Hi guys! I know I have other fics to update, but I have had this series in my head for years, and I finally felt it was time to write it out. I'd have gotten to it earlier this summer, but all of my writing has been put towards working on my novel (which is currently being submitted to literary agents!)
Anyways, I have had this idea for a while for a TV show/ miniseries entitled "Before They Were Wicked", which follows Elphaba and Nessa through the year (or two) leading up to Shiz. These are to be the plots, written in prose. Because it would be adapted into a live performance, there is a LOT more dialogue than I usually would write.
In my head, I can see Michelle Federer playing Ameya and Norbert Leo Butz playing Frex. I am not yet sure if I'd want the same actress playing Melena and Nessa, or if I want Melena and Ameya to be twins. PLEASE let me know what you think (because these chapters are quite long to write).
"Permission to enter?" Ameya's voice sounded through the closed door.
"Granted."
Ameya pushed through the door. Her eyes scanned the near-empty room for a few seconds before they fell upon the figure standing in the gray light of the window.
"How are you feeling, sister?"
Melena gave a non-comm ital shrug, but did not turn.
"How is Nessarose?"
"She is asleep. The doctor does not yet know the extant of her condition, but he predicts that it is..." she broke off. "I'm afraid, Ameya. "
"Of what? Melena, tell me. I came her for you. Let me help you."
"No," Melena snapped, turning to face her sister. "You came here because you thought something would go wrong."
"Melena! What in Oz' name would make you think that?" Ameya snapped back, rising from the nearby settee. "I came here for the birth of my second niece."
"Really? Because you were here only hours after the telegram was sent that I was in labor. Two months early. And yet you didn't come for weeks after Elphaba was born, even though we sent message after message that the time was nearing."
"I told you then, and I will tell you again: I had people in my care who would have died if I had left," Ameya said, not breaking eye contact with her younger sister. "And, and, no one could have predicted that Elphaba would be gr-"
Ameya fell silent.
"My point exactly."
Melena turned her back on her sister. Silently, she watched a servant hold Elphaba's hands as Elphaba tried to walk down a stone path that led out into the woods behind the mansion.
"But how couldn't I think that, when you told me that he made you eat milkflowers? Everyone in Oz knows that milkflowers are toxic. chewing them while pregnant... You... You and Nessarose will be written about in books. Never before has a child been born alive while the mother chewed milkflowers."
"Everyone in Oz knows?" Melena hissed. "Or every healer in Oz knows. Because if you had told me that sooner I...I..."
"You what? You are obviously afraid of him and what he will do to the girls. I've watched him. He pays no attention whatsoever to Elphaba unless it is to scold her," Ameya took a few steps towards her sister. Gently, she placed her hand on her sister's shoulder. She could feel Melena shivering.
"If he scares you that much, Melena, then leave him. You are the Eminent of Oz. You have more power than almost anyone in the world. Come live with me. I'll help you raise the girls."
But Melena shook her head.
"I am no longer the Eminent."
Ameya withdrew her hand. Anger washed over her.
"You gave it up? You gave it up to him? How could you? I sacrificed everything so I could pass it to you!" Ameya said tersely. Melena turned, angry tears flowing down her face.
"And I owe you a great debt of gratitude, but you must crawl out from the rock you have been living under. I did not give it up willingly, dear sister. Thanks to the Wizard's new law, the power of a bloodline can only be passed through the father. Even if passed to a daughter through birth, once married, it is automatically transferred to the husband.
"If I leave, I forfeit everything. I would have no power, no money, no name. Legally, I might even forfeit the girls. And I could never afford the care Nessarose requires without Frex and the Thropp wealth. I cannot leave, Ameya. Not if I want to keep the girls safe. They will never have the lives I wish for them, but here they can at least be well protected. And they have me."
There was more silence as the words settled in.
Ameya was dumbfounded. This meant that she too lost her power and standing. Yet she did not have a husband to share the wealth with. What would happen to her?
"And anyways," Melena stated, folding her arms and taking a seat in a rickety chair opposite the settee. "It is a ridiculous law. Why pass the bloodline by the father? The father can be questionable, yet you never question the mother."
Ameya stopped walking suddenly, her hand on the doorknob.
"What did you say?"
"What?" Melena asked, her eyebrows raised as she faced her exiting sister.
