Red held the blanket closer to her skin , for even the hearth's warmth did not seem to comfort her .

Her body begged for rest , but she could not allow herself to . For closing her eyes , she was confronted with her fears , yet again .

Never had she felt such vulnerability . Never had she known that such weakness resided within a brave heart like her .

She gazed at the fire's rapid flames as they changed into countless colors , a vibrant destruction .

As she heard faint footsteps , she looked up .

She smiled weakly . " Hansie ."

He bowed down to her . " Miss Hood , you have been missed ."

" So have you , Hansie dearie ." , she replied .

He chuckled lightly . " Forgive me , but where did you get such a colorful name for me ?"

" Why , I heard Gretel call you so !" , she said .

" That I think was a rare occasion , for she usually calls me Hans ." , he said .

" So do you not like my name for you ?"

He smiled at her . "The contrary ."

His expressions were so filled with warmth , that she wanted to hold on to him and cry on his shoulders for hours that did not end .

" You seem to be ill , my dear Miss Hood ." , he said , concernedly .

She did not reply .

" What has happened ?", he asked , his tone slightly firm .

Tears welled up in her eyes . She fixed her sight on the fire , to prevent meeting his glance .

" It's just that I am tired . Might've bitten more than I could chew . I will never learn to respect the age of my body ."

She laughed a bit .

" Red , bravery does not lie in concealing your emotions . True valor is in acknowledging that these emotions are a part of you , which cannot be resisted , only accepted ."

" Moreover ,", he continued , " be it an immortal one , even the mind has it's limits . And when it has been overburdened , one ought to leave some amount of his or her troubles safely on a friend's shoulder ."

She looked at him . An earnest affection decorated his face .

" But..but I have suppressed so much , for so long that ..that I don't know where to start !" , she said .

" From the beginning ." , he urged , though patiently .

She looked at him for one last nod of encouragement and receiving it , she began .

The adventurous episodes of her childhood were revealed ; of the merry days in the woods ; of a heart young and carefree , of a boyish temperament and , of Theo .

" I did not know where he came from . I did not care . I was happy to have met someone sharing the same mentality as mine ; a mind full of mischief , recklessness and curiosity . I was the gladdest person in the whole world to have found him ."

She found herself grinning as she recounted their friendship .

" Winter was coming . Theo had not been keeping well . It was a strange illness . I waited for him , every day in the woods but he hardly ever showed up , until one day . It was a horrible sight , Hansel . It still terrifies me . He was shivering so much that I feared he might die . His heart beat and breathing was an unusually abnormal rate . His eyes were sunken and almost lifeless , like they had been deprived of sleep for months . I did not know what was happening to him . He assured me that he was going to be alright , pretty soon ."

" The change into a lycanthrope . It happens when the child of a werewolf is of age ." , Hansel said .

" We did not meet for a long time , after that . But the next time I met him .... He killed granny . So brutally , that her body wasn't recognizable . There was blood all over . Her body , her kind eyes , her warm hands ...all down to a gory mass of flesh .

" He killed her , the person I loved most in the world . He killed gramma ." , she sensed hysteria in her tone ; she found herself repeating words , as if still not able to believe , still not able to let go . She was surprised that the wounds were as fresh as new , even though centuries had passed by .

And then she broke down. Uncontrollable emotions cascaded down upon her . She thought she might never stop crying and that the grief was never ending . She cried for millions of reasons , of sadness from things small and big . Not caring anymore that it put her weakness on exhibit .

She felt his hand on her shoulders . A grip which was firm and full of strength. It tethered her and consoled her.

" I was ten , Hans . Only ten . No child ..."

" I know , Red . I know ." , he consoled .

" And he had murdered her . My best friend ...my Theo . I did not know it was him . As soon as I saw the beast over the remains of her body , I was consumed by vengeance . I struck at him without a thought . But it was him . I saw it in his eyes , Hansel . They said something to me . Something beyond expression . Repentance , regret and an overpowering helplessness . A concoction of wild incomprehensible emotions that he somehow expected me to understand and a strong plea , a plea of forgiveness .But how could I ? And how could I not ?"

