Human
Fiona changed into a nightgown, it wasn't her own. Only the dress she wore on the ship had changed forms with her, the rest remained ogre sized. Part of her afternoon had been reluctantly taken up being measured to find dresses of her size. They had provided her with one that fit her well enough and a nightgown. She was left with a promise that more would be with her soon, not that she cared. She was past caring about anything. The nightdress was perfect for the moment, she had no intentions of doing anything or speaking to anyone other than her husband once their children were asleep. If anyone tried to reach out to her she hoped they'd get the message.
She stared at herself for a little longer in the mirror. She had stared at herself for longer than expected while changing her clothing. Somehow, in her exhausted state, she couldn't draw herself away. For a while she was occupied with the more urgent problem of the bruising on her ribcage where the magic had hit her. The purple marks were large and unsightly, not to mention painful. Her family had already pushed her to see the doctor, another waste of her time that day. She was deemed fine, that they would fade in time. She'd gotten past that, it's not what dwelled on her mind. It was the first time she'd seen herself as a human in a long while. She felt sad and disgusted. It almost amused her how it was the same feeling as when she'd stare at herself as an ogre, all those years ago. It surprised her a little how much her body had changed over the years, it hit her as a little unexpected. Of course, she never expected to fall pregnant with triplets. But her body as an ogre had largely returned to its usual shape. Sure, she'd gained a few permanent looking stretch marks, but after a few years, her body was back to how she was used to it. Clearly the same couldn't be said for herself as a human. She often wondered how things would have differed if she hadn't been an ogre, sporting the more resilient frame and structure. She was still slender and thin, but the clear evidence of the trauma on her body was there. Though the gown masked everything, she wrapped her arms around her middle. The nostalgic feeling felt strange and unwelcome.
Finally, she sighed, hanging her head. She slowly turned the mirror around, ending her thought process. She'd only wanted to relish in the fact that her family were back and everyone was safe, but she kept finding herself getting caught up in time wasting things. The moments when she was able to be with them weren't quite as sweet as she'd hoped either. The triplets were tired and upset. None of them understood her situation, nor cared to try. Fergus had thrown many tantrums because she couldn't carry him, Farkle refused to let her try, and Felicia was clingy. Shrek had tried to tame the most of it, allowing her time. She appreciated it more than she'd let on. Despite her feelings she still stood in the bedroom by herself, reluctant to join her husband in putting their children to bed.
Placing a delicate smile on her face, she slowly left the room and transferred herself to the doorway of the triplets'. Her husband had them all snuggled against him and was in the middle of the enthusiastic tale of their ship coming to save them. Though they looked interested in his words, their little eyes were heavy and she could tell they were each fighting sleep. A genuine smile crossed her lips. Shrek was wrong about Far Far Away, whether they were here or at their swamp, as long as they were together they were home. And finally they were. But- not quite. Her gaze sunk to her own body once again, she lifted her hands a little and frowned. Clenching her fists, she held them behind her back, blinking the sudden tears away. She was exhausted and emotional herself.
As Shrek brought the story to a close, he met her gaze, she forced herself to brighten a little and nodded in response, indicating their sleepy state. He carefully climbed out from underneath them and tucked them into the bed. She was rooted to the spot. She didn't want to go and join them, whenever she got close it just seemed all the more real that she was an entirely different species to the rest of her family. Though, as Shrek rose from planting a kiss on each child, he looked at her, holding out an arm to her. Her gaze fell to another pair of expectant brown eyes waiting for her. She felt herself melt a little, a guilty feeling washing over her. Fiona then glided in, putting a smile on her face. She gently sat on the edge of their bed, Shrek placing a comforting hand on her back.
"Goodnight sweeties," she delicately kissed each of their heads and settled the thin sheet over them, "I love you so much." She hesitated, watching them for a moment.
The triplets were so tired they barely acknowledged their parents' continued presence, well on their way to sleep already. They hadn't slept much on the boat, the parents had allowed them a short nap when they first arrived back at the caste but then it was a fight to keep them awake so they would sleep through the night. Their trouble had paid off. It was finally peaceful. The princess suddenly didn't want to leave that moment. She felt the tears welling in her eyes, all that really mattered was that her children were safe and happy and tucked into bed. At least that's all that should matter, she told herself. Fiona allowed herself to sit in the relief for a moment more, taking comfort in the feeling.
The moment ended though when she felt Shrek slide his hand off of her, "C'mon," he whispered, smiling at her. She reluctantly dragged her gaze away from the triplets to agree with him. She blew out the candles that lit their room and they quietly left, clicking the door closed.
