Wow we've hit the 10k view mark! And 103 followers?! You guys are fan-friggin-tastic.

Things are finally getting juicy!

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The next morning found everyone awake just as the sun was beginning to rise, peeking through the clouds that were painted vibrant shades of orange and pink. Krell was wishing them a safe trip, explaining which direction they should travel and what they should avoid on the road there. He had already given them a packed satchel filled with food, flasks of fresh water and a couple of brightly woven blankets.

"I understand the two of you have traveled on foot and that is has been a long journey so I give you him,"

Krell was handed the reins to a black horse already saddled and led him over to where they stood.

"He's older but still able to ride well and long. This should cut down your travel time considerably."

Eric thanked him, grasping his forearm before turning to scratch the animal above his nose. They had already said their goodbyes and even met the small boy they had found in the forest, who was now much quieter and less shy this time around. They had been overwhelmed with well wishes and small luck charms had been pressed into their hands.

The huntsman hoisted Snow White up on the horse, helping to adjust her skirts around her legs as his fingers lingered on the skin of her calf, not realizing the heat he left behind when he lifted them again.

"Head North and you will pass a small creek which will tell you that you're in the right direction. You should get to the next village within a day to a day and a half."

"Thank you," Eric said truly grateful. "Keep well."

"And you my friends." Krell patted the horse's neck as Eric mounted behind Snow White his arms coming around her to take hold of the reins.

Eric spurred the horse on starting at a steady pace, the morning air along with their increased speed was cool against their faces. Snow White couldn't help but feel hopeful this morning as she turned in the seat to wave enthusiastically watching as a few children ran behind the horse and the others waved back to them. They had survived another night and the sun rising steadily brought with it the promise of hope.

They rode for a long while in the direction Krell had indicated, not stopping to eat or drink, pushing father and deeper into the forest that was now lush with greenery and life. Even though the heaviness they had carried with them had lifted they still felt a need to push on and put as much distance as they could between themselves and the queen.

Eric had an abundant amount of time to think during the ride, especially with the object of his thoughts pressed slightly against his chest. Only the other day the thought of replacing Sarah had panicked him and yet this girl had begun to encroach nearly every corner and recess of his mind.

He had taken advantage of situations that allowed him to be close to her, last night feeling her breath against his neck bad been like indulging in a guilty pleasure. The women he had been with in the past had been temporary solutions to an immediate problem. He never took the time to see whether they had scented their skin with perfumes, never feeling if their skin was soft to the touch, never using loving words or caresses.

But yet lately being near Rose had made him hyper aware, the smallest reaction from her making him tense unwillingly. He never thought he would be feeling like this again after Sarah died and had been ready to submit to half a life. But he was feeling the same feelings again, he wanted to know every part of her intimately, be as close as he could.

But now having Rose in place of Sarah surprisingly made the ache of grief hurt a little less and he wondered how that could be. The night before in the clearing had scared him in a way he hadn't been made afraid in a long time and all he could think about was that Rose would be taken from him and that he would be alone again.

It had gone well past him merely keeping her safe for payment and had become more that he wanted her alive to have her with him. Duke Hammond's hold was ever nearer and he found himself wanting more time with her.

And to have more nights like the one past.

He had wanted to kiss her last night, had been ready to but something had stopped him. Being that close to her and holding her had been far more tempting than any of the other nights. She had been fully clothed, shy, and doing nothing at all to be coy or seductive but he still had wanted her.

Simply sleeping under her cloak with her had him imagining that they were alone, in a house and with no one pursuing them. She was his and he could hold her like this every night. Waking up with her also felt good, a feeling he hadn't been expecting .He was prepared to feel regret or guilt with the memory of Sarah but instead he found himself wanting to draw closer to her and fall back asleep.

If he hadn't needed to relieve himself he would have stayed where he was. Gently moving away from her he had grinned as she let out a sleep filled groan and mumbled words.

Even now with her sitting innocently in front of him his fingers itched to move her hair aside and press kisses against her shoulder and neck. He wanted his hands to cross over her stomach. To move over and have her head fall back against his shoulder and nip at her earlobe and hear her mouth draw out sounds meant only for him.

Unconsciously he dug his heels into the sides of the horse having it lose its stride and skitter knocking him back to the present. Pulling back on the reins brought the animal to a stop and he dismounted quickly needing to put space between them.

"The horse needs to rest," he told Snow White by way of explanation when he met her curious glance. "Carrying two people is hard for him, even more so that he's older."

She nodded, her fingers brushing through the horse's dark mane as he reached his hands up to her. Swinging a leg over she allowed herself to be lowered, only for Eric to bring her down much closer than he needed to and have thoughts of how easy it was to bring her closer run through his mind.

"We will stop here." he said it gruffer than he had intended and was met with another of her quick glances that questioned him, but he ignored it turning away from her.

