Hunter, My Hunter

“Follow him. Don’t come back until you bring me his heart.”


The queen had never looked so out of sorts. Wisps of hair were plastered to her face, sweat still beading at her forehead. Her bony knuckles were white as she thrust a wooden box at the hunter who stood before her. The filagree left an impression against her palm as it was pried from her hands, small key left within the lock. It was a good sturdy wood, stained a rich brown, the velvet red lining vibrant within. The hunter could feel the smooth finish of the varnish beneath his fingers, feel the weight of the box against his hip as he tucked it away in his pouch.


“Your majesty-”


“Bring me his heart. You cannot return here without it. Go just before dawn, he’ll never suspect.” Her death grip turned itself to his arm, nails biting flesh as she pulled him closer with a strength no one would suspect. Fear was etched into every line upon her face, stealing her beauty away, replaced by a nearly unrecognizable mask. Though the hunter’s face remained smooth he felt her fear at his core, pulse racing as she pressed upon him the impossible task.


“Your majesty, I cannot kill the prince.”




“You can and you must. The prince is dead already, kill the demon that took his body. Save us all.”


The queen’s words echoed within the hunter’s ears, long after he’d been dismissed from her chambers. She had clearly lost her mind, calling for the execution of her step son as if he were an animal. Yet there was an unspoken truth to her words that left the hunter less conflicted than he should have been.


Snow White had been the miracle to counter the loss of the kingdom’s first queen. It was clear before he was even five years old he’d inherited his mother’s beauty, her coal black hair curled upon his head, her emerald eyes stared out at the word from under his lashes. His pale cheeks were always flushed with a smile or a laugh, good humour never in short supply. At sixteen he was as delicate as any lady at court and he preferred to keep them as his closest companions, the loveliest rose among them. He was well loved by all his subjects and he loved them in return. Even when his father remarried he had welcomed the new queen with smiles and grace. There was little trouble within the palace walls.


Then the summer after his father had passed, Snow White had taken a trip to a neighbouring kingdom. He wished to learn more of the world, so that he might rule his people better when the time came. When he returned, something had changed within him. He still smiled and spoke with kind words but he withdrew from his duties and friends. He never missed a party but his eyes no longer laughed when his lips did, they just watched the crowd with a hunger no one could understand.


When the people of the castle town came to court to plead for aid in searching for the young men and women who had started to disappear, the prince refused to offer help. He turned them away with laughter, their children had all run off to find a better life, a more exciting life than what their little kingdom could offer. As the number of missing rose, suspicions and fear bubbled within the walls of the town. The queen began to pull away as well, missing meals, growing to thin for her gowns as she watched her step son’s every move. They were two ghosts within the halls until the sun set, the prince a vibrant participant in every gathering, the queen just a shadow on the wall.


The huntsman would find himself a liar if he claimed he did not understand what it was the queen meant, when she called the prince a demon. Something was changed within him, something cruel had begun to fester while he’d found himself away from home.


The hunter found himself outside the prince’s chambers before he’d had a chance to tell his feet to stop. Checking the dagger on his hip he pushed the door open while he still held the conviction to follow orders from a crazed monarch. The room was dark, the flickering light of the candles behind him did little to chase away the shadows as he crept towards the bed. His steps were near silent, as if the prince were a skittish deer he feared would bolt if he made the wrong move. Adjusting his hold on the hilt he rose his blade, tip angled down as he took one last steadying breath.


The bed was empty, sheets still smooth and waiting for someone to slip beneath them. Dawn was on its way but the prince had yet to return to his room after the party that had ended some hours ago.


The hunter didn’t have to search for long, the sound of unusual movement down a kitchen hallway. The staff were still tucked away safely in their beds, waiting for the first bells of the day to call them to work. Snow White stood in a doorway that led out to the forest, firewood piled just next to the frame, waiting to stoke the ovens and heat the fall air. He was preoccupied with something in his arms, clutching it close, his back to the hunter, face hidden. A wayward piece of bark made its way beneath the huntsman’s boot, cracking with the pressure of his step. The sound of it was so loud it was sure to wake the whole castle. The prince whipped himself about, dropping the still body of a kitchen maid to the floor.


His lips were stained the deepest red the hunter had ever known, catching him off guard. It was enough time that he lost his advantage, Snow White had caught sight of the blade in his hand long before he had a chance to use it. The prince held no fear for it, stepping away from the woman he’d so casually discarded. Even in the dark of the early morning, his eyes were green and captivating, meeting the hunter’s. Where innocence had once lived there was nothing there but a hollowness that trapped the hunter in its depths.


“Huntsman, my hunter.”