Once safely back inside their own room, Shrek's brow furrowed, "What was that?" he asked.
"What was what?" she responded dumbly, carefully steering her eyes away from the turned mirror.
"That, in there," he frowned at her, "Ye didn't wanna say goodnight."
His accusation caught her by surprise, "I did," she insisted. She didn't want to meet his gaze, "I'm just... tired." It wasn't a lie, just maybe not the most accurate of responses.
He put his hands on his hips, raising his eyebrows at her, "Yer not okay with this are ye?"
She folded her arms, "No, I'm not okay," she spoke incredulously. The princess had thought it was pretty obvious already. "Look at me," she gestured to herself, trying to hide the hurt in her voice.
Shrek paused, he shook his head giving her a knowing look, "It doesn't matter, Fiona," he spoke the words she kept trying to tell herself. "Yer their mom, human or ogre, they'll get used to it." She looked down to the floor. "Yer my wife, I love you," his voice was soft, "Nothings gonna change that."
She finally met his gaze, "I know that," she did. She had never questioned her place in their family. She knew they would continue to love her all the same and she would love them all the more for it. But it was more complex than that, "Everything else will change."
"Like what?" he raised an eyebrow.
She knew he wanted to defy her here, but she also knew she was going to win. "I can't live the same as you," she began. She watched the look of confusion spread over his face. She knew he was thinking back to when she was human before, living in the desolate, dusty tower, and after that with all of their adventures back to Duloc: the weed rats, the spider webs. He didn't understand. "I'm permanently human now," she gestured to the night sky, sun having just slipped below the horizon before they put the kids to bed, "I wasn't before, the two forms would merge. I have no ogress inside me to withstand everything."
"And how'd ye know that?" he continued to be stubborn.
"I can feel it, Shrek," she shook her head, "Changing with the sun was the majority of my life, I remember what it felt like. This is different." It was the first time she had been entirely human since she was six. It was an uncomfortable thought.
"Well..." he struggled to think of something. He needed to win so he could find something to reassure her with, she knew. "What'd you mean ye can't live like us anymore, of course ye can!"
"I can't eat the same as you for a start," she didn't even miss a beat, "Our home is going to be colder for me. The mould is going to affect me, the vermin, everything," she placed an exasperated hand to her head. "Humans can't be exposed to that kind of thing for too long, I'll just become sick," she turned away and sat on the bed, staring at the hands she held in her lap.
It was enough to give him pause. "So, we'll move... or we'll work on the house," he approached her slowly. She wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. The home that they loved so much was ruined. "You are more important than any of that. It's okay," his voice was soft again.
She sighed, squeezing her eyes shut, a tear dropped to her dress. She had always imagined her life would go a certain way, and while she had been disappointed a couple of times, once she married Shrek she didn't see any reason her future plans couldn't come true. They had a wonderful little home and family and she never thought anything would change. Now her house wouldn't do at all, and her family... She sucked in a breath as her thoughts landed on something she hadn't yet considered, it almost felt like she had been winded.
"What?" her husband sensed her discomfort. He sat beside her, putting a hand on her back.
"I don't know, I just-" she wiped at her eyes, sobbing a little, "I thought that maybe we would have another baby in the future," her voice cracked, "We- that's not an option anymore."
Shrek remained silent and didn't move for a small while as she couldn't help but sob into her hands, the emotions and exhaustion finally overwhelming her. It hurt her bruises to cry so much but she did anyway. She didn't have the energy to stop. Her husband moved his hand to her shoulder, it seemed impossibly big in comparison to her tiny frame. What once would have comforted her only seemed to make the situation even more apparent. He pulled her closer, she willingly leant into his embrace, tucking her knees up. She held onto his vest and cried onto him. He wordlessly wrapped his other arm around her and they just sat like that for a while. Fiona knew there wasn't really anything he could say.
When Shrek awoke the sun was up, looking at the time he was shocked at how late he had slept in. Considering it, it wasn't really late at all, but the surprise was that the triplets hadn't come to wake them. Clearly they were more exhausted than the ogre had thought, not that he blamed them. He turned, almost doing a double take at his wife's smaller form. He was glad she wasn't awake to see it. His face creased up in concern as he watched her sleep. He hadn't allowed himself to drift off until he knew she was sleeping, to make sure she didn't start crying again without him there to comfort her. As much as he hated to admit it, she was right about everything. She was right to worry about how her change would affect their family, because it would. They would have to start making some big decisions about their living situation. Shrek knew she wouldn't want to stay living in the castle, he didn't have to worry about that. Just, he couldn't help but let himself feel a little disappointed that his children wouldn't be able to grow up in the same ogre centric household. Not that his disappointment mattered, he loved his wife much more than that. He'd do anything, anything, to make sure she was okay. And she would be okay eventually, they'd get used to it. They'd been doing things their own way since they married and it'd worked just fine. They'd have to find a new way, and he believed that they would.