The rest of the day passed much in the same fashion, idle conversations, long stretches of silence as they just took time to breathe in the stillness around them while his thoughts continued to wander.

He made a fire and she retold the stories the gypsy women had told her the night before, excitement still clear in her voice. They enjoyed the food Krell had given them together and eventually fell into silence the odd snap of the fire and distant crickets chirps filling the air.

Snow White had settled down against a slight slope curled into herself as she watched the flames her eyes growing heavy and she quickly fell asleep in the odd position. Eric moved her down moving her hair from her face and tucking the end of her cloak around her feet.

He wanted to settle next to her, even reasoned with himself that she would not mind but he moved back to his spot a good distance from her suddenly craving a drink. He realized in that moment that the only thing stopping him was her naiveté and innocence concerning men, and that it had been that fact that had stopped him the night before. During her time as a captive she must have not had any contact with men, let alone anyone while locked away.

The reminder of her imprisonment killed the lightness he had felt earlier.

He would finish this.

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It had taken them twice as long as Krell had told them to reach the village, the constant stops to give the horse rest forced them on foot and slowed them. It was late in the day by the time they reached the village Krell had spoken of. It was larger than the previous one they had stayed at the week before and not near the disrepair it had displayed.

In fact it was the opposite. The buildings were well maintained and the small streets had more people milling about. It was nowhere as large as the kingdom's village but was a good size and they could see a small inn for travelers not too far off.

Snow White had expected the darkness that the kingdom and old village had but instead this place felt a thousand years away from everything they had left behind. There was no oppression here and the she was filled with nostalgia as she was reminded of times before Ravenna.

There were a handful of children that she could hear playing more than see. Men were working, heavy sacks on their shoulders and now and then she could hear laughter. Hope swelled within her, there was no sign of decay or the queen, perhaps they were finally out of her reach.

Eric stopped the horse, pulling her down one hand grasping the reins while his other found Snow White's, intertwining his fingers with hers.

"We will try the inn, they may be able to take us for the night." he began leading them towards the building but Snow White remembered the inns from her childhood.

"What about money?" the huntsman nodded.

"We have the horse to trade and we may be able to work something out."

"But we will need the horse to reach the duke." he could hear the protest in her voice and he squeezed her fingers in response.

"We will get there, I promise." he looked down at her and she must have seen something in his expression since she did not push the matter further.

Eric tied the horse outside the building which was the tallest in the square and stopped a younger man who was passing them with a pail filled with water.

"Who can I speak to about renting a room?"

The young man set down the heavy pail using the back of his hand to wipe his brow. "Jack is who you want to talk to, just go around back and knock on the door though it should be open."

They thanked him and moved around to the back of the building which was adjacent to a small open area where vegetables were growing and a small pen with a few animals, including a large cow lazily and happily grazing.

The back door was open and Eric knocked on its frame peering inside a well sized and maintained kitchen. It was partly dark inside with enough light to see by but a pleasant coolness could be felt within.

"Can I help you?" came a loud, clear voice as a woman neared wiping her hands on her apron.

She was pleasantly plump, the wisps of her strawberry blond hair curling from beneath the knotted rag wrapped on her head to keep her hair from her face. Her face was pretty though she was older than them by some years. She had a spattering of freckles across her nose and her eyes were large and a warm brown colour.

"We are looking for Jack, we were told we could find him here." Eric spoke taking in the woman.

A single dimple appeared in her left cheek as she smiled at them.

"That's me, what can I do ya for?"

Eric stared at her dumbfounded for a moment before belatedly gaining his composure.

"You're Jack?" the disbelief was clear in his voice as he watched her put her hands against her wide hips.

"Yes I am," she began in a voice that displayed her confidence. "Short for Jacqueline but somehow everyone has gotten it into their minds to call me Jack, so Jack it is."

Eric peered at her for a moment as if giving her the opportunity to tell them that her name was really Sue and Jack was out front and she would get him for them. When she did not, Eric continued.

"We need a place to stay, we're not sure certain for how long and we have no money,-"

"No money?" Jack interrupted before Eric held up a hand to stop her.

"We have no money but have a horse we can give in exchange for a room. Also we can both work to help pay for meals and lodging."

Jack frowned and her eyes roved over the pair as if sizing them up for herself. Letting out a breath she shook her head.

"I cannot afford to keep anyone else on, and I would need the room for actual paying customers, how do you expect me to put meals on the tables each night?" she was not rude when she spoke but direct in her approach.

"We do not ask for money, Rose can work to help clean more rooms which means you can rent them faster. I can help hunt game and go about the village seeking additional work if need be."

Again Jack watched them arms crossed over her generous chest.

"where'er you lot headed anyways?"

"Hammond's hold. We left everything we had back in the Kingdom's Village hoping to begin our lives elsewhere." the lies were coming easier now to Eric but it still did not help the anxiousness in his gut.

The silence carried on and Eric sighed in what one could only call defeat.

