Chapter 21. Sugar and Spice
Rifiuto: Non Miriena
A/N: A little background history of Fae's family in this chapter....
Thanks to kiltedwonder and lizziemagic for reviewing 20.
Fae couldn't sleep.
Instead, she sat in the windowseat of her room, looking out the window at the moon, a small, hand-carved chest in her lap. Her father had carved the chest for her, for her eighth birthday. Beautiful, dark Vinkun blood- a rare wood found only in the Vinkus- with a beautiful, intricate design on top, a carving of the two coats- the Tiggular coat of arms and the Thropp coat of arms, one for her father, one for her mother entwined together- showing a joining of the ancient houses that had held a place in Oz's history since the time of the first Ozma.
Fae's mother's roots were deep in Oz's past- her ancestor, the first real Eminent Thropp- was first an advisor of the very first Ozma, and was given Munchkinland as a gift for her services. Over the centuries, the women in her family had each taken the title, but not without hardship. There had been clandestine affairs, wars, forbidden marriages, elopements, illegitament children, murder- all tied into her mother's history, a history that Elphaba had desparetely tried to forget. Her own mother- Fae's grandmother, the one Fae had brought back from the dead, accidentally of course- had eloped at nineteen, to a Gillikin minister, Frexpar, and fled to Quadling Country.
Her daughter- Fae's mother- had been born on the outskirts of Munchkinland, but grew up the first ten years of her life in Quadling Country. At eighteen, she'd gone to Shiz University, and gotten a degree in Sorcery- after meeting Fae's father, and going to the future of course. After she returned, and several weeks of pain, she had finally admitted that she loved Fiyero, and the two had gotten engaged not long after. They'd gotten married, and not long after graduation, Elphaba had gotten pregnant with her son, Liir, Fae's older brother.
Six years after Liir was born, and after her parents took the throne after Fae's grandfather died, they had their oldest daughter. Fae was the apple of her parents' eyes, she was their firstborn daughter, their little girl. Then, twelve years later, Elphaba had had their younger daughter, Melena- a stillborn birth. It had thrown the family into chaos, but Fae had learned to forgive her mother, and a year ago, Fae's baby sister, Mulhama, had been born. Her mother's life had been filled with hardships, but she'd gotten through them all- much like the coat of the Thropps.
Slowly, Fae ran her fingers over the coat of her mother's family. It was a black panther, holding a scythe between it's teeth- meaning power and hard work. Sniffling, Fae moved her gaze to the other coat, her father's coat. Her father's roots ran just as deep as her mother's.
Her father's ancestors were the first in the Vinkus, worshippers of the 'pagan' faith. His ancestor had proclaimed himself king, and created the Tiggular line with marriage to a hostage- a Munchkin hostage, none the less. There had been warfare, kidnappings, murder, suicide, revolution, hostages, marriages with hostages. Fiyero's own parents were a hostage-captor marriage. Musetta's roots were originally Scrow; taken at sixteen, she'd been forced into a marriage to with Manzel, Fae's grandfather. Both had been teenagers at the time. Her father, had been the much desired son, the one to continue the throne. Fiyero was the oldest of four children, having grown up in the Arjiki tribe his entire life, and up until he went to Shiz at eighteen, he had been given the option of an arranged marriage.
That is until he met Fae's mother. Her parents always described it two different ways- her father's explanation for it being 'love at first sight' and her mother's being 'hate at first sight'. Either way, they fell in love, got engaged, and married- even against his family's tradition. They were happy, however, and not long after the marriage, Fiyero gave his parents- and the tribe- two options:
Either accept his bride and look past the fact that he had married an outsider, or throw out the monarchy, and become a democracy/republic, like the rest of Oz. Not wanting to lose what had been their way of life for centuries, his family- and his tribe- had accepted her, however slowly. At first, it had been because she was of foreign blood, but soon, it turned to her skin. But once the tribe saw that Elphaba was just like everyone else, they accepted her for her; and, years later, when Fae had been born, the tribe had rejoiced at the news that their Crown Princess shared her mother's emerald skin.
Her father's coat was a cougar, with a bow resting at it's feet, the arrows in the holder slung over its back- the symbols for strength and protection. Both cats were back to back, their tails entwined, showing the joining of the two houses. It was beautifully carved; her father must have spent days to make sure he got both coats perfect. She smiled, remembering the day he gave it to her.
"All right! Where's the birthday girl? It's time for her to blow out her candles!" Elphaba called, as an eight-year-old little girl ran into the room, her father chasing after her.
