The Chuffrey Townhouse, in the heart of The Emerald City was bustling with activity. Parlour maids, lined the wide staircase leading from the entrance hall, dusting and polishing in unison. Footman paraded the grand dining hall, laying fine crystal and silver. Mr Beecham, the butler, oversaw it all, with a strict eye. His mistress had entrusted him to ensure her plans were carried out to the T, and the last thing Beecham wanted to do, was let down Lady Glinda Chuffrey. Especially this evening, what with such important guests in attendance.
"Mr Beecham, Sir", a young footman, by the name of William, approached the tall butler, "everything is in place and awaiting your inspection, Sir."
"Thank you, Wiliam, I'll make sure all is well, then I shall ring the dressing gong. I shan't be long, in the meantime, I suggest you go downstairs and have Mrs Hopkins sew that thread on your waistcoat."
Wiliam peered down at his chest and sure enough, there it was, the smallest loose thread, invisible to those who were not looking to find it.
"Yes, it wouldn't do for you to appear at the Baronesses first dinner of the season, in such a state of undress. I don't want anything to put any sort of hinderance on tonight's events. And I do not wish to see the Baroness under any stress. Do you understand me, William?" The younger man nodded his head, gave a slight bow to his superior, and then, turned in the direction of the Servants staircase.
Mr Beecham was not an unkind man. Quite the opposite, but he knew how trying this evening would be on his mistress and would do anything to prevent her from any sort of upset. He had known Lady Glinda since she was a girl of twelve.
Nearing two score years, he had been the head footman of the Upland family, back home in Frottica. When Lady Glinda had married at the age of nineteen, she graciously asked him to accompany her and lead her new household. He had always been fond of the beautiful little creature, he understood her in a way that her governess and her parents had not. She had the kindest of hearts and the sunniest disposition. She had been destined for great things.
Six years had passed since he travelled with her to The Emerald City and how things had altered in those six years. He saw the light and hope slowly fade from The Baroness, she had become a beautiful bird in a gilded cage. He wondered at times, if it was only he who could see her thrashing around, longing for an escape...
XXX
Glinda stood in front of the full-length mirror, dissecting each aspect of her appearance. She hadn't been seen in public for nearly six Months. The nerves that flooded her right then reminded her of her coming out ball.
There was one small exception however. At eighteen she had been full of excitement. At five and twenty, she was filled with nothing but dread. She gave a mournful laugh, Lady Galinda Arduenna Upland, not wanting to attend a social function? It was almost as though she were a different person. Perhaps, if she hadn't continued holding her silly childhood dreams, then she could be happy? Those notions of romance, adventure and other such frivolities, swarmed her at night, when she was all alone in her bed. They wrapped her in a tight embrace. Glinda wished they would cling more forcefully. She knew they were just fantasy, that wasn't the real world. Still, they were the only things that kept her sane.
Her guests this evening would surely know the reason for her absence from society, it had become an open secret in the circles she was confined to. Luckily, she had only heard snippets of the gossip, her ladies maid took great delight in telling her, it was if she had forgotten the Baroness was the subject of said news.
Glinda did not blame her, Pikney was the most sought-after Ladies Maid in the whole of The Emerald City. Even though the Girl could be silly and impolite at times, she had become a companion of sorts and she knew her servant was only trying to help.
One of Pikney's greatest uses, was her keen eye for fashion. Often, the maid was dressed even better than her Mistress. Both women shared the same sense of style and they'd previously joked that Glinda's wardrobe had sealed her husband various business deals.
If one heard nothing about the gossip pertaining to Lady Glinda's marriage, then one would believe her a shining jewel in Ozian society.
She and Pikney had debated for weeks about the matter of tonight's dress. Finally, after much thought, a few crying bouts on her part, and countless visits from her dressmaker, she stood in a beautifully elegant, cream gown.
Layers of chiffon and tulle floated from her waist, before falling to the floor in a graceful sweep. The bodice was simple and made only of chiffon, studded with pearls. Covering it, however, it was the most luxurious, handcrafted, lace cape. The lace stopped just below her breasts and the sleeves brushed the top of her long, silk gloves. Small diamonds graced her neck and ears, bringing a slight glint into her wide oceanic eyes. Pikney had finished off the look by pinning her golden curls into a simple French roll. For that 'final touch', she topped it all off with a delicate, diamond and pearl tiara. Glinda looked every bit the Princess, and Pikney definitely seemed to think so, the girl clapped her hands and squealed with delight.
