DISCLAIMER: I don't own any characters you've seen in Wicked the musical. Any others are my creation.
AN. This is an overdue fic for Fiction is the Truth as a reward for being the 100th reviewer of After Forever. The request was "a Fiyeraba meet the parents type thing" oneshot. I did warn you that my prompts never turn out as expected, so here goes! Longer explanation down the bottom.
The Governor's Gambit
By Vinkunwildflowerqueen
The Meeting
Frex sat at a table in the restaurant, sipping a glass of scotch as he waited for the remainder of his party to arrive. The restaurant was dimly lit and quiet, and the corner booth he was seated in, per his request, meant the table was sheltered both from curious observers and anyone wanting to eavesdrop- as long as one spoke at normal volume.
Even from his seat, however, he had a clear view of the door. Beyond it, the city streets gleamed. The emerald glare was obvious even from this distance, sparkling under the light of a weak late afternoon February sun.
Frex hated the Emerald City.
He hadn't been here since his honeymoon with Melena, some twenty-eight years ago. Business rarely took him out of Munchkinland, and if he had to deal with anyone from the Emerald City, he preferred to meet elsewhere.
He'd always had the excuse of not wanting to leave Nessarose for long to agree on a compromise between the Emerald City and Colwen Grounds.
But that hadn't been an option this time.
The door to the restaurant opened, and a couple stepped inside. Frex tried to glance over inconspicuously as they took off their coats and spoke to a staff member, studying them nonchalantly before he ascertained that yes, this was who he was expecting.
He set his shoulders and finished his drink. This was his one chance.
As he was facing them, there was no sense in pretending he hadn't seen them approach. As they followed the waiter over towards the table, Frex rose to his feet.
"Governor Thropp, I presume?" the man greeted him, offering a firm hand to shake.
Frex bowed his head slightly. "Your Majesties."
King Ibrahim of the Vinkus shook his head slightly. "Let's not stand on ceremony, shall we? We're not meeting as heads of state here. Frexspar, this is my wife, Kasmira."
"Hello, Frexspar," the queen said politely.
"Kasmira," Frex responded in turn, shaking her hand also.
They took their seats and the waiter took the king and queen's drink orders as well as another scotch for Frex before disappearing.
"How was your journey?" Frex asked.
He loathed small talk, but he didn't want to get into the planned subject matter until he knew they wouldn't be interrupted.
"It was fine, thank you," Kasmira replied. "We got in last night. You?"
"I arrived a few hours ago," Frex said.
And he'd be leaving for Munchkinland again directly after this. He didn't want to linger any longer than possible.
The waiter returned with drinks for the king and queen and offered them food, although all refused. With a small bow, the waiter let them be. They were alone.
"Your letter said you wanted to meet." Ibrahim finally addressed Frex after a moment of silence.
Frex inclined his head. "I did. And I thank you for agreeing to the meeting."
Kasmira smiled faintly. "We're always happy for a chance to visit the Emerald City. Plus, it gives us an excuse to stop in at Shiz and visit Fiyero on our way home. Will you be stopping to see your daughters?"
Frex's lips pursed slightly. It almost wasn't visible.
With any luck, if this meeting were a success, his daughters would never hear of him being anywhere in the vicinity of Shiz.
"No," he said curtly. "I have business waiting for me back in Munchkinland."
Ibrahim nodded, and then paused.
"The Vinkus doesn't have much cause for business with Munchkinland," he commented.
It was true. The last time Ibrahim and Kasmira could remember corresponding with the Munchkinland Governor had been some five years ago, for the thirtieth year commemoration of the beginning of the Vinko-Munchkin War.
Frex took a sip of his scotch.
"No," he agreed. "However, I do believe that will be changing."
The king and queen said nothing, but Ibrahim raised an inquisitive eyebrow ever so slightly.
"Your son is dating my daughter," Frex continued.
Kasmira and Ibrahim exchanged a glance briefly.
"Yes," Kasmira nodded, her tone slow. "He is."
This wasn't news to any of them.
Elphaba and Fiyero had been dating for almost two years by this point. Frex had met with Fiyero, and the king and queen had hosted Elphaba at the Vinkus more than once.
"And you know of his intentions?"
Ibrahim's brow creased slightly. "He intends to marry her."
