Elphaba
She had heard her mother's warning before, a thousand times since this journey began, but this time she didn't really care, for she was too enthralled with the landscape that rolled past her. Overwhelmingly tall Quoxwood trees flew by the Governor's carriage at breakneck speed as they rumbled down the steep mountain pass. The fastest route from Munchkinland to the Vinkus was to cut through the forest filled, mountain packed Gillikins, which was what the Thropps had decided to do.
Elphaba extended a hand to the window, fingers reaching for the sky, green on white on gold on blue. She marveled at the blueness of the up and the purpleness of the down. Purple grass was not unique in the Gillikin, her father had told her, and she took delight in the bright hues. If two lands could have different colored grasses, then why couldn't it be said the same about people? Perhaps she wasn't so different after all.
"Do you like the wind? Do you like it, Fabala?" Frexspar asked. He peered curiously at her from across the carriage.
Elphaba babbled incoherently and clapped her hands. She stood up on the seat on uncertain legs, gaining confidence when her father grasped her dress to make sure she did not fall, and poked her head out the window. Her grin stretched to infinity as she felt the air rush at her face. Is this what it felt like to fly? Is this what it felt like to be a bird? Could little girls fly, too?
"You like that, don't you?" Frexspar said. She could have sworn there was a trace of tenderness in his words.
"Keep her inside the carriage," Melena warned once again. "We don't want her being seen. We need to maintain appearances!"
Frexspar gently guided the girl back to her seat. Her little cheeks were flushed, her dark eyes were afire, and she let a light giggle slip from her lips. To this her father raised his eyebrows, her mother exhaled in surprised, and even Elphaba's own mouth fell open.
Elphaba held her breath, pinned beneath the weight of her parents' stare. She was as startled as they to hear such a joyful sound emitting from her person.
Frexspar made to speak, but they rolled over a large bump and the moment was gone. Melena snapped open a lacy white fan and fluttered it irritably in her face.
Elphaba had begun to nod off at the sound of her mother's inconsistent complaining when the carriage wheels groaned in protest. Peering out the window, the little girl noticed that the trees were beginning to slow.
Frexspar rapped on the side of the carriage and called, "Why have we stopped?"
"A road obstruction, sir," the coachman shouted. They heard the horses nicker as the coachman let out a couple of colorful swears.
"Go supervise," Melena urged. "I don't want to be stuck in the godforsaken forest all day." Frowning, Frexspar got up and exited the coach.
Elphaba waited all of seven seconds before leaping up and out of her seat. Cries of "Elphaba! Stay inside!" followed her out the door.
As Elphaba rounded the corner, she found her father, frowning at something unseen, and the coachman, looking very distraught. "I don't know what happened! It was clear just this morning!" he was saying.
Creeping closer, Elphaba saw a mound of broken trees sprawled across the ground, along with branches that were taller than her, leaves, grass, rocks and dirt. Any traveler needed only a single look at the debris to know their destination would have to be redirected.
"Well this pass clearly isn't empty," Frexspar scoffed, waving a hand at the debris. "What could've caused this? Was it manmade? Are there bandits in these forests? Are we in danger?"
"What's going on?" came a call from the carriage.
"The trees are too heavy to be moved by men and we don't have any bandits," the coachman said, indignant. "And we've had no storm nor rain or any natural disaster. Not in the last day! I would know."
Elphaba waddled over to a large leaf and pulled off the black gloves her mother had shoved onto her hands before they had departed. Elphaba cooed in delight. The leaf was the same shade as her.
"How long would it take for us to clear the road?" Frexspar sent a dubious look at the size and weight of the trees. "Can we even...?"
The coachman noticed Elphaba, who was playing with the leaf, and paled. "Your – your daughter, sir," he stuttered.
"Yes, that's Elphaba," Frexspar said dismissively.
"Are we leaving soon?" howled the carriage.
"Sir, she's – she's…"
"The branch, it looks like it's charred. Why?"
"Frex! Why aren't we moving?"
"Yo-ho!" rang a shout. A hooded figure came riding up on a mule. "You won't be getting nowhere in that wheelhouse today, dearies, the road's all blocked, can't you see?"
"Have you the answer to what might've caused this mess?" Frexspar asked in a frustrated tone.
"I'm afraid not. We locals have been wondering the same thing ourselves," the figure said, trotting forward. "One moment the sun was shining and the next we heard thunder and lightning, and trees from all over the town were starting to fall. Some folks say it was coming from the Up Town church, but no one's for certain. I just know that you'll be much better taking the mountain pass."
"I thought this was the mountain pass."
"Oh, it is. But we got more than one mountain, don't we? So, I should think we'd have more than one pass."
It was settled then. Elphaba was hurried back inside and the carriage was turned promptly around. They would reach the Vinkus in four turns of the clock, the traveler promised, and a good afternoon to you!
