AN: In an attempt to ease your pain because of what I am doing in Where Loyalties Lie... here a very fluffy Fiyeraba wedding one-shot with sweet Gelphie friendship, too. Enjoy!
Galinda squealed softly. "Oh, Elphie… you look so beautiful."
She carefully wove some silver threads through Elphaba's long, ebony hair and then pinned most of it up, securing it with a silver hair clasp which a long veil was attached to.
Elphaba stared at her own mirror image as she sat there at the vanity with her best friend fussing over her. She was wearing something she never thought she would wear: a wedding dress. The sleeves were long, the bodice was fitting, and the skirt flowed all the way down to the floor.
She had to admit that she would never have picked it herself. It was too white and too fancy – and probably really expensive, too. Honestly, if she'd been allowed to plan this whole thing herself, they would have gotten married somewhere in a small chapel with just a few people there, with her in one of her beloved black frocks and Fiyero perhaps in that blue shirt she so loved because it matched his eyes.
But she hadn't been allowed to plan it herself, mostly because Fiyero was, after all, royalty, and there were certain traditions to abide by. Every part of the ceremony they had been allowed to plan, they had planned. The wedding would, for example, be held in the gardens of Adurin Iir, Fiyero's parents' castle, at Fiyero's request. He knew Elphaba wouldn't want to be cooped up in a ballroom with hundreds of guests and he himself had always liked being outside.
Most things, though, were already laid out for them. They had to invite what felt like a thousand officials – representatives of the different areas of Oz, but also of the countries surrounding Oz; as well as politicians, officers, mayors… she had already spotted the mayor of Munchkinland, the ambassador of Ix, the prince of Fliaan, the captain of the Gale Force, and at least fifty others she hadn't ever even seen in her life. She and Fiyero had to stick with the traditional vows, too – vows generations of Vinkun kings and queens had already said before them. Elphaba had five bridesmaids and Fiyero had five groomsmen, all of them dressed in the same shades of blue, which was the only think Elphaba had gotten to pick.
She had even had a huge fight with the royal wedding planner because he had declared that Nessarose could not be a bridesmaid, since her chair would 'disrupt the symmetry'. The green girl had been furious, and it was only after Fiyero and his mother had interfered that the wedding planner had grudgingly conceded… or maybe the fact that Elphaba had declared hotly that "I am going to get married with Nessarose as my bridesmaid or I am not getting married at all!" had had something to do with it as well.
Another Vinkun royal wedding tradition was the fact that the queen was supposed to pick the new princess' wedding dress. It was a tradition Galinda had found beautiful – though a little annoying, too, since this meant she could not choose Elphaba's dress herself – and Elphaba had absolutely dreaded. Fiyero's mother was usually dressed in beautiful gowns, made of heavy fabrics, befitting a queen. The dark-haired girl had already imagined herself in a huge, poofy ball gown that nearly crushed her under its weight, covered in diamonds and with a ten-metre-long train.
When she had reluctantly confessed this to Queen Eleonora – Fiyero's mother had the mysterious ability of always sensing whenever something was wrong, and she usually didn't stop prodding until she knew exactly what it was – Fiyero's mother had just laughed.
"You and my son have been together for over two years, Elphaba," the queen had said, amused. "Don't you think it's fair to say I know you a little by now?"
Elphaba had blushed fiercely and Lori had squeezed her shoulder.
"Don't worry," she told her. "Of course there are certain standards the dress has to live up to – it has to be white, for one, and it has to be at least a little fancy… but I will keep your wishes in mind, Elphaba. Of course I will. Besides," she had added, "I'm bringing Galinda and Nessarose along for dress shopping. I figured they would know what you do and do not like."
Elphaba had been grateful for that. No matter how much her friend loved pink, sparkles, and poofy gowns; the green girl knew Galinda would never force her into something like that. Galinda knew her better than anyone else in Oz – except maybe for Fiyero… and even if the blonde did try to sneak in some sparkles, Nessarose would certainly hold her back.
