Past Undone - Chapter 30
Title: A Strange Finding
Fandom: Wicked, The Life & Times of The Wicked Witch of The West.
Pairing: Elphaba/Glinda (I know, I know...but I have an overactive imagination, and I'm a sucker for fantasy stories. :P)
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters; I'm merely borrowing them for the ride.
Background: This story was inspired both by the book and the musical. I took the things I liked better from each one.
Author's Note: I apologize profusely for all the language mistakes I'm sure I've made. English is no my mother tongue and this is my first attempt at writting, so please bear with me ;)
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Chapter 30 - A Strange Finding
An old horse-cart was making its way through the lonely roads leading to the Quadling Country and away from the Emerald City. Its four occupants were silent, as they had been since they had abandoned the Mauntery that morning, some hours before.
Lea and Mali were in the back, still dressed as maunts, while Shell and Liir had taken the front, passing themselves off as the coachman and his lackey. To anyone who cared to pay attention to them, they looked just like a regular party of maunts going towards the nearest Cloister.
The lone horse drawing the cart, making it a slower ride than any of the fugitives would have liked. But the Superior Maun had lent them the only horse the Mauntery could spare. They were grateful for it too, because when they had discussed their plans that morning, they had believed they were going to make the long way on foot.
Lea observed a pensive Mali, the woman had been immersed in her own thoughts since they had departed the Mauntery. "Are you alright, Mal?" The younger woman asked, startling the redhead.
"I'm fine." Answered the older woman, patting Lea's hand softly. "I was just thinking about how deceived we've been all these years. Miss Elphaba's death seems just like the tip of the iceberg, really. They spread such lies about her, I just wonder what else have we swallowed for truth."
Lea nodded, she herself had been thinking about those same things most of the morning. "She's not how I had imagined her at all." The brown-haired woman said. "All the stories I had heard about her don't make her justice at all."
"That's because you don't know her." Liir said angrily, having heard the women's conversation.
"Oh, I know we don't really know her, dear." Mali nodded, trying to calm the boy. "It's just that," she continued, trying to make Liir see why she had said it, "all I've ever heard about her were horrible things, and now that I've met her…well, she's nothing like what I had expected."
"It doesn't mean she's all rainbows and sunshine either." The boy added, still reluctant to admit anything remotely positive about Elphaba.
"I'm sure she has made her fair share of mistakes, Liir." Lea spoke. "We were just commenting the fact that she's not the monster they made her out to be."
"You don't know that either." The boy insisted.
Both ex-prisoners chose not to comment any further on the subject. It was obvious that Liir held quite a grudge against the green woman, and nothing they said was going to change that fact.
Shell watched Liir's expression, and couldn't help but notice the hurt hiding behind the young man's brown eyes. "As Lea said, she's just a woman, and she has probably done her share of good and bad things alike. Just like any of us."
Liir kept quiet this time, mulling over Shell's word. The other passengers didn't feel the need to say anything else either, so the ride continued in silence. The road taking them far away from the Emerald City, and hopefully away from harm's way.
The yellow brick road kept going for miles and miles, and the landscape changed as they went by. Soon the trees gave way to flatlands where the only vegetation in sight was the tall grass growing on those never-ending planes. The sun was setting on the horizon, and Shell took a dirt road trying to get away from the main road, in hopes of finding a safe place to spend the night away from prying eyes.
They followed the road for a couple of miles, until they found an abandoned stone mill on the side of the dirt path. A rapid stream made its way south just behind the ancient looking building. Shell guided the cart to the back of the building, hiding it from view, just in case anyone made its way up the road during the night.
"I think this is a good place to stay the night and get some rest." The dark-haired man said, finally bringing the cart to a stop. "We'll take turns watching the road and the surroundings, that way all of us can catch some sleep without having to worry about unwanted visitors." He jumped down to the ground and stretched his back noisily; almost twelve hours at the reins had left his back sore and aching in places he didn't even knew he had in his body. "Does that sound alright to everyone?" He asked, observing the tired faces of his companions.
His question was answered with a round of approving nods; only Liir voiced his answer. "I'll take the first watch." The boy said, reluctant to go to sleep yet. It seemed it was in those unguarded moments when his memories and doubts tried to sneak up on him. He didn't want to think about Elphaba anymore, and he thought that staying up would be a sure way to keep his mind occupied until sleep came calling him.
None of the others complained about his decision, they simply took the blankets and provisions the Maunts had given them before their departure and went to set camp for the night. Not wanting to get any attention drawn towards their hiding place, they didn't start a fire, taking comfort only from the warm blankets wrapped around their shoulders and the cold food filling their stomachs; the bread and cheese calming their hunger for the moment.
