AN:

Ok, this is a friendly reminder that this story is (high?) T-rathed (kind of) Gelphie, and contains some mild adult content involving two female characters... Just in case you slept until now, or forgot ;)

Not much else to say, so:

Happy reading! :D

Entanglements

Over the days that followed, Galynda spent most of her time poring over the Grimmerie. Aelphaba also did her best searching for a solution, however, the two women had soon discovered that the blonde Gillikinese seemed to have more of a talent for deciphering the obstinate book. The fact that she had found out more about its content in the past week than Aelphaba had in… well, a much longer period of time, gave her hope and spurred her on. She was determined to free her friend from her confinement, so she kept on reading until her eyes began to water and burn from the strain. It was a tricky business keeping such side effects from Aelphaba, who would otherwise only have protested. Luckily, Galynda was a proficient actor, and successfully made light of her fatigue whenever the other woman pointed out a puffy eye, or dark circle underneath.

The sound of little pebbles being kicked, and rolling over the floor of the cave alerted Galynda to Aelphaba's approach. She was doing this these days, after Galynda had told her off for always sneaking up on her. She put the heavy tome aside, and rose to her feet to greet her.

"Found anything interesting?"

"That depends on how you define 'interesting.'" Galynda sighed. Have I found a way to get you out of here? No, unfortunately not yet. Have I discovered a new way of lighting the room without you having to collect, and dry firewood all the time? Watch this:"

She made an elaborate movement with her hand, murmuring a few foreign words, and a blue flame flared up on the palm of her bare hand. For a clock-tick or two, Aelphaba stared at her with halted breath.

"Impressive."

She slowly walked up to the blonde, never breaking their intense eye contact. Then, she tenderly took the dainty hand in her own, and closed it to a fist.

"But be careful with these sort of things. We don't know what else might happen."

Nodding, Galynda distinguished what was left of the magical fire. She watched the other woman as she unpacked a small cloth bag she couldn't remember seeing before.

"What's this?" she asked, an elegant eyebrow arched. "You plundered someone's pantry, and stole their supplies?"

Aelphaba cast a brief glance over her shoulder before turning her attention back towards the cheese she was about to cut in finger-sized wedges.

"I wouldn't call it stealing," she muttered bashfully.

"Then what would you call it?"

"A dole of food?"

Galynda wasn't convinced. She was annoyed at first, but then her anger subsided, and her heart melted just a little. She crossed the room, and sunk to her knees beside the taller woman, resting her hands on her shoulders.

"I know you wouldn't do this to feed yourself. I appreciate your good intentions, but you shouldn't do this for me either. You live off the grapes, and so can I."

"You hate them," Aelphaba retorted.

Galynda pursed her lips.

"They are quite good with cheese," she countered, but Aelphaba only smirked at that, knowing she had won. "Fine!" the blonde exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air as she rose to her feet.

She went to wrap up the Grimmerie, and put it away properly so it wouldn't suffer any more damage from the humid air.

"But still: no more stealing."

Aelphaba shook her head.

"I already told you."

Galynda turned, undecided on whether she should give in, or pursue the argument. When she saw her friend on her way out again, she was alarmed.

"Only fetching my own dinner," Aelphaba assured her quietly.

The Gillikinese took a relieved breath. A second later, she called out to her.

"Aelphaba? I'm not mad, you know? I hope you aren't mad at me either. I… I love you."

There they were, these three words she had admitted only to her self until then; finally out in the open. What a clumsy confession this had been, so decidedly dispassionate. Galynda felt rather disappointed in herself, but figured it didn't matter anymore. What had been said, had been said. Aelphaba turned, and offered her a sincere smile.

"I know. I love you, too. I'll be back in no time."

Galynda found herself absolutely dumbfounded. Quite sure that Aelphaba's words and hers did not convey the same sentiment, she aimed a frustrated kick at a small stone, and missed. Was her friend genuinely this oblivious to her developing feelings for her, or was she just good playing at being so? No, she wasn't. Not Aelphaba.

