Here we go with chapter 34.
I hope you're all doing well and staying safe. Also, who's excited about the Disney Sing Along Volume 2? In case you didn't know: IDINA MENZEL AND BEN BLATT ARE SINGING A DUET! IDINA MENZEL AND BEN PLATT! Could this get any better?
But I live in Germany which means I can't watch it. I'm going crazy over here right now. I'm going to have to wait until Tuesday. How am I going to survive until Tuesday?!
Okay, gotta go now. My dog's waiting for me to take him for a walk and that look he's giving me right now is pretty distracting:)
See you guys. Thanks for the reviews. Keep them coming.
Started writing: 26.02.2020
Finished writing: 01.03.2020
Chapter 34
Beautiful
"This weather is devastating," groaned Elphaba and rolled over, further into the shadow of a large apple tree in the garden.
"What? You'd rather it rained the whole day?" Fiyero poked her side.
"Of course not. But a few degrees lower would be great."
It was true; some degrees colder would do the land and people of Munchkinland good.
Ever since Fiyero had arrived three days ago, the temperature had risen further and further until it was now almost too hot to stay outside. Even the birds found it too exhausting to sing some sweet songs and so, the blue sky was deserted, and no wind carried whether bird nor butterfly.
"I'm used to extreme temperatures," said Fiyero with a shrug. His fingers were playing with her hair whilst she read.
"In the Vinkus, we have hot summers -although the hot period doesn't last that long- and extremely cold winters. There's not a year that the snow doesn't reach up to at least my hip."
Elphaba raised both eyebrows at him. "Up to your hip? We haven't had snow that high ever since I can remember."
The prince leant forward and kissed the tip of her nose with a smile. "Maybe you should come to the Vinkus in the winter holidays, then… enjoy some snowball fights and sleigh rides."
Elphaba curled her lips. "Well, I do enjoy winter. But just because with all the cold weather, I don't have to make up excuses for staying inside, writing and painting the whole day. The weather covers that up perfectly."
"Elphaba Thropp staying inside?" he mocked. "I wouldn't believe that in a hundred years."
Just before Elphaba could say anything else, there was Boq suddenly standing right next to them.
"Hey guys," he dropped down beside them.
Both Elphaba and Fiyero raised their brows at him questioningly.
"I was wondering if you'd like to go down to the lake with me and Nessa. We could all use some cooling, right?"
Elphaba and Fiyero exchanged a quick look.
"Come on, Fae," Fiyero whined. "I've never seen the lake before."
The green girl closed her book with a slight groan. "It's a lake, Fiyero, nothing special about it."
"Yeah, but it provides water and water is cool and outside it's hot," Fiyero stood up and took her hands to haul her upright. "Which means; we're going there."
Elphaba arched an eyebrow, stumbling after her boyfriend as he pulled her inside the house. "You don't even have swimming trunks, Fiyero, how are you going to swim?"
"Fae, you wrote about the hot weather in your letters. I do think, you know?"
She nudged his side gently. "Sorry, still forgetting about your sudden change of mind sometimes."
"Seriously, Fae?"
Elphaba simply laughed, "Uh, couldn't resist that."
She kissed his temple and patted his cheek with a grin. "Forgive me."
The prince curled his lips into a slight pout and as she made her way upstairs, there was a sudden swat on her bottom.
Elphaba whirled around, mouth open and eyes wide.
"Did you just…?"
"Sorry, couldn't resist that."
The green girl threw her head back and laughed so hard that she had to support herself on the bannister so she wouldn't fall down the stairs.
"You should've seen the face you made!" she gasped breathlessly. "As though you feared I was going to turn you into a frog!"
"I'd be a gorgeous frog, I tell you."
Elphaba tilted her head to one side, the joyful sparkle in her eyes still awfully prominent. "You'd be gorgeous in any shape."
She smacked his hand away before he could even get the idea of trying to swat her behind again.
"You've become quite the flirter, Miss Elphaba," he joked and Elphaba winked at him as she entered her bedroom.
"In your dreams, Master Tiggular."
