The Huntsman: Winter's War 2016

The malevolent sorceress, Queen Ravenna’s Magic Mirror reveals a dark truth: her younger sister, Princess Freya, has not only fallen into a forbidden romance with the nobleman Andrew, but she is also pregnant with his child, whose existence is a source of great shame. After giving birth to a daughter, tragedy strikes when Freya discovers that Andrew has killed her precious child. Consumed by grief and anger, Freya’s heart turns to ice, and she unleashes her newfound cryokinetic powers, leading to Andrew’s demise.

Fleeing her past, Freya constructs a formidable kingdom in the frigid northern mountains, adopting the title of the feared Snow Queen. She decrees that parents must be eliminated and their children brought to her fortress to be trained as a loyal army. Freya seeks to protect them from the love that once devastated her; yet, destiny intervenes as two of her finest huntsmen, Eric and Sara, secretly fall for one another. In a gesture of affection, Sara presents Eric with her mother’s medallion, marking what she calls a “marriage”. However, their plans for a shared future shatter when Freya uncovers their secret and reacts violently, leading to Sara’s tragic death at her hands while Eric is viciously cast into the river.

Fast forward seven years after Queen Snow White’s victory over Ravenna in the first film, an uneasy peace is disrupted when Snow White falls ill, plagued by the Mirror’s dark allure. The king, William, informs Eric that those tasked with transporting the cursed Mirror have gone missing. Realizing that its ominous magic could empower Freya again, he embarks on a perilous mission to recover it, accompanied by Nion and his half-brother Gryff, allies of the Snow Queen.

Upon reaching the last known site of the soldiers, Eric learns they have turned on one another, and soon, Freya’s huntsmen attack. Just as all seems lost, Eric is unexpectedly saved by Sara, who is revealed to be very much alive and having escaped Freya’s clutches. Bitterly, Sara accuses Eric of abandoning her, although they soon uncover that both were tragically deceived by Freya’s illusions of death and escape.

With a fragile truce, they venture into the goblin-infested forest where the stolen Mirror is hidden. Under fierce combat, Sara notices the medallion around Eric’s neck—her gift—and they manage to retrieve the Mirror, coming together in a moment of passion that night. However, their joy is short-lived; the next morning, Freya confronts them, revealing that Sara had been her pawn all along. In a heartbreaking twist, Freya shoots an arrow aimed at Eric, only to inadvertently strike his protective medallion, saving his life.

Back in her palace, Freya’s desperate pleas to the Mirror cause the dark essence of Ravenna to rise once more. As Eric attempts to take down Freya, he faces Ravenna’s wrath, igniting a relentless battle. Protective of her huntsmen, Freya creates an ice barrier to shield them from her sister’s fury. Amidst the chaos, dark truths unravel; Ravenna had orchestrated Freya’s tragic past, revealing that the Mirror foretold her child’s unsurpassed beauty would surpass Ravenna’s own.

In a fury of betrayal, Freya turns on Ravenna, leading to an intense final showdown that culminates in Eric shattering the Mirror, dissolving Ravenna’s essence forever. As Freya succumbs to her wounds, she glimpses visions of her daughter and her former self, whispering her final blessing, “How lucky you are,” to the love that Eric and Sara have found.

With Freya’s demise, the weight of her tyranny lifts, freeing those trapped under her rule, and finally granting Eric and Sara the chance to embrace a future together where love conquers all.