I Am Cersei Rose

8

"Maybe you should have asked the queen that" Snow retorted. The huntsman nodded and looked back and forth between us, his jaw clenched.

"I. Don't. Trust. You" he said, punctuating every word with a strange sort of venom in his voice. Snow didn't understand why he was looking at her directly and not me. I felt my heart swell at that. So he trusts me? Even just a little?

"I've given you my word" she declared, looking up at him with her doe eyes and her brave gaze, even though I knew her better than that. She held fear in those green eyes of hers, along with uncertainty. She wasn't sure he was going to take the deal.

"I still do not trust you" was his deep, strong, and suddenly wary voice. Snow looked disappointed with his answer. I cleared my throat and stepped forward drawing attention to myself.

"We just fought along side one another. I just bound your wound. I don't trust you either, huntsman, but I helped you and all I ask for in return is safe passage, which you will be paid heavily for. If you wish, take Snow. She won't last out here, but I might. Please, if it's only for my sister, take her" I reasoned, looking at Snow with a sorry look. She looked like she was about to protest, but he cut her off.

"I'll take you both. At least you can hold a blade, and I know you will not go without your sister" He spat in his hand, holding it out for me to shake. I spat in my own palm, shaking his hand instantly. His hand was warm in the cold, calloused like he had worked very hard over the years, but somehow I found it comforting. Grossed out but hiding it, I just smiled towards Snow. He retraced his hand first, and grabbed the blade from Snow. For a minute, I missed the warmth.

"Give me that, before you lose a finger" he said in a rough, joking tone that apparently only I picked up on. I cracked a smile. Maybe he isn't that bad.

............

Walking through the woods was tougher than I had imagined in that god forsaken dress. For most of the time I was cursing and gripping onto my dress. I was behind the huntsman, but in front of Snow, who's dress was longer than mine. She suddenly started crying out. I turned around and saw her stuck in a tangle of branches, looking at them like they were going to kill her.

Slipping my hand to the huntsman's belt, I pulled out the blade Snow used a while ago and swung it at the wood, chopping it away. I managed to get rid of it pretty quickly, tossing it away while the huntsman joined us. I stuck it back into his belt.

"The forest gains strength from your weakness" he said, walking away and taking a swig of his drink. I looked at Snow.

"Snakes?" I whispered. She nodded frantically. I rubbed her back soothingly and sighed as I looked around the woods.

"Do you drink to drown your sorrows or your conscience?" I looked at her in surprise. That was bold. The huntsman didn't like that. He glared at her as he answered.

"What concern is it of yours why I drink?" he grunted, putting the sack back into his pocket. Snow re-thought her question.

"I suppose a man's sorrows are his own" she admitted. He looked at her and let out a breathy, humorless laugh.

"What does a young girl like you know about sorrow?" The thoughts of father and mother clouded my mind, bringing tears to my eyes. We were only 18, yet we had lost so much. So much pain hidden under our masks of courage. So much screaming hidden behind our silence. So much distrust hidden behind our beauty. Tears fogged up Snow's eyes. I patted her shoulder in reassurance.

He came towards Snow and grabbed a fist full of dress, tearing it in one fluid motion. She was wearing skin tight trousers underneath, revealing her skinny legs. He looked up at me and did the same. he stopped just before our knees. I rolled my eyes and took the ax from him, cutting up to my corset seen as I was wearing high waisted trousers myself. I struggled to do the back a little, so he took the ax from me and did it for me.

I breathed out a sigh of relief. Thank god I can move now. Snow looked at the huntsman as if he just made a move to violate her. It was a serious insinuation, but the look on her face couldn't stop me from laughing.

"Honey, if he was going to do anything untoward to you, I'd have killed him by now" I said. She grinned at my joke and I wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"But he cut yours shorter..." She pointed. He was waiting for us, seemingly amused by her disgust.

"Don't flatter yourself" He smirked at us, and to be honest, I smirked back. He was even more attractive when he held something other than that frown. "Stay close"

We walked for a little while, him taking swigs of whatever was in that sack. After a while, I felt like I needed one myself. I looked at him and took the sack away from his hand, lifting it to my own lips and taking a gulp, before handing it back to him.

He rose his eyebrows and gave me a look, halfway between smirking and smiling. The drink burned my throat, but I refused to show that it had effected me in any way.

When he didn't take it, I rolled my eyes and pushed it into his chest, forcing him to before meeting back up with Snow.

I smiled at her and she smiled back, happily linking arms with me. She motioned for me to lean down and I did so, seen as I was two or three inches taller.

"The forest will effect you too, Cersei. I don't want you to get hurt" I smiled at her sadly, pulling away and kissing the top of her head.

"I'll live, Snow. It was a long time ago. I've had time to get over it" she nodded hesitantly and came to a slow stop as we followed the huntsman.

"Here, I want to show you something" he said to Snow and I unlinked our arms and stood two feet away. He handed her the blade from his belt.

"Which is your lead foot?"