She heard him laugh, muttering something like, "See? You did it again," but she chose to ignore him as she made her way to her wardrobe and began to search for one of her light summer dresses; those with the skirts that could be tied up in a knot so they would be a little shorter; a little lighter.
A mere two minutes later, Elphaba stepped out of her room and made her way downstairs. Boq and her sister sat in the living room, waiting. Whilst Boq was going on and on about some article he'd read in the newspapers, Nessa fumbled with the cloth that covered a basket that sat on her lap.
"Where's Fiyero?" asked the girl when she saw Elphaba standing in the doorway and Elphaba was just about to say something when someone's steps neared her quickly from behind.
"Good to go?" asked someone and took the green girl's hand.
Elphaba nodded, "Absolutely."
She offered her sister to carry the basket, but Nessa declined.
"What's in it?" asked Fiyero curiously and opened the front door to let them all step outside.
"Something Momma made us for a picnic," Nessa smiled up at Boq who began to push her wheelchair.
"Uh," Elphaba groaned. "Let's hurry up a bit, I feel like I'm melting in the blazing sun."
As they made their way towards the lake, the noises grew undeniably louder and when they stepped onto the meadow at the shore, there were a dozen families -children with their caretakers and teenagers in large groups- romping about.
"Splendid," said Elphaba drily. "A calm afternoon; that's what this is."
But she couldn't just turn around and escape the many people, for Fiyero held her hand in a vice-like grip and pulled her with them into the shadow of a large oak tree.
"Let me help you with this," Elphaba offered reluctantly as she saw Boq struggling to spread the blanket.
It was one of the old blankets made of thin white cloth with dark blue stripes that went horizontal and vertical and built lots of small squares.
"Nessa, do you want to stay in the wheelchair or sit down here with us?" asked Boq gently and as Nessa answered, he stood up and helped her with the buckles that enclosed her shins so he could lift her out of the wheelchair and sit her down next to Elphaba.
"Welcome on the ground," said Elphaba with a grin. "Miss Nessarose, enjoy an afternoon on the heated ground in an oak tree's shadow that will wander over the course of the afternoon, forcing us to change places every now and then."
But her grin turned into a smile and she pulled her sister into a quick hug.
"Should we eat first?" Nessa asked the boys and Fiyero nodded, eyes sparkling with curiosity as Elphaba pulled the cloth away that had covered the basket.
"We've got strawberries, baguette, apples, watermelon, carrots…" she looked up at Fiyero and cocked her head. "Why do I have the feeling that Momma was thinking of your strange eating habits when she made this?"
Fiyero arched his brows at her. "My strange eating habits? You never eat anything, Fae, and if you do then it's a quarter of what normal people eat."
Nessa rolled her eyes. "Why do you always keep mocking each other?"
"Oh, it's just so much fun," Elphaba declared, popping a strawberry into her mouth before offering the bowl to the others. "Anyone?"
The bowl was snatched from her fingers and before she could do so much as open her mouth to protest, it was shoved back into her hands, now not even half as full as before.
"Well, that was quick," the green girl said with her brows raised as Fiyero reached out to take an apple out of the basket.
"I'm always quick."
Elphaba spluttered. "Oh, are you?"
The prince cocked his head, poking her arm. "I'm talking about food, Fae."
He tapped a finger against her forehead. "I've brought out the dirty part in you."
Elphaba rolled her eyes. "It was always there; you just get me to share these things aloud."
Beside her, Nessa coughed in embarrassment, her cheeks flushed red.
"Fabala, you are-"
"Nosy? Filthy? Wicked?" the green girl offered.
Her sister shook her head. "Insufferable. The both of you."
Fiyero shrugged with a grin. "I think I will cope."
He put a hand around Elphaba's waist and pulled her close, nuzzling his nose into her thick, black hair.
"Fiyero, how have your holidays been so far?" asked Nessa with her head tilted to one side. "I mean, before you arrived here."
"What makes you think of that now?"
"Well, you haven't told us anything about your holidays and I myself can't picture what a Vinkun summer looks like."
Elphaba arched an eyebrow at her boyfriend as he bit into his apple, lost in thoughts for a split second.