Later, when they sat by the fire to consume their dinner – which in Galynda's case was a small feast by current standards – the shorter woman considered her opposite wistfully. Aelphaba was truly beautiful in an exotic, unconventional sense, and their newfound familiarity made approaching her on a deeply personal level seem so much less intimidating. There was an entirely different level of trust between them now. The blonde shifted slightly, and licked her lips, wondering where to start such a conversation. Aelphaba caught her somewhat off guard, when she was the first to speak.

"I'm very grateful that you're here with me, Galynda. Although I know that the circumstances under which you joined me weren't exactly voluntary, I appreciate you staying as long as you did. That's why I try to offer you whatever minute comfort I can."

Blushing, and her heart skipping a beat, Galynda smiled back at her stupidly. Aelphaba didn't appear to notice, as she continued to focus on her folded hands in her lap.

"You're still free to leave whenever you want, of course," she added hastily, perhaps misinterpreting the long silence. This immediately caused Galynda to plummet from her fluffy, pink cloud.

"Oh! No. I'm staying. I mean, we'll try and find a way to release you from this spell, right? But until then – or in the event that we don't succeed… I… I don't think I could simply leave you behind."

Aelphaba looked up now, her expression adorably flustered.

"Thank you. Really," she said softly, and swallowed. "You're the friend I never dared to wish for ever since I came here."

Galynda's stomach dropped, and suddenly, she had to struggle to keep her smile in place. Hearing Aelphaba's confession, though the words were spoken with the most heartfelt affection, she suddenly felt nauseous. She realised that she couldn't risk revealing what precisely she thought their relationship could be. There surely was a very slim chance that her feelings were reciprocated, but the possible consequences if this wasn't the case were too severe. Whether at Aelphaba's specific request, or because of the dreadfully awkward atmosphere such an admission might generate, it was likely that Galynda would have to leave, which would cost them both dearly.

"I'm done," Galynda announced after barely finishing two slices of cheese and a couple of grapes, making a point of acting markedly nonchalant. "I think I, um, need to use the facilities," she excused herself, and left their living quarters for some alone time.

Walking along the narrow passageway towards the entry of the cave, she had no idea where she was headed. She chose the next best, up until then unexplored path branching off to the side, and went to have a look. About four, five paces into the tunnel, the light became sparse, until it was entirely gone just two more steps later. Galynda contemplated doubling back, however, she was not yet ready to return and face Aelphaba. Simply to keep her mind occupied, and form brooding over her foul mood, she pushed on, both hands firmly pressed to either side of the rock walls, and feet carefully sliding across the floor. She came to a bend, which explained the total lack of light. As soon as she turned left, the darkness alleviated slightly.

Even before she stepped out of the pitch-black section of the passage into the twilight, her fingers detected regular patterns in the stone. When her eyes were finally able to help her tactile sense to investigate her environment, she realised that the markings were vertical strokes, organised into sets of five, like some sort of tally. The entire wall was littered with them. Galynda's eyes narrowed. Who had carved these figures, and for what purpose? In some of the stories she had read, prisoners had used this kind of system to keep track of the days they had spent in captivity. Such a theory would point towards Aelphaba, if it weren't for the sheer number of strokes, which appeared to indicate no less than several decades of detention. This couldn't be, could it? Unless she had counted the hours - but how would she even be able to tell? Thinking about all this made the blonde's head spin, and the possible implications were so eerie, they sent series of shivers down her spine. With one last glance around, she decided to leave this place before the speculations drove her mad. Most likely, she was overthinking this. If and when the opportunity presented itself, she would ask Aelphaba, who would surely be able to put her mind at ease.

Once she had made her way back out of the small tunnel, she padded along the more familiar path until she ended up at the pool. Staring at the placid water, she sensed an awful feeling of claustrophobia slowly spreading within her. Her feelings, her suspicions, her fears all paired up with the anxiety that her constricted lifestyle had built up over the period of her stay with Aelphaba. Plunging into the cool water somehow seemed less daunting now than ever before. It promised the freedom Galynda had previously not thought she would need – at least not at the cost of another near-death experience. A toe was gingerly dipped into the pool, but retracted almost immediately. The water was colder than she had anticipated. Still, she pulled her chemise over hear head. The air was just a little chilly, causing tiny goose bumps to spread all over her delicate skin. She couldn't believe she was really going to do this. Hesitantly, she folded the piece of clothing, and placed it where she hoped it would stay dry. Then she jumped.