Frex barely supressed a sigh. He'd feared as much.
"Elphaba has eluded as much," he said reluctantly. "In that case, I thought it prudent we should meet before any engagement is formed. To discuss the details."
Kasmira looked wary. "I think this is a discussion that should involve Elphaba and Fiyero," she said. "It will be their marriage, after all. Also, I don't think there's going to be an engagement within the next year, at least."
Ibrahim nodded in agreement. "I know that Elphaba wants to finish school first."
"They graduate in three months," Frex pointed out.
"We've also spoken to Elphaba briefly about spending more time in the Vinkus after graduation," Kasmira said.
Ibrahim nodded. "Yes. We called in to Shiz last November and took them to dinner."
"We want her to be as prepared for our life as she can be," Kasmira continued. "I know it's important to Yero that she feel at home in the Vinkus."
"And that's important to us too, of course," Ibrahim added, looking to reassure the Governor.
Frex frowned. "She has responsibilities at home."
Ibrahim frowned too, darker than before. "With all due respect, Governor, those responsibilities can and should be held by a housekeeper."
Frex froze, just for a moment.
Kasmira smiled, still polite but definitely cooler than before.
"Fiyero has told us about Elphaba's home life, you see," she said quietly.
Frex didn't know what to say. What exactly had the prince told his parents? More importantly, what had Elphaba told the boy?
"She looks out for her sister," he finally said.
It wasn't a lie.
"She's her sister's nursemaid and your housekeeper," Ibrahim corrected him. "She's about to graduate with honours in a double major of Politics and Law. She's grossly over qualified to be planning dinner parties."
Frex bristled. "I'm sure your wife does plenty of that herself," he said coolly.
"At times I do," Kasmira replied admittedly. "But it was my choice and I have a staff to help me. A choice never extended to Elphaba."
"I didn't ask to meet you both for critiques on how I parent my daughters," Frex said stiffly.
"Then why did you ask to meet us?" Ibrahim asked him.
Frex took another drink before meeting their gaze directly. The time for politeness was gone. This was the time to make him move.
"You can't honestly approve of this ridiculous idea?"
Ibrahim had an excellent poker face. He had to have one, dealing with some of the more ridiculous or horrible things he had to deal with on a daily basis. And it came in handy at times with Fiyero, too.
But even Ibrahim couldn't hide the expressions flickering across his face now.
"And which ridiculous idea would that be?" His voice dropped a few degrees, but was still no match for the ice in Frex's tone.
"Elphaba as future queen."
"I see nothing ridiculous about that."
"She's not going to be future queen," Kasmira added. "She's going to be Fiyero's wife. Her role as queen is just something that will come with that, and we have no doubts she'll do a wonderful job when the time comes."
"What exactly is it that you think we object to, Frexspar?" Ibrahim asked. "Or rather, what do you object to?"
Frex's eyes narrowed. "I am looking out for my daughter's best interests."
Ibrahim audibly scoffed. "I can't work out whether you object to the idea of your daughter being happy and loved; or if you think everyone is as small minded and judgmental as you are."
Frex's face darkened, a spot of colour rising in each cheek. If Elphaba had been there, she would have recognised the expression immediately.
Of course she would, it was usually directed at her.
"Ibrahim," Kasmira murmured quietly, placing a hand on her husband's arm. "We have never told Fiyero who he should marry, and we never would," she told Frex firmly.
"Our hope has always been that he would marry someone that he loved and who made him happy, and who was willing to reign alongside him. He couldn't have chosen better than Elphaba. We're thrillified that one day, she will be a part of our family. There is nothing you can do to stop this, Frexspar."
Frex wasn't going to surrender that easily, however.
"The people will never accept her as queen."
"The people don't know her," Ibrahim countered. "She's only visited the Vinkus three times in the past two years. But they know Fiyero has settled immensely since he met her," he added, a distinct note of pride in his tone.
"And once she graduates and spends more time in the Vinkus, and the people see how wonderful she is, I have no doubt they'll support her as their future queen," Kasmira vowed.
"Elphaba is pigheaded, argumentative and disrespectful. Hardly what you want in a monarch."
"I'm not surprised she's disrespectful to someone who looks at her like something he stepped in," Ibrahim said coldly.
Frex slammed his empty scotch glass on to the table with a bang.
