A Promise Binds Me to Her

The sun was at its highest peak in the sky when they finally made it to a stone bridge. The Huntsman stopped and so did the girls, which annoyed Alexandria greatly,
“Wait,” he murmurs; lifting his axe up to stop the girls,
“Is this the edge of the dark forest?” Snow White asks quietly. Alexandria studied the Huntsman and saw there was something wrong. She felt it too; the air around them was putrid and stank mostly of rotten flesh. The land around it seemed to be dead and littered with strangely shaped, cream coloured, stones,
“Aye,” the Huntsman replied, beginning to walk cautiously over the bridge. Just as he passed a large, old and grey coloured tree he pulled out one of his knifes, Alexandria sped up her walk so that she stood alongside her sister.
“What is it?” Snow asks again, this time being shushed by both the Huntsman and her sister.
Both girls peered over each side of the bridge, Snow White made a repulsed noise. Littering the ground beside and below the bridge was bits of bone and human spines along with old and broken carts. What Alexandria thought was stones were actually the skulls of something’s last meal. She changed her position taking hold of Snow’s hand so that if the situation got dangerous she could simply push her sister behind her and take the blow herself.
The sound was silent at first, like rocks tumbling down a far off cliff, but soon it got loud and was followed by an angry growl,
“Troll!” the Huntsman roared lashing out at the giant beast. Before his axe could strike the animal, it had knocked him from the bridge. Its large, taloned, hand breaking away most of the bridge where the girls were standing.
Alexandria latched her hand onto a rock and managed to pull herself up onto the remaining part of the bridge, she saw the beast lumbering towards her sister and screamed. It caught its attention, Alexandria looked around furiously for any sort of weapon. She spotted the Huntsman’s knife an arm’s length away. Scrambling to her feet she swooped it up with her hand and threw it at the creature. A loud and ear breaking wail came from the beasts mouth; as it struck Alexandria sending her to the ground. She heard her sister screaming, luckily Alexandria was not hurt; just winded and managed to get to her feet.
The beast was after Snow, it gazed upon her with wicked eyes and tore the ground up as it made its way towards her. She scrambled back and the Huntsman grabbed her under the arms; lifting her to her feet. The troll let out a thunderous roar and stomped its hands on the ground like a child having a tantrum,
“Go!” the Huntsman yelled over the din, pulling her in front of him as they made their way towards an old, gargantuan, stump of a tree.

Alexandria slowly made her way over throwing herself against the tree stump, her breathing eradicate and fast. She was there first and managed to get her breath back slightly. Moving over she made room for the Huntsman and Snow as they threw themselves behind the stump, the beast thrashing about as it followed them. It swiped its hand across the stump taking at least a foot off of it just above their heads. Snow White screams and Alexandria grabs her hand pulling her close. One arm over her sister, and her sisters head burrowed into the crook of her neck, she looked at the Huntsman. Not with anger, for a first, but with pleading and desperate eyes,
“Run!” he ordered leaving the safety of the stump,
“You’ll be killed you fool!” Alexandria screamed helplessly after him. The sisters moved knowing that if they didn’t the beast was surely to find them faster when it was finished with the Huntsman.
However, Alexandria couldn’t help but gaze upon the beast’s beauty. Its armoured camouflage; the perfect thing for battling and living in the dark forest. Its teeth razor sharp, like the blade of a sword. Then she watched the Huntsman flailing his axe about, catching the troll’s legs and arms occasionally. She was about to let out a small chuckle when the beast caught up with the Huntsman sending him flying,
“Huntsman!” she screamed watching him as he landed right in front of her.
A strange feeling, something Alexandria had only ever felt for her sister, came over her. She lunged forward, as the beast loomed closer to the Huntsman and herself, grabbing one of his axes she positioned herself in front of the his still body and stood her ground. The troll seemed amused, and it roared in Alexandria’s face.
The creature’s breath was rank with the stench of rotten flesh and wood. Alexandria gagged as the thought of it feasting upon each of their bones crossed her mind. She swung catching the monstrosities face, it wailed and flailed its arm. Alexandria ducked under it remembering the strange and intricate footsteps her father had taught her when hunting something larger than one’s self,
“Alexandria!” Snow screamed, her voice sounded thick with tears. She always had so little faith in her sister when it came to battling or hunting,
“Snow stay back, I will be fine!” Alexandria roars lunging at the beast and catching its shin. Flipping the axe in her hands she made sure she had a tight hold before lunging at it again, this time its hand hit her in the stomach and she was thrown away, landing right beside the Huntsman’s body.