When Lori had finally presented her with this dress at her first fitting, a few months ago, Elphaba had been surprised at how much she liked it. True, it wasn't something she would have chosen herself, but it was beautiful. The fabric was light and very comfortable, and Elphaba was grateful for the lace covering her arms. No matter how often her friends emphasised that her skin was not repulsive and that she was beautiful, she still hated showing more skin than strictly necessary.
The entire dress had a thin, lace covering, all the way down to the floor; and there was a short, lace trail pooling around her feet. The neckline was V-shaped and dipped a little too low for Elphaba's liking, but other than that, she couldn't complain… except perhaps when it came to the veil she was wearing and which trailed at least two metres behind her when she walked, but she was just going to have to deal with that. At least she could take it off after the ceremony.
"Elphie?" Galinda asked, finishing with her friend's hair. "What do you think? I know the hair clasp and the silver threads are a bit glittery, but they just look really great with your jewellery and your shoes – it's just a touch that brings a bit more unity to the entire picture, you know?" She rattled on about something else, but Elphaba wasn't really listening anymore. Instead, she thought about what was to come next. The ceremony, the reception, and then…
"Glin?"
Galinda paused her rambling to take a breath. "Yes, Elphie?"
Elphaba met her best friend's eyes via the mirror and confessed, "I'm scared."
Galinda rolled her eyes – something she had definitely picked up by spending too much time with her roommate. "Elphie, please," she scoffed. "I know you hate glitter, but there's no need to be overdramatic about it."
"I'm not talking about the glitter," said Elphaba, rolling her eyes herself now. "For Oz's sake, Galinda."
"Oh." The blonde giggled sheepishly. "Sorry. What were you talking about, then?"
Elphaba took a deep breath. "My… wedding night."
Galinda stilled, staring at the other girl.
"Elphie?" she questioned carefully. "Are you saying you and Fiyero never…"
Elphaba shook her head. "No," she said. "Never."
"But you've been together for over two years!"
"I know." Elphaba lowered her eyes. "He just… never really made a move… and I certainly didn't. But now I kind of regret that," she admitted. "I mean, I was always so scared that he'd run away once he'd… see me, you know? I still am. Only I can't hold it off forever, and after today, it will be so much more complicated. He can't just up and go anymore – he'll have to get a divorce and it's going to cause a scandal all throughout Oz and –"
"Elphie!" Galinda cut her off, grabbing her friend's hands and looking into her dark brown eyes.
"He's not going to run away," she said softly. "For Oz's sake, Elphaba, he loves you. You know that. You have nothing to be scared of. You're beautiful, don't you know that? Fiyero thinks so, too. And he knows you're green all over, you idiot," she scolded the green girl fondly. "Did you really not do this for over two years because you were afraid he'd turn you away?"
"Partly," Elphaba admitted. "I'm also just scared of the… thing… itself, I guess." Her shoulders rose and fell in a half-shrug. She sighed. "Glin… if he really won't mind, then why didn't he ever do anything?" she asked softly. "If he really does think I'm beautiful, wouldn't he have tried something by now?"
Galinda shrugged. "There could be many reasons," she said. "Personally, I think he just didn't want to pressure you. After all, we all know about his scandalacious reputation and he knows you've never done anything. Maybe he was afraid you'd feel pushed by him to do things you don't want to do, so he didn't do anything."
"Or maybe the mere idea of touching me like that just repulses him," Elphaba muttered wryly, earning herself a light slap on her arm.
"I'd slap you across the head," Galinda grunted, "but then I'd mess up the perfect hairdo I've been working on for an hour. Would he marry you if you even remotely repulsed him in any way? Silly, silly girl." She pulled Elphaba to her feet and studied her, nodding in satisfaction. "You look perfect. I think you're ready. Are you ready?"
"No. Yes… I don't know," Elphaba said with a sigh. "I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be."
"Good." Galinda hugged her. "Get those crazy thoughts out of your head, Elphie. This is your big day and I'm going to make sure you will enjoy it if it's the last thing I'll ever do!" she vowed fervently, making Elphaba grin.
