Hunter
Dead end after dead end. That's all they were finding. Hunter had nothing to go on. Nothing to base any hope on. Nothing to report back to the Queen.
Though she kept calling him.
Every day.
He'd been ignoring her calls, knowing it was a foolish thing to do. But what was he supposed to do? Admit his failure?
The only pride he had left in his life was being the best at his job and now even that was in jeopardy because of this woman. This girl.
And he didn't even know why he still felt conflicted about bringing her in. They'd hardly talked in the last week, but that was down more to his brusqueness than her lack of effort. He didn't know how to talk to the Princess. He didn't know how to keep his story straight when those hauntingly deep dark eyes seemed to wrench the truth from the depths of his soul, desperately trying to extract it from his lips.
He was better off just staying silent.
But now it seemed she was giving up hope, too. Maybe that was for the best. Maybe they should all just give up and acquiesce to the Queen. Things would be simpler. Maybe not easier. Maybe not more pleasant. But simpler. Without the dilemma of beguiling Princesses testing his loyalties.
He'd grown familiar with the woods in the past week, and started laying out traps, not knowing when they'd be leaving and wanting to be prepared. At least he felt moderately safe on the far reaches of the Empire. He didn't think the Queen would send anyone this far out to harass him.
He picked his way through thick underbrush and found his first trap tripped, but empty. The second trap was untouched. The third, though, had a small gray mammal — it resembled something like the rabbits that had been brought to Zomer where they multiplied and flourished. He released the trap, thankful that it had done its job in killing the creature with one quick and painless move. It hadn't suffered.
He thanked it for donating its life to their nourishment and reset the trap, heading back to the cottage.
They would have to leave this place soon. If there was nothing to find, there was no point in sticking around. Though the Princess seemed comfortable in hiding, locked away for all hours of the day, he didn't think she'd remain content that way for long. Not now that things had been set in motion.
That she was so comfortable being held prisoner by her own fear was enough to give Hunter pause. Though she'd been trapped in one place for so long and he'd had the freedom to roam the galaxy, were they really so different? The Queen's reign of terror kept them both trapped in different ways.
He shook his head, stepping through the door of the cabin as the blue star of Aleri set on the horizon, painting the sky with glorious watercolors.
But Snow wasn't in her customary spot with a book. It was silly to think that she would be, now that she'd exhausted the supply of books, though her absence did trip a warning in the back of his mind.
Could she have found something and abandoned him?
No. He'd seen the ship still parked just beyond the clearing of trees on his way back. She was still here somewhere.
"Snow?" he called, heading towards the back of the cabin, toward the bedroom he hadn't dared go near in the week they'd spent in close quarters. Her presence when she was awake was enough to make Hunter question too many things. He couldn't imagine the things her innocent sleeping form would inspire in him. He’d heard her crying out though. Terrors attacking her while she slept. Already, just thinking about it, he could feel the instinct to protect her clawing its way out of dormancy within him.
But she wasn't sleeping now, either.
Robbie stood in her room, blocking access to the closet door.
Hunter's brow furrowed and he stepped forward. "Where's the Princess?" he asked.
"In the basement."
Now Hunter's brows shot up. "There's a basement? And you're only just telling us about it?"
"I cannot go there. The Princess asked me to wait in her bedroom."
Hunter frowned, peering around the android to see the sliver of light escaping from the hidden door that was left ajar. "The basement's through there?"
"Yes."
"Did the Princess tell you to prevent me from entering the basement?"
"No."
Hunter wasn't sure why that left him feeling so satisfied. Was she beginning to trust him? Or did she just not think he'd be back so soon?
"Let me by then, please," he said, surprised when Robbie actually complied and side-stepped out of the way.
He thought about calling out to her, but decided against it. Announcing his presence was rarely his move.
Snow's groan of frustration echoed, climbing up the spiral staircase, followed by, "I don't understand what I'm supposed to do. Just help me, please," she said, her voice on the verge of hysteria.
Hunter knew if his loyalty to the Queen were true, that he should be pleased at her lack of progress. But her plaintive wail just filled him with the pressing want to fix the things plaguing her.
And where did that come from? He knew better than anyone — everyone only looked out for themselves. Helping someone without getting anything in return was a fool's errand. It only led to heartbreak and disappointment. The last time he’d helped anyone… Well, he’d learned his lesson, alright.
But helping Snow... That wasn't really without return for him, was it? If she was successful it might extend his life expectancy a few years.
If Snow failed though, and Hunter’s betrayal of the Queen was revealed, he’d surely be dead. No matter how he looked at it, the Queen continued to be his best hope for survival, despite her threats.
"Please." The tiny word drifted up this time, small and feeble. It seemed the Princess wasn't as immune to emotions as she wanted to seem. And as it did every time he caught a glimpse of it, her vulnerability ignited a need for action in him.
“Voice recognition accepted,” a computerized voice said.
He took three silent steps down the staircase before another voice floated up.
"If you've found this, I fear things are worse than expected," the voice said, a recording by the sounds of it.
"For years after your mother died, those close to the King grew suspicious of his new bride. It wasn't until shortly before his death that the King too started to have misgivings about her. He did what he could to insulate you from her wrath, but her vengeance knows no bounds," the voice said. Hunter realized he was gripping the stair railing with all his strength, his knuckles aching with the force. He descended a few more steps, as the disembodied voice talked about the lengths the late-King had gone to in order to protect his young daughter.
"There is a list of people, those who will be able to help you in your bid to take the throne back. I hope it serves you well, My Princess." There was a long pause and Hunter thought he heard a sniffle echo up from the darkness, but he couldn't be sure.
"And don't be sad for my loss. It was an honor to protect you and watch you grow all these years. I'm only sorry I'm not here to help you now."
It seemed like that was the end of the recording, so Hunter made a point of taking the next couple stairs with heavy footfalls. "Snow, are you down here?"