Once upon a time, in a faraway kingdom, lived a small girl named Elphaba. From the moment she was born, villagers looked at her with disdain and horror because from the moment she was born, she was different. She was born with skin as green as emeralds. Her mother, Melena, loved and cared for her with her green skin and raised her to treat everyone kindly and equally.
"Does that mean I should treat the King the same as the Animals?" the little green girl asked, turning around to give her mother an inquisitive stare. Elphaba sat on her mother's lap, letting her mother comb her hair back.
Melena hummed in affirmation and beamed as her daughter was learning. "Exactly!" she exclaimed before braiding her daughter's hair back. "Everyone deserves kindness no matter their wealth and appearance." As she finished braiding Elphaba's hair, she offered her daughter's shoulder a small squeeze and set her down.
While Melena showered her daughter with all the love she could, Elphaba's father, Governor Frexspar, was one of the many who showed her disdain. As soon as he laid his eyes upon the baby, he called it "obscene" and from then on tried to distance himself from the little green girl.
"Father, when can we go out to the market?" Elphaba tugged on his pants, trying to catch his attention.
"Don't touch me" Frexspar snarled with disgust. He stepped away, effectively pulling his pants out of Elphaba's grasp, and walked away, leaving the girl behind.
A few years down the line, Melena was once again declared pregnant. For once in Elphaba's life, she witnessed Frexspar grinning, his eyes crinkling. Frexspar wrapped his arms around his wife, almost squeezing her, before remembering to cautiously step away and keep her safe. As soon as he stepped back, Elphaba ran up to hug her mother.
"Are you excited to be an older sister, Elphaba?" Melena asked with a wide grin, crouching down to meet her daughter.
"Yes, Mama!" Elphaba said, giggling.
As Frexspar watched Elphaba giggling with her mother, his eyes furrowed at the idea of another green child. He then went on to speak with physicians, midwives, and merchants over possible ways to prevent another green child. Of course, many could not provide answers as no one has seen green children other than Elphaba.
One day, however, as Frexspar took a turn around the market, an old woman offered him some milk flowers and advised him to, "Have your wife chew on these day and night. Your next child will not have green skin."
Frexspar glanced at the milk flowers in his hand and focused his attention to the strange old woman, suspicious. Despite his suspicions, he paid the woman a few coins and walked back home and from then on asked his wife to chew on the milk flowers.
"But there's nothing wrong with our daughter's skin," Melena argued.
Flexspar flinched at the mention of "our daughter" but continued to insist. "Please, Melena. I can't stand to look at the green skin. No one can."
Melena grimaced, disappointed at her husband's treatment for their daughter. However, she silently thought over his claim about their daughter's skin, how no one wanted to look at it. It was true. If Frexspar could stand to look at his own daughter, how could she expect anyone else to look at her? She could not help Elphaba, but she could possibly prevent her second child from being an outcast. Elphaba always let her see she was happy, but she knew what it was like outside the house.
Melena sighed. "All right."
Flexspar brightened and offered them to her. From then on until their second one was born, Melena chewed on the flowers day and night.
"I love you and your skin," Melena reassured her daughter, "but your brother or sister can have a better life. This doesn't mean I'll love them more than you."
Elphaba understood what her mom meant, that people stayed away from her because of skin, but sweetly smiled and nodded along. "Yes, Mama."
Melena let out a relieved grin and pulled her daughter in for a tight hug.
A few months later, two weeks before the second child's due date, Melena went into labor.
"No, it's not time yet!" Melena grunted, clutching her stomach in pain. Elphaba clung onto her mother, concerned, eyes tearing up as she watched Melena cry for help.
"It looks like it is!" the midwife shouted back, guiding her to the bedroom with Frexspar's help.
Once Melena reached the bedroom, Frexspar shut Elphaba out of the room, afraid her appearance would only hurt his wife and baby. Elphaba, unsure of what else to do, merely paced outside of the room and stared at the door, hoping to see her mother fine.
Eventually, Elphaba heard a cry and was finally let in by the midwife. Elphaba rushed to her mother's side while Frexspar bounced and cooed at the second daughter. "Thank the Unnamed God for our daughter's normal skin."
Melena, too tired to argue over his words, instead focused on her first daughter. "Promise me you'll be a great older sister and take care of Nessa?" Elphaba eagerly nodded to her mother's request. Flexspar offered their daughter back to Melena, allowing Elphaba to focus completely on her younger sister. Elphaba immediately noticed her sister's tangled legs.
As Melena watched her family, happy, her breathing slowed to a stop, and her eyes closed shut, her head falling on her shoulder. Flexspar shouted for the midwife, pushing his daughters out of the room. Out, Elphaba clung protectively over her sister, once again hoping her mother was fine. As Nessa cried, Elphaba rocked and hushed her.
Frexspar solemnly pushed passed the doors and found his daughter asleep in Elphaba's arms. Alert, Elphaba ran to Frexspar. "Is Mama okay?"
His attention now on the green girl in front of him, Frexspar snarled. "You killed her." Frexspar picked his daughter out of her hands and carried her away. Elphaba trailed after him, tears falling down her cheeks. "What?" she asked, horrified.
Frexspar huffed. If that thing hadn't been born green, then Melena wouldn't have chewed on the flowers, and Nessa would have been born normal and been able to walk properly. He turned around to face Elphaba.
Elphaba saw his face filled with pure rate. He was truly angry at her, never not meaning it like her mother said. "You'll take care of Nessa from now on. You promised your mother, right?"
She slowly nodded, her body quivering. Frexspar saw the fear but continued. "Then from now on, you'll do everything for her, making sure she wishes for nothing even with her legs. If I see she doesn't get what she wishes for, I won't hesitate and send you off somewhere far away." Satisfied as he watches her shakily nod to his demand, Frexspar stridden away, paying no more attention to the crying little girl.
Hi guys! I'm honestly more of a fanfiction reader than a fanfiction writer. I haven't written anything in years. I was mindlessly working, and then this idea just popped up in my head. I have a lot of work to do, so naturally, I decided to start on this instead haha. That being said, if you can give me constructive criticism or any sort of reviews, I would really appreciate it. Until next time! 3