my clothes . I tried to look at him, but had to crane my neck in order to even see the bottom portion of his face . I backed up a little, and tried to see him more clearly . Thankfully, he finally looked down at me, so I didn’t have to hurt my neck too badly .
“Do you know why I’m here?” He asked carefully, almost unsure .
“I assume that it has to do with my father? If not, my sister perhaps?” I tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear . He nodded . “Then, more likely than not, you’re here to kill me . ”
The shock on his face was almost priceless . I would have laughed if we weren’t in the situation we were . “How… . how did you… . ”
I sighed . “A few months after my mother died, one of the guards told me about a conversation that my father and sister had . They were talking about how I was too much like my mother, how seeing me just brought the pain of her passing back . Apparently, my sister had the idea to kill me, not that it’s surprising coming from her . She never cared for me, not really . ”
“So, you’ve known all this time that it was coming?”
I shrugged . “More of suspected, really . I’m surprised that it took my father this long to agree to it . He never could look me in the eye after my mother’s death . He would always have his back to me . He had declared that every picture and relic of my mother be burned, he was so heartbroken . I had managed to keep a small picture of her safe, but everything else is gone . ”
“I’m sorry,” he said softly . I looked away, not being able to stand seeing the pity in the eyes of my murderer .
“Don’t be, it was my own ignorance that kept me from seeing the inevitable, my own hope . I knew he couldn’t stand to see a picture of my mother, but I hadn’t realized that he would never be able to look at his own daughter again . I suppose heartbreak can do terrible things to people . ”
He nodded . “Yes, it can . ”
I took a deep breath, standing up straight . “Well, if you’re going to kill me, you might as well get it over with . No reason to postpone it any longer than it needs to be . But, can you try to make it quick? I don’t have a very high pain tolerance . ”
He chuckled, and I felt my forehead furrow in confusion . I couldn’t understand how he could be laughing when he was about to kill me . I would have thought that he would have done it as soon as he saw me, not make small talk beforehand, and definitely not laugh at me .
“I’m not going to kill you, Princess . ” He finally said, smiling down at me .
I was taken back . “Why not? I thought you were sent to kill me . ”
“I was,” he explained . “But, I’m not like other Huntsmen, I can’t kill something or someone for pleasure . And, I definitely cannot kill an innocent young lady . ”
“But…If my father finds out…”
“He already knows,” he cut me off . “I told him, I wasn’t going to kill you . He agreed, but only if I made sure no one knew that you were alive . You have to stay hidden, unknown to the kingdoms . ”
“So, what happens now? Are you going to just leave me here?” I looked around the clearing, taking in the unending possibilities . “Because, I could make that work . There is so much that I could do with this little piece of land . ”
He chuckled again . “No, I’m not going to just leave you, much to your disappointment . You’re going to come stay with me . I live right on the edge of the Kingdom, by the borderline to Wonderland and Neverland . No one who would gossip of you will be able to find you out there . ”
I nodded . “I’m not sure if I’m completely comfortable staying with you, but I suppose it’s better than dying at my sisters hand . ”
“I have many friends, I’m sure I can find someone you can stay with . ”
I gave him a small smile, the anxiety in the pit of my stomach building considerably . “Thank you, that would be nice . ”
Looking up at the sky, he sighed .