A/N: "Really?" I hear you all asking. "She's updating after just a week?" Well, yes, I am!
WickedObsessed (Guest): Thank you for writing one of the nicest reviews I've received! I don't know whether you can see your own reviews on a page as a Guest, but when I receive reviews from Guests I get an email notification, then I have to approve them before they'll show up. That could be why. I've approved yours, so hopefully you can see it now! I definitely won't be abandoning this story. I think it's such a pity that so many wonderful fics get abandoned, so I don't want to add my own story to that list. I can't update as often as I'd like to, but hey, I guess it keeps the suspense going, right? I love how you're saying it's not my fault Frex is mean, because we all know it kind of is my fault... I'm the one writing this after all haha. As far as all your questions regarding plot, my answer to all is... maybe, maybe not! There may or may not be musical elements in the story; as you can tell, this fic is heavily AU. It definitely isn't bookverse though, since I've never read the book. Any book elements in here are simply ones I've picked up from being in the fanfiction community. I love that you're enjoying my fic. Hearing that is music to my ears.
Squirming, squirming, wriggling. Oz! Couldn't that cat stop making her feel like she had indigestion?
Elphaba supposed it was her own fault. And now she probably looked like she had indigestion too, to both Nessa and Fiyero. To Nessa, anyway. Fiyero was still watching her with that infuriating grin of his as she grappled with her stomach as though trying to stop her intestines falling out.
"Fabala, look!" Nessa was saying. "Look at these simply exquisite scarves!"
Elphaba tried to smile in acknowledgement, though she was sure it looked more like a grimace. She bent over slightly as Cowper kicked even fiercer against the inside of her coat. He could breathe just fine – she'd made sure of that, leaving enough space at the top. No, he was just angry.
"Lovely," she answered vaguely, accidentally letting out a grunt as Cowper kicked with enthusiasm.
Finally, Nessa seemed to notice that something wasn't right. She frowned. "Elphaba, are you quite alright?"
Fiyero behind her chair looked like he was struggling to contain himself, his face turning a bright red as he held back his laughter. If she hadn't been so darn uncomfortable, Elphaba would have glared at him.
"She's fine, Miss Nessarose," he quipped musically. He was enjoying this. "I think she just forgot to go to the privy before we left."
Elphaba blushed furiously, as she spluttered, "I did not!"
"Really?" he raised an eyebrow. "You always dance like that on an outing?"
For once, she was rendered speechless with mortification, and Fiyero looked very smug when he seemed to come to this realisation.
"Are you quite certain?" Nessa asked again, slowly.
"Yes, I'm fine, Nessie," Elphaba managed to get out without wheezing.
Nessa didn't look convinced, but she dropped the subject and turned her attention back to the scarves stand. "Oh, how beautiful!" she cried, wheeling over to a blue silk scarf with embroidered diamonds. Delicately she reached out to touch it. "But it's so expensive," she mourned.
"Well, why not buy it with the money Father gave you? I'm sure you have enough there if you really want to purchase it," Elphaba pointed out.
"But we've hardly seen anything yet!" Nessa argued. "If I buy this now, I won't have anything left if I see something I love more."
Elphaba shrugged. It made no difference to her. Surely if Nessa liked the scarf then that was good enough reason to buy it now. But she knew her views on the matter would not sway her sister, who seemed so often to have an entirely different way of looking at life.
Fiyero sidled up beside Nessa to have a look at the scarves himself. "Some of these really are beautiful," he commented.
Elphaba snorted as she took his place behind Nessa's chair. "Are you an expert in scarves?"
The corner of Fiyero's mouth tugged upwards, and Elphaba's heart flipped. "Unfortunately, yes. My sister could spend hours talking about the designs and fabrics used in scarves. Not clothes, or even accessories in general," he grinned. "Scarves, in particular. I could never understand why."
Elphaba couldn't help smiling in return. "So you learned to acquire her taste, is that it?"
"Something like that," he chuckled.
Feeling that in spite of the ordinary conversation, her heart rate was responding a little too eagerly to the prince at present, Elphaba coughed and looked away from him, trying to feign indifference as she inquired, "So, what is your informed opinion on Nessa's blue scarf? Do you think it would look well on her?"
