January 1896
The rest of the holiday break passed as if someone had poured water onto the sand of an hourglass.
The days dragged on longer and longer, but they still continued on and soon enough, Nessa, Elphaba, and Frex were in a carriage back to Shiz.
"I think we should have dinner," Frex suggested to Nessa as Elphaba unloaded Nessa's luggage from the carriage. "After I discuss the coming semester with you and Madame Morrible."
Nessa gave a small sound of acknowledgment before picking up a suitcase and putting it on her lap.
"Oh, no, my dear," Frex corrected, picking the suitcase up and shoving it into nearby Elphaba's arms. "Your sister can carry that."
"Yes, father," Nessa replied tiredly.
Frex smiled and led the way into Madame Morrible's quarters.
"Hello, Governor Thropp," Morrible greeted warmly as the three Thropps entered. "And Misses Nessarose and Elphaba."
"Madame Morrible," Frex returned before either daughter could reply. "So good to see you again."
Frex nodded his daughters off and he and Morrible stepped away in hushed conversation.
"To your room then?" Elphaba offered.
Nessa nodded and the pair continued on to the hallway and eventually to Nessa's room. She had forgotten how small it was compared to her room at home.
"Would you like help unpacking at all?"
"No, thank you," Nessa said with a small smile. "I can manage that on my own. You should go to your room. I'm sure Miss Galinda is just bursterating to see you."
"All the more reason to hang around for a few more moments," Elphaba sighed. "Perhaps she'll wear herself out and then we can have a quiet reunion like normal people would."
Nessa rolled her eyes, smiling.
"I'd think it would be in your best interest to face it sooner rather than later. It seems more likely to grow than to abate. You wouldn't want her to get more excited, would you?"
"You make a fair point," Elphaba acknowledged. "Perhaps I should go. Will you be alright on your own?"
"Only dinner and a meeting. I think I can manage that," Nessa said. "Then I get several months free of him."
There was noise beyond the hallway.
"You better get going," Nessa said with a sigh. "I'd tell you to take the back exit but I've never been able to get the door unlocked."
She motioned to the large padlocked door on the outside wall. Through the windows, Elphaba could see a small courtyard and stone wall.
To Nessa's surprise, Elphaba stepped forward towards the door.
She waved a hand over the lock, her eyes squeezed tight.
There was silence for a moment. Then, the lock clicked and fell away from the door.
"How long have you been able to do that?" Nessa asked in awe.
"Not long," Elphaba said, smiling as she picked up the lock from the floor. "Learned it at the end of last semester for my final exam with Morrible. Quite useful for a quick getaway, huh?"
"Or breaking and entering."
"It's a good thing that I use my powers for good and not evil then, yes?"
She turned back to Nessa and gave her a hug.
"Good luck," she murmured, pushing a loose piece of hair from Nessa's face. "Join us after dinner if you're up to it. Fiyero's house on the edge of campus. If you survive, that is."
Elphaba smirked and turned back to the door. She gripped the handle and pulled hard. It released with a loud groan and released her into the night.
Nessa watched the darkness until her father returned.
"Are you hungry, my dear? How about dinner?"
Nessa turned to look at him.
"I thought we were going to meet first? With Madame Morrible? About next semester?"
Frex waved her away.
"The meeting can wait until after dinner. Besides, Madame Morrible has dinner plans of her own," Frex explained. "We can have a nice dinner. You won't be seeing this old man for several months after tonight. You do want to spend a nice dinner with me, don't you?"
There it was again: The question of choice where her answer didn't matter.
She was proven right in this fact by the fact that she didn't even answer him and yet she still found herself entering a cafe on campus with him not fifteen minutes later.
"Here you go, my dear," Frex said, pulling a chair out of a space at a table far off to the side of the restaurant. "Nice and private. A quiet dinner."
Nessa wheeled herself into the space opened for her. Frex took his seat opposite her.
"Have you been here before?" Frex asked as he and Nessa opened their menus.
"No, I don't believe I have."
Nessa scanned the menu, making mental notes of possible options between the thudding beats of her heart.
"Anything look good, my dear?"
"The… salad looks nice," Nessa answered. "Or the shepherd's pie."
"The pie is too heavy," Frex commented. "Perhaps a soup?"
"I do enjoy soup…" Nessa began to say before she caught herself. "... But I think I want shepherd's pie."