"What did you say?" Ameya repeated with emphasis on each separate word. She cocked her head slightly at her sister. "Melena is there something you need to tell me?"
"Of course not," Melena snapped. But her eyes were averted.
"Melena Thropp, you must tell me... Melena? MELENA?" Ameya shouted, just catching her sisters limp body as it slid off the chair and onto the floor.
But no matter her shouts for the doctors or for Frex, no matter how she tried to stop her sister's shaking, it was no use.
Within minutes, Melena was gone, and the Thropp sisters were motherless.
- Almost 17 years to the day-
"Father, where are we going?" Elphaba asked as she watched the Munchkinland cornfields flash by through the carriage window.
"Elphaba, be quiet."
Elphaba nudged Nessarose slightly on the shoulder. Nessa's head jerked up slightly as she was jolted out of thought.
"What?" she mouthed.
Elphaba gave a flick of her head towards their father.
Nessa's mouth curled into a silent "o".
"Father. Where are we going?"
"You shouldn't do everything your sister tells you to do, Nessarose," Frex said without turning to them. But he closed his eyes and heaved a sigh. "We are going to visit a healer."
"Father no," Nessa whined. "I thought we agreed that you would talk to me about these visits before agreeing to them!"
"Nessarose, this healer is different. I'm sure you... you both will like her."
Elphaba and Nessa's eyes grew wide. THey exchanged a glance.
"Wait, wait. There are female healers?" Elphaba asked, her normally controlled voice overwhelmed with awe.
"No, Elphaba. There is only one. She chose her career over having a family. And she is," Frex heaved another sigh. "She is your aunt."
If it were possible, the Thropp sisters' eyes would have grown even wider.
"We have an aunt?" Nessa whispered. She looked at Elphaba, whose mouth hung open.
"Yes. She is your mother's sister."
There was silence as the carriage bumped to a halt.
"Elphaba, help your sister down," Frex barked as he made his way up the stone steps.
"Uh. Elphaba?" Nessa muttered out the open carriage door upon noticing that there was no ramp.
But Elphaba hadn't moved from her spot.
"Elphaba? What's wrong?"
"I'm concerned."
"About what?" Nessa prodded, but Elphaba had already moved Nessa's chair up the steps and to the doorway. Without a word, she picked up Nessa and carried her up until she set her down gently into the chair.
"Are you concerned about me?" Nessa whispered as Elphaba exhaled loudly, heaving the chair over the door frame.
"I'm always concerned about you," Elphaba whispered back. She tried to hide her grimace with a smile.
"Incredible," came a woman's voice from down the hall into the entry way.
Both girls turned to look.
A woman with long auburn hair and sweeping navy robes walked into the entryway. Frex stood silently in the kitchen she had just left.
"Hello, ma'am," the sisters chided in unison. The woman let out a laugh.
"Hello girls. It is incredible. I haven't seen you two since you were infants. You are both so beautiful," the woman beamed, her eyes shifting between both girls. Her smile was wide.
Then her gaze fell on Nessa.
"It is uncanny, how much you look like her, Nessarose. Frex," she barked down the hall. Frex jumped to attention. "Go and instruct the footmen where to place the luggage."
Frex turned his face away, no doubt to hide a nasty look, before he stepped out of view.
The woman turned back to the girls.
"Come into the parlor," the woman waved the girls into an elaborate parlor.
The woman sat opposite them, as Elphaba instinctively took a chair to the left of her sister.
"Is there something wrong, girls?" the woman asked at the frightened faces on the two sisters.
"You're our mother's sister?" Nessa muttered, her eyes watching her fingers twisting around in her lap.
"Yes I am," the woman encouraged. "My name is Ameya. I was your mother Melena's older sister."
"Our mother is dead," Elphaba whispered.
"Yes," Ameya sighed. Elphaba looked up.
"You know?"
"Yes. I was with her when it happened. I... I held her as she..." Ameya inhaled sharply. "I held her as she died."
"It happened 16 years and 361 days ago," Nessa said in a low voice. Ameya and Elphaba stared at her.
"That was incredibly specific, Nessarose," Ameya stated. Nessa looked up confused.
"She died on the day of my birth. My birthday is in a few days. It's not that hard to count backwards from 365."
Elphaba let out a tiny laugh.
"Ameya," boomed Frex's voice from behind them. "I believe supper is can be more story time later."
Ameya was shocked to be addressed in such a way in her own home. But nevertheless, she donned a smile and led the way into the formal dining room.
