~Ties that Bind ~

By pinkjinx876

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Story of Snow White, nor that of Snow White and the Huntsman.

This story will have some steamy moments; I will say that from the start.

Four days.

It had been four long and treacherous days since she had escaped the evil Queen's clutches; four arduous days since Snow White had entered the dark forest. The Huntsman had been with her nearly every step, after he had nearly ended her life, and then miraculously saved it instead.

Snow White did not understand why.

She still did not trust him, nor did he trust her. Their alliance was formed not out of a mutual trust, but a mutual respect and suspicion.

The Huntsman respected Snow White's tenacity and her innocence, and Snow White respected the Huntsman's brute strength and cunning.

Of course, the fact that he could easily snap her limbs and end her life in mere moments was not forgotten by either party.

"You're trouble," grumbled the Huntsman, his heavy Scottish accent making him difficult to understand. He grasped her shoulder hard as her boot hit the rocks at the wrong angle, sending her crashing down to her knees. Dragging her upright once again, he scowled as he heard her small shoulder let out a quiet 'pop'.

He'd hurt her, again.

She deserved a better guide, and he wished he wasn't in such dire need of the money. She had promised him one hundred gold pieces to reach the Duke's castle, and he knew that without this job he would surely starve.

He had been ready to bring her back to the Queen, who had promised him a much more handsome reward; but upon seeing her face, he had been momentarily blinded by her unparalleled beauty. He had been unable to kill her without knowing the reason for the poor girl's unlucky fate.

At first he had believed it when the Queen had promised to bring back his wife as reward for capturing her runaway, but after sobering up somewhat, he admitted to himself that it was an impossible task.

No one could bring the dead back to life.

He had slaughtered her messengers in the forest out of his rage.

His drinking had become out of hand lately, in the month marking the fifth year since his wife had been murdered. The Queen's offer could not have come at a worse time for him, and he was disgusted with himself that he had almost let his grief blind him into sacrificing this young girl's life for Ravenna's twisted agenda.

His guilt had led him to give her his word that they would reach her destination. He felt he had a duty to his wife to up hold, he had to deliver the girl safely to the Duke's castle.

He had almost slit her throat; he was obligated to help the girl.

"Yes, I know I am. You've made that very clear," mumbled Snow White through lightly clenched teeth, righting herself with a bit of difficulty and pushing his large hands off of her shoulder. "Thanks."

He was rough with her, but she had grown to expect no less.

Ten years being locked in a cellar eating nothing but scraps and having been shown little kindness in her life, she had come to expect such treatment.

She did not blame the Huntsman, his sorrows were etched plainly across his face and she knew that she wasn't the source of his troubles.

Moreover, though his touch was rough, she knew he would never purposely hurt her, nor let any harm come to her while she was under his protection. If there was anything she needed most right now, it was protection. She needed him as her guide, he was her only way to reach William.

"Just sayin', is all. You're probably more trouble than you're worth."

Snow White thought about laughing, but knew that as long as he thought of her as a simple prisoner, her identity would remain hidden. She tittered self consciously, tripping over another branch as she did so and nearly falling into a thorn bush. The Huntsman's strong arms righted her yet again, though she could tell he was growing tired of her teetering.

"I…highly doubt that. Thank you, again."

He stopped then, turning around, facing her with an alarmingly quizzical look on his face. She stopped in her tracks, always shocked to see how much larger he was than herself. He towered over her by well over a foot, his weight at least double her own, if not more.

"Are you really so certain of yourself, Prisoner? A young girl like you, what do you know?"

She stared up at him, attempting to look menacing and yet completely sure that she was failing at it.

"I am worth a great deal more than you think, Huntsman."

He took a step towards her and grabbed her arms roughly, lifting her just barely off of her feet so he could look into her face. Her thin legs dangled beneath her, and she tried not to wince at his grip.

He sized her up for some time, and she knew that he was desperately trying to place her face. His eyes lingered over her own, before studying her nose and the curve of her lips. He lingered on her mouth for a few moments before taking in the color of her hair.

She highly doubted he knew anyone who looked like her; she had always thought her looks rather odd and out of place. Most of those in the kingdom had lighter brown hair and tan skin.

It made her painfully self conscious. Where did a wisp of a girl with skin pale as snow, hair black as night, and lips red as blood belong amongst everyone else in the kingdom, with their mousy brown hair and olive toned skin?

She had never looked like any of them.

Her father had constantly told her that she was beautiful, to which she had always laughed. The thought of her father saddened her, as it always did. What would he think of her imprisonment? Of the malicious Ravenna?

She knew that most assumed her to be dead, and after 10 years in captivity, no one would likely remember her as the rightful queen to the kingdom.

Sighing in frustration, the Huntsman set her down, cupping her chin with his gloved fingers and bringing her face up to study her more.

"Who are you? Why does the Queen want you dead?"

"Who I am is none of your concern. It doesn't matter, Huntsman."

He let go of her face and turned abruptly, stalking ahead in such a speed that she had to run a little to catch up. He was angry no doubt, but she couldn't risk it.

As he hiked ahead of her, she watched the way his axe swung lightly back and forth at his side. Yes she was safe with him, but it would be foolish to provoke him any further whilst he had such an advantage over her.

