Though their DNA was fifty percent of that of a very tough creature, and though they would be young and energetic for years to come; the hybrids were smaller than their father, and they all knew that many breaks would be taken before they even reached the halfway point. Donkey was in emotional ruins. Not only had his wife cheated on him; but his children were moving quite slowly, at complete risk to those who would judge and hate him just like they had judged and hated Shrek.
Puss had tried to lure Donkey out of his dark corner, speculating that Dragon had only mated with another to save her species. It came as little consolation. So Puss had given up and resorted to sleeping, while Donkey sat underneath his cloud.
For many uncomfortable hours, the carriage rolled past homes and businesses. The hoofed, winged creatures tethered to the front of the carriage did nothing to dispel the sinister mood Farquaad's carriage had always conveyed; with its black exterior and windows crowned in red.
Shrek locked his fingers together, keeping his face in the shadows as he looked out the window. The villagers knew something was different about this journey-perhaps people had actually spoken of Farquaad's death. Were there those who cared about him at all? Or perhaps Shrek wasn't as hidden in the shadows as he thought. Or maybe it was the mutants in plain sight, straining to pull them forward; probably creating the visual that they had been sentenced to hard labor. Did the villagers also think they had been made into what they were?
He looked over at Fiona just in time to see her wiping tears from his eyes before she gave him a smile that would have looked perfectly natural, had he not just seen her weeping. She held her head high and seemed to be about to say something when the hybrids' voices broke into the silence that had been the atmosphere of their journey for a quarter of it. It seemed that five of them were encouraging Parfait, the quietest and the smallest of the litter as he struggled harder than his siblings to carry on.
"You can do it!"
"Flap harder!"
"Aim higher up!"
Their voices certainly didn't eradicate the attention that had already been called to them. As the crowd gathered on both sides of the street, Fiona quickly reached up and rolled down a sheet of little wooden planks that covered the window. Shrek followed her example; and as his wife tried to stop trembling, Shrek drew a deep, silent sigh and tried to accept what he knew he had to do.
The next break they took was chosen for its appealing location. The hybrids, ogres and animals took shelter underneath a stately willow beside a shallow creek. It was perfect for grazing and drinking; and though it was far enough from civilization to offer some quiet rest, it was close enough that they didn't have to travel very long to get back on the road. Puss, having mentioned something about hunting, took off his hat, boots and belt and let himself out of the carriage. Donkey also got out, stating in an uncharacteristically dead voice that he would watch over his kids until morning.
Alone with Fiona, Shrek busied himself with trying to carefully roll up the wooden plank shades without breaking what would later protect him from being seen by villagers who, he knew, could be nasty; while trying not to think of his fingers as clumsy sausages. Farkle and Felicia were sleeping in the spacious backseat, and Fiona suddenly unnerved Shrek by sliding shut between them and the children a door he hadn't known existed.
"Does the kingdom have carriages like this?" Shrek wondered. "You seem familiar with it."
Fiona hesitantly met his eyes. "Shrek..." she began. "Can I really tell you anything?"
Shrek turned abruptly in his seat, and his eyes narrowed. "After showing me your curse, I don't think you need to ask. What more can I do to prove myself to you?"
"No, you're right. I'm sorry."
As Fiona kept her eyes averted, Shrek felt a rising anger. He turned sideways in the seat. "Well?" he demanded.
Her eyes shot up to meet his; then she sighed and looked ahead again. "It's just, I know you like your privacy. But there isn't a lot of that at the kingdom. There will always be people." She looked at him again, "Do you think you can deal with that?"
"I have been dealing with that."
Fiona ignored his grumpy tone. "I don't know much about my family's traditions. But I can't imagine Farkle or Felicia could learn all they need to know right at the kingdom."
"What are you trying to say?"
"They might have to attend public school."
"Oh. Uh..." Shrek wiped a hand over his scalp and then dropped it onto the seat with a groan. "I hate so much of this, Fiona! Everything's changing, and it's like all we do lately is travel. I mean, in the past-what, eleven days-we've been on the road for...2,800 miles!"
"I know. I'm going through it all with you. This isn't easy on any of us."
Shrek looked at her. "Seriously, Fiona," he said quietly. "What if the children don't want that kind of a life?"
"Then...I lose half of what I am." She looked down and twiddled her fingers for a moment, finally looking back at him. "But in the meantime, while they're training and going to school...well, I was wondering if you-I mean, if we would-if-"
"If we would fill in," Shrek said simply.
Fiona nodded and shrugged her tense shoulders. "Right."
"Well, yeah, I mean...if something happens to your mom..."
"Or if she just wants a break," Fiona said quickly, trying to keep her tone light. When Shrek scowled at her she dropped the pretense. "Look, I just...I don't want to talk about what could happen to my mother. She's the only normal relative I've got left."
"Fiona." Shrek put a hand on her shoulder. "What could happen to her is why we're going."
Fiona stared at him, then leaned into him and covered her eyes. Shrek wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back. Together, they watched the moon and listened to the rushing water until they fell asleep.