Snow
Hunter launched the ship before Snow even had a chance to process what was going on. The dusty red world dropped away, a smoking, gaping hole marring its surface. She hoped the doctor fared better than Robbie had. At least he’d had a plan. That steel door seemed solid enough…
She couldn’t bear to think that another person had died trying to help her.
“I’m starting to see a pattern here, Princess,” Hunter said from the controls.
“What’s that?” she asked, hollowness creeping in. Had it been a mistake to go there? To ask for the help of a clearly unstable man? Had she doomed him with her determination?
“Doesn’t seem like you can leave a place without fires and explosions destroying everything in your wake.” She turned to find him smiling at her, trying to break the tension no doubt, but Snow didn’t return the gesture.
“I never wanted it to be that way… Do you think he’s okay?” By now, the red dot of the planet was shrinking, getting smaller and smaller until it blended in with the rest of the stars.
“I’m sure he’s alright. He seemed pretty happy about enacting his ‘plan.’”
Snow sighed. “I don’t understand what set him off, though? The guards weren’t there. He said the Queen had found him… What was he talking about?”
Hunter shrugged. “How should I know? Guy was crazier than a box of frogs.”
“Do you think she could be spying on us somehow? Don’t you have one of those chips? Could she be listening through that?” The idea that the Queen knew exactly where they were, what they were saying, what they were planning… It was too much. “Can’t she track you through it? Is that how they found the cottage?”
Hunter sighed and scrubbed his palm over his face. “That’s not really how it works. Besides, how would she even know to track me? We have no connection. I’ve never been involved with the resistance. I’m just a no-name smuggler, not even on her radar.”
“I guess…” said Snow, but something about his ready excuses bothered her. Something didn’t sit right. He’d been acting strange ever since they were captured by the doctor.
“Look,” he said, right behind her, his hands on her shoulders, “you’ve been given a lot to think about. Why don’t we find somewhere to settle down for a decent rest that’s not in these cramped chairs? I got some camping gear on Avuuna. You can try to work out that riddle.”
Warmth radiated from his fingers and trickled down her arms, swimming into her chest. She leaned back into him, his chest pressed into her back as his arms swept down and encircled her waist.
“Okay.” She nodded. “You’re right.” What was it about Hunter, about his touch, that eased her worries? How could he quiet the voices in her head so easily? All those voices casting doubt about her judgement, her choices, her future. Hunter made them go away.
Maybe she should be worried about that, but for once, it was nice to not worry.
He left her at the front of the ship, staring out the window while he went back to the control panel. “Looks like there’s a suitable planet in the next solar system. Breathable air, potable water, no permanent population.”
“Sounds good,” she murmured, still thinking about their encounter with the doctor. Her father had created the chips… The thought made her sick to think about. What was he thinking? He’d always been such a good solid leader; why would he need a way to control people?
And then there was the riddle… It didn’t make any sense, but she couldn’t tell Hunter that. He already thought they were on a wild goose chase. So why was he still with her? The effects of his touch still lingered on her bare skin and Snow shivered. Maybe he had reasons unrelated to the cause. Maybe he cared more about her. Or maybe there was some prestige to be gained by being associated with the Princess. A merchant never misses an opportunity, he’d said.
Was she just another opportunity?
She couldn’t afford that kind of distraction. She couldn’t waste her time and energy trying to decipher his motives. She had to go off the information she had readily available.
Hunter was still with her.
He’d saved her more times than she could count now.
He could have backed out a number of times and hadn’t.
Whatever his reasons for being loyal were, she couldn’t argue that he wasn’t on her side. He’d been there every step of the way. And despite how difficult it was for Snow to trust herself, she had to believe that she wasn’t wrong about him. She had to, or she’d drive herself insane.
“I thought you were a merchant,” she said.
“Yeah?”
“You just said smuggler.”
“Merchant’s just a fancy word for smuggler,” he said with a shrug. It was an easy enough explanation, but why didn’t it make her feel any more confident?
“The chip doesn’t get in the way of smuggling? Isn’t that illegal? Wouldn’t she know what you’re up to?”
