April opened her eyes to find her surroundings lit by a strange brightness, and there was no sign of Snow. She got the sense that if she were to look out the door now the world would be completely void of people. She could still hear her own screams echoing around her, but mysteriously all her pain had disappeared. Even the wound on her waist had disappeared completely, not even leaving the scar with which she had become so familiar. And there wasn't a single trace of blood. Everything - even her clothes - was immaculate.
Tentatively, April pushed herself fist into a sitting position then, when no pain seemed to be forthcoming, rose more confidently onto her feet. She began to explore her surroundings, noting that she was able to walk without limping, and as she climbed higher and higher up the stairs, she could hear a voice calling out to her, and she followed it to a slightly opened door at the end of the upstairs corridor, which she pushed the rest of the way.
What she saw inside shocked her. There, in front of her, was a man who, despite never actually seen him before, she knew without a doubt was her father, Apollo. Except...he wasn't fully there. It was almost as though something - probably the barrier around the island - was stopping him coming all the way through.
Her father looked up at her and smiled. Hello, April. My sweet, sweet baby girl he said, though the words - which had an echo to them, as though they were coming to her from a great distance - seemed to be forming inside her head and his lips weren't moving. My, how you've grown
April opened her mouth to ask where he had been the last few weeks, but he interrupted before she could speak. There’s no time for questions her father said. I'm so proud of the young, strong woman you've become. You were in great agony, and yet you pushed through it to find the spell. And I am here to enact the terms of that spell. Apollo pushed away from the chair he was leaning on and moved around it to move closer to April. I can heal you completely, April. Every injury, every ailment. The scar on your waist, the limp, your stutter. Even the burn your mother gave you when you were three. At this, Apollo seemed to darken momentarily, before he quickly regained his composure. But only for a short time. You only have to say the word.
"No." April said, able to speak for the first time since arriving in this strange place without even the smallest hint of a stutter. "I just want the wound to close up, and to be able to do what I was doing before arriving here. All the things you mentioned...the scar, the stutter, the limp...I don't want to lose them. They make me feel more...human."
Apollo seemed to contemplate this for what seemed like an eternity, before smiling and nodding. Very well. The wound will close and all will be as it was. Apollo gingerly touched April's waist where her scar had been, and she closed her eyes as she felt a gentle warmth spread through her. When she opened them again her father was floating horizontally, his legs pointing away from her, and he was grunting as though it was tasking a great deal of effort for him to stay here long enough to finish the job. Our time...grows short! he groaned, calling over a mysterious wind that seemed to have appeared from nowhere. The job...is done. You must...go now. I will see you soon...my sweet child! His sentence complete, Apollo visibly relaxed and allowed himself to be pulled back from her. At the same time April felt herself being tugged backward in the opposite direction, out through the door and down the stairs. Everything turning dark as she went...
***
...Then she woke with a gasp, jolting upright to look into the now familiar face of her new guardian, breathing heavily as she attempted to calm her racing heart. The pain she had felt before the spell had vanished and, as Apollo had promised, all her injuries had fully healed, save for the scar on her waist and - she was sure - her limp and stutter, which had gone back to the way they had been. She could even feel that her powers had grown in strength, though only marginally. Taking Snow's hand, April looked the princess in her eyes and pleaded wordlessly for help climbing to her feet.