Frex inhaled slightly, but said nothing.
They continued to peruse the menus until the waiter came over to them.
"Good evening," the young man greeted. "Can I get you something to drink?"
"I should certainly hope so, seeing as you are our waiter," Frex said curtly. "We will both have a water and I will have a glass of your finest Vinkun wine. And you can take our orders too, since you're here. A steak, well-done, with potatoes and greens. And she'll have the salad and soup."
"I said shepherd's pie," Nessa said to Frex before turning to the waiter. "Not the soup and salad. Just shepherd's pie."
"Nessarose, I am paying for our supper. My selection or none at all," Frex hissed.
Nessa really wanted to say 'None at all', but the dinner was a small battle in a much longer war.
"Yes, of course," Nessa sighed, handing the menu to the waiter. "Soup and salad."
The waiter took them, and nodded before escaping as fast as was professionally acceptable.
Nessa folded her hands in her lap.
There was part of her that felt like she needed to apologize to her father, but the voice in her head telling her that she had nothing to apologize to him for was louder.
"Are you excited for the coming semester?"
Nessa nodded, willing herself to be as quiet and demure as he expected. Her will was strong (it always had been) but the thought process she was trying to learn and the one she was trying to unlearn were in constant competition.
"Yes, sir," Nessa replied quietly. "I'm rather looking forward to some of the classes offered this semester."
"Oh, yes? Which ones?"
"Well, I rather enjoyed philosophy last semester, so I am excited to dig deeper into that. And I think there is a financial class… about laws and money? That sounds rather interesting."
"Mmm-hmmm," Frex said, taking a sip from the wine the waiter had dropped off at their table. "I thought that perhaps you were thinking about some other kind of classes this term."
"Oh? And what… what is it you thought I would take?"
"Well, Madame Morrible is under the impression that you have other interests outside of governing," Frex explained. "Other career interests."
"I… I have no idea what- why she should think that," Nessa said quickly (perhaps too quickly).
"Madame Morrible hears everything that happens on campus."
Frex let the statement hang in the air as he swirled his wine.
"What… What did she tell you she heard?" Nessa asked in a slightly shaky voice.
"She said she heard rumors that you were not interested in being the Governor of Munchkinland."
Nessa paled.
"I… I never said that. I never said I didn't want to be the Governor."
"Did you think it?" Frex asked, staring icily. "Do you not want to be the Governor?"
Nessa's heart was no beating so hard that she couldn't think straight.
She did not want to be the Governor.
When all this had started with the realization that her father never let her make her own choices, that had been the biggest and most clear example of all.
Every moment as long as she can remember, she had been told that she would be the Governor. It was as ingrained in her as the manipulation and the negative view of her disability.
But she had been unlearning the other stuff. She could unlearn this too.
"I have not decided."
"You have not what?"
"I have not decided if I want to be the Governor," Nessa repeated, a little stronger this time. "It's a very big responsibility and I have not decided if it's a responsibility I want."
"It's not a decision for you to make," Frex said in a low dark voice. "It is your birthright. It is your future."
"But I don't think I want that future."
BANG
Vinkun wine and broke glass poured over the table. Frex cursed loudly and shouted for the staff to clean it up.
"Are you alright, father?" Nessa asked, concerned. "Did it cut you?"
"I'm fine. I'm fine," Frex spat. "I'm just upset by that."
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you like that," Nessa apologized, though inside she was cursing herself.
The waiter returned once more to replace their tableware. Nessa wheeled herself backwards a bit to let the staff change it over, but Frex remained frozen, forcing the staff to work around him. Never once did his eyes leave Nessa's.
Once everything had been replaced, including the tablecloth, Nessa gave them a word of thanks and retook her place. They were alone once again.
"This is your sister's fault."
"What?" Nessa exclaimed. "No, it's not. Why would you say that?"
"Your sister has always worked to turn you against me," Frex asserted. "Perhaps she wants to be the Governor or perhaps she just wants to anger me. Either way, this goes back to her."
"No, it does not," Nessa hissed. "It is my decision. Me and me alone. It is my decision and Elphaba has nothing to do with it. If you want to blame someone, blame Shiz. Blame the knowledge and the education for opening my mind, for the learning and the growth you wanted from me."
