Bigby the Big Bad Wolf: You may be surprised.
spiritwarrior27: Megan's Corner is here. Don't worry!
Ella Thropp: LOL! That one is good, too!
A little announcement: I went back and corrected all the chapters. They are now all in the same tense with other grammar corrections.
Fiyero's eyes flew open as he jumped away from Elphaba and looked at his mother. "W-What?!"
"Sarima is here," Arianna repeated softly.
"What is she doing here?" Fiyero shouted.
"Fiyero…" Arianna whispered.
"She's not supposed to be here!"
"Fiyero…"
"You said I could have one last summer to spend with…"
"Fiyero!"
Fiyero stopped and turned towards Elphaba. The green girl had her arms wrapped tightly around her waist, her eyes wide with fear. Slowly, she stepped away from Fiyero, not knowing what was going on.
"Fae," Fiyero whispered, reaching for Elphaba's hand.
Elphaba felt Fiyero bump his fingers against hers and quickly pulled her hand away.
"Fae, I'm so sorry," Fiyero whispered, taking her hand again and gently squeezing it.
'Yero, what's wrong?' Elphaba signed, slowly stepping closer to Fiyero.
'Nothing, Fae. I'm sorry.' Fiyero signed softly.
Elphaba frowned. 'No, Yero. Something's wrong. Why are you so upset?'
'I'm not upset, Fae. I'm fine.'
Tears filled Elphaba's eyes and slowly slid down her cheek. 'You're lying to me.' Hurt, she pulled her hand away from Fiyero and stepped back.
"Fae, no," Fiyero said, taking her hand again.
Grunting softly, Elphaba stumbled away from Fiyero, tears streaming down her face.
Arianna watched, near tears, as Fiyero continued to reach for Elphaba, but Elphaba didn't want to be anywhere near him at the moment.
"Fiyero, Sarima is waiting for you in the parlor," Arianna said gently.
"I can't leave Fae like this," Fiyero said, his voice softer than it had been earlier as Elphaba stumbled away from him again.
"I'll make sure she returns inside safely."
Fiyero turned and looked at his mother. She actually seemed to care about his feelings, as well as Elphaba's.
"Fine," he grumbled, looking at Elphaba one last time before going back into the castle.
Arianna turned towards the emerald girl and smiled softly. Elphaba was facing towards the western sky, her long, raven hair billowing widely behind her in the wind. Her head was slightly bowed and tears continued to spill from her eyes. She hugged herself even tighter, shivering from the passing wind.
"I'm sorry, my poor child," Arianna whispered, slowly approaching the green girl.
Elphaba, sensing someone approaching her, whimpered and stumbled away. Weakly, her hand rose and she brushed two fingers upwards against her cheek. Arianna didn't know what the gesture meant, but she knew it was a sign of distress.
"I'm so sorry," she whispered, finally reaching her and gently taking her hand.
Elphaba stiffened and slowly turned towards the Queen. Arianna rubbed small circles on the back of Elphaba's hand. The green girl slowly relaxed and stepped closer to Arianna.
"My son didn't mean to upset you," Arianna whispered softly. "He just gets quite a temper sometimes."
Elphaba smiled softly, the positive energy from the Queen calming her.
"I can see why my son loves you," Arianna chuckled. "You are very beautiful."
Fiyero had written to them about Elphaba's green skin, and it took all their willpower not to break his heart over their response to his multiple letters about how much he loved this woman.
"I still don't understand how Fiyero could have forgotten he was supposed to wed Sarima. I'm so sorry you got dragged into this."
Elphaba slowly lifted her gaze to the Queen's face. Arianna smiled, seeing the innocence shimmering within Elphaba's eyes. Her motherly instincts kicked in and she gently pulled Elphaba into a hug.
"I want my son to be happy," Arianna confessed, feeling Elphaba's body relax against hers. "He's changed dramatically, in a good way, ever since he met you. And if you make him happy, that's what I want. If there was a way I could stop this, I would. But there's a lot of political work involved and…" Arianna trailed off. There was no point in wishing for things that could never come true. "I'm so sorry, Elphaba."
Elphaba smiled as she inhaled the Queen's sweet smelling lilac perfume. Arianna chuckled softly and placed a gentle kiss into Elphaba's hair. "You two deserve each other," she whispered.
Fiyero slowly walked into the parlor and saw his father talking to three people. Forcing a smile, he cleared his throat and locked his hands behind his back. "Father?" he said, announcing himself.
"Ah, Fiyero, my son," Aziel smiled, approaching Fiyero, a beaming smile on his face. "I would like for you to meet Sarima."
Sarima, Fiyero noticed, was a very beautiful girl. Not as beautiful as Elphaba, in Fiyero's silent opinion, but beautiful nonetheless. Her long, brown hair fell just past her shoulders. She stood tall and regal, simulating the appearance of a queen perfectly. Her large, hazel eyes blankly back at Fiyero, as if analyzing him. After a few seconds, her small, pink lips curled into a small smile. She slowly glided across the room and took Fiyero's hand.
"Prince Fiyero," she smiled, curtsying regally before Fiyero.