There came a faint knock on the door and when Elphaba called, "Come in!", her father hesitantly entered the room. Another Vinkun royal tradition – the bride's father has to walk her down the aisle.
Frex faltered for a moment when he saw her, but he quickly composed himself and nodded stiffly. "Elphaba. The ceremony is about to start."
Galinda squealed and quickly picked up her bouquet, which consisted of white, green, and blue flowers. Even though there was no pink in it, Galinda though it very pretty – also because it had been so adorable how Fiyero had insisted on the green, to symbolise Elphaba, just as fervently as Elphaba had insisted on the blue, because it was the colour of Fiyero's eyes. They were so cute together!
"Are Nessa and the other bridesmaids ready?" she asked Frexspar, who nodded.
"Yes," he said. "They are around the corner."
She quickly pecked Elphaba's cheek. "Good luck, Elphie. I'll see you in a few minutes," she promised before hurrying out of the room.
Frexspar looked at his daughter, who shifted under his gaze, feeling uncomfortable.
"Shall we go?" she asked.
He took a deep breath and nodded, holding out his arm for Elphaba to take.
"You look lovely," he said, not meeting her eyes. "You…" He swallowed. "You look like your mother."
Elphaba stilled, staring at him.
He linked his arm with hers, but still refused to meet her gaze. "We have to go."
She allowed him to lead her out of the room and into the hallway, still shocked at her father's words… but happy, too.
When the music started to play, Fiyero held his breath; and his best friend Cohvu elbowed him in the side.
"Breathe, Yero," he chuckled. "You don't want her to come out and find you lying dead at the altar, do you?"
Fiyero rolled his eyes, but he did take a deep breath, watching the doors eagerly.
Galinda came out first, dressed in a short, azure blue dress. It was strapless and had a wide skirt made of tulle, flowing out from underneath a sash in a slightly lighter blue, with a flower just under the bust. Galinda had picked it herself; the only condition Elphaba had given her was that it had to match the blue flowers in the bouquet, which Galinda had managed – the lighter blue of the sash was the exact same colour as the flowers. There was a pair of heels in that same colour coming with the dress as well and there was a flower in Galinda's hair, matching the one on the sash. She wore some silver jewellery and she was positively beaming at Fiyero as she elegantly made her way down the aisle.
Next up was Nessarose in her chair, dressed the exact same way as Galinda, and she was followed by two of Fiyero's cousins and then his younger sister, Cyara, who grinned at him and practically skipped down the aisle, rather than walking gracefully, which made everyone laugh.
And then the bride appeared in the doorway and everyone went quiet.
She was escorted by her father, the governor of Munchkinland, as they slowly made their way down the aisle. She looked absolutely stunning and Fiyero feared his eyes might drop out of their sockets if they went any wider. She always looked beautiful to him; but never before had she looked as gorgeous as she did now, as she came walking towards him, her eyes on him and a small smile playing around her lips. She was glowing and though he noticed the small signs that betrayed her nervousness – her death grip on her father's arm, the slight shaking of her other hand – she also looked happier than he had ever seen her and he was glad about that.
Her father placed her hand in Fiyero's and left, and Fiyero grinned widely at her.
"Hey," he whispered.
Her smile widened. "Hey."
The vicar gave a long speech and then had them speak their vows. After they'd both said "I do" and had exchanged rings, the vicar declared that they were now husband and wife, and Fiyero kissed his bride.
The reception passed in a blur. Galinda held a beautiful speech about the course of their love life, from the moment they had met. Their respective sisters each talked about their older siblings for a short while – Nessarose fondly recalling childhood memories of her sister and Cyara bringing up every single embarrassing moment in Fiyero's life, causing the guests to roar with laughter even as Fiyero tried to hide behind a large indoor plant, his face red as a cherry.
Fiyero led Elphaba onto the dance floor for their first dance as man and wife, after which he had to hand her over to his father. King Hamold grinned down at his new daughter-in-law as they whirled across the dance floor together.
"How does it feel to be a Tiggular, Elphaba?" he teased her and she smiled.
