Chapter 8- Moving on?
Could he care? Did he care?
He ran as fast as he could. But was it because he wanted to or just out of curiosity? He didn't think so. It hurt too much for it to be curiosity, did it? What must have happened? Would they be alright?
That and many other questions crept over Fiyero as he leaped through the forest and made it to the gigantic doors of the castle. Elphaba followed as close as she could. Of course, he was much more athletic than she was, and she would sometimes have to stop a second to catch her breath, though the adrenaline kept her going. What must've happened? Why would a black cloud invade the castle? Elphaba asked herself, as she stood in front of the fortress. As they neared the entrance, smoke and other kinds of substances could be smelled and seen. The stupor clouded their vision as soon as they opened the doors with great effort. The wave of black was massive, and it seemed to impede their walking, sight or even thinking. But he would not stop, he wouldn't be defeated. And she would follow him to no end.
Elphaba had to put her hand over her mouth to prevent the smoke from entering her lungs as much as possible. Her eyes were filled with hot liquid since the fume had reached her. She could barely make out the form in front of her, and she could hardly follow him through all the mess.
All of the furniture (or it seemed so) had been thrown in the middle of the front lawn and had been set on fire. This wasn't an unintentional fire. This had been caused by someone. But who? No time to answer. They had to move along quickly and try and find everyone who lived there. Fiyero turned around, his hands also covering most of his face. He grabbed Elphaba's hand and led them towards the main hall, where he was sure that the fire or its extent would not have reached. Fiyero led them as fast as he could to the main room. Elphaba's eyes were threatening to spill all of the liquid that had been accumulated since their arrival. She couldn't afford to get burnt now, so she decided to close her eyes, and trust her leading man. She trusted him completely.
When they got there, they took a moment to catch their breath and clear their thoughts. They were both panting for air, for the smoke had left very little of oxygen. They were both leaning on their knees, and Elphaba was the first one to look up from the floor, only to find a very upset Fiyero. He would not look at her, but she could tell how annoyed he was by what was going on. Elphaba could not stand seeing the man before of her suffering like he seemed to be. She straightened herself and approached Fiyero slowly. He didn't seem to notice that she was coming towards him, but as she aimed to put her hand over his back for some comfort, he started walking; more like a worried pacing, for he didn't know what to do. The instant she saw him move, she shrieked her hand away, not wanting to disturb him any more than he was.
He was mad. Upset. Furious. Who had done this? Who? And where would everyone be? Fiyero looked around the room. The furniture had been collected at the castle's front yard and set on fire. The things that were left in the room were scattered all over it, and were no more than just a simple sign of wrestling. He had no idea who had been the guilty one for all of this. He decided to look for everyone who might be in the castle, if there was someone left. He glanced at Elphaba for one second, and with her sight, she gave a little nod that indicated that it was alright for him to inquire into what was left from the palace. He first went upstairs, to the children's rooms. He found no one, and again, their things all spread everywhere.
No one to be found. No one left. No trace of anything. The castle was empty except for Elphaba, Fiyero and the consuming fire that would not die for their own sakes. Fiyero had checked almost every room, Elphaba behind him; and the last one to check (though they doubted anyone would be there), was her tower. Elphaba was the first one to enter the room, which had been also messed up. After she opened the door, she stood there, watching, astonished. All of her things were… broken and torn. She walked slowly to her bedroom, gently touching what was left of her bed. She turned around, only to find Fiyero at the door, submerged in his own thoughts, a sad face showing no emotion but grief and detestation. She drew near him in and attempt to comfort him, putting her arms around his neck and hugging him. He winced a little at the touch, for he did not expect it. But as soon as Elphaba's hands reached him, he started crying for the inability of been able to do something. The weeping kept for some minutes, Elphaba's shoulder served as a console for the suffering man. She could see the grief and hurt of not knowing the fate of your loved ones, or the powerlessness of it all; her own tears menacing to spill.
Just as his sobs stopped, a light cough was heard from Elphaba's closet. Both, Elphaba and Fiyero turned to the piece of furniture and held their actions. Fear, curiosity, nervousness, trepidation and adrenaline came all over them at once. They looked at each other, both with puzzled looks, wondering the same thing. But Fiyero was the first one to move towards the door. He moved slowly, so as to not startle whoever was inside there. Carefully, he grabbed the door, and yanked it open to find two small figures cuddled: a young boy and a girl.
Fiyero couldn't believe his eyes. The only two survivors of this wreck were no less than Liir and his little girl, Nor. He looked at them dumbfounded, not being able to move. His mind was blank.