Though the woodwork gleamed, dust still hung in the air. Once they were comfortably seated, servants began to enter one by one. Each carried huge platters of food. Grapes of different colors spilled over the side of one. Another held a pile of cheese so tall, Elphaba couldn't see Nessa across the table. And on the biggest was the largest roast chicken that any of them had ever seen.
" I apologize for the extravagance. You can tell that my waitstaff is not used to serving for guests," Ameya beamed. No one moved. Her smile faded. "Go on. Eat."
Frex began to fill his plate. Nessarose and Elphaba followed suit. More than once, Elphaba had to slow herself down. Her father would not publicly embarrass her for eating a lot ( technically a normal) amount of food, or at least she hoped he wouldn't. But it was all too good. There was too much to try.
"So what do you girls like to do?" Ameya asked as she raised a forkful of potato to her mouth.
"I like to read," Elphaba answered automatically. "Mysteries, mainly."
"Wonderful," Ameya said, her smile returning. She turned on her younger niece. "And you Nessarose?"
Nessa stared at her plate. It was still almost full, though they had been sitting at the table for almost twenty minutes.
"I like to read too," she mumbled, staring at her peas. "Everything. I like to read whatever I can. There are over 50,000 books in our library. My goal is to finish at least a quarter of them before I die."
"That is quite a lofty goal."
To the surprise of everyone, including herself, Nessa let out a small snort.
"Is there something wrong, Nessarose?" Ameya asked, her tone a bit colder than any Frex would take.
"It's just that... It's not like I can do much else," Nessa whispered. Her voice was so low that it was barely audible to anything but the untouched chicken on her plate.
The other three Thropps sitting around the table exchanged glances.
"Nessa can play the piano really well," Elphaba said quickly. "And she is a brilliant writer."
At this, Nessa took a small, sharp inhale.
"Elphaba, apologize to your sister," Frex demanded.
"Apologize?" Elphaba said loudly. "Apologize? I complimented her. I tried to make her feel better. Why should I apologize?"
"Apologize now!" Frex barked. His fist hit the table, causing Nessa and Ameya to jump.
"I will not. I did nothing wrong," Elphaba said. With a flash, she had whipped out the door, her chair sliding back into place with a clunk.
After a few minutes, the servants brought out heaping plates of desserts, but they went untouched. No one said anything for the rest of dinner.
"Tea in the parlor?" a maid asked, balancing yet another silver platter on one arm as she motioned to the parlor.
"Are you coming Nessarose?" Ameya asked. Her tone had softened considerably.
"Can I look around a bit?" Nessa whispered.
"Of course," Ameya answered. Without an upward glance, Nessa turned and started down the hallway. Suddenly, Ameya was hit with a thought. "Oh. Watch the first door on the second fl- Nevermind."
Without a nod or word or any sign that she even heard her aunt, Nessarose pushed herself down the hallway and out of sight. Ameya exhaled for a long while before turning back to the now-seated Frex.
"You have certainly done quite a job with these two, Frexspar."
"I beg your pardon, Ameya?" Frex said, a hint of anger rising in his voice.
"I mean that you have successfully raised one daughter to hate you and the other to fear you. Elphaba was clearly trying to make her sister feel better, yet you snapped at her and sent her away. And then Nessarose is frightened to stand up to you. And she clearly dislikes herself. What a great job you have done raising my dead sister's children. She would be proud," Ameya hissed. Fex sat in his chair, shaking, as she sipped at her tea.
"I...How dare you question my parenting in my own-" Frex cut himself off. Ameya raised an eyebrow.
"Can't say 'in my own house' now, can you?" Ameya taunted with a sneer. "The Governor is not so powerful outside of his own home."
"Hold your tongue," Frex murmured in a steely voice. "Why did you invite us here if not to taunt and jeer?"
"I didn't invite you, Frexspar. You sent me a telegram asking to come, and I obliged. You have kept the girls from me for almost 17 years. Of course I would jump at the chance to see them after so long. I'll even wager that by the time you leave, they will be begging you to have me over."
"Why do you think that?" Frex spat. "They don't even know you."
"No," Ameya agreed. "They don't. But they'll want to. They have no mother, Frex. They have not had a mother for 16 years and 361 days, according to your younger daughter. They need a mother, especially as Nessarose comes of age and they begin their last year before university. They need me.