The words hit him like a raging bull, pulling the air from his lungs as he tried to breath. There was nothing now but green and the cool touch of the prince’s fingers upon his cheeks.


“What do you plan to do with that knife my hunter?”


“The queen has ordered me to take your heart.” The hunter’s voice was pulled from him, distant in his ears as he spoke a truth he had sworn to keep secret. That betrayal meant nothing to him, for his prince he would do anything.


“My heart? I suppose I was too careless.” There was a bored sigh within the prince’s voice that had never resided there before. He clucked his tongue and patted the hunter’s cheek with a hand that felt too cold like the winter wind within his skin. “Let’s not disappoint her. Find another heart, return it to her. Give her some peace of mind. It will be our secret my hunter.”


The time between that meeting and the breaking of dawn was lost to the hunter, his head ached fiercely every time he attempted to recall it. He just found himself standing at the gates of the castle, wooden box warm in his hands. His fingers were stained with blood, a fearful sight for the guards that let him pass, distance kept by all member of staff he passed within the castle corridors. There were whispers that followed him, murmurs and rumours that tried to fill the gap even he could not recall.


The queen had yet to sleep, the circles beneath her eyes darker than before, her hair nearly free of all restraints. She stood in the center of her chambers, dressing gown sliding from one shoulder as she took in the sight of the royal huntsman, mouth moving with silent words. To her he must have appeared a vision of success though a tiny voice at the back of his mind spoke of lies and deceit. He offered none of them to her, merely holding out the ornate box now ruined with the dark stains of blood.


She snatched it from him, fingers trembling as she turned the key, revealing her prize. A sob tore from her throat and she fell to her knees, laughter heard between the gasping breaths. Her kingdom was freed of the demon’s grip, she had saved her people and lost the last of her family that night. The huntsman excused himself, the sound of her wild mirth haunting him even as he made his way to the depths of the castle, to the darkness that felt more like home than ever before.


Hunter, my hunter.


Those words called him even in his dreams. Soon enough he had put the disturbing night from his mind, life started to return back to normal. The queen regained the weight she had lost, found her footing on solid ground once more as she became herself once more. They were freed from the nightmare that had once had itself claws buried deep within the heart of it all. No more young people found themselves missing save for one lone kitchen girl who’s departure was surrounded by rumours of a spurred love. Life moved on, mourning the loss of the prince as they had once mourned the loss of their king.


Tragedy behind them the kingdom moved forward into a new dawn until a story made its way from the gates of the town to the castle throne room. In the heart of the royal forest a cottage had been found. Seven men guarded its walls day and night, scarcely moving save for changes in the post. They kept all travelers at a distance, scaring hunting parties and caravans off the beaten path to find their way around it. Those brave souls who kept it in their sightline as they made their way passed it spoke of a ghostly figure that stood at the windows, watching them through the foliage. Snow white skin and raven black hair and a face sweeter than an angel.


“What is the meaning of this?”


The queen’s voice could be heard throughout the castle, echoing against stone as she shrieked. The wooden box she had presented her huntsman with was a talisman that never left her side until it was thrown at the man, splintering when it hit the wall behind him. The stench of rotting meat and death flooded the room but the queen paid it no mind even as her attendants gagged and gasped for clean air. Nothing could draw her focus from the hunter who had betrayed her confidence and presented her with a lie.


“He lives still! You let that demon live. We are all doomed.”


Her voice cracked as she crossed the room, slivers of wood crunching under her delicate slippers until she stood only a breath away from the hunter. The grip of her fingers was surprisingly fierce as she grabbed the man’s chin, drawing his face closer to hers, eyes seeking out a truth only she could name. Unsatisfied with what she found she pushed him away, the wild fear seizing her once more.


“He charmed you. You’re of no use to me here. I shall find someone more suitable to finish the job you could not. Leave me.”


At first she sent the kingdom’s greatest assassin, an unassuming woman under the guise of a traveling merchant. She was to make her way into the cottage and end the monster that their former prince had become. The night following her departure her body was returned, left at the castle gate empty of blood, her corset pulled so tight it shattered her ribs and pierced her heart.


Next she called upon the best apothecary in the town, begging for his greatest poison. She had the tips of a beautiful comb coated with it, the poison so potent that even the smallest prick would prove to be fatal. Wrapped beautifully, it was sent to the cottage, relying on the prince’s love of beautiful things to tempt him into this trap. Again the following night found the messenger returned to them without breath or blood, comb buried in their scalp. The queen locked herself in her room for three days after they were discovered, refusing all food and drink while she tried to find another plan, another way to rid her kingdom of such evil.


