The Huntsmen

by Honor James

  Snow nodded and whispered, “I think perhaps we should wait until we have taken the witch off the throne. I don’t want there to be anyway at all that she’ll be able to hurt him on the off chance that he is still alive.” Sadly, she had been thinking the same thing, that her father was dead.

  "Understandable," he agreed with a nod. Squeezing her shoulders, he dropped his hands and moved to the pot. "The water's boiling so let’s get this poured in and you can add whatever cold water you'd like.” Grabbing up a couple of padded cloths, he lifted the pot from the fire and carried it slowly toward the bathing room. Pouring it into the tub, he stepped back, "I'll leave you to enjoy your bath, Princess. Give a call out if you need anything."

  “Snow,” she mumbled again, “Please, Huntsman, call me Snow.” She looked at the welcoming water and when she heard his rumble of laughter and the door close, she stripped without looking up. Moving the pump up and down a couple of times, she got the water cooled just enough that she wouldn’t tear off layers of skin, and then stepped into the tub to bathe.

  When she was finally clean, she wrapped a sheet around herself and stepped out of the room. “Can I have something else to put on, please? I washed out the clothing you gave me so I can wear it tomorrow, but I need something for tonight, please.”

  "Of course," he put a hand on her elbow and guided her up a hall. "Let's see what I might have that’ll work for the short time," he said, opening up drawers. Digging out a shirt, he passed it to her, "Did you want some pants as well?" he asked, digging through the drawers until he found a pair. "Here we are, these shrunk a little a while back but I just couldn't throw them out."

  “Wonderful. Thank you.” She seemed to thank this man a great deal. “Is this where I will sleep?” she asked and looked at the massive bed. It was truly huge, and looked so warm and inviting. “Goodness that bed is big enough to get lost in.”

  "I like a lot of room," he grinned at her, "but yes you can have my bed if you'd like, Princess, I don't mind in the least or if you prefer one of the other rooms we can oust one of the other men from their bed instead."

  “Oh goodness no, I won’t take their beds or yours,” she said with a shake of her head. “I can sleep on the couch before the fire downstairs. I refuse to ask any of you to give your beds up, and please don’t try to argue with me about this because I have made up my mind, period.” She actually stomped her foot to the ground to make her point as well.

  "As adorable as that is," he waved a finger at her after her little foot stomp, "you're taking the bed, Princess. I won't have you exposed at the door in the event someone tracks us here. At least back here there are escape routes from the house if any should find us."

  “No, I will not take your bed,” she repeated, “absolutely not. I mean it. I refuse to take your bed, Huntsman.” She muttered, “How about this, I will sleep on the chair here in this room, but do not ask me to ask you to give up your bed. It simply isn’t right.”

  "You are not bloody well sleeping in a chair while I'm around, Princess. You will sleep in the bed even if I have to sit on top of you the entire night, and don't think I won't. On top of having a smart mouth I’m also incredibly stubborn and can outlast you many times over," he said, narrowing his eyes on her.

  “Ha!” she said with a snort. “Fine, how about this, I’ll sleep on one side of the bed and you the other. That way we’re both on a bed and really, with as massive as it is, it’s highly unlikely we’d even touch the other in sleep, right?”

  "Fine," he glared at her and then grinned. "See, I knew you'd see it my way," he teased before leaping back out of arms reach. "Get dressed then come out to the kitchen. The others signaled they’re no more than a couple hours from here. We'll have time to eat and then they’ll be upon us for the night and we can formulate our plan to get you safely to your uncle."

  “Alright. Go. I’ll be there shortly,” she muttered, “because food sounds good. A plan sounds even better. Go.” When he was out of the room she fell face down on the bed and screamed her frustration into the pillow. Getting up, she muttered darkly but dressed all the same. A little more in control of her upset at how he turned things around on her, she stepped into the kitchen. “What about the elves?” she asked suddenly. “My father had a great trade agreement with them and they’d always been nothing but kind to me and they loved my father greatly. Perhaps they’ll allow us to use their lands to hide ourselves in?” Hopefully.

