HAPPY 17th BIRTHDAY WICKED! You're as old as I am!

And HAPPY HALLOWEEN! I hope whoever celebrates has a safe and happy holiday! I'm dressing up as Arya Stark from Game of Thrones but I'm not going out (thanks Covid). Instead, I'm going to carve pumpkins and do a mini photo shoot with my sister in our backyard today!

Elphaba

"Are you okay?" Fiyero asked. The children were wandering around an open market in one of the villages while their fathers were taking inventory of a nearby grain mill.

Elphaba shrugged as they passed a stall of dream catchers and wind chimes. The chimes sounded pretty as they danced in the wind, which had calmed down a considerable amount a day ago. This was viewed as good fortune by everyone but the children, who were deeply saddened to see the weather improve, for they knew it promised the Thropp's inevitable departure.

"You're more quiet than usual."

"I'm fine," she said softly.

"Hey." He griped her shoulders, preventing her from walking. He was much taller than she was, which forced him to look down at her. "Friends don't give up. Not on each other. What's wrong?"

Unwillingly, her mind brought her to that morning when her mama had caught her slipping into her room after she and Fiyero had fallen asleep in the secret chamber.

"And where is the monster returning from this morning?" Melena had demanded. Her eyes were glazed as she clutched the bed's canopy and Elphaba immediately knew she was recovering from a long night nursing the bottle.

"You're gone all day long and I never see you except for meals, and now you're out all night as well. Since when did the little miss have places to go and people to see?" she taunted. "What havoc are you wreaking now?"

"Fae?" Fiyero had called from outside. "You ready?"

"You're going to meet that Winkie boy? Is that where you're off to? Who you're off to?"

"He's not Winkie," Elphaba said crossly, who had learned that the Vinkun people didn't like being called Winkies. "He's friend."

Melena threw her head back and chortled. "You think that boy is your friend? Please! You've known him for less than a week!"

"I coming!" Elphaba had shouted back as she grabbed what she had come for: the pair of dice Fiyero given had her. She whimpered when Melena suddenly grabbed her arm and pushed her face into her personal space.

"That boy isn't your friend and you're foolish to think so," she spat, digging her nails into Elphaba's flesh.

"We'll be leaving in two days so don't you go getting attached now. You'll probably never see him again and I won't put up with endless fits of tears when we leave, you hear me? I already have this parasite sucking the fucking life out of me and I don't need you doing the same."

She's jealous, Elphaba thought as she untangled herself. She couldn't think of a single person who treated her mama the way Fiyero treated her. Her father wasn't a cruel man but he wasn't affectionate or warm and often preferred his faith to his family, and the woman didn't have any other friends or relatives Elphaba was aware of.

"You wrong," the little girl said quietly as she made to leave. "Fi-yer-o is my friend. You wrong."

Then she slammed the door in her mama's face and had challenged Fiyero to a race.

Elphaba sighed, breaking her from her reverie. "Just tired."

"If you say so." Fiyero said doubtfully.

"Yes."

"Okay... hey, look at that." He pointed at a quoxwood tree that sat on the edge of a forest.

Elphaba squinted as hard as she could. "Tree?"

"No, it's a lose-me-knot. We put nice or smart things on ribbons and tie them on balloons and let them go. We never usually see them again but finding one is supposed to be good luck. I guess you don't do that in Munchkinland... can't you see it on that branch?"

Elphaba shook her head.

His smile faltered slightly. "Is it cause of the veil?"

She shook her head again. "Can't see good no more."

"Why not?"

"Frell," she growled fiercely.

Fiyero looked bewildered, but he didn't pry. Instead, he ran to retrieve the ribbon, and came back with a streak of red in his fingers. He unfurled it and showed it to her.

"It says, 'take some advice and dance through life.There's no need to tough it when you can slough it. Nothing matters. It's just life, so keep dancing through.'"

"What's mean?" Elphaba asked, who had never heard of the word 'slough' before.

Fiyero stared at the scripture, unmoving, and seemed to be deep in thought. She nudged him when he didn't move.

The little boy cleared his throat. "Uh, it means to not worry about stuff so much. Sounds nice, right? To be happy and free? No stupid adults or parents or rules..." he trailed of.

Elphaba giggled. "Ya."