Fiyero looked a little startled at the question, but obediently thought about it. Nessa herself looked up at him, intrigued to hear his answer, and – yes, Elphaba could admit it – hopeful to hear something of affection in his reply.
"I think anything would look well on Miss Nessarose," he answered carefully.
Nessa, however, beamed. "You really think so?" she fixed her eyes on him, brimming with such hope that Elphaba felt the need to look away, almost believing that look could burn her.
"Yes," Fiyero continued. "Ashila - my sister, that is – would call it azure blue. I think that would work well with Nessarose's skin tone."
Nessa's smile could hardly have become any wider. Elphaba bit her lip. But she had to do her duty.
"I agree," she forced a smile. And she wasn't lying as she remarked, "It compliments Nessie's eyes. It makes her look more elegant than she already is."
Nessa was positively glowing by this point, looking as though she didn't know what to do with herself with all the praise.
Fiyero had an odd expression on his face, however, as he looked closely at Elphaba. She avoided his eyes as best she could – those eyes that saw too much – by focusing her attention on the other scarves on the stand. "Do you think anything else here would be good enough for my sister?" she asked Fiyero again, injecting as much enthusiasm as she could into the query. To still her trembling fingers, she brushed them against the array of fine silks, trying to take in any of what she saw in front of her.
Fiyero was quiet for a moment. Then he joined her at the stand. No! He wasn't supposed to join her! Desperately she tried to communicate with him with her thoughts. Go back to Nessa! Stand next to her, where you can brush her arm with yours!
Because that was exactly what he was doing right now. The hairs on her arm stood on end as he touched her.
"I know what would be good enough for you," he murmured, reaching for a scarf that was displayed at the back. It was a deep shade of forest green, noticeably darker than the colour of her own skin. It was plain, with no jewels or embroidery to distract, and yet the material looked unbelievable soft, whatever it was made of. Fiyero held the scarf carefully in his hands, then asked her, "Will you try it on?"
Her mind currently in overdrive, Elphaba could do little more than nod dumbly. He wound it around her neck himself, leaving a little of its length to drop down her front. Closer. He was so much closer. She suddenly found it very difficult to remember how to breathe.
Ever so lightly, Fiyero ran his fingers down the material of the scarf, not touching her. "It's perfect," he said softly.
Somehow, Elphaba found it in her to joke weakly, "Because it's green?"
Fiyero responded with a half-smile. "That too."
"Then, because it's plain, like its wearer?" she continued desperately, trying to get rid of the tension between them.
Fiyero's smile vanished, and he looked at her so intensely she forgot to breathe altogether. "Because it's simple, with no embellishments, and because it highlights the beauty of its wearer without drawing attention away from her."
Fiyero was looking at her with such longing in that moment that the rest of the bustling world around them melted away. Nessa melted away. They may as well have been completely alone for all she noticed. Fiyero lowered his voice so that she could just barely make him out. "Why have you been avoiding me?" he asked.
Elphaba was silent. What could she say? Her fried brain scrambled to think of something to say, when it felt as though something dropped from her stomach and she gasped.
At once, she realised what had happened. She had allowed her arm to come away from her middle, and Cowper had slipped out the bottom of her coat.
"Elphaba!" Nessa's voice just now came into her consciousness, and she turned around to see her sister staring at the cat with wide eyes.
Cowper gazed up at Elphaba, tilting his head with something like exasperation, then turned around and ran off in between two stalls.
"Cowper!" Elphaba cried, in panic now. Stupid cat. Stupid, stupid cat. Stupid green girl!
"I'm so sorry," she addressed both Nessa and Fiyero hurriedly before unwinding the scarf and dashing off after the animal.
"Elphaba!" Fiyero's voice followed her, but she blocked it out. Unthinkingly, she dropped down onto her knees, crawling between the stalls where she had seen Cowper disappear.
Furious cries of "Oi!" and "Watch it!" buzzed all around her as she shuffled on her hands and knees, trying to see through the stall legs, boxes of crafts and human legs for even the smallest hint of black. There!
