Snow White and the Huntsman (12 page)

“Don’t,” Eric said under his breath, as if that one word could stop her. His whole body ached. He tried to stand, but the pain shot through his side. The troll stepped away from him, now fixed on Snow White.

The giant started down the creek until it was just a few feet from her. Her eyes were locked on its. She raised her forearm. Even from down the bank, Eric could see she was shaking. He swallowed hard, afraid of what the beast would do. He’d heard how trolls crushed the skulls of their victims before feasting on their innards. He would take his own life before watching the troll take hers.

But the giant just stood there, its eyes narrowing. Each of its breaths was labored, the stench of them making Snow White cringe. The standoff lasted only a few minutes. Then, slowly, it unclenched its fists. The beast leaned forward, its head tilted, taking in the tiny figure before it. Snow White didn’t even flinch. She just stared down the huge beast. The troll let out a low snort, then started away from her, back
down the creek. It kicked a boulder as it left. Eric watched it all, not sure if it had really happened.

When the troll was out of sight, Snow White finally lowered her knife. She ran to Eric and threw her arms around his sides. Slowly, she helped him to his feet.

Eric shook his head. He couldn’t believe she’d been so reckless. The troll could have snapped her neck with a flick of its finger. “I told you to run,” he said, searching her brown eyes.

Her face hardened. “If I had, you’d be dead. A ‘thank you’ would suffice.” She let him go, and he stumbled back, trying to catch his balance. Then she turned, starting up the rocky shore alone.

“Wait,” he said softly. He stared at the girl. A lock of black hair fell in her eyes. She had a scrape across her forehead, but otherwise she was unharmed. He kept watching her, this hundred-and-ten-pound nothing, wondering what had made her so strong. Why had she risked it? What had made her turn back, with only a five-inch blade to defend her? He’d met grown men with less fight in them.

Snow White crossed her arms over her chest. “What?” she said, an edge in her voice.

He smiled, slowly walking up to her. He rested his hand on her shoulder, not taking his eyes off her. “Thank you.”

T
hey trekked three miles across the field, through another copse of trees, to where the land opened up to a marsh. Snow White removed her makeshift leather shoes and let her bare feet sink into the mud. She trudged forward, one step at a time, Eric following behind her.

He’d said this was the way to Carmathan. He’d told her to keep going, through the marsh. But with every mile marked, she grew more suspicious. The duke’s stronghold wasn’t visible in the distance. She saw no signs of his men. She thought only of that map in the dirt, and that village Eric had pointed to—the place he’d initially wanted to take her.

The water rose. Snow White held up the hem of her dress—what was left of it, anyway—trying to stay dry. Her feet squished through the wet earth, the cold mud between her toes. She watched the tiny fish swim around her ankles.
Whole schools of them came toward her, then darted away, moving as she moved. When she finally looked up, she noticed the dark figures up ahead. They stood on the bank of the marsh, nearly thirty feet away. They were silhouetted against the setting sun, but she could just make out the bows and arrows slung over their backs.

It was too late to turn around. Snow White kept her head down, hoping they wouldn’t recognize her. As they approached, one of the figures stepped forward, face hidden by a black hood. The person aimed an arrow at Snow White’s chest. “They say only demons or spirits can survive the Dark Forest. Which are you?”

Eric pulled his hatchets from his waist and stepped in front of Snow White, putting himself between her and the cloaked figure.

“Perhaps you are the Queen’s spies?” the person went on.

“We’re fugitives from the Queen,” Eric offered.

Snow White looked up, letting the cloaked figure see her face. “We mean you no harm,” she tried. She rested her hand on Eric’s arm, signaling for him to lower the hatchets. He obliged.

Then the figure leaned back, letting the hood fall away. For the first time, Snow White could see the person was a woman. Her red hair was twisted back in braids. She had small, delicate features—a narrow nose and high cheekbones. But her most distinguishing feature was her scar. The thick, pink line ran from the top of her forehead over her eye, then down her right cheek, stopping just above her chin.

The others lowered their weapons. They took off their hoods, too. They were all women, and they were all beautiful. But they all had identical scars, in the exact same spot, cutting down the right sides of their faces. “Where are the men?” Eric asked.

“Gone,” the woman with the red hair replied. Then she smiled, reaching out her hand for Snow White to take. “I’m Anna,” she said. “Welcome.”

A few hours later, Snow White sat by a fire, a wool blanket draped over her shoulders. She was wearing dry, clean clothes for the first time in years. The pants were a little too big, and the shirt was rough against her skin, but she’d never felt so luxurious.

She watched as one of the older women from the village stitched up Eric’s wound. The woman bandaged it with clean linen, tying the gauze in place before leaving. Eric looked calmer than she’d ever seen him before. His face was soft in the firelight.

