Chapter 26
Elphaba, Nessa and Galinda sat around a table in the Wilted Rose one night in April waiting for Fiyero and Boq to join them for dinner. The boys had been working on a project for History class, and the girls had expected them fifteen minutes ago.
"Where are they?" Galinda demanded irritably. "I'm famished. I always work up an appetite in Sorcery."
Nessa smiled. "I'm sure they just lost track of time, they'll be here."
"I bet you anything it's Boq's fault," Galinda grumbled. "He always wants to write 'just one more paragraph'. When he gets here, I'm going to stick my wand through his eye."
Elphaba rolled her eyes. "For the love of Oz, Galinda. Just order something. They won't care we ordered without them, and by the time the food comes, they should be here too."
Galinda paused for a moment, her etiquette training battling against her appetite and she finally gave in.
"Well, I suppose if they've already caused offence by being late, we can order something without them," she agreed and Elphaba and Nessa exchanged exasperated looks.
"Was that so hard?" Elphaba muttered as she summoned the waitress over.
As Elphaba had predicted, the two boys walked in a moment before the food arrived.
"What kept you?" Elphaba asked as they sat down and Fiyero pulled a letter out of his pocket.
"Sorry, we were on our way here when Morrible found us. She said there was a messenger from the Vinkus at the administration office, so I thought it could be important," Fiyero explained.
Elphaba frowned worriedly. "Is everything okay?" she asked him.
"It's fine," he assured her. "My parents are back at the Emerald City for a little while- a follow up visit from September. They just wanted to let me know they're going to drop in on the way home next week, so they can see you for your birthday."
Elphaba was pleasantly surprised. "That's nice of them, but they don't have to," she began but Fiyero rolled his eyes.
"Fae, they want to. Dad wrote he's treating us all to dinner at Idyllic Spring."
"Oh, I've been wanting to go there forever!" Galinda exclaimed with wide-eyes.
"The food's great, Glin. You'll love it," Fiyero promised her.
Elphaba was thoughtful. "So, dinner with your parents? That's my birthday thing this year?"
"Sure," Fiyero agreed. "But you're still getting gifts."
Elphaba rolled her eyes. "Fine. Waste your money on me."
"I will," he grinned.
"Boq, Galinda and I all went in on something together, Fabala," Nessa told her sister.
"And you're going to love it," Galinda sung out happily, hating the thought they had to wait a whole week to give it to her.
Elphaba's eyes narrowed at them. "Who picked it?" she asked, knowing the answer would probably determine how right Galinda was.
"It was Nessa's idea, I found it and Galinda arranged all the details," Boq replied and Elphaba nodded slowly.
"Ok."
The Wilted Rose was almost deserted that night, except for a few townsfolk. The Spring dance was being held at the OzDust, but Elphaba had flatly refused to go after what had happened in September, and not even Galinda disagreed. They laughed and talked as they ate before heading back to the dorms.
"What do you think Fiyero's getting you for your birthday?" Galinda asked Elphaba as they walked.
"We offered for him to join with the three of us, but he said he was working on his own thing. Any ideas?"
Elphaba shrugged. "Knowing Fiyero and going by what he's given me the past two years, I'm going to say jewellery."
Galinda looked down at her friend's right hand, which was adorned with the charm bracelet and the promise ring from Fiyero and nodded.
"Yes, that seems most likely."
Then her eyes narrowed as she studied her friend carefully. "Elphie, you should get your ears pierced."
Elphaba rolled her eyes. "Galinda, for the last time, you are not sticking needles in my ears!"
The blonde pouted. "Fine, but I think you'd suit them."
"You also keep insisting I suit pink," Elphaba retorted.
"Elphie, pink goes good with green!" Galinda insisted and Elphaba groaned.
For her birthday dinner, Elphaba pulled a dress out of her closet she'd owned for years, but never worn.
"Elphie!" Galinda gasped when she came out of the bathroom and saw what her best friend was wearing. "Where did you get that?"
Elphaba smiled slightly. "I've had it for years," she admitted, fingering the material softly.
The dress was a deep, dark purple with a low square neckline that modestly accentuated her chest and was floor length, hugging her hips. The sleeves capped her shoulders and left her arms bare.
"When I was sixteen, Father celebrated twenty years of being Governor and there was this big party. Nessa and I were both supposed to go, and Father had this dress made for me, saying that I should dress… appropriately and not like I was going to a funeral," she recalled dryly.
"Supposed to go?" Galinda frowned.