Letting her eyes roam up to his shoulders, where several more weapons as well as a small pack were strung, she couldn't help but glance at the taut muscles rippling across his arms.

She blushed furiously, eyes falling downward to stare pointedly at her feet as she followed him.

As she watched her footsteps, careful not to slip on the moss, she let out a loud yelp as her face suddenly collided with something hard.

"Aye! Watch where you're going! You can't even avoid running into me now?" He barked, and the strong pair of arms holding her up let her know that she had walked straight into him.

"I…I'm terribly sorry. I was lost in thought," she muttered, bringing her eyes up to meet his, aware that the blush had not yet receded back into her cheeks.

He looked at her, face flushed from something he knew not of. Her lips were parted slightly, revealing her pink mouth. As their eyes met, he became aware that her cheeks turned a deeper shade of red, and he felt a tightening in his stomach that he couldn't identify as they continued to stare at one another, unmoving.

"If you won't tell me who you are…at least tell me this. What shall I call you?" he asked gently, his hands still on her shoulders as his body supported the weight of her own. "Prisoner doesn't really suit you, you know."

She mentally debated giving him a fake name, but felt wrong lying to him.

"Snow," she whispered, as she regained movement in her feet and stood up, breaking eye contact with him and pushing away slightly.

"Is that your real name?"

"Part of it. I won't tell you any more, please do not ask me, Huntsman."

"As you wish…Snow."

He said her name after a slight pause, testing it out. It seemed too formal to him, a name that only someone of extremely high birth would receive. Perhaps she was right, she might very well be worth a great deal. In all his life not once had he met a peasant named Snow.

The Huntsman straightened himself, staring down at her small frame.

He mentally berated himself for being so careless and forceful with her, he could already see a bruise forming on the skin on her shoulder; visible through a tear in her dress.

Another wave of guilt washed over him as he gazed upon the bruise, her milky white flesh marred by its purple and blue streaks. As he wallowed in self pity for a disgustingly long moment, a thought suddenly struck him. She had multiple bruises…but they couldn't possibly be all from him. Some were almost healed…

"What is on your arms?"

She looked up at him, momentarily puzzled.

"Um…Sleeves?"

Letting out an exasperated sigh, he moved quickly towards her, tearing off her sleeve like he had the length of her dress on the first day.

She gasped in shock, moving away from him, but not quickly enough to prevent him from ripping off her other sleeve, throwing it down in the mud as he stared at her exposed arms.

She was horrified, only a thin strip if fabric about an inch in width kept her shoulders from being completely exposed, and the air was freezing.

"What has she done to you?" he growled, as he looked upon a myriad of cuts and bruised marring her snowy white skin. He could see clearly now, without the fabric of her dress hiding her wrists, the distinct marks indicating she had been shackled for some time. The way that they looked almost permanent, cut deeply into her skin yet completely healed over, pointed to her being imprisoned for years at least.

"What have you done to me? There's snow on the ground! How will I stay warm now, Huntsman?" she fumed, stepping towards him and pushing him in the chest.

He was so much larger than her that she only succeeded in pushing herself back, but she kept hitting him lightly in the chest anyways.

Now she would surely freeze!

"I saw your bruises-"

"Which are none of your concern, Huntsman! What is your concern though, is to get me to the Duke's castle safely! How do you plan on doing that when you strip me down every few days? This journey will take a month, am I to be left in only my boots by then? How long do you think I'll survive before I freeze now?"

She shivered, reaching down to pick up one of her discarded sleeves.

He took it from her, tearing the leather into two long strips.

"My apologies, Snow. Wrap these around your forearms, you will be warmer. I will barter you some gloves when I can."

He mentally scolded himself for once again making the girl's life harder. She had shackle marks on her arms for God's sake! Why had he been so cruel to her? Why hadn't she said anything? Was she so used to this treatment that it didn't even phase her?

"That's not necessary just…please don't let me freeze out here, Huntsman. Don't ask about the scars either," she added, as she saw his eyes flicker back to her shoulders.

She stepped forward, and waited soundlessly for him to lead the way again.

He inwardly cursed the heavens for allowing someone to harm such an innocent creature, then violently cursed himself for contributing the two largest and newest bruises on her shoulders.

Without her bulky sleeves she looked more delicate than ever, and he felt ashamed at having tossed her about and grabbing her so roughly.

Stepping ahead of her and once again resuming his role as her guide, he vowed to attempt to treat her with a bit more tenderness in the future.

"Ow!" Snow White exclaimed, as her foot hit a root and she stumbled to her knees.

The Huntsman rolled his eyes exasperatedly, helping her up for what must have been the hundredth time that day.

She sure wasn't going to make it easy.

What do you think? I am already writing future chapters, so I apologize that it's shorter, but I figured you'd rather have things sooner than wait another few days for me t pump out a beast of a chapter, I'll just split it up!

Please review so I can know what you think!

GAME: I would like to play a game with this fic. I will include lines from the actual movie (as I have in here, HINT) and references to the Disney Snow White. If you pick up on any of them, leave them in your comment and I will send you a teaser for the next chapter before it goes up! Fun? I think so ;)