Diner was a silent event, much like the daylong ride had been. It was as if none of them wanted to speak, fearing the talk would lead to the thought it was probably plaguing their minds. They didn't know where they were going or what they were going to do, and talking about it wasn't going to change that fact.
Once diner was finished, Mali, Lea and Shell went to lie down inside the mill, while Liir kept watch outside. It was a full moon, so it was relatively easy for him to see his surroundings without much trouble. The boy decided to walk for a while, his legs still felt cramped after the long ride. He went as far as he could go to explore the area without losing sight of the mill; the boy was just about to turn back towards the stone building when something caught his eye. A big rock a couple of feet away from him picked his interest, so he walked towards the place, noticing, as he came closer, the paint spread over the rocky surface.
He came to a halt when he read what was written on the rock, color draining from his face. "ELPAHABA LIVES!" Said the inscription, and Liir repeated it out loud, the words had left him completely bewildered. Who could have written this? He thought, and the image of Nor flashed briefly before his eyes. Could it be? Could Nor have written those words? But Liir shook his head, as if trying to clear it of such preposterous thoughts. It didn't make any sense. Why would Nor write something like that, and why here of all places?
"Stop it." He said, not even realizing he was talking out loud. He shook his head again, but he kept observing the green letters shining in the moonlight. Nor isn't here. You don't even know if she's still alive. And what's more important, even if she is, she doesn't know that Elphaba is alive. "It doesn't make any sense." He spoke to himself again. It might not even be his Elphaba the one being mentioned, but that name written on green paint over the rock's surface left him wondering.
He took one last look at the inscription before turning back towards the old mill, trying to shake the weird feeling he was experiencing. He was almost halfway back when he noticed glowing lights in the distance, maybe two or three miles away, he couldn't really tell how far they were in the dark. It almost seemed as if the lights were moving, as if…
"Torches." He whispered, breaking into a run almost instantly. Someone was coming up the road, and he had been too immersed in his finding to notice the danger heading towards them. Liir run as fast as he could towards the mill, hoping it wasn't too late for them.
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As always, thanks to all of you still around and reading. Also, special thanks to those who take the time to comment, it's great to read your opinions, so don't be afraid to give your constructive criticism. I'm a big girl, I can take it and the story will benefit from it. :D
Thanks again, and see you in the next update!
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 31
Fandom: Wicked, The Life & Times of The Wicked Witch of The West.
Pairing: Elphaba/Glinda (I know, I know...but I have an overactive imagination, and I'm a sucker for fantasy stories. :P)
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters; I'm merely borrowing them for the ride.
Background: This story was inspired both by the book and the musical. I took the things I liked better from each one.
Author's Note: I apologize profusely for all the language mistakes I'm sure I've made. English is no my mother tongue and this is my first attempt at writting, so please bear with me ;)
______________________________________________________
Chapter 30 - A Strange Finding
An old horse-cart was making its way through the lonely roads leading to the Quadling Country and away from the Emerald City. Its four occupants were silent, as they had been since they had abandoned the Mauntery that morning, some hours before.
Lea and Mali were in the back, still dressed as maunts, while Shell and Liir had taken the front, passing themselves off as the coachman and his lackey. To anyone who cared to pay attention to them, they looked just like a regular party of maunts going towards the nearest Cloister.
The lone horse drawing the cart, making it a slower ride than any of the fugitives would have liked. But the Superior Maun had lent them the only horse the Mauntery could spare. They were grateful for it too, because when they had discussed their plans that morning, they had believed they were going to make the long way on foot.
Lea observed a pensive Mali, the woman had been immersed in her own thoughts since they had departed the Mauntery. "Are you alright, Mal?" The younger woman asked, startling the redhead.
"I'm fine." Answered the older woman, patting Lea's hand softly. "I was just thinking about how deceived we've been all these years. Miss Elphaba's death seems just like the tip of the iceberg, really. They spread such lies about her, I just wonder what else have we swallowed for truth."
Lea nodded, she herself had been thinking about those same things most of the morning. "She's not how I had imagined her at all." The brown-haired woman said. "All the stories I had heard about her don't make her justice at all."
"That's because you don't know her." Liir said angrily, having heard the women's conversation.
"Oh, I know we don't really know her, dear." Mali nodded, trying to calm the boy. "It's just that," she continued, trying to make Liir see why she had said it, "all I've ever heard about her were horrible things, and now that I've met her…well, she's nothing like what I had expected."
"It doesn't mean she's all rainbows and sunshine either." The boy added, still reluctant to admit anything remotely positive about Elphaba.
