AN: This was already previously published, but for some reason was not showing up on the main page. So I deleted it and I am reposting it.
It was a beautiful day for of tribe of Icilia. The tribe lived just outside the Great Kells and adored their leaders; right down to their rambunctious 6 year old princess, despite her green skin.
At the moment, the same could not be said for the woman in charge of keeping the young princess occupied as her mother gave birth to the princess's younger sister. At the sound of her mother's screams, Elphaba bolted towards the door, only to be pulled back gently by her nanny.
"But Alysha, why can't I go in there! Mama needs me!" Alysha smiled down at her charge.
"No sweetie, your father and the midwife are with her right now. She'll be just fine."
"If she is fine then why is she screaming? She never raises her voice so if she is screaming something is wrong!"
"Elphaba, sweetie, look at me." Gently, the nanny rested her fingers beneath the young Princess's chin. Tenderly, she raised the young girl's head up until large, chocolate eyes stared back into her own; innocence shimmered within, tugging at the nannies heart. "You are old enough now to know a little of what your mama is going through. Giving birth is a very long and painful process, but the end result is a wonderful gift. Go back to your toys and your daddy will come for you when it is time." Elphaba searched her nanny's eyes for any hint that she was lying. Finding none, she nodded and sat down with her blocks.
Several hours later the door to the nursery quietly opened, to reveal a tall, stern looking man. His eyes softened however, at the sight of the small green skinned child napping on a bed in the room. In his arms was a small bundle, swaddled in cloth. He slowly made his way to the rocking chair where Alysha sat quietly working on some beadwork.
"How was Elphaba? I imagine she was quite the handful. I hope her mother did not frighten her."
Alysha looked at the chief and smiled before looking at the bundle in his arms and cooing gently at the tiny baby there. She looked over to where Elphaba was sleeping, curled in a ball on her bed, cradling her doll and shook her head.
"It was a little rough, but I helped her understand that what she was hearing was normal and that her mama would be okay. She fell asleep a few hours ago playing with her blocks so I put her in her bed."
The chief nodded before crossing to the bed. Reaching down, he gently shook his daughter's small shoulder. Elphaba's eyes fluttered open to look at the man before her, before shooting up, wide awake.
"Daddy? Daddy! Is that my new sister? Is mama okay? What is her name? Can I hold her?" Elphaba's words tumbled out as if they were water rushing over rocks. Her father laughed before sitting next to the toddler on the bed.
"Hold on sweetie! Yes, this is your baby sister. Her name is Nessarose. Your mother is going to be okay. She is going to be sore for a little while and very tired. She is sleeping right now so do not disturb her, okay? Do you want to hold her?" Elphaba looked up at him with solemn big eyes and nodded. She carefully took the tiny bundle from her father and held it the way he showed her how. She gasped when the baby opened her eyes and looked right at her.
"Oh Daddy! I am going to be the best big sister to her! I promise!" Her father chuckled and ran a hand over his daughter's dark hair, thanking Oz that he was so blessed with the family he had. For now, things in this corner of Oz were perfect.
Several weeks later, Elphaba was playing with some of the other children when she was approached by her Father.
She caught sight of him and ran up to him. "Daddy! Look what I found! It's green! Just like me!" He looked at her with a smile and ruffled her hair, before growing serious once more.
"Elphaba, my little Fabala, listen to me. I am going away for a little while. I must meet with the King and Queen of the Arjiki tribes. I will be gone for a little while, but I will return within the week. I promise. But while I am gone, I am looking to you to protect your sister and your mother. Can you do that for me?"
Elphaba's face lit up at being asked to do a big girl's job. She nodded so hard, Frex was afraid she would hurt herself. He bent down and kissed her head before squeezing her in a tight hug. "Be good baby girl. I love you." Perhaps he would have held on longer if he knew he would never see his family again.
The King and Queen of the Arjiki tribe were growing worried. They were expecting to meet with the Chief of the Icilian tribe and he was 3 hours late. This was not like him and they grew worried. He normally was a very punctual man and would send word if he were going to be late.
"Desmond, I think we should send out a search patrol. I have a bad feeling, and Frex has not sent word. We must get someone out there to find him." Worry shimmered in the Queen's eyes as she turned to her husband.