But the thing that bothered him the most was the last, most painful, detail his wife had confessed. He didn't want another child. As far as he was concerned three was too many, but he didn't exactly have a choice in how things turned out. Despite this, Fiona had clearly been thinking about another. He knew she had always wanted four children, and he was ready to protest whenever the topic came up. But this, this wasn't how he wanted it to happen. If the ogre was honest with himself he probably would have given in anyway, what was one more baby when you'd previously had three in one go? When he had considered the situation, he realised - if the dronkies were proof of anything - they probably could conceive just fine. But there were implications to a hybrid. It wouldn't fit in anywhere, Fiona was already so conscious about the children who were perfectly good ogres. She would struggle to deal with a kid who was a cross between the two. More importantly, he recalled back to when the triplets were newborn, Lillian had commented on how big and heavy they were. Despite being impossibly tiny to him, they were much bigger than a human baby. There was no way Fiona could ever safely carry a half ogre child within her, let alone get it out. She was right. It wasn't an option. And there was nothing Shrek could do about it. He blamed himself, he blamed himself entirely. If he hadn't been so stupid, so careless about the kids, they wouldn't be in this mess. Everything would be fine.
For a moment Shrek didn't know why he was still there. He should just get up and leave, leave her sleeping and unawares. They were better off without him to screw everything up again. She was a wonderful mother and she would always continue to be. She had blamed him before, back on the island, he was glad she did. He wanted her to continue blaming him. For a second, he considered it; getting up out of bed, quietly getting dressed and leaving. But he looked at his wife again; even asleep she still looked sad, her eyes were still red and a little swollen from how much she had cried that night, she was breathing through her mouth, her nose still stuffy. And he stayed. He stayed because she needed him. For some ridiculous reason, the universe made it that way. He couldn't imagine leaving her to think about the whole situation the previous night without his shoulder to cry on, without his reassurances. She was beautiful, so beautiful, despite everything, in any form. He loved her more than anything. She was the person he chose to spend the rest of his life with, and she chose him too, as crazy as that still seemed to him.
Fiona then began to stir from her sleep. She squinted at him, blinking from the sunlight. It was odd seeing her as a human, it brought back old feelings from when they first met. He suddenly remembered all the butterflies, denial and anticipation, and yet it was still her. He wanted to wrap an arm around her, hug her, but he was so hesitant to touch her. She seemed so fragile now. She was tiny, it was so odd to him even though it made perfect sense in his head. He knew he didn't have to be so worried, that she'd soon tell him if he hurt her, it was just taking some getting used to.
"Hey," he spoke simply.
She yawned, wincing a little, putting a hand to her ribcage. The worry swept over him again. The doctor had deemed her fine, but he couldn't shake what happened to Felix from his memory. She had impatiently told him that she was okay, that everything would go away. He tried to believe her.
His thoughts were brought to an end as he watched her do a double take at her own arm. An involuntary smile slipped onto his face.
She caught his eye and giggled despite herself, "I keep forgetting."
"It'll take some getting used to," Shrek tried to put positivity into his voice, though couldn't help but think it fell flat.
His wife shook her head, disagreeing with him. She folded her arms onto his chest, leaning on him. He gingerly rested a hand on her back.
"Fiona-" he began to protest but she shook her head again, silencing him.
"I was thinking about it while you were asleep..." she began, ignoring his concerned sigh. His wife always seemed to find ways to evade him. "Surely there's a way to turn me back."
His brow knitted, "Ye mean spells?"
She nodded, "Humans into ogres, there'd be so many... surely," she looked at him hopefully.
He stared at her for a moment. She had a point, it was a good point. But the idea still left him unsettled.
"What?" she rested her head in her cupped hand. She could read him like a book.
He looked away from her, he knew what her response would be. It'd be the same as the issue with the bruises. She'd believe everything would be fine, like she always did. He didn't have the same faith. "I just..." he paused, "I just don't want anything t'happen to ya, okay?"
Her expression softened, "Like what?"