"Not quite real yet," she said. She caught sight of her father, who was standing a bit off to the side, watching with a frown as Fiyero rolled Nessarose around on the dance floor. She let out a short, mirthless laugh. "But I'm pretty sure I'm going to love being a Tiggular more than I ever did being a Thropp."
Hamold squeezed her waist. "I hope you will feel at home here, Elphaba," he said sincerely. "And I hope you know that we have considered you part of the family since long before this day."
Her smile returned. "I know," she said softly. "Thank you."
She danced with Cohvu after that, with Fiyero again, with two of the other groomsmen and once more with Hamold, and then again with Fiyero, until she was dizzy and her feet hurt. By the time they returned home that night, to the house she and Fiyero lived in together, they were both exhausted, but happy.
Fiyero swept her into his arms and carried her through the door, as a new husband should, and she giggled. She quickly slapped a hand over her mouth.
He laughed. "I love hearing you giggle," he teased her. "It's so Galinda."
"Too much wine," she said, trying to chuckle, but somehow it came out as a giggle again. Fiyero grinned and helped her to the couch.
With a sigh of relief, she pulled off her high heels and kicked them under the side table. She wiggled her toes. "That feels much better. I'm also glad I only had to wear that veil during the ceremony," she added, making a face. "If I'd had to wear that a minute longer, I would have stepped on it."
Fiyero chuckled. "If you hadn't, I certainly would have." He held out a hand and pulled her to her feet.
They had been living in this house, just off the premises of Adurin Iir, since graduation a couple of months ago; but they had agreed to sleep in separate bedrooms until they would get married. Tonight, for the first time, they'd sleep together… and Elphaba suddenly felt nervous again to the point where she thought she might actually throw up.
"Fae?" Fiyero asked worriedly, seeing her pale face. "Are you okay?"
She managed a small smile. "Sure," she said, not convincing. "Why wouldn't I be?"
He gave her a searching look, but didn't press the issue as she started moving towards the stairs. He followed her to the bedroom and took off his jacket, kicking off his own shoes as well.
"You're right," he said. "That does feel better. I hate suits." He shuddered. "Unfortunately, I'll have to wear them much more often, given the fact that I'm the crown prince and all… do you want me to get your zipper?" he changed the subject, seeing her wrestling with the dress. He tugged the zipper down and smiled at her. "There you go."
She avoided his eyes, muttering a "thank you" under her breath. She turned away from him, clutching the dress to her chest to keep it from falling down.
"Fae?"
She tried taking deep breaths in order to calm herself down. "Yeah?" she managed faintly.
"We don't have to do anything, you know."
She spun around, her eyes wide. "What?" How did he know what she was thinking about? How did he always do that?!
He gave her a lopsided grin. "I know you, Fae. I married you, remember?" He approached her and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder.
"You should have told me," he said quietly. "That you were scared. Because I get that, Fae. I do. And it's okay. We can wait for as long as you want."
She heaved a shuddering sigh, leaning back against him. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but…" She swallowed. "I just…"
He pulled away slightly and turned her around, keeping his hands on her hips.
"I won't hurt you," he said.
She arched one eyebrow sceptically.
"Any more than necessary," he added sheepishly.
She chuckled softly, but quickly grew serious again. "It's not just that, though."
He sighed, deflating suddenly, as if he already knew what she was going to say. "Oh, Elphaba…" He shook his head. "And here I was hoping that I had at least succeeded a little in convincing you how beautiful you are," he said wryly. "But I haven't, have I? Is that what this is about?"
She wrapped her arms around herself, stepping out of his embrace and turning her back towards him. "I just… don't want you to see me," she mumbled, her voice barely audible, but Fiyero heard her anyway.
She felt so stupid and ashamed of herself. She didn't want to be like this… she didn't want to be scared. She wanted to do this with him. Didn't he at least deserve that much of her? He had always been so patient with her, so sweet, and now she was treating him like she didn't trust him. Which she did. She really did.
But she was convinced that she was too hideous for him even to look at her. He had seen her in her slip once, at which she had been horrified, no matter how hard he had tried to reassure her that she was gorgeous; but for him to see her in all her green glory? No matter how patient and sweet he was, and no matter how much he might love her, no person could possibly stand to look at her like that. She couldn't stand to look at herself like that.
