Chapter 8
The next morning Elphaba awoke to blonde curls spewed all over her face. She gently whisked them away, and then looked out the window to see that the sky was still dark. Her internal time system told her it was time to get up and get back on the carriage, but she knew they would not be doing that. Not with Glinda sick. She had gotten up several times during the night to throw up and Elphaba had gotten up with her. She looked pale yet placid lying there beside Elphie. Elphaba wanted nothing but to lie beside her poor, sick Glinda and keep her warm, but she knew she had several things to do before the carriage left.
Gently removing herself from the bed, she pulled the covers tighter around the girl, who was sprawled out all over the bed. It was amazing that Elphaba had any room to sleep, the way Glinda spread herself out. But she had gotten used to it. She would do anything to be beside Glinda.
Elphaba kissed Glinda's forehead gently and then slipped back in to her black traveling dress. She pulled her cloak around herself to keep warm, and laid Glinda's own cloak over her to give her some extra heat. The room was freezing, for when Elphaba exhaled she could see her breath.
She grabbed the key to their room, making sure to lock the door, for she had seen those men on the carriage gawking at Glinda. They were probably horny enough to break in and have their way with the poor girl, and Elphaba wouldn't take it. So she rest assured knowing the door was locked and only she had the key in.
She made her way to the dining room where she saw several of the travelers eating. They all looked up at her as she descended the stairs, but then looked away, noticing Glinda wasn't beside her. No one cared about Elphaba.
She claimed Glinda and hers breakfast and then talked to the driver, explaining how Glinda had become ill the night before and how they would need to wait. He amicably replied that it was no problem and he could easily get them on the next carriage, and if not that one than the one after it.
Once Elphaba had cleared up the situation, she sneaked through a door that led out to the stables. She crept towards one of the stalls, searching for any hint of the Animal she had heard the night before. "Hello?" She whispered in to the cold morning air. Her breath carried out a white fog that nearly blinded her as she searched. "Hello?" She called again.
Stopping, she listened. Off to the corner of the stable she could hear something shivering. She began to move towards the sound. What she found was a Sheep, lying half asleep in the hay. "Are you all right, sir?" She inquired, going towards the Sheep.
It raised its head, but did not reply, not sure of what to make out of the young girl coming towards it.
"I want to help you." She whispered, kneeling down beside the Sheep.
"Well then get me a room and some hot soup." The Sheep grumbled.
"I'm afraid I can't do that, not without the inn keeper seeing me…" She thought for a moment. Glancing down she noticed the two bowls she was holding. She could spare a meal, she would just tell Glinda she had already eaten.
"Here, have my soup." She sat the bowl down in front of the Sheep who gave her a questioning look. "Go ahead." Elphaba urged.
The Sheep, who had been traveling for weeks with hardly and food, couldn't say no. He began licking the bowl, watching Elphaba curiously. When he was finished he readjusted himself to get warmer. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Elphaba smiled, wishing she had a blanket to throw over him. "Why are you here?"
"I'm here because I'm going to the Emerald City. I was banished to the coal mines, but they wouldn't allow me to work because I was a sheep, so now I'm trying to return to the Emerald City to be with my family. They've had to go underground."
"Underground?" Elphaba couldn't believe this. She hadn't know the situation had come to this.
"Yes, I'm afraid they can't be seen in public much anymore."
"What about the Wizard, isn't he trying to do anything?" Elphaba hoped he was, she had dreamt of meeting the all powerful Oz, who could save the Animals, but now it was beginning to seem like maybe he wouldn't protect them.
"Dear girl, the only thing the Wizard is doing is suppressing the rights of Animals." The Sheep shook his head.
"So I see." Elphaba frowned. Her hopes seemed nearly dashed. But she couldn't give up hope just yet. She still had to try. "Well thank you, sir, but I must be going."
The Sheep nodded. "Thank you."
Elphaba smiled and then off she went, back to see if Glinda had awaken.
The young girl had awakened while Elphaba was out. She rolled over, expecting to see her beautiful green girl beside her, as it still looked like night outside, but she was wrong. Elphaba was gone. She wondered if this was some sort of horrible nightmare and she felt the tears stinging at her cheeks as she began to cry out for Elphaba. "Elphie!"
Moments later the door swung open and in raced Elphaba, nearly forgetting to close the door behind her. "What's wrong?" Elphie asked as she locked the door, turning to find Glinda sitting up, arms outstretched towards Elphaba.
Elphaba went to her and allowed the blonde to snuggle in to her chest. She sobbed, not sure why she was crying. The early morning hours distorted one so. Elphaba ran her fingers soothingly through the curls of blonde and rocked the girl back and fourth. She kissed the crown of her head. "Shh, I'm here." She whispered in to her hair.
"Where in Oz's name were you!" Glinda pulled back and pushed at Elphaba's chest angrily.
"I went to tell the driver we would be taking the next carriage." Elphaba explained soothingly. "And to get you breakfast." She pointed towards the bowl she had sat down on the ground.