The ogre shrugged, "Something worse... it was so awful watching ye get hit by that magic, Fiona..."
"Shrek-"
"I hate that ye got hurt already, I don't want anything else t'happen," he was becoming more sure in his resolve as he spoke. "We've got the kids, Fiona... Without you... I couldn't..." he trailed off. As much as he would have loved his wife to change back to her ogress state, he didn't want to risk it. Things got too close before.
Her voice was soft, "What could possibly happen if we found someone who was willing to help?"
"People take advantage," his answer was quick, "I should know. I don't want it happening t'you." His tone was harsher than he intended.
She seemed to search his eyes, finally sighing. The princess laid her head on his chest. She reached out, touching his hand with her own. He turned his hand so they were palm to palm, resting on the bed sheet. She was frowning. He wanted to. Her hand was impossibly tiny in his.
"I don't want to stay like this," she spoke again, the frustration clear in her voice, "And I know you don't want it either," she pulled her gaze away to look at him. "Let's try to find someone..."
He held onto her hand, "It's not worth the risk." Somehow the ogre knew he was going to lose the argument.
"We'll find them, and then we can decide whether to go ahead with it, okay?" she asked him, eager. He hesitated. "Shrek?"
"Alright," he sighed, shaking his head at her.
Her face lit up, "Okay," she nodded. She smiled a little at the concern still spread over his face. "I'll be fine, everything will work out. It always has done, right?"
"Mm," he begrudgingly acknowledged her point.
She leant forwards and planted a brief kiss on his lips. He took that as her thanks, not that she would've stopped her plans if he hadn't agreed anyway. He wanted to roll his eyes at her. But she was happy, it was enough to make him smile. Her eyes drifted towards the clock, "Have the kids made a sound yet?" her priorities now moving swiftly elsewhere.
"If there's anything t'be thankful for coming outta this, it's that we got t'sleep in," he smirked at her.
"Thank Grimm for that," she gave a small laugh, climbing off the bed, "And of course, that everyone's alive."
"Oh aye, that too."
Shrek watched her leave the room. He stayed on the bed and didn't move for a while. Drained was the only emotion he could put into words. There was so much to think about and yet lying in bed everything seemed so calm. Everyone was safe. Fiona was okay. Everything that had happened with the island didn't feel real, and yet it seemed to be haunting him in the back of his mind. In all the commotion he had almost forgotten about his journey through the island... his thoughts began to dwell dangerously close to those flashbacks. He sucked in a breath, sitting up. Perhaps he'd go with his wife to greet the kids. He didn't want his mind to wander. Not at all.
As Fiona was about to open the door she could hear little footsteps patterning about. She smiled. She was surprised, after everything that they had been through, she expected them to be attached to her every waking moment. It was even a little relieving for her. Part of the princess was expecting yesterday's constant crying to continue into today. There was also the other possibility that they were getting up to more mischief. Shrek had told her about them practising hiding for the boat, and how they escaped their cell. She wouldn't have been too surprised to see them scaling down the side of the castle through an open window. She shook her head a little, trying to dismiss it as ridiculous.
"Hey," she opened the door, "Where was my good morning?" she laughed as Farkle began running at her, a grin spread over his face. Though, as he looked up at his mother he stopped abruptly, face suddenly falling. Fiona's smile faded, as she watched him stare at her. "Morning honey," she mustered the smile back.
Her son registered his reaction, he grinned at her sheepishly though he still didn't move from the spot, "Mommy, you're still different," he pointed at her.
"I am," she offered an arm to him. He slowly approached and hugged her waist. It was odd how tall he seemed to her now that she was shorter. She looked to the bed, her other two children were sitting up on top of the pillows, watching her.
"But what about when the sun came up?" Felicia lifted her arms, splaying her fingers.
Fiona couldn't help but notice this wasn't the same enthusiasm they normally greeted her with. They were clearly awake and active, it wasn't like she could excuse it with them still being sleepy. Their gazes were hesitant, Farkle didn't stay attached to her like he normally would. They were unsure and she couldn't blame them. Yesterday, they were so tired and afraid, she thought that was the reason for everything. Clearly she was wrong. Their mother was someone completely new. Everyone else was able to see past her appearance, but to four-year-olds appearances were everything. Her identity to them was broken now. "It doesn't work like that this time," she tried to mask the hurt in her voice.
"Oh."
"Why not?" Fergus asked.
She opened her mouth to explain but couldn't find the words. She shrugged, attempting to seem nonchalant, "Different magic."
