A Promise Binds Me to Her

Both girls follow the Huntsman through the forest. Alexandria stalked along, she felt bare being out in a forest without a weapon. Snow’s eyes flitted about at any sign of movement, she occasionally caught her sister’s strong eye and felt safe and reassured but those feelings didn’t last long. The forest had suddenly come to life, any animals that had hidden away before, are now screaming about their appearance, it sent shudders all throughout Snow White’s body.

Alexandria sulks close behind the Huntsman. Something about him made her feel like she had help. Like the weight of her sister had been lifted from her shoulders, slightly. Suddenly her sister began to scream. Alexandria, acting on instinct, snatched one of the small axes that rested on the Huntsman’s back and swung it at the branches surrounding her.

Snow could only see black venomous snakes, sleeking their way across the branches. Only she could see them. She was sure. As soon as Alexandria had cut her loose Snow lunged forward and hugged her. She looked her sisters shoulder and watched the Huntsman’s surprised but scornful face,
“The forest gains it’s strength from your weaknesses,” he mutters waiting for Snow to collect herself,
“That information would have benefited earlier,” Alexandria sneered guiding her sisters towards him. He only sighs and continues to walk.
After a short time walking the Huntsman stopped and produced a leather flask. As he draws a long swig Alexandria, still cradling Snow White in a protective hug, walks up behind him. Snow looks up from her sister’s shoulder,
“Do you drink to drown your sorrows or your conscience?” she blurts, Alexandria looks at her sister,
“Snow!” she growls, Snow either didn’t hear her sister or wasn’t listening,
“What concern is it of yours, why I drink?” the Huntsman spits at them both moving forward and snatching one of his smaller axes from Alexandria; her eyebrows nit together in anger,
“I suppose a man’s sorrows are his own” Snow says quickly hoping to drop the situation, the Huntsman’s simply scoffs and turns away taking another swig,
“Snow, it is not our business why this man drinks, you must learn not to pry into other people’s lives,” Alexandria scolds her sister. When Alexandria got like this it reminded Snow of their mother, she had the same face and stern voice,
“I simply wished to find a common ground,” Snow sighed, Alexandria’s face softens and she steps away placing a loving hand upon her sisters cheek, she smiles weakly and shakes her head, but it does not last long,
“What do young girls like you know about sorrow?” the huntsman asked snidely, Alexandria’s face returns to its cold ways and she ignores him. The Huntsman huffed stepping forwards and wielding his larger axe. Alexandria stepped in the way and pushed her sister behind her, before she could say anything the Huntsman had cut her ankle length dress up to her knees revealing the leather leggings she wore underneath. He gave her a playful smirk, “don’t flatter yourself,” he does the same to Snow White, “now stay close,” he mutters sulking away.

After a short while another question begins to scratch at the back of Snow White’s inquisitive mind,
“Does it not trouble you to serve her?” she asks hopping over a couple of small branches and pushing another out of her face. Letting it snap back on her sister; Alexandria seethes but does not clutch her face she simply closes her eyes and fights her way through the pain,
“Who, the Queen?” he asks turning and helping Snow White over a branch. He extends a hand towards Alexandria but she does not take it, pride overthrowing her kindness and gratitude. The Huntsman shrugs it off and continues, “I serve no one, especially that old hag and any other royalty. They’re all dammed,” he scoffs hopping over a small river. Alexandria chases after him; the small drop was nothing compared to the one they faced back at the castle, but still it sent shudders through her body.
“The true King and his Queen are not dammed!” she scolds; she does not move and ignores his outstretched arm. Snow White cuts in front of her, trying to get out of her sister’s path of rage,
“The King?” he scoffs scornfully, sending a burst of anger throughout Alexandria. She clenches her fists till her knuckles turn white and she is close to drawing blood, “He’s the one who let the devil in the door, it’s his fault the kingdom was plunged into darkness,” he smirks, not playfully but it still aggravated the life out of Alexandria. He offers his hand again and Alexandria scowls,
“I do not need help from a man that knows nothing,” she hisses through her teeth, her eyes flitting to her sister who stood looking doleful and tired. The Huntsman keeps his hand outstretched and stares at the girl,
“What and you do?” he asks seriously this time. Alexandria chokes as parts of her memories flit across her vision, “What’s a wee scrod like you care anyway? You’re barely old enough to remember him,” he shakes his head as if disproving.
Alexandria swallows the sudden build up of saliva, trying to swallow her anger with it. She desperately wanted to tell him she was there; she saw her father, the King, laying in his bed a knife in his chest. Such a beautiful knife at that, Alexandria could remember the way the patterns swirled and danced across the handle; how could something so beautiful destroy so much? She also wanted to scream she knew of pain, more than even him. She knew what it was like to lose both her parents and to break a blood bound promise to her sister. Something, she reminded herself, she had to re-build and keep. Even if Snow White never knew about it. It’s only the Huntsman continuing that stops Alexandria from slipping into her own world,
“The land is diseased, nature has upturned. This...” he hissed gesturing around and more so to a dead stag that was covered with the flesh eating butterflies Alexandria had seen before. She shuddered at the thought of them feasting upon her sister’s flesh, “This is the legacy of your precious King,” he continues.
Alexandria and Snow White both feel like he had slapped them in the face. He was, maybe, once one of the villagers that resided in the lands that rightfully belonged to Alexandria and he hated their father. Hate, maybe that’s too strong a word. Maybe he had just lost hope, that’s what Snow White was wishing. Alexandria new better. Stepping across she tried to make it to the other side, slipping on some loose dirt.