Hunter’s expression hardened, his eyes glowing with golden fire. “Am I being interrogated?”
“You’re not answering me.”
He crossed his arms, his forehead wrinkling with the force of his glare. “I don’t think I should have to. I’ve gotten you away from the Guard twice already, I don’t think my loyalty should be in question.”
“The guards only found me after you did. And they somehow found me at my mother’s cottage, the one that no one but my family even knew existed. And Doc said she’s always listening. Doesn’t that bother you even a little? What if she’s spying on us through your chip?”
“She’s not,” he said. No explanation again. Just a blunt statement of fact that she was expected to accept without question.
“How can you be so sure? You said people can have them removed… I know it’s treason under her rule, but I can pardon you. I can pardon everyone. Then she couldn’t—”
“Get strapped in for landing,” he barked, turning away from her.
She stomped over to her seat and slammed the buckle together, her blood boiling. Why couldn’t he just give her a straight answer?
The ship rattled upon entry, superheated particles making the air around them glow and spark. Snow gripped her arm rests, determined not to lose her train of thought once they were landed.
The ship touched down with a jolt and both Snow and Hunter unbuckled their seatbelts and sprang up from their seat like there were springs under them.
Before she could say anything, he stormed down the stairs to the planet below. She wasted no time hurrying after him.
“We’re not done talking about— whoa.” Hunter had stopped on the bottom stair and Snow nearly collided with him, not expecting him to be standing there frozen.
“I think your mom would have liked this planet,” he said under his breath, reverent and awed.
“Your dad, too,” she said, a little knife twisting in her heart for both of them. As far as the eye could see, the planet was covered in flowers. Flowers of all shapes and sizes and colors, not quite opened yet. Some tinier than her littlest fingernail, others as big as her head. They practically shimmered in the late afternoon light, waving in the fragrant breeze.
“Let’s set up camp,” Hunter said. “I’ve got some things to tell you.”
Snow frowned as he pushed past her up the stairs. Just a minute ago he didn’t want to talk to her at all and now he had ‘some things’ to tell her? What did that even mean?
They worked silently, setting up a tent amongst the flowers. A ring of giant orange-red flowers, taller than her, surrounded their campsite, providing some cover. But for all the flowers there were, there didn’t seem to be any trees. The ship was exposed, leaving them vulnerable still.
“So what do you—”
“Let’s finish this,” he said, setting up a fire where the ground was clear.
A soft wind whispered through the flowers and brought with it their heady scent. She finished staking the tent and sat down, waiting for him to come to her on his own terms.
Finally, Hunter sat down with her, staring off into the distance for a long time before he sighed. “There are some things about me I haven’t been completely honest about. I’m not even sure how to be honest about it anymore. How to tell you this without scaring you away.”
Snow clasped her hands in her lap and braced herself for the worst. Part of being a good leader was being able to handle bad news with grace and dignity.
“Okay,” she said. “Start where it feels natural.”
He dropped his head to his hands, raking his fingers through his hair with another sigh. “I can’t remove my chip,” he said.
“Why not?”
“It’s… Well, it’s implanted in my heart. Removing it would be far too risky, but that’s what she wants.”
Snow’s blood chilled and her heart stopped pumping for a minute, a droning buzz filling her ears. “What?”
“The story I told you about my father… He did work in the palace, but it was my fault he was thrown into the dungeon. It wasn’t just something that happened. I trusted someone I shouldn’t have and she betrayed us both. The Queen arrested my father and sentenced him to death… But she took a liking to me, I guess.”
Snow’s heart raced, her hands grew damp, and she found herself scooting away from him unconsciously. What was he trying to say?
“She hired me to work for her, Snow. In a way, I guess. I was never really given the choice. She implanted the chip in my heart and she can detonate it anytime she wants.”
Snow scrambled to her feet, backing away from him, but Hunter didn’t get up to chase her. “You… You’re working for her? All this time? I trusted you!” She reached behind her, for the blaster she didn’t have anymore, cursing herself. How could she be unarmed at a time like this?
