An:

Hey guys!

I'm currently on holidays in Wellington. This chap was more or less done before I left, but the next one is still in progress, so not sure how long it will take until I can update. But no worries, it won't be that bad.

And now:

Happy reading! :3

What Lies in the Past

One morning, Galynda awoke with a start. As she clumsily fell over Aelphaba, the other woman also was rudely awakened.

"Galynda?" she murmured sleepily, rubbing the spot where the blonde's elbow had stabbed at her ribs. "What in Oz?"

Galynda, however didn't answer. Instead, she simply sat there, hunched over and sniffing, shaking all over. She felt cool arms close around her clumsily. It was funny, but the cold no longer bothered her. Truth be told, it even helped to calm her down, and clear her head. Still struggling with the aftermath of what had been a terrible nightmare, she leaned back against Aelphaba's body, her head resting on her shoulder.

"Will you be all right?" Aelphaba asked, her brow furrowed in concern.

The petite Gillikinese slowly shook her head in response.

"But I don't seem to have much of a choice."

"I'm sure your father thinks of you," the dark-haired woman assured her tentatively. She began stroking the golden curls, hoping it would somehow comfort her friend.

"Think of me?" A mirthless laugh sprang from Galynda's lips. "For all he knows, I'm dead. He either moved on already, or will wallow in self-pity for the rest of his miserable life."

"I was under the impression you loved your father."

"Oh yes, I do. I love that old fool. Which doesn't mean that he deserves it."

"I see," Aelphaba replied, although it was more than obvious that, in fact, she didn't.

Then Galynda began to cry again, harder than before. Aelphaba's embrace tightened, as she placed a light, cold kiss at her temple.

"Do you not miss your old home?" the blonde whispered in a hoarse voice after a little while had passed.

The taller woman took a deep breath, but didn't answer. Galynda freed herself from Aelphaba's arms, and rose to her feet.

"You always do this."

"Do what?"

Aelphaba blinked, looking quite confused.

"This. I tell you everything there is to know about me, but what do I know about you? You are like a closed book to me."

The taller woman's eyes narrowed.

"What secrets I share with you, is my choice alone."

"Secrets?" Galynda released an exasperated huff. "I don't expect you to unravel the great mystery that is the enigmatic Aelphaba of the Waterfall. I merely want to learn about that person that pretends to be my friend. I don't even know about such ridiculously simple things like you favourite food, or… or…"

"Grapes," Aelphaba deadpanned, while Galynda was still searching for words.

Despite herself, the blonde couldn't suppress a small giggle. Turning around, she realised that Aelphaba was on her way out.

"Wait, where are you- where for Lurline's sake are you going?"

Aelphaba gave a flurry of long fingers as a way of saying goodbye. Galynda was positively furious now.

"Aelphaba!"

She made to chase after her, but even before she could catch as much as a glimpse of her friend, she heard a loud splash, which meant that she was already gone. Tears of frustration rolled down her cheeks. What was that mean woman thinking leaving her alone like this? Snuffling, and her arms tightly wrapped around her midsection, she stalked back to the waterfall chamber.

With a sigh, she dropped onto the bed pile, shoving a grape she had picked up on her way in in her mouth. What would she do with the rest of the day? All alone? She moodily picked at the hay, drawing a long haulm. She considered it, twirling it between her fingers. In the end, she decided that they had more than enough of this stuff anyway, and grabbed a good hand full, and began braiding it. Once she had finished a several feet long plait by adding more and more hay as she went along, she curled it up, and shaped it, using more hay to tie everything together. The end product was a small basket. She smiled at her handiwork, and placed it on the stone that so far had served as a platter for the grapes and other snacks Aelphaba brought back for her. There. A nice fruit basket. It made the place look a little homier already.

Galynda let her gaze wander across the room. There was still a lot of work to be done. If she were to stay here for an extended period, this barren interior would simply not do. Without any more materials, there was nothing more she could add at the moment, but there was a pile of dusty, old bags in the corner that had annoyed her long enough already. She could make a start by cleaning up this mess. However, the daylight was fading already; she would have to make a fire first.