  "We can ask, we have a trade agreement with them," Dierk told her, spooning up a bowl of broth. Taking it and the end of a loaf to the table, he sat it down, "Your meager but filling meal, my lady," he grinned and swept her a bow before pulling out a chair for her. "We’ll send them a message and see if they’re willing to harbor us for a short period of time."

  “That’d be wonderful. It galls the Queen that she can’t see into their realm,” Snow admitted softly. “I wouldn’t want to do anything that would cause them harm. However, that could be why they’ve been silent for so very long.”

  "That could be true as well," Dierk said, sitting down with his own bowl of the broth. "I’ll send them a message and see if they’d lend us aid, even if it’s only to help cover our tracks from the Royal Guard. I too don't wish to bring the Queen's wrath down upon any of them or their people just for aiding us."

  “I couldn’t agree more,” Snow murmured. “I hate that I’m putting you and your friends in danger by simply being here, but she pulled you in first so I’m hopeful she’ll think you were just waiting for a time to bring me to her.” At least if they were caught that’d be what she’d tell the woman.

  "That's only if she figures out we actually have you," he said with a grin. "She doesn't think we took the job even with all her threats. Plus the guard never got a look at us so they couldn't possibly identify us to them. As an added bonus, we've never met with anyone that could tell her we were asking about you."

  “Good,” Snow murmured. “I’d never be able to survive knowing I was the cause for you to be hurt. You’ve been good to me, Dierk, ornery and stubborn, but good,” she added with a smile. “Then again I haven’t been very pleasant to be around huh?”

  "Never say that," he said looking at her. Reaching over, he covered her hand, "You've been imprisoned, sold off for marriage, and promised death. In retrospect, Snow, you've been rather pleasant and I've enjoyed the time I've had with you."

  “Oh I’ve been told that I’m actually rather hard to get along with. Then again the Queen’s brother was trying to rape me at the time and I had just driven a branch through his cheek,” she added with a flush. “I’m glad you’ve enjoyed the time with me because I’ve honestly enjoyed this time with you as well. You’re gruff, but funny. I enjoy being around you. Even when you make me so angry I stomp.”

  "That was cute," Dierk grinned at her before it slid away. "He didn't hurt you, did he?" he asked in all seriousness. "Because if he did, Princess, I'm sure my friends and I can ensure he finds a deadly fate fitting the crime."

  “No, I’ve taken care of him. Each time he looks in the mirror he will think of me. I left him scarred. The cretin deserved it,” she muttered. “He would have gladly hurt me that is, but thankfully I was able to defend myself. I’ve never been one to lie down and take her licks, per se,” she mumbled.

  "Good," he squeezed her hand gently for a moment before letting go. "Better to defend yourself in the moment than to go back and slice their throats open. At least that's my policy," he told her, tearing a chunk off his piece of bread.

  “I like your policy,” she said with a shrug. “Then again, that’s exactly what I plan on doing to both him and the Queen. Neither of them deserves to live. I’m typically not a vicious person, but if I allow those two to live,” she shook her head, “it would end badly for everyone.”

  "Precisely," he nodded, popping a piece of bread into his mouth and chewing. Grinning at her, he spooned up some of the broth and sipped it down. "Besides, the people need to see that while you’re a gent
le soul you’ll do what’s necessary when it’s necessary. Those two are at the top of the list of things that need to be done."

  “I couldn’t agree more. They’ve hurt my people, my kingdom, for far too long. It’s well past time they pay for their crimes and I intend to ensure that they pay dearly. Even if I die in the melee, I will take them with me.”

  "Don't plan on dying, Princess, because I don't intend to let you get yourself killed," Dierk told her, pursing his lips at her. "Did you want some more broth or bread?" he asked, getting up to add more broth to his bowl.

  “Thank you but no. I wasn’t exactly a well-cared for prisoner. I only received food and water rations every fourth day so it’s going to take me awhile to work up much of an appetite again. When I do though,” she grinned, “be warned, I loved food at one time.”