The unpleasant water temperature caused her muscles to stiffen, making any movement extremely difficult. She forced her eyes open. Rowing with her arms almost in slow motion, she hadn't gotten very far yet. There was a circle of light, far down, near the bottom. With great dismay, she realised that it would be impossible for her to reach. She resurfaced, taking a big gulp of air as she did so. Irritated, she paddled towards the edge of the pool.

"Need help?"

Her head whipped around in search for the woman that belonged to the voice that had spoken to her. Her wide eyes found Aelphaba perched on a rock, knees drawn up to her chest, her long arms wrapped around her legs. Blushing fiercely, she reluctantly climbed out of the water.

"I meant what I said earlier. You are free to leave any time. All you need is ask, and I'll help you. There's no need to sneak away silently, and drown during an absolutely pointless escape manoeuvre."

The sadness of her friend's voice almost broke Galynda's heart. She hadn't thought about how Aelphaba would interpret her attempt to leave the cave – she hadn't even expected her to notice. Which had been ill-considered, in hindsight.

"I… wasn't trying to escape," she almost stuttered, self-consciously keeping her gaze glued to her own feet, and her arms covering her chest, legs crossed awkwardly. "I was merely hoping to have a bit of a walk, or something."

Aelphaba averted her eyes, and stood, wrapping her arms around her willowy frame for support.

"The only time you will ever dive trough this tunnel again is the day you leave this place for good. These were your words."

Galynda winced. There was no use denying this.

"Well, I changed my mind. It happens. Look-" She pointed at her discarded underwear. "-I probably would have taken this if I truly intended not to return, don't you think?"

For an awfully long moment, the tall woman seemed to consider this scenario. When she looked back from the pile of clothing to the Gillikinese, Galynda caught her biting her lower lip as she peeked up. Despite the heat flooding her entire naked body, she trembled. Aelphaba's arms hesitantly unwound, and she offered a hand to the baffled blonde.

"Do you still feel like having a walk?"

Instead of an answer, Galynda gave Aelphaba her own hand in reply, trying to ignore the strange feeling of being fully exposed before her friend. It would wear off eventually, right? The other woman squeezed her small hand briefly, and flicked her a shy smile.

"Ready?"

The blonde was tense, but nodded her consent. She held her breath, and steeled herself for a second dive. Using her free hand, Aelphaba discard the cloth draped around her chest, and took a step forward, her arm wrapping around Galynda's waist as she did so. Another step, and they were engulfed by water.

Rather surprisingly, their dive through the underwater exit of the cave wasn't half as scary as it had been the first time around, and the first thought that came to the blonde's mind was that she should have tried this much earlier. It was a matter of trust, she supposed, and preparation. Of course it also helped that they could swim directly to the surface this time, since there was no need to hide. Aelphaba helped her, and made sure she was securely back on dry land, but made no move to climb out herself.

"How long do you think you'll be?"

Galynda considered her, pouting.

"Would you mind walking with me?" she asked. "I'm not too keen on getting lost."

After thinking the offer over, Aelphaba slowly pulled herself out of the water. Then, the two women stood there in silence – Aelphaba bashfully casting Galynda fleeting glances, the blonde blatantly staring back at her.

"You have no right to be all timid," Galynda laughed at last, confidently looping her arm through Aelphaba's. "You put me through this the moment we met, so payback is fair game."

Aelphaba chuckled at that, and turned her head to give her friend a proper once over, her gaze lingering once their eyes met. They both blushed, and looked away, despite their best intensions to act casual.

"So, um," the taller woman cleared her voice, "where to?"

