Rifiuto: Non Miriena

A/N: Written: 2012. Rewritten: 2014. Found: 2018.- Licia

Two Months Later

Cold hung in the air within the village, though inside, each tent was warm.

"Mama! Madre!"

Elphaba looked up as Nor came over to her, curling into her side. Snow fell softly outside, blanketing the world in white.

"Fai attenzione a Madre, né ricorda il bambino dentro di lei." The little girl didn't respond to her father's firm warning, but she nodded, laying her head on her mother's breast, before reaching down to tug at the skirt of her buckskin dress. Elphaba turned a dark gaze to her blue-eyed, black-haired daughter, setting the beading she was working on down.

"Vedi il bambino, per favore, mamma?"

The soft whisper tugged at her heart, and after a moment, the chieftess urged her daughter to sit up, before she rose onto her knees and lifted the skirt of her dress, settling back down within the furs and tucking the skirt of her dress beneath her swelling breasts. Instantly, Nor leaned over and proceeded to talk to her mother's belly. Her parents watched, sharing glances, while Irji helped Manek to brush his hair, for the little boy had just had a bath. Suddenly, the girl bolted back and her mother winced as the baby kicked in response to their sister's voice.

Fiyero chuckled gently, ruffling his son's hair before going to his wife and leaning down to kiss her. "Un piccolo guerriero si muove dentro di te, moglie."

His wife made a face, even as the baby kicked again, this time in response to Fiyero's voice, and she glared up at him, reaching down to rub her belly. She spent much of her time now rubbing the stretching skin of her growing belly, becoming lost in thought as she daydreamed of the child within her. She was used to the changes her body was going through now, having carried and birthed three children before, but every so often, something would catch her off guard, despite her experience.

Fiyero watched his wife as she absentmindedly stroked her belly, becoming lost in thought, her beadwork forgotten. It was common for more than one woman of the tribe to fill with the seed of their partners, and it was common for more than one woman to grow round with child. Women carried the lines, they bore the next generation, they were the living embodiment of the Great Mother, and for many women to become round with child, it was not so uncommon. It was also not uncommon for sisters to often become round with child at the same time.

But the young chief found it strange that both Elphaba and Mulhama had become with child around the same time- mere days apart, from what Sarima could figure. He knew that he himself possessed a voracious appetite when it came to intercourse and sex; he also knew that his wife's appetite in regards to sex and intercourse and intimacy was equal to his, for they could not go a day without touching or kissing or teasing- even now, seven years after their marriage as young teenagers.

And back then, even when you were just discovering each other, newly married and unsure, you still had a great desire for it; you both did, even if you did not know what exactly it was or how important it was to the tribe. You still spent many days away from the tribe, exploring each other, discovering each other, bringing each other to the brink. Even after it was discovered that Irji grew within her, you both still desired it. It was as though the babe itself wished for you both to continue partaking.

And they had, eagerly and- as she'd grown bigger and gotten closer- carefully, even proceeding to tease and play the night she'd gone into labor, the night Irji had been born. They had done the same with Nor and Manek, and if Elphaba had her way- and she would, for he would not deny the woman who carried his child anything- they would partake the night this babe decided to come as well.

His thoughts wandered back to his sister-in-law. The girl was young, eighteen moons; she was innocent in so many ways, but Tibbett, he truly seemed to love her, despite the moons that separated them in age. He was gentle with her, even more so now that she grew round with his child. And Mulhama, she stayed with Elphaba when she had the chance; it wasn't uncommon to see the sisters sitting together with the other women, working on clothing or watching the children, or even going for a walk, for Elphaba had always been one to go wandering off and getting herself into trouble, even with motherhood taking up most of her life. She was more careful now, as she'd been during her other pregnancies, and Fiyero often sent Candle to follow them and keep watch, just in case. The sisters were almost always together it seemed.

It was as though the girls, once separated during the most important parts of their young lives, were now sharing this most momentous part of adulthood together- the growth of children within them, new life forming and growing and soon, childbirth would follow. It was almost as though the Great Mother recognized the importance the sisters held in each other's lives, and deemed it important enough that they be together in this next stage of their journeys. Perhaps that was why both sisters had conceived about the same time, so they could experience motherhood together, as they had once experienced childhood together, before Elphaba's arrival to the tribe.

He sighed; he knew the elders saw it as a blessing, that the young chief's wife has once more becoming swollen with child, not long after her return to the tribe- for that day in the alcove by the river, the Chief had filled her with his seed, and new life had begun to form- which meant only good things would come for the Arjiki. And that the wife of the young medicine man had also become filled with child-

A double blessing.

Only good things can come, after so much hardship. That the chieftess, and the wife of the medicine man, are both growing heavy with child... Great Mother and the other gods have smiled down upon the Arjiki, they have given us a double blessing. Your wife was foreseen, destined forever to be Arjiki, but her sister, the return of Sarima's son... she is so much more than simply a woman; she is so much more than your Chieftess, she may very well be the living embodiment of the Great Mother.

"Yero?"

He looked up, the words of the elders vanishing from his mind as he looked up, to find his children curled up against their mother. She reached for him, and after a moment, he joined them, pulling the furs about them and kissing each head of dark hair. He moved down to cradle her belly, and she covered his hand with hers, meeting his gaze. The elders were right, in a way. Whether she was the living embodiment of Great Mother or not, didn't matter. She was his wife, the mother of his children, his Chieftess, and very, very much, a blessing.