"If you could do anything or be anything or have anything in the whole wide world, what would it be? I'd wouldn't be a prince, even for just one day, so I could go places all by myself."

Elphaba thought for a moment. Her real wish was to be a different color, but she couldn't say anything about the green.

"Pretty," she finally said, figuring it was as close to the truth she could get.

"You're already pretty," Fiyero said matter-of-factly.

She wanted to point out that he hadn't ever seen her face so he couldn't possibly know if she was pretty or not, but she didn't have the words, so she said nothing at all.

Instead, she listened to the world around her. Children were laughing, a dog was barking, hawkers were haggling prices, and the tangible scent of autumn and freshly baked pie wafted through the market. At the far end of the isle of stalls was an illuminated stand that was shedding beams of light and a large crowd had gathered.

Fiyero noticed her curiosity and his eyes lit up. "C'mon. We have the best metalsmiths in all of Oz and I've heard girls like jewelry."

He led her to illuminated stand where a thousand pieces of jewelry must have been on display. Jewels, gems and stones of all sizes, shapes and shades glistened and shimmered and threw light every which way.

Fiyero had been off in his assumption, but only slightly. Elphaba didn't like the jewelry, she loved it. She was memorized by the fragility of the earrings, the elegance of the necklaces, the exquisiteness of the rings… how even the largest pieces looked whimsical and delicate and the smallest pieces stood proud and bold.

Unfortunately for her, about a dozen of other folks liked the jewelry as well. But luckily, Fiyero, being the crown prince, was well known by his subjects, and was able to maneuver them to the front of the crowd with no more than a smile and an indication of his head.

"Which one, Your Highness? Pick any and it's yours!" the metalsmith boomed from behind his beard.

Fiyero gestured to Elphaba and urged her forward. "Pick."

Her throat went dry as the thought of owning her very own piece. Her mama sometimes wore earrings and once upon a time own a wedding ring that she claimed to have lost a few years ago, and the Queen had a whole assortment of jewelry, each piece more breathtaking then the last.

It was her rings that Elphaba was drawn to, so a silver band was the first thing she pointed to. It was a simple and sweet with a leaf print etched into the metal and it was the smallest piece available.

The metalsmith waved off the money Fiyero tried to give him as Elphaba slipped the ring onto her gloved thumb. She loved how it sparkled and hugged her finger. It was perfect.

After that the children moved from one stall to another and were greeted with a response that was similar to the metalsmith, once the owners recognized Fiyero. They must have visited every stall in the whole market, and gleefully accepted 'donations' from each one.

A few hours later their legs grew too tired of roaming and their arms grew too filled with free delights, so they decided to find solace on the edge of the woods. It was there their fathers found them sitting, under a cluster of trees, surrounded by all sorts of free sweets and snacks.

"I can see you two were busy," the King said dryly as they approached. He snorted and gestured to the grass. "May I?"

Fiyero nodded tightly and to Elphaba's utter surprise, the King sat down. Here was a man who was not only an adult, but a monarch of an entire country, sitting crisscross apple sauce on the grass with them. She didn't know what to think. The King wasn't an overly friendly sort of person, and Fiyero gave off a vibe that told her they weren't close, and seemed to make an incredible effort to keep his father and her apart.

"It seems our children certainly know how to forage for food," the King told Frex, who had voiced his fear of grass stains and dirt and opted to stand.

Now that was the kind of adult Elphaba was used to.

Fiyero's father surprised Elphaba even more by smiling at her and gently asking, "Did you find anything good?"

This seemed to astound Fiyero as well, who grew tenser with each passing clock tick.

Elphaba held up her bag of kettlecorn, babbling, and pointed to the ribbon in Fiyero's lap.

The King followed her finger and broke into a grin. "You found a lose-me-knot. I'm assuming Fiyero told you all about them?"

Elphaba hummed.

"It's a sweet tradition, isn't it?"

"Ya!" she chirped, to which he chuckled.

"I must say, I'm extremely jealous. I've always wanted to find one, but I have yet to accomplish such a feat. I guess you're a lucky charm. Do you think you can help with my search next time? Lend me some luck?"

Elphaba nodded eagerly.

Frexspar sighed, clearly uncomfortable with being out of the loop. "May I ask what this lose-me-knot symbolizes?"

