A Promise Binds Me to Her

At long last the travellers were well out of the dark forest and now approached, what looked like, a lake. Reeds sprouted up from the ground, tall and golden like swaying gently in the light breeze. Snow White shivered, she couldn’t tell if it was the surroundings causing her to feel uncomfortable or if she was just plain cold.

They cleared the reeds, Alexandria having to snatch Snow back before she fell into the water. Suddenly, as if they were spirits of the water, three boats appeared. Alexandria could see that these were not spirits, but woman. Two of the boats consisted of only two woman pointing armed bows, these boats were smaller in size, whilst the third boat held three women with extra room,
“Only demons or spirits pass through the dark forest, which are you?” a woman, her face covered in a silk scarf, asks pointing a bow and arrow at Alexandria,
“We’re fugitives from the Queen,” the Huntsman answered,
“We mean you no harm,” Alexandria began; standing tall and showing her pride, ignoring her bodies’ cries of pain, “Myself and the Huntsman are injured and my sister has not slept for days,” she continued looking at the woman who held the bow in her hand; holding it sloppily Alexandria remarked to herself.
The woman seemed to be thinking over what had been said, then with a small nod the three fugitives were helped onto the boat. Snow white sitting at the front and the Huntsman and Alexandria sitting together closer to the back.

Snow White felt somewhat peaceful on the waters; the speed at which they were going was not fast, but fast enough to let her hair fly around and the breeze to wash over her face. After what had been an eventful and upsetting day, Snow was grateful for this no one was hunting her or her sister. They were safe, for a little while.
She looked back to find her sister staring straight at her, with a look that Snow had never seen before. It looked like a cross between desperation, determination and pain, her lips were straight and pale pink popping out against her pale skin. Her hair looked dishevelled and messy, but she had just attempted to fight a troll. Her eyes bright green and her eyebrows furrowed. Snow saw she was holding her side. Alexandria was in pain. However Snow never said a word, she stayed silent.
Snow looked to the Huntsman who seemed to look between the sisters. Mostly at Alexandria, he seemed a little confused. He too had the looked of pain written across his face. Snow remembered his shoulder; he had been stabbed, evidently, when he was fighting with Finn. It couldn’t have gotten any better and fighting the troll and all only seemed to make it worse.
With a sigh she returned to watching where the boat was going. When she looked back she saw a make shift dock, handmade out of wood. Standing upon it was a crowd of woman; Snow looked but saw no men. Only woman and little girls, their faces decorated with scars. None of them like her sisters. Especially the story behind it.

Alexandria held in a gasp as she looked across the women’s’ faces. They were all decorated with scars; some looked to be self inflicted. Is this what Ravenna had left her people doing? Scarring themselves in order to save themselves from Ravenna’s clutches. Something, deep down inside of her told her not to open that door; she definitely wouldn’t like what was on the other side of it.
He was helped out of the boat by a girl, a few years younger than herself. The girl had long black hair, like Snow White, olive skin that got darker around her hands. A sign of labour. This girl had been working, in fields or on the river bank. Alexandria gave her a soft smile of gratitude, to her surprise the girl returned it with a bright toothy grin,
“My name is Cara,” she said quietly, Alexandria barely heard what she had said,
“Hello...Cara,” Alexandria replied carefully. She wasn’t used to greeting new people and had lost most of her ability to trust them as well. Alexandria swallowed and looked at her sister nervously when the girl didn’t stop staring at her, quickly Snow mouthed the words “tell her your name” as she was pulled out of the boat, “My name is Alexandria,” she smiled the best that she could.

Alexandria is led, by Cara, to a woman who standing outside a large hut. The woman made both the Huntsman and Alexandria sit against a wooden fence. A woman looked over Alexandria’s face and a strange look, which Alexandria couldn’t quite decipher, came over her face, the woman lifted Alexandria’s torn dress. Luckily she was wearing leather leggings underneath, so nothing she wanted kept to herself was shown. Alexandria smirked as the Huntsman seemed to cringe away. The woman who was caring for Alexandria sucked in a breath,
“What is it?” Alexandria was startled by how worried the Huntsman sounded,
“There is a lot of bruising, it doesn’t seem to be an internal injury but she will be in pain for a number of days,” the woman said prodding the area gently, “What does it feel like when I do this?” she asks pushing down on Alexandria’s stomach,
“Like your pushing down on my stomach,” Alexandria scoffed, her eyebrows furrowed,
“There is no internal bleeding, you’ll be fine,” she looked up at Alexandria’s face, “That scar...was it self-inflicted?” she asked quietly, her eyes flitting to the Huntsman and back again,
“No,” Alexandria sighs,
“How did it happen?” the woman asks taking hold of Alexandria’s face gently and looking over the large cut,
“I...I cannot remember,” Alexandria lied. She remembered very well, she just chose not to speak of it. The woman gives a small nod, picks up whatever she had brought with her and leaves Alexandria clutching her side. It wasn’t the pain of the bruise that was causing this; it was the pain spreading throughout her heart. A dull ache that made her face fall and a sigh come from her throat. A suddenly question dawned upon Alexandria,
“I hope you do not mind me asking miss, but where are all the men?” Alexandria was proud of her sex finally beginning to get to grasp with their own abilities to fight instead of being confined to a kitchen or to cleaning, but there must be men to carry the legacy on,
“Gone,” the woman healing the Huntsman sighed heavily, gently patting some mashed up leaves onto the Huntsman’s wound,
“Where?” Alexandria asked, her eyes filling with sorrow,
“They left for war some time ago...they never returned,” she seemed to choke out. Alexandria knew when enough was enough and nodded, leaving the woman be. She turned, not without gazing down over the Huntsman’s bare chest; her cheeks turning a rosy colour, and began to limp to the end of the dock that Snow White sat on.

