Rifiuto: Non Miriena
A/N: Written: 2006, Found: 2018.- Licia
February, 1937
"Daddy?"
Trism looked up from the proposal he was looking over; Faola stood by his desk, long black hair pulled back in a braid, so similar to her mother's. Her blue eyes studied him in silence for several minutes, and after a moment, he set his pen aside and held out a hand. "What is it, my little pup?"
She went to him, climbing onto his lap. A fire crackled in the fireplace; despite the old stone and the winter weather outside, Kiamo Ko was warm. It was so rare that the family spent time at the Vinkun palace for extended periods of time- their home was Colwen Grounds, the small palace Elphaba's father had had built for her mother after they were married- but there were things that needed the young king and queen's attention, and so they delayed their return home to Fliaan. Their oldest son, Chiss, had been born at Kiamo Ko, and he and Faola were the Crown Prince and Princess of the Vinkus, both the heirs apparent to their parents' throne.
The girl didn't say much; she instead chose to play with her father's hands, twisting his wedding ring back and forth. The emerald diamonds by her eyes sparked in the firelight, and Trism was reminded of the first time he saw her mother, when they were mere children, back before the Fliaanian revolution swept all but one of the royal family away. He watched his oldest daughter, who had turned eight last October, as she pressed her small hand against his. His hand was so much bigger than hers; he slid his fingers through hers, folding them together. The little girl looked up at him with a smile, so similar to her mother's that for the briefest of moments, Trism was taken back to the day he'd first met his wife, all those years ago when they were not much older than their daughter was now. "Is there something you wanted, little pup?" He asked, folding his arms around his oldest daughter and kissing her head.
Faola said nothing for several minutes before, "Do you really have diamonds like Mama?"
Her father raised an eyebrow. "What brought about this question, little one?"
The girl looked up at her father. "Mama and Grandmama were talking in the kitchen. Mama said something about blue diamonds, and that she doesn't want us to have them, but you do. Do you really have blue diamonds like Mama said?"
A moment passed, as her father considered the question, before he gently patted her hip. "Come on, little one, up you go."
"But Daddy-"
"I have something to show you." She slid off his lap, returning to the chair once her father had gotten up. She watched in silence as her father quickly unbuttoned his shirt, blue eyes roving over her father's chest, searching for the diamonds Mama had mentioned. Daddy was tall, and strong, and firm, like a tree. He could lift Mama and spin her around and not get winded at all, that's how strong he was. When Mama was upset, she clung to Daddy, burying her face in his chest and wrapping her arms around him; his firmness kept her grounded, especially in her hardest times. But she saw no diamonds patterned on her father's chest, and furrowed a brow.
"Where are your diamonds, Daddy?" Her father chuckled softly, before turning around and slipping the shirt he wore off his shoulders. The little girl's eyes went wide; diamonds of all sizes moved across her father's back in a swirling pattern, they sparked blue in the light. The small gasp that escaped his daughter's throat was similar to the one that had escaped his wife's throat when she'd first seen them all those years ago, long before Faola had even been considered. "Are they real?"
"They're real, little wolf."
"Trism, have you seen-" The young king looked up, to find his wife standing in the doorway of the study, their older children with her. Her arms crossed over her chest, and she raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing, my king?"
"Mama, it's true! Daddy does have diamonds! See!" The younger children pushed past their mother, hurrying to join their sister.
"Are they real, Daddy?"
"When did you get them?"
"Can I have my own? Please, Daddy, please?"
"All royal Vinkun children receive their diamonds once they reach ten years of age." Trism replied, shifting to his knees so that his children could get a better look at the tattoos on his back. A moment passed, before Elphaba joined him, sliding her hands up his chest. She said nothing, just met his gaze.
"Even the girls, Daddy?" Havni asked, wrapping her arms around her father's neck. Her father chuckled.
"Even the girls." The nearly-six-year-old squealed, turning to her mother.
"Can we, Mama? Please?" Elphaba sighed; Trism knew how she felt about the diamonds. She didn't think it necessary for her children to receive them when they each reached the appropriate age, but she wasn't going to fight them on the matter if they so chose. Just because she was perfectly content with the emerald diamonds she possessed, didn't mean her children had to be. It was to be their choice.
"Perhaps." She replied, meeting her husband's gaze. She slid a hand down his chest, fingers brushing gently against the tip of the diamond that showed above the hem of his pants. He caught her hand, bringing it up to kiss before pulling her closer.
"Where do they go, Daddy?" Chiss asked, small fingers trailing down his father's back, following the pattern.
"They wrap around Daddy's hip and end near his navel, love." Elphaba replied, resting her head against her husband's shoulder.
"Daddy?" Trism turned, shifting until he was sitting on the floor of the study, Elphaba pulled into his lap. Chiss met his father's gaze.
"What is it, my son?" The boy bit his lip before asking,
"Why doesn't Mama have diamonds like Grandmama does? Didn't she want them?" Trism met his wife's gaze, and she huffed in annoyance.