After a fierce struggle with the flint and steel, she had finally succeeded in conjuring a decent fire, which meant that she could now devoted her attention to more important matters. She hesitated before loosening the string that sealed the first jute sack, at least marginally concerned about intruding in Aelphaba's privacy. Naturally, her reluctance didn't last very long.

At first she was almost disappointed. What she found in the bags seemed to be nothing of any use, or worth. As she fished out a moth-eaten blanket (for colder nights she supposed, yet she herself would rather freeze than use this grubby rag) and a broken cup, she doubted that there was much sentimental value to them either. She wrinkled her nose, and groaned softly. At least she would be able to discard this rubbish, and get rid of this ugly sight. She was tempted to toss out the second bag before even inspecting it, but imagined Aelphaba's anger if she accidentally disposed of something important. Gingerly, she opened the rope, apprehensive of what might be waiting for her. She discovered another blanket – in a worse state than the first one even, however, neatly folded. She lifted the sack to tip it upside down so she didn't have to touch anything. The thing was surprisingly heavy. The blanket dropped to the floor like a stone. Her curiosity piqued, Galynda used the tips of her fingernails to unfold the tattered cloth.

Her mouth dropped open when she uncovered a large, thick book, bound in leather, and decorated with gold leaf. Although she had no idea what exactly this was, it most certainly was a costly object, and she wondered why Aelphaba was in the possession of something like this. It was a pity that the pages were a bit wavy, probably from the humidity in the cave, or from the dive when Aelphaba had first brought the book here. The rest of it still looked impeccable though. She let her finger glide over the book's spine. There was no title, or description of any sort, only ornamental embossments and flourishes. Wondering whether she would find more information inside, she opened the cover.

"Hey, I'm back," Aelphaba announced her presence, causing Galynda's hands to shoot up in the air in surprise. "Galynda, listen. I-"

The tall woman paused.

"What do you have there?"

The blonde looked down at her lap where the book was still lying, then back up, and straight into Aelphaba's eyes. Her face was unreadable, impossible to decipher. Perhaps, poking her nose into those old bags had been a bad idea after all.

"I… I was trying to clean up," was her feeble attempt at explaining the situation, guilt lacing her nearly mumbled words. "I didn't mean to… I don't know… I didn't assume I'd find anything you wouldn't want me to see."

"It's not like that," Aelphaba croaked, and immediately cleared her voice to rid herself of the lump in her throat.

She walked towards Galynda, squatting next to her, pastel green eyes trained on the mysterious book. She seemed anxious, similar to the way she always did when Galynda asked her something personal, but at least hundred times worse. The blonde couldn't stand the tense silence.

"Aelphaba, what is this?"

"This," the other woman said slowly, carefully taking the book from Galynda's hands, and tracing the embossed scrollwork with a slender finger, "is the Grimmerie. A book of spells, and all sorts of things numinous."

"Why is it here? You didn't just find it buried in the woods, did you?"

"No. I had it with me on the day…"

The Gillikinese's brows furrowed, then comprehension hit her.

"The day you… you came here," she finished for her. Aelphaba nodded.

"I..."

The tall woman inhaled and exhaled deeply, and briefly closed her eyes. Suddenly feeling uncomfortable in her current position, she decided to sit instead.

"Several ye- a while ago, I came here, this book in my satchel. It was given to me by a traveller who stayed at our – that's me and my father's – house for a night, or two. He didn't have anything else to give us, so he somehow gave me this. Said he had no use for it. I was young, curious. Naïve. Perhaps I should have left my hands off it. Then again, I suppose it saved me."

"Saved you?"

"Well, my betrothed was about as jealous as they come."

"Was?"

Aelphaba sent Galynda a stern look. The blonde realised that her unique chance to finally learn something about her friend was in jeopardy, and bit her lip, trying to signal that she would hold her tongue from now on. Drawing a heavy breath, and averting her gaze, the dark-haired woman continued.

"You see, I was born in a time of severe drought. Boys were considered more valuable, so parents channelled all their resources into their sons. Many little girls didn't make it past their next birthday. My father was different. He was clever in a way. Clever enough to see the consequences. He knew that there would be a shortage of young women in the future, and so he chose me over my brothers. His plan was successful. I survived, and since I was one of the few women left in this village, he raked in a lot of land and livestock as bride token when the mayor's son and I got engaged.