She darted towards where she had seen a flash of fur, pushing through the throngs of people on the other side of the stall to hurry to her feet. She bolted.
People yelled and gasped as she ran across the square, Cowper just out of reach. He disappeared again under a stack of bamboo baskets. Elphaba was just making to dive after him when a hand hauled her back by the material at the back of her neck, and she found herself staring into the ugliest bear face she'd ever seen. But perhaps it was an insult to bears to compare it to such.
The face twisted into a scowl, pulling her almost nose to nose.
"Now, listen here, missy," the man growled. "I don't know what you think you're doing crawling under my stall. Were you trying to steal something?"
"No!" Elphaba squeaked, wriggling to try and free herself from his big, ugly hand.
"I certainly hope not," the man continued, moving even closer to her face. His breath stank. "Because I hate thieves, and I don't care who you are, I will turn you in to the authorities if I discover you've been stealing from me. You're Governor Thropp's daughter, aren't you?"
Elphaba nodded. "Yes, Elphaba Thropp, sir. But I didn't steal anything. I was just trying to get my cat!"
His eyes narrowed, and Elphaba almost gagged at the stench coming from his mouth. What had he eaten? "Your cat?" He looked incredulous.
"Elphaba's nodding became more frantic. "Yes! He ran off." Her eyes flashed and her struggling became angrier. "Now unhand me!"
He did so, but slapped her across the mouth with the back of his hand. Elphaba gasped, bringing a hand to her stinging mouth.
"That'll teach you for your insolence! Your cat, you say? Would it be that cat?" he pointed towards the stall, where Cowper was indeed perched on top of the counter, as if he'd been waiting there for her the whole time. Elphaba was torn between the desire to sigh with relief and to roar with frustration. Settling for neither, she simply swept over and took Cowper up in her arms, scowling. "Stupid cat," she muttered irritably.
To her surprise, the man threw his head back and laughed gruffly. "Well, I suppose you're no thief after all. You don't behave much like a Governor's daughter either, though." He chuckled away to himself, seeming to find the whole thing highly amusing.
Huffing, Elphaba slipped Cowper underneath her right arm and fisted the other one on her hip, glaring at the idiot man as intimidatingly as she could. "Thank you. So I've been told. I'd be happy to add your name to the list of people who think so. Or maybe I should just punch you back for slapping me. That would be far more satisfying."
For some reason, he seemed to find what she'd said even funnier, and he began spluttering with hilarity. "I've heard about you, Miss Elphaba Thropp. The stories don't do you justice."
Elphaba gaped at him in offence. "What is that supposed to mean?" she demanded.
He smiled, more softly now – or that could just have been her imagination. "Don't fret, Miss Thropp. Most of the stories talk about the unusual colour of your skin. Few mention your spirit."
Elphaba frowned, thoroughly confused now. She wasn't given a chance to respond however, as Cowper meowed from under her arm, managing to get free – again!
This time, Elphaba did screech at the sheer madness of how this day had gone.
The man laughed again. "Go get your cat, green girl."
Elphaba didn't hear if he said anything else.
…
She'd lost him. The stupid cat had gone. Elphaba wanted to cry.
Groaning, she flopped down on a low stone wall, her face in her hands. The market was now far behind. Cowper had led her who knew how far away, and yet he was nowhere to be seen. She was surrounded right now by empty looking buildings and, honestly, she wasn't completely sure where she was.
Ugh, when she got back to Nessa and Fiyero, her sister was going to tear her apart for running off like that. But there was nothing much she could do about it now. Angrily, she scuffed a piece of rubbish at her foot. She was so distracted, she didn't hear the soft whinnying of a visitor until a horse gently bumped its nose against Elphaba's. Elphaba blinked, startled, and looked up.
What she saw caused her heart to stop.
It was a beautiful chestnut mare, with bright and intelligent eyes. Familiar eyes. And the horse's approach had been one of familiarity. Her whinny was one of recognition. This horse knew who she was. And Elphaba knew who the mare was.
It was Delaya.
A sob catching in her throat, Elphaba leapt up from the wall, throwing her arms around the horse, disbelief coursing through her in waves. The mare stood still, simply allowing her to cry, without seeming spooked at all. Yes, it was definitely Delaya.
