Here be the next chapter. Hope the summary of Wicked helped those unfamiliar with the story. If you can, go see it. I've now seen it officially three times and it has been awesome. But you don't want to hear about that, you want to read the story, so I'll let you.
To those of you who've read my Vampire Chronicles, I've not forgotten about the next part of the series, I just need a break from it for a while. But I will return to it, I promise.
Now on with the chapter!
I own nothing in here...sadly...le sigh...
Sam sat down against a tree, pulling the gi shirt she had been given tighter around her small frame, the fall wind tugging at her lengthening hair. A month had passed since her capture and rescue and she was now able to walk around for a fair amount of time. She had been sad to learn that they would not be able to return to Kiamo Ko until spring.
Sam sighed and watched several of the Animals and humans practice fighting moves together. She had learned that this was where the resistance had stayed during the Wizard's campaign against Animals. She had also learned that this was where Elphaba had stayed before Kiamo Ko. Sam watched them until they began to leave. Once they had dispersed Sam rose to her feet and walked into the field. She removed her jacket and set it to one side. She then began slowly doing one of the katas she had learned when she had taken martial arts.
Kesa saw Sam and quickly went inside. She pulled Kael out and pointed. The Wolf watched silently as Sam flowed around the field. Several of the village's inhabitants looked on as well. Kael began walking towards Sam, aware that everyone was watching him. He paused several feet away from Sam and watched her movements for a moment. Then, when Sam had her back to him, he joined in the kata.
Sam finally stopped fifteen minutes after beginning; her leg muscles were unwilling to let her do more. She turned and was slightly surprised to see Kael behind her. He smiled at her and bowed. She returned the bow.
"Where did you learn that?" he asked her.
"I was taught in the other world," she said.
"Do you know any other fighting styles?" he asked.
She grinned. "A few more," she said.
"Well, we shall have to practice then. But now, I believe it is time to eat," he said with a sniff. Sam retrieved her jacket and followed him towards the house.
Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked
Hathor glared angrily out of her palace windows. It was now winter and no one in Oz seemed to know what happened to Samantha Carter. She turned and began pacing in her room. Braedon walked in and bowed.
"Still no sign or word of anyone fitting Carter's descriptions," he said.
"We want every inch of this land scoured. We want her found now!" Hathor ordered furiously.
"My queen, she has vanished. It would be foolish to waste our time trying to find her as a young girl or as a woman. Too many people could fit that description," he said.
"Yes…" Hathor slowly said. "In any case, the plans we have for her require that she be older…"
"Milady?" Braedon asked in confusion.
Hathor pulled out a book and smiled. "The one called Carter will be a young woman once more," she said. "Go now. Tell everyone what to look for."
"Yes my queen," Braedon said and left the room.
Hathor smiled, finding the spell she wanted. "This will draw you out," she whispered. She looked over the passage several times to make sure she had it right.
Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked
Sam sat in bed, wishing to see her parents and friends again. As she reached over to blow out the candle a jolt of pain shot through her system. She frowned, then winced as the pain happened again.
"Not again," she murmured. The pain continued to increase, a cry emitting from her throat. As she convulsed on the bed, Kael and Kesa came running in.
"Samantha!" they cried. They tried to hold her still, pinning her to the bed. After several long moments the seizures stopped. They sighed in relief. Kesa looked down and her eyes widened.
"K…Kael…" she stammered.
He looked at her. She pointed at Sam and he followed her arm. His eyes widened as well, unable to believe what he was seeing.
Sam had aged twenty years. The clothes she had been wearing had been torn by the sudden growth spurt. Kael turned away as Kesa quickly covered Sam's form. She then stood next to Kael.
"How could this have happened?" she asked.
Kael shrugged. "I do not know. Though sorcery is clearly involved." They remained silent for several moments. "Perhaps now she will recover more quickly," he murmured. He motioned for them to leave and silently slid the door shut behind them.
Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked
Sam yawned and woke up. She stretched and noticed immediately that something was wrong. She looked down and realized that she had grown. She saw some fresh clothes to one side and was relieved to see they would fit her. She quickly changed in the faint light. She lit a candle when she was done to get a better look at herself. Relieved to be adult-size once more, she began to turn away, absently scratching her arm underneath the gi shirt. She saw something out of the corner of her eye and lifted her sleeve.
Her mouth fell open in shock. She lifted her other sleeve and saw the same thing. A row of blue diamond tattoos ran up and down the sides of her arms. She lifted a pant leg up and found that the tattoos were there as well. She let the pant leg drop and sat down on the bed. Her brow furrowed in thought.
Whatever made me age, must've triggered the tattoos to appear as well, she thought. It seemed to be a reasonable explanation. She rose to her feet and stepped out of the room. Kael and Kesa looked up from their position around the table.
"I see you've noticed your changes," Kael said.
"A little surprising," Sam agreed, kneeling down.
"Do you know how it happened?" Kesa inquired.
Sam shook her head. "Before I blacked out there were several jabs of pain, but that was it. I have experienced something like this before not too long ago."
"You believe the empress did this to you?" Kael asked.
Sam nodded. "She turned me into an eight year old to inflict greater pain on me." She shrugged. "She must want to find me badly for something if she returned me to this age. I just wish I knew what."
"You seem to be feeling okay though," Kael stated.
Sam nodded. "A little," she affirmed. She began placing some items on her plate to eat. The trio ate in relative silence.
Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked
Several more weeks passed. Sam stood in the middle of the snowy field, a wooden katana in hand. She wore a pair of black hakama pants and a heavy dark blue gi top over several lighter ones. She ignored the biting wind and the cold as she moved through the kata.
