The Huntsmen by Honor James Page A

as he went back to eating. "It's all so damned good," he murmured happily as he took another bite of the fried cakes. Chewing, he smiled and winked at her, "You’re a very good cook, Snow."
    Blushing, she bowed her head. “It was the one meal the cooks taught me to make. As I said, I don’t know how to cook a great deal but I can do breakfast. I’d get up with them and make my father breakfast, before he married that bitch.”
    Dierk touched her hand, "We will make this alright, Snow, believe in that if you believe in nothing else. No matter what it takes we will see that her reign is ended and the rightful heir is put back on the throne."
    “I hope you’re right. We have to end her reign of terror somehow, have to ensure that she no longer hurts anyone else in this world. She’s evil, in the purest sense of the word.”
    "We know," Dierk nodded toward her. "We'll figure it out, Snow. Promise," he whispered. "Finish up your meal. We have much to figure out, including a note to the Elves to see if they’ll grant us safe passage.” Looking to the others, he leaned forward to explain, "If we can gain even a day by using their lands we can beat the guard to her uncle's home. We need to get there before the Queen realizes that’s where she’s going, which means we need to leave no later than tomorrow."
    "I'm sure the Elves will grant us permission to go through their lands. I know several of the Elven Queen's personal guards and they’ll speak for us before her," Niklaus said. "Plus she still owes us several favors. We can call one in by asking for safe passage through their lands to gain time. I doubt she’d protest too much.
    Snow looked at each man and smiled, “Thank you. I know you say you don’t need the thanks, but I thank you. I’d forgotten just how good it was to feel important, to feel as if I mattered to someone. Thank you for giving me a chance at life, a life with the three of you if possible.”
    "Anything is possible, Princess, as long as you want it enough to fight for it," Baldric said, reaching over for more meat. Grinning, he shrugged, "Most people get all worried and bothered about obstacles. Like I say, if you can't go under it, over it or around it, bloody well go through it anyway you can."
    “I like that saying. I think I might use it as my own personal motto if you wouldn’t mind,” Snow said and took a bite of the sausage she had in her hands. “In fact, I totally think I’m stealing that line whether you like it or not.”
    "What is ours is yours, Snow," Dierk said quietly. "If it gives you what you need to see this through and get your kingdom back, so be it. Use it, breathe it, and live it. Heft it like a sharpened blade and wave it about to cleave the heads from your enemies’ shoulders, but remember, when it all becomes too much, do not close off. Turn to us and let us be there for you."
    “I have a feeling I’ll need you far more than you could ever need me,” Snow admitted. “I have a feeling you gentlemen would go on easily enough without me and yet I know, that now I’ve met you, I don’t want to go on unless I’ve got you in my life as well.”
    "Then you’d be very wrong, Princess," Niklaus told her softly. Reaching out, he placed his hand lightly on hers. "Now that we've met you and have begun to get to know you there’s no life without you in it with us."
    “Then we’re all together in this. The four of us make a quad. We’re stronger for it, right? We’re stronger together than we are apart.” Of that she was absolutely certain. She’d never have enough of these men and she’d only spent a handful of hours in their company.
    "Always stronger," Dierk told her with a smile and stood. "While you finish eating I'm going to wash up and dress, then we need to write our letter to the Elven Queen and see if she'll grant us what we so desperately need."
    "We should warn her of the dangers that are hot on the princess’s heels," Baldric pointed out. "If she finds