Elphaba was left to slumber in peace until the coachman announced they were approaching the final leg of their journey. It was then she was woken and given a piece of black cloth that matched her black dress. With her mother's help, she fastened the cloth over her little face. She received several raps on the head for her protests of the covering.
"Good, that's perfect," Melena muttered as she adjusted the child sized veil. Once she was satisfied with the adjustments, she wrestled the gloves back onto Elphaba's hands.
"You won't ever take these off unless you're in your chambers or your father and I say you can, you hear me?"
Elphaba mumbled a string of nonsense, clearly unhappy with her newest accessories. The veil only added to her ailing sight and the hot gloves, thick tights and long sleeves of her ensemble were far too warm for the autumn weather. Frowning, (although her parents couldn't see) she crossed her arms and glared out the window.
The castle was magnificent. Its turrets soared to the star speckled heavens and its moat snaked for miles and miles. The entire keep was three fields long, twenty sizes larger than Elphaba's home, and would have blended into the surrounding shadows, if not for the thousands of candles that illuminated every window and peephole. Elphaba noticed a glint of longing appeared in her mother's eye as they slowly rolled to a stop. This, not the pile of bricks and wood they called the Governor'sMansion, was where Melena belonged.
Frex was the first to depart with Melena swiftly following suit, but not before adjusting Elphaba's veil one last time. Elphaba, who was still drowsy from her nap, hesitated within the carriage and strained to hear the adults.
She heard her father introducing her mother, who replied with a breathy tone, and the voices of who could only be the king and queen. She had been told their names during the journey and made to recite them the best she could, but her memory was failing her now. Elphaba heard her father calling, and gingerly stepped out of the carriage to where a man, a woman and a boy stood, waiting.
The woman – no, the Queen – wore a long, slim dress that pooled in crimson silken rivers at her feet and the King had a dark cloak of the same color about his shoulders that concealed everything below his neck. The boy, who could only be the prince, wore a simple but finely made shirt, breeches, and vest.
"This must be your little girl!" the Queen beamed. She was the most beautiful women Elphaba had ever seen. A crown of sparkling jewels and gems that perched in her curly, black mane almost rivaled a smile that Elphaba thought could surely outshine all the stars in the sky, (her own mother never smiled at her in such a manner) and the Queen's skin, like her family's, was a dark brown color that shimmered with her every breath and shiver. To oil oneself was a custom among the Vinkun ladies.
"Welcome, darling, welcoming to Kiamo Ko."
Elphaba longed to touch the Queen, to see if she was real. She hadn't ever seen somebody with different colored skin other than herself and she practically quivered with excitement.
"T-thank you," Elphaba stuttered shyly, intimidated by the goddess like creature before her.
The Queen turned to Melena, ever so elegant. "How old is your little one?"
"Five, Your Majesty," Melena lied smoothly. It was decided before they left that it would do them better for Elphaba to be older. That way they wouldn't be expected to be saddled down by a toddler.
"Really?" the King asked. He eyed Elphaba dubiously.
"Yes, she is quite small and short for her age," Melena said regretfully. "But she isn't too much younger than your son, I believe. I dearly hope they'll find contentment in each other's presence."
The Prince rolled his eyes by his mother's side.
The Queen gathered Melena's hands in her own. "I imagine they shall find great friendship in each other's presence."
"Why is her face covered?" asked the Prince. Only Elphaba saw how the King gripped him harshly on the shoulder.
"You must pardon my son's bluntness," the King said. His lips were turned upright, but his tone was tight.
"There is nothing to pardon," Frexspar said. He sent an uncomfortable smile to the boy and put on what Elphaba called his Minister Face. "Your Highness, it is a tradition of ours to veil our young girls in order to preserve their purity. The soul is but one gateway to the Unnamed God. Flesh and speech are pathways as well."
The King nudged his son when it was silence that greeted the Governor.
"Oh," the boy said, his interest lost as soon as it caught.
Elphaba shifted from foot to foot. It was starting to get hot under the veil, but she knew she couldn't take it off without her parents' permission. She nearly tumbled over as a thought dawned on her. Would she have to sleep in this dreadful thing?
But now the Queen was speaking again, and they were all beginning to walk towards the castle. "The servants will fetch your things and show you to your rooms. We didn't know if you wanted a chamber for yourselves and a separate one for Elphaba or if you wished to share, so I had the servants prepare two. But, if you do wish to share, then you need only request t —"
"No, no," Melena said quickly, dipping into a curtsy. "Two rooms will be perfect. Please, you needn't bother yourself or your staff. Elphaba'll be fine in her own room. She's a big girl."
And that is how Elphaba found herself alone in a large, vacant chamber in a strange, wild country, waiting to be called to supper, and wishing for something she couldn't yet describe or understand.