"Well," he started slowly. "Vinkun summers are rather hot, you know? I mean, not like this hot but… let's say there's never a summer that's hot right through, there're always a few cold weeks in between. So, when I arrived, my youngest brother's birthday was close, so there was a lot of fussing going on in the castle. He made us go to the big summer festival twice and I had to take him to the rodeo twice. Then my best friends came back from the Emerald City-"
He stopped when Elphaba sucked in a quiet gasp.
"Calm down, Fae, they just go to university there," he gently nudged her side. "No need to get all jealous of them."
She rolled her eyes at him and he kissed her temple before clearing his throat and continuing.
"Anyway… so they came back from the Emerald City and dragged me to a big party they hosted, just so I could prove them that yes, I had changed and I wouldn't go up and about, cheating on my girlfriend," he gave Elphaba a lopsided grin. "And they were really surprised, I must say. I had to tell them the whole story at least four times before they were absolutely sure I hadn't made it up.
"And then my exam results arrived. They caught me absolutely off-guard and I didn't really know what to do at first. So, I made my younger brother look at them for me so I could judge from his reaction whether I had screwed up or actually made it," he wrinkled his nose at the memory. "I guess, it wasn't the best idea. Because my brother decided it would be fun to make me believe I had in fact gotten expelled or something. And then I sent them to you, Fae. I mean, of course, I looked at them- don't give me that look, Fae, I did look at them. And my parents did too."
He wrapped an arm around Elphaba's waist and pulled her close. "After your letter arrived, all I really did was waiting for the day that I would be here to arrive."
He smiled at her. "And now I'm here."
He pecked her cheek and grinned, leaning back. "Okay, now that story-time is over, can we go swimming now?"
Elphaba couldn't help but roll her eyes at him.
"You're really not the kind to sit still, are you?" she said mockingly.
Fiyero raised an eyebrow at her. "Quick figuring that one out, Fae."
He rose to his feet, taking her hand. "Come on, let's go swim."
But Elphaba reluctantly shook her head. "No, I'm staying here with Nessa."
"Fae, it's the whole reason for this trip; to go swimming. You could take the cooling just as well as everyone else could."
The green girl pulled back. "I just don't want to, Fiyero. I didn't bring a bathing suit anyway, so there's no sense in arguing about it."
"But-" Fiyero stroked through his hair in a somewhat desperate motion. "Fae, come on. I was looking forward to going swim with you."
He tried to take her hand again to pull her up, but the green girl shook her head.
"No, I'm staying with Nessa," she pressed her lips to a thin line. "You and Boq are free to go."
For a second, Elphaba thought he was going to protest. But then Fiyero slowly stepped back, one hand on the back of his neck, and sighed.
"Boq, are you in?" he asked, slightly less enthusiastic than before. "Don't let me down, dude, I beg you."
Boq sent Nessa an uncertain look and when the girl smiled, he stood up with a grin. "I'm in."
Turning around, Fiyero got rid of his shirt and tossed it at Elphaba.
"Keep an eye on it," he said and winked.
Elphaba tried desperately not to stare at his bare back too obviously. But that was easier said than done, for Fiyero was… very well-toned, so to speak.
She blushed deeply when she felt her sister's eyes on her and turned so she wouldn't be tempted to watch Boq and Fiyero's race towards the shore.
"He's… rather good-looking," said Nessa slowly and Elphaba nodded.
She bit her lower lip. "Do you think he's mad?"
She hugged her knees, pulling them close to her chest.
"Maybe a little bit," Nessa mused quietly. "But he'll understand. He doesn't seem like a begrudging person to me."
"He isn't. He likes to pretend he is, though."
"I think he really loves you," said Nessa and Elphaba smiled.
"I really love him too," she whispered. "I would never have dreamt it could be like this."
"Like what?"
Elphaba averted her eyes at Nessa's arched eyebrow. "I would never have dreamt that someone like him could actually choose to be with me."
Nessa leant back on her elbows and bit her lower lip for just a second as though deep in thought. "Why couldn't he?"
Her head was tilted to one side, curiosity sparkling in her grey eyes.