  Sitting down next to her, he nodded and touched her cheek, "Well we'll just ensure you have small but regular meals until you get your appetite back," he said softly. "Trust me, between my friends and I, it's bloody rare for us to ever miss a meal. We're extremely devoted to filling our bellies on a very regular basis. We’re never caught anywhere without something to eat."

  “Hence why you had fruit and jerky even though you were close to your homes,” Snow said softly. “That’s actually a very good idea. You never know when you won’t be able to make it back to your place.”

  "We also have food and weapons throughout the forests," Dierk told her honestly. "We don't like being caught unawares in any situation, whether it be foe or weather. We have everything we could ever need in each of the caches, and they’re easy to get to but difficult for others to find. With everything being dried there aren’t any scents to attract animals and give them away."

  “Very smart,” Snow murmured with a nod. “I think you, Huntsmen, have been severely underrated. I do believe you gentlemen are far more intelligent than the Queen believes, and that is a total bonus for me. Her miscalculation is my salvation.”

  "Well we do tend to lend to our reputations," he shrugged, tearing off more bread to nibble. "We prefer folks to underestimate us and therefore think we're just drunken fools. It makes it much easier to beat them at their own game if they think we're three sheets to the wind. Course, if any of them ever get their hands on one of our skins our reputation will be in tatters," he smiled.

  “You mean the water skins? Oh goodness, you let people think they’re full of ale?” Snow grinned at that and shook her head. “You and your friends must be some amazing actors to pull off a drunken stupor when you’ve only been imbibing in water.”

  "Oh we do have wine in a skin in our packs as well so we can add to the appearance. A little sip ensures the scent is on our breath, but yes, we do have our moments when we can truly put on an act of drunken behavior for the masses. I even recall once Niklaus was so convincing he ended up being arrested for drunk and disorderly conduct. Course, he'd been hitting on a married high lady at the time, which I think is the real reason he was pinched," he grinned.

  “Ah yes, that would certainly do it,” Snow said with a grin. “You have all led such rich and amazing lives. I would love to hear more of your stories.” She had lived inside her own head for far too long inside a cell that barely allowed a natural breeze to get in. She lived in her own head for fear of going insane.

  "Well we have many a story to share, though I'm sure some might curl your toes or have you running for the hills," he chuckled quietly. "But I think there may be a few we could share that wouldn't make you question our sanity too much. We'll wait for the others though. It's not nearly as entertaining without their biased input and flat out lies about things I recall to be truth, but they've always been a might biased and deranged in the heads."

  She snickered at that and nodded, “Then we’ll wait for the others. How long do you think before they’re here and how long until I can start burning pieces of that dress?” He had said only a piece at a time, well she was ready, damn it.

  "You can start tearing it up and burning it a bit at a time right now if you wish, Snow," he smiled at her as he sat back. "The others should be arriving any time. Depending on which way they’re coming, they could be on the doorstep now or in the next half hour. By the way, you're only burning small bits at a time to ensure it burns through and we leave no traces of it in the chimney to alert anyone of our presence here."

  “Ah, that’s actually very smart. I’d never even given any thought to embers flying free and the gown parts being found. Don’t worry though. I’ll cut it up nice and small to burn a piece at a time. I think it’ll be cathartic to get that done, don’t you?”

  "I think it’ll be whatever you make of it, Princess," Dierk said quietly. "It's in my pack still so you can collect it.” Reaching down, he pulled a blade from his boot and, flipping it over, he passed it to her hilt first, "You can use that to slice it up into whatever pieces you wish."

  “Thank you,” she murmured and pulled her gown from his pack. Quickly, she began to tear the gown to shreds, making smaller and smaller pieces as she went. Grabbing an empty basket, she put the pieces into it and nodded, “There, we have many a piece to burn, would you like to be with me when I drop the first one into the flames?”