When Glinda looked into the mirror however, she could see past her beautiful costume and saw nothing but a useless, broken Woman. No number of jewels and fine lace could fix that.
"My Lady, what's wrong? Have I done something incorrectly?", Pikney questioned, concern washing over her youthful face.
"No." Glinda whispered. "I had just forgotten what I really looked like, that's all".
Her veiled words pleased her maid, and Pikney spent the fifteen minuets before Glinda had to descend the stairs, on the arm of her Husband, by telling her how wonderful it was to see her mistress back to her old self, soon they'd both be skirting around town shopping and attending other various events that Ladies do.
Glinda wasn't listening. She had told the girl the truth. She had forgotten what Lady Glinda looked like! Now she saw it stand before her, she knew that she was no longer that same person, there was no way back now. She had changed unrecognisably.
XXX
The first course, of light soup, had been served without a hiccup. The conversation flowed directly, staying away from any heavy topics.
Glinda was seated at the head of the table, opposite end from her husband. On her left, sat a charming young Margreave. Glinda knew of his rakish reputation, but despite her inhibitions, she found herself feeling refreshed at his conversation. He talked of his various travels and the people he met, with great gusto, adding just enough double-entendres to remain both humorous and respectful.
On her right, sat an ancient, small lady, who had thought it appropriate to bring her lapdog (by the name of bumble). Glinda could feel the little thing rustling around at her feet. Whilst it was rather impertinent to bring a four-legged friend to a dinner party, Glinda found the situation rather funny. She had almost laughed seeing the look on Beecham's face, when Nanny, (as Glinda had been instructed by the Woman to refer to her) had asked the butler for a slice of steak and a bowl of water, for the Dachshund.
Nanny had to be entering her seventh decade and Glinda wondered if she wasn't partially deaf, she kept interrupting The Margreave's stories with tid-bits and retorts, that made little sense. He did not seem to mind, however, and neither did Glinda, she found the woman's take on things ridiculous and non-sensical but rather funny. She had therefor decided, she liked Nanny, very much.
Nanny was here to accompany the young lady beside her, Miss Nessarose. A girl of around the age of twenty, quiet in manner with a pale complexion and silky chestnut locks. Glinda thought that, if not for the haughty look on her face, Miss Nessarose would be rather beautiful. The fact that she was in a wheelchair, was not a concern for Glinda, but, she could tell from the slight grimaces Miss Nessarose made when Nanny referenced her condition, the girl was embarrassed and did not want any pity.
Miss Nessarose, was the Granddaughter of the Eminent Thropp, the leader of Munchkinland. Whilst not an intellect by any means, Glinda had always taken an interest in Ozian History and therefor knew, the Thropp family were the oldest unbroken line of leaders Oz had ever seen. They were the closest thing Oz had to Royalty, since the reign of the last Ozma. The news that her Sister, the next in line of Succession, was to attend this evening, had been a great source of intrigue. Unfortunately, she had been immediately on edge after meeting Miss Elphaba, The Third Thropp Descending.
The striking realisation, that Miss Elphaba had skin the colour of emeralds was bested only by her gaze. A gaze that seemed to radiate through Glinda's entire body! Her eyes were near charcoal and held a pool of iron, that fixed Glinda in place and made her pulse quicken. In fact, Glinda was only slightly embarrassed, to admit that this Woman made her nervous.
Onto the second course (a liver pate and bruschetta, that Miss Elphaba, did not touch) and Nanny and The Margreave were still waffling on, with Glinda and Miss Nessarose adding to the conversation at particular intervals.
Glinda constantly felt the ice from the future Eminent Thropp's eyes. Every time she turned her head, Miss Elphaba would meet her gaze nonchalantly and look away. Each time, any breath she had, left Glinda's body in a rush of, what could only, be described as panic!
She hadn't the chance to study Miss Elphaba's appearance fully, apart from her green skin and dark eyes, the only thing she'd noticed, was the slimness of her physique. Quite the opposite of her own, the green woman did not hold an ounce of extra fat! She was incredibly lean and her height only added to that appearance. Glinda could see no curves on the other Woman's body whatsoever. If not for the slight chill in the air, she might have wondered whether Miss Elphaba possessed breasts...
"You talk quite a bit of nonsense, don't you boy?" Nanny's voice broke through Glinda's thoughts and she immediately blushed when she realised that for the last five minuets, she had been staring at Miss Elphaba's chest.
