Congrats to Guest and Grapesoda77 for guessing the holiday. The Feast of Plenty is based off to Kwanzaa! You both get a oneshot with the prompt of your choice. Grapesode77, please PM me. Guest, you can leave your prompt as a review! :-D
Just because I announced my engagement didn't mean I stopped my duties. I spent many weeks implementing new programs to help the lower class and improving hospitals. I turned two old apartment buildings into an affordable housing area and personally inspected it before it opened.
The improvements weren't happening as quickly as I would have liked. Most of my advisors told me that many arguments were happening in Parliament around my proposals. Most of them were against it, saying that it would cost too much money or any other excuse they could come up with. But eventually, they passed.
Since I now had my official Eminent Thropp signature stamp, signing and sending out the numerous wedding invitations was significantly easier. I was so grateful that my hand wasn't cramping up like it used to.
Fiyero returned to the Vinkus for January and February to be with his family. He was upset about leaving me, and I practically had to push him out of the palace. We wrote about three letters back and forth to each other. I was more focused on writing letters to Galinda and Nessarose.
I asked Galinda to be my maid of honor, which she happily accepted. I wasn't close enough to anyone to ask to be bridesmaids, and because of that, Fiyero didn't have any groomsmen, and only had his brother as his best man.
The night before the wedding, I had Galinda and Nessarose spend the night at the palace. Fiyero and his brother went out to explore the village and I knew I wouldn't see them again until the ceremony.
Galinda had fallen in love with my sister the moment they officially met and immediately took her under her wing. Though a bit overwhelmed at first, I could tell that my sister was really enjoying herself.
As we all sat in the parlor, I watched, very amused, as Galinda played with my sister's hair, did her nails, and tried to put makeup on her face.
"Oh, relax, Elphie," she had said when I told her that Nessarose was only ten and probably too young for makeup. "We're just having a little fun."
Nessarose blushed and gave me a pleading smile. I sighed, but waved my hand for her to continue. The two of them chatted about girly-things and their common interests. The way things were going, I fully expected Nessarose to be turned into a mini-Galinda by the end of the following day.
"What do you think, Elphie?" the grand duchess asked when she finished giving my sister a makeover. "Doesn't Rosie look gorgeous?"
I looked at my sister. Her hair was in an elegant ponytail, held up by a ribbon. The only makeup on her face was some blush and lip gloss. Galinda had painted her nails and toes a very light pink.
"You look very pretty, Nessarose," I smiled.
"Thank you," she answered shyly.
I ignored the fact that Galinda gave my sister a nickname. The grand duchess was known for giving her friends nicknames. That was just what she did, and no one argued with her. I felt bad that I still didn't have a nickname for my sister. How close did we have to be before I gave her one?
"Your turn, Elphie!" the blonde gushed as she reached for my hands.
I shook my head. "I'll have enough people dancing around me tomorrow."
"At least let me do your nails."
I frowned. "You are not going to paint my nails pink."
She was silent for a moment. "Shall I paint your nails green, then?"
I groaned and Nessarose giggled.
"Fine. I think I have a sparkly clear polish in here somewhere." She dug through her bag and pulled out a bottle of clear nail polish. "Give me your hand."
I knew I should quit while I was ahead, so I gave in and held out my hand. Galinda immediately went to work doing my nails while Nessarose brushed my hair.
Once we were done, Galinda rang for a maid and asked her to bring up a bowl of ground oats, some honey, and plain yogurt.
"But… we just ate," Nessarose said, sounding very confused.
"I know, Rosie. These are for facials."
I furrowed my eyebrows. "What?"
"It's a recipe for soothing facials. They work wonders. And we need to relax before tomorrow, especially you, Elphie."
The maid soon returned with the requested supplies and Galinda immediately went to work making the mixture. Once it was done, she gently smeared it all over Nessarose's face and mine before doing her own.
"Now we leave it on for fifteen minutes."