"As I said, my intended was fiercely protective, jealous, suspicious; the fact that I had cost his father a fortune did not help the matter. I couldn't talk to anybody who wasn't my father, or him. He even distrusted his own brother whenever he happened to cross my path. Imagine that in a village with such a surplus of men. I spent most of my time locked in my room. I was only allowed outside under his supervision. It was near impossible to bear. I disappeared whenever the opportunity presented itself. I wish I could have simply run away for good, but I feared the repercussions this might have for my father. Sometimes I managed to crawl back into my bed a few hours later without anyone noticing; sometimes my father found out, and chastised me. Sometimes he found out, and struck me to teach me a lesson. This usually didn't happen, so I wasn't really deterred.

"One day when the warm sun shining into my small room was all too tempting, I climbed out of my window, and took off, this book in my satchel. I had received it a couple of days prior, and was eager to study it. I came to this clearing, thinking it was far enough from my village, and far enough from any path regularly used by merchants, pilgrims and other traveling folk. The problem was, my betrothed had watched me leave the house, and followed me. He… confronted me. I was sitting on one of the boulders, letting my feet dangle in the water when he approached me, screaming. He was convinced that I was waiting for someone. That I was going to betray him.

"He got very angry. Apoplectic with rage, to be concise. He said that he could no longer wait and risk me running away with someone else, or… well, you know… He…"

Shaking her head, Aelphaba fell silent. Galynda reached out to comfortingly pat her cold arm. The pale woman smiled fleetingly, and swallowed hard.

"I think my curiosity is quite satisfied for now," Galynda said in her most soothing tone of voice. "You don't have to talk about this."

Aelphaba barked a miserable laughter.

"You asked for it. And maybe you're right. Maybe you should know."

"All right," the petite blonde nodded solemnly.

She doubted that she truly wanted to hear the end to this tale, but she was no longer listening for her own curiosity, or entertainment. This was about Aelphaba now, and after being quiet for so long, it seemed like she was in dire need of some relief.

"Tell me," Galynda said, gathering her own courage, only able to venture the vaguest guess at how her friend must be feeling this very moment. "As much as you are prepared to share."

The corners of Aelphaba's lips twitched slightly upwards once again – a flash of gratitude.

"Well…" She coughed slightly to clear her voice. "After 'making me his,' as he had called it, he seemed satisfied at first, but I suppose I wasn't sufficiently subdued by his treatment. He got mad again, and he drew his dagger. He lunged forward, but I grabbed the book that had been left lying in the grass. It absorbed the blow, suffering not even a scratch. The strangest sensation was cursing through my body, like the current of a raging river. My mind went blank; all I saw was white. I have no recollection whatsoever of what happened next, but when I finally regained my conscience, he was dead, his own knife stuck deep in his chest."

Galynda's hands flew to her mouth. She knew this might not be the best reaction, but she couldn't help it. Aelphaba held her gaze for a brief moment. At the Gillikinese's apologetic look, she shook her head, and reassuringly patted her arm. Galynda felt incompetent. She was supposed to be the one comforting her friend, not the other way around.

"Anyway, I didn't know what to do, or where to go. I couldn't possibly return to my village. No one would have believed in my innocence – not even I truly did. Yet I still wasn't ready to take responsibility for a murder I had neither planned, nor consciously committed. In addition, I hung onto the frail hope that it hadn't been my fault after all. I tried to run. I can't remember taking any turns, or ever turning around, but when I stepped out of the thicket of the forest and into the light, I was horrified when I realised that I had come back to the very same clearing the disaster had struck. I tried several more times, each time running into a different direction. But all attempts led to the same result. So I fell to my knees, crying. The tears didn't bring him back, of course.

"I don't know how long I had been sitting there, but eventually, people began searching for us. I could hear their calls echo through the wood. Every time I heard them shout his name, a shiver ran down my spine. After hours and hours, the voices came closer. I knew they were no more than a few yards away. Another voice began to mingle with those of the village's men's. It was the water, whispering to me. It was calling me, and I thought it must be my subconscious, telling me to jump and drown, rather than facing the shame and condemnation. I was afraid, but I picked up the book, not wanting to risk it hurting anyone else. Then I jumped, eyes squeezed shut, and arms tightly wrapped around the thick tome to keep me from swimming back to the surface. I swallowed water – intentionally, and I lost conscience.