A thousand questions whirled around in Elphaba's confused brain. How? How was this possible? How had Delaya escaped? The Animals had said she was almost certainly dead! She could never have survived so close to that explosion.
For the moment, however, she allowed those questions to go unanswered as she clung to her horse with all her might. The memory surfaced unbidden.
"She belonged to your Mama," the young man was saying. "Your Mama – she was a very special woman."
Young Elphaba, five years old, looked up at their stable hand with total attention. "Why was she special?"
The young man laughed fondly, sitting down next to the little girl on the filthy foot stool and lifting her into his lap. Elphaba giggled and gazed up at him, waiting for his answer.
He seemed to think before answering. "Your Mama found Delaya when she was just a foal."
"A baby horse?" Elphaba asked, sticking her thumb in her mouth.
"Yes, that's exactly right, Fabala. But Delaya was very sick. She was tangled in a group of bushes, and she was hurt."
"How did she get there?" Elphaba asked with wide eyes. "Why was she hurt?"
"I don't know," the man answered, his kind green eyes staring off into the distance. "But she needed someone to look after her, and nurse her back to health."
"Like I did with Nessie when she had a cold?"
He smiled, although the smile was a little sad. "Yes, a bit like that," he said.
Elphaba frowned in thought. "It was hard to make Nessie feel better. She felt so bad. Was it hard for Mama to help Delaya too?"
"Yes, it was hard. But that's why she was special. She looked after Delaya anyway, even though it was hard. Just like you helped your sister, even though it was hard."
Elphaba suddenly looked very worried, her forehead creasing. "Does Delaya feel better now? Nessie was sick for ages."
The stable hand's chest rumbled as he laughed heartily. "Yes, she feels much better now. And you and me, we can take care of her, can't we?"
Elphaba nodded enthusiastically.
Elphaba unconsciously held Delaya tighter as she remembered. Guilt bubbled up her throat as she thought about their old stable hand. She'd always remembered and taken seriously what he'd said about taking care of Delaya. Especially after... what she'd done to him. After he was gone, she'd taken it all the more seriously. As if by taking care of Delaya she could undo what she'd done.
When she thought she'd lost Delaya, it had been like failing a second time.
Oz, thank Oz, Delaya was alive.
A quiet meow made its way to her ears, and she was thrust out of her thoughts, turning to see Cowper sitting back on his heels a little behind Delaya, looking altogether pleased with himself. Elphaba couldn't help but smile. She bent down in front of him and stroked his head, down his back and to his tail. It was the most affectionate she'd been with him all day. "I wouldn't be surprised if it was somehow you who brought her back to me," Elphaba murmured. Cowper positively preened at the attention.
"Psst, Miss Elphaba!"
Elphaba startled, looking around her hurriedly for the source of the voice. "Hello?" she whispered, somewhat fearfully. She was alone.
"Miss Elphaba!" The voice again.
In a rush, she stood, spinning all the way around, searching.
"Over here Miss Elphaba!"
Finally, she realised where she was being called from. A large warehouse to her right that seemed to have been abandoned for years loomed tall, dark and silent, except for a door that creaked, revealing...
"Khanija!" Elphaba whisper-called. She'd recognise those bright emerald eyes anywhere. They were peering around the wooden door, fixed on her.
Khanija smiled just a little. "I thought it was you."
Elphaba hurried over to the Tigress, checking behind her back to make sure she wasn't being watched. "Are you alright?" she whispered urgently.
Khanija nodded. "We're fine. We managed to find shelter here, though we had no way of communicating with you." A smile balanced on her lips. "Until now."
Elphaba grinned sheepishly. "Cowper ran away from me. I only managed to find myself here because I was following him."
Khanija tilted her head, intrigued. "Really? Clever cat."
Elphaba laughed. "I'd say so."
Khanija looked around once more, warily. "Are you able to come in just now?"
Elphaba bit her lip. "I'd like to, but... my sister and Fiyero are waiting for me. They... don't actually know where I am right now."
Khanija raised an eyebrow in interest. "So it was you who ran off, Miss Elphaba, not Cowper?"