"Daddy!" She screamed as he caught her, scooping her up, into his arms. "Daddy! Put me down!" He laughed, rubbing his nose against his daughter's, as her green hands cupping his face.
"All right. I'll put you down." He said, reluctantly setting his daughter down.
"Mama!"
"There's the birthday girl! Come blow out your candles, baby." Elphaba said, as her child threw her arms around her mother's legs. Quickly, the child scrambled onto the chair, and looked at the cake, eyes wide.
"Wow!" She looked back at her parents; her mother had moved towards her father, who had wrapped his wife in his arms. They watched as their daughter poised to blow out her candles, when her grandmother stopped her.
"Not so fast, little one."
"But Grandmama-"
"We have to sing happy birthday before you can blow out the candles." Musetta said. They did, before allowing Fae to blow out the candles. Once they were blown out and the cake cut and served, Fae was allowed to unwrap her gifts. Perched in her mother's lap, Fae relished the attention her family was giving her, as she finished her piece of cake.
"Here you go sweetheart." Gently, Fiyero set a box down in front of his daughter. Quickly wiping her hands on the napkin, Fae reached out, and unwrapped the box, before lifting out the present. Confused, she looked from the wooden box in her sticky little hands, to her father and back. "It's a treasure chest." He told her. Her face lit up.
"Really? Is there real treasure in it?" She asked, quickly opening it up. "Daddy...it's empty! You said it was a treasure chest!" She said, looking up at her father. He chuckled.
"It is. You have to fill it with what you treasure." He told her.
"But...I don't have any treasures."
"Yes you do." She looked back at her mother, who removed the necklace from around her slender neck, and dropped it into the empty chest. Slowly, Fae picked up the necklace. It was her mother's cherished Marcasite & Seed Pearl Locket; slowly, she opened it, revealing a portrait of her parents when they were younger. She looked up at her mother.
"But Mama--"
"It's yours now, baby girl." Elphaba whispered, kissing her daughter's hair. Fae wrapped her mother in a hug, as Grandmama set two small gifts in front of the little girl. Once the necklace was safely back in the box, Fae opened the two from her grandmother.
"Oh Grandmama!"
"Earrings!"
Musetta nodded. She'd gotten her granddaughter a pair of Catherine's Roses Dangle Earrings, seeing as Fae was now old enough to wear them.
"Thank you Grandmama!" She cried, throwing her arms around her grandmother.
"You're welcome sweetheart, now open the second one." Excited that there was another gift, she turned excitedly back to the second package. She excitedly unwrapped the second small package, revealing a beautiful pair of black kidskin gloves. "Every young lady needs a pair, don't you think?" Fae hugged her grandmother close, before turning, seeing Mama set a small, square package in front of her. Quickly, the little girl unwrapped it, revealing a beautiful, Quoxwood music box.
"It's beautiful, isn't it Fae?" Musetta asked, as she nodded. She wanted to touch the music box, but was afraid too.
"Turn the crank, go on, love." Mama said, nodding. Slowly, Fae did as told. Instantly, the lid opened, reavealing a man and a little girl, the little girl balanced on the tops of her father's shoes, as he held her hands, dancing together. Fae instantly recognized the tune the box played, and she turned to her mother. "It plays our lullaby!" Elphaba nodded, as Fae threw her arms around her mother's neck.
After exchanging hugs and kisses, Fae turned back, to see her older brother holding a gift for her. She took it, opening it slowly. Then, she lifted out a beautiful, procelian doll, with raven ringlets and green skin, dressed in a beautiful, dark green dress, with a black sash, lace, and frills, with a dark green bown in her black ringlets. Her eyes were a piercing brown, and a set of tiny buttton up boots were on her tiny porcelian feet.
"She's beautiful." Elphaba said, smiling at her son. "Fae, what do you say?" She asked, looking down at her daughter. Fae hugged the doll to her chest, and reached out, hugging her brother.
"Thank you." He hugged her back, before pulling away.
"She's very beautiful, Liir. But, how did you get her?" Musetta asked. The fourteen-year-old hung his head, ashamed.
"I....I sold my toy boat to buy the doll." He muttered, afraid his parents would be angry. He didn't see the look Elphaba and Fiyero shared.
"You sold your toy boats to buy the doll for you sister?" Fiyero asked after a moment. His son nodded.
