ā if you ever ask me that question again, you will not wake up the following morning. ā - Elphy to Shell, au where she isnt fuckin d ea d
Shell squinted a bit, trying to see if she was bluffing or not. But she wasnāt as far as he could tell. Either that or she had the best pokerface in the universe.Ā āFair enough. Will you answer me one thing though? Arenāt you supposed to be dead? Also, how are you not?ā
āI typically do involve innocents in my ruling but we had an agreement, so Iāll personally be taking you to your son,ā he said, standing up and smoothing out his waistcoat, motioning for one of the guards to come with him just in case. āI canāt believe you actually gave it off to someone who canāt even use it.ā
Elphaba didnāt respond, only folding her hands in front of her and following. Her skirts created a nice circle of fabric, keeping a small radius covered as she walked. A bee slipped out buzzing into a room they passed. At this point she spoke. āLife is more important than power, Shell. I doubt you will learn this. However, you will see it firsthand with this war youāve chosen to create.ā
āIs that a threat,ā he asked, stopping dead in his tracks. āMaybe I wonāt take you to see your son, then. Maybe Iāll just keep him and toss him back and forth between prisons. I was doing this out of the goodness of my heart, but since you seem to think thereās none of that, why not prove you right,ā he said, the guard raising his weapon at Elphaba, waiting for an order. āYou donāt know how this war will end, I wouldnāt be talking about things I know nothing about if I were you.ā
āIt wasnāt a threat and you know it.ā She scowled, paying the guard no mind as she focused on her younger brother. āBut there is no good in taking an innocent child to get at his mother. It is below you, not as my brother but as a Thropp. And for what little there was it was the only thing I expected you to know.ā She took a step forward. āIf you wish to create such heartache then strike me down in this hallway. I will not live a new life controlled by fear. Not again.ā
āIt is very much beneath me and in those prisons heād be in, Iād make sure he was treated well. Heās treated well here too, just like a day camp, but it was the only way to contact you again, seeing as you pride yourself on being untraceable these days,ā he said, leading her into a back room that was nothing like a jail cell at all but rather just a nicely decorated room, Liir on the floor drawing with crayons as the guard told to watch him was complimenting the drawing, telling him how good it looked. āSee? No harm has come to the child. Heās just a boy, I wouldnāt punish him for no other reason being his motherās son.ā
āLiir-ā El breathed out, falling to her knees and gathering the child against her. It was a rare sign of affection, one of relief as she kissed his head. She kissed his head as shaky hands caressed his hair.
āMama, I drew a picture,ā the little boy said, not understanding why his mother was so relieved to see him. Shell just sort of stood watching, wishing to himself that he had had a parent who cared about him as much as his sister seemed to care about his nephew. Maybe if he did, things would have been different.
āI noticed.ā She murmured with a soft chuckle. She sat back to look at his drawing, complimenting certain features. Setting the drawing aside she gently cupped his face. āHow was your stay? They werenāt rough with you were they?ā
āNot at all, mama! They gave me sliced apple for a snack and some juice and mr. guard here was telling me stories and I had a lot of fun! Mr. Shell was even worried about giving me anything like peanut butter because he was worried I was allergic to it! They let me make a pillow fort too!ā
āGood. Im glad. It soundsā¦like you had fun.ā She stood. āGive us a moment, dear.ā She motioned for Shell to follow her at of the room, gathering her words carefully.
Shell nodded and went out into the hallway with her, closing the door behind him. āSee, Iām not a monster. Heās a little boy, what did you expect me to do? Plus, heās quite the little charmer.ā
āIt is a well known fact that the old emperor left with the book, Shell. What was the point of this?ā She lifted an eyebrow, a classin but quizzical look taking her face. It wasnāt very often she referred back to her younger mannerisms.
āI wanted to meet him. I knew if I asked you, you wouldnāt let me so I made a plan. I was hanging out with him a lot. I only stopped because I had a meeting and then after that you were there so I couldnāt go back to playing with him and listening to him tell stories.ā
āThis is why I dont donāt let family around him! Stunts like this!ā El crossed her arms, glaring at him. āIf you werenāt so nosey and cobdescending and simply asked to meet your nephew I would have complied. You coukd obviously find me the first time, you could manage a second without a flair for the dramatic.ā
āI must be related to you then if I have a flair for dramatics,ā he said with a grin. āReally though, may I see him again sometime? Heās a good boy, Iād like to hear what else comes out of his mouth, heās honestly hilarious. Iām usually not too big of a fan of children but Liir has moxie and humor and at one point while he was there he asked me if I had ever eaten a spider and sounded extremely disappointed when I said I hadnāt.ā
āHeās..muchblike his father when he was younger. Full of curiosity.ā Her gaze lowered, asmall frown overtaking her. āYou may. But he will not come back here. I do not want him to walk these tainted halls. Heās a sebsitive boy.ā
āOkay. Where would you like me to visit him then? Also whenās his birthday, I just met him today but Iāve come to the conclusion that I want to get him gifts if itās alright with you, his mother. Heās a cute little boy and I want to give him something fun that he could enjoy.ā
āEvenings. I want him to focus on his lessons during the day. His birthday is..ā She paused, pondering the question. āI..I donāt remember..ā This seemed to upset her now that she was asked. She had always given him gifts when she found things, never a specific date. There was the possibility she spoiled him of course but he was all she had.
āAlright, Iāll inform you when I plan on coming over, though Iād like to know where Iām coming over to,ā he said, having had wanted a specific date but now feeling more at peace with the idea of giving him gifts whenever and however often he wanted.
Fabala faltered, unsure if she was ready to give away where she had been hiding all those years. ā..The Observatory..in the Wilds.ā After the loss of her lover and his child bride she had found little solace in the castle, moving her lab to her own Observatory. No one bothered her, and she no longer bothered them.
āWell, Iāll send word that Iām coming before I do and Iāll only come by in the evenings so the little gentleman can focus on his studies, I trust youāre teaching him to be a bright, powerful magic user. I know you think my words come cheap in regarding affection, but I do have a soft spot for your boy. Heās a good child.ā
She shrunk at the idea pf teaching her son magic. His father didn't have the knack for it like she did and it frightened her to let him become like her. "Of course."