Elphaba nodded. "Yes. I got into trouble the morning of the party and Father forbid me to go… not that I particularly cared. But there were some kids teasing Nessa, and I got mad…"
Galinda nodded knowingly, not needing her to finish explaining. They all knew what happened when Elphaba got mad, especially when it involved her sister.
"And you've never worn it?"
She shook her head. "Oz, no. But I found it the other day when I was cleaning out the closet and thought it would save me having to buy a new dress. I'd forgotten I owned it… I can't remember how in Oz's name it ended up being packed."
Galinda laughed.
With her hair, Elphaba swept it up into a simple bun, which Galinda insisted on adorning with a silver and amethyst clip. She wore her usual simple jewellery, the charm bracelet and ring from Fiyero and the necklace Ibrahim and Kasmira had sent her the year before. Fiyero beamed when he saw her, knowing that at the end of the night, there'd be a new piece of jewellery on her.
He was surprisingly not nervous as they headed to the restaurant and were escorted to the private room Ibrahim had organised. He wondered if that was because of Elphaba's promise, or because it was simply Elphaba.
Elphaba herself had an odd sense of déjà vu as she took her seat at the head of the table, with Fiyero on one side and Nessa on the other. The last time they'd been here had been before Fiyero had first told her he loved her on their three-month anniversary, and she couldn't believe how much had changed since then.
"So, how does it feel to be twenty-three, Elphaba?" Ibrahim asked her as they ate and she laughed.
"Strangely enough, no different than being twenty-two," she replied.
"Except for a reluctant tolerance to celebrate your birthday," Fiyero teased her and she rolled her eyes.
"You don't really give me a choice, Yero."
"Nope," he agreed cheerfully. "It's just one of the many perks of dating me, Fae."
"And what are the others?" she retorted teasingly.
"When is it gift time?" Boq cut in before Fiyero could reply.
Galinda's eyes lit up. "Ooh, yes! Is everyone finished eating?"
Before Elphaba could protest, their plates had been cleared and Boq retrieved a large box from under the table.
"Happy birthday, Fabala," Nessa said and Elphaba smiled at her as she began to unwrap it.
Inside, she found a beautiful silver and emerald jewellery box. When she lifted the lid, music began to play, the melody of an old Munchkinland lullaby that Melena had sung to Elphaba as a child and Elphaba had then sung it to Nessa.
"I saw an advertisement in Ozbeat magazine," Nessa explained as her sister examined the box in awe. "It said you could choose your own design and pick your own tune… I thought of the lullaby."
"So, I wrote to the craftsman after we talked about it and Galinda picked the design," Boq continued.
"We've been hiding it with Boq for weeks," Galinda stressed. "Do you like it, Elphie?"
Elphaba squeezed her sister's hand tightly. "I love it. Thank you," she said sincerely. "It's beautiful."
"It's exquisite craftsmanship," Kasmira murmured in appreciation.
"The man who made it is from the Quadlings, but he lives and works in the Emerald City," Nessa explained.
After everyone had examined the gift and Elphaba had hugged Nessa, Galinda and Boq tightly in thanks, Boq looked around the room.
"So… did anyone arrange a cake?"
Galinda giggled. "Well…"
This cake wasn't a surprise, she had warned Elphaba it was coming as they were getting ready, but Elphaba didn't mind it so much given that they were in a private room where no one was staring.
"Blow out the candles, Elphie!" Galinda beamed as they finished singing 'Happy Birthday' and Elphaba rolled her eyes faintly before doing so.
"Did you make a wish?" Fiyero asked her.
"If I did I'd hardly tell you, would I?" she answered with a grin and he studied her for a moment.
"You didn't make a wish," he accused her, his eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"I guess we'll never know," she laughed.
The cake was served to all of them, and although Galinda moaned about how the cake would go directly to her hips, it didn't stop her from having seconds.
"Does the birthday girl want to say a few words?" Kasmira asked Elphaba as they finished dessert and Elphaba shook her head.
"No, she definitely does not."
"Oh, Elphie come on!" Galinda begged. "It's your birthday!"
Elphaba laughed. "What do you want me to say, Glin? Happy birthday to me?"
Fiyero grinned as he stood up. "Well, if you're not going to say anything, I will."
"Oh, boy," Elphaba sighed, looking up at him expectantly.
Fiyero shushed her and cleared his throat. "Fae… I love you. I've loved you for two years now, and while it feels like only yesterday, it also feels like a lifetime since you first woke me up and started yelling at me."