Elphaba (whose sight had been blinded by the man standing in front of her), moved a little to the side, so she could see who was it that had hidden inside the closet. To her amusement, the two figures were the least she would have expected, and the reaction she gave was not what she would have expected either.
"Liir?" she said as she ran towards the piece of furniture, walking past Fiyero. She crouched beside both children and looked at the boy. He was stained by all of the mist of the fire, and he was cut and hurt in some places. But nothing serious, she suspected. The girl, on the other hand, was resting against the boy, her eyes closed. She was probably unconscious; from what, she could not tell, but her physical state seemed to be similar to the other kid's. Liir had both his arms around her, possessively, as if trying to protect her from something, even if he was smaller than the little girl.
"Liir—what—what happened?" Elphaba asked, her voice full of concern and fear. The child looked at her, nothing but shock in his eyes. Fiyero had watched how she had reacted at seeing the boy there: hurt and almost broken. She had desperately run to his side, if not to his aid. But were it for concern of his state, or just for the excitement of finding someone alive to tell what had happened, he could not say. The initial shock and stun had passed, and now he was watching what was going on. Slowly, he walked to the closet and bended down beside Elphaba, trying to catch up on what was happening. He saw that the boy was curled next to Nor, who had apparently passed out.
Liir didn't answer to Elphaba's query. He quietly returned Elphaba's look, maybe to disturbed to even talk. When Elphaba was about to insist more on this subject, Fiyero put a hand on her shoulder, indicating that this was not the time. Elphaba glanced at him, questioning his actions. He didn't return the gape, but instead, kept going as if she hadn't even looked at him. Without a word, he reached for Nor, who was unconscious.
"Come on. She needs help." Fiyero said, grabbing the girl hastily, unease filling his eyes, and moving to the kitchen, where he knew something from there would help her wake up—it had to. Elphaba took a moment to respond to his actions, but followed him all the same. Just as she made a move, she noticed how the little boy hadn't even stirred, but studied her actions intensely; but not really watching. He just stared at her; his mind seemed to be somewhere else. Elphaba stopped walking as she saw this. She debated whether she should leave him there or just help him in some kind of way. Though she didn't know how.
With no speaking of a word, she reached for his hand, her eyes soft and understanding. Liir lifted his head to meet her eyes, not questioning, but accepting the kind treatment even so. It, then, dawned on both of them that that was as close as they have ever been—if not the first time they had ever touched. It was simple, but engaging.
Elphaba helped the boy out of the closet. She didn't know why she had had the need to help the boy, much less why was it what she had done it. It wasn't as if she did not trouble for the kid… but at that time she could not help but assist the boy. Once he was out of there, she instantly separated her hand from his. Not violently, but just out of habit.
They followed Fiyero into the kitchen, where he had laid Nor over the counter and, now, was searching for something inside the cabinets. He was desperate. As soon as Elphaba entered the room, she went to his side and tried to calm him, for if he stayed like this, he would not help them at all.
"Yero, dear, calm down." She put a hand on his shoulder. "You are not helping by behaving like this." Fiyero stopped his frantic search right there, sighing heavily, and then looked at her. Her eyes were the only comfort he could find.
"I know, I know… it's just…" he bowed his head, in anger maybe; she could not read his expression. He was upset for sure, but other than that he didn't show. Elphaba just looked at him, frustrated for not being able to do a thing. She then noticed that the girl laying on the counter was still unconscious, and needed immediate attention. She went to her side, making a quick check for her temperature and looking into her eyes. Fiyero didn't move for another moment. He still had his head bowed, thinking. Whoever had done this was looking for something or someone else other than the ones who were no longer there. And he would not be serene until he discovered what had happened to them.
"She is cataleptic. But she will be alright." Elphaba's voice cut Fiyero's line of thought. She reached for some herbs and some kind of liquid which she had found and mixed them into some sort of mud, which she put into Nor's mouth. Fiyero just watched. When she finished doing what seemed to be a medicine, he said, "What is that for?"
"Just some medicines which, hopefully, will help her get out of that state." She answered, caressing the girl's hair. "She needs to rest. Take her somewhere comfortable." The woman spoke. Fiyero did as he was told, and he took her to one of the bedrooms which's bed had not been fired up. Elphaba went behind, as did the boy, who had stood there just watching and listening unnoticeable.
The night had gone by, and Nor had not waken up yet. Fiyero sat by her side, waiting for her to respond in any way. She seemed peacefully asleep, though Fiyero knew that this was more than just a dream she was having. He wasn't able to slumber at all that night, for he was afraid to fall asleep and not be able to help her if something happened to her.