"Miss Sarima," Fiyero said, giving a short nod. He looked past Sarima at the other two people, a man and a woman, whom Fiyero assumed were Sarima's parents. "Welcome to the Vinkus."
"Thank you," Sarima blushed, stepping back.
"Fiyero, why don't you show Sarima around the grounds?" Aziel suggested.
Fiyero nodded and offered Sarima his arm. He forced a smile onto his face, knowing that he would never hear the end of it from his parents if he didn't. Sarima gently took Fiyero's arm and allowed him to give her a tour of the castle.
"And these are our Vinkun rose blossoms," Fiyero said, taking Sarima outside.
"They're beautiful," Sarima smiled.
Fiyero fought the tears creeping their way into his eyes. He wished with all his heart that he was with Elphaba instead. "Thanks," he muttered, hoping his voice didn't crack.
"We should probably go back inside now. It's getting chilly," Sarima suggested softly.
"If you wish." Fiyero guided Sarima back inside, taking full, deep breaths.
Nessa sat on the couch in the parlor later that afternoon, a letter clutched in her hands.
"Hi, Nessa," Galinda smiled, walking into the parlor with Elphaba clinging to her arm. "Whacha readin'?"
Nessa rolled her eyes, but smiled. "A letter from our father," she said as Galinda helped Elphaba sit down. Smiling, Nessa gently took her sister's hand.
'We received a letter from Father.'
Elphaba's face brightened up. 'What does it say?'
'He asks if we're enjoying ourselves.'
Elphaba frowned slightly.
'What's wrong, Fabala?' Nessa signed, concerned.
'Fiyero's been acting weird, and he won't tell me what's bothering him.'
Nessa took a deep breath, deciding against telling Elphaba about Sarima. 'Maybe it's nothing.'
Elphaba sadly shook her head. 'No, something's wrong. I can feel it. Ever since we got here, he's been acting strange. In the gardens, he kissed me and then he…'
'Fabala, what did Fiyero do?' Nessa signed urgently.
'He violently pulled away from me.'
Galinda saw Elphaba's eyes fill with tears. She quickly wrapped her arms around the green girl and pulled her closer.
"It's okay, Elphie," the blonde whispered as Nessa joined the group hug. Gently pulling away, the blonde gently took the green girl's hand. 'Fiyero loves you with all his heart. You know that.'
'Then why is he acting like this?' Elphaba signed weakly.
"Because he just found out he was engaged to someone else," Galinda said out loud, squeezing Elphaba's hand.
Elphaba pulled her hand away from Galinda and neatly folded her hands in her lap. She bowed her head as she sniffled, breaking Nessa and Galinda's hearts.
"I have an idea," Galinda smiled, gently helping Elphaba to her feet and motioning for Nessa to follow them.
Frowning, Elphaba grabbed Galinda's hand. 'Where are we going?'
'Nessa and I discovered something we think you'll like.' Galinda signed, smiling.
'What is it?'
Stopping, Galinda opened the two large, double doors and guided Elphaba up the small staircase.
'Glin, where are we?' Elphaba asked, sensing the atmosphere around her change.
Giggling, Galinda gently took Elphaba's hand and placed in on a bookshelf. Elphaba frowned in confusion as her fingers glided over the leather book bindings. Stopping, she smiled as she turned towards Galinda and grabbed her hand.
'The library?'
Smiling, Galinda brought Elphaba's hand to her cheek and nodded.
Elphaba giggled and continued to run her fingers against the smooth bindings of the books.
"Galinda, Fabala, come look at this!" Nessa called.
Galinda gently took Elphaba's arm and led her to where Nessa was standing.
"It's a map of the entire Vinkus," Nessa smiled, admiring the large map.
Galinda ran her fingers over the map and smiled, feeling the raised features. Smiling, she took Elphaba's hand and placed it on the map.
Elphaba curiously felt the raised features of the map and smiled. Giggling, she stepped closer as her fingers continued to explore more of the Vinkus map.
"I think it worked," Nessa smiled at the blonde.
"For now, at least," Galinda whispered back.
Frex stood in his office, his hand locked behind his back as he looked out the window.
"Frex, the girls are fine," Nanny said, coming up behind the Governor.
"I know…" Frex sighed, his gaze not leaving the gardens.
"You worry to much," Nanny chuckled lightly.
"It's just, Fabala…"
"Will be fine. She has Nessa and the little blonde poodle watching out for her."
"And… him…"
"You still don't fully trust the boy?"
"I'm a father. I don't trust any boy."
"If Nessarose came home with a boyfriend, would you trust that boy?"
"Nessarose is different."
"How so?"
"You know 'how so'."
"The boy loves Fabala. He would never do anything to hurt her."
Frex sighed and finally turned around. "What if…"
"Let them enjoy the summer. They'll be back a few days before they return to Shiz. They'll be fine."
"I hope you're right, Nanny," Frex sighed, his gaze returning to the window. "I really hope you're right."
Megan's Corner of Useless Information Fact #19:
Don't live with regret. Regret is an awful roommate. It steals all the fancy soaps from the bathroom and uses all the milk in the fridge without replacing it.