"When I awoke, it was cold and dark around me. I remember thinking that this was not how I had imagined hell to look like, but it soon turned out that I was very much alive, washed up in the same section of the cave where I pulled you out of the water as well. For a few days, I wouldn't leave my hideout, afraid of the world as well as myself. After that I tried. I walked away from the clearing; one, two miles… after that I grew weaker with every step. My condition improved as soon as I was back in my cave. This hasn't changed since, which means that I'm not physically able to leave the area. For a long time, I spent day and night, frantically studying the Grimmerie, desperate to find a way out of here. I learnt quite a few things about it, but I found nothing that could free me from the bond that ties me to this pool. At some point, I lost hope and gave up."

When Aelphaba glanced up at the smaller woman, the petite Gillikinese was lost for words. Big tears were rolling down her face, and she was breathing heavily.

"Oh, don't cry Galynda!" Aelphaba exclaimed, and wrapped her arms around the blonde, leaning close, so that their foreheads touched.

They sat like this for a little while, Galynda's sniffling being the only sound that broke the silence.

"You must never give up," she hiccupped at last, swallowing the phlegm in her throat, and attempting a watery smile. "You must try again, and then we will leave this place together."

"Together?" Aelphaba questioned with raised eyebrows.

Galynda rested her head against the taller woman's chest, and freed her arms, so she could return the embrace.

"You are my friend now, Aelphaba. I won't leave you behind so easily."

Aelphaba laughed somewhat incredulously, then paused.

"It's not that easy," she sighed with a sad smile. "This isn't an ordinary spell book. Look."

She released the blonde, so she could open the book at a page she chose at random.

"I can only make out a line here, or there," she explained. "Do you see how the letters scramble, and rearrange before your very eyes? The moment you read a word, it breaks apart, or disappears completely. I have tried my hardest for quite a while, but it seems like the book chooses what it will reveal to the reader, and when."

Though the predicament was undeniable, Galynda was not willing to accept that Aelphaba's fate was unchangeable. When the dark-haired women closed the book to put it aside, she reached for it, and opened it again.

"Then we will just have to keep looking. How do you know that, one day, the book won't be in the right mood to show you a way out of here?"

Aelphaba peered at the Grimmerie, then into Galynda's bright eyes.

"You're impossible," she snorted, but smiled.

Galynda watched her mutely, for the first time seeing her friend through different eyes. Understanding her and her conundrum changed everything. She appreciated the trust that had been placed in her. She felt more connected with Aelphaba now, and above everything else, she had realised, how deeply she actually cared for her. Suddenly, she wasn't at all sure anymore, whether she would be able to ever leave this cave without Aelphaba, even if that meant a life in absolute isolation from the rest of the world. Was the spell, or whatever it was that bound the pale woman to this place rubbing off on her? Or was this a spell of an entirely different kind; perhaps not quite supernatural, but most certainly no less magical. Licking her lips, Galynda hesitantly leaned closer, her heart beating violently against her ribs in anticipation .

Aelphaba closed the book with a loud snap, and stood, placing the tome on one of the stone slabs.

"Right. Well, you convinced me. I'll try, but I can't make any promises. You better don't place too much hope in this, or it will only leave you disappointed."

The blonde blinked, slightly disorientated at first. She forced a smile, then drew a quick breath to collect her muddled thoughts.

"I will help. Two pairs of eyes might be able to see more than one."

Shaking her head in disbelieve, Aelphaba fluffed up the hay to prepare the bed.

"I don't deserve you. Now come. It's time to sleep."

She lay down, lifting her arm invitingly, so Galynda could snuggle close to her, as it had become their way. This time, the Gillikinese hesitated for a clock tick, but as soon as she caught herself staring at Aelphaba, she willed herself to move forward. She didn't want to send the wrong message. Once they had arranged themselves as usual, Aelphaba fell asleep quickly. Galynda was not so lucky. Her head was reeling, trying to process what she had learnt that evening - about her friend, and about herself.