She huffed a laugh. "I suppose we both did."
"Don't worry about it. Just come back when you can."
"I will," Elphaba promised her.
"Please come soon," Khanija begged her. "We have much to talk about. The explosion has... well, it's changed a lot."
Elphaba nodded in understanding.
The Tigress peered closer at her, as if just noticing something. "Miss Elphaba, are you alright? You've been crying." Her eyes widened further as she looked behind Elphaba's shoulder and noticed Delaya. "Is that...?" she trailed off.
Somehow, the question caused Elphaba to promptly burst into tears once more. "Yes," she got out, "this is my horse."
Khanija looked like her eyes were about to pop out of her sockets. "The one who... in the explosion?"
Elphaba nodded, wiping her face with her hand. "I don't understand any of this."
Khanija's face melted in compassion. "None of us do, Miss Elphaba." She grinned wryly. "Though, I will say that your magic seems far more powerful than we imagined."
Elphaba sniffed, frowning. "You think my magic had something to do with this?"
"You don't?" the Tigress countered.
Elphaba had no response for that. It was true that she had somehow managed to remove all of the Animals from the Tower that day – or at least, they were working on the assumption that she had. Could she have taken Delaya with them too? For the first time, Elphaba began to feel a spark of... awe... at what she was capable of. Fear too, yes. There was still a good deal of that. But could it really be true? Was it possible that her powers weren't as wicked as her father had always said they were? Did she dare to imagine there could possibly be some good in them?
Cowper padded up behind her, batting his head against her ankle, and Elphaba lowered onto her knees with a wobbly smile, the tears still freely flowing. "Come here," she murmured thickly. Cowper responded immediately, jumping up onto her lap and leaning back against her stomach, purring contentedly. Elphaba choked out a laugh in spite of herself. The way his tail was poking up in the air just sang of self-satisfaction. Maybe the cat had somehow known that Delaya was here – and Khanija too, for that matter – and had always had in mind to lead his mistress to them. He shivered a little in her lap, letting out a lazy meow that sounded like a drawl. Oh, the silly cat. Elphaba couldn't help but be glad Fiyero had smuggled him into her home.
Suddenly, her head popped up as something else occurred to her. "Khanija... wait!"
Khanija tilted her head, a little startled at the green girl's sudden vehemence. "Yes?"
"Is..." Elphaba licked her lips. Her voice was cracking. "Is Mareem with you?"
Khanija's eyes lit up with understanding. "Your housekeeper? Yes." She grinned. "I'm glad you sent her to us, Miss Elphaba. She'll be a great help."
Elphaba couldn't help the way her chest expanded with hope. "And... I can see her, right?"
There was a teasing glint in Khanija's eyes as she answered. "I thought you'd run away from your sister and that prince of yours? Don't you want to go back to them?"
"Prince of mine?" Elphaba choked in disbelief at the phrase.
"He is yours, isn't he?" Khanija smiled knowingly. "Or, he will be sooner or later, unless I'm very much mistaken."
Once the shock had subsided a little, Elphaba's heart sank inside her chest, and she fidgeted absently with her sleeve. "He's courting my sister," she said quietly, no longer looking at her friend.
Khanija hummed. "I see." Abruptly, she changed tack. "Well, whoever he is, I can't imagine either he or your sister will be pleased if you disappear off the face of Oz. You had better go."
Only half-listening now, Elphaba nodded. "Sure."
"Bring Fiyero too," Khanija continued, the amused sparkle in her eyes not leaving. "I'm assuming you were planning to, but really, bring him. We like him."
Elphaba paused for a moment, thoughtfully. Would it be breaking her promise to Nessa to bring him along? Perhaps it would, but could she really leave him behind and finish this business herself? How would Fiyero take that? Sighing with sadness, she realised that he would most likely take it as a sign she didn't think he was able to help. So then, she couldn't leave him behind. Not if doing so would compromise the self-confidence she'd worked hard to begin encouraging in him.
In this case, she reasoned, she wasn't really betraying Nessa. She wasn't doing it for herself.
Somehow, though, that didn't lessen her guilt.