Rifiuto: Non Miriena
A/N: Written: 2012. Rewritten: 2014. Found: 2018.- Licia
Hours passed; their labors progressed. They turned to each other, relying on each other for comfort instead of their husbands. It was evident by now that they shared each others' pain; the sisters, not just linked by blood, but by souls- if one experienced immense pain, the other would as well, for their pregnancies were linked. It was as if the Great Mother was ensuring that both women would know the other was there, despite being mere feet apart. Perhaps it was because for years, Mulhama had not known if her sister was dead or alive...
Tibbett glanced at Fiyero, before the young Chief beckoned him aside. With a kiss to their wive's heads, both men slipped out of the tent. The Chief turned to the translator once the flap had fallen, and he chuckled softly. The fear etched within the older man's features was reminiscent of the fear he'd felt when Elphaba had gone into labor with Irji that night of the Spring Solstice, but his wife was a pro at this now, or so it seemed, and he knew to stay by her side for support, but when it came to the actual birth of the babe, to leave her be, for her body knew what it was doing. The question that escaped the young translator's lips however, surprised him.
"My wife, she will survi-" He swallowed. "Mia moglie sopravviverà?"
The single, sapphire diamond tattoo in the center of his forehead- the only tattoo allowed upon an Arjiki royal's face, signifying his status as the Chief- crinkled slightly as Fiyero chuckled. To think, at first, he had been hesitant to allow Tibbett to return to the tribe, but once he realized that this was the young boy Sarima spoke of- the adopted son stolen from her- he knew that to deny him his return to the tribe, to the woman he saw as his mother, would be doing more harm than good. Sarima, despite the years apart from her adoptive son, had taken him into her arms upon realizing who he was, and cried to the heavens in thanks that her son was returned to her. To see the woman who had helped to raise him, be brought back to life with her son's return, was worth the suspicions he'd held towards the white. And Tibbett's return had seemed to reinvigorate the medicine woman; as Elphaba's return reinvigorated the tribe.
He shook clear his head, and returned to the matter at hand when a scream was heard from inside the tent.
"Sopravviverà, Tibbett. Le donne sono forti, sono fatte per avere figli. La Grande Madre si assicurò quando li creò che sarebbero stati in grado di gestire tale dolore. Sono loro che permettono alla tribù di continuare, ricordi?" The older man blushed. When had the young boy he remembered chasing after him, eager to join the warriors, become so wise? Or perhaps, it was because of who...
"Fabala mi ha portato tre figli prima di questo. Il suo arrivo riportò la vita alla tribù, così come il suo ritorno. Entrambi sono più forti di quanto nessuno di noi lo sappia. Mulhama ti porterà molti più figli, Tibbett. Perché è forte, come sua sorella."
The young shaman-in-training nodded, but something still weighed on his mind. "Ora sarà molto diversa, vero? "
Fiyero smiled softly at his brother-in-law. "Sarà ancora la donna che ami, ma sì, sarà diversa. La creazione di una nuova vita le cambia, in modi per il meglio."
Tibbett nodded; he'd often watched the young Chief as he gathered his wife to his chest, saw how he'd slid his hands down the soft curves of her changing body, the way he'd caress the sensitive skin of her swollen belly. Fiyero understood that a woman changed when new life grew within her; he embraced the changes, for he'd had the opportunity to three times before. For Tibbett, this was all new; and though he was trained in the ways of medicine, he knew that as far as the female body was concerned, it was not a man's domain. They were there to help if something happened, but it ultimately, it was the woman's body who did the work, who carried the child and ultimately expelled it into the world.
The young chief smirked gently at his brother-in-law, wincing slightly as Tibbett jumped at the screams coming from the tent. He had been young and fearful of the painful process his wife went through to bear their children once, too. "C'è di più di lei per dare, nel corpo, nel cuore e nell'anima, specialmente una volta che il bambino-"
Suddenly, the flap of the tent was pulled back and both men looked up as Sarima appeared. "My son," She turned to Fiyero. "Chief, the babes sono quasi qui."
Sharing a glance, both men followed Sarima back into the tent. Tibbett, stopped, suddenly struck by a sense of familiarity.
The sound of liquid dripping into the dirt... nails dug into skin... a push, a scream, the scent of copper strong in the air...
Fiyero went immediately to Elphaba's side, settling beside her and taking her hand, kissing her longingly on her mouth. He gently passed his breath to her, whispering softly to her as he pulled away and kissed her forehead. "Hai riportato questa vita alla nostra tribù, mia moglie. Il tuo ritorno predetto di fortuna a venire. Questa ragazza è solo l'inizio. Sei così forte, e il tuo ritorno ha reso la nostra tribù forte."
A moment passed, before Tibbett went to Mulhama's side, heart in his throat as he realized that there was so much more to the dream he'd had that night at the Thropp household than he'd thought. Yes, he'd witnessed Elphaba giving birth, but what he hadn't seen- or perhaps hadn't noticed- was that Mulhama had been there as well, also in the throes of childbirth. But he'd been so focused on the princess-
Elphaba took her husband's words to heart, letting out a keen, painful wail as she bore down, to no avail. Not far from her, Mulhama bore down as well, Tibbett's sturdy hands on her shoulders, giving her his strength. Sarima stayed back, allowing the women to do as their bodies ordered. Tibbett glanced at the young Chieftess and then his wife, noticed how they mirrored each other, for both women were clearly tied now, not just by blood, but by motherhood, as their bodies worked to bring new life into the world.
"Tibbett!" He turned back to his wife, holding her closer. Mulhama let out a grunt. "It hurts... pressure... Cosa e' questo... c'è troppo..."
The pressure her sister had been feeling for the last couple hours Mulhama now felt also, and she gripped her husband's hands as it got worse. He kissed her forehead, whispering softly too her, to calm her. He looked up however at the sound of something ripping- being drawn back into what had been the vision- in time to see something burst between the young chieftess's legs as she let out a scream. The ripping continued, and Mulhama doubled over with a screech as liquid continued to drip into the dirt and blankets beneath her. Tibbett glanced at Fiyero, who nodded. It was evident, from the very distinct smell that now hung in the air, that the building pressure both women felt within their wombs had been due to their waters bursting.
With that barrier now gone, labor would progress; it would still be a long night before either babe entered the world, and they all knew they needed to be prepared for it.