“Snow, please, hear me out. I… Yes, I’ve been working for her, but I haven’t betrayed you, I swear. I haven’t told her where you are or what your plans are. She thinks I’m on her side.”
Snow’s stomach clenched and she bent over, her hands on her knees. She was going to be sick. All this time she thought he was on her side. All this time he’d been fooling her. She couldn’t even see through his lies after all the time they spent together. Some leader she was. Plick had warned her about this and she thought she knew better. She thought she needed help.
“Why are you telling me all of this now?” she choked out.
“Because… Because you’re our only hope. You’re my only hope. At first… At first, I wasn’t sure you could do it. You didn’t know what you were doing, you didn’t have a plan, it seemed like you didn’t have a prayer. But every step of the way you surprise me. You’re stronger than she thinks. Than I thought. You’re smart, too. And I know you can beat her.”
She shook her head, swallowing the bile that pressed at the back of her throat. “If you were really on my side, she’d have killed you already.”
He nodded. “If she knew. I was supposed to have delivered you to her weeks ago, but I’ve been stalling, hoping to help you bring her down.” He stood now and Snow flinched, taking another step back from him. Why hadn’t she gotten another blaster before they got off the ship? Hunter held out his hands, inching toward her. “I want to see you succeed more than anything, Snow, please believe me.”
She took another step away from him, her back butting into the thick stalk of a giant flower. “How can I? You’ve just admitted to playing both sides. How can I believe anything you say ever again?”
She searched his eyes and saw genuine hurt there. Or, at least, it looked genuine. How could she be sure? He was clearly a skilled actor.
“If you can’t believe my words, at least believe my actions. What have I got to gain from letting this go on if I’m not telling you the truth? If all I cared about was doing my job, I could have taken you to her and been done with it a long time ago.” He took a step towards her and she stayed rooted in place. “I could have let the guards take you.” Another step and his scent — woods and earth — was stronger than the flowers’. “I could have told her where you were any step of the way, but I didn’t.” He took a final step and Snow sucked in a breath at how close he was now. There was nowhere to run. Nowhere to get away from him and his betrayal.
“Why didn’t you?” she breathed, barely audible. How could he still leave her so confused and dizzy? Her head felt foggy and her eyes couldn’t decide whether to stay locked with his or to drift down to his lips. She wanted to go back to feeling safe in his arms, but how could she now?
“Isn’t it obvious?” He groaned and dropped his chin to his chest before shaking his head. “I don’t know what it is about you. You drive me crazy. You’re infuriating and stubborn. You don’t know how to take no for an answer and even though I know you’ve been through as much hell as I have, you still go looking for trouble when you could fade into obscurity.”
“None of that sounds like a good thing,” she said, crossing her arms. If he’d intended to cool her burning temper, this wasn’t the way.
He laughed then. It was such a surprising sound that she nearly stumbled backwards, but the enormous flower caught her.
“I know! Isn’t that ridiculous? But that’s the point… You’ve hooked me. After all that happened to me as a kid, I didn’t want to trust anyone. I didn’t want to help anyone. Helping someone is what got my father arrested and me practically sentenced to death. But you…” He reached out and brushed his hand down her arm. “Snow, there’s something special about you and I can’t keep pretending like it’s not there. I can’t keep lying to myself and acting like I don’t care.” His hand slid up her arm until he cupped her jaw. “Because I do. Far too much for my own good.”
She looked away, blinking back tears, his fingers still laced in her hair. How could she forgive him? How could she believe him?
The worst part of it all was that she already had. Her heart thumped against her ribcage, warring with her brain. One told her to run as far away from him as she could manage and the other told her to accept his apology and melt into him.
“You feel it too, don’t you?” he asked, his voice soft and raspy. Searching and vulnerable. He was putting himself out there and begging her to throw him a line. She just couldn’t. She couldn’t even look at him.
“I see,” he said, dropping his hand to his side and stepping back from her.
Rejection flashed in his eyes and he set his jaw, his hands balling into fists. Snow’s heart sank, a gaping black hole opening up inside her, threatening to swallow her whole if she didn’t fix this.
