Chapter 2
Elphaba never heard the story. She was raised in a Unionist house, after all, and Frex would never allow Lurlinist folklore around his daughters.
Which meant that she was rather bemused when Galinda returned to their dorm room after her first official date with Fiyero and immediately began examining every inch of her body.
"Is there a bug or something?" she asked warily, as Galinda stood practically nose-to-nose with her reflection, examining her face and neck.
"Don't be ridiculous, Elphie," Galinda retorted. "I'm looking for Brunhilla's mark!"
Elphaba blinked. "What?!"
Galinda turned impatiently. "Brunhilla's mark. You know- like the story?"
When Elphaba's face remained perfectly blank, Galinda's eyes widened.
"Elphie!"
Elphaba winced at the nickname as Galinda rushed over to perch herself on the end of Elphaba's bed, carefully and rather dramatically, telling the story of Ilah and Myf. Although, Galinda's version of the tale differed from the norm in one key aspect.
"The love dust guides you to your soulmate- your one true love!" she said dreamily.
"Soulmates don't exist," Elphaba replied bluntly.
Galinda pouted. "Elphaba."
"They don't! The odds of your perfect match being your preferred gender, your type and somewhere for you to actually meet them would be ridiculous. Which means the majority of the world is doomed to die alone or in very unhappy relationships that they're not meant to be in."
Galinda frowned at her, and then pointed to her sternly. "One day, Miss Elphaba. You are going to fall in love with your soulmate and then I am going to laugh," she vowed.
Elphaba scoffed. "Oh, please."
Galinda ignored her, going into the bathroom to continue her search for Brunhilla's mark.
That this became Galinda's post-date routine alongside washing off her makeup, changing into her nightgown and recounting every detail to an unenthusiastic Elphaba was one thing. But when Galinda returned one night and emerged from the bathroom wearing her nightgown and a pout, Elphaba had to ask.
"It's been a month," Galinda whined, collapsing onto her bed in defeat and staring up at the ceiling miserably. "And I make sure to stare into his eyes all the time. Why is there no mark yet?"
Elphaba looked up from her essay she was proofreading and took off her glasses to rub at her eyes, turning in her desk chair to face her roommate.
"I'm sorry. You do what now?"
"Stare into his eyes."
"Why?"
Galinda turned her head to look at Elphaba with a frown. "To see if I get the mark, of course!"
Elphaba stared at Galinda with what could only be described as incredulity. "Wait. Are you telling me that all that romantic crap about staring into each other's eyes that everyone does, is just all about trying to get an imaginary smudge from a fictional deity?"
"Well, I don't know about everyone-"
"Galinda."
"And you have no proof she's fictional, or that the mark is imaginary!"
Elphaba sighed. "Galinda, I don't want to talk about religion with Nessarose, or with you."
Galinda sat up on her bed, and crossed her arms over her chest to glare at Elphaba. "Elphaba, can you just help me? Please?"
Elphaba rolled her eyes, but ultimately gave in and put her papers aside. She got up from her desk and moved to collapse onto her bed.
"Okay," she agreed. "Explain to me again why the eye contact is so important?"
"The eyes are the windows to the soul," Galinda recited. "It's how you get the mark. You look into each other's eyes, soul meets soul and then they get the mark."
"Soul meets soul," Elphaba repeated. "Forgive me if I'm misunderstanding, but I thought relationships were about love. Where does that fit in?"
"Soul. Meets. Soul," Galinda repeated. "What else is that but love?"
Elphaba opened her mouth, closed it again and then shook her head.
"Look," she said finally. "Have you considered the fact that maybe you're not going to get the mark? Not because it may or may not be fictional," she added hastily before Galinda could protest. "But just because Fiyero may not be your soulmate?"
Galinda's eyes widened. "But he is," she insisted. "He has to be. He's perfect for me."
Elphaba made a face, moving past that comment. "If you don't get the mark, is there anything preventing your plan where you get married and live happily ever after?"
Galinda paused, wrinkled her nose and slowly her shoulders slumped. "No," she admitted reluctantly.
"And there's the other possibility, that maybe Fiyero just… isn't in love with you. Yet," she added, when Galinda's jaw dropped in horror.
"A month isn't a very long time," she pointed out. "And from what I've heard of Fiyero, he's had socks he's worn longer than he's been dating you."
"Elphie!" Galinda exclaimed. "That is not true. Can't you and Fiyero please get along?" she pleaded. "It is honestly exhausting trying to manage you two in the same room."
"If he chooses to not be a pain in my ass, I'll consider it," Elphaba snarked.
Galinda chose to ignore that.
"You really think that's it? That… that he just isn't in love with me yet?" she asked, her voice small.
