A/N: My first week in college in a nutshell: LOL.
To be honest, I expected worst, but it turned out just right XD
Your wonderful reviews kept me alive whole week, so let's see how my Gelphie feels are rising from the depths of college work, shall we?
Chapter 10: The Son
For the weeks that had progressed, despite Elphaba's initial unreasonable wariness to the child, she and Liir had come to good terms with each other.
Through Glinda's insistence, Liir referred to her as Mommy, and Elphaba as Mother.
"Why would I want to be called a mother?" Elphaba once snapped to Glinda when Liir was sleeping.
"Would you rather prefer momsie instead, Elphie?" Glinda retorted amusedly, smirking in a manner that gave Elphaba an itchy desire to hit her in the face. Of course, she didn't.
In Elphaba's absences, Glinda had been homeschooling Liir, or otherwise letting him help around the farm. The boy had been incredibly useful and was more than willing to work in her place should she ever get tired.
Liir had been an adorable child, Glinda thought. Though at times still shy, Liir was a loving boy who followed Glinda everywhere, and was even there to watch her practice her spells. Glinda usually entertains the five year old by letting him chase the shiny bubbles she was making. Whenever she would feel disappointed with her failed trials, Liir encouraged his Mommy Glinda vigorously.
At times when Elphaba was home, she was taking the responsibility of teaching Liir with the basic topics, and occasionally, how the Grimmerie works.
Their bonding was awkward for the two of them at first. For one, Elphaba's affectionate side for younglings only extended up to Animals and animals. On the other side, Liir knew that the green woman didn't like him that much. But through Glinda's valiant tries to get them to talk to each other, Liir and Elphaba got along pretty well.
The green woman would bring home toys for the boy. Hide-and-seek had now been fun since Liir was exceptional in hiding. At one time, Elphaba, deeply annoyed that she couldn't find him, pulled him back through a Summoning Spell. Liir had floated through the forest for a minute before being brought back to the farm.
Dinner time together was always enlightening. Liir babbled away all the things that had happened in one day, enchanting his mommy and mother. The two of them frequently tucked him to bed, watching him fall asleep.
Elphaba and Glinda remained as discreet as they can with their "passions". Thankfully, there had been the barn and the forest. Liir knew them to be a couple, not that he minded since he'd seen odd couples before in his years of servitude. The two openly grasped hands, embraced each other dearly, and sometimes kiss each other on the cheek, but the rest of their relationship was hidden from Liir's line of vision.
One day, with Elphaba away in Munchkinland, Glinda devoted her day trying to get her Summoning charm work. She was finding it difficult to even pull a mere paper to her.
Liir had been playing outside since lunch, and hadn't returned since. Not that it bothered her. She'd been used to his random schedule of leaving and showing up all so sudden. She knew that when she called, he'll surely come to her.
Finally, tired and having gotten nowhere, Glinda leaned against her chair and let out a fatigued groan, tilting her head back and pressing her palms onto her sore eyes. "Liir!" she called, her voice a little muffled underneath her hands, "Liir, come inside! It's time for your lessons!"
She dropped her hands and looked at the door a few moments later when she didn't hear the boy's usual padded steps. Liir hadn't entered yet. Frowning, Glinda called a little louder, waiting for a minute to see if the boy would barge in.
She was starting to worry. The petite blonde got up from her creaky chair and hurriedly strode to the door.
As she pulled the brass knob open, she blanched, losing color in an escalating speed at the sight of the tall specter standing just outside the door.
Guards. Ozian guards.
There was no mistaking in them. There were about ten. Dark green uniforms with sleek silver crosses sewn across the torso, with gleaming insignias on the left hand side of their bulky chests distinguishing their ranks. The swords with golden hilts on their belts and the rifles they were grasping in their hands also didn't come amiss.
Glinda hurriedly scanned them. Not seeing signs of Liir captured in their midst, she swiftly whirled around, pushing the door close.
The guard standing directly in front of her looked like the captain. With one hand, he stopped the wild swing of the door, throwing the blonde slightly off balance on her feet.
With the entrance off the list, she scurried away from the door, frantically looking for another way to escape this horrible nightmare.
The last time Glinda had seen the guards was nearly a year ago. The traumatic memory was rebounding in her brain. The sharp sting of the metal handcuffs, the searing sensation of her knees being flayed as they collide against the rough stone, the strain they were giving her arms as they tugged her violently—the thought was death itself.
Elphaba had been there to save her. There was no Elphaba now. Her Green Guardian was not here to hear her pleas of help.
"Where's my son?" she inquired shakily, her back colliding with the corner of the small cabin. She was cornered. The guards were advancing with their rifles trained directly at her head. "What have you done with him?"
They gave her no verbal answer. Her heart was ready to burst out of her throat when she heard the familiar tinkling of the handcuffs.
She bullied her mind to think of the spells she'd been practicing with Elphaba.
Bubbles, she remembered dejectedly, Might as well try drown them to death with my mighty army of floating liquid. Nice, Glinda. Very nice indeed. My son is out there and Elphie—
Oh Oz… Elphaba!
She can already imagine the appalled expression on her Elphie's beautiful emerald face. She can mentally envision burning tears marring sickening red trails down her cheeks. Oz, Glinda could almost hear her bitterly call out her name in despair.
The towering men grabbed her roughly and slapped the cuffs on her wrists, ignoring her whimpering. Within seconds, they were dragging out of the doors. Tears had already found Glinda's chin by then.
The guard directly on her right grunted. An apple landed on the grass with a soft thud.
Glinda's head snapped to that direction, trying to see between the gaps of the men surrounding her. She cried out in relief, "Liir!"
And there stood the boy, his magnificent blue eyes flashing dangerously, a bright red apple in his hand. Glinda thought that he looked too young to be angry, but the effect he was unconsciously emitting was slightly intimidating.
"Let my mommy go!" he yelled, heftily tossing the apple he was armed with.
The guards didn't look too happy being pestered by a tiny child.
The crisp sounds of loading rifles jolted Glinda into panic. She struggled to get away, but two guards were enough to restrain her by the arms.
"RUN, LIIR, RUN!" she screamed, feeling her throat being torn apart at the effort.
Liir hesitated for a second, catching his mommy's eyes, and then he spun around and sprinted off into the woods.
Glinda screamed more when the guards started firing, sending splinters from the barks into the air. The booming sounds of gunshots were deafening, but it was not enough to drown her terrorized screams.
She pulled away from her captors, trying to pry herself free. But it was to no avail. She was madly crying now. Violent sobs rattled her entire being, praying desperately that Liir could get away… to get to Elphaba…
Monsters, Glinda thought ruefully, feeling herself glare despite the tears flooding her vision, He's just a child… Bastards. Soulless bastards…
"Not my son, please!" she yelled over the ear-shattering gunfire, "He has nothing to do with anything-!"
There was a shrill cry. The firing stops.
Glinda felt her blood turn into chilling ice. That can't mean- Oh no… Oz, no!
"NO!" she screeched, falling to her knees, though she never managed to reach the ground as the guards advanced, hauling her with them as if nothing had come to pass, "Liir? Liir!… Liir—No! H-how c-c-could you! He's just a b-boy!"
There was no change on the guards' impassive faces.
With the thoughts of the untimely death—murder- of her son, Glinda cried harder, if that were possible. She let her head hang with a palpable pain of loss dominating her empty heart.
"Liir... My brave little man... My son..."
A/N: … Hmmm… I seem to torture Glinda a lot T_T … Poor Liir…