Rifiuto: Non Miriena
A/N: Written: 2005, Found: 2018.- Licia
"Snow!"
Elphaba laughed, watching as Faola rushed out into the snow as it fell softly around them that December morning. The two-year-old little girl clapped her hands excitedly, her black curls bouncing beneath her dark blue cap. She wore a white coat over her dress and stockings, and her mittens were quickly covered in the fluffy white powder as she flopped into the snow to make angels.
Elphaba and Trism watched from the back steps of the palace, a seven-month-old little princess curled in each of their arms; Chiss curled into his mother's legs, watching his sister with wide eyes. He didn't quite have the fascination with snow that his sister did, and preferred to stick close to his parents. It had taken time, but eventually the pain went away and the swelling in his foot went down. Miss Greyling had been killed in an automobile accident the week before Chiss had gotten hurt; so Cattery had taken over governing the children. The young maid now helped the little princess make snowballs; Faola squealed, delighting in the activity.
"Brother, play!" She cried, rushing back to her family. "Please?" She added, at her mother's raised eyebrow. Elphaba glanced down at the little boy, but he backed up behind her, wary of the fluffy white stuff that his sister had barreled into moments earlier. Recognizing that their son wasn't too keen on partaking in making snowballs- or anything else to do with the frozen ice crystals- Trism turned to his daughter.
"Maybe later, Faola. Go play with Cattery, darling."
The little girl turned back to the maid, before turning back to her father. "Daddy? Play with me, please?"
Trism glanced at his wife, who rolled her eyes. "Go on." He kissed her firmly on the mouth, before setting Havni down and coming down the steps to take Faola's hand. As soon as the toddler had a hold of her father, she tugged him back toward Cattery. After a moment, Elphaba took a seat beside her little girl, pulling the child into her so that both girls were sitting on her lap; Chiss curled into his mother's side, and Elpahba wrapped her arm around her son, kissing his head.
She looked up in time to see Trism hold out his camera and snap a photograph of them, before he jumped, having been pelted with a snowball. She laughed, only to put her hands up when her husband lobbed a snowball at her; it missed and hit the door behind them. "Not at the babies, Trism Tigelaar!" He held up his hands in surrender, before turning and scooping his daughter up.
"Got you!" The little girl squealed in delight, and Cattery chuckled, enjoying the sight of her young charge having so much fun. She adored the little Kauri; she adored the entire family, and blamed herself for leaving the two oldest children alone that afternoon; she'd offered to watch them and then had rushed off quickly to answer the phone- only to receive word about the accident- and it had been enough time that the boy had gotten hurt. But Elphaba and Trism, they had understood- they didn't hold it against her, and knew it was an honest mistake.
Eventually, the three returned to the back steps. He scooped one of the twins into his arms, kissing her forehead. "Let's get these little ones inside before they become Fliaanian icicles."
"Do you ever think about having another baby, Your Majesty?"
Elphaba turned, meeting Cattery's gaze as she gently tucked the twins into the crib they shared that night. Once the children were tucked in bed and asleep, Elphaba followed the young maid into the hallway. Trism was in the study, reading over the latest revision of the trade treaty with Munchkinland, and wouldn't come to bed for a couple hours. "I do." She stopped, thinking, her hands automatically going to her abdomen. "And then I worry that I could bear another son that will share the same fate as Chiashrán, or another daughter, who could be a carrier like her sisters could be."
"But you want more." Cattery whispered, turning to her mistress. Slowly, Elphaba nodded.
"I know that, for all his complaining, my husband would love to have a big family. It was just him and his brother and parents- and I had three sisters and a brother- so I know that he wants our children to experience what I did, family-wise. But-"
"Is he afraid of the disease?"
"You have to understand, Cattery, that the king believes in logic. My mother-in-law told me once that if he had not been born a prince of the Vinkus, he would have been a brilliant scientist. He has a mind unlike any I have ever seen. And a heart to match. He is not just my husband, he is my soulmate."
They moved down the stairs, heading into the kitchen. "If you do have another baby, would you really have thirty children?" Elphaba snorted softly, a grin tugging at her lips.
"Who told you that I dreamed of one day having thirty children? Countess Upland?" Cattery nodded. "Yes, well, that was all I wanted at the time. To marry a Fliaanian soldier and have as many children as the Unnamed God would allow. I didn't care that I was a Kauri. All I ever wanted was to be a mother." She took a seat at the table as the maid fixed coffee. "And now I am one and... and I still want more."
"Thirty?"
"For the love of the Unnamed God, no. I'll settle for eight."
"You are never going to let that go, are you?" She turned as Trism entered the kitchen, the draft of the treaty in his grasp. Cattery dropped into a quick curtsy. Elphaba met his gaze as he took a seat beside her, and accepted the cup the maid set in front of him.
"Having eight children? No."
"And I'm not exactly a Fliaanian soldier." He muttered, and she smiled softly, reaching out to stroke his chin.
"You have the heart of a Fliaanian soldier, my love. I will content myself with that, even if you are a king." They shared a quick kiss, before Elphaba set her cup down and grabbed the treaty. "The latest draft?"
He nodded. "Zor and I have tried everything we can think of, but can't find a solution to the illegal export of rubies from Quadling Country through both the Vinkus and Munchkinland into the City." He watched his wife quickly scan through the draft, her dark eyes drinking in every word. Finally,
"Suggest that those coming from Quadling Country must submit a letter of allowance to export rubies into the City by way of Munchkinland and the Vinkus. If they cannot produce the letter, then they are transporting them illegally and must face charges of racketeering and selling of black market jewels and will serve the punishment that the courts see fit." She handed it back, picking up her cup and taking a sip.
Trism watched her for a moment, trying to figure out exactly how she'd managed to come to such a conclusion in a matter of five minutes, when it had taken him two hours and he'd come up with nothing. "Um..."
His wife turned to him, her big dark eyes reminiscent of her children as she innocently asked, "Do you want me to write it down for you?"