Galynda let her eyes roam, thoughtfully. It wasn't like she knew the area. When she turned westward, her brow furrowed. The sky was already laced with a tinge of pink.

"Do you think it could already be too late for our little excursion?"

"That depends," Aelphaba replied shrugging her shoulders. "Did you merely want to stretch your legs, or actually admire the beauty of the landscape? The forest here is pretty dense, and therefore pretty dark at any rate, even by day."

Scowling a little the Gillikinese muttered, "You really could have told me that earlier."

"Well… does that mean we head back now?"

Galynda blinked, her expression mortified.

"What? No!"

"All right." Aelphaba held up her hands in surrender, hoping to appease the shorter woman. "I just thought-"

"I jumped into the cold water, risking my life. The least I can expect for my efforts is a nice sunset."

She marched off in search for a good spot to sit down, and found the stem of a fallen rushwood near the treeline. Instead of using the log as a bench, she plopped down into the grass, and rested her back against the wood. She patted the empty space next to her, offering Aelphaba a wide, cheerful grin. Obediently, the taller woman sat down where she was supposed to.

After an awkward wait of several long minutes, the sun finally kissed the trees, dipping their upmost branches in gold. As the sunset reached its climax, the multi-coloured light fell into the clearing, painting the pool, the grass, and the two women in shades of amber, mauve and purple.

Galynda sighed, content.

"I don't think I could ever grow tired of watching the sun set in the evening. It's absolutely magical, don't you think?"

Aelphaba gave her a sceptical side-glance before adding a non-committal shrug.

"Well, it's pretty, but that's all I can say to be honest. I suppose, it's because I have already witnessed too many sunsets to still be truly mesmerised by them."

This seemingly offhand remark had Galynda stunned. She remembered the markings she had discovered in the cave, and her breath caught in her throat. She hoped Aelphaba hadn't noticed.

"And exactly how many times have you watched the sun go down?" she asked, carefully curious.

Aelphaba stiffened, and Galynda's expectations to receive an answer dropped to near zero. But to her surprise, Aelphaba began to chuckle.

"I couldn't possibly recall." At the blonde's imploring look, she countered, "What? Could you?"

"No… I suppose…"

Galynda saw right through this display of light-heartedness. Aelphaba was a terrible liar. Mouth dry, Galynda tried to make a quick decision. This was her chance to spill all those questions in her head - but should she?

"Have you ever found any evidence that you might not be the first human being to inhabit that cave?"

"I don't think so," the other woman replied, either wary, or confused – Galynda couldn't quite tell. She decided to stake everything on one card."

"Was it you then? The tally."

"What are you- Oh…"

If she hadn't already been so extremely pale, Galynda was sure Aelphaba would have turned white as a sheet, for she positively looked as though she had seen a ghost. The initial shock was soon replaced with stoic silence.

Sweet Lurline. Now that it had come to this, her wildest fantasies confirmed, the blonde was at a loss herself. She folded her hands to rest her chin on them in a thoughtful manner. From the corner of her eyes, she hazarded a glimpse at her friend.

"There is no point in holding back now, is there?"

Aelphaba swallowed hard.

"I couldn't tell you how long it has been if I wanted to. I lost track a long time ago."

The way she was talking, she was still in passive mode.

"Do you remember how far you got?"

"Not clearly. Sixty-something years, I think?"

"Oh Aelphaba!"

Releasing a shuddering cry, Galynda flung her arms around the dark-haired woman, almost crushing her. Her reaction surprised both of them, but as soon as she felt Aelphaba collapse into her embrace, breaking into silent tears, she knew that she was glad she couldn't take it back. Her arms relaxed a little, and her right hand began to draw soothing patterns all over Aelphaba's bare back.

The pale woman's sniffles and tears stopped abruptly, and she quickly detached herself from the Gillikinese.