"I only meant that we, as a society, should be providing the children from less affluent backgrounds, with the opportunity to learn a trade", replied the Margreave.
"That's why Children are required to attend school by law, Avaric, that is why we pay our taxes. Apart from raising our own Children the right way, what do you propose we do?"
"Trust you, Fiyero, to only see the world from your own, narrow point of view", Avaric was looking to his right, past Miss Elphaba, to a tall Vinkun gentleman that until now, Glinda had payed little to no, attention to.
"I wouldn't consider my point of view narrow, more realistic. children from all walks of life are given an education by the state, it is up to the parents to enforce that education. The whole of society cannot be held liable for one man's failing. We need to focus on our own responsibilities."
"What became of the view, 'it takes a whole community to raise a child?" Glinda could see from his body language, that this was something Avaric was passionate about and she could not help but admire him for it. She too, held her own sentiments on the issue, but she definitely wasn't going to express them!
"I happen to agree with Lord Tenmeadows" Too late. Glinda had spoken without realising and immediately felt, not just Miss Elphaba's, but all eyes on her. Including those of her Husband.
"Lady Chuffrey, forgive me, but I have two Sons, Avaric has none, that we know of. I know what I'm talking about."
A brief flash of anger scratched Avaric's face, "and what is that supposed to mean Fiyero"?
"Only, that I am in a better position to assess the situation, as I am a Father and therefor hold more knowledge on the matter of raising children"
"Sir", Glinda spoke directly with Fiyero now, a slight fire beginning to build in her belly. "I am sure that what you are doing for your children and the way you are raising them is the right way, for you and your family. There are children in Oz, however, that don't have a stable family life, some have no family at all! Your Sons, I can only imagine, will follow in your footsteps. They will succeed in their education as they have your support, and with that knowledge they have acquired and the support you so constantly give, I have no doubt that your Sons will be extremely productive members of our society. What about those children, who do not have that support? Or that example? They are more likely to fail in their education and more likely to continue the cycle of poverty that is currently gripping Oz. What Lord Tenmeadows is saying is, that if we, that is us who are able, help facilitate some sort of scheme, where not only young men but women too, have the chance to learn a trade and find their place in society, then Oz as a whole would benefit!"
She hadn't realised she'd become so impassioned and was now out of breath. Mouths hung agape all around the table. Except for one...
"Why can't all children be treated equally, regardless of their economic background? Why does a rich Man's Son get to become a scholar and a poor Man's Son has to find manual labour? Shouldn't we be doing more to ensure that privilege is wiped out and everyone has equal opportunities?"
Miss Elphaba's question was directed solely at Glinda. Her cheeks were burning and her pulse racing. "Well..." Glinda stuttered, she could see Miss Elphaba's interest waning. "I agree that each child deserves the same level of education, regardless of his or her roots. But wiping out privilege in the way you see it, is impossible! Each of us is completely different. What would life be like, if we were all equal? Society would not function. To have good, we must have evil. We must have a balance".
"I wouldn't expect any other answer, from a mindless Aristocrat!" Miss Elphaba retorted.
The atmosphere in the room grew heavy and Glinda could see the rage in her husband's eyes. She was close to tears and felt wholly uncomfortable. She did not speak her mind for the rest of the evening.
XXX
After a colossal row with her husband, that left her cheek stinging and Pikney assisting her in the removal of her dress, Glinda curled up in her bed, holding herself tight.
She waited for her land of dreams to take her, and when they finally did, she did nothing but toss and turn. For all she could see was the colour of emeralds...
XXX
AN:
Well hello, and welcome to my first FanFic!
I have had this idea for a while now and have always wanted to post my writings, but I've never had the courage.
I've noticed that there is a lack of new Gelphie FanFic so I decided to write something that I, as a reader, would enjoy!
I've done a base plan and this story should take around 10 chapters to complete. I have already written 4 chapters already and they are all around 5k words long. So don't worry! All chapters won't be as short as this but I felt like this was the best way to start as an introduction.
I'm posting this on Thursday the 13th of September but I intend for Chapter 2 to be up on Sunday, that's the 16th and I hope to update every Sunday after that!
I'd really appreciate your opinion and if you have any constructive criticism then that's always welcome!
Also, I'd like to say a huge thank you to TheTimeDragonClock for helping me out with this a great deal! I think she has a FanFic coming up and I can tell you it's going to be amazing so you should definitely go and follow her and you'll be first to know when she uploads!
Chapter updated on the 23rd of September 2018.
