NellytheActress: That will be explained in this chapter.
Ultimate Queen of Cliffies: Of course you'll want to kill me! The question is… when? *Cackle* What kind of author would I be if I didn't make the readers want to kill me? *Smirk*
"You don't like her, do you?" Fiyero asked his grandparents.
After the tea and biscuits, Amalie showed Elphaba to her room, Raal went to his office to finish some paperwork, and when Amalie returned, she said that Elphaba decided to take a short nap. She then decided that she would follow the green girl's lead and also rest for a bit, leaving Fiyero alone with his grandparents in the parlor.
"It's not that we don't like her, Fiyero. We just met her," Alyena said.
"She's green," Navon said, rather bluntly.
"I know she's green, Nonno," Fiyero said.
"It's just… you were right."
"So… are you surprised that she's green or the fact that I was right about her being green?"
"We were just surprised, that's all," Alyena said. "Reading about it in your letters was one thing. Actually seeing it with our eyes is another. So… she's the one that you met at the Emerald City hospital? The one with the lung illness?"
The prince nodded. "Yes."
The king and queen exchanged a look. "And you really like her?" Navon asked.
"She's my girlfriend," was Fiyero's answer.
"And how much do you know about her… illness? Does it affect her daily life?" Alyena asked.
Fiyero had no idea where that question had come from, but he did his best to answer it. "I know she doesn't let it affect her life. She has attacks from time to time, but she doesn't let it stop her from living. She's not terminal, if that's what you mean."
Navon nodded. "And her… verdigris?"
"From what I know, she was just born that way."
"Does it have any connection to her illness?"
Fiyero shook his head. "No. She got sick as a child."
The monarchs looked at each other. "Are you sure you're serious about her?" Alyena questioned, looking back at her grandson.
"Very serious, Nonna."
"Serious enough to marry her one day?"
Oh, so that's what this is all about, Fiyero realized. "I… I am serious about her, but I never thought about marriage."
"Because if you do chose to marry her one day, Yero, you must take all of these things into account," Navon said. "It's one thing that she's green, but if you were to marry her and she becomes queen, she can't rule if she's confined to a sick bed."
"Fae has never been confined to a sick bed," Fiyero protested.
"But Fiyero, ruling a country is a very serious and stressful job. If she can't handle it, and you're serious about her, I don't