Chapter 14

Immediately panicking, I turned sharply away from my desk – my version of jumping up out of my seat. "What happened? Is he alright? Have you called the doctor?"

"W-we were waiting for your approval, madam," Freidia said nervously. "We laid him in his chamber. He seems to have suffered a stroke."

"THEN CALL THE DOCTOR, FOR OZ'S SAKE!" Without waiting for her response, I rushed to Father's room as fast as my arms could propel me. No. Father wasn't going to die. He couldn't die. Not yet, anyway. I found Father lying on his bed, pale as a sheet, with servants around him, cooling his head. "Father!" I grabbed his hand.

He smiled a little. "Nessa … my sweet, precious little Nessie."

"You're going to be fine," I assured him firmly. "I've sent for the doctor. Everything's going to be alright."

"Your sister … your sister always had the brains, but you … have diplomatic skill. That's why you should be governor."

"Not yet. Please, Father, not yet! I'm not ready! I need you!" I barely realized that I was getting close to hysterics now.

He reached up to stroke my hair. "Darling little Nessie … you have your mother's eyes. You know that? And her hair – though she always kept it much longer than yours. But look. That's my nose, and my chin." He smiled softly at me. "You're beautiful, Nessa." He closed his eyes, and I started to panic.

"Father!" Much to my relief, his eyes opened again. "Father, why didn't you get Fabala anything when we started school? Why … why couldn't you love her?"

He sighed. "She wasn't mine to love." Father furrowed his eyebrows and grew pensive. "And, underneath all that … distortion, was the very picture of Melena. I couldn't stand it." He looked me in the eyes. "I'm so proud of you, Nessa."

Suddenly, Doctor Marckull came in. "I came as quick as I could, Governor Thropp." He turned to me. "Miss Thropp, if you could …"

"Oh, of course," I said, rolling away. "I'll give you some space."

For what seemed like an eternity, I paced the floor in my room. I couldn't even think about the water bill, or my possible impending governorship, or even what sort of danger Elphaba might have been in at that moment. Father had many faults, but he was a good man, and a good father, at least to me. I even remembered a time when Fabala was six and I was four, and I was whining about how the ice cream cone I had gotten at Munchkin Wonderland didn't have enough sprinkles. Father got me another cone, of course, but then he let Elphaba eat the one I had so indignantly rejected.

Freidia came back into my room around five in the evening. "Madam, your father wishes to see you."

I forced a smile of thanks. "Of course. I'll be right in." She gave me a sympathetic look as I passed her.

Father was paler than ever when I came back into his room. No. This is not happening. "Nessa … Nessa, come here, my pet."

I pulled up to his bed and turned to Doctor Marckull. "Well?"

"I've done all I can," he said softly. I knew what that was doctor code for. I swallowed back tears.

"Very well. Thank you." Then, in a new, commanding voice that I had never heard from myself, "Leave us! All of you!" They all obeyed me without a word, which scared the hell out of me.

Father could see how close I was to crying. "Nessa …" he said. "Nessa, listen to me, sweetie. You are the most amazing young woman in Oz! You hear me? You are going to do great things as governor. Great things … so proud …" His grip on my hand slackened and his eyes closed.

"Father? No! Father!"

That's when the waterworks started. I sobbed harder than I had the day after Fabala had left. I was barely twenty one, my father was dead, my sister could die any day, and now I was expected to lead a province. Part of me, through immense grief, realized that this could be a good thing. I could lead Munchkinland through revolution, into independence! Oz, that's a wicked thing to think!

I left the room and masked my grief in logistics. "Take my father's body to the coroner," I told the staff, my staff. "Tell them I want him dressed in his best suit and buried next to my mother. And meet the new governor of Munchkinland." Another wave of terror came over me as they all bowed to me.

The next morning, I was eating breakfast by myself, or rather just stirring my cereal around, when our (now, my) butler came in. "Announcing Master Evit Sunnel and Miss Rachel Camadi."

Evit immediately pulled up to my side. "I came as soon as I heard. How are you, Rose? Stupid question, of course you're not alright."

"I was giv-ing a speech near Five Tree Man-or," Rachel explained. "That's how Ev-it and I found out to-get-her. What can we do, Nes-sa?"

"Just … distract me," I said. "Evit, has your father forced you to dance with any more girls? Rachel, you said you were giving a speech? What was it on? Please, tell me." So Evit told me about his father's not so subtle hints about marriage, and Rachel told me about her campaign to get better communication devices for nonverbal Ozians. That made me feel just the tiniest bit better.

The funeral … oh Oz, the funeral was like slowly peeling a bandage off. Glinda came, telling me how sorry she was about Father, and then how sorry she was that Fiyero couldn't come, which turned into a long tangent about Fiyero's new job in the Gale Force. "See, he doesn't want to capture Elphie, of course not!" she said with a giggle. "He just wants to find her! For me! Isn't that so sweet?"

"Yeah," I said absentmindedly. "That's very clever of him." And you are completely insensitive to the fact that my father died two days ago!

I, of course, was obligated to give a eulogy. "Frexspar Thropp was not only my father, but also one of my best friends," I began, my voice already cracking. "He taught me very early on that my disability didn't mean that he loved me any less. If I wanted to go down the slide on the playground, he would happily take me out of my chair and slide down with me. He fought for my accommodations in grade school just as hard as he fought to lift Munchkinland's ban on homosexuality. For the most part, Father was extremely accepting of those who were different …" That's when I lost it. My throat constricted as I tried to restrain my sobs.

Then, I felt a rush of gratitude as I saw Evit drive up to the front of the church and park next to me. He looked over at the paper I was holding. "'Father was extremely accepting of those who were different, especially Animals and Evian immigrants who wanted to make Munchkinland their home. He successfully endured the pain of watching my mother die, and he honored her life every day. It is a small comfort to know that he is now reunited with her. Just as I have lost a good father, Munchkinland has lost a stellar governor, and I am certain our whole providence feels that loss.'" The congregation clapped, and I gave Evit a hug of thanks, still unable to speak.

Father was buried next to Mama in the cemetery on our property, as I had ordered, and the next day, I was officially sworn in as governor. Evit and Rachel stayed, saying that they would remain in Munchkinland for as long as I needed them. Amazing.

The night after I was sworn in, I was in the Solar, which overlooked the cemetery, and I could've sworn I saw a black and green fleck near Father's grave.