Okay, so I recently read a beauty and the beast gelphie fiction. It was wonderfully done! However, in the disney version, Belle's love of books and oddness did not seem to coincide with Galinda, who was obviously the beauty. I don't believe Galinda could ever not be the beauty, given the situation of the book and musical, despite how beautiful I feel Elphaba may be. However, in this tale, the beauty will be regarded and trapped as the beast. I'm sure by reading, you'll understand better. I'm only half-way-certain of my own plot. This is an AU, but the characters are booksical: so mainly musical with the "Elphaban" aversion to water, and Nessarose is armless, and of course the whole Animal/animal difference.
Once upon a time, there was a beauty who lived in a castle. She was surrounded by her staff and loving parents. She easily received whatever whim she announced. However, she was spoiled. She and her friends would pick at the less attractive girls who surrounded them. They were a shallow bunch, surely, and they didn't care at all for this fact. When one is of high social standing, one only needs to impress their friends, not some divine gilded law.
However, there was such a divine gilded law that existed. And one stormy night, when the beautiful girl's parents were visiting their other friends, and the blonde was left alone with the staff, that this divine law arrived in the form of a small, ugly woman.
"Please," the elderly woman begged, "I only ask for shelter from the storm. In exchange you may have this flower." She presented the blonde beauty with a radiant pink rose.
"As much as I love pink," the beauty stated, "I simply cannot allow you inside for your hideociousness."
The elderly woman replied, "Do not be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within."
Still, the beauty refused. With that, the haggard woman turned into a beautiful sorceress, and cursed the castle where the beauty resided. The beauty would never be able to leave the castle, and she would only be freed when she was able to look within, loving those whose skin was hideous, and being loved in return. The pink rose, an enchanted rose, turned the castle's staff into various inanimate objects, most encrusted with emerald. The staff and castle were then loyal to the laws of the rose, and upon the spoiled girl's 21st birthday, the manor would be forever encased in a layer of emerald: the girl would be stuck there forever, with no hope of a visitor saving her.
Elphaba was not born for the rose and pearl.
She helped her little sister, Nessarose to sit up, and spoon fed her a breakfast of oatmeal. Nessarose, at least, was cooperative for the most part. When the bowl was scraped clean, Elphaba gave a careful, "are you still hungry?" Nessarose shook her head good-naturedly. Elphaba nodded approvingly and proceeded to help Nessarose to her feet. "Alright. Need anything else?"
"Just help into the living room, please. Oh, Elphaba, could you fetch me some water," Elphaba nodded, walking back towards the icebox, "and a book as well?" Elphaba noticeably winced. The request of a book meant that Elphaba would have to hold it for hours until her sister grew tired of it. It would be of little consequence since her only job was to look after Nessarose, but her arms always seemed to get tired when she wasn't reading for her own pleasure.
Elphaba nodded back to her obediently, however, and quickly completed her given tasks. She sat beside her sister, holding the book steadily and turning pages at Nessa's bidding, for roughly two hours. When finally, Nessarose was tired of the book, Elphaba put it away for her.
"Elphaba, could you retrieve the music box for me?" Elphaba nodded quietly and grabbed a gleaming music box from atop a shelf in the kitchen. She brought it back, and twisted the mechanism before placing it on Nessa's lap amicably. It played some long-lost diddy that no one could remember the lyrics to. Elphaba listened calmly, while Nessa tapped her foot along to the slow but happy beat.
Soon, their father, Frex, returned home. He happily greeted Nessarose, "Ah, my little Nessarose, how was your day?" As he said this, he shot Elphaba a side-glare. Elphaba nodded, while Nessarose informed him that the day had gone swimmingly. He smiled at her and gave Elphaba an approving nod.
"Father, may I go to the library?" Elphaba asked during a pause after much discussion between Nessa and Frex.
"Sure, sure. Be back soon." He lifted his head up to give her a warning look, "And don't make a scene."
Elphaba nodded, "of course," grabbed a blue book she'd borrowed the previous day, and left without much thought.
"Doctor Dillamond? Here you are." Elphaba presented the Goat with the blue book, her eyes the only indication to any joy she may have felt.
