A/N: Totally not working/reading/essaying. Oops.
"I hope you're happy." Frexspar spat at Melena as she beheld the little green baby; the little green baby who would be a constant reminder of her infidelity, of her treachery against her pious husband.
"You think this is my fault." Melena was exhausted, Elphaba had not been an easy birth.
"You have sinned somewhere during this pregnancy."
"She is yours as well." Melena forced the lie through her teeth, looking at the peaceful infant nestled in her arms – an innocent babe that had no concept of the difficult future ahead of her.
"I refuse to believe that." He hissed. Melena readied herself for the lies that were building in her head – Frexspar was a moral centred man, but even he was human. There was always a weakness, and this was about her daughter's safety – it was doubtful that the stranger would pass through this backward town, she was all Elphaba had.
"Are you sure Frexspar?" She asked quietly, voicing an authority she did not feel she had. But to her relief she watched him swallow hard. "Are you sure it is not you who has tainted our baby?" Melena's voice was worn with crying and screaming and was scratchy to hear but Frexspar turned away from her to hide his guilt. She felt a stab of shock run through her system – he had cheated on her, then her conscience kicked in. She had done the same and worse – she had bore another's child.
"We will care for it." He nodded in defeat.
"Her." Melena corrected. "Her name is Elphaba and our baby is a girl." Another nod of reluctance and Frex left the room.
* * * *Elphie* * * *
Her life was not easy, she was ridiculed in school but she was a quick learner. That didn't seem to matter as teacher's avoided asking her, kids avoided sitting next to her but when Elphaba was pushed into the dirt she went back to her mother who held her tightly and cleaned her grazes.
"I don't like being green Mama." She cried harder as Melena put a 'flesh' coloured plaster over the deepest cut, finished with a kiss. The pale bandage stuck out in contrast to her emerald colour skin and Melena swept her into another hug.
"You are born special my darling girl, some people cannot handle that there are people out there that are special." She ran her hand through the black locks that were so unlike her own.
"I don't want to be special Mama, I want to be normal." Melena cried with her daughter, cursing herself as Elphaba cradled a sore wrist and patched up knees.
"I know sweetheart I know. When we have enough money together, you and I will go to see the Wizard?" She whispered. She didn't want to tell her daughter she had worked out the man in the Emerald City was that beautiful stranger. The man in the Emerald city had an emerald daughter, a matching accessory, Melena thought bitterly.
Then she fell pregnant again. Frex worried constantly he would have to explain a second deformed daughter to the community in which he worked – he was ridiculed, pitied and mocked for Elphaba and found a growing hate for the innocent little girl. There was also a sense of guilt as he saw the farm girl every week, his daughter was a monster because of the illicit affair – but his bitterness was projected onto his daughter, for revealing his sin.
Melena felt sick every time Frex forced her to eat milk flowers – she was sick of the pastel colour, the bitter texture but Elphaba made her better. There was a point when Frex wanted to ban Elphaba from seeing her mother but the midwife said the little girl was making the mother to be happier and overrode his request.
Melena felt her baby kick, then heard Elphaba squeal.
"I felt it Mummy!" She crowed. Melena smiled tiredly; she hadn't been this exhausted with Elphaba but she shook it off and set her heavily pregnant body upwards. "Is there really a little baby in there." The little girl asked and Melena nodded.
"You will look after them won't you Elphie?" She smiled when Elphaba nodded excitedly.
"Of course Mummy!" She beamed and Melena smiled again.
"You will look after yourself Elphie. Don't forget I will always be there for you."
Then she went into labour and oh god it hurt.
Elphaba cried as she heard her mother in so much pain but her angry father had banned her from being anywhere near the birth and the midwife was much too busy to overrule him so Elphaba was left in her room crying as she heard her mother curse.
Then there was nothing.
Elphaba would later have Nessarose's disability thrown at her, along with her Mother's death. Everything was Elphaba's fault. The stares and whispers that she went through school with – it seemed emerald skin was more of an armour than anything else as Elphaba listened to her ranting father, took the insults her hurled at her, the distaste shown by the villagers and the pious resentment from Nessa as the little girl grew with no functioning legs.
She took it all because Melena had told her to look after Nessa and to look after her baby sister was to look after herself.
But every so often Elphaba broke and something strange would happen and the girl would run to her mother's grave, staying the night by the headstone, sobbing her heart out until the groundsman would find her and push her out with his rake. She would hug the cold stone, remembering her mother's smile and warmth.
"Love you Mum." Elphaba cried to the stars above her.