Elphaba had fallen asleep on a chair nearby, in contrast. She was completely exhausted when she had entered the room, and after checking that the girl and his father were as fine as they could be, she sat on the most comfortable chair she found and had drifted of with the image of Fiyero cuddling his little girl Nor. She did not get much rest, however. The events of the day chased her and wouldn't leave her alone. She wondered who the guilty one might be, and her mind couldn't help but think that somehow the wizard was connected to all of this. She kept telling herself that that was nonsense, but nothing else was a probable explanation at the time.
Elphaba woke up because of the sun shinning brightly at her face. She opened her eyes, and they immediately adjusted on the two persons over the bed. Nor hadn't moved a bit, (except for her hand, which was probably grabbed by her father some moments ago), and Fiyero had his head propped on his hand, which's elbow was over his leg. He didn't seem like he had had a good night sleep. He just kept staring at his girl. Elphaba got up form the chair and neared the bed. She placed a hand on Fiyero's back, patting him. His first reaction was a little jumpy, but as soon as he realized who she was, he snapped out of the trance he seemed to be in, and sighed heavily, as if releasing all of the air he didn't know he was holding. Silence followed for a few minutes.
"How are you doing?" asked Elphaba, almost in a whisper. Fiyero's gaze was placed on his little girl from wherever it had been. He had never been so worried in his life—except when he had been capture and the fate of his lover had been unknown to him.
"How good can I be?" the man answered, his eyes focused. Still rubbing his back quietly, Elphaba could not help but feel sympathetic. Uncertainty lingered in her mouth, her eyes showing her inner conflict.
"Well, love, you haven't slept all night. Why don't you get some sleep—or rest, if you may. It will suit you fine." Said Elphaba, concern evident in her voice.
"What will suit me fine," replied Fiyero, "would be to know who was the bastard who provoked all of this." The last sentence was said as he clutched Nor's hand stronger, emphasizing his point. Elphaba said nothing, for she had no word to retort to that. She sat in silence beside him, where Nor's legs ended. She was no longer touching him, his back her only sight. After a few moments, he turned around to face her; clear paths of dried tears could be seen. Without anything additional, she understood him. Elphaba leaned gently in, and kissed him tenderly. The affection developed no further, for neither of them was interested in doing so at the present time; their minds were too busy with the subject at hand. But as they parted, Fiyero made a move towards her, as if trying to hold her. And she let him. They stayed like that for another minute, until Elphaba backed away. Their eyes met; unspoken communication was clear between both of them. Even in the most difficult of times, they had each other to lean on.
"How is she?" a tiny voice was heard. Both heads turned to see a little boy standing at the doorway. His gaze was fixed on Nor's head. Fiyero looked back and forth between Elphaba and Liir, no words being able to form inside his head. Fortunately, Elphaba was capable of thinking.
"She's fine. And… she's not fine." She said. At the boy's confused look, she continued. "She doesn't seem to be badly injured, though she's not waking up." Liir just nodded and stood there. He didn't move nor speak, which worried the adults, for his reaction was not common. But then again, he wasn't a 'common' child.
"I hope she's ok." He said, still hypnotized by the girl. Fiyero looked up, surprised by his words. "I hope she is too." He simply answered.
After that plain conversation, silence was formed in the room, where none of them knew what to speak. Fiyero still kept looking at his girl, to see if there was any change at all. There wasn't.
Once most of the day was gone, Liir sat on the chair at the far corner where Elphaba had slept her night. The woman was staring at the boy, though he didn't seem to notice. It then occurred to her something which made her leap up from her spot at the bed, and move towards the boy. They boy then acknowledged her actions and looked into her eyes.
"Liir, you were here. When everything happened… you were here. You know who did this." Elphaba said, desperation in her voice. Fiyero looked up from the girl into Elphaba's back; her form was obstructing his sight from the boy, though he suspected he was not comfortable right now. Fiyero almost jumped up from the bed and went to Elphaba's side, where she was almost over the kid. When she saw his presence, she relaxed and backed away a little, the excitement of her new discovery leaving her a little, but not enough for her to stop enquiring. He kept looking at them, not knowing what to answer.
"What happened?" Elphaba asked once again with a more agitated tone. They boy still didn't answer, and neither of the adults could take it. Elphaba threw her hand in the air along with a sigh, as a sign of frustration. However, Fiyero remained. He bended in front of the child and held his eyes to him. He decided to try for once to speak to the young.
"Liir—is it ok if I call you that?" at the boy's nod, he continued. "Liir, I know you have suffered a lot in the last few hours. And I know that you want Nor to be alright again, but unless you tell us what happened we won't be able to help her. If you tell us, maybe we'll know how to assist her better." Fiyero explained. They kid just looked at him, words trying to be formed in that little mind of his. It tool him another second to answer correctly.