"What are you doing?" she asked, her voice still unsteady, despite her best efforts to sound austere. "You shouldn't-"

She was cut off by Galynda's mouth, firmly pressed against hers. Galynda couldn't see her astonished expression, since her eyes were closed. All she knew were cold, yet soft lips, which slowly, and very reluctantly began to melt into the kiss. One of her hands reached up, tangling itself in long, smooth hair, the other drifted further down to the small of Aelphaba's back to keep her in place, or draw her even closer if she would allow it. She did, and their bodies touched, sending a wave of heat through the shorter woman. Aelphaba shivered, which led Galynda to believe that their closeness had a similar effect on her friend, as it had on her – bar the heat, of course.

Aelphaba broke away.

"I don't understand," she choked out breathlessly, hands resting against Galynda's shoulders to create some space between them.

Galynda barely did herself, and she most certainly could not explain. So she simply shook her head, and once more lunged forward to capture her opposite's lips. This time, Aelphaba surrendered unconditionally.

After spending a significant amount of time altering between long, sensual kisses, small, playful pecks and deep, fervent osculation, their mouths separated. Aelphaba leaned down to rest her forehead against the Gillikinese, then their noses touched in tender caresses. Through half-closed lids, Galynda watched her own fingers trail down the delicate column of Aelphaba's neck, all the way to her collarbone. There it lingered, and the blonde drew a shallow breath.

"May I?"

She looked up with big, glowing eyes, hoping for a permission. Aelphaba returned her gaze, questions written all over her beautiful face. The blonde smiled, then tore her eyes from Aelphaba's to kiss her – first on her lips, then following the same path her fingers had taken. She dared to move slightly further than before. After a last, tender kiss to alabaster skin, she looked up again, expectantly. The smirk on the other woman's lips was divine.

"May I?" she repeated her inquiry.

"Mmhm… That depends." Aelphaba's grin widened as she cupped Galynda's cheek. Her free hand copied the blonde's actions. "Can I?"

Flashing a coy smile, Galynda nodded, and as their mouths came together ravenously, their equally eager hands began to explore hitherto unknown territory. It was an overwhelming sensation for Galynda to feel another's fingers all over her body; so entirely different to when she touched herself, whether for the purpose of her daily beauty routines, or in quest of pleasure. Not to mention the bizarre, yet strangely enjoyable interplay of Aelphaba's cold hands on her own hot skin, and her own warm fingers grazing the taller woman's cool exterior. Aelphaba's lips were no longer cold though, the blonde noticed belatedly when she felt her friend – no, her love – nibbling at the crook of her neck. Amazed by the change, she decided to see how far she could take this. Her new goal was to feel Aelphaba's body hot (or at the very least somewhat lukewarm) in her arms by the end of the night, no matter how much effort it would take.

Only the stars and the moon witnessed the two women's sighs and moans growing louder as they discovered an ecstasy, only to be found in a lover's embrace. Barely any words were exchanged, which was fine with Galynda, but she was worried about Aelphaba, especially when she, with horror, realised the terrible choice of location in respect to Aelphaba's past. She tried to ask if she was all right, but the other woman quickly shushed her, as she placed butterfly kisses along the invisible line from her navel to her sex. Doubts assuaged, or rather forgotten in the rush of heat and passion, the petite blonde arched her back, Aelphaba's name tumbling off her swollen lips.

Much later, Galynda found herself snuggled close to Aelphaba, her head resting against her bosom like a cushion. She was spent, thoroughly sated. In this very moment, there was nothing in this world she still desired, for it felt like she had all she needed right beside her. And the body beside her felt warm. Not only tepid, but bordering on burning, much like her own. She serenely smiled to herself, wondering what it might feel like to Aelphaba, but didn't dare to ask. She wasn't prepared to tarnish their shared bliss with talk that could make her love uncomfortable.

Aelphaba's long fingers began to lazily roam through golden curls. Her lips pressed against her forehead. Then, Galynda's ears caught the sound of quiet whimpering. She wriggled around to push herself up on her elbows, facing Aelphaba, eyes wide in alarm, and her earlier fears revived. Aelphaba met her gaze briefly before hiding her tearstained face behind a curtain of silky waves.

"You must leave," the taller woman muttered eventually, her voice thick.

Galynda could feel the blood drain from her face.

