Otto woke not long after they arrived back at Sunshine Acres, resuming his muttering curses and moaning from where he lay on the settee, acting as if he were still hurt.

Holly wasn't fooled. Otto must have assumed she didn't know enough about Robin's magic, attempting to make the sorceress feel remorse for his defeat. But the only response he got from Holly was being ignored—his pitiful cries falling on deaf ears.

Meanwhile, Robin wandered the house, searching for Holly. His earlier apology hadn't been enough. He knew he needed to say more—she deserved better, and the gnawing guilt in his chest told him the only way to make things right was to have a real conversation.

Just as Robin was about to knock on her bedroom door, it was angrily thrown open. Holly nearly crashed into Robin in her haste, but quickly stepped back. Her face startled before her expression hardened in anger. She had changed her clothes into a dark red skirt embroidered with black flowers, and a matching loose black blouse. Her makeup had been meticulously reapplied, only the slight red of her eyes giving away her crying.

"You and your brother can rest for a while before leaving. I'm going into town," she said curtly, moving past him to head downstairs. Cookie trotted after her, ignoring Robin just as Holly did.

"Wait, Holly—" Robin pleaded, hurrying after her. He glanced into the parlor to check on Otto, who was still moaning dramatically draped over the settee.

Robin caught up with her outside the house, closing the door behind him. He quickly reached for her hand as she descended the porch, stopping her in mid-step. Holly turned to face him, her expression wary.

"I'm really sorry, Holly," Robin began, his face earnest. "I shouldn't have treated you like that in the pasture. You saved my life, and I-I shouldn't have turned on you."  He swallowed nervously as he looked desperately into her eyes, hoping Holly could see the regret in his own. "Can you forgive me?"

Holly's gaze softened, sadness flickering in her gaze as she looked down at their intertwined hands. After a moment, she sighed.

"I can," she said quietly, her voice heavy. "Of course I can, Robin. But I want you to know, I truly, truly didn't try to kill Otto. I just- Well, I maybe went a bit overboard with the burning. I meant to only burn his shirt, but he made me so mad that I-"

"I know," Robin interrupted gently. "It's all fine now. I forgive you. And Otto—well, he's just being dramatic because his ego's hurt."Robin softly squeezed her hand, hoping to reassure her, the guilt for his accusations still gnawing at him. 

On the ride back, he realized that yelling at her had been unfair—she was no more to blame than Otto for pushing the duel too far.

"Robin," Holly said with a sigh, meeting his eyes. "I know that maybe I shouldn't say this right now, but I-I- um," she hesitated, swallowing nervously, "I really care about you, Robin.  I just want you to know that if something happened to you, I—" she paused, shaking her head, as if warding off the idea. 

"I didn't mean what I said about how you should leave with your brother. I was frustrated, and he was ruining the time we had together. He was bringing out a side of me I don't want to be. Then, when he threatened your life in the duel, causing me to react in a way that turned me into the 'bad guy'... I just reached a breaking point. I thought you wouldn't... still like me the way you did before he arrived. I couldn't blame you if you had started to feel differently about me,"  she paused, her voice trembling slightly, "but if he leaves town, could you... stay? Could you give me another chance?"

Robin kissed her hand, relief flooding through him.

"Always, Holly."

Holly smiled, letting out a long sigh of relief as she looked into his eyes. She reached up to cradle his face before she gently placed a lingering kiss on his cheek. "Thank you, Robin," Holly whispered, her voice lighter now. She squeezed his hand one last time before continuing down the porch steps.

"I'll be back soon. We'll see your brother off together when I return."

Robin gave her a small wave as Holly turned from him and touched her heel,  swinging her arm in a circle, and disappearing with Cookie at her heels.

As Robin stepped back into the house, Otto groaned from the settee. 

"I thought she'd never leave."

Robin shot his brother a wary look. "It's her house."

"Yeah, well, did she buy it?" Otto snorted. "Not with what she's making selling jewelry, I bet. Although I'm sure real estate around here isn't worth much...." He paused as he grinned cheekily at Robin. "But hey, if you marry her, it'll all be yours."

"Oh, yeah? You're not helping me with that," Robin muttered.

Otto let out a disbelieving laugh. "Marry her? Seriously? Come on, Robin." He stood up from the settee and smacked his brother playfully on the arm. "I get that she's in love with you—why wouldn't she be? You're a catch in London; here, you might as well be a god."