"Trust me, Frex. The only people they truly have are each other. You need to stop pushing Elphaba away, especially if you want to keep Nessarose around. She is loyal to Elpahaba. She trusts Elphaba. I can tell."
"How, Ameya? How can you tell?" Frex asked sarcastically. "Tell me how you know, even though you have not seen them since they were infants."
"I watched the way Elphaba brought Nessarose in. Nessarose, though capable of handling most things on her own, depends on her sister for most other things. I didn't see you carrying her in."
"I have a bad back. I would love to, but I cannot."
"Have you ever asked Elphaba if she has back pain? Have you ever asked Elphaba if she wanted to do anything? I guess that the answer is no. You give orders, but Elphaba has been raised on those orders. She knows what her sister wants and needs better than you do. If it came down to it, why in Oz would Nessarose ever pick you over her."
"I have provided her with everything she has ever wanted or needed. I am what she has and that is good enough," Frex retorted. His teacup clanged as he sat it down on the saucer and stood to be eye to eye with Ameya.
"You killed my sister, Frexspar Lodder Thropp. You are the reason she is dead and that Nessarose is in that wheelchair," Ameya said in an even, deadly tone.
"How dare you accuse me-" Frex began, his voice rising, but Ameya cut him off.
"YOU FORCE FED HER MILKFLOWERS," she shouted, her voice reverberating through the ornately decorated salon. "THEY CAUSE DEATH IN HUMANS. I COULD HAVE HELPED YOU FIND A SAFE ALTERNATIVE. ANYONE WITH HALF A BRAIN COULD HAVE."
Frex stared. Then slowly, his face broke as he collapsed onto the sofa.
"Has she ever had problems with severe allergies?" Ameya asked. Frex nodded, tears streaming down his face.
"Has she ever had problems with headaches?"
Another nod.
"Has she ever had difficulty breathing?"
At this, Frex broke out into full sobs.
"We have almost lost her two or three times. I... I didn't know..." Frex sobbed. Ameya took a seat next to him, rubbing a gentle hand over his back as he cried.
Nessarose wheeled herself silently through the halls of the empty house, her mind in shock over what she just heard.
"Nessa?" Elphaba whispered from behind a closed door.
It cracked open ever so slightly, allowing a sliver of light to cast upon the darkening hallway. At once it opened completely.
"Nessa. Come see this," Elphaba said with a hint of excitement in her voice. She stepped aside to reveal a large library. It was not nearly as large as the library at the Governor's Mansion, yet it was still quite the collection.
Nessarose wheeled herself over the threshold, but froze as soon as the door had shut.
Elphaba darted in and out of the tall shelves. Every so often she would shout something along the lines of "come see" or "weren't you looking for this?"
"Elphaba?" Nessa called. There was slight crash as Elphaba extracted herself from a pile of fallen books.
"Yes Nessa?" Elphaba asked,smiling despite the small bruises erupting over her green arms. Her smile faded as soon as she saw the look on Nessa's face. "Nessa? What's wrong?"
"I... I know why I can't walk," Nessa squealed quietly as large tears dripped from her eyes. "I...I heard them t-talking about it."
Elphaba knelt down to her sister, taking her hand in the process. In the years since childhood, Elphaba had learned it was best to just let Nessa cry. Hugs in the chair could be awkward for Nessa, and more often than not, Nessa did not want to talk about the situation. And there never really was anything that could be done to change it.
"I just... I just hate it," Nessa said through her tears. "I hate everything. I hate this chair. I hate my legs. I hate that you're concerned about me all the time."
"Nessa... I like being concerned about you," Elphaba said slowly, with a look of confusion. Nessa immediately stopped crying.
"What?"
"I like being concerned about you. That means that you are around to be concerned about. Nessa, you have almost died three times, and I was there all three times. I always wondered if I had watched better or had been prepared that I could stop the attacks from happening. I know I couldn't, but that's why I got concerned. I'm concerned about you all the time, because I want you to live. The day I stop being concerned about you is the day you die."
Nessa stared.
"You mean that? I'm not... I'm not a burden?"
"No, of course not. You are the fastest reader I have ever met. You do play the piano beautifully and you write better than anyone I know. I love you, Nessa. You are never a burden to me."
Elphaba, despite her better judgement, hugged her sister. She could feel Nessa's tears soaking through her black dress.