Elphaba took a deep breath. "Be-Before all this… before Fiyero and I… I-I used to have this theory…"
She looked up at her sister as if trying to find safety in her look.
"I thought that there must've been a reason for me being born with skin as green as grass -and I still think so. I thought that my skin had to be some sort of outcome of a deed done before I was born. That my skin was meant to be a punishment for something Momma and Father had done. And if I think about it now, with the knowledge I have now, it would certainly be Momma who is being punished for the adultery she committed.
"I began to think of it as a curse sent upon our parents; that I would cause them sorrow throughout my life. I thought that -because green seems to be such a bizarre colour- maybe it was a sign of my twisted nature, of the evil that slumbers within me.
"I was convinced that I had to be of some evil nature, so I started to classify everything and everyone around me. It seemed so simple to me, you know? People could only be one or the other, there was no in-between; you were either nice or mean, admired or hated, loved or… or wicked. And it was clear to me that I didn't belong to the good part of the world. I just- I was convinced that there was no way that someone as popular and good-looking as he could love someone like me. Because, in my mind, you were either loved or wicked. You couldn't be both."
She looked up into Nessa's widened eyes. She was shocked, Elphaba could see. Of course, she was; who wouldn't be? They were rather dark thoughts for a teenager, after all. Because a teenager was what she had been, when she'd believed all this.
"Oh, Fabala…" Nessa breathed and she reached out to take Elphaba's hand.
"No, Nessie, you needn't worry," Elphaba hurried to say and she smiled slightly at her younger sister. "I don't think that way anymore. I've just… I've come to accept the green; I know that I can be making good. I'm not evil; I'm not wicked."
She squeezed Nessa's hand.
"He loves me," she said quietly. "And I love him. And I've stopped seeing the world in black and white."
For a moment, the girls both kept quiet, both musing over their own thoughts.
Then Nessa asked, "Are you happy, Fabala?"
"I am. Very much so."
Her sister nodded. "Good. Because it doesn't sound as if you were happy… before."
Elphaba tilted her head to one side. "I was happy. Just not the same 'happy' that I am right now."
Her thumb drew circles on the back of Nessa's hand, and she smiled. "I mean it, Nessie, you needn't worry about me. I just- I felt like you should know about this."
Nessa bit the inside of her cheek for just a second. "Thank you, Fabala. For entrusting it to me."
Elphaba squeezed her hand in response.
A cold, wet arm wrapped around Elphaba's shoulders and she shrieked. Fiyero laughed.
"Enjoying the cooling?" he asked with a grin and Elphaba smacked his arm half-heartedly.
"Enjoyed the brain freeze?" Elphaba handed him a towel and his shirt.
When they made their way back to the mansion, later on, Elphaba holding Fiyero's hand, the two of them let Nessa and Boq go on ahead and fell behind a good hundred metres. Their joined hands swung between them and Elphaba gently nudged his shoulder with hers.
"About earlier…" she started slowly and Fiyero tilted his head to one side in anticipation.
"It's not that I didn't want to swim with you… just that- I don't like swimming when there are people around, you know?" she looked up at him, biting her lower lip for a second. "Because the people don't exactly like… my skin."
She heard Fiyero growl beside her and squeezed his hand.
"I've never swum in a lake before, actually," she told him, "My elementary school teacher once went with the whole class but- well, I wanted to go swim but she asked me not to because the other kids wouldn't want to go into the water if I had touched it before."
Fiyero shuddered to a halt, mouth opened in a disbelieving gape.
"Are you serious? That bitch."
Elphaba raised her eyebrows. "Fiyero-"
"No," he interrupted harshly. "If she really said that then she's a bitch and nothing more."
He turned to Elphaba and crashed their lips together in a deep kiss.
"I'm so sorry, Fae," he murmured against her lips. "No one should be treated like that."
Elphaba bit her lower lip. "It's alright, really."
She slowly stepped back and pulled him with her.
"Do you even know how to swim?" Fiyero suddenly asked and she arched an eyebrow at him.
"Of course, I know how to swim," she rolled her eyes. "My parents taught me in a thermal bath at Colwen Grounds. I've just never swum in a lake."
The prince knit his brows. "Well then it's long overdue."