They all looked at her with confused expressions as she sat on the bed. Farkle joined his siblings on the pillows. Fiona couldn't help but notice the distance between them. "What were you doing in here this morning?" she asked gently, changing the focus.
Fergus pointed to the door, "There's people out there."
"Who are they?" Felicia added.
"They're people who work here, don't worry about them," she smiled at them.
"When will you be back to-to..." Farkle paused in thought, "to being... mommy?"
Fiona couldn't help but let the happy demeanour slip off her face a little, "I don't know, baby." She wanted to move closer to them, she wanted to hug them but she didn't know how they would react to that.
"But you know everything!" Fergus contested. It was enough to bring the smile back to her face.
Felicia suddenly laughed and lightly punched Farkle's arm, "Mommy is still mommy!"
"I just look different, that's all," she found herself feeling a little desperate.
Felicia grinned at her mother, though Farkle elbowed her back. Fergus was still looking at her uncertainly, "Can we still have cuddles?" he asked quietly.
His question almost brought tears to her eyes, "Of course you can, sweetie." Fiona suddenly questioned her own actions. She was sitting at the end of their bed, rather than going straight to them as she normally would. Typically she would just give them hugs and kisses, they had no choice. She was being hesitant and strange to them, it probably only reinforced their uncertainty. The princess then moved to sit with them. They didn't back away, Fergus leaning into her embrace immediately.
Felicia bounded across the bed, ending up on Fiona's lap. She wrapped her arms around her, "You're still my mommy," she reaffirmed, "You're just not squishy like before."
Fiona laughed, "I'm not, I'm sorry about that."
"It's okay," her daughter sat up and cocked her head to the side, "You're small now, mommy," she held up her finger and thumb with a little gap, "Like a ladybug."
"Or a spider," Farkle joined in, he pulled his brother's arm to force him away and take his place.
"No, she's not that small, that's silly," Fergus frowned, climbing across Fiona's lap to get to the other side of her.
Fiona couldn't help but notice how heavy handed they were, she hadn't thought about how much stronger they'd be in comparison to her. Not that she would tell them that. She'd risk a few bruises and potentially even her arm being ripped out of its socket, rather than telling them that she physically couldn't hold them back.
There was a small knock at the door which silenced the fight that was almost about to break out between them.
"Who is it?" Felicia called.
Lillian stepped in, she seemed surprised by Fiona's presence. "I thought you might have needed an extra hand today," she explained herself, giving Fiona a knowing look.
The princess fought the urge to roll her eyes. She still smiled appreciatively at her mother.
"Mommy!" Fergus exclaimed, looking between his mother and grandmother, "You look like grandma now!"
Lillian sat at the end of the bed with them. She met Fiona's gaze. Fiona shook her head a little, smiling.
"But you don't look like us," Farkle seemed to be having the most trouble processing what was going on. Fiona hugged him tighter.
"That's so silly, because-because you're our mommy," Felicia laughed.
"We still look like daddy," Fergus reasoned.
"Felicia, you don't look like daddy because you have blue eyes," Farkle leaned towards his sister, his finger almost poking her right in the eye. She flinched away from him. "That means you don't look like anyone."
"Hey," Fiona intervened quickly, seeing Felicia's face fall. She bit her lip, not knowing how to respond to her brother. Felicia looked just like Fiona, everyone told her so. Lillian commented on it every time she saw her. All three of them looked a lot like Fiona facially, except the boys had their father's eyes; the very physical way children could see the evidence of genetics.
"Your mother is different, but she still has blue eyes," Lillian caught their attention, "Just like Felicia."
"See!" Felicia brightened up again, she flicked the hair from her face, "And we still have matching hair too, see?" She grabbed Fiona's braid and a lock of her own hair, holding them together.
"But so do I!" Farkle continued the competition with his sister.
"What colour eyes do you have, grandma?" Fergus crawled across the bed to her.
"I have the same as your mother and Felicia," Lillian smiled at the child, holding her arms out for him.
He peered at her face, "She does-Grandma does!" he confirmed.
Farkle and Felicia simultaneously gasped. Fiona giggled at their reaction, though the frown soon spread over Farkle's face. "That's not fair! I want the same!" he looked at his mother.
Felicia poked her tongue out at him.
"Alright," Fiona spoke loudly before anyone could respond, "We need to get dressed."
"Awwh," they all began complaining, suddenly each collapsing onto the bed and rolling into the bed sheet.
Fiona ignored them, standing and walking to the wardrobe. She took a breath, "Mom?" she ventured, Lillian turned to her. Fiona tried her best to seem nonchalant, "Is Merlin still here?"
