Rifiuto: Non Miriena
A/N: Written: 2005, Found: 2018.- Licia
Laughter filled the air; girlish laughter.
"Girls. Girls! Come greet our guests."
Suddenly, four girls appeared before the Vinkun royal family; dressed in identical white, short-sleeved dresses with blue satin sashes, their black hair pulled back away from their faces with white bows, they lined up in birth order, falling silent as they faced the Vinkun royals. Their mother held her son's hand, watching her daughters- the youngest about six and the oldest twelve- but the girls didn't move. They gathered together, whispering amongst themselves, casting glances at the royals that stood before them. The third daughter ducked between her older sisters to study the royals, before popping back up and rising on her toes to whisper something in her oldest sister's ear.
"... look at their clothing! It's so... different..."
"... their eyes are so blue! They can't possibly be real!"
"Isn't the oldest boy the one Fabala's betrothed to? He's very... interesting..."
The empress sighed, apologizing silently to the royals for her gossipy daughters. "Girls! That's enough! It's not polite to gossip, and Papa and I did not raise four little girls to peck at people like hens at feed, now tell them hello." The two youngest giggled, but a glare from their mother sent both covering their mouths with their hands and falling silent.
After a moment, the girls returned to their line and quickly curtsied, four identical heads of black curls ducking as they did so. "May we go back to playing now, Mama?" The youngest asked, bouncing on the balls of her feet.
"You may play later; it's time for tea." The empress held out a hand to her third daughter. "Fabala, remember Papa and I told you about your betrothal? This is your intended; Fiyero." Slowly, the girl took her mother's hand, allowing her to pull her forward, as the Vinkun king gently nudged his oldest forward as well. She turned to her mother, who nodded, and after a moment, the child held out a hand.
"It's... very nice to meet you." She whispered, as the young prince quickly kissed her hand and then made a face, before retreating back behind his father. As the girl hid her hands behind her back- she was working on rubbing the kiss off on the back of her skirt so her mother couldn't see- she turned big, innocent eyes up to her mother. "May we go play now? Please, Mama?" Melena raised an eyebrow. "We don't want to stay for tea."
The Vinkun queen chuckled. "It's all right, Melena, the girls don't have to stay." She turned to her sons- her oldest the same age as his betrothed, and her youngest a year older than the youngest princess. "Do you want to go play with the girls?" Both boys glanced at the young princesses. The girls were giggling and whispering to each other, casting curious glances at them.
After a moment, the boys nodded, silent. Once the girls had gotten permission, they took off; the youngest girl, Nessa, took Elphaba's hand, tugging her behind her as they dashed off. But the older girl turned back, meeting the younger prince's eyes, a smile tugging at her lips. Without a word, they dashed off, and after a moment, the boys followed, the glimpses of their white dresses leading the way.
Trism shifted the five-month-old infant in his arms. He watched his two oldest rush towards the edge of the lake, laughing and shouting in excitement. The family was spending some time at Rigmarole, the hunting lodge where Trism and Elphaba had spent their honeymoon. A warm, late-June breeze came up, making the water ripple, as the children splashed around. Elphaba held onto the hands of their two younger daughters; the two-year-olds weren't exactly thrilled at the water, and clung to their mother as their brother and sister splashed around in delight. Silently, Elphaba scooped FechÃn up, settling her on her hip before taking Havni's hand and leading the girl back to where her father was sitting with their little brother.
"They don't exactly want to play." He chuckled, kissing his son's head as his youngest daughters sat in the sand and proceeded to build castles. The beaches around the lake were of soft, peach-colored sand- an oddity that drew visitors- and Trism remembered chasing after his cousins and brother on these same beaches as a child. He had loved coming to Rigmarole; it meant he didn't have to act like a prince all the time- he could relax and have fun, and he wanted his children to feel the same. "Were this Caprice-in-the-Pines, my sisters and I would have been first in the water." Elphaba said, recalling the nickname for the palace that was her family's summer residence when Frexpar and Melena still ruled. "We loved to swim; Papa would even join us, and Shell was allowed on occasion. But most of the time he just stayed on the beach with Mama, because of his disease, and Mama was afraid he would hurt himself."
A faraway look moved across her eyes, and she sighed. "Mama!" Faola's voice drew her from her thoughts. "Mama, come play! Please?" She turned to her husband, who shrugged.
"Go on, love." She stood, slipping out of her shoes. "But don't you want to change first? You're going to get soaked if you go in like that." She turned back to him, a grin tugging at her lips.
"Your skirts are going to get soaked, Sophelia Frexparia."
"So? Tha-"
"That's why wading in the water is half the fun." She replied, remembering her oldest sister telling Aunt Illnora the exact same thing. She then grabbed the skirt of her dress and rushed to join her two oldest children. Trism rolled his eyes, chuckling. The sight of his wife playing with their children was too good an opportunity to pass up, and he grabbed the small candy-box camera they'd brought with them, making sure to capture the images of his wife's shimmering smile forever in time.