“Wait,” she called. Hunter stopped his retreat and turned back to her. His hopefulness nearly ripped her apart.
She took a deep breath. He couldn’t help the circumstances he’d been dealt any more than she could. It wasn’t his fault that the Queen forced him into servitude. And if what he said was true… if he’d done anything differently…
The thought of Hunter cold and lifeless like Plick brought a lump to her throat and a rush of tears made her vision blurry.
“Is that… Is that everything?” she asked, her voice breaking. It would take time for her to trust him again, but at least he’d been forthcoming with her now, instead of letting it drag on until someone else outed him. She’d rather hear it from him. Hear his explanation. It could have been worse.
He opened his mouth to answer, then hung his head. “No. My father’s alive,” he said. “I didn’t know until we were on Avuuna. I’d always thought he was dead… I guess she thought she might need a bargaining chip one day.”
Snow felt like she was going to crumple under the weight of all this new information. Every revelation made her shoulders sag and her knees buckle with its added burden. How much more could she take?
“Your father’s alive? Hunter… that’s… I’m so happy for you,” she said. And she meant it. There was no doubt in her mind that she would move the whole galaxy if she found out her father was still alive. Nothing would get in her way.
“She’s going to make me choose,” he said, coming closer again. “In the end. I know she will.”
Snow swallowed, nodding. She couldn’t blame him for choosing his family.
He shook his head. “You misunderstand, Princess,” he said, his voice taking on that familiar huskiness at the word ‘Princess.’ “When she told me, I knew unequivocally that I’d betray you for him. It seemed the obvious choice. But I don’t think I can. I’m not sure I ever could. All these years he’s been in prison, alive, and all I wanted was to have him back. That and my freedom. But now… I feel terrible for saying it, but I don’t think I’d choose him.”
“You won’t have to choose,” Snow said, her heart thumping against her windpipe, making all her words sound choked and forced.
“Snow… Don’t—”
She shook her head and pressed a finger to his lips, silencing him. “You’re not going to have to choose because we’re going to get him out of there before she can make you.”
His eyes widened, but she kept her finger to his lips, searching for the words she needed to express how she felt. Finally, she dropped her hand and with it, took his.
“I feel it too,” she whispered. It was out there now. Forever. Hanging in the air between them. She wanted to snatch the words back and stuff them deep down with all her other bottled up emotions. But they were free now, and with that simple statement, her tears broke free.
Hunter swept her into his arms and the tears flowed in earnest, soaking his shirt. She didn’t care. Though the spot was wet, beneath it she could hear his heart beating, strong and steady. A reminder that this wasn’t over yet.
“Shh,” he soothed, his hand trailing up and down her spine. “I’m sorry. God, Snow, I’m so sorry. I’ll fix this. I don’t know how, but we can get through this. We can fight this. We can—”
“Will you just shut up and kiss me?”
That was rewarded with a grin from him. He tucked her hair behind her ear, gazing deep into her eyes as his hand slid around the back of her neck. “I live to serve, Princess,” he whispered, leaning down to press his lips to hers. The contact was electric. A jolt shot straight from her lips to her toes and Snow grabbed hold of his damp shirt to pull him closer. So what if everything was uncertain now? So what if she didn’t know how this would all end?
What she knew, right then and there, was that they had each other. They had each other and they had this moment, on this planet, and no one could take that away from them.
Her head swam as his tongue pressed into her mouth; she’d never kissed anyone on the mouth before and hadn’t expected it to make her feel so dizzy and weightless. Like the whole world just faded away and it was only the two of them drifting in open space, Hunter breathing air into her lungs. Giving her his life.
“Salty,” he said, dragging the rough pad of his thumb over her cheek, collecting her tears.
“Sorry about that,” she giggled, marveling at how quickly her mood turned. Of course she still didn’t know if she could trust him, but she would never truly know that about anyone. He told her everything without having to. She had to give him some credit for that.
And if she was going to dethrone an evil Queen and take back her Empire, there was no one in the galaxy she’d rather have at her side. Despite her better judgement, she’d fallen for him and there was no going back.