"I'm sorry, but I'm never going to play with then again. I sold them to a toy store in the village that buys old toys to give to kids who won't have anything on Lurlinemas. Someone will get some use out of them." He said, not looking at his parents. Elphaba glanced at her husband, before speaking.
"Liir, look at me." He did so, slowly. What he saw in his mother's eyes, wasn't anger, but calm, understanding.
"That was a very generous thing you did, Liir. Selling them so that another little boy could have a gift for Lurlinemas. And using the money to buy a gift for your sister's birthday." Relief passed over her son's features.
"But, why a doll?" Fiyero asked, as his son looked at him. Liir shrugged.
"Fae likes dolls. The dollmaker had one that looked just like her and Mama in the window, so I bought it. It wasn't much; I don't think most people wanted to buy it, because they probably thought it was ugly, so I bought it. It'd get a good home with Fae. And I still have some money left over." His son replied, pulling the leftover change from his pants pocket, before setting it on the table next to his sister's other gifts, and pushing it towards his father. "You and Mama can have it, Daddy." His parents shared another glance, before Fiyero pushed the money back towards his son.
"Tell you what, Liir, you keep the change, and use it for something you want." Fiyero said, reaching out to ruffle his son's copper hair. The boy pulled away. "Okay?" He nodded, laughing.
"Okay."
"What are you going to name her, Fae?" Musetta asked, as Fae hugged the doll protectively to her chest. The eight-year-old thought a moment.
"Melena." She didn't notice her parents' surprised looks, or the glance they shared.
"Melena?" Her mother asked finally. Fae nodded.
"It seems fitting." Fiyero said.
Slowly, Fae opened the chest, revealing a whole trove of treasures. She dug around, before finding the necklace. It was her mother's Marcasite & Seed Pearl Locket; slowly, she opened it, revealing the small portrait of her parents. Instead of the customary 'sit still, you here and you here' portrait, this one had her mother in her father's arms, one hand clutching a handful of his shirt. Apparently, the photographer had tried several times to get them to pay attention, and finally decided to give up, because they were too focused on each other. Noses rubbing gently, he cupped her cheek gently, smiles playing on both their faces. Elphaba's long raven hair was pulled back in loose curls, that tumbled down her back.
Tears came to her eyes. Her mother was so beautiful, and her father was even more handsome than most of the boys at Shiz. She could see why Mama had fallen in love with him. His smile was enough to make your heart melt. And her mother- Mama possessed such an unearthly beauty, that she seemed to be from another time, another world; an angel that would disappear in the blink of an eye.
Gently, Fae closed the locket, and held it in her hand, as she rummaged through the chest, before remembering something. Quickly, she set the chest down, and got up, going to her bed. She returned to the chest moments later, her doll in her arms. Holding the doll close, she returned to the chest, before pulling something out. On closer inspection, she saw that it was her first sampler.
As a female member of the royal family, she had to learn how to read, write, play piano, cook, and of course- sew. Oh how Fae hated to sew. It was such a hassle, and so much easier to take whatever was ripped to her mother, or, if Mama was busy with court, to one of the maids and have them fix it. But soon, she realized that it was a necessary evil- especially when she got to Shiz. Thrown into the harsh reality that maids were not an option at Shiz, Fae had learned to fix things herself when they ripped. Silent, she read the words on the old sampler,
PATIENCE AND PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
Actually, it hadn't.
She'd gone running to Mama with every prick of the needle, every knot of the thread. Oh how she hated working on that sampler. Folding it back up again, she returned to the chest, reaching in and pulling something out.
It was an old, white, shawl, with something wrapped inside. Unwrapping it, Fae found three things: a black Portwine Roses Wool Cloche, a black Miss Alcott Hat, and a beautiful white clutch purse with an emerald clasp. They all belong to her mother- except the shawl, the shawl had been her grandmother's. Slowly, Fae tried both hats on, before opting for her mother's cloche. Then, she reached for the purse. It was full. Slowly, she opened the clasp, and dumped the contents onto the shawl.
An assortment of hatpins, a pair of black garters that she recognized as her mother's, only one of her mother's cream-colored giselle gloves, and a hidden love locket pin that must have belonged to her mother tumbled out. She looked through each one, trying on her mother's glove before removing it and turning to the rest of the chest.