She could feel him coming up behind her and she clutched her dress tighter to her chest. She jumped when she felt him running a single finger down her spine, but she didn't pull away. He continued to stroke her bare back, though he didn't try to slip the dress further off her shoulders.
"I don't want to force you into anything," he said, his breath tickling the hair at the nape of her neck, "but I also don't want you to keep thinking like this until we do it. I love you, Fae." He turned her around to look into her eyes. "And no matter what you think of yourself," he said softly, reaching out to tenderly brush some hair away from her face, "you have always been, and will always be, the most beautiful girl in the world to me."
She couldn't help but kiss him after that and he kissed her back, holding her tightly to him and tangling his fingers in her long hair. They kissed for a long time, completely losing themselves in the other; and when they pulled away, Elphaba's cheeks were flushed and Fiyero was breathless.
"I'd like to see you," he whispered, stroking her cheek with the backs of his fingers. "If only to convince you that I'm not going anywhere."
She took a deep breath, knowing that this would have to happen, sooner or later… and the longer she waited, the more it would hurt if he did run. She might as well get it over with.
She was just so scared.
When he carefully pulled the straps of her dress down her shoulders, though, she didn't protest. She didn't even move; she just stood there as her dress fell down her body, pooling at her feet. She sucked in her breath and squeezed her eyes shut, both because she didn't want to see his face and because she didn't want him to see the tears pricking her eyes.
She could hear him inhaling sharply as well and she mentally prepared herself for a cry of disgust and his footsteps moving away from her, leaving her life forever… but neither came. Instead, she suddenly felt his warm hands on her waist, sending shivers through her. Her eyes snapped open, but she didn't look at his face. Instead she stared down at her wedding dress on the floor.
"Elphaba," he said, his voice sounding a little strange. He touched her chin lightly to make her meet his eyes and she slowly raised her gaze; but before she could look at him, he was already kissing her, more fervently and more passionately than ever before, trying to convey to her everything she wouldn't believe if he said it out loud.
She responded hesitantly, still not believing that he was actually still here. His arms went around her and he crushed her to him, deepening the kiss, his hands ever pressing her closer to him.
"I love you," he breathed against her lips, running his fingers through her long hair and undoing the silver hair clasp, letting it drop to the floor. "Oz, Fae… I love you. You have no idea how much I love you, and you have even less of an idea how absolutely stunning you are." He let out a throaty chuckle. "How could you ever think," he said, "ever, that you are not beautiful? That I would run away from you? Are you serious? I'm having the hardest time trying not to ravish you right here and now."
She glanced up at him through her eyelashes and upon seeing the dark look in his eyes, she believed him.
"Then stop trying not to," she whispered, suddenly wanting it, all of it, now that the worst was over. He'd seen her, he was looking at her right now, and he was still here. He didn't look repulsed. Quite the opposite.
He captured her lips with his again and lifted her up in his arms, carrying her over to the bed and gently lying her down. He removed his shirt and ran his fingers through her hair again, caressing her face and then gliding his hands down her arms, her sides, to her hips, whispering his adoration for her between kisses.
She cried, but they weren't tears of pain. They were tears of relief and of love, and even of gratitude because he was still here, with her, and he loved her. He held her in his arms afterwards as she cried, whispering sweet nothings in her ear, knowing that she had finally opened up to him completely. There were no secrets between them now, and her trust meant more to him than he could possibly say.
Even later, she had fallen asleep, curled up on his chest. Her skin was glowing ethereally in the candlelight. The silver threads that were still woven through her hair were glittering and he ran his fingers through the soft, silky strands, smiling when she stirred a little in her sleep and pressed her cheek to his chest. He kissed the top of her head and held her close.
When she awoke in his arms the next morning and he whispered to her how much he loved her, she knew that things were different between them now and that their love had reached a whole new level.
Today was the start of their lives together… and it had started more perfectly than she ever could have imagined.
Pictures of the dresses are on my blog.