"It's decided then," Frex continued, ignoring Nessa completely. "You're living with Madame Morrible. She is there to assist you. I sent Elphaba with you to get her out of the house, but clearly she is having too much influence while there. You came to school to become the Governor. Elphaba does not need to be here."
Without warning, Frex stood and turned to walk out of the restaurant.
"Where are you going?" Nessa called after him. "Father?"
She pulled a few bills from her bag, not caring about their denominations, and tossed them on the table before following her father out of the cafe.
"Father? Father, please slow down!" Nessa shouted as she struggled to keep up with her father stalking up the hill towards Madame Morrible's quarters.
"Governor?" Morrible greeted hesitantly as Frex stormed through the door. "I thought we agreed to speak later on. I have guests…"
Morrible's guests, seemingly a few professors or perhaps local leaders based on their clothing, stared uncomfortably as Frex stalked up to Madame Morrible. He seemed completely unaware that they were even there.
"Madame Morrible," Frex began as Nessa crossed the threshold, panting. "It has come to my attention that I have been in error. Both of my daughters have been studying at your school but that should never have happened. As Head Shiztress, I am calling upon you to do your duty. You must expel my daughter. She has been too much of a bad influence on her sister and it is time I rectify that."
"Father, you can't!" Nessa shouted, but her words fell on deaf ears.
As far as Frex was concerned, his younger daughter was not even in the room.
Nessa could see ringed fingers wave the visitors off into a side room. Morrible distracted Frex with a comforting (and fake) smile as the others hurried off, leaving Morrible, Frex, and Nessa alone.
"Well, sir," Morrible soothed in a sickly sweet. "Perhaps we should discuss this further before we make irrational-"
"I AM NOT BEING IRRATIONAL."
Nessa had to admire the way Madame Morrible could stand there and get yelled at without batting an eye.
"Of course, sir," Madame Morrible said in a low, calm voice. "I will take care of it."
Frex didn't move for a moment. He just stared at Morrible, his jaw set. He was vibrating with anger like he had the first night of their break.
Then he nodded. It was only once, stiff and curt, but it was a nod nonetheless.
He spun on his heel and stalked forward, past Nessa, and out the door without another word to anyone.
Now it was just Nessa and Morrible together in the foyer.
"Madame Morrible, please," Nessa whispered, her voice barely audible. "You can't. Elphaba had nothing to do with why father is mad. Please don't expel her."
"I have little choice, Miss Thropp," Morrible sighed, still staring at the open door. "Your father is a powerful man."
Nessa's chest clenched painfully.
This wasn't Elphaba's fault but she was going to face the punishment nonetheless. No matter how hard Nessa tried to stop it, to take the blame and the consequences of her own decisions and behaviors, she couldn't stop her father.
She couldn't let that happen.
And in that moment, it became clear. All the choices, all the changes, all the realizations…
You came here to become the Governor. Elphaba does not need to be here.
She didn't want to be the Governor. That was not her destiny anymore.
She was the one who did not need to be here.
"Expel me."
"I beg your pardon?"
"Expel me," Nessa repeated. "He ordered you expel his daughter. I'm his daughter too. Expel me."
"Miss Thropp, your father ordered me to-"
"To expel his daughter," Nessa finished.
"Yes," Madame Morrible said, continuing as if not interrupted. "And if I were to expel you in place of your sister, then I would be in serious trouble."
"He never specified which daughter," Nessa pointed out, a smile starting to creep over her face. "It will be his fault, not yours."
Madame Morrible considered Nessa's offer.
"Please, Madame," Nessa said quietly, pushing herself forward until she was even with the older woman. "I can't let Elphaba be punished for this. This is my responsibility, not hers. Expel me instead."
There was a moment of silence. Nessa could barely breathe.
"Fine."
Nessa's heart dropped and leapt at the same time, leaving it stranded somewhere near where it had started but tighter and beating faster.
"Are you… Really?"
"Yes," Madame Morrible said, looking down at Nessa. "That is what you wanted, yes?"
"Yes, yes," Nessa nodded. "Yes."
"You have three days time to clear your room," Madame Morrible said as she turned away from Nessa. "After that, anything left will be thrown in the garbage."
Madame Morrible continued on towards the foyer into her own room where her guests were waiting for the scene to be over.
"Oh and Miss Thropp?"
"Yes, Madame?"
"Perhaps next time you have personal conversations with confidants regarding your father, you should not have them within earshot of the person paid to watch over you by your father."