Desmond gathered her in his arms and held her tightly. "I agree Triona."Gently, the King pressed a tender kiss to his wife's hair. "We are living in troubling times, danger lurks everywhere…what with the Wizard trying to take over the Vinkus. It would not be wise for him to travel alone. I will send out scouts to check the tribe and to attempt to locate him. Perhaps he has simply forgotten. I will escort the scouts personally so that if he is there, he does not need to travel all the way here and be away from his family."
With that the King called for his horse to be ready and set out for travel.
Elphaba sat outside the house in her mother's lap, valiantly trying to stay awake as her mother read a story to her and her baby sister.
"Come along sweetie, it's time for your nap." Melena was amused at her daughter's attempt to stay awake.
"But mama! I'm not sleepy! I don't need a nap like Nessa does!" Melena laughed as Elphaba yawned while saying this.
"I beg to differ little one. I am afraid that yawn gave you away sweetie. Now come, nap time then you can go play with your friend Damien and the other children." Elphaba reluctantly obeyed. She reached up and kissed her mother on the cheek before going inside to her nursery.
She was awakened a short time later by the sound of hoof beats quickly approaching the settlement. The loud noises scared her and she climbed out of bed, her dress drifting around her bare feet. Her fear grew at the noise of distant guns and screams. She was scared and she wanted her mother.
"Mama! Where are you?" She wandered out of the house, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She was startled as her mother ran up to her with a terrified look on her face.
"Fabala, listen to me, I need you to hide, like you do in your games. There are people coming and they must not know about you or your sister. They are bad and now is the time to keep your promise to daddy. You must protect your sister."
"But where are you going mama? Can't you come with me? Why can't you come with me! Mama! You're scaring me!"
"I know baby girl. You must be brave. I am leader of our people and must protect them as much as I am able. I need to know you are safe. Promise me that if anything happens to me, you will run for the forest and will not come out again until you are sure it is safe. I am trusting you, sweetie. Can you do this?"
Elphaba nodded with tears streaming down her face. "I love you mama!"
She carefully took her baby sister in her arms and ran towards the closet in her parent's bedroom. Cautiously, she crawled behind the clothing, thankful that her sister was asleep and quiet. She left the door open with a narrow crack that she could peer out of.
Time passed and Elphaba only grew more afraid as she listened to the sound of the slaughter outside. She tried her hardest to listen to her mother and be brave, but the sounds coming to her made it impossible. That became almost impossible as she watched her people be murdered in cold blood. Suddenly, she heard her mother's voice shouting at Damien to get in the house and hide. She watched, terrified from her hiding place as her mother was cut down, before the soldiers turned their knives on Damien. She stuffed her fist in her mouth in an attempt to quiet the whimpers she was making. She knew that staying silent was of the utmost importance if she and her sister were going to survive.
She listened in silence to the voices of the soldiers coming from just outside the house.
"Search every residence. Leave behind no survivors. The Wizard intends to use these savages as an example to all who defy him and his rule." Elphaba did not understand all that was being said, but the voices sounded mean.
She held her breath as the sound of footsteps came nearer and nearer to her hiding place. They stopped before the closet and she held still in the hopes that he would go away. It worked, until Nessa awoke, crying
"Hush Nessa! You must be quiet!" Elphaba tried to shush her sister and was startled when the door to her hiding place was opened.
"Well Well Well, what do we have here? Two little brats?"
Elphaba looked the soldier straight in the eye. "My Mama and Papa are going to come and get you and then you will be sorry!
The soldier laughed, before yanking little Nessa out of her sister's arms.
"Give her back!" Elphaba was terrified and was doing everything she could to be brave like her Daddy taught her. A second soldier yanked her back as she reached desperately for her sister. He dragged her out of the house, past her mother's body and shoved her, sending her sprawling into the blood covered dirt around the body of Alysha. He picked her up again, snarling at her.
"Well, what should we do with the little brats? Can't leave them here? I say we kill 'em." This came from the soldier holding Nessa. Elphaba started struggling again, trying to get away from the solider with the iron grip as his companion drew a knife out of his belt. "MAMA!" The soldier holding the knife whipped his hand across her face, causing her to cry out in pain.
