They didn't find themselves sneaking off to make love as often as they'd thought they would. Even the times when they did wander the castle in search of a private place with commodious furniture, they'd get distracted by some discovery or other. There were depictions of tribal gatherings on the walls in the cellar, and diaries of Fiyero's ancestors stored in the attic. Fiyero and Elphaba were never bored.
As Fiyero had guessed, Elphaba got along wonderfully with his parents, especially his mother. Often times Fiyero would wake up, knock on the guest room door in search of Elphaba only to find it empty because she was downstairs having some kind of "girl talk" with his mother, talks he was always sent away during. He was happy that Elphaba was on good terms with his parents, but he did resent being told to attend to some chore or other while his mother talked to his girlfriend about Oz only knew what, and probably about him.
One evening, in the living room, Fiyero and Elphaba sat, relaxed, on the couch, cuddling and discussing just about anything that came to either of their minds. Fiyero's father and mother were walking around the castle, chasing after one child and then another, and occasionally entering the room, unperturbed by the affection the couple was showing. They were used to it. It seemed chaste and, besides, it was kind of cute. At some point, Fiyero said, "It's good that you and my mom are becoming friendly."
"Yeah," Elphaba agreed, "this would have been a very, very long holiday if she and I disliked one another."
"And it wouldn't go very well, you know, if you two were at odds and you and I got married," Fiyero added.
Elphaba shoved him away from her, then. "What have I told you? Fiyero, I can't understand why you possibly thought it was smart to bring up the marriage thing. I'm not a typical female; I'm not going to jump into your arms and beg you to marry me. I don't even like the idea. Stop talking about it!"
"We've been together a year and a half, Elphaba."
"I'm sick of every other not-so-subtle comment you make being about marriage. I get it and I don't like it. Leave me be!"
"How can you love me and be so opposed to marrying me?" He challenged.
"I am not that opposed to it," she explained, struggling to keep her calm, "I just don't think I want to discuss it!"
"Maybe we need to, since we aren't on the same page, here."
Elphaba stood up. "We haven't been on the same page for months with this thing, Fiyero, and you don't seem to realize that!" She stomped out of the room only to run into Fiyero's mother. "Oh! Sorry, I…"
The woman had heard everything. At only thirty-seven years old, she could still understand some of Elphaba's other dilemmas, but this one baffled her. "Come. Let's talk for a few minutes."
Elphaba nodded as the two headed up to her room. "All right, ma'm."
"I've told you, call me Elyria."
Elphaba didn't say anything. She felt uncomfortable addressing an adult that she respected so casually. Instead, she entered her room and sat down on her bed, looking at the woman expectantly. Knowing that the woman had heard the majority of the conversation she'd just had with Fiyero didn't bother Elphaba as much as it might've. At the moment, she was just incredibly relieved that neither she nor Fiyero had made any sort of comment about sex.
"My son loves you." Elyria said simply.
"And I love him." Elphaba replied.
"I'm aware of that. Has he formally proposed to you?"
Elphaba shook her head. "That's part of what I don't like about this situation. First of all, though, I have plans made for at least a year past graduation. I'm supposed to go and work for the Wizard, and I don't know what that would encompass, where I'd have to live and how much I'd be able to see Fiyero. Second of all, I don't want to talk about it. I don't want to know he's going to ask. Even if I were sure about my future, I wouldn't accept unless he made it more unexpected. I don't want to discuss it with him and then have it just be agreed on. I never thought I'd get married, but now… if I did, I want him to propose, not have an entire conversation with me about it all the time."
"I see where you're coming from. My son's a little pushy, with some things."
Elphaba smiled. "A little."
Elyria looked around the room. The bed was made and it looked almost unoccupied. The majority of the closet was empty hangers, and the drawers in the dresser counted up to ten, and only one was full, a second half-full. Everything else looked unlived in. She remembered seeing the girl's bag when she'd arrived and thinking it was meager. Nothing in the room signified that Elphaba was staying there. All that was really different was some sort of emerald carving place on the dresser, in the middle in front of the mirror. Getting up, she moved to study it.
Elphaba leapt off the bed. "Don't!"
The woman gave Elphaba an inquisitive look.
"That… that's very special to me. I get uncomfortable when people touch it, that's all." Elphaba flushed.
"I only meant to look at it." Elyria assured her.