"Listen, we will take the shed if need be, we only need a roof and walls to keep out the chill from night. We've made due on the floor without a problem thus far."

Jack however was chewing on the inside of her cheek, clearly contemplating something.

"Newly wed aren't ya?"

"Seems that way." Jack nodded her head still distracted by whatever she was thinking.

"The Kingdom's Village is a far journey, we have heard stories about it and I can tell ya none were pleasant."

"Which was why we made the choice to leave."

Jack tapped her fingers on one hand against her crossed arm before breaking into a wide smile the dimple on display once more.

"Alright, you two have raised some fair points and I cannot just allow newlyweds to sleep out in the muck. You will get a room, but I want no trouble"

Her voice was stern and left no room for argument but she still had the smile in place, dimple and all.

"I like for my people to work and if see that there is lack of it then you two will need to be on your way."

They nodded in agreement willing to give anything for a bed to sleep in for the night.

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Jack led them up heavy wooden stairs one hand on the rail while the other grasped her skirts. She was chattering on happily every now about the going on within the village and then would complain dramatically how these stairs would be the death of her one day.

The inside of the inn was warm from a large fireplace that Eric could stand in comfortably. The main room was large and just off the kitchen. It was set up with long tables and many chairs, candles hung from the ceiling and a few people were seated either drinking or eating. It smelled of earth and fresh food that could only be from Jack's cooking.

She brought them up three short flights and stopped in front of a door turning to Eric and handing him a small key.

"Well here we are then,"

"Thank you again Jack, it's appreciated. Did you need any help tonight? Help in the kitchens? The sun's still high I could try to catch something -,"

"Tut, tut, tut." Jack hushed him waving her hands about in the air. "Rest for tonight there'll be plenty of time to talk about working. I'll have them send up a tub so the two of you can bathe, there should be a small pot within the room to boil it."

She turned to Snow White suddenly the wide smile out on her face once more. "And you dearie, go and take care of that man of yours. Don't you let him get away." she winked at her before letting out a chuckle at Snow White's almost confused expression.

Walking away from them Eric had to work hard to bite back the grin that was ready to break out on his face at any moment. He was sure however that it was a losing battle. Turning the key in the lock revealed a decent sized room. There was a bed to their right facing a fireplace wood ready in the hearth to be used. Heavy quilts were folded at the end of the bed on a trunk that showed signs of age and wear.

The ceiling was high with wide, wooden beams crossing and Eric assumed that they were on the top floor to prevent 'actual' paying customers from walking too many flights. There was one window directly across from them with heavy curtains drawn back to allow the sunlight in, small flecks of dust dancing in the light.

Another, though larger trunk was pushed against the wall and that was it for decor. It was clean and nicer than some of the inns Eric had stayed in and after weeks of sleeping on the cold ground he was ready to fall back onto the bed. He watched however as Snow White moved into the center taking in her surroundings as well.

It had been so long since she had such a nice place to stay in, even though they were merely borrowing the space it was theirs for the time being. Her fingers trailed over the deep green and brown quilt, feeling its thickness and warmth. In this moment she felt truly separated from the queen, that things were finally beginning for her.

She turned to smile at Eric as if he could know the extent of this emotion she was feeling. He was leaning against the wall arms crossed watching her with an intense expression that had become more frequent especially over these past few days. It caused her neck to warm and a shiver to course through her and she wondered again at these odd sensations that she only had around him.

A knock sounded against the door and Eric pushed off from the wall, turning the handle to reveal two men; one young and another middle aged. Between them they had a wooden tub which after a brief explanation that Jack had sent them, brought it in to the center of the room in front of the fireplace.

They left only to be return with jack trailing behind them lugging up pails of already boiled water. After two more trips the tub was filled and steam which rose in the air, curling and then unfurling before disappearing. Jack handed Snow White a small bar of soap, a couple of small cloths and a brush.

After she had left Snow White dipped a hand into the hot water, a delicious sensation of shivers running up her arm at the feeling. It had been years since having a bath let alone hot water. In her cell she had used a small portion of her drinking water to clean herself but other than that there had not been anything else.

Eric watched as she ran her fingers through the water the steam brushing against her face.

"You go ahead first, I need to speak with Jack." the huntsman turned and walked out into the hallway, locking the door behind him.

He waited a few moments outside the door trying to get a hold of his emotions, could hear her step into the water and her short gasp most likely due to the temperature. Then a short giggle as more water moved and he could imagine her lowering herself into the tub.

He stopped himself there, not allowing himself to add more to the picture, to think of her clothing heaped and discarded on the floor. Moving away from the door was difficult as his body wanted to go back inside with her to give in to what he wanted. Perhaps searching for work would take his mind off the now nude woman in his room, and how much he wanted to go in and join her.

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Hope you liked it, I got really sick of writing forest/walking scenes - there's only so much you can write about. Also I feel the need to do another one-shot so keep an eye out for that!

-Spoony.