"You know nothing about my relationship with my daughter," he hissed.
"But we do," Ibrahim retorted.
"Elphaba has said nothing to us herself," Kasmira said quickly.
She didn't want to cause any more trouble for Elphaba than necessary. Having Frex think Elphaba was badmouthing her father to the king and queen, would definishly be trouble.
"But Fiyero has told us things, and they have come from Elphaba or things he's witnessed himself. He has seen you and Elphaba together," she reminded him.
"The utterly ridiculous thing is that Elphaba is able to rationalise and justify your treatment of her," Ibrahim said quietly, glowering at the governor.
"All because she was born green, something she had no control over. Do you realise how ludicrous that is?"
Frex snapped, his face growing even darker.
"And what if they have green children?!" he demanded, louder than intended.
A few people looked over curiously, and the three heads of state remained silent and still until they had looked away.
"How ludicrous will that be? How will you react?"
Ibrahim's face was blank. "I believe the appropriate response will be 'the baby clearly takes after it's mother'," he said quietly.
Kasmira was desperately trying to maintain the peace here, but even she was at her limit of her patience.
"We knew the moment Fiyero introduced us to Elphaba that this relationship was serious," Kasmira told Frexspar. "The colour of her skin has not been an issue for Fiyero or for us."
"Elphaba and Fiyero are not anywhere near the point of having children right now," she continued. "But let's get one thing straight right now. The only thing you have any say over regarding our future grandchildren, is deciding what they call you."
"And 'Grandpa' is taken, because I've already claimed that," Ibrahim interjected mildly.
Kasmira gave her husband an exasperated look before continuing her rebuke of Frex.
"If you mistreat them in any way, there will be consequences."
Kasmira didn't get angry very often. Fiyero often said, for that reason, she was "way scarier" than Ibrahim.
"If Mom's mad, you're in trouble and you need to run," he said. "It's the eyes. You can always tell by the eyes."
Not that Frex knew this, of course. But if Fiyero could see his mother's face now, he wouldn't be sticking around for long.
"Now," she said pleasantly, reaching into her purse and retrieving a small notebook and a pen. Her tone did not match the ice in her eyes, and it threw Frex off guard.
"While we're here, there are a few things we should discuss. Although I would prefer Elphaba and Fiyero were here."
"Things?" Frex questioned in surprise.
His only intent for this meeting had been to find out the king and queen's true feelings on Elphaba and to convince them of the insanity of the match.
"There are traditions to be upheld," Kasmira explained. "If we go over them now, there won't be any debates later, will there?"
Her tone held no room for argument.
"Now, before the wedding, Elphaba will have to convert to Lurlinism."
"We're Unionists," Frex argued immediately.
"Elphaba's an atheist," Ibrahim corrected him.
He shrugged. "It doesn't matter, really. It's just in name. There hasn't been a practising Lurlinist on the throne since my grandfather. But any children will be christened as Lurlinists."
"And Elphaba has agreed to this?" Frex asked sceptically.
Ibrahim grinned faintly. "Once I promised her she wouldn't have to actually go to church, except on Lurlinemas, yes."
Frex glared at his empty glass and signalled across the room brusquely for the waiter to come and refill it.
"She understands that by choosing to be with Fiyero, there are compromises to make," Kasmira said firmly. "We spoke about this at Lurlinemas, and she's willing to do it."
With a fresh glass of scotch in hand, Frex scoffed.
"And what compromises is your son making?"
Ibrahim was tempted to reply that Fiyero was agreeing to have Frex as a father in law, but chose not to, although he was sure the intent of having this be a civil meeting had long since dissipated.
"Fiyero has been making compromises his entire life," he said instead.
"Yes, his reputation suggests as much," Frex said dryly, sneering faintly.
Kasmira's eyes flashed. "Fiyero was young and struggling with his responsibilities," she said icily. "It's not an excuse, but it is what it is. He's not that boy anymore, and Elphaba is much of the reason why. Other than insulting our son and your daughter, do you have anything else you wanted to accomplish from this meeting, Governor? You clearly don't approve of the match, so why bother meeting with us?"
"I did hope you'd see the insanity behind the match," Frex admitted. "But I see now I'm going to lose that point," he scowled at that.
