. The queen rose from her thrown with anger,

"Silence!" She ordered, "You know the penalty if you fail." She warned him, he lowered his arms and stepped backward,

"Yes, your majesty." He said defeated, he closed his eyes and bowed his head. He had no choice.

"But to make doubly sure, you do not fail; bring back her heart, in this." She said handing him a box with a heart and dagger seal." The huntsman took the box reluctantly, and the queen called for her step-daughter.

Snow white was told that they had a guest, and to dress in her best clothes. Snow white found this odd considering how the queen had often ordered her to act as a servant towards all guests, and to never wear her best clothes. She went along with the charade to find out what her step-mother was up to.

When she made it down stairs in the nicest gown she owned, (which was still pretty modest), her step-mother greeted her.

"Snow white, you are to go out into the forest to pick wild flowers. I need them to decorate the palace for an event I will be holding later this week." The queen told her, Snow White nodded in response.

"Yes, step mother." She told her,

"This man, Frederick, will guide you through the forest and...Protect you from harm. The forest can be quite dangerous." The queen continued,

Snow glanced over at the man standing in the room. He was quite capable of protecting her, but Snow didn't see why she needed protecting, the forest wasn't that dangerous. However, she did want to get out of the castle. Was her step-mother turning over a new leaf? Maybe, but she figured she should still try to be cautious. She thanked the queen and left with Fredrick out of the castle.

She rode with the man far into the forest. The walk was surprisingly very long, and she was curious why they waited so long to stop and pick flowers. She spotted many patches of them along the way. Snow knew something wasn't right.

When they finally made it to the meadow, Snow seemed to forget about her troubles at least a little bit. She loved being outdoors, instead of simply locked inside to scrub floors, or stuck in the kitchen behind a hot stove. The flowers were very pretty, and she was finally out of the castle. With the wind blowing in her long black hair she finally felt like she was free...at least temporarily.

The man kept his distance so she could pick flowers in peace, yet he stood off in the distance to keep an eye on her. The idea of him watching her was both creepy and reassuring. No matter how happy and at ease she felt she couldn't help but look over her shoulder every few minutes.

Otherwise, she seemed very giddy. She picked the flowers without a care in the world, happily humming the song her mystery man had sung earlier. It was a reminder, that even if her step-mother was trying to change, she would be escaping tonight.

While she was humming, she heard the chirping of a baby bird nearby. She spotted the bird and went over to help it.

"Shsh." She said trying to calm it, "There there, I won't hurt you."

With that, the baby bird hopped into her hands, "What's wrong? Are you lost? Well, the best way to not be lost is to go out and look." She told the little bird,

With that, the little bird perked up, "I'm sure you'll find your parents soon. Now, off you go." She lifted the bird up above her head, and the bird flew off. Snow White smiled, she was glad to help.

Then, she heard the sound of foot steps behind her, and saw a shadow eclipse her. She then realised that she had been distracted with the bird and forgot to check on Frederick. She turned around to check, and sure enough, he was right behind her with a knife and posed to strike.

She screamed at the sight, but then hoped she could talk her way out of it,

"The queen didn't order you to protect me, didn't she? She ordered you to kill me." The man didn't seem to answer, but his hand began to shake, and he dropped the knife and fell to his knees.

"Yes, she did." He sobbed, "But I can't do it! I can't kill you no matter what she says! You're too young, and I can't kill another human it wouldn't be right! Please, forgive me!" he pleaded; Snow white looked the man over again, in his weeping form. Truthfully, she pitied him. The queen must have threatened this man to get him to kill her, and he was so afraid, he had almost done it.

"I don't blame you." She told him, "I blame the queen. What can I do to help you." She asked him,

"There's nothing you can do, the queen will not be happy until you are dead. She ordered me to kill you, and bring her your heart."

"Wait, you're a hunter, right?" she asked him,

The man stopped crying and straightened, "Yes," he told her,

"Well, the queen won't be seeing my body, so why don't you bring her another heart instead. There's no way she'll know it isn't mine." She suggested,

He stood up, and seemed relieved, "Yes, you're right. That's what I'll do. Thank you. I'll cut out the heart of a pig to give to her, and in the meantime, you should run away so the queen will never find you again."

"Yes, of course." Replied Snow White; This had been her plan all along, now it was just moved up a little.

"Are you going to be okay? Are you sure there isn't anything more I can do?" she asked him,

"No, I'll be fine. Now go." he told her, and with those words, she ran off into the forest.