Robin scowled as Otto continued. "But her? Snap out of it, Robin. She's not that pretty; her interior design makes any grown man cringe; she almost killed your brother...and I mean, you don't even know what she was up to before you met her. She has a dark past, Robin. Trust me, it wouldn't be difficult for her to become who she was again—and you don't want to get in the way of that."

"Otto," Robin warned, his frustration simmering through his nerves as he poked an angry finger into his brother's chest. "Listen. This is the last time I will be arguing with you about this. You don't think she's that pretty? Great! That means I don't have to compete with you for her affection. We both know you'd win in a heartbeat if it came down to looks."

Otto snorted, looking irritated at his brother's argument, but didn't rebuff Robin's claim.

"And her interior design? Every corner of this house reflects who she is. I feel like I'm living in a museum of her soul, and honestly, there might not be much space left on these walls, but I hope one day, I'll add some of mine to it."

Otto's face shifted, disappointment darkening his expression. "Robin...seriously-"

"I'm not done," Robin interrupted. "You think she's some kind of powerful witch I should fear? Maybe you're right. But while you've been a sorcerer your whole life, I'm just a magician with healing powers. I'm lucky to have someone powerful enough to protect me, since I can't do it myself. Especially after you tried to kill me."

"I was testing if she would—"

"No, Otto," Robin cut him off. His voice was steady, but Robin felt like at any moment his emotions might sabotage his speech. "I'm tired of you judging my feelings for her. All you do is look down on me. My whole life, that's all you have ever done. And I've allowed it, but this time, can't you see from my point of view, just this once?  It's fine, you don't have to love her. But I do. And the more you try to talk me out of it, the less I like you, not her."

Despite the anger that still filled his chest, Robin felt proud to have stood up to his brother. There was a strange feeling of relief that spread through his body from having unburdened these emotions that had been plaguing him ever since Otto had arrived.

"Robin, don't do this to yourself," Otto mumbled, letting out a frustrated sigh as he ran his hands through his hair. His demeanor softened into something almost regretful. 

"Why?" Robin asked, laughing bitterly. "Why do you care so much?"

Otto hesitated, his cocky attitude fading. "Because I need you not to be in love with her."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Otto sighed as he rubbed his chin, his eyes calculating as they settled on a spiderweb in the corner of the parlor. He looked back at Robin, his gaze steady and emotionless.

"I need you to come with me," Otto muttered as he tapped his foot and raised his hand, summoning transportation magic. 

Before Robin could react, Otto pulled Robin after him.

________________________

They stepped into a dense mountain forest. Needles crackling under the impact of the brother's boots as they touched down onto the mountain floor. Tall, dark trees blocked out most of the sunlight, and the sharp scent of pine filled the air. The soft hiss of insects buzzed around them. A place that seemed many miles away from Sunshine Acres. 

"Where are we?" Robin asked, searching the trees for any further clues as to where his brother had taken him.

Otto's tone was stern. "I need to see that necklace."

Robin hesitated, staring blankly at his brother in confusion. 

"Why?"

Otto exhaled slowly, his gaze calculating as it swept over his brother.

 "I need to show you why you shouldn't have fallen in love with her."

"I can't," Robin shook his head, taking a step back from his brother. "I promised—"

"Please, Robin?" Otto's voice lowered as he glanced around the woods, "I know you made a promise, but I'm your brother. Don't you trust me?"

Robin's stomach lurched; he was torn.

This was his brother, someone he'd known his whole life. Robin was sure his brother wasn't likely to be the heart thief, and yet, his brother had possibly tried to kill him earlier that day. Robin couldn't trust Otto blindly like he once had. It was true, Robin had only known Holly for less than a year, yet he had made a promise to her. He had already disappointed her earlier that day, he couldn't betray her again.

"Otto, I—I can't. I'm sorry."

Otto's expression grew desperate as his eyes searched the trees around them. 

"Please, Robin."

Hearing the desperation in his brother's voice, Robin hesitated for a moment before settling on a compromise. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his pocket knife, carefully picking out the green stones carved into the whistle, hoping it would be enough to satisfy his brother. He would keep Holly's heart stones safe, while letting his brother take a closer look at the whistle.

Otto watched warily as Robin pried the green stones from the necklace, but didn't object. Once Robin finished, he handed the whistle without the green stones to Otto.

Otto studied it momentarily, then looked up at Robin with a pleased expression.

Suddenly, everything around Robin went dark.