Eventually when she emerged once more it was not with another plan to end the demon within her stepson but with one she hoped would keep her people safe. For the next few years they lived in fear of the forest but safe from the disappearances that once had plagued their populace before. There were less visitors to their kingdom but their harvests were fruitful and and there was peace. Even the queen who watched the trees for all signs of danger, seemed to settle into some sort of routine. It wasn’t until they had two hard winters in a row that panic started to settle in once more.


Traders weren’t making it through the forest. More than one scout sent to investigate came back with stories of piles of bones and bodies the closer to the heart they got, if they even came back at all. The prince had his former people back in his grasp once more, their lives more at risk than they had ever been before as he kept them from receiving any help from the outside world. The small kingdom was isolated and lost to time and their queen found herself spiraling back into insanity once more.


“Hunter, dear Hunter.”


The queen’s voice was hoarse from the couch that had gripped her lungs months ago, refusing to free her from the touch of winter. She stood in the doorway of the hunter’s chambers, dress rumpled, hair dull as it flew about her face. The hunter had fallen out of favour with the queen, the last words they had exchanged had been accusations of betrayal. She kept her head held high, though her hands shook as they smoothed out her skirts, hiding the speed in which she had traveled to her servant's room.


“I need you to do one more task for me.”


The huntsman would do anything for his queen. That loyalty lead him to the royal forest, dressed for the hunt though none of his weapons would prove effective against the waiting prince. His feet lead him passed the towers of bone and cloth, far taller than they should have ever been allowed to grow. There were enough remains here to fill a town the size of the castle staff, the weight of them baring down in the form of guilt. Had he followed his queen’s first order there would have been no more victims, no more deaths. The royal forest had become a graveyard to unnamed travelers.


There was barely the sound of snapping twigs to warn the hunter before he was caught, two pairs of strong arms wrapping around his. He didn’t recognize either men’s faces, their expressions hauntingly empty as they dragged him through the trees to a nearby clearing. What had been described as a cottage in so many of the tales had grown in size enormously over the years. New additions rose up from what must have once been a simple home in the heart of the foliage, now it was a small castle in its own right. The pair of men didn’t give him a chance to really observe it, they pulled him into the waiting door, depositing him on the floor of the every growing maze.


They left him to get to his feet, door slamming behind him, to block his escape route but at the sound of approaching footsteps he knew there would be no escape this time. Snow White looked just as he had that last night, face still round with his youth, hair still perfectly curled. Time had not touched him, save for his eyes which looked upon an eternity. The prince crossed the room, eyeing the hunter who would not drop to his knee though the urge called for him to. They locked their gaze, silence echoing between them before the prince let his ruby lips curl into a smile.


“Hunter, my hunter.”


Those words had haunted him for so many years, to hear them aloud again was almost a relief. They drew him in pulled him closer to the prince without a need to voice the command. Just as he had been that night, the huntsman was lost within the prince’s eyes, lost to all else in the word.


“You’ve come back to me again. Are you here for my heart or for my love?”


“Your heart.”


Snow White merely let his smile extend, delicate fingers reaching up to brush against the hunter’s cheek. Even in the warmth of the summer they felt like ice, coated in the cold of death. The hunter closed his eyes, leaning into the touch, defenses down completely.


“Are you sure you wouldn’t rather my love? I have always wanted you.”


Seduction dripped from the prince’s words, his voice disarming. Slowly those fingers curled around the back of the hunter’s neck, drawing him closer still to the prince. There was barely time for a breath before the hunter thought to fight the hold that had trapped him so easily. The prince’s teeth found his skin before he could push away, broke the surface before he could protest. Now he was the kitchen maid, subject to Snow White’s godless hunger and desire. He gasped, trashing only once before his knees gave out, crumpling to the floor. The prince followed, resting the man’s head in his lap as he watched without mercy as each beat of his heart spilled more blood.


“You can join me. Be one with me.”


The prince stroked his hair as he might have a lover’s a lifetime ago, before that fateful summer. The hunter didn’t reply, he couldn’t, his lips moved but made no sound as he watched the face of an innocent take his life from him. He didn’t have to wait long before that expression twisted, surprise and pain lining a face that had been made of sweetness and cruelty only moments ago.


“What have you done?”


There was no seduction to his tone now, just a hissing anger that was lined with shadow. Blood and laughter bubbled up through the hunter’s lips as he was pushed to the floor, the prince backing away, watching his hands with a fear he’d inflicted on so many others before this moment. The tips of his pale fingers had taken on the colour of coal, moving further up his arm with every breath.


“What have you done?!”


He cried out again as the colour made its way to his neck, spiderwebs of darkness moving across his face. He too was forced to his knees as it took full hold of him, leaving him clawing at the wood floor. The hunter could not answer, the life leaving his eyes as the demon prince fought against something he could not see. In the hunter’s pocket was the little glass vial the queen had pressed into his hand with her last request.


