Rifiuto: Non Miriena
A/N: Written: 2009. Found: 2018- Licia
Mixed Doubles were up next.
A break had been called so the ice could be cleared and pebbled again; the Vinkun team- the Mixed anyway- had advanced to the finals, beating out several other Vinkun teams in the process. The mens' and womens' teams had competed earlier, and of course, qualified, which only left the Mixed Doubles to compete. Elphaba leaned against the far wall, hiding within the curve of it, her water bottle in her grasp. She reached up, tangling her fingers in the necklace Yero had given her.
It was best he could do on such short notice, but she didn't care. It was less obvious than a ring, and she could keep it close to her heart. "Hey, you ready, love?"
She swallowed her mouthful, closing her water bottle and pulling him closer. "Are you?"
"With you by my side? We can't lose." He kissed her quickly, before pulling away and taking her hand. They grabbed their things and took their places, noticing the glances other players were throwing their way, the whispers behind hands.
"Yero? What's going on?" He looked around, unsure.
"I have no idea, Fabala." As they took their positions at the head of the rink, they were completely unaware of the news that the sports anchor had just been handed.
"And now we come back Mixed Doubles Roaring... hold on, I hear congratulations are in order."
"How so?"
"Well, I have news here that a certain young couple from the Vinkun Roaring team just got married, early this morning before the tournament."
Glinda choked on her coffee; the small party of two had quickly turned into all the girls in Crage. Shocked gasps and cries of surprise quickly filled the air; though many of them avoided Elphaba because it was what she wanted, they had all come to respect the young green-skinned woman, in some way, shape or form. "What?"
They watched on the screen as Fiyero and Elphaba, clearly confused by the looks, but having no real idea of what was being talked about, conversed softly in Vinkun. A moment passed, before she tossed her ponytail off her shoulder and unzipped the jacket slightly, revealing a chain. She nodded towards the rink, and nodded, gesturing quickly, before she slid down the rink to the house.
She studied it for a few minutes, before positioning herself just behind the button, holding the edge of her broom directly in front of her. Fiyero nodded, moving to get ready to throw, as Elphaba returned to him. She laid a hand on his shoulder, causing him to look up at her. She leaned down, saying something quickly, pointing to where Boq stood at the other end, gesturing with her fingers. A little to the left. He followed her gaze, and after a couple minutes, nodded.
"You're kidding!"
"Nope, I'm looking at the report here. Fiyero Tigelaar and Elphaba Thropp eloped early this morning before the tournament began, which I'm sure is a shock to many of their teammates and close friends on the other Roaring teams."
One of the announcers whistled. "Well congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Tigelaar!"
"Or is it Thropp-Tigelaar? Is she keeping her last name or taking his?"
"Looks like we'll have to ask the newly married couple after the match. Either way, congratulations are definitely in order."
Glinda met Milla's gaze, too stunned to say anything more. The fact that Elphaba and Fiyero were now married- and it seemed like a hastily done decision, though considering how caught up on each other they were...
"Excellent shot by Fiyero Tigelaar!"
They turned their gazes back to the match, watching as the pair slid down the rink, passing Boq and his partner, Nor. The other woman grabbed Elphaba's arm, whispering something to her, to which Elphaba replied, and the two parted ways, joining their respective partners.
"They're acting like they don't realize they just got married." A girl named Nastoya said, from her place on the floor.
"Probably for the sake of the game. This is a major tournament, after all." Milla said.
"If we manage to tap back, that should work, cause it'll get theirs out of the way-"
"Giving us an advantage." She finished, and he nodded. She grabbed the stone and positioned to push off. After a couple of seconds, making sure everything was clear, she pushed off, releasing the stone after a moment. Fiyero rushed to sweep, but Elphaba's voice caused him to pause. "Hold! Hold! Yero, Hold!" He held up his hands, watching as the stone continued on its steady pace.
When the stone began to slow, he hurried to sweep, hearing Elphaba's command. "Hurry! Hurry hard! Hard!" Eventually, the stone stopped, perfectly positioned in the center of the button, and cheering could be heard from the crowd. He returned to her, squeezing her quickly, before the pair slid to the other side to if the ice, allowing Nor and Boq to set up.
A couple minutes later, their stone knocked Fiyero and Elphaba's out of the house, and she made a face, kicking the ice.
"They do not look happy about that move. You know, it's actually very rare to see this young couple not enjoying themselves out on the ice-"
"They can still save it though, this is only the fist end. There are nine ends left to go."
The match continued on; at one point, during the sixth end, Fiyero knelt down to study the ice, and he narrowed his gaze. Standing he turned to her. "There's a chance. Look. Their stones are too close; they if we can aim for one of them, it'll knock the other out of place as well." She met his gaze.
"You want to do the honors?"
"You're the Skip, Fabala. It's your throw." She gave him a look, before grabbing the stone and setting up. Without a word, she pushed off, releasing the stone a few minutes later. It sailed steadily down the rink, doing exactly as Fiyero had predicted, knocking out both stones, and putting them ahead of Munchkinland.
By the time the tenth end rolled around, the girls in Crage had brought pillows and blankets out, fixed popcorn and pooled their snacks together. Despite many of them grumbling about the young, green-skinned woman, they all had to admit that she wasn't as bad as they thought; just quiet, introverted, and driven. They watched with bated breath as the tenth end progressed, silent, biting their perfectly manicured nails, hugging blankets and pillows as though they were life preservers.
"Come on, Fabala, you got this!"
She took a deep breath, and after a moment, pushed away from the hack, releasing the stone. "Hold! Yero, hold!" He followed it, but didn't put his broom down; Elphaba stood, hands on her small hips, as she watched the rock sail into the house, knocking the last yellow stone from the button, thereby-
"And they've done it! The Tigelaars have won the match! Not only have they won Nationals, but they are one of only four Mixed Double teams to attend Qualifications for the Winter Games-" Cheers could be heard in the audience, and the girls in Crage couldn't help cheering their classmates on. Glinda watched as Fiyero returned to Elphaba, scooping her up in his arms, spinning her around.
"Well, they're both certainly happy about that fact!"
"I'd say they have a lot to be happy about today-"
Fiyero finally set her down, taking her face in his hands and meeting her gaze for a moment, before he leaned down, capturing her lips in a deep kiss- in front of the audience, the cameras, the others in the Roaring community, and that stunned their classmates back at Crage.