"Never!" she protested, her own eyes beginning to water, and her stomach flipping upside down. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I - If what I did was wrong, if I hurt you… please forgive me, I didn't mean to." Her heart racing, and her entire body trembling, she grasped Aelphaba's hand, kissing it with a fervour that could only be described as desperation. "I'll make it up to you. I can behave. No more kissing, or touching if you hate it so much… It will be like before, I promise. Just-" She had to swallow the lump in her throat before she could continue. "-don't send me away."

It took Aelphaba an awfully long time to reply. Struggling a little, she sat up, her eyes still fixed to the ground.

"It's not that," she croaked. "You have a radiant personality, and your affection is more than I deserve. I'm grateful you were so generous to share it with me. Only this bond between you and I was doomed from the start. I should not drag you down with me by holding on to such an ill-fated relationship."

Tears flooded Galynda's eyes, running down her cheeks in wild torrents. If it wasn't her fault, if she hadn't hurt her love, she couldn't possibly accept her decision to end what had barely just started, what she had longed for so greatly.

"No, no, no!" She jumped at Aelphaba, fiercely wrapping her arms around her, and kissing whatever inch of skin she could reach. "Remember? We have the book. We will find a way."

"No we won't." Aelphaba shook her head, peeling herself away from Galynda, face buried in her hands. "Not in your lifetime, and that's my point. You will continue your life as normal, but I will not. I will stay like this forever until the spell is broken, and I doubt this will ever happen. I can't allow you to waste your life like this. This – us - is not meant to be."

Galynda's eyes flashed dangerously.

"Well, how exactly do you propose I should waste my life then? I have not the slightest clue how to return to my old home, and the person I love is right here, so the choice appears to be quite simple, really."

"It's not!"

Stunned, the Gillikinese stared at the other woman.

"I lied to you," Aelphaba admitted.

The shame and guilt were clearly evident in her pastel green eyes, however, Galynda still found it hard to believe this. Aelphaba's abilities at deception were lacking – she had already established that.

"You don't believe me," the taller woman scoffed. "Well, I did. Not by fabrication, but by omission. It's still a lie, and unforgiveable."

Galynda caught her gaze, and held it. Perhaps she could believe that much.

"Well… what was it about?" she asked hesitantly, watching Aelphaba with halted breath.

"The food. It wasn't stolen. But I already told you that. What I didn't tell you was how I obtained it."

That was more than confusing. They were about to break up, because Aelphaba had withheld information about how she had gotten her hands on Galynda's dinner? Wrinkling her brow, she waited for the dark-haired woman to expand on her odd story.

"I ventured further than usual in search of something edible that wasn't grapes." She gave the faintest of smiles. Galynda almost missed it. "There is a village I knew about. I never considered going there before, but I figured it was worth a try. The first time I went was in the middle of the night, but I was discovered. The strangest thing happened: The Munchkin who had caught me went from house to house to wake the others. They surrounded me, but they weren't hostile; they stared at me in wonder, and insisted I was some sort of miracle. I didn't dare to disagree. After that, I returned several times. I didn't even ask for food, they just gave it to me. They tried to give me so much more, only I couldn't possibly accept."

"Fine…" the blonde said slowly. "So the food wasn't stolen, and you have made a bunch of little friends…. Granted, that's a lot to digest, but I think I can forgive-"

An exasperated sigh interrupted her.

"On my visits to the village, I met a group of traveling merchants. From Gillikin. They were passing through on their way back home."

Once the confession was out, Aelphaba lowered her eyes, unable to look Galynda in the eyes. The blonde's mouth fell open. For a clock tick, she was utterly speechless, but she quickly snapped out of it.

"So you mean to say that you knew a way for me to return home, but didn't tell me."

"I should have told you – I intended to, I swear. But you caught me off guard. When you discovered the Grimmerie. You gave me hope. False hope, I suppose, but that wasn't your fault.

"I'm back on track now. I'm prepared to let you go before either of us suffers too much. I'm sure that you'll be able to find the merchants and a way home. I'll be glad to know you safe."