There was silence, Fiona was picking out the children's clothes but she could feel her mother's sceptical gaze burning into her back. "I don't think so, dear," she responded. In all the commotion the wizard had been forgotten about. "Are you sure you trust his magic?" she didn't question the intent, she already knew.
Fiona turned back, she glanced to the triplets who were oblivious to their conversation. She shrugged, "I just want things to go back to normal as soon as possible." Her mother nodded. "Besides, he got me to the..." Fiona abruptly stopped her speech, throwing another glace to the children, "to that place just fine." The princess couldn't help but agree with her mother's caution, not to mention that Shrek would probably refuse too. Still, it was quick and easy. Whether or not they could trust his magic, they could trust him. Fiona knew she would go behind everyone's backs to do it if she had to. Her interaction with the children had only confirmed her need to change back.
"Fiona..." her husband entered the room, "I need t'tell-" he stopped as he noticed her mother, "Oh, hi," he smiled sheepishly at her.
"Daddy!" the children leapt up from where they lay, jumping on the bed. More of the reaction Fiona was expecting for herself. "Daddy, what's better? Brown eyes or blue eyes?"
His smile and greeting to them faded as met her gaze, though only for a moment. "Want me t'get 'em ready?" he gestured to her nightdress.
"Don't worry about that, I'll do it," Lillian broke their gaze. She stood, taking the clothes from Fiona.
The princess nodded, Shrek didn't protest either. They left the room, once again quietly closing themselves into their own bedroom before speaking, "What's going on?" Fiona's interest was captured.
Shrek refused to meet her gaze for a moment, he scratched the back of his head, last night's situation suddenly in reverse. "I uh... There's something that I... um..." he was tripping over his words, "Yano..." he suddenly sighed, slumping his shoulders. He paused before continuing, voice flat, "Yano, I think it's a good idea t'look fer a magic user."
She narrowed her eyes at him for a moment. He looked away from her. "I'm glad you agree," she spoke gently.
Fiona put a smile on her face as she exited the castle. The grinning faces of her two animal friends waiting for her. The children were with their grandmother. The plans for the next section of the day left them excluded. Everything had very much been a rush for everyone, but they made sure they set out some time for this particular event in the corner of the gardens.
"Woah! Hi Princess!" Donkey enthusiastically greeted her, "I keep forgetting you're all small and pretty again," he laughed, before his ears suddenly flattened against his head. Puss rolled his eyes. "I mean, small and pretty... uh... thin?"
Fiona shook her head at him, barely acknowledging the tiny scratch of a negative reaction in her mind.
"Princessa, what burro means here is he likes to put his hooves in his mouth," Puss shot a glare at their friend.
"It's okay," she laughed a little, "I think we're all trying to get used to it," she looked back as her husband approached them.
"Y'ready?" he asked. They all looked towards the stone that had been engraved under a tree that mirrored those on the island.
Artie and Elena appeared behind him. They were hesitant. It seemed a fragile time for everyone, for completely different reasons. It wasn't really a funeral, none of them really knew him enough to have anything to say. They didn't even know his full name. Only that he had tried his best and paid the ultimate price for it. They respected him enough to just be there. Fiona felt like she needed to be there the most. She hoped that he forgave her. She had to... she had to save her children. Shrek kept a tight grip on her. For a while she wasn't sure if his grip felt that way because he was unused to her being so fragile, but the way he kept glancing at her told her otherwise. He was worrying about her, endlessly it seemed. Fiona got turned into a human, isolated herself from her family while saving them and killed an innocent boy caught up in everything. It unwittingly gave her a pity party from everyone else.
Pulling herself away from her own thoughts, she looked at Artie. He seemed restless and tired at the same time. He didn't want to be there, just like he didn't want to sit at Felix's side on the ship. He was glancing intermittently at Elena, who didn't acknowledge him. She looked sad, maybe even the saddest of all. Perhaps she was hoping for a twist of events, only to be disappointed; Felix saved her, after all. Felix was taller than Artie, more muscular than Artie. In a shallow way, he fit the part better than her cousin did. When thinking back in her old mindset, Fiona could see the princess's perspective. Not that she'd tell Artie, she'd complicated things enough already. She could only hope he would manage to change Elena's perspective just as Fiona's rescuer did for her.
AN: Wow this chapter is a long, sad one. The first part of it is one of the main reasons I wanted to rewrite this. I had barely touched on Fiona's humanity before and I had stuff to add.
