Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked tear
The home of the Eminent Thropp
The minister's cottage in Nest Hardings now stood empty. A wagon was filled with things for them to take. A green girl of about three years sat in the wagon. Turtle Heart had decided to walk, so he would follow behind the wagon. Nanny sat in the middle of the wagon seat, her valise resting beside her. Melena pulled herself up onto the seat with an ease Nanny could only wish for. And Melena had only recently begun to show her pregnancy.
Frex readied the two sorry nags he had been given. Elphaba hadn't had time that cool, brisk morning to see the other children in the play group. Then again, it wasn't as if she really cared about something as little as that. She wore her rag dress; it had been washed and dried. Her long black hair fell over her pointed green features, helping her to hide herself. Among the contents of the wagon were a few books Frex had found in the cottage. They sat in a far corner, but Elphaba couldn't take her eyes off of them. She wanted to know what was in them. She wanted to learn how to read; to find an escape of her own.
"Let's get moving Frex, I don't want this to take any longer than it needs to be to get to my parent's estate," Melena said, her words surprisingly clear due to the lack of alcohol and pinlobble leaves she usually had consumed by this hour.
"Alright—"he hopped on to the seat and picked up the reins off the lip of the wagon, "—we'll be there in two—three days—at most."
The trip went without a hitch and the family arrived at Colwen Grounds within two days of their departure from Nest Hardings. Turtle Heart arrived the next day with a cloth-wrapped
gift for little green Elphaba. She held the mirror he had given her and eyed the bundle. Her small green hands unwrapped the bundle and she exclaimed her second word:
"Wonderful!"
Turtle Heart had made an uncanny resemblance to Elphaba out of green and black glass. It was indeed a wonderful gift. Nanny tapped the green child's head and the glass figurine ended up in her hands. The features were perfect: the hair, black as night; the eyes, inquisitive and searching; the nose, sharp; the lips, thin and black; the chin, like a knife; and the skin, of course, green. Frex and Melena also looked over the figure and were very impressed by Turtle Heart's skill, but not so much the fact that this was now yet another reminder their first born child was green.
Elphaba was only three years old, but she made it very clear that she wanted to learn how to read. Although smashing small insects kept her occupied, she was losing her interest in killing innocent little bugs. Nanny had agreed to teach her because she needed a way to occupy herself as well. Also, she taught Elphaba how to sing.
"…way up high…" Frex heard as he passed by the Study one day. He found Elphaba there alone, singing a song she had come up with. "…in a lullaby…" He knew Melena never sang lullabies to her, and he doubted Nanny had either, aside from the nursery rhymes of course. The melody was soothing and Elphaba had a wonderful voice, even at such a young age.
He taught her songs about the Unnamed God to sing when he preached. Everyday Elphaba's dislike for the Unnamed God, Unionism and everything Unionist grew. Melena was now very close to having the second baby, and another letter from Frex's cousin informed them that the Clock of the Time Dragon was coming to Colwen Grounds. The green child's clever use of words grew as she sang and read anything she could find.
In her small room, she had a bed and a chest. That was it; nothing more. The bed had a creaky metal frame, an inadequately stuffed mattress, and a thin quilt. The chest contained her small amount of clothes, the mirror, and the glass figurine. She had grown out of the rag dress, so Nanny had made her a real dress. It was made of pieces of leftover black and brown fabric. She wore her black stockings and boots everywhere to avoid the pain of accidentally stepping in water.
Outside, there was a heavy downpour. Elphaba's eyes darted around as though she were looking for a place to hide from the rain. Even though the rain was outside and she was inside. Her long black hair was covered by a dark blue—almost black—kerchief. She liked the color blue; it was the only normal color besides black that didn't look horrible with her green skin. She held a book in her green arms. The title read: A Condensed History of OZ. Inside the book was divided into four parts, one for each province of OZ: Munchkinland, Gillikin, the Glikkus, Quadling Country, and the Vinkus. She devoured the new-found knowledge the book gave her. The book was old though, for it did not include the history of the yellow brick road or the finished product of the Emerald City.
"Nanny?" Elphaba questioned the shadowed figure that had appeared at her door.
"Turtle Heart not to be the Girl's Nanny," the figure said, revealing itself to be Turtle Heart.
"O, hello Turtle Heart," she said, adding, "Why are you here?"
"The Lady is in pain, the Girl must go to the Lady," Turtle Heart explained in his crippled syntax.
"Is it the baby?" Elphaba asked, marking her page and setting the book on her chest.
Turtle Heart nodded and motioned for her to follow him. The sound of a large wagon with a freestanding tower pulling to a stop outside Colwen Grounds was nearly inaudible through the deafening roar of the rain. In her mother and father's bedroom, Melena lay on the bed and Nanny spoke words of encouragement. The pain came and went in bursts. She chewed pinlobble leaves to alleviate the pain of the labor. It certainly felt easier than the first, but something didn't quite feel right. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she knew this child was not like other children as well.
Frex opened the door after several sharp rapping to find that the Clock of the Time Dragon had indeed come to Colwen Grounds. Four hooded figures barged in and began searching the house for something, or someone. They found what, or who, they were looking for fairly quickly and dragged Turtle Heart out. Frex for once could not find something to reprimand these Tiktokists and Pfaithers with. So he watched in horror as they tied Turtle Heart to a pole and rolled the wagon over him. He and Melena had shared him, and now he made it his goal—no his purpose—to go to Quadling Country as a missionary.
The infant was female, light skinned, but in no way was she whole. She had no arms; only two small stumps that showed where the bone had suddenly decided to stop growing. Nanny washed the child and wrapped her in a small, clean, blanket. Elphaba had gotten her book from her room and now sat by the blazing fireplace sounding out the words. The sounds of the new baby interested her, so she left her book sitting open on the floor and walked over to where her mother and sister slept.
"Would you like to hold your sister?" Nanny asked, carefully picking up the newborn.
Elphaba nodded and Nanny steered her to the nearest chair.
"Now, put your arms like this," Nanny instructed Elphaba, "and be very careful with her head and neck."
The tiny girl had large brown eyes, pale skin, reddish-brown shading to the head that showed what color the eventual hair would be, and of course, a lack of arms. The green girl held the armless infant, and what her father described as her cruelty began to slowly melt away with each passing moment.
The girl was named Nessarose: a very pretty name, for a very pretty little girl. Elphaba watched her armless sister as she slept in her basket. The glass figurine Turtle Heart had made for her sat beside the book she was reading. Suddenly, fear, anger, desperation and sadness rushed through her. She picked up the figurine and threw it against the wall with all her might. It shattered, sending bits of green and black glass flying across the room. The largest piece hit the back of Elphaba's head and she felt something warm and moist running down her neck. She put one of her small green hands on the back of her neck and was horrified to find it was covered in blood. Nanny had heard the sound of breaking glass and walked as quickly as she could into the room. Nessarose was awake, but otherwise fine. Elphaba on the other hand was not fine. Nanny sat the green child down on the bed and retied her dark blue kerchief around her head as a sort of bandage.
Frex decided that they would leave for Quadling Country as soon as possible. Staying at Colwen Grounds would not be good for young Elphaba clearly, but the fact that it wasn't good for Melena and Frex either was less obvious. So the bits of glass were cleaned up, and the little wagon was packed with the Thropp family's possessions once again.
A/N: Cookies for anyone who knows what little Elphie is singing. ;) Please review!