Snow gasped as she watched her sister battling the beast,
“Alexandria!” she screamed, her throat already closing up and sobs desperately trying to escape her throat,
“Snow stay back! I will be fine!” Alexandria roared. Snow detected a small amount of reassurance in her voice. As if the beast new Snow was just starting to calm down it caught her sister off guard and sent her to the ground beside the Huntsman,
“No!” she screamed, watching the beast loom towards her sister and the man who had saved her from the forest. She ran out screaming bloody murder at the troll attracting its attention. Snow felt like a three year old girl who hadn’t got the piece of tart she wanted after dinner.
The troll raised its arm in the air as if to hit her, but lowered it slowly and made its way cautiously towards her. Snow was baffled, she thought the beast would strike, she expected it too, but it didn’t. She stood her ground and kept eye contact hoping that it would stop the beast for even a moment. That’s when she saw its eyes. Its eyes were the brightest blue Snow had ever seen, even brighter than the sea used to be in the summer time, now instead of seeing a monstrosity she saw a helpless animal merely trying to defend itself against predators.
It roared and Snow, taken by surprise, fell backwards her elbow propped up against a fallen branch. She never broke eye contact.
The troll, once it had finished bellowing at Snow, seemed to pant; a soft purring coinciding with it. Snow saw the beauty of the creature, the soft delicate moss and bark growing on its face and protecting its eyes. She kept looking at it, in a way that said “do not worry, it is all right”. Slowly she got to her feet, walking towards the beast, her hand reaching out to touch it, but never feeling the rough sensation that appeared to dawn the creatures face.

Alexandria stirred and looked up; she felt the pain in her side and hoped it wasn’t something serious. Too scared to look she focused on her sister, and the beast that was before her. She pushed to her feet, so fast that she fell back to her knees. She looked down to see the Huntsman gazing at the two, troll and human; having a silent conversation, with the same awe she felt.
The troll was no longer agitated or hostile, but calm. It looked somewhat apologetic and slowly, like a scolded dog, made its way back to its resting place. Snow watched it with a soft look upon her face. Alexandria saw that, even though it hadn’t even been a day, Snow White seemed to have aged. Dirt covered her face; her dress was torn and caked with mud. She didn’t look like the little girl Alexandria had grown up with, even though she was.
Alexandria moved, an involuntary grunt echoing through the air as she did. Snow White’s head snapped to her sister, and Alexandria gave her a weak smile. She was proud, very proud, of her sister; she just didn’t really know how to show her that pride.
Snow rushed forwards her arms wrapping around her sister instantly. Alexandria grunted again, but soon she returned the hug. Her left hand stroking Snow’s hair gently. Snow silently sobbed onto her sisters shoulder,
“Are you okay?” she asked, looking up,
“Yes, well I think I am,” Alexandria smiled, suddenly Snow slapped her sisters arm angrily and Alexandria wailed helplessly much like the troll had done when struck with the blade,
“Never do that again you ass!” she screeched, Alexandria couldn't help but laugh at her sisters choice of words,
“Since when did you become so foul mouthed?” she chuckled light heartedly, her face contorting with pain. Snow, with a sigh full of pity, put her sisters arm over her shoulders,
“Since you started to sacrifice yourself for me,” she huffed, all Alexandria could do was roll her eyes. Snow could be dull headed sometimes, what she didn't know was that Alexandria sacrificing herself for her sister was no new occurrence, she’d been doing it most of their lives,
“I told you two to run,” the Huntsman hisses standing up and collecting his weapons,
“If we had, you’d be dead,” Alexandria smirked cocking an eyebrow, it was now her turn to ask her sisters well being, “Are you alright?” she asked softly stroking her sister hair again,
“Yes mother,” Snow smirked lightly. Alexandria kissed her sisters forehead like their mother used to do when they were little and Snow smiled.
Another thought then dawned on Alexandria and she looked to the Huntsman,
“You took quite a beating Huntsman,” she smiled gratefully, “thank you, I hope you are alright,” she gave a solemn nod and another weak smile before allowing her sister to walk her in the direction they were taking.