Rifiuto: Non Miriena
A/N: Written: 2014. Found: 2018.- Licia
Arjiki Encampment,
Kellswater,
Winter,
1876
She worked the brush through the thick black locks, ignoring the child's whimpers. The new year was fast approaching- in another few hours, the old year would fall away and the new year take its place- and all in the tribe were preparing for the celebration as Father Time cast aside another year. It was another year that would be prosperous for the Arjiki, for the tribe had seen nothing but good fortune these last twelve years, after the sisters from the legend had returned, and both survived the births of their children.
"Ahi! Mamma, non così difficile!"
The chieftess sighed, turning her daughter's head to face forward again before she continued to work on her daughter's hair. The girl, like her siblings, had inherited the black strands from her mother- not a single one of the four royal children carried a strand of their father's golden brown, though each did possess his striking blue eyes- and they were just as long and pin straight.
And currently, littered with twigs and leaves and prickly burrs.
For though it was the last day of the last month, the last day of the old year, the girl had still gone out with her siblings to play- despite her older brother being seventeen, her younger brother being fifteen, her younger sister twelve, and she herself sixteen moons- they were still allowed to act like children on occasion. Their parents, though they were the Chief and Chieftess of the tribe, would occasionally take a day and spirit off to the waterfall, where they'd play in the water for hours, no longer adults with four growing children and a tribe to lead, but the young teenagers they'd been when she'd first arrived, when they'd first been married, before parenthood had forced them to grow up. It was on those days when the sight of her parents coming back from the waterfall- Papa's skin glistening wet and Mama wringing the water out of her braids- made her wish to have known her parents when they were younger.
"Se non vuoi andare precipitando nei guai come fai tu, allora non farebbe tanto male. Siete sedici lune, non sei, dovete iniziare a comportarvi così."
"Come te? Vecchio e severo e noioso? Ahi!"
Her mother tugged the brush through the black strands in response, before looking over her shoulder to meet her gaze. "Tu non conosci il peso che il tuo papà porta sulle sue spalle. Sono sua moglie, è mio dovere stare al suo fianco e aiutarlo a gestirlo. Noi guidiamo questa tribù insieme; non abbiamo tempo per scappare a giocare. Ci sono cose più importanti che giocare, Nor."
"Tu e Papà non vi siete mai divertiti una volta, Mama?"
The chieftess looked up at her youngest daughter, who sat cradling a doll, her long black hair having been worked on earlier; her older brothers sat playing Pistaka- a game involving small, brightly painted sticks and beans. Her sparking dark gaze softened at her youngest child; it had been this babe's arrival in the world that had helped to reinvigorate the tribe, for after several hours of hard, painful, difficult labor, she had finally slid from her mother's womb, as strong and healthy as the cousin who had also been born at that same minute, providing the legend of the sisters with a favorable outcome. She sighed, continuing to work on her oldest daughter's hair, albeit gentler this time. "L'abbiamo fatto, molto prima che qualcuno di voi si trasferisse nel mio grembo."
She reached up, gently plucking a burr from her daughter's hair.
"E dopo? E dopo?"
A soft chuckle, another pluck, this one a dead leaf that had tucked itself with the black locks that she had nearly missed. "È più difficile divertirsi dopo che una bambina è nata dal tuo grembo. Soprattutto quando un altro viene a prendere il suo posto mesi dopo."
She reached around, tapping her daughter on the nose. After her oldest son had been born, seven months later, they had conceived her oldest daughter; four months after Nor had arrived, their youngest son, Manek had been conceived. The only one of their children who did not immediately follow their siblings was Oziandra, the youngest, who'd been conceived the day her mother returned to the tribe from the white man's world. She had burst forth from her mother's womb on the eve of the spring equinox, in March of eighteen-sixty-four, completing their family, and bringing good fortune to the tribe, for her mother had survived the long, hard, difficult labor.
"Volevi averci, Mama?"
"Sorella! Come osi chiederlo! Certo, Mama voleva averci." The older girl stopped, thinking. She turned to face her mother, voice small. "Non è vero?" Her mother kept silent, surprised at such a question. "Volevi che noi, vero, Mama?"
After a moment, she reached up, cradling her oldest daughter's head in her hands. "Certo che ti volevo. Volevo tutti voi. Dal momento in cui ho scoperto che ognuno di voi cresceva nel mio grembo, vi volevo. Sia io che papà l'abbiamo fatto"
She kissed her daughter's head as Oziandra spoke. "Ma Papà non ci ama tanto quanto te, Mama."
"Papà ha molto da fare, Ozia." Everyone turned as Irji spoke, never breaking his focus on the game. Elphaba returned to her task of brushing Nor's hair. "È capo, è suo dovere guidare la nostra tribù. oes non significa che non ci ama meno di Mamma. Lei conduce al suo fianco, e anche se lei non è dello stesso colore, lei ama noi e il nostro popolo tanto se non più di Papà."
"Cosa vuol dire che la mamma non è dello stesso colore?"
"Non hai mai guardato la Mama?" Irji asked, nodding to Manek, who took his turn. The younger boy glanced towards his mother before turning back to his brother.
"Non sapevo che avremmo dovuto." He replied as the brushing stopped. His brother rolled his eyes as Nor turned to look at her mother, confused. Oziandra started in surprise, turning to face her mother. Both girls stared at their mother, as though officially seeing her for the first time. "È ancora Mama. Papà la ama nonostante la sua pelle, così dovremmo. Papà di cui con lei e ci ha fatto con lei, e io non ho mai avuto non gli importava che cosa la sua pelle sembrava, o che potremmo assomigliare a lei, era innamorato di lei. Non siamo riusciti a trovarti abbastanza velocemente! Ha fatto il suo dovere come moglie di papà, e gli ha portato figli, indipendentemente da quello che sembra."