The poison was slow moving but it was deadly she had been told. It would infect the hunter’s heart but give him enough time to offer himself to the former prince. Once it was in his blood there would be no way to save him or the prince from it’s effects. The hunter would do anything for his queen and his kingdom and the prince he’d once looked after so fondly, until he’d become a monster.


“I need you to do one more task for me.”


The huntsman would do anything for his queen. That loyalty lead him to the royal forest, dressed for the hunt though none of his weapons would prove effective against the waiting prince. His feet lead him passed the towers of bone and cloth, far taller than they should have ever been allowed to grow. There were enough remains here to fill a town the size of the castle staff, the weight of them baring down in the form of guilt. Had he followed his queen’s first order there would have been no more victims, no more deaths. The royal forest had become a graveyard to unnamed travelers.


There was barely the sound of snapping twigs to warn the hunter before he was caught, two pairs of strong arms wrapping around his. He didn’t recognize either men’s faces, their expressions hauntingly empty as they dragged him through the trees to a nearby clearing. What had been described as a cottage in so many of the tales had grown in size enormously over the years. New additions rose up from what must have once been a simple home in the heart of the foliage, now it was a small castle in its own right. The pair of men didn’t give him a chance to really observe it, they pulled him into the waiting door, depositing him on the floor of the every growing maze.


They left him to get to his feet, door slamming behind him, to block his escape route but at the sound of approaching footsteps he knew there would be no escape this time. Snow White looked just as he had that last night, face still round with his youth, hair still perfectly curled. Time had not touched him, save for his eyes which looked upon an eternity. The prince crossed the room, eyeing the hunter who would not drop to his knee though the urge called for him to. They locked their gaze, silence echoing between them before the prince let his ruby lips curl into a smile.


“Hunter, my hunter.”


Those words had haunted him for so many years, to hear them aloud again was almost a relief. They drew him in pulled him closer to the prince without a need to voice the command. Just as he had been that night, the huntsman was lost within the prince’s eyes, lost to all else in the word.


“You’ve come back to me again. Are you here for my heart or for my love?”


“Your heart.”


Snow White merely let his smile extend, delicate fingers reaching up to brush against the hunter’s cheek. Even in the warmth of the summer they felt like ice, coated in the cold of death. The hunter closed his eyes, leaning into the touch, defenses down completely.


“Are you sure you wouldn’t rather my love? I have always wanted you.”


Seduction dripped from the prince’s words, his voice disarming. Slowly those fingers curled around the back of the hunter’s neck, drawing him closer still to the prince. There was barely time for a breath before the hunter thought to fight the hold that had trapped him so easily. The prince’s teeth found his skin before he could push away, broke the surface before he could protest. Now he was the kitchen maid, subject to Snow White’s godless hunger and desire. He gasped, trashing only once before his knees gave out, crumpling to the floor. The prince followed, resting the man’s head in his lap as he watched without mercy as each beat of his heart spilled more blood.


“You can join me. Be one with me.”


The prince stroked his hair as he might have a lover’s a lifetime ago, before that fateful summer. The hunter didn’t reply, he couldn’t, his lips moved but made no sound as he watched the face of an innocent take his life from him. He didn’t have to wait long before that expression twisted, surprise and pain lining a face that had been made of sweetness and cruelty only moments ago.


“What have you done?”


There was no seduction to his tone now, just a hissing anger that was lined with shadow. Blood and laughter bubbled up through the hunter’s lips as he was pushed to the floor, the prince backing away, watching his hands with a fear he’d inflicted on so many others before this moment. The tips of his pale fingers had taken on the colour of coal, moving further up his arm with every breath.


“What have you done?!”


He cried out again as the colour made its way to his neck, spiderwebs of darkness moving across his face. He too was forced to his knees as it took full hold of him, leaving him clawing at the wood floor. The hunter could not answer, the life leaving his eyes as the demon prince fought against something he could not see. In the hunter’s pocket was the little glass vial the queen had pressed into his hand with her last request.


The poison was slow moving but it was deadly she had been told. It would infect the hunter’s heart but give him enough time to offer himself to the former prince. Once it was in his blood there would be no way to save him or the prince from it’s effects. The hunter would do anything for his queen and his kingdom and the prince he’d once looked after so fondly, until he’d become a monster.


“Hunter, my hunter, please.”


The prince’s pleas fell on ears that could not hear as he took the last of his unnatural breaths. When the queen sent scouts to look in on the cottage castle they found their former prince gripping the hand of the man who had brought his end, both made of stone and sorrow.