Lily, a girl even younger than Cara whom had taken it upon herself to show Snow White around, had shown Snow White her small wicker doll. Snow’s face fell; she remembered the dolls she had made as a younger girl and wished so badly that she could have them with her. Lily’s hand dropped and she let the doll hit the wooden flooring of the dock, Snow saw this and quickly scooped the doll up in her hands an wrapped a small bit of cloth around her torso,
“Maybe we could make her a dress? So she is decent,” Snow smiled. Lily giggled, she had obviously never thought about the idea of decency. After some time the doll was clothed and Snow watched over as Lily acted out small scenes with it,
“She looks beautiful,” came a voice from behind,
“Thank you,” Lily said silently, hugging her doll close to her body,
“Do not fret Lily, this is my sister Alexandria,” Snow soothed softly,
“Hello,” Alexandria said solemnly, her hands linked behind her back she stood tall and proud with a small smile on her face. Snow never understood how her sister worked; one minute she could be cold and unbreakable then suddenly flip her whole person over and become this kind hearted and warm person. Snow had always tried to copy her sister by doing this, but it never seemed to work, “however, lovely she may be, I think she needs a face,” Alexandria crouched next to Snow and stretched out a hand, cupping Lily’s small face, “a pretty one, just like yours,” she smiled, Snow smiled at her sister. Alexandria had notably picked up on Lily’s scars.
Lily’s eyebrows furrowed and she shook her head,
“You are much prettier,” she said looking at Snow White, “you and your sister,” she said gazing over at Alexandria. Alexandria swallowed and got up, her face had fallen and seemed void of any emotion,
“No, it is just my sister who is beautiful,” she said turning and leaving. Snow watched her sister and saw that the Huntsman was coming over, he held Alexandria’s arm, gave her a strange look and made her walk back down the dock with him.
Snow mused slightly, to herself, how alike they were; and how suited they seemed to be for each other. Alexandria, unlike Snow, was up to the Huntsman’s nose and she stood tall and proud like he did. They also had the same look about them; they looked tired,
“Your mother wants to see you,” The Huntsman declared gently watching as the little girl gathered her things and left.

Alexandria knew what was coming even before the Huntsman had opened his mouth,
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked, a look of hurt painted across his face. Alexandria dropped her crossed arms and tilted her head at him; her eyebrows furrowed, “because I’d think it to be too difficult a take? You’d be right,” he scoffed looking down and then at Alexandria. She looked away from him; she couldn’t bare to see people hurt, even if she didn’t really care for them,
“I couldn’t trust you,” Alexandria muttered looking back at him, her arms crossed over her chest again, she shook her head, “I couldn’t put Snow in danger, and telling you would do just that,” she sneered stepping forward slightly, “I knew you would hate me and that would end up endangering Snow, I couldn’t do that,” she near shouted, it became very clear that Alexandria was fighting the urge to cry. She walked away then stopped suddenly and turned, “I made a promise to my mother once, before she died, that I would never let Snow come to harm...I have already failed once, I am not going to make that mistake again,” she hissed.

Snow’s breathing hitched in her throat; that’s why Alexandria had always risked her life for Snow. She swallowed the large lump in her throat, looked at the Huntsman and shook her head,
“I never knew...” was all Snow said, before getting up and following her sister down the dock.
Snow had no clue as to where her sister had stormed off too, but she knew better than to go and try to calm her; it almost never worked. Instead she took the time to reminisce in her youthful days, before the dark time of Ravenna. She looked to the trees that surrounded the small village in which the women lived, dark; but not as dark as the forest she had had the pleasure of witnessing before. She could barely hear any animals, this wounded her somewhere inside. What was a land, what was a kingdom with no wildlife, nothing to live alongside man? Nothing to put him down and tell him right when he is wrong? With a sigh she shook her head and spotted Alexandria.
Hunched over, pale and tired. This wasn’t Snow White’s sister, not the strong courageous woman who had defended her against any danger. Suddenly Alexandria’s shoulders began to bob softly; crying, she’s crying. Snow, ignoring her earlier thoughts, made her way to her sister. Only to stop and see that the Huntsman was approaching her. She didn’t want to be in the middle of a fight, especially between the Huntsman and her sister.