Snow White watched as her sister tried to the river cross without any assistance. She rolled her eyes, why did her sister always have to be so stubborn? It was times like these, when Alexandria had been sent to her chambers for arguing with their father, that Snow would go find her mother. Sit with her. Sometimes her mother would read her a book or sing to her softly.
Suddenly there was a small shriek and Snow White could see her sister falling,
“Alexandria!” she cried running forward. It’s not likely that Alexandria would have been hurt; but Snow had been through so much trauma in the last few hours. Thankfully the Huntsman had caught hold of her sister just before she fell into what looked like mud mixed with decomposed animal flesh and bone.

Alexandria could feel her foot slipping. She knew she was going to fall; she was just too stubborn to care. Her foot slipped from beneath her and a small shriek erupted from her throat,
“Alexandria!” Snow White screamed, stepping forwards slightly. However, before Alexandria could fall into the mud, a pair of large and warm arms wrapped around her upper body and she landed on someone’s chest. The Huntsman’s, he had caught her. Slowly she looked up, confusion in her eyes. She had been horrible to him, always disagreeing and disobeying stealing his axe whenever she needed to help her sister, yet he still stopped her from becoming muddier than she already was.
As she looked into his eyes she realised how blue they were. She was always so caught up in his stupid and aggravating smirk to notice how hollow and lonely they looked. With a swallow Alexandria awkwardly pushes her feet up and walks on ahead, ignoring the moment she had stared too long into the Huntsman’s sorrowful eyes. She hoped that he didn’t feel the same way, she wasn’t weak. She didn’t have any more sorrow left. Alexandria was frightened.

A little further on the Huntsman stopped to take another drink, only to find that his flask was empty. With an angry sigh he throws it to the ground and turns to the two girls,
“Here, I want to show you something" he pulled a knife from his side and handed it to Snow, she looked frightened and baffled as to why the man who had snatched the blade away from her sister on so many occasions was giving it to her, "Which is your lead foot?' he asked her as she took the knife. Snow White shrugged, she never handled weapons. Not that she couldn’t she just wouldn’t harm anyone, even someone who was trying to kill her.
When the Huntsman realised she wasn’t going to give a verbal answer he lunged forwards making Snow White flinch back her left foot flying behind her. Snow could see out the corner of her eye that Alexandria was furious, probably because she had the blade and not her,
"If someone comes at you, you raise this arm up," he pulled her left arm upwards, "and you block, and use their strength against them" he explained,
“She knows what to do,” Alexandria hissed, it was true. Alexandria had shown Snow how to defend herself, but that was over seven years ago,
“Alright, then what about you?” the Huntsman asks, he doesn’t sound as angered as Snow’s sister. Alexandria quirks an eyebrow and puts out her hand for the knife. Snow White, for only a second, hesitated to give her the knife; knowing she would surely hurt him in some way. She could tell Alexandria loved the idea of practising self defence on the Huntsman, the devilish smile across her face said so. Within seconds the Huntsman is baffled and Alexandria holds the silver blade to his throat, she backs up looking at the Huntsman’s face.
With a smirk she throws the knife at the ground, just beside his foot, and walks away. Causing him to flinch suddenly. Snow White felt sorry for him; she looked to her sister, avid on making her apologise; only to find her slouched against a tree. She was tired. Snow white head never known her sister to sleep much in the castle and now her insomnia was getting the better of her. Her eyes were like the Huntsman’s hollow and unforgiving; the scar lining her face reminded them both on a daily basis what they had lost. Both had lost their parents and their kingdom, whilst only Alexandria lost her hope and beauty.
A small tap on Snow’s shoulder causes her to turn round sharply, the Huntsman takes a step back as if to show he meant no harm, handing her back the knife he continued,
“You are small, so wait until their close," he grabbed the hand with the knife in it and jerked it towards his chest to demonstrate her stabbing him, "and drive it through their heart to the hilt, do you understand?" he asks “Do not hesitate, you look in their eyes and do not pull it out until you see their soul," he mutters. Snow stands dumbfounded, her mouth slightly open. This man was so hollow and lost. The only thing he knew how to describe well, as far as she knew, was how to kill someone and what it looked like as they died,
“I could never do that,” Snow White replies in a small voice handing him back the knife, she turned to her sister to see her with a look of contemplation on her face, “however, as you can see, my sister can,” she swallows, regretting ever saying it.

Alexandria looked up at her sister; did she really come across as a murderer to, her own sister? Her shoulders slouched and she began to trudge away, stopping only to look over her shoulder and utter,
“The neck is a better vantage point, it kills them faster,” and carry on. Stopping to wait on the Huntsman and her horrified sister, who had grown paler after her comment.