"Well… I--" as he first spoke, Elphaba turned around to face him with an eager face. "The night before yesterday, I went to sleep into Nor's room, since I couldn't sleep in the tower," at that, Elphaba looked away, but still listened carefully. "And at morning, a group of men who called themselves the Gail Forces or something, came in the castle and started to destroy all apart. I was very afraid, but I didn't want them to hurt Nor, so I woke her up and led her upstairs, to the high tower. I saw no one, but I saw the closet open and took Nor inside there, so that no one would see us. I told her that we should stay there until those strange men were gone, but she wanted to go out and get her mom and brothers. But I couldn't let her get out, because I heard the men entering the room, so I grabbed her arm and somewhere along the way, she bumped her head against something. And she hasn't woken up since then." Liir headed his eyes to the girl. He felt guilty for what was happening to the girl, though he didn't know what it was exactly. Fiyero sighed and put his hand above his shoulder.
"You did the right thing, kid. Do you know what happened to the others?" Fiyero asked, fear persistent in his voice.
"I only heard that they were going to take them somewhere far… something like Southstairs?" Liir answered with a frown, trying to remember the exact name. Fiyero looked startled at the mention. He stood up from his position and started pacing around the room. Elphaba looked quite shocked herself. Her suspicions were right. The Wizard was involved in this.
"I knew it." said Elphaba, surprising both Fiyero and Liir. "The wizard is involved. That bastard." She mumbled to herself. "Liir, I need you to stay here and watch over Nor. I have to talk to Fiyero. We'll be on the high tower. Let us know if there is any change." Elphaba determined, grabbing Fiyero's arm and leading him towards the tower, not sparing any time for any of them to argue.
When they reached there, Elphaba closed the door, even if she knew that nobody would follow them.
"I knew it. This is all my fault. I shouldn't have come here…" Elphaba spat out as she paced from one side to the other. Fiyero just watched her intensely. He couldn't believe what she was saying.
"Fae, calm down. This is not your fault. If anything, it is mine…and now they will be killed. I lived in Southstairs… it is no nice place for women, much less for kids… and now they're gone…" he said as he sat on the bed.
"What are you saying?"
"Well, as you know, the Gale Forces captured me… and I escaped… I didn't think they would follow-- but…" he said, guilt flashing in his eyes.
"Yero, no. You couldn't know--"
"Neither could you." And as he said the last words, they locked their eyes once again, forgetting that everything else existed and losing themselves in each other. Without any warning, they kissed. All of the previous was elapsed as they delved into their passion. The next moments they shared together, no limits set between them. They needed to assure that they still had each other, and that no matter what, their love would prevail.
Later that afternoon, they woke up, exhausted from their love making, but contented because of their encounter. Elphaba had fallen asleep over Fiyero's chest, their legs all tangled. Fiyero woke up first, but as he realized who he was with, he made no move so as not to wake her up. He stared at his lover, entranced by her figure. He would always love that woman; she would always make him forget whatever was it was happening around them, no matter what. And he loved that.
Shortly after his stirring, she made a little move to indicate that she was awake too. He sighed and she lifted her head a little to see into his eyes. His hand moved towards her head, where he caressed her long, black hair.
"Good morning, my love." He said in a somewhat sweet voice.
"You mean noon, my sweet?" Elphaba answered with a tender smile. He only kissed her in response. "How are you feeling now?" she enquired. He only looked away, partly because he was afraid to answer, and partly because that made him remember the events of the day. He cringed a little, but still gathered some force to keep himself up.
"I'm… better with you by my side." He said as he pushed her tightly against him. She didn't refute his actions, but cuddled herself in his arms. They stayed like that for another hour, or so, until Elphaba noticed that outside was beginning to get dark, and it dawned on her that she had let Liir and Nor alone, and if something were to happen, Liir wouldn't be able to assist the girl or otherwise. She got up from bed, startling Fiyero a bit.
"Fae, where are you going?"
"Yero, we left two kids alone. If something were to happen to one of them, the other one wouldn't be able to aid him." She said as she gathered her clothes, and starting to put them back. Fiyero stared from the bed, a small smile forming on his lips.
"You said 'him'." Fiyero said. He had hit a nail. Elphaba stopped in the middle of her gathering of things and looked at him.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Well… you could have said 'her'… but you said him." He repeated, an apparent smirk on his face. Elphaba was left wordless. "So, you do care." He stated, knowing that she would not retort to that.