Elphaba shrugged and turned towards the window. "Fiyero gave it to me."
Studying the inscription, Fiyero's mother felt a pang of sorrow at having to share her son's love with another. But this would happen, and would happen with Fiyero's other siblings as well, she knew. "It's very pretty."
"I don't know what he went through to get it," Elphaba said wonderingly.
"He'd go through hell and high water for some things. And then there are things, of course, like his schoolwork, that he wouldn't go through anything for." Elyria sat down next to Elphaba.
Elphaba chuckled lightly.
"If my son comes to his senses and does officially ask you to marry him, would you agree to it?"
"I think I might." Elphaba answered truthfully.
"Good. I like you. You're much different from my son and I think you would be good for him. Besides, the two most oddly colored women in Oz in one family would be quite amusing."
If it had been anyone else making a comment about Elphaba's color and laughing, she would've snapped. But Fiyero's mother was different, too, and thus her joking was allowed. Elphaba giggled. "That would be interesting."
"Now, what's this business about working for the Wizard?" Elyria asked.
Elphaba explained to her what Madame Morrible had said and what the Wizard had said. She even included Glinda's horrifying suggestion and her own beliefs of what she'd like to change in Oz. "But if things don't work out, I might end up anywhere."
"Or here. Your friend did have a good idea."
"Maybe."
After a long pause Elyria said, "Marry my son. Please."
Just as Elphaba had left the room, Fiyero's father had entered. He hadn't heard as much as Fiyero's mother had, but he'd gotten the gist of the conversation. Fiyero's father didn't know where the young woman had gone, nor where his wife had run off to. She'd said she'd be downstairs and he hadn't run into her yet. Watching his son sigh heavily and bury his face in his hands, he cleared his throat in the doorway. "Son."
"Oh!" Fiyero looked up. "Dad. Sorry."
"Have a little argument with that girl of yours?" He sat down next to Fiyero.
"You could say that."
"Son, you've got to give her some time. Out here, women are married off much earlier than anywhere else."
"I know that, Dad. And it's much later already." Fiyero stated.
"Not enough for her, apparently. She's not ready for that. Or maybe she is. But I don't think she likes the way you're approaching it."
"What do you mean?"
"Fiyero, women are strange."
"That doesn't tell me anything I didn't know five minutes ago."
"I wasn't done." His father scolded.
"Sorry."
"Anyway, as I was saying, women don't think like us. They like surprises and romance."
"Not this one. Elphaba's not typical."
"Not always, no. But there are some things that most women have in common, and if she didn't, I'd be pretty shocked. She just acts more distant than some, but that doesn't mean certain things aren't going to be the same. Marriage isn't a discussion."
"With her, everything's a discussion," Fiyero muttered.
"When you two started seeing one another, was that a discussion?"
"Yes, actually, it was."
Fiyero's father raised his eyebrows, but continued. "Well, that's beside the point. I don't think it's wise to mention it to her for a while. If you want to marry her, you ask. You cannot just bring it up and see what she thinks, at least not so often. Women want to be proposed to, and they want it to seem somewhat random. They don't want you to sit down with them, talk about it and then just decide."
"It's hard to tell with her, Dad. There are so many things that are different from the way most girls would act that I don't know when she'd act the same."
"I'm telling you right now. Most women will act the same over several topics: marriage, sex and children."
"That's another thing," Fiyero said quietly, "I don't think I want to have children, if I marry her. I mean, I know I need a descendent to the throne, but I don't want what you had, no offense, and have children right and left. I want to wait a long time before any of that. But that's not the custom here."
"I think that'll be fine. You shouldn't be concerned with that, quite yet. I think you should worry more about actually getting married, first."
Fiyero nodded.
The two men sat in silence for a long time until some rustling in the doorway caught their attention and brought light to both of their eyes. Elyria and Elphaba walked into the room and Elphaba sat down next to Fiyero again and took his hand. "I'm sorry."
Elyria nudged her husband and he put an arm around her shoulders and they left the room. Being a woman, and a mother, and a bit nosy, Elyria insisted on standing somewhat close to the open doorway.
"No, Fae, I'm sorry," Fiyero told her. He resolved not to bring up marriage for a time, quite some time.
Elyria had to stifle her giggles against her husband's chest as she peeked in on Fiyero and Elphaba sharing a sweet, loving kiss.