"Oh, Elphie." Glinda looked from the bowl to Elphaba, her tears all cried, but her eye's still red from tears. She leaned up and kissed the beautiful green girl, who got off the bed to get the bowl for Glinda.
"Here, eat this. It's still sort of warm." Elphaba sat down on the bed again and began feeding Glinda.
"But what about you?" Glinda asked between bites.
"Oh, I already ate, when I was down there. I had a lovely conversation with a man who was catching a ride to the Emerald City." She lied, not wanting to concern Glinda.
Glinda nodded, watching Elphaba as she twirled her hair haphazardly between her fingers. That motion seemed to get her going, and once she was done with her breakfast, she reached out and tangled her fingers in Elphaba's hair, pulling her to her. Elphaba climbed on top of Glinda, bending down so that they could kiss. "We've never done this in the morning." Glinda felt giddy, having wanted to have her way with Elphaba many, many times during the morning, day time hours.
"Are you sure you feel up to it?" Elphaba kissed Glinda's neck, allowing her fingers to tangle in the blonde's hair, her other hand tracing down Glinda's side.
Glinda, who had wrapped her arms around Elphaba's neck, pulling her to her, nodded against Elphaba's lips. "Yeah." She whispered in to the mass of dark hair which had fallen in to her face.
They mad love in their passionate way, and then lay, huddled together against the headboard of the bed. The rain fell in torrents outside the window and once in awhile the dark, heavy, looming sky would light up with a bright flash of lightening. Glinda buried her face in Elphaba's warm chest.
"Elphie, what are you going to do?" Glinda asked as she rested her cheek against Elphaba's warm, oily skin. She loved being this close to her, curled up against her.
"I'm not sure." Elphaba answered bluntly.
"But how can you not be sure, Elphie? You've been busy studying up on something and preparing some sort of speech or something." Glinda looked up at her.
"I meant I'm not sure what I'm going to accomplish." Elphaba shook her head at the blonde, a smile lingering on her face. She leant over and their lips met. Elphaba let her hand gently stroke Glinda's cheek. "What do you care about it?"
"Well…I…" Glinda glanced away, "I really don't, but I thought I would try showing some interest." She laughed, but then shuttered as a crash of thunder bellowed outside followed by a large flash of lightening.
"I'm glad you're here." Elphaba admitted, pulling Glinda closer. "What would I do without you on a day like this?" Elphaba glanced out the window, her face for the first time showing some fear. Glinda had never known that storms bothered her. But she supposed the water did.
"I'm glad I came." Glinda smiled and kissed Elphaba's jaw to bring her attention away from the window and back to her.
"Really?" Elphaba looked back at Glinda, who nodded.
"There is no place I'd rather be than right here beside you. What do I want with some silly old school? Plus Horrible Morrible's there, how would I get on with her without you?" Glinda reassured Elphaba.
Elphaba laughed. "I wonder if Morrible's figured out we're gone. Do you think she sent someone after us?"
"Knowing her she might, but then again what does she have to lose? A green girl who gets caught up in business she shouldn't and a horrible sorcery student who can only succeed in burning down the sorcery building." Glinda laughed. "Trust me, it would happen. All in good time."
"No, Glinda, you're not horrible at sorcery. Just the other day, back at school, I saw you out by the river, floating a stick above the water."
"Oh," Glinda glanced away. "You saw that?" She half smiled. "That was nothing, that's from Sorcery 101, seriously Elphaba. I was trying to change that stick in to something useful and I only exceeded in getting it to hover."
"Well that's more than I can do." Elphaba grinned.
"I'm hungry." Glinda observed, feeling a lot better than she had the night before.
Elphaba lifted her hand and gently placed the back of it to Glinda's forehead. "You're fevers gone, for the most part. Do you want me to go see if I can get some food?"
Glinda nodded, although she didn't want to lose the warmth Elphaba's body provided her. Elphaba gently removed herself from the bed and covered Glinda with the blanket, promising her she would be back in a moment.
When she returned, she held several oranges and some dry bread. She laid it on the bed and began peeling an orange, while Glinda worked at the bread. They fed one another, seeming to find it entertaining. As Elphaba gave Glinda a bite of orange that was a bit too much, the juice began to drip from the side of Glinda's mouth and Elphaba leaned in, licking the juice off her chin, kissing her gently. It was as if they had never left Shiz, as if there were no problems, no challenges facing them in the future. It was just Glinda and Elphaba, alone on a bed, enjoying each others company. There was no fear, for they had each other and that was what mattered.
That was until that evening, when the next carriage arrived. It arrived with an unwanted presence aboard. Elphaba discovered this when she went to the dining hall to collect dinner.
The inn door had been flung open and the storm carried fiercely on outside. As a clash of lightening lit the horizon a familiar little mechanism rolled in, causing Elphaba to grab the dishes she had just received and dash back up to the room.
"The Grommetik's here." Elphaba cried as she closed the door behind her.
TBC...okay, so I lied. I found a way to submit chapter 8. Yay. But Chapter 9 might take a bit longer b/c this computer doesn't have word to correct my many numerous spelling and gramamtical errors. Lol, so hopefully this will keep you interested. Lol.