"All ready done?" Doctor Dillamond, an old professor from some forgotten univeristy, asked, entertained but not shocked. Elphaba nodded, looking behind him at the colorful shelves.
"Yes. Have you anything new?"
"No, no, not since yesterday."
Elphaba hummed, and grabbed a book with a maroon cover. "Then, I shall borrow this one."
"You've read that two time before, Miss Elphaba," Doctor Dillamond chuckled.
"Well, it is my favorite," Elphaba replied, giving the Goat another happy look. She began to leave, until Doctor Dillamond put his hoof on her shoulder.
"Seeing as you like it so much, Miss Elphaba, it's yours now."
"Mine?"
"Of course. Enjoy it."
"Thank you so much, Professor!" Elphaba exclaimed giving him one of her rare smiles.
"Anytime, Miss Elphaba. I'll see you soon, I'm sure." Elphaba nodded again, and made her way out of the bookstore. She quickly opened the book and began to read as she walked. For the most part, people in the village stayed out of her way. She was familiar, of course, but not liked. So, walking with her nose in a book was simple. However, her reading was interrupted by the sound of a gunshot.
Elphaba's eyes widened and she followed the sound. It was Fiyero and Boq, gladly snagging their latest kill.
"Fiyero, have you any idea if that was an animal or an Animal?" Elphaba yelled, trying to make herself as intimidating as possible against the noble and his pal.
"Elphaba, have you any idea if that was cabbage or grass that you were fed as a child?" Elphaba grimaced at him and opened her mouth to speak again. She was interrupted, however, by Boq.
"Probably some combination of that and artichoke." Elphaba gave another sour look to him and began to speak but was again interrupted.
"Her parents surely should have kept a better eye on her," Fiyero lamented.
"But who would want to?" Boq replied, an evil grin on his face.
"The wicked witch of grass."Fiyero chuckled to himself. Elphaba felt magic at her fingertips, but remembered that she was not to make a scene. However, she felt at liberty to bite back verbally.
"The wicked witch of kicking your ass," Elphaba growled, her face heated. Perhaps it would scare them into obedience if she threatened.
"Who has a gun, the entire village in love with him, and two thumbs?" Fiyero asked, leaning down only slightly to match her height."This guy," he grinned that evil grin, pointing both thumbs to himself.
"Wouldn't want to stir up any riots, would we?" Boq questioned. Behind her eyes, Elphaba saw pitchforks, guns, and torches. She blinked hard at them, but did not make any biting remarks. "It should appear not," Boq hummed contentedly.
"Just, if you can't go two minutes without murdering something, please, ensure that it is an animal."
"Gladly," Fiyero lied between his, admittedly perfect, teeth.
Elphaba shook her head, riled up as it was, and made her way home. "That was pretty good though, Miss Elphaba," she thought, trying to calm herself, "wicked witch of kicking your ass. I'll have to use that again."
The next day, Frex was finishing his preparation of a carriage for himself and Nessarose. They planned to go to the Wizard, and see what could be done for Nessarose's arms, or lack-thereof.
"Now, you're to keep to the house, Elphaba. If you must go to the village, do not make a scene. There will be none of your little tantrums or any unusual occurrences inside or near this house. Understood?"
"Yes, Father, I understand."
"Very good. Now, we best be getting on our way."
"Of course." Elphaba took the reins on helping Nessa into the carriage, while Frex took the reins of their horse.
"Oh, Elphaba," Nessarose asked after being situated between many pillows in the carriage. "Should Boq come by, would you please be polite and mention that I'm thinking of him?" Elphaba thought of yesterday's interaction with Boq for less than a moment. She ensured that Nessa was buckled and would not topple over should they meet any bumps in their path. "Elphaba?"
Elphaba gave a fake grin, "No." And promptly shut the carriage door before Nessarose could complain.
"Off we go!" Frex announced, and Elphaba was left alone. Just how she liked it.
Alrightie ladies and gentlemen, that was chapter one. I hope to get these chapters done in a quick succession, even enough that I may post the story entirely in a few days or less. So, yay! I'll get to work on Chapter 2 with haste