"We can stop here for tonight." Zelena said, leading Regina off the road and a little ways into the trees. She waved her hands, conjuring a firepit and 2 tents. A well placed fireball had a nice campfire going and the witch sat down to warm her hands.
"You're pretty handy to have around when you're camping." Regina commented, sitting down with humph. "Think you can conjure up a horse? My feet are killing me." She removed her boots and set them next to her.
"I don't think I'm that advanced yet." Zelena chuckled. "Maybe we have enough to buy one in the next town."
"I wouldn't want you to waste your money you saved up." Regina said.
"It's our money. And if you want a horse, we're gonna get a damn horse and I don't want to hear anymore about it." Zelena said sternly, leaning back on her hands, looking up at the sky, a smile touching her lips as her eyes took on a dreamy state.
"What are you thinking about?"
"My mother. She used to always tell me, that one day, the power of the stars would be at my fingertips and I could move the earth with the power of my magic."
"Must be nice, having a mother that cares about you." Regina sighed, looking up at the stars as well.
"You've seen my life, dear, it isn't that lovely."
"Oh please, I'll bet it's a thousand times better than my house." She pulled out some apples and a knife, handing a green one to Zelena and taking a red one for herself. "When I was 4, I fell asleep during tea time." Regina said, cutting off a piece of apple. "That's how I got this." She pointed to the scar on her lip and popped the apple into her mouth. "Courtesy of my heartless mother."
Zelena chuckled biting into the green apple. "When I was 5, I accidentally knocked over a pitcher of water and my father took a belt to my back. Sliced it into ribbons. Took 2 weeks before I could stand up straight."
Regina scoffed. "When I was 7 I missed a meeting with the other noblewomen because I was out riding, so Mother magically tied me up with belts and left me lying on the cold floor all night with no food or water." She cut off another piece of apple and ate it. "Nearly froze to death. One servant girl tried to help me and she ripped her heart out and crushed it."
"That's nothing compared to my father throwing me down a well because I turned green in front of his drinking buddies." Zelena replied.
"Really?"
"Yep. Left me there all night. Talk about freezing to death." She sighed. "Our childhoods were so lovely."
"Indeed." Regina agreed.
"But the future hopefully shall not be so dreadful. Shiz is going to change our lives, that I promise you." Zelena smiled before biting the apple again. They ate their apples in a peaceful silence. After a while, the witch said goodnight and went into her tent to go to sleep.
Regina remained next to the dying fire for a while, contemplating just what future lay ahead. She learned a lot about Zelena that day. She learned the woman was annoyingly sarcastic and loved to cause a little trouble, seen when they passed through a village and Zelena made all the eggs in a man's chicken coop disappear and magically knocked over another man's stall. But her confidence astounded Regina. You would think she would be submissive and quiet for most of her life, but Zelena was hardly of the sort. They fit well together. Where she was strategic and more reserved, Zelena was bold and direct. The redhead was protective and sassy and surprisingly similar to Regina herself, which surprised her even more. Their favorite fruits were apples, although Zelena liked green apples and Regina thought they were bitter while Zelena thought red apples were sickly sweet. One thing just would not stop nagging at the former princess though. Zelena used magic to hide who she really was from the world, no doubt courtesy of her father and his brutal method of teaching. She was curious about it, but she didn't dare ask just yet.
The temperature steadily dropped and Regina soon went into her tent to bundle up and sleep, but it wouldn't come. She tossed and turned for a few minutes before getting up and going into Zelena's tent.
Zelena jumped awake at feeling something in her tent move and looked down to see Regina curl herself into a tight little ball behind her. She smiled and sent a warming spell along the younger woman's blanket and went back to sleep.
xxxxxxx
"What the hell? You want 200 pieces of gold for that old plow horse?!" Zelena exclaimed. Regina walked past her as she argued with the farm owner. Their journey would take another month on foot. On horseback, they could make it to the Emerald City in perhaps a week and a half, according to their map. Oz was a strange land, but Zelena made sure no harm came to her companion.