"I'm sure she has made her fair share of mistakes, Liir." Lea spoke. "We were just commenting the fact that she's not the monster they made her out to be."
"You don't know that either." The boy insisted.
Both ex-prisoners chose not to comment any further on the subject. It was obvious that Liir held quite a grudge against the green woman, and nothing they said was going to change that fact.
Shell watched Liir's expression, and couldn't help but notice the hurt hiding behind the young man's brown eyes. "As Lea said, she's just a woman, and she has probably done her share of good and bad things alike. Just like any of us."
Liir kept quiet this time, mulling over Shell's word. The other passengers didn't feel the need to say anything else either, so the ride continued in silence. The road taking them far away from the Emerald City, and hopefully away from harm's way.
The yellow brick road kept going for miles and miles, and the landscape changed as they went by. Soon the trees gave way to flatlands where the only vegetation in sight was the tall grass growing on those never-ending planes. The sun was setting on the horizon, and Shell took a dirt road trying to get away from the main road, in hopes of finding a safe place to spend the night away from prying eyes.
They followed the road for a couple of miles, until they found an abandoned stone mill on the side of the dirt path. A rapid stream made its way south just behind the ancient looking building. Shell guided the cart to the back of the building, hiding it from view, just in case anyone made its way up the road during the night.
"I think this is a good place to stay the night and get some rest." The dark-haired man said, finally bringing the cart to a stop. "We'll take turns watching the road and the surroundings, that way all of us can catch some sleep without having to worry about unwanted visitors." He jumped down to the ground and stretched his back noisily; almost twelve hours at the reins had left his back sore and aching in places he didn't even knew he had in his body. "Does that sound alright to everyone?" He asked, observing the tired faces of his companions.
His question was answered with a round of approving nods; only Liir voiced his answer. "I'll take the first watch." The boy said, reluctant to go to sleep yet. It seemed it was in those unguarded moments when his memories and doubts tried to sneak up on him. He didn't want to think about Elphaba anymore, and he thought that staying up would be a sure way to keep his mind occupied until sleep came calling him.
None of the others complained about his decision, they simply took the blankets and provisions the Maunts had given them before their departure and went to set camp for the night. Not wanting to get any attention drawn towards their hiding place, they didn't start a fire, taking comfort only from the warm blankets wrapped around their shoulders and the cold food filling their stomachs; the bread and cheese calming their hunger for the moment.
Diner was a silent event, much like the daylong ride had been. It was as if none of them wanted to speak, fearing the talk would lead to the thought it was probably plaguing their minds. They didn't know where they were going or what they were going to do, and talking about it wasn't going to change that fact.
Once diner was finished, Mali, Lea and Shell went to lie down inside the mill, while Liir kept watch outside. It was a full moon, so it was relatively easy for him to see his surroundings without much trouble. The boy decided to walk for a while, his legs still felt cramped after the long ride. He went as far as he could go to explore the area without losing sight of the mill; the boy was just about to turn back towards the stone building when something caught his eye. A big rock a couple of feet away from him picked his interest, so he walked towards the place, noticing, as he came closer, the paint spread over the rocky surface.
He came to a halt when he read what was written on the rock, color draining from his face. "ELPAHABA LIVES!" Said the inscription, and Liir repeated it out loud, the words had left him completely bewildered. Who could have written this? He thought, and the image of Nor flashed briefly before his eyes. Could it be? Could Nor have written those words? But Liir shook his head, as if trying to clear it of such preposterous thoughts. It didn't make any sense. Why would Nor write something like that, and why here of all places?
"Stop it." He said, not even realizing he was talking out loud. He shook his head again, but he kept observing the green letters shining in the moonlight. Nor isn't here. You don't even know if she's still alive. And what's more important, even if she is, she doesn't know that Elphaba is alive. "It doesn't make any sense." He spoke to himself again. It might not even be his Elphaba the one being mentioned, but that name written on green paint over the rock's surface left him wondering.
He took one last look at the inscription before turning back towards the old mill, trying to shake the weird feeling he was experiencing. He was almost halfway back when he noticed glowing lights in the distance, maybe two or three miles away, he couldn't really tell how far they were in the dark. It almost seemed as if the lights were moving, as if…
"Torches." He whispered, breaking into a run almost instantly. Someone was coming up the road, and he had been too immersed in his finding to notice the danger heading towards them. Liir run as fast as he could towards the mill, hoping it wasn't too late for them.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
As always, thanks to all of you still around and reading. Also, special thanks to those who take the time to comment, it's great to read your opinions, so don't be afraid to give your constructive criticism. I'm a big girl, I can take it and the story will benefit from it. :D
Thanks again, and see you in the next update!
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 31