"You lost that point the moment we sat down," Ibrahim told him.
Kasmira made a note in her notebook. "We'd like to invite Elphaba to stay in September. The Vinkus has our annual fig festival then, and it would be a good time to introduce her to the public a little. The decision is Elphaba's, of course, but I'm going to offer you the courtesy of checking if that is convenient for you?"
Frex paused, gritting his teeth slightly.
"Lovely," Kasmira said, taking his silence for reluctant agreement. "Now, Fiyero's said nothing to us about when he plans to propose, but I expect them to be engaged in about a year or so. Once they are engaged, it makes sense for Elphaba to move to the Vinkus in order to begin learning her duties. It's hard to do that from Munchkinland, as I'm sure you can imagine. And of course she'll need to be around for the wedding plans."
"But I don't get offered the courtesy about that?" Frex demanded.
"We're telling you about it," Ibrahim pointed out. "As always, the choice is Elphaba's. But, aside from her sister, I can't imagine she'll have any complaints about leaving Munchkinland, can you?"
Frex winced at that.
"Nessarose will find it difficult being separated from her sister," he said, his voice softening for the first time.
"I imagine Elphaba will find it difficult too," Kasmira said sharply. "But Nessarose is welcome to visit any time, I'm sure."
The more the king and queen spoke, the more Frex came to the horrendible realisation that this was essentially a done deal. They- the king and queen, Elphaba and presumably the Tiggular boy himself- had this all planned out.
The timeline was vague, but the details were all there. They had clearly discussed this. Elphaba had visited them the previous summer, although surely that hadn't been discussed then?
Apparently, Elphaba no longer resented her life being planned for her- only the plan he had made for her.
This meeting had been Frex's one shot at bringing sanity back to this whole situation, hoping they had the common sense Elphaba was lacking. And he'd lost, and with it, lost face with the king and queen.
"Did you have any other details you wanted to discuss?" Ibrahim asked him.
Frex gritted his teeth tightly, a muscle in his jaw working furiously as he thought.
"I would prefer that Elphaba does not hear about this conversation," he said finally.
The king and queen exchanged a glance.
"We don't typically keep secrets from our son," Ibrahim replied slowly. "Especially ones that involve him. And I daresay he doesn't keep secrets from Elphaba, either."
Kasmira regarded Frex sternly. "Elphaba is not going to appreciate you meeting with us with the intent of destroying the future of her relationship. But, as much as I'm reluctant to cause her any distress, I believe she should know."
Frex's lip curled ever so slightly. "So, either I tell her or you will? Is that what you're saying?"
"No, I'm saying we will tell her," Kasmira replied immediately. "If we'd known she was unaware of this meeting, we would have refused. Does Elphaba even know you wrote to us?"
Frex's silence said it all.
"I think we're done here, Governor," Ibrahim said. "We'll coordinate dates with Elphaba for her to visit in the fall. We'll tell her you've agreed to the plan."
"I expect we'll see you at the graduation ceremony in a few months," Kasmira added. "I think perhaps our families should have dinner together at the time. To discuss things with Elphaba and Fiyero, don't you agree? Ensure we're all on the same page, as it were."
The king slid out of the booth and offered a hand to his wife.
"Have a safe journey back to Munchkinland, Governor Thropp," he said cordially and the royals left the restaurant.
Frex's jaw clenched. He'd played all his cards, and lost every single one.
"Would you like the bill, sir?"
Frex glanced at at the waiter who had materialised next to his table.
"Another scotch," he said brusquely.
The waiter nodded and disappeared again.
When it arrived, Frex took a sip, scowling across the restaurant.
Beyond the windows, the city streets gleamed.
Frex hated the Emerald City.
AN. I was so torn because I've done the 'meet the parents' thing before and wasn't sure how could make it different. (Granted I've done Elphaba meeting Fiyero's more than Fiyero meet Frex, but I have done both)
Then I had the idea "what about the parents meeting each other?" I wrote 10 000 and then got stuck. It wasn't flowing and it wasn't interesting. Came up with a different approach- which you've just read.
Then it got long. Very long. Suddenly, I had 3 more chapters- 1 made of bits I saved from the 10 000 word draft I originally wrote (the non-terrible parts) and then another 2.
Would you guys like me to post these too, or are you happy with just the oneshot?