Regina approached the massively thick mare tied to the fence. It might've been a draft horse, or clydesdale maybe. It was tall and thickly built with a mahogany coat that desperately needed to be brushed. Her mane was black and looked like someone had braided half of it and hacked the rest off with a knife. A broad white band ran down her face, reminding her of Rocinante. She stroked her muzzle and took the lead, walking her a bit. She was strong and was clearly more than just a farmhorse. She found a brush lying on the ground and wiped her down. Using a pair of shears, she cut off the rest of the horrid mane and saddled her up.
"Fine, the lowest I'll go is 190." said the farmer.
"190?! You cheap bastard-" Zelena paused as Regina rode up on the mare. She smiled softly and looked at the farmer. "150. Final offer."
"170."
"Fine." Zelena sighed, handing him the coins. Regina extended her hand and pulled the redhead up behind her. "I've never ridden a horse before, so go easy on me."
Regina laughed. "Thank you."
"It's no problem." The witch replied as they trotted off. She held up her hand, revealing the coins she'd supposedly given to the farmer. He must've realized their treachery because he started yelling and Regina spurred the mare forward to outrun him. Zelena held onto Regina's waist for dear life as they cantered away from the farm. The road was quiet and soon, Regina slowed them down to a walk.
"Have you done that to every stall we went to today?" Regina asked.
"Of course not." Zelena scoffed. "Just the crooks."
"So...everyone?"
"Plus or minus a couple other people."
Regina smiled as she rolled her eyes. "You're the crook, my friend."
"And you love it." Zelena giggled.
"You're absolutely right, I do."
They rode until the sun was high in the sky and Zelena deemed it necessary to stop once they reached an old inn. Regina remained outside, tying up their mare to the post outside. They were going to have to name her since they were going to keep her. She stroked her neck until Zelena came back out.
"Well I got us a room for the night. They have a dining area so we can get something to eat. Shouldn't be too long now before we're in Shiz." The redhead smiled.
"Zelena, why did you buy this horse?" Regina asked, smiling in return.
"Because you wanted it. Her." Zelena shrugged, suddenly looking shy. "You should name her."
"What do you think of Destiny? No! Fate." Regina nodded. "Her name should be Fate."
"I like it." Zelena said, stroking Fate's muzzle. "I've never been good with animals. They've always fascinated me but I've never had a pet before."
"Not a pet. A companion." Regina smirked. "Can we keep her when we get to Shiz?"
"I don't see why not. I'm sure they have a stables. Come on in, you're probably starving. We can't have you passing out before we lay eyes upon our future." Zelena grinned, steering the brunette into the inn. There were a few patrons, but it was nice and quiet. They chose a table towards the back and Zelena ordered a wrap platter for them to eat. Whatever that was.
Regina pulled out their map and spread it out on the table. "Okay, we're in this place called Quadling country. We'll reach the Emerald City in at least a week and a half. Maybe just a week if we really hit it. Then it's just a day's ride to Shiz."
"Have you decided what you're gonna study? Since you don't want to study magic." Zelena asked as she put the map away. One of the waiters returned and gave them two mugs of ale.
It burned Regina's throat, far stronger than anything she might've drank while with her mother. But she didn't mind. Zelena patted her on the back when she had a coughing fit. "I actually thought I might try my hand at magic. If you'll give me a few pointers so I can make it in at least."
"Regina, as smart as you are, I have no doubts that you'll find a way in. Me, all I have working for me is my magic. I can't do anything else." The redhead shrugged, looking down at her lap.
"That's why you learn, dear." Regina smiled. "I'll teach you everything I know if you'll teach me about magic."
Zelena grinned. "It's a deal, dearie." She looked up as the waitress returned with two sizzling skillets with a cone of tin in it. "These are delicious. My mother and I used to save up every week to get one." She demonstrated how to unwind the tin foil, revealing the cooked meat and vegetables within. All of it was in a thick hearty sauce that the smell of made her stomach rumble with hunger. She grabbed a fork and dug in, almost moaning at the delicious taste.
"It's good, isn't it?"
"It's amazing!"
Zelena smiled. "One of Oz's simplest but finest." They ate in content silence, enjoying their meal together, until it was time to head to bed. Regina took a bath first and she was grateful to wash away the grime of the day. She scrubbed herself red and climbed out, drying herself with a towel and getting dressed in a simple nightgown that Zelena had conjured for her. She peeked out the door and found Zelena standing in the middle of the room, the spell gone, revealing her green skin as she took a few deep breaths. Hiding it must take a toll on her magic.