"ELPHABA. NESSAROSE."
"We have to go, Nessa. Come on," Elphaba whispered, letting go of her sister. Nessa sat back in her chair, which was her signal to let Elphaba push. Though it could be difficult to do sometimes, Elphaba secretly loved it when her sister gave her permission to push, because she didn't do that for just anyone.
"Alright," Frex started. "Elphaba, sit down. We have something to tell you both. It... it has to do with why..." Frex let out a gruff sigh. "Why Nessarose cannot walk."
"Father, I heard already," Nessa said clearly. Frex looked taken aback. Ameya looked downright scared. But nonetheless, Frex gave a hand clap, and looked like he made to leave, but a look from Ameya sat him back down again.
"Elphaba needs to know," Ameya stated.
"I will tell Elphaba later," Frex muttered in a hoarse whisper.
Elphaba and Nessarose exchanged glances, but Elphaba caught her father's eye. His message was clear: we will be discussing this away from your sister. It was a message she had received numerous times before.
"Uh, Aunt Ameya?" Elphaba started, shifting her gaze quickly to Ameya.
"Just Ameya, dear."
"Okay. Um. Ameya... I saw you have a copy of 'The Mightiest of the Miniature' in your library."
"Yes," Ameya said with a nod. "A prized possession of mine, passed down from my father."
"It is supposed to be the definitive history of Munchkinland," Elphaba continued, excitement rising in her voice.
"And you, like many others, wonder why I do not donate it to a museum or let scholars study it?" Ameya queried.
"Yes. Well, I understand why you wouldn't. But it is priceless, and yet such an artifact. I have read numerous theories based off of things people had passed down from the book. But no one has ever actually read it, as there is only one known copy in existence."
"Two. One is just a little lesser known," Ameya corrected with a smile. "Well, I am willing to let you borrow mine if you promise to keep it locked up and safe when not reading it. And you must wear clean gloves. And this is to be borrowed between both of you. Though Nessarose is not as keen to asking, I can see her shaking with excitement. You both must take extremely good care of it."
"We will," the girls promised in unison.
"Then go find my servant is older with black hair. He is the only one apart from me who can care for it. He will give you detailed instructions. Go on," Ameya said, ushering the girls back towards the library.
"I accept your wager," Frex said after a few moments of silence.
"Really?" Ameya asked with sincere astonishment.
"Well. I am going to forgo the wager and ask you myself. You are right. The girls need someone else in their lives and you seem like the clear choice. Will you come to live in the mansion. We have plenty of room."
Ameya smirked as she sipped from a fresh glass of deep red wine.
"I knew as soon as you messaged that this would be the outcome one way or another. I already have a teaching position lined up at the Munckinland Premiere Academy," she said after a long swallow. "Which is no doubt where the girls attend school as it is where all Thropp family members have been educated since the beginning of our family."
"When will you be able to come?" Frex asked, swirling his wine glass in small circles.
"I shall arrive at sundown on the day before Nessarose's birthday. Only appropriate I arrive to stay exactly 17 years apart," Ameya refilled her glass halfway, and raised it to Frex. They toasted before each draining their own glass.
" I thought we were staying overnight," Elphaba whispered to Nessa as the servants loaded the luggage back into the carriage.
"We were, Elphaba, but there has been a change of plans. Your aunt has agreed to come live with us for a while, so she needs time to ready herself as we need time to prepare also," Frex explained.
No matter his disdain for Elphaba, he couldn't help but allow a small smile when he observed the childlike grins on their faces.
But his happiness had worn off by the end of the ride back to the Governor's Mansion. He allowed a servant man to carry Nessa inside. Though she had been fast asleep for most of the carriage ride, he waited for her to return to the house before pinning Elphaba against the carriage.
"Now listen here, you. You want to know why Nessarose cannot walk? You. If you hadn't been green, your mother wouldn't have needed to have chewed milkflowers to ensure that your sister didn't have the same disgusting skin. They caused her to come early. They were the reason that she will never walk. And they were used because of you. Now don't tell her that, or better yet, do tell her that. If she really loves you, she'll understand. I doubt she will."
With one push, he slammed Elphaba into the side of the carriage, and left her to fall sobbing. Blood began to drip down a cut on her arm, but that didn't matter now.
The only things she could think were never, ever tell Nessa the secret and Aunt Ameya will never let this happen when she's here.