She felt herself quavering , from the strength of her feelings .

" Very soon , Theo's pack arrived . I knew I was going to die . I had expected it . And I wished for it , in that moment too . For I was left with nothing . The carcasses of the ones dearest to me , lay on my feet . I felt purposeless , I felt guilt that made me nauseous . I walked towards the wolves , accepting death with open arms . But my path was obstructed by a person coming in between . A hunter , I knew him to be from his weapons and skill at bringing down the animals .

" He was none other than the Huntsman . He saved my life that night and I don't know whether or not to be grateful to him about it ."

She paused , for now , surprisingly , she had reached the end of her story .

" The changes that a shapeshifter goes through are strange . They are not only physical as all might believe . In fact , it is more to do with emotions . The structure of the body and the mind alike , is modified . It is a complete metamorphosis into a second identity . These two identities blend to form the shapeshifter . As the body first transitions into another being , overpowering animalistic feelings are felt , to truly change the person into a proper wolf . For a while , the werechild becomes unaware of its core identity . It becomes an animal , in the true sense . It feels within it a hunger to hunt , to kill , like a wolf does . It is later with experience that these emotions and urges are tamed and one can balance both identities . It is not easy being a shapeshifter . You must understand it wasn't Theo's fault ." , Hansel explained .

" I do . Somehow , I always have . Perhaps this is what has put me in further dilemma . How can I forgive my grandmother's culprit as easily as that and instead feel guilty of being his murderer ?" , Red said.

" It is only your greatness and your understanding that is shown in the fact that you forgave Theo . For vengeance only brings pain and never contentment . Theo was not himself at that point , he was a beast who had killed your gran . If you hadn't killed him , he might've killed you ." , Hansel said .

" But why did he choose to hunt gran out of all people ?" , Red enquired .

" He knew where she lived . At that moment , he did not know her as his best friend's grandmother, but as prey . He located the prey and hunted it down ." , said Hansel .

Red remained silent .

" You can't change the events of the past , Red . No one can . And none should wish they could too . In doing so , we lose a grip on something that is in our hands , the present ." , he said .

" What should I do ? I don't know . How do I forget ?" , she asked , entirely confused .

" But my dear Red , you have already begun , by confiding in me ! You are halfway through . Now all that is left for you , is to forgive yourself ." , he said .

" I had never told anyone of Theo before , Hans . Never had anyone known of the true happenings of the day .  But now you do ." , she said , pausing a bit , before saying , " And I am not complaining . It feels good to share it with someone , and you of all people .It has always been this simple between us . It will be so in the future too . And I cherish it ."

Hansel took her hand in his and kissed it . " I do too , Miss Hood ."

" I think I have ample of time . Forever , after all is a long time to heal ." , she chuckled , hope arising in her .

" Rightly said ." , she heard a soft voice announce intrude and turned to see Gretel .

" Gret ! Why , you are as ill mannered as Hansel is a gentleman ! Have you been eavesdropping ?" , Red accused .

" Certainly not . I just came by this moment and something tells me that you are going to return to your lively spirits , pretty soon ." , said Gretel , taking a seat beside her .

Red put her head on Gretel's shoulder . Between Hansel and Gretel , her pillars of strength , she somehow felt more secure than she ever had . Stronger and safe .

With Gretel stroking her hair in her motherly way and Hansel holding onto her , she drifted into a dreamless land of sound sleep .

*******

AUTHOR'S NOTE :

An emotional chapter with a bit of Rensel . Honestly , I am glad to have explored the relations between Hansel , Gretel and Red properly .

We often conceal our emotions , cringe when someone becomes too expressive (I do too at times ) but I think that we should stop .

Anyway , I entered 'Mist' and 'Frost' for the Wattys !!! Though I don't expect to win , I had promised myself last year that I would summon enough confidence to participate . And it is only because of you people , that I have been able to do so .

Also , Frost hit 1K !! So this chapter is a shout out to every single one of you , who read Frost , and read Mist and have supported me relentlessly .

Immeasurable quantities of love and Amortentia to all of you ,

Bookworm .