The King winked at Elphaba as he addressed her father. "Yes, forgive me. A lose-me-knot—"

"Fae needs glasses," Fiyero blurted out. Three pairs of eyes fell on him and he blushed. "She can't see good and it's not cause of the veil. I think… glasses… could help…"

The King frowned at his son, puzzlement clear as day plastered across his face, but slowly twisted his lips into a smile. "Come with me, then. And leave the snacks," he added as he stood.

The four of them returned to market and wove their way through the cluttered stalls. They stopped in front of a spectacle stand, where the owner nearly fainted from shock when she saw who they were.

"Your Majesty!" she gasped, nearly breaking her neck as she dropped to her knees.

Elphaba flushed, despite the King seeming completely unphased by the woman's reaction. Fiyero at least had the decency to act embarrassed.

"Your Majesty, this is awfully generous of you but you truly needn't bother," Frexspar began, who looked like he had had just about enough of nature for one day.

"Can this girl see or not?" the King snapped.

"Yes," Frex said while Fiyero snarled, "No." They all looked at Elphaba, who, despite her father's warning glare, slowly whispered, "No."

The King shook his head at Frexspar, whose face was stuck between a look of mortification and anger, and turned to the woman. "Can you fit this child for a pair? We'll need one for now and some spares for when she grows."

"Yes, of c-c-course!" The owner leapt to her feet, produced a measuring tape out of nowhere and began to measure Elphaba's head.

The difference father and son was that while Fiyero attempted to pay for every item they took, the King merely expected his purchase to be free. So, twenty minutes and an awkward transaction later, Elphaba walked away with three free new pairs of wired-framed glasses in her hands.

"An h-h-onor to be of service, Your Majesty, simply an honor," the owner called as they piled into their carriages, the children in one and the adults in another.

Her voices faded away as the carriages took off for Kiamo Ko.

"So… you met my father." Fiyero said. His didn't seem to know where to look, for his eyes kept darting from the window to the ceiling to the floor.

"Nice," Elphaba said softly as she twirled her ring, remembering how he smiled so kindly. It wasn't very often people smiled at her. They usually reserved their screams and gasps and heated whispers for when she was around.

Fiyero's face twisted into something she had never seen before. "Don't," he spat, and she was startled by the amount of venom in his voice. "He's not, okay? He's not."

Elphaba crossed her arms and glared at him. Her mama was jealous that she made her first friend, and her father was irritated that she wanted to see. Fiyero was the only person in all of Oz who couldn't be mad at her, but he was (and for a reason she didn't even know) and now she was starting to get mad at him.

"I'm sorry," Fiyero mumbled, running a hand through his curls. He looked terribly muddled and jilted. "I dunno why he was so nice back there… he's usually never… never with me… he's just… really different in real life, okay?"

"Okay," Elphaba said, because what else could she do?

She turned to the window and watched as the countryside rolled past. The faintest sliver of a moon was beginning to appear as the sun slowly sunk below the hills. She could make out the Twins; the only constellation that could be seen so early in the evening, Fiyero claimed. She scowled. Stupid Fiyero and his stupid stars.

"Hey…"

She glanced at him begrudgingly.

"Are you mad?"

"No."

"You're lying."

"Nu-uh," she said, which wasn't a whole lie. Just a partial truth.

"Are too."

"Not."

"Yeah, you are."

"Nu-uh."

"Fine," he sighed. "Whatever."

Elphaba huffed.

After a moment Fiyero said, "I can't believe you're leaving soon." A pause. "I'm gonna miss you."

Despite herself, Elphaba looked at him. "Me too," she whispered, and this time, it was the whole truth.

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Fun facts!

1. The message on the ribbon are lyrics from Fiyero's solo Dancing Through Life. I thought it would be a really fun (and cheesy) easter egg for all us musical fans out there.

2. I knew from the moment I started writing this story that I wanted to explain how Elphaba got the wired glasses she wears in most of Act 1 of the musical, so I'm super happy to finally bring the idea to life in this chapter.

3. In the book I THINK the Vunkus is described as a very desert-like region, but I also wanted to give them different seasons and everything, so I threw in the drought plot as a nod to the novel.

Please review!