"I--I… " Elphaba mumbled. Her gaze fell on the floor, and slowly, she moved towards the bed, where she sat on one corner. Fiyero moved forward towards her back, and placed both of his hands on her shoulders and his face to her left.
"It's okay to care. I care for the boy too." He said as he massaged her shoulders relaxingly. Elphaba sighed in a sign of release and relaxation. She had wondered whether he would accept the boy as his, and whether he would still love her after the news. The late he had proven to her delight, than he indeed loved her; but the first, she was not sure of until that moment.
"Fae, you thought I wouldn't love the boy the moment I knew he was our son?" he questioned. Elphaba was startled at how well he could read her. He would never cease to amaze her.
"I didn't know how you would react. Knowing that you have a kid out of nowhere is no fun." Elphaba said, trying not to sound too aggressive, but relieved that she had finally gotten the response she wanted.
"Elphie, I will always love you, no matter what. By this point, I though you knew that."
"Well, I didn't." she said somewhat coldly. She didn't want to admit it, but she sometimes doubted if Fiyero really loved her. It was not easy being loved all of a sudden. Fiyero laughed a little at her answer. He loved when she got difficult. But sometimes it was not pleasurable.
"Oh, my Fae." He said as he wrapped his arms around her. "I will always love you. Come what may." And to assure the last sentence, he gave her a little kiss. But that little kiss grew into a much bigger affection than neither of them could resist. "Let me show you." And as he said that, he took her in his arms and led her to their bed again.
Before any of them knew better than to stop, they were both lying on the bed, curled next to each other again. Fiyero was the first to speak.
"I love you, my Fae."
Elphaba took a moment to answer that. "I love you too, Yero, my hero." As she said that, she placed a little kiss on his lips, and got up from bed. One of them had to make a move to move up from the bed. And she would wait no longer to check on the children. Not looking at him, she gathered her clothes and dressed up as fast as she could, so that he would have no chance of grabbing her once more.
"Yero, you should get dressed too. I'm going to go check on Nor. I expect you to dress and join me in no time." She said, a little smile forming on her lips. The first glimpse of a smile in years. She fastened herself out of the room, and made it downstairs to the room where Nor was resting. When she entered the room, she noticed that Liir was asleep on the same chair she had been the previous night. He was shivering, she could tell form where she was standing. She realized then, that the window was wide open, and it was freezing cold outside. She searched the room for a blanket, and when finally she found one, she placed it over the boy. Perhaps she did care.
After making sure the boy was warm, she made a move towards the girl. She checked for the girl's eyes and temperature. She was better. She had no temperature, and she seemed to be recovering. At that instant, Fiyero entered the room fully clothed, as she expected. As he entered the room, he shivered a little and put his arms around him so as to not lose heat.
"Do you need anything?" he asked, looking over the girl, who had not moved at all since they had left last night.
"A warm tea would be nice." Elphaba answered simply. He didn't take another moment to think, and left the room immediately, only stopping shortly at the sight of the boy covered with a warm blanket. He smiled at the picture, but moved along as he remembered his task.
Elphaba sat beside the little girl. She thought of the previous day and the events that had happened only a few hours ago. She didn't know what she was going to do, or how would they get out of this situation.
"Mommy?" the little girl's voice interrupted her thoughts. Elphaba looked at her with a shocked expression, not knowing what to do. She didn't know whether she should answer or tell the girl that she was not her mother, and that her mother was gone. She doubted a few time before answering. However, no word came out of her mouth. Gladly for her, Fiyero entered the room at that moment, holding a tray full of cups and a jar with hot tea. Elphaba turned her face, and said to Fiyero, "She's awakened. She asked for her mother…" Fiyero hastily handed her the tray and went to his daughter's side, hugging her with all the joy of the world.
"Oh, Nor. Thank God you are okay." Fiyero said, release and joy evident in his emotions.
"Daddy? Where's mommy?" Nor asked once again. Fiyero backed away so that he could see into her eyes. He sighed, not knowing what to do. Elphaba, then, took his hand in hers, and grasped it, reassuring that she was here for him. Sighing one more time, he explained to Nor what had happened. Even if this was the most difficult thing he had ever done, he had his Fae. They would make it through together. And that was all that mattered.
A/N: sorry for the late update! I have finished this part, though it took me quite a while… I was going to make the chapter longer, but I decided to split it into two--seeing at how long this chapter is, and how long it has been since my last update--. Next chapter is a more interesting one, since it is the one before the ending. I promise to update on the weekend, and please read and review! I hate receiving sofew reviews, like last time. So please, review. And, Annibelle White: thank you for your assistance! It has been very helpful, and I thank you VERY MUCH:-)