Elphaba, now the subject of both her daughters' gazes, lowered the brush, forcing herself to meet their gazes, taking comfort in her son's words. After a moment, Nor whispered, "Non assomigli a Papà. Sembri zia Mulhama e zio Tibbett, e zio Shell."
Her mother nodded.
"Bianco?"
The word bit as it left her daughter's mouth, and she winced. The last time she had heard such a tone had been from the soldiers at Fort Restwater, when she'd been stolen and brought back to 'society'. They had gawked at her strange dress and moccasins, the feathers and beads in her hair, and if they'd seen the diamonds on her back, they'd have gawked at them too. Their wives- those that were married- had taken pity on her, attempted to help her, offering to help her change into the white man's clothes, give her a bath, but she'd refused. She needed nor wanted nothing they could give; she simply wanted to return to her tribe and her family.
"Con le credenze dell'uomo bianco, siete tutti bianchi." She replied, tapping her daughter on the shoulder with the brush. Slowly, the girl turned back around.
"Allora perché non viviamo nel mondo bianco, come fa zia Candle con Uncle Shell?" Oziandra asked; Elphaba began working on Nor's hair again, rougher this time; even as the girl winced and whimpered.
"Perché siamo nati Arjiki." Manek replied, as his turn finished and his brother took his.
"Mama non lo era." Nor replied, crying out as her mother continued to work on her hair.
"Ma ha sposato Papà. Ha gli stessi diamanti che facciamo tutti noi." Manek said.
"Ma lei è ancora un bianco." Her mother stopped as silence fell.
"Bianco nella pelle, ma non nell'anima, sorella." Irji replied. "Forse non ti ricorderai quando papà l'ha bandita, ma io sì."
Silence. Nor turned back to her mother. "Sei stato bandito?" Elphaba lowered her gaze in confirmation.
"Fu zia Mulhama che convinse papà a lasciarla ò verso di lui come un avvoltoio, incolpandolo per la mamma lasciando di nuovo. L'ha inseguita, l'ha riportata indietro." He turned to his youngest sister. "E poi sei venuta l'anno successivo, sorellina." The teasing in the oldest boy's voice was obvious- Clearly, Mama accepted Papa's bringing her back, othewise she would not have had you.
Elphaba chuckled softly, returning to work on her daughter's hair. Her oldest son was so much like his father, in both looks and personality, that there were times Elphaba forgot she'd given birth to the boy, for he would say something or get a look on his face that was so like Fiyero. Eventually, she was able to finish Nor's hair, but before anyone could speak, the flap of the tent lifted and the chief entered, silently observing his family. The children stayed silent, as they often did in their father's presence; not for any major respect or fear, but because Fiyero, despite his status as the chief, was still young. It often startled the children at how young their parents truly were-
Silently, Elphaba tugged on her daughter's braids before standing and going to her husband. Only their mother didn't fear to approach him, for she was not only his wife, but his chieftess, and led by his side. She had just as much power as their father, though was much more outspoken in regards to it. It was often their mother who challenged the counsel, not their father. And for that, she was respected, for her life within the tribe was foreseen many, many moons ago.
Now, though, she slid her arms around her husband's shoulders, tucking herself into his embrace. He held her close, glancing down at her before glancing back at their children. "Suo figlio è saggio per le sue poche lune, marito."
Fiyero raised an eyebrow, glancing at his sons. "E quale potrebbe essere, moglie?"
Elphaba looked up at him, as he lifted her hand, threading their fingers together. "Irji."
Her husband chuckled. "Ah, il primo dei nostri figli a venire dal tuo grembo." She wrinkled her nose but said nothing. "Non vorrei che altro, mia moglie. Avete portato questa vita alla nostra tribù; non solo attraverso i nostri figli, ma accettando il tuo destino. Ti amo." She whispered it back, allowing him to kiss her sweetly before pulling away and turning to their children. "Vieni, è ora di dire addio al passato e abbracciare il futuro che è proprio dietro l'angolo."
Excitedly, the children moved past their parents, hurrying to join the rest of the tribe. As Fiyero and Elphaba stepped out of the tent, they heard the sound of hoof beats, and both looked up to find Candle disembarking from her horse, before helping her son down. Mulhama hurried to embrace their younger brother and sister-in-law, before embracing both children. Fiyero glanced at his wife, squeezing her hand. Four years had passed since Candle had borne her twins that long winter night, and though there were still murmurings among the tribe, for the most part, they were left alone, for they lived in the white world.
But Shell and his wife had a good relationship with the Arjiki- because his wife was Arjiki, and his sisters had both married into the tribe- and so he was the only one from the white world, truly accepted by the tribe, for his connection to the chieftess and the medicine woman. He had also proven to be a strong ally of the tribe.
Now, without a word, Shell made his way towards the chief and his wife, stopping before them. It was tribal custom that if an outsider wished to join the festivities, they bring something to give to the chief and his wife; a token of thanks and acceptance. Though it was made clear this was not required for the young white and his family, Shell, every year for the last four years, still brought an offering for his sister and brother-in-law, for he believed in keeping good relations with the tribe, even though his sisters both lived within the tribe and he had proven himself a strong, reliable ally. He held out a basket of fresh baked bread, and after a moment, his sister took it, nodding.
Relieved, Shell looked up, only to find Elphaba set the basket down and tug him into her embrace. "Devi smettere di portare un'offerta ogni volta che entri nel villaggio. Sei il benvenuto, fratello."
He held her close. "I know, sister, but I want to make sure we are welcome."
She pulled away, meeting his gaze. "Sei sempre il benvenuto negli Arjiki, fratello."