To me, the fifteen minutes seemed longer than expected. Nessarose was worried when her mask hardened and began to flake off, but Galinda said that it was normal and everything was fine. Once we washed it off, I had to admit that my face felt a bit better and more moisturized.
"You're welcome," Galinda said as we bid each other goodnight.
"Thank you, Galinda," I said, fighting a playful eye roll. I gave my sister a light hug and watched as Nanny pushed her away to help her prepare for bed.
I quickly prepared for bed, but even though I was exhausted (mostly from spending time with Galinda), I couldn't fall asleep. I kept staring at the empty side of the bed. Starting the next day, I would no longer be sleeping alone. I would have someone to share this large house with.
The next morning, while I was expecting Nanny to wake me up, I wasn't surprised when I opened my eyes to Galinda standing over me.
"Good morning, bride-to-be," the blonde gushed as I yawned.
"Morning," I hummed as I pushed myself up. "Is Nessarose awake yet?"
"I think one of the maids went to wake her. We don't have a lot of time before the wedding."
I looked at the clock. It was seven-thirty, and the wedding wasn't until eleven. I was going to say that I had plenty of time, but I didn't want to alarm Galinda, so I simply nodded and got up.
I met Nessarose downstairs in the dining hall for breakfast. We didn't eat much, since I wasn't very hungry. I only finished my plate of fruit because Galinda told me that I wouldn't eat until after the wedding.
Just as I suspected, as soon as I finished breakfast, I was whisked away to get ready. After a very nice, long bubble bath, I went into my room and found Nessarose already in her light purple flower girl dress with short sleeves, a ruffled skirt that stopped just below her knees with flower lace designs. She wasn't wearing her jeweled shoes, but ballet flats that matched her dress. She was also wearing her leg braces, but Father told me that if she didn't want to wear them for the wedding, she had to wear them the entire morning. I could tell that my sister wasn't too thrilled with that arrangement, but suffered through it if it meant she wouldn't have to wear them for the actual wedding ceremony.
She smiled at me in the mirror as a maid did her hair. Nanny immediately went to work on me, helping me into my slip. I put my robe back on and Nanny braided the front sections of my hair into a crown braid, and curled the back sections, allowing them to fall free. She also did my makeup, which consisted only of a bit of purple eyeshadow, peach blush, and shiny lip-gloss.
Once that was complete, Nanny carefully helped me slip into my wedding dress and I looked in the mirror. The white dress was strapless, but the overlay, see-through sleeves went down to my wrists. The bodice was beaded with tiny diamonds and the skirt flowed out from my waist. The dress swept the floor and I knew I would have to hold it up to walk.
"You look beautiful, Elphaba."
I looked over at Nessarose, whose hair was softly curled and adorned with a golden, sparkly headband. "Thank you, Nessarose. You look very beautiful, too."
"Not as beautiful as you."
I smiled at her. Galinda came in, dressed in her peach, off-the-shoulder maid of honor gown. She complimented me and I her, and she helped me with my veil. The veil clipped into my crown braid and Galinda fixed it over my face.
"Your Eminence," a maid said as she curtsied in the open doorway. "The carriages are ready."
"Thank you," I nodded and looked at my reflection once more. "This is it."
"You're ready," the grand duchess smiled at me as she handed me my white gloves. "And no crying! You'll ruin your mascara!"
"I'm not even wearing mascara," I said, but that didn't stop my tears. I reached under my veil to wipe my eyes before putting on my gloves.
"You look beautiful, Miss Elphaba," Nanny beamed.
I beamed back. "Thank you, Nanny."
"Oh, wait! I just remembered something!" Nessarose exclaimed as she hurriedly wheeled over to her bag. She reached in and pulled out a small box before handing it to me. "Father wanted you to have this. He said it belonged to your mother."
I took the box and opened it. Gasping, I gingerly took out a necklace with a heart-shaped diamond gem.
"It's beautiful," Galinda beamed as she helped me put it on.
