River and Wood, A Minecraft Tale

Chapter Ten, Grief

He did so without question. The liquid tasted like a mixture of watermelon and apples along with a hint of something else he guessed was the nether wart and blaze powder. He left about half of it, which she took and soaked his bleeding shoulder with after washing away the dried blood. It was painful at first, but then it resided. River paused for a moment as she held the bandages in her hands. "Wood?" She asked. "What is it?" He replied, close to a groan. Her face went slightly red, "I-I'm going to ask that you remove your shirt." The request made him tilt his head as he realized she was being reasonable. After all, how could she bandage his shoulder with it on? He smiled lightly, "Alright." He sat up a little more and untied his cloak first. River looked away and instead preoccupied herself with putting away some extra ingredients. It was a good thing her last trip to the nether lasted her this long. She tried to think about how much she hated the hot and steamy dimension instead of thinking about the shirtless man behind her. By the time she turned around, she had to refrain from blushing. Wood had a fairly lean chest. He wasn't overly muscled, but he also wasn't skin and bones. There were a few old scars on his neck and his stomach, likely from past raids. His shorter than short hair was also visible to her again. Slowly his forest green eyes looked back into her blue ones. River found herself sitting beside him in silence, wrapping gauze around his shoulder while he stared at the floor not knowing what to say. It seemed like forever by the time he was all patched up.

They sat there not knowing what to say for a few moments. River was the one to break the silence, "Does it hurt anywhere else?" She asked. By now the glow of the lanterns were the only things lighting up the room. Outside, night had already fallen over them. Wood thought for a moment, "Just my forehead." He answered, turning to look at her. River leaned forward, and placed a small kiss where he had pointed. It was short and quick, but it felt nice for both of them. "...and here." He pointed to the side of his face, which had a small scar. River smiled warmly before placing a small kiss there as well. He paused for a moment, and without saying anything, pointed to his lips. River blushed deeply, but didn't refuse. Slowly, she gently planted her lips onto his. Wood reacted calmly, wrapping his aching arms around her. She was so warm, so kind and brave. However, he noticed something strange. She was crying... The mighty village hero in his arms was crying. Pulling away for air, he asked, "What happened by the Ravine? How did you die?" The question caused her to tense up as she tried so hard not to sob right then and there. "I... S-Something horrible happened and I... I'm afraid that you... It's all my fault." Her voice quivered as her eyes filled with grief. "Calm down." He instructed. "Whatever happened, we can make right again."

"COAL IS DEAD!" She yelled.

The moment those three words left her mouth, she felt her insides churn with the weight of actually saying it. She stared at the floor as Wood was left to grasp what she had just said. His eyes grew watery, but he refused to cry. His heart dropped farther than it had ever gone. In that moment it seemed as if the world itself had stopped moving. The knot in her throat forbade her from saying anymore. "How..." He asked, even though he said it as if it were a statement. River shook her head and tried to maintain some form of calmness. "I... I ran and I followed them. They had him cornered- I-I killed those men! I killed them without even thinking! They tried to hurt him! I had no choice! We both fell down the ravine- I caught him but he was shot and he let go of my hand even when I begged him not to! Ididn'tknowwhattodohedidn'tdeserveit!!!! He didn't deserve ANY OF IT!" River cried, the last of her words coming out in a jumble. Wood instinctively held her, his grief taking over his body. He felt numb. He felt anger. Not towards her, but rather himself. "River, it wasn't your fault." He rubbed her back, trying to be the stronger person even though he felt as if he was being torn apart. "H-He wanted me to tell you that you're a wonderful brother... oh notch." She sighed deeply, breath shaking faster than a leaf in a storm.