Elphaba shrugged. "Maybe. What do I know?"
"How do I make him fall in love with me? Is it something I'm doing wrong? Or not doing?" Galinda asked, her lip wobbling slightly.
Elphaba faltered, sighing again. "Are you in love with him?"
"Of course I am," Galinda insisted.
"Why?"
"Because he's perfect."
Elphaba's brow furrowed. "Galinda… I don't think that's a reason."
"Of course it is. What better reason is there? We're perfect together."
Elphaba swallowed back the words and questions dying to be spoken. Instead she looked at Galinda's downcast face and sighed.
"Would it make you feel better if I let you pick out my outfit for class tomorrow?" she offered, bracing herself what was sure to be a tortuous hour, at least.
Galinda's face brightened immediately. "It really would," she agreed.
Elphaba nodded, sighing as Galinda launched off her bed and practically skipped towards her closet. At least her essay wasn't due for another week.
Just days and yet somehow a lifetime later, Elphaba burst into the dorm room in excitement, already mentally planning everything to pack for the Emerald City. She went straight to the closet to grab her suitcase, tossing it onto the bed alongside her bag, precious emerald and gold envelope tucked securely inside.
A muffled sob caught her attention as she headed back to the closet, and gave Elphaba paused, turning towards the bathroom.
"Galinda?"
Another sob, and Elphaba cautiously approached the closed bathroom door.
"Galinda, are you okay? What's happened?" she called through the door.
"Go away!"
Elphaba's heart sank. She hadn't heard that tone in Galinda's voice since before they'd become friends.
"Galinda, what happened?" she asked again, her heart pounding slightly faster.
There came the flutters of movement from the other side of the door, interlaced with sniffles and choked back sobs, before Galinda finally opened the bathroom door. Her face was pale and her eyes red-rimmed, and she averted her gaze from Elphaba's face as she adjusted her waistcoat.
Elphaba's blood ran cold, her first thought being that Galinda knew. Had Fiyero told her? Had he broken up with her? She opened her mouth to apologise, but with not even a clue about what she was going to say. How did you apologise for… what? She and Fiyero hadn't kissed, or barely touched. But there'd been something, Elphaba was sure of it. Something there shouldn't have been with your friend's boyfriend, and the lingering guilt and confusifying emotions Elphaba couldn't even truly put a name to were eating her alive.
But Galinda spoke before Elphaba could find the words.
"Fiyero has the mark," Galinda said hoarsely.
Elphaba blinked, completely distracted from her half-formed apologies and confessions. "What?" she asked, frowning.
"The mark, Elphie. Brunhilla's mark! Fiyero has it!"
She thrust her wrist under Elphaba's nose, pointing to the blank skin on the inside. "It's right there. I saw it."
"Maybe it's a birthmark you've just never noticed before?" Elphaba suggested practically. "I mean, how often do you look at the inside of his wrists?"
"It's new," Galinda insisted. "He didn't have it a week ago and now he does!"
"Okay," Elphaba placated her. "So… isn't that what you wanted? Isn't this good news?"
She tried to sound cheerful about this, even as her heart wrenched painfully. But her forced smile dropped as Galinda choked back a fresh sob, tears welling in her eyes again.
"I don't have it, though," she said shakily. "I just checked. Still nothing."
Elphaba winced. "Oh," she said lamely, not sure what else there was to be said.
Elphaba wasn't convinced in the least by the story of Brunhilla's mark. Fiyero had arrived at Shiz in the middle of winter. She didn't find it suspicious at all that Galinda would have not noticed a birthmark on the inside of his wrist when it would usually be covered by sleeves.
But Galinda was upset, and Elphaba's guilt over the Lion cub was enough for her to refrain from pointing this out, and merely consoling Galinda with empty promises that perhaps her mark would show up later.
"I mean, do you actually know anyone with the mark?" she asked her.
"Pfannee's cousin's neighbour has it!" Galinda replied, nodding frantically as she wiped her eyes. "Him and his boyfriend."
Elphaba rubbed her forehead tiredly. "Okay. While I'm sure that Pfannee's cousin's neighbour is a… very reliable source of information, my point is: do you know for sure how these things work? That you must get them at the same time?"
Galinda frowned. "I don't know," she admitted.
"See? There's still hope," Elphaba said, feeling worse as Galinda's face brightened.
"Why is your suitcase out?" Galinda asked dully some time later, once she had regained her composure.
Elphaba had almost forgotten about the suitcase on her bed and the invitation in her bag. Her heart lifted as she glanced back at the suitcase and then to Galinda, unable to keep the excitement out of her voice.
"Madame Morrible came and found me just now," she said, faintly breathless. "You'll never guess what's happened!"