I lightly touched the jewel. This had belonged to my mother. I wondered what else he had of hers.
"Thank you, Nessarose," I said, kneeling down to give my sister a light hug.
The three of us made our way down the stairs to the waiting carriages. The footman helped Nessarose into the carriage with Galinda and they drove off. The footman then assisted me into my carriage and it pulled away from the palace.
A crowd had gathered and lined the streets to see me pass by in my wedding attire. I didn't think I would ever get used to that. If not for my high status, I'm sure most people would have been horrified, or even repulsed, by me (due to my skin). I assumed some of the people in the crowd were Vinkuns, since I was marrying their youngest prince.
I put on a bright smile and waved happily, trying to show everyone that I was a happy bride. And I was, but I was also very nervous. Everything had to be perfect. As much as I wanted to focus on marrying Fiyero for who he was as a person, I also had to think of this as the joining together of two countries. It was the downside of being a ruler marrying another potential ruler.
When I reached the chapel, Galinda came out and handed me my bouquet and helped me with my dress. I gave everyone one final wave before going into the chapel. When I got inside the chapel, I saw my sister talking to the two nine-year-old page boys, both of them Fiyero's cousins. A basket full of rose petals sat in her lap. One of Fiyero's cousins carried a white, satin pillow with rings on it, and I assumed the other one was going to push Nessarose down the aisle.
Father was standing behind Nessarose's chair, keeping a watchful eye and ear on the conversation, but smiled when he saw me.
"Fabala," he whispered as he approached me. He gently took my hand and gave me a hug. "You look beautiful. I'm so happy for you."
"Thank you, Father," I smiled.
He gently pulled away and saw the necklace. "Your mother would be so happy, too. You… you look so much like her."
"I do?"
My father nodded. "She had a similar hairstyle, and even though her dress wasn't as intricate, she was still very beautiful."
I thought about the question that was nagging at me for a while. "Father, did you know that Mama had an older sister named Sophelia?"
He thought for a moment, then shook his head. "If she did, I don't know anything about that."
I was going to ask another question, but then the procession music started. Everyone got into their positions and began to walk down the long aisle. Galinda walked down first, followed by the ring bearer page boy. Once he was halfway down, the other page boy began to push my sister down the aisle and she sprinkled the rose petals onto the floor.
"Are you ready?" Father asked me as he offered me his right arm.
"Yes," I nodded, taking his arm as everyone stood and turned to watch me walk down the aisle.
Even though I knew the chapel was filled with people, I don't remember seeing anyone accept Fiyero. He was facing the crowd, not taking his eyes off of me as I slowly approached him. He wore a very decorated white uniform and white gloves and a golden sash. He smiled at me and I smiled back.
As he unveiled me, I could see that he was trying so hard to either not cry or keep his jaw from falling open. Either way, it was amusing to see. I blushed, causing him to try and stifle a chuckle.
I really wasn't paying attention during the whole religious part of the ceremony, but I clearly remember exchanging vows with Fiyero. I remember him slipping the ring onto my fingers and me doing the same for him. I remember our first kiss as husband and wife. If all of our previous kisses were sparks, then that one was a fireworks show.
We walked back down the aisle to an upbeat march. As we exited the church, we were announced as, "Her Eminence, Elphaba Melena Thropp, and His Eminent-Consort, Prince Fiyero Liir Tigulaar-Thropp."
"I didn't realize how long my new title would be," Fiyero whispered to me, and I laughed.
The people cheered and waved Vinkun and Munchkin flags alike. I smiled as we waved to our people. With Galinda helping me with my dress, I walked with Fiyero to the carriage. We had a small reception at the Nerva Hotel, the hotel where the visiting dignitaries and guest had stayed for the wedding, before heading home.
I didn't let go of Fiyero's hand as we rode to the hotel. I knew that this was just the start of something new.
YAY! Fiyeraba wedding! But we're not done just yet. *Cackle*