She soon removed everything from the chest, before setting it on the seat next to her and looking through her treasures. Safe to say, she was amazed at what she'd collected over the years. To some, it would be nothing but junk, but to Fae, it was a collection of trinkets and knicknacks, old jewelry and forgotten brick-a-brack she'd managed to snatch when someone wasn't looking:
An old, silver skeleton key she'd found buried in her mother's dresser drawer, a black quill pen she'd knicked from her father's writing desk, her late grandfather's silver flask with the onyx stone in the middle, one of her grandmother's cameo necklaces, a pair of her mother's opera glasses, two of her brother's clown figurines, an old pocketwatch that had belonged to her late grandfather, a navy hair ribbon, Sartia's- one of the maid's that Fae had been close to as a child, but had left after her tenth birthday to marry- handkerchief (she'd given it to Fae as a memento), her mother's cheshire manor brooch, a pair of her father's old motoring gloves, one of his pearl studded cuff links, one of her grandmother's hat pins, an old cat's eye marble, a small bouquet of pressed flowers, one of her baby sister's- Melena's- teddy bears that she'd taken not long after the baby's funeral, one of Mulhama's emerald jeweled barettes, a small tin of her mother's rosebud salve, a cork from a wine bottle, a silver candle snuffer that she'd gotten from somewhere, an old Vinkun coin she'd found behind a dresser.
She saw one of her mother's black lace fans among the pile, an old pair of her father's reading glasses, one of her mother's rings, a watch chain that had belonged to her brother. Slowly, she picked up a hair ribbon, that she instantly recongized as one of her mother's. She brought it to her nose, breathing in the scent, before placing it back with everything else. Then, she returned the things to her chest, and closed it, before getting up. Melena in her arms, she went to her bedroom door, opening it and poking her head out. The hallway was clear.
Quickly, she rushed down the hall to her parents' room, and slipped inside. She went to her mother, and gently, brushed the hair off her forehead, before going to the vanity. Her eyes scanned over the hand mirror and brush, the jewelry, makeup, perfume bottles. Slowly, she reached out, picking up a bracelet with a key on it. The silver key had an emerald and a sapphire on it. Looking around quickly, she slid it into her pocket, before returning to her mother. Holding her hand, she looked at the small heart locket ring on her mother's little finger. She popped the latch, and opened it, looking at the portrait of her parents, brother and her.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Fae jumped, gasping, and turned, to see Fiyero in the doorway. Quickly, she got up, backing away from her mother, bumping into the nightstand, hands behind her back. "All right, what do you have?" Fiyero asked, entering the room.
"Wh..what do you mean, Daddy?" Fae choked out. Fiyero raised an eyebrow.
"You're like your mother- only she hoards books and you hoard trinkets. Come on, show me." Sighing, she reached into her pocket, and pulled out the bracelet, dropping it into her father's outstretched hand. He slowly sat on the bed, looking at it, as Fae sat next to him. "I remember when I gave her this. It...was...a couple weeks after she came out of her coma, and, we were in the City. She....dragged me into this jewelry store, and....saw this bracelet in one of the cases. I bought it for her without a second thought. She...whined and complained about me getting it for her, saying that she didn't need another piece of jewelry, but...I told her that....it was the key to my heart." Fae gave her father a small smile. Then, he held it out to his daughter. "I don't think Mama would mind if you kept it."
Slowly, she took it, slipping it over her wrist, and hugging Melena to her chest. She watched her father take her mother's hand and look at the portrait inside the ring.
"I remember when this was taken. We....had tried to decide if it was worth taking a family portrait, and finally, Mama and I decided that it was. We had one hell of a time trying to get you to sit still." He said, looking up at his daughter, who blushed. "After the portrait was taken, Mama asked for a print for the ring. I'd...given her the ring for her birthday that year. She's never taken it off."
"She...twists it when she gets nervous." Fae said. Fiyero nodded.
"I know." He reached out, gently cupping his wife's cheek.
"Daddy?"
"Hmm?"
"You and Mama.....don't have any secrets, do you?" He shook his head.
"No. We agreed the night we....we got together, that....that we'd never keep secrets. Never. Our....our relationship, our marriage...is...built on absolute honesty. No lies. Not that I could lie to Mama if I wanted to. I love her too much. If I lied to her, it would break her heart and destroy her trust. I couldn't do that to her."
Slowly, Fae snuggled into her father's arms, her doll held tight to her chest. He kissed her hair, gently squeezing his wife's hand. He didn't think anything of the pressure on his hand. It wasn't until it happened again, that his head snapped up.
"Daddy?"
Fiyero ignored her, looking at his wife's hand. Gently, he squeezed her hand again. Fae turned, watching her father.
She saw him squeeze Elphaba's hand, and her eyes widened as her mother squeezed back.