Rifiuto: Non Miriena

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

Elphaba could no longer deny it.

Her time had come, her pains had started that morning after intercourse- or perhaps even during- with her husband, but she'd ignored them. And now, hours later, they were continuing, getting stronger and stronger with each passing hour. She looked up, meeting Mulhama's gaze; the sisters lay together within the furs of her bed, drawing comfort from each other as they experienced the pain of childbirth together. Though she had been through this three times before, the pain of it still surprised the young Chieftess, and but it no longer scared her like it had when Irji had been born.

A moment passed, as the younger woman brushed a kiss to her head, ignoring her own growing pains to focus on her sister; Elphaba closed her eyes, lowering her head and curling tight around her belly as another pain came, strong and tight and long. Unable to contain it any longer, the laboring woman let out a scream, curling even tighter around her belly. Though being seen as ungrateful to the gods, the wife of the chief was allowed some liberties. Just as being the wife of the medicine man- present or future, it didn't matter- allowed for some liberties.

Being able to scream and make noise during labor and childbirth being one of them.

Her screams turned into sobs, and she let Mulhama wrap her in her arms; the younger woman grunted against the growing pain in her own belly; she had to focus on her sister, for her sister's pains were stronger. Perhaps it was because she had birthed thrice before-

She sat up, reaching down and pressing against her belly, strong, intense, tightness gripping her. It was almost as though Mulhama's labor was mirroring that of her sister's- for every intense pain Elphaba suffered through, Mulhama followed, as though Great Mother had decided they would experience this life-changing event together.

Fiyero watched the women closely, something in the back of his mind popping up. A moment passed, before he turned to Sarima, but before he could speak, his wife's voice cut into the tension. "Yero?"

The chief glanced back at the medicine woman, his fears clear in his blue gaze, as he went to his wife, kneeling down beside her. Tibbett had joined Mulhama, and was gently rubbing her back and humming softly to her to help her focus. Elphaba looked up at her husband. "Sono qui, moglie. Sono qui."

He helped her sit up, settling behind her and pulling her into his embrace. She leaned back against him, resting her head against his shoulder, legs spread wide and reached down, pressing against her belly as another pain came. She let out a moan, lifting her head from his shoulder and clenching her eyes shut, bearing down slightly as she did so, to no avail.

Hours passed, day turned to evening, evening to night. Preparations for the equinox the next night had begun that morning, which is where Fiyero had been when Mulhama had come for him. The chief had a sneaking suspicion that the equinox would play a major role in the next several hours, for it would appear the next day-

At one point, as the pains briefly subsided for both women, Mulhama crawled over and curled into her sister's embrace. Elphaba held tight to the younger woman, kissing her head as she struggled to catch her breath, for her pains kept coming. "Falli smettere, per favore." Elphaba shook her head, wishing she could, for both of them, but it wasn't possible.

The pain continued, gripping both individually around the belly and twisting. Eventually both women curled up together, facing each other,; lying side by side seemed to be the only way to keep the pain from getting too out of control, but such a choice would only last for so long. Gently, Elphaba ran her fingers through her sister's messy braid, for the girl had halfheartedly put her hair back to keep it out of her face. Her own double braids hung down her back pin straight, but starting to come undone. "Respira, Mulhama, respira."

Slowly, Elphaba began breathing, showing her sister how to, as the teenager copied her, in attempt to calm herself and deal with the contractions. They continued through the pain, holding tight to each other all through the arriving evening hours. At one point, Elphaba pulled away from her sister and sat up with her husband's help. She reached up, taking his hand and squeezing. "Fabala?" She didn't respond to him. "Fabala, cos'รจ? Parlami."

But all she did was lean back against him with a groan, as the pain continued; familiar, very, very familiar pressure, building within her most sacred, secret of places. It became far, far too great, and she groaned, reaching and digging her nails into his thighs to deal with the pain in hopes it would pass. But the pain wouldn't leave; it continued to build, and build, and build. Having done this before, she knew what it meant, what was coming. She had been at this for hours, dealing with this pain, this constant twisting and squeezing of her insides, and now, to deal with this building pressure, that started deep within her most sacred of places, within the place her husband had released his seed months ago-

If only her waters would burst forth, then the babe could start making its way out of her...

More pressure. More.

Continuous, it built upon itself, building, building, building-

She heard Mulhama's cry, and knew her sister was experiencing the same. She turned her head, meeting her sister's gaze as the teenager sat up. It was very, very quickly becoming clear, to everyone.

They were to experience this- labor and the act of childbirth- together.

At first, she did not want to believe it, that they would birth their children together, at the same time, but it was becoming even more apparent as the hours dragged on, as the pains got worse for both, that their children would be born together. Clearly, the Great Mother wished for their babes to enter the world at the same time, otherwise she would not have allowed them to become filled with their husbands' seeds at the same time. And yet, it felt as though there was something else, something even greater than Great Mother's plan at work.

Once apart for years, now we shall never be apart again.