Frost (EDITING)

THE PACT

Cedron chucked in the necessary supplies into his satchel. As he stepped out, he noticed Hazel waiting for him.

She beamed at him. "Ready?"

No.

"Do you have the map?" Ced asked.

"Yes." said Hazel, "And the food?"

Ced nodded.

Neverland was not very far away from the rebels' hideout. They would have to cross the forest, to reach the beach, from where they would take a boat to their destination.

They walked in silence, which Cedron was grateful for. Occassionally, he would steal a glance at Hazel. He could see how excited she was on her first quest as leader. She did not seem to care about the responsibility that lay on her shoulder. For that, he envied her.

The scenes of his last battle never left his mind, the image of the wolves emerging through smoke, the cries of his brothers and sisters. It tormented him, in every minute of idleness. He spent his nights awake, for fear of the dreams that he may see, if he ever fell asleep. Sometimes, he wished that he had died, in their place.

"Are you alright, Ced?" Hazel asked, looking at him, with concern.

When sorrows come, they come not in single spies, but battalions.

His recent discussion with Hazel had left him with a sordid realisation. The girl he had possibly begun to harbour feelings for, could never return his affection. He often forgot that although Hazel looked like their kin, her thoughts and ideology were virtually alien to him. She would always be a familiar stranger.

"Are we headed in the right direction? I'm not so good with maps." Hazel said.

Ced realised that they had been walking for quite some time. But such journeys always felt never ending.

He nodded.

They continued ahead. As the minutes passed by, Ced could not pretend that he knew the way; there was something strange about the place they had landed in. Certain parts of the woods were infested with danger and this could be one of those.

He stopped.

"What's the matter?" Hazel asked.

He did not respond. There was a rustle, footsteps sounded, silhouettes in the shadow.

Bandits.

They were surrounded from all sides.

*******

The footsteps announced the princess's arrival. 

" Princess. You never give up , do you ?" the Huntsman said.

" Neither do you." she smiled, " But let's get down business. When we win this war, you shall be rewarded handsomely. Land or gold, whichever you wish."

He smirked in amusement. " How can you be so sure of winning the war ?"

The Huntsman did not plan to take any sides, but he definitely enjoyed the attention, the two sides trying to win him over.

She gave him a coy smile.

" Let us have a little talk about you then, Huntsman or perhaps, it is Eugene Tobias Sanders ? " she said.

He was shocked. No one had ever known his name and no one could know .

"Born in extreme poverty , to Tabitha Fong, a 'lady of the night' in Dukeville. Your father, Lord Tobias Sanders never accepted you and deserted your mother. Certainly , pregnancy had not done good to your mother's business and by the time you were born , she was struggling to feed you. She took out her frustration on you and you blamed your father for your ill fate. You bore his name as a curse."

She did not stop.

"As a young boy, you developed a fondness for hunting , while accompanying your mother's lover and also , one of the royal huntsmen, Gregory Jacob on his hunting trips. Soon, you took up duties as one of them."

He was baffled. She had placed before him , his entire life ; a brief but accurate account. He felt a sudden discomfort, a nervous tingle run down his spine. Secrecy had always been his weapon and shield.

" You look rather pale , dear Huntsman."  she said. Her words relished their sound, as they mocked him.

" Wherever did you get this information from ?" he scoffed.

" We will come to that, shortly. I will certainly not hide anything from you. Why would I, after all ? We are to be allies." she said.

He sneered. " That's all a fine tale, but let me tell you , my lady, that it is nonsense!Not a shred of truth to it."

Her eyes shone with amusement.

" I am afraid it is too late, Huntsman. Your emotions have betrayed you." she said and continued,

" Your first assassination was assigned to you by the Evil Queen. The order was to kill her step daughter, Snow White. After this failed attempt, you went on to become a dreadful and ruthless killer. The blood from countless murders has stained your life and the reward has kept you in the lap of luxury."

She remained quiet for a minute.

" But this is not quite true."

His heart pounded anxiously, his hands shivering. His gaze remained stern, fixed at the Princess'.

He laughed dismissively.

" It's all a trick, a facade that people have failed to see through. The truth is that the Huntsman, the greatest assassin in history of fantasy, is yet to commit a murder.

" Isn't that all you are? A fraud? You have faked murders and let yourself earn money and reputation on falsehood. But why did you refuse to kill and wash the blood off your hands later ?"

He felt her daunting gaze peel his skin away, layer by layer, till his very mind lay out, naked.

" I think we both  know the answer to that, don't we ?" she said, " The Huntsman could never find it in his heart to take a life! A gentle, timid man pretending to have nerves of steel."

He sat motionless, frozen with fear . He felt like he had been stripped of power, completely vulnerable.

The Princess had beat him at his own game.

She looked at him calmly, not a muscle of her face twitched. " So, do we have a deal, Mr. Sanders ?" she asked.

******

AUTHOR'S NOTE :

Snowflake being a badass, part 368793168

Feeling bad for Ced :(

Wan Ann

Bookworm