Rifiuto: Non Miriena

A/N: Written: 2014. Found: 2018.- Licia

Arjiki Encampment,

Kellswater,

1877

The old year fell away, and the tribe celebrated as the new year arrived. Moving the cheering, dancing and food, Nor went in search of her parents, first checking the tent the family shared before the tent the counsel often met it. She found them at neither, nor were they anywhere around the village. Deciding to give up, she made her way out into the woods surrounding the village, the stars guiding her overhead.

Laughter reached her ears, and stopped, listening. A soft voice wafted towards her on the wind, and after a moment, she continued on. The voices continued to get louder, and then stop, only to start again. A flash of something caught her eye, and she quickly darted behind a tree, peeking around it. A moment passed, before she realized it was her parents; her mother leaning up against the trunk, her father beside her, one hand trailing down her body, gathering the skirt of her dress up as his fingers splayed against the meat of her thigh. Her mother, for her part, sighed softly in contentment, responding on occasion, though it was evident she was far too relaxed, though by what Nor didn't know.

It was common for the counsel to share a pipe, but that was all it was allowed for-

"Non più, mio principe. Non ne porterò un altro per te. Quattro è sufficiente. Grande Madre prevedeva quattro provenienti dal mio grembo, non di più." Her father chuckled, pulling her close.

"Conosco bene quanti la Grande Madre ci ha destinati ad avere, mia principessa. Se ti ricordi, ti ho portato la notte scorsa dietro la cascata, e siamo stati attenti." His wife gasped in delight as his fingers slid beneath her skirt and up the inside of her thighs. She tangled a hand in his hair, capturing his lips with hers. "Non ne ho mai abbastanza di te, moglie. Tu sei il più dolce di caprifoglio e io sono il colibrì, per sempre destinato a tornare a voi."

She giggled. "Oh, Yero-"

Nor stepped back, hurrying to flee, for she realized too late that she'd found her parents not just in a compromising position, but an intimate one. However, for all her skill at tracking, she hadn't counted on the light dusting of snow upon the forest floor, and slipped, crashing to the ground with a cry as the wind escaped her lungs. Her parents broke apart, and Nor looked up, to find them standing over her. "Mama. Papa."

Elphaba put her hands onto her small hips, a scowl tugging at her pretty features as her husband sighed. Without a word, he helped his daughter stand, before the pair walked her back to the village. Ignoring the celebration around them, the chief and his wife took their oldest daughter into their tent; sitting the teenager down before the fire. Elphaba then knelt before her daughter, studying her for any cuts, and only found a few small bruises. "Onestamente, Nor, a cosa stavi pensando? Agguato in giro così?"

The girl glanced at her father. "Volevo trovarti."

Elphaba took a deep breath, refusing to allow her husband to cut in. "Hai mai pensato che io e papà volevamo un po' di tempo per noi stessi? Tempo in cui non dobbiamo guidare la tribù, o essere genitori?"

Nor shook her head, wincing, as her mother pulled out a small pot with salve in it and began working it over the bruises on her daughter's skin. "Volevo scusarmi per quello che ho detto prima, Mama." Elphaba stopped, turning to her husband. She'd filled Fiyero in out in the woods about the conversation earlier, and he'd simply told her that Nor did not understand because she was young, but that she'd learn over time that skin did not matter. "Non devi scusarti per ciò che è vero, piccola mia."

"Tua Madre è Arjiki nell'anima e questo è tutto ciò che conta, Nor." Fiyero spoke up, meeting his daughter's gaze. The girl nodded, and after several minutes, Elphaba let her get up. She slipped out of the tent, rejoining the festivities as her mother stood, going to her husband. She folded her arms over her chest, and he slipped his arms around her waist.

"Non so cosa fare con quella ragazza a volte. Non è come te e non come me. È quasi come se fosse completamente qualcun altro. Perché lei possiede una personalità completamente diversa per il resto di noi in famiglia."

Fiyero chuckled. "Crescerà e imparerà. È come te, affascinata da tutto ciò che vede, desiderosa di imparare tutto."

His wife smiled softly, before a cloud passed over her features. "Yero?" He met her gaze. "Non pensi che la leggenda potrebbe essere... Vero? quella... che il bambino che ho perso... trasferito la sua personalità a Nor come è cresciuta nel mio grembo? Questo potrebbe spiegare..."

He shook his head, pressing a finger to her lips. "No. Solo una leggenda, moglie, è tutto qui. Una leggenda."

She looked up at him. "Ma Nor doveva essere un gemello, Yero. Ne abbiamo fatti due quella notte; e quando ho sentito l'unico morire..."

He pulled her close, kissing her softly. "Shh. Solo una leggenda, e niente di più." After a moment, she nodded, taking her husband's words to heart, before they left the tent to join the celebration. Neither noticed as Oziandra scampered away from the tent, on her way to grab her wrap, for it was getting cold, and had accidentally overheard her parents talking.

As the child went to join her cousins, she glanced back at her parents. Her sister had been a twin? But then... from what Mama had said, the other one had died in her womb, and only Nor had survived. Perhaps that was the reason for the oddness of her older sister's personality. Either way, she knew she couldn't say anything; it was Mama's secret to tell. Silently, as she joined Trism, Milla and Nikko in a game, she promised Mama that she would never tell what she knew. Not even Great Mother herself would ever be able to make her tell.

And certainly not her sister.