He pressed a kiss to her temple. "Just you wait, Fae, I have a plan."
"Fae."
Elphaba groaned with a furrowed brow.
"Fae, wake up."
The green girl blinked, slowly sitting up. In front of her bed sat Fiyero, dressed in a white shirt and his swimming trunks and held something in his hands that looked a lot like her bathing costume.
"Fiyero, what in Oz…?" she murmured sleepily and pulled the thing from his hands. "What are you doing here?"
He grinned. "I'm carrying out a plan."
He took her hand and hauled her up-right. "Come on, we're going to the lake."
Elphaba knit her brows. "What the-? Fiyero, it's the middle of the night."
"It's still warm outside. Let's go, Fae."
He gently pushed her out the door and towards the bathroom. "Hurry up."
She rolled her eyes at him and closed the door behind her, quickly changing into the bathing costume. Draped over the rim of the bathtub was her mother's dressing gown and Elphaba slowly slipped into the dark red robe.
"I still think this is a rather stupid idea," she whispered when she slipped through the door back into the corridor.
Fiyero just smiled at her and pulled her with him down the stairs and out the door.
He had been right when he'd said it was still warm outside. Elphaba sighed.
"I wouldn't mind if the temperature stayed that way throughout the day," she said quietly.
It was still warm enough that she felt that the dressing gown might even be too much. But there was a light breeze that made it sufferable.
The moon shone brightly at the night sky. There would be a full moon soon.
"Did you sleep soundly when I woke you?" Fiyero asked quietly and something about the way his voice sounded much deeper than during the day made shivers run down her spine.
"No, I didn't," she answered. "I never really sleep soundly. And if I do, not even an earthquake could wake me up."
She smiled as Fiyero laughed.
"It's true," she assured him. "I'm a light sleeper. When I sleep soundly, I usually dream. And when I dream… well, I always dream rather vividly."
Fiyero squeezed her hand. "Nightmares?"
She shook her head. "Not always, no. But sometimes."
She marvelled at the way the stars sparkled above their heads for a second.
"When I dream of… normal stuff, I always feel like I could just wake up at every second. But when I have a nightmare, I feel… trapped. I always have to suffer through them until the morning, I rarely wake up."
She shifted closer to Fiyero and when they stepped onto the meadow at the shore of the lake, he put an arm around her waist and nuzzled his nose into her black hair.
"Are you nervous?" he asked.
"No, I'm excited," she stared at the moon's reflection on the surface of the water.
"Come on," he tugged at the sleeve of the dressing gown and slowly she let it slip down, the soft cloth pooling around her feet as she let herself be pulled further towards the water.
She felt the water against her bare feet and before she could even make out the temperature, Fiyero pulled her further into the water. Before she knew, it already reached up to her hip.
"It's warmer than I imagined," Elphaba said quietly and Fiyero turned towards her, tucking a strand of black hair behind her ear.
"It's not cooling overnight," he whispered. "It's too warm outside."
He took both her hands and pulled her with her, further and further into the water. They swam away from the shore and closer to the middle of the lake where the water seemed to be almost black. The willow trees' branches were swaying, dancing to the silent melody of the light breeze.
"It's beautiful," Elphaba whispered with a smile.
"It really is."
She felt his fingers against hers under the water and she squeezed his hand.
"Thank you, Fiyero, I love it."
"I love you."
She turned around to press a kiss to his lips, gentle at first, going deeper.
"I love you too," she whispered breathlessly. She let her forehead sink against his, smiling.
They lingered on in the cool water for as long as they felt they could. But when Elphaba's teeth were chattering with cold, Fiyero insisted on swimming back to the shore.
The moon watched over them as they stepped out of the water and made their way back to their clothes.
The drops on Elphaba's bare shoulders and arms made her skin sparkle in the moonlight and when she stroked her hair out of her forehead and saw Fiyero smiling at her, her heart skipped a beat.
"You are beautiful, Fae," he whispered and was suddenly right before her, his hands gently stroking over her arms before his fingers found her cheeks, cupping them as he leant in and kissed her.
And for the first time in her life, Elphaba felt she really was. Beautiful.