Elphaba rolled her eyes, as Kasmira and Ibrahim exchanged amused looks. Fiyero looked at her solemnly.
"Two years I've known you and loved you for, Fae. And you can roll your eyes every time I call you beautiful or tell you I love you, but the truth is, I'm never able to find enough words to tell you how much I love you, or why."
With everyone around the table watching him, Fiyero bent down on one knee. Elphaba's eyes widened impossibly, as Galinda and Nessa squeezed one another's hands in glee.
"I know what we agreed upon, and I stand by that. But you never said I had to wait until graduation to propose," he grinned and Elphaba swallowed hard.
"Elphaba, from the moment I met you, everything changed. I changed… and you became everything. The way I looked at the world, and my life and me… when I saw it all through your eyes, that's when I knew I had to do things differently, do them right, to be someone worthy of you. The things I love about you, your intelligence, your good heart, your courage to stand up for what's right… every day I am so blessed to have you in my life. I am the luckiest man in all of Oz, because I get to wake up every morning and know that you're mine. You are my everything, Fae, and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to make every moment count starting now."
From his pocket, he withdrew a tiny box and opened it to reveal a simple, beautiful diamond ring.
"I told you once," he said to her quietly as her shocked gaze flickered between the ring and his face. "That one day, when I'm old and grey, I'll look back and think about the best days of my life. The day my children were born, the day I got married, and the day that I met you. That's not really true, because every day I spend with you is the best day of my life. So… Elphaba Melena Thropp… will you marry me?"
Elphaba opened her mouth to speak, but her throat seemed to have forgotten how to work. So she simply nodded and returned Fiyero's smile as he grinned and slipped the ring onto her left hand.
"Loophole," she said accusingly and he laughed.
"I couldn't wait until graduation," he apologised as he kissed her.
"You sound relieved a little," she noted with amusement.
Fiyero grinned. "I am. I didn't exactly stick to our agreement."
"You thought I might say no?" she chuckled.
"For a second at the end there it crossed my mind," he admitted. "Longest ten seconds of my life."
She kissed him again softly, her eyes shining. "I promised, didn't I?"
"Tiggular, will you move already so I can hug my best friend?" Galinda's impatient voice broke the moment and Elphaba and Fiyero both laughed.
"Tonight," he whispered, kissing her one last time and she nodded, before standing up and turning to Galinda.
As soon as she did, Galinda's impatience disappeared and she broke down into tears.
"It's just so beautiful," she sobbed, hugging Elphaba tightly.
Fiyero laughed at Elphaba's face as she tried to console her best friend and turned to the others.
"Congratulotions, Fiyero," Boq grinned, clapping him on the shoulder. "This is huge!"
"Thanks, Boq," Fiyero replied ecstatically.
There were quiet tears streaming down Nessa's face as she too, beamed at him. "That was the most beautiful thing I've ever heard, Fiyero," she said sincerely. "I'm really glad you're going to be my brother-in-law."
Fiyero smiled and embraced his future sister-in-law gently. "Thanks, Nessa."
When Galinda finally pulled away from Elphaba, she threw herself onto Fiyero in a giant hug, but Fiyero was watching over her shoulder as his parents embraced Elphaba lovingly.
"We couldn't be happier," Ibrahim told her softly as he hugged her and Elphaba beamed.
"Thank you," she replied softly, not needing to say what it meant to her to be accepted.
Kasmira had tears in her eyes as she hugged her soon-to-be daughter-in-law.
"Ibrahim, I think it's time for our gift," she said to her husband who nodded.
Fiyero was startled, he hadn't known about a gift. "What gift?"
"Ooh, more presents!" Galinda cried happily.
Elphaba resumed her seat as she accepted the box from Ibrahim and opened it. Her breath caught in her throat, as she saw the diamond tiara inside resting on a velvet cushion.
"Oh. My. Oz," Galinda whispered.
Kasmira smiled as she turned to Elphaba. "This is yours now, sweetheart. It's the official Royal tiara of the Vinkun Princess."
Elphaba couldn't think of a single thing to say, it still hadn't registered once she and Fiyero married she would be a princess.
"I- I... thank you," she managed to say and Kasmira laughed gently.
"Here."
She lifted the tiara out of the box and carefully and tenderly fitted it on top of Elphaba's head. Fiyero felt his heart swell as his mother adjusted it carefully and stepped back, transforming Elphaba into what she soon would be- a princess.
Galinda had dissolved into tears of joy again, but Nessa seemed to be on the same page as Fiyero, staring at her sister in awe. Boq was eating his third piece of cake.