The soldiers laughed. "Your mama can't help you now kid. She's dead and so is everyone else in this dump. And you will be too." With that, the soldier drew his knife across Nessa's neck, killing her instantly. Elphaba screamed again, and had tears streaming down her face. She kept struggling and bit down as hard as she could on the hand that had clamped over her mouth.
With a curse, the soldier released her and she took her chance, darting away and into the woods. The soldiers followed.
Elphaba ran through the dense forest as fast as she could. She could hear them chasing her and she wanted nothing more than to stop. It was a steep incline as she ran and she kept tripping over rocks and branches on the ground. She could hear the soldiers gaining on her. Clenching her eyes tight, she forced her small legs to keep moving. Blinded by tears, she weaved and dodged through the dense forest brush, with no particular course, she just knew she had to keep moving, despite the pain of the branches whipping across her during her desperate flight.
As she ran, she tripped over a tree root, twisting her ankle, and went down hard, her head slamming down on a protruding rock. Everything went black.
The soldiers caught up and the first one raised his knife, the blade gleamed in the sunlight, trembling in anticipation to finish the job when his companion stopped him.
"Forget it. She won't last long out here anyway. Leave her to the animals." With that, they turned away and rejoined their companions before setting out towards the Emerald City.
Desmond drew his horse to a halt as he caught sight of smoke rising in the distance. He had spent enough years in battle and hunting in the Vinkus to know the difference between campfire smoke and the smoke that bespoke of violence. What he saw in the distance made his blood run cold.
He gestured to the two men riding with him to halt so he could speak with them.
"I don't like the way the smoke on the horizon looks. It is ominous. I do not know what we will find in Icilia, but be prepared to defend yourself. One of you go ahead and scout the immediate area."
The trio continued on, until the scout came galloping back.
"My king, I have found Chief Frexspar. He is dead. Sir, if I may…it looks like it was the Gale Force." The scout stopped a strange expression on his face, which didn't go unnoticed by the King.
"And?" prodded the King.
"Forgive me your highness…but, he is facing his homeland. I believe he was trying to return home. "
Desmond looked on with a heavy heart. "I hate to leave him, but we have no other choice. If he is dead, what has become of his tribe? He has a wife and two daughters. He would not leave his loved ones unprotected as long as there was breath in his body."
The small group continued on to the valley where Frex had called home. What greeted them was a sight they hoped to never see again. It had been a full scale slaughter. Everyone, men, women, children, animals, all were dead and ripped to shreds from the bullets and knives of the Gale Force. No one had been spared. One of the scouts that had come with the king scrambled off his horse and to a nearby bush where he proceeded to empty his stomach of its contents.
"Spread out and search for any survivors. Be on the lookout for the chief's wife and the princesses. You can't miss the older one, Elphaba. She was born with green skin."
The men searched, with zero results for well over 3 hours. They came across Melena, lying in front of the closet where her daughter had hidden herself. It was apparent she had given her life to protect the young boy laying just a few inches away. Others searched around the outside of the house and found Nessa. As they re-grouped, the men looked to Desmond for answers.
"Have you found Elphaba?"
"No sir, but there are signs of a struggle in the back area of the house, and a trail into the woods that looks as if it was made due to a chase."
"Search the woods. If she is alive, she may be able to tell us what happened."
They all searched and it was Desmond who almost stumbled over her. She was lying face down in the dirt, covered in the blood of her family and her dress was tattered and torn. Her feet were bare and covered in mud and scratched and her face had a dark bruise spreading from where the soldier had hit her. His heart broke at the sight of the injuries done to a child so young.
He called out to his men, before leaning down and checking to see if she was alive. He found her pulse, but it was weak and her breathing shallow.
Gently, he lifted the little girl in his arms and made his way back to the horses.
"Come men, she needs medical attention and we must get back to Kiamo Ko and tell of what has transpired here. We will send men back as soon as possible to give the people a proper burial."
It was with heavy hearts that they made the journey home. Not a word was spoken the entire time as they all tried to process the cruelty of the Wizard and his men.