  Nodding, he stood and took the blade from her slipping it back into his boot. Guiding her to the fire, he crouched down and held the basket out, "Better say a prayer or something before you cast the first piece. I'd hate for you to ruin your chances of ever being married by burning this gown, Princess."

  Snow snorted, “As if anyone would have me,” she muttered and tossed the first piece upon the fire. “I've been caged like an animal for thirteen years, believe me, no one wants a Princess whose only wishes in life are to kill the witch that killed her father, and take back her kingdom and set right what was destroyed."

  "Only a fool wouldn't want a strong and determined woman as his own," Dierk told her quietly. Sitting down, he crossed his legs and watched the fire eating at the piece of cloth. "You might be surprised, Your Highness, at just what a man would do to possess such a rare blossom as yourself."

  “Surprised wouldn’t even come close to covering it,” Snow admitted and tossed the next piece of cloth on the flames. “But as long as my people are free and my kingdom once more thrives I’ll have to be happy with that,” she added with a soft sigh.

  "And if you find a man or two who would be honored to have you for their own?" he asked curiously. "Come on, Snow, I'm pretty sure I could name you three fellows at the very least who would walk through the fires of Hell to take you as theirs."

  Snow smiled, “You’re sweet, Dierk, but if you could name me three men that would want me as theirs, and be willing to share me, I’d jump at the chance. As long as I could care for each them in turn,” she added. “But since I seriously doubt you could do that, will you let this go, please?”

  "You'll be sorry you asked me to do that because I could and they would," he said softly. Shrugging, he hopped to his feet, "Keep burning your gown and think about it while I clean up.” Moving away from her, he collected the dishes from the table and took everything into the kitchen to scrape them clean and wash them.

  She continued to burn the dress, from time to time rising to look in on him and wondering at his words. She had a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach, but she pushed it off. When she was about halfway through the burning of the gown she heard a sound outside and rose, “Dierk? What is that?” she whispered, fear in her voice even as she tried to battle it down.

  Moving to her fast, he put himself between her and the door and whistled on a rising tone. Hearing an answering but reverse sound, he relaxed, "It's just the lads finally arriving.” Turning, he smiled at her and touched her cheek, "No harm will come to you here, you have my word on that."

  Snow leaned into his touch and closed her eyes for a moment. “Alright,” she pulled back then and looked up at him. “Are the others your sons? You speak of them as if they’re children, but then you said that you each had a h
ome. I’m confused.”

  "They’re my best friends and always have been," he told her, looking up as the door opened. "Ahh, here they are, the errant lads finally come back home. Any troubles?" he asked them.

  "The guards definitely gave us a run for our money for a while but we've led them from one end of the forest to the other and left them chasing their own tails," Niklaus said with a grin as he stepped in and brushed water from his hair.

  "This is the princess I take it?" Baldric asked, shaking his own head to get rid of the water collecting in his hair.

  "Indeed," Dierk said, stepping around her. Keeping a hand on her back, he pointed to each, "Snow, this is Niklaus and Baldric," he told her. "Gents, this is Snow White, the princess we need to get to her uncle so his men may kill off the Queen's men and we can get her back onto her rightful throne."

  "Splendid to meet you, Princess," Baldric gave her a bow and grinned. "Oh, is that broth I smell? Is there any left or did you eat it all?" he asked, moving to the pot and peering in. "Nik, did you want a bowl, looks like we could each have at least two big helpings and behold, there's still some of the bread and cheese from yesterday here too, a right filling meal fit for any man."

  "Fill me a bowl, I'm going to go and wash up," Niklaus said, tipping his head to the princess before he headed off down the hall.

  Snow had not expected the men who had walked into the home. They were massive. Each of them was well taller than her small five foot frame, all of them had dark skin but their hair colors and eye colors differed. They all had crinkles of laughter around their eyes and mouths, only making them more appealing but not a single of the men looked like they had an ounce of fat on them, and looked to be more fighters and knights than huntsmen. Turning her face back to the fire, she sank down once more and continued to burn the dress, her mind filled with the images of the three men who had saved her.