FD: Birth of a Wishing Heart

25. Redemption

Gretel looked at her brother's wounds unsure of what to do. "Can you hear me? Are you awake?" She tried to shake him but there was no response. She laid him on the ground. He had cuts on his cheeks as well as five deep holes through his middle where Grizelda's claws had gone through. Despite holding her dress to stop the flow things were not getting any better. He had been cooped up without walking, weakening his legs for over a month. All of a sudden he was running with at least forty-five extra kilos on him while pulling her forward with bad injuries? How did he expect anything less to happen?

"What would you do? What would you do?" She repeated quietly. He would have thought of some sort of expert plan to save her. It was probably one of those plans that helped them escape. She barely remembered leaving. Something must've happened between being close to death and being pulled at a disorienting speed by her brother back through the forest. The only answer could be magic. She wondered if she could heal using the magic she had learned. It wasn't a great plan but it was all she had.

She placed a hand slowly on his greater wounds and closed her eyes. She tried to focus on how much it hurt her to see him hurt. She began to focus on how much he had tried to get her this far and how much he deserved to be healed. He had gotten hurt because he was trying to take her place! It wasn't fair for him to die now! She began to cry over him gently, trying her best and not daring to look. Levitation spells or creation spells were one thing, but healing was another. What if she made him worse?

Her focus was interrupted by a light groan. She opened her eyes hesitantly to find that the wounds around his stomach had closed up. She had healed him although he still had some light scars. His cheeks were no longer cut, and they were even rosier than before. He looked less pale! His eyes were opening looking directly at her. "Hansel!" She threw herself on him in joy. She did it! She held him tightly trying to wrap her arms as tight as she could around him. "You're awake!" Hansel wasn't exactly sure what was happening but he was quick to hug her back.

"Guinni, What happened?" His voice was meek, not wanting to fully acknowledge the incident.

Gretel rose, beaming in excitement. "You brought me out! Then you fell and-" Hansel's face turned from her not wanting to remember how it felt. "But I remembered some things I learned from Adiscordia and healed you!"

"You healed me?" Hansel asked in disbelief as he ran his hands through his middle. There was no pain or open wounds. There wasn't even blood left behind, only light scars as evidence of what had happened. "Guinniverre, You saved me!"

"I did!" Gretel laughed but something felt off. Her face went from pure joy to sadness and seriousness. She looked towards the ground. He had done so much wrong in his life. He had been a coward. She tried to hate him, but she couldn't. He had done too much good trying to make up for it for her not to forgive him. She looked up at him again showing her solemn expression. "Hansel, when you were a young child you accidentally let a fire spread and took part in a lie that destroyed my kingdom and family. My parents died. You tore my destiny and my inheritance from me. You didn't tell the truth, you were a coward!" Anger and hurt raised her tone. Hansel listened, not defending himself. She was right. He was a coward and he was grateful for her mercy to save him, twice.

"Then to redeem yourself from a lie too far gone, you rescued me. You made a promise to keep me safe despite everyone wanting me to die. You kept that promise then, You kept that promise in the forest, and you kept it now. You comforted me over and over. You stayed awake when I wanted to talk about my parents. You gave me what was yours, and starved yourself for me. You tried to take beatings for me. You tried to take the death penalty for me. We grew past redemption, you loved me." Hansel felt his chest tighten at her words. "I don't know what else you could have done to make up for it. It's hard, but because I love you I need to forgive you. You're my brother Hansel. For the past few years, we've been Hansel and Gretel. That's not going to stop now." Gretel couldn't face him after that. It was such a disturbing truth, and yet she couldn't let him go. From the looks of it, he had punished himself enough already.