"Zelena." Regina stepped out of the bathroom and immediately the redhead's spell went back up. "It's okay. I know. I saw it the day we left your house." Zelena sighed, her hands were shaking as she slowly allowed her natural skin to show once more. "You don't like it?"
"I hate it." Zelena snapped. "I'm already a magic user and then I had to be born like this." She looked down at herself with disgust.
"I think you look beautiful." Regina said sincerely.
"Thank you, Regina. It means alot coming from you, but I just wish I could get rid of it. It reminds me too much of being…"
"Wicked?" Regina asked. Zelena nodded as the brunette took her hands and looked her in the eye. "You are not wicked. You are so much more than what you've been told. Like you said, we have a greater destiny than anything anyone who knew us would've imagined. It doesn't matter what anyone thinks but us. If you want to get rid of your skin color then I'm sure we can find a way to do so."
"You would really do that for me?"
"Of course. You're my best friend. Actually my only friend, but details, details." Regina smiled.
Zelena smiled as well. "Thank you, Regina."
"Any time."
The next morning they were up and out early on the road to Shiz. They headed to a large village market and Zelena split the money so they could split up and gather supplies. Regina went to collect their food. She filled Fate's saddlebags with carefully wrapped fruits and vegetables and cured meats so they'd stay fresh as long as possible. As she turned to head back to where she and Zelena had agreed to meet, she spotted a merchant selling spellbooks and didn't hesitate to buy them all. She was surprised that were only 10 pieces of gold each. She put those in the saddlebags as her attention was caught by a lone figure in a cage. It was so tiny she had to be right up to it to recognize the tiny monkey laying on his side with his small wings pressed close to him. "What's wrong with him?" She asked the owner, who shrugged. She presumed it was because of the man's neglect and poor treatment. Regina was an avid animal lover and she was disgusted by the man's attitude towards the tiny beast. "How much do you want for him?"
"He is not for sale."
"He's dying, barely more than a corpse. Why won't you let me have him?"
"Because he is mine." The man snapped.
Regina looked once again at the monkey. The creature looked so pitiful, her heart broke for it. "50 gold."
"100."
"65." Was everyone in Oz a bunch of crooks?
"75."
"70."
"Deal."
Regina sighed as she handed him the money and reached into the cage to pull out the monkey. It barely responded to her, but for a moment it perked up, trying to look around and she smiled. "Still got some life in you, huh?" She mounted Fate and rode her out to the edge of town where Zelena met up with her a few minutes later with blankets, some more travel clothes and even a few weapons: two staffs, a couple of 'witches' wands, a sword and a few daggers.
"Just in case." Zelena said. "Magic might not be the only protection we need. I also got us a little something else." She nodded to where two guys were dragging a horse cart over to them, which they hitched Fate up to. Zelena paid them and they walked back to the market. "Lovely, isn't it? I didn't think Fate could carry all of this stuff and us comfortably so I bought this little baby. I think now we should start worrying about spending money." The redhead continued to babble away as she loaded up their new cart. Regina smirked as she handed the saddlebags of food and magic spellbooks to her friend, who leaped for joy at the sight. "Now we can get started on our magic lessons. Maybe both of us will learn a thing or two by the time we get to Shiz."
"Zelena, dear. I have something for you." Regina smiled as she presented her with the little flying monkey.
"What the- I didn't even give you that money! And you bought a flying monkey?" Zelena grinned as she gently took the tiny creature, no bigger than her hand and whispered a word of magic, healing him of whatever affliction he may've been suffering from. The little thing perked up immediately.
"Well, you bought Fate for me. And although I did kinda use your money-"
"Our money." Zelena snapped.
"Fine. I used our money to buy you a little pet too."
"Not a pet, a companion." Zelena smirked as the little monkey climbed onto her shoulder. "I think I'll call him Chistery."
"Chistery." Regina smiled. "It fits him. So, shall we continue down the yellow brick road?"
"We shall. Climb aboard." Zelena said as she climbed onto the cart and helped Regina up next to her. The brunette took the reins and gave them a crack. Fate started forward and they were on their way once again.
"Thank you, Regina." Zelena said after a few moments of riding. "For everything really."
"Anytime."
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