Kael watched her with interest from the side. A smile formed on his muzzle and he picked a wooden katana up as well. He stood in front of Sam and lifted his weapon. Sam stopped her kata and raised her sword into the ready position. The two began to fight, kicking up snow. They sky decided to add to the snow and it began to flurry heavily. The duelists didn't seem to notice or care. They continued their sparring match, the wood clacking together with each hit.
Kael was impressed at how well Sam had been trained, but knew that she had much room for improvement. He proved it by disarming her in three moves. He shook some of the snow off of his head, clearly enjoying the weather.
"You're good," he said.
"I need work," she corrected.
He nodded and tossed the sword back to her. "Don't watch the eyes when you fight. Eyes can deceive you. Instead, watch the body around the chest area. Your opponent will then give you a hint at what they will use to strike at you."
Sam paid close attention to his instruction, the improvement clear by the time they called it quits. They began practicing every day, Kael teaching her how to find not just with a katana, but also with the smaller ninja sword. He also taught her their version of ninjitsu. By the time winter had begun to fade, Sam had mastered the fighting styles.
Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked
"Spring is finally here," Kael said, the snows all but gone.
"Yeah," Sam agreed, somewhat distractedly.
"Are you all right?" he asked.
"I'm fine," she said. He cocked a brow at her, his yellow eyes gleaming at her. "I just…I'm gonna miss this place."
"You can visit you know," he said.
"I owe you guys a lot more than just a visit. You and your pack rescued me from certain death or worse, and Kesa nursed me back to health. That's a debt not easily repayable," she said.
"You've no debt to us," Kael said. "Your mother saved many of us during the Wizard's reign. It is our honor to have saved her daughter."
"So even then, huh?" she asked. He nodded, the two of them smiling. "So…I haven't really found a way to ask this without sounding rude, but…"
"What's the relationship between myself and Kesa?" he asked.
"Yeah," she said. "If you want to tell me I mean," she added quickly.
"We were raised together," Kael said. "Even though we're of different species, we consider ourselves to be brother and sister. A wolf or Wolf may be shunned from the pack, but they are never truly forgotten."
Sam nodded. "So…when do we leave?"
"First light tomorrow," Kael said. "Some of the passes are still dangerous, but we should be fine."
"You also want to get back here as soon as you can, don't you?" she asked.
Kael nodded. "One does not like being from home for too long."
"I know the feeling," she murmured.
"Which reminds me," he said. He produced a sheathed sword from his person. "This was made specifically for you."
Sam took the ninja blade and pulled it from its sheath. The metal gleamed in the sunlight, symbols of protection and honor etched into the blade. "It's beautiful," she said.
"And practical," he added. "A gift for you to remember us."
"Thank you," Sam said, sheathing the blade. She placed it through her waistband and they continued walking through the village, Sam saying her goodbyes.
Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked Wicked
Fiyero stood in the doorway of Sam's room. Elphaba sat on the bed, a pillow in her arms. He slowly made his way into the room and rested a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him, a lost look in her eyes. He sat down next to her and wrapped his arms around her.
"Fae, you can't keep doing this," he said softly. "As much as we don't want to admit it, she's gone. No one's seen or heard anything about her."
"We lost her again Fiyero…we're suppose to be her parents and we lost her again…" Elphaba whispered, her voice hoarse.
"We didn't lose her Fabala, she was taken."
"We could have stopped it."
"How?" he asked.
"Kept her here…I don't know!" she said, her voice rising. "We were suppose to protect her from harm, but we failed. She's gone and it's our fault! We don't deserve to be parents again!" she exploded.
He frowned. "Parents? Again?"
Elphaba wrapped her arms tighter around her stomach. "I…I'm pregnant again Fiyero…and I'm scared…"
"Elphaba, no couple are the perfect parents. Everyone has a flaw. All we can do is try our hardest to be good parents."
"What if our hardest isn't good enough?" she asked.
"Then we'll try harder," he said.
"Milord, milady, forgive the intrusion, but there is a group of strangers at the gate saying it is urgent they speak with the both of you," a servant said.
"Can't you send them away?" Elphaba asked wearily.
"Elphaba, it's pouring outside. I've never seen anything like this since…" Fiyero trailed off. Elphaba knew what he meant though. There hadn't been a storm that fierce in Oz since the death of Nessarose, the Wicked Witch of the East.
"Fine," she relented. "We'll meet them." The pair left the room and slipped into their disguises. They walked into the main reception hall and waited. A group of hooded figures walked into the room. Some members of the group lowered their hoods, revealing that they were Wolves.
"Greetings Lady Elphaba," the lead Wolf said with a bow.
"Elphaba?" she asked.
He smiled. "I never forget a scent. I am Kael."
"Oh yes. I remember you now. You come from the north near Ugabu," she said finally.
He nodded. "We apologize for intruding at this hour, but the storm grew worse and we did not want to take a chance."
"What brings you to Kiamo Ko?" Fiyero asked.
"Me," a hooded figure said. They came forward and lowered the hood. Shaggy blonde hair was smoothed back with rainwater. Her blue eyes looked at Fiyero and Elphaba, tiredness but joy in their depths.
"S…Sam…Samantha?" Elphaba choked out. Fiyero was too stunned to speak.
Sam smiled and nodded. "I'm home," she said.
She's back! Yay! I figured they deserved some happiness...for now...but it won't last...:laughs evilly:
Elphie Muse: Um...while she's doing that, why don't you review? It'd get her to stop...and I'd like her to stop...she's kinda freaking me out with the laughter...