The village was a series of thatch huts on stilts, the shallow water passing underneath. Anna had taken them by boat to her home, which was twenty feet above the marshland and surrounded by a wooden platform. Now she sat on the corner of the deck with her daughter. The little girl was no more than seven years old. The two worked slowly, gutting fish, then hanging them on a piece of twine to dry.

“This is the village, isn’t it?” Snow White said, turning to Eric. She already knew the answer. “The one you aimed
to bring me to before you
swore
to take me to the duke’s castle?”

Eric lowered his eyes. “I’m not sure how warm a welcome I’d get at Hammond’s.” He pulled his shirt back on, wincing as it slid over his sides.

“Why?” Snow White asked. She crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for the excuse. He had lied to her. He’d said he’d take her to the duke’s castle and he hadn’ t—it was as simple as that.

Eric sighed. He leaned forward, holding his scraped hands up to the fire. “I may have bountied a few of the duke’s rebels along the way. I steal from the duke, he steals from the Queen—cycle of life kind of thing.”

Snow White nearly laughed. He’d said it so casually, with no remorse. She’d never met someone so devoid of feeling. “I’ll go to the duke’s with or without you.”

Eric met her gaze. “I kept my word. I promised I’d deliver you to safety. This is safe, right?” He glanced at the huts across from them. Each one had a small fire burning on the wooden porch. Women sat with one another, some eating, others talking about Snow White’s arrival.

Snow White looked down at her hands. They were still filthy from the Dark Forest. Dirt was encrusted beneath each nail, even though she had washed them in Anna’s basin. When she glanced up, Eric was staring at her. He held something in his palm. “What is that?” she asked.

“It’s made of gristle from a stag’s heart.” She shrugged, not sure what the significance was. He continued. “The stag
is the most timid animal in the forest. But there’s a bone in its heart. Some say it gives it courage in its hour of need. It’s a protection charm.” As Eric said it, his eyes misted over. He spoke so slowly and deliberately, as if trying to maintain control over his emotions. Snow White instinctively knew it had been a gift from Sara.

He shook his head and laughed. “Doesn’t work, though.” He smirked, tucking the object back in his pocket.

As he did, Anna strode over, a plate of fish in her hands. She set the metal down on the fire and let it simmer. The smell of trout filled the air. Snow White glanced back at her daughter, Lily, who continued cutting the remaining fish. She had huge blue eyes and full cheeks. Even though she was scarred like the others, Snow White couldn’t look away.

“She’s beautiful,” she finally said.

Anna’s long red hair had come loose and fell around her face in tight waves. She rubbed at her forehead. “That is not a kind thing to say in these times. The compliment becomes a curse. Youth, one cannot alter, beauty however …”

Snow White’s eyes welled up at the thought of mothers scarring their children so they wouldn’t become victims of the Queen. All this so Ravenna wouldn’t do to them what she’d done to Rose. “It makes me very sad,” she said.

Anna looked from Eric back to Snow White. “We have sacrificed beauty to raise our children in peace. And you, your sacrifice will come, Princess.”

Snow White looked at Eric accusingly. He shook his
head. “Don’t look at me,” he said, throwing up his hands. “I didn’t say anything.”

Anna tilted her head. “I know who you are. There was news of your escape. Two rebel leaders from Carmathan were caught by the Queen the same day you left the castle. One survived and returned to the duke.” She reached out and took Snow White’s hand in hers. “Prepare yourself, my dear. For a time soon comes when you must deliver that sacrifice and rule this kingdom.”

“How do you know that?” Snow White said. She pulled her hand away from Anna’s, uncertain of this woman. They’d known each other for only a few hours. No matter how much the woman had helped them, she was still a stranger. How could she speak to Snow White this way?

Anna looked at Snow White. “I can feel it.” She stood and returned to Lily, helping her finish the rest of the fish.

Snow White felt her cheeks burning. Anna didn’t know what she was saying. Why did it matter what she felt? Snow White wasn’t a warrior. She would go to Duke Hammond’s and stay there until the war ended. Women had never fought in the army before. It wasn’t allowed.

Snow White lay down on the deck, wrapping the wool blanket around her. She tried to sleep, but she could feel Eric watching her. “What?” she finally asked when she couldn’t stand it any longer.

Eric smiled at her. “Nothing, Princess,” he said softly. Then he pulled the fish from the fire, picking the flesh off its bones.

He thought about what Anna had said. Somehow, it didn’t surprise him. The way Snow White had saved him in the Dark Forest meant something. She had a will inside her that others didn’t. Whether Anna could
feel
it, as she had said, was a whole different story.