Only three reviews? Slightly disappointing, but after all it was only a filler chapter, so here is the next. (I expect reviews on this one)
This chapter I think I like. I hope you do too. :) I am thinking just one more chapter.
He rested under the afternoon sky, soaking in the warmth of the sun on his skin as he listened to the gentle lapping of the water against the bank. I wish Elphie could come somewhere this peaceful with me, he thought, stretching lazily.
He heard a noise in the brush, but saw nothing there when he turned his head to investigate. "Hello?" His voice drifted away into the humid afternoon air. When there was no response, he stood carefully and headed back towards Alena's house. My walking is decidedly better, he thought, ambling past stone cottages on either side.
"My turn!" a nearby boy yelled, catching his attention. He stopped walking to observe a group of small children playing some type of game with two balls and a stick. As he watched, the rather scrawny little boy grabbed for the stick, swung it, and missed the ball by nearly a foot. Chuckling to himself, he proceeded on his way. I wonder if my child will play like that, he found himself thinking, trying to imagine what his son or daughter might look like.
His mind was still elsewhere when he entered the cottage to find Eirny and Alena packing food into various bits of cloth.
"Look who decided to join us," Alena said without looking up.
"Oh, sorry. Need some help?"
"No. Nearly done. Go gather your things." His heart leapt at her words—he was going to go to Elphaba at last! He quickly gathered the few shirts and pair of worn shoes he had been given by Alena and tossed them into a pillowcase.
"Are we leaving?" he asked anxiously, returning to Eirny's side.
"Today is a good day for journeying," she said before walking out of the cottage. He waved farewell to Alena before meeting Eirny outside the door.
"There," she said, pointing. "Do you see which way is east?" At his nod, she continued, shoving a package into his hands. "This is your food for today. Walk through the Thousand Year Grasslands, going east, along the ridge of the Lower Kells. I trust you know the area. Do not walk after nightfall."
She nodded her head again towards the east, motioning him to be on his way. He stood still for a moment before thanking her and muttering a short goodbye.
The sun beat down upon him as he walked. He met no one, and when night fell he stopped gratefully. He sat down upon the soft grass and set the pillowcase beside him before pulling out the bundle of cloth. Opening it, he found it to be filled with sherpa—a type of sweet bread that seemed common in the Outer Vinkus. He ate slowly before lying down upon the grass and falling quickly asleep.
Elphaba remained in the infirmary for nearly a week, growing restless. Her days all ran together in a blurry haze. She would tend to the sick, tend to Kaiya, and occasionally (if her stomach growled relentlessly or if her eyes would no longer remain open) she would eat and sleep. In the ever-lit room of sickness, day was indistinguishable from night. Somehow, Elphaba liked it that way. Being constantly occupied kept her mind busy and her feelings at bay. Her body spent, she would surrender more easily to sleep, not being able to avoid it for any longer. And helping the other patients made her feel as if she was helping to repay her debt to the mauntery.
This morning- or, was it night?- Elphaba had somehow managed to sleep without being plagued by nightmares. She woke tentatively, being unused to awakening other than from the rousing of a vicious dream. She opened her eyes to see Kaiya's peacefully sleeping form sprawled beside her. She smiled with the hope that her daughter seemed to be feeling much better.
She rose gracefully from the bed and picked Kaiya up gently, letting her snooze against her shoulder. As she was leaving the infirmary in search of some breakfast, she stumbled into Sister Alma in the doorway. Brilliant, she thought sarcastically.
A smile seemed to flicker across her face. "Sister Saint Aelphaba. Yes, I see that you are feeling better. After breakfast I would like you to tend to the patients in the green ward of the infirmary. You seem to have a good way with the sick."
Elphaba nodded and began walking away when she heard Sister Alma add, "Don't worry about little Kaiya. Our dear Sister Avariella will tend to her."
She continued towards the kitchen, but paused outside the door. She no longer felt very hungry. Instead, she lumbered down a side hallway and through a door that led to the courtyard. She relished the freshness of the early morning, wincing only slightly at the moisture against her skin. Feeling anything besides cramped medical air was a welcomed experience.
Carefully avoiding the dew-moistened grass, she rested upon a stone bench, facing east. She sat there for some time, enjoying the silence. As the sun crept up over the horizon, Kaiya began to stir—her first sight of that day was of her mother bathed in the coppery hue of the sunrise.
Elphaba looked down at her and ran a slender finger along her cheek. "Good morning. See the pretty sunrise?"
Kaiya turned her gaze upon it and was immediately riveted. Elphaba watched her daughter in silence as she tracked the slow progress of the sun making its way into the sky. She could see a brilliant mixture of red and orange reflected in her small, astonished eyes.
"My, aren't we captivated?"
At the gentle sound, Kaiya turned her gaze upon her mother, flashing a small smile that would have made Glinda proud.
Fiyero awoke and was unsurprised to find Eirny some feet away, waiting for him to wake up. The first morning, her presence had come as a surprise to him, but he had now come to expect it.
"Good morning," he yawned, standing and stretching his worn legs.
"Come. We are very nearly there."
He rose and approached her, expecting directions or food. She gave him neither, walking away towards the sunrise in a determined way. Jogging slightly, he caught up with her. "Are we traveling together today?"
"Yes."
They walked on in silence for about an hour before he saw the city loom into sight out of the morning fog. Unconsciously, he shuddered.
They continued on, quickening their pace slightly, and soon entered the city. He found himself searching the crowd fervently for a hint of green skin, when quite suddenly, Eirny stopped and rapped smartly upon a door.
After a few moments it opened, and a maunt poked her head out. Her gray eyes reflected the smile upon her face. "Mother Yackle!" Fiyero had no time to figure out who the maunt was addressing before the door was flung wide.
A clash of dishes from inside the door caught his attention. He focused his eyes in time to see Elphaba gasp, her mouth forming the word "Yero."
Everyone froze—the three at the door looking at Elphaba as she gazed, transfixed, at Fiyero. The moment seemed frozen in time, stealing his breath and stilling his heart.
After what seemed a silent eternity, the moment broke, and he took a step into the door. Elphaba flew quickly from the room, her hair whipping around the corner and out of sight.
He paused midstep, gaping at the spot where Elphaba had just been standing, as though willing her to appear in the body heat that still lingered in the air.
"You'll want to give her a moment, dear," the maunt said gently, closing the door softly behind him.
To Kennedy Leigh Morgan: Brilliant! You win whatever prize I offered for anyone that could guess why Alma and Eirny were so mysterious. Iwas actually asking to see whether I portrayed their characters like I ought. It would have been difficult for them to be the same person since they are different places at once (though I did entertain the idea actually) and they ARE sisters, and since Eirny happens to be Yackle, I would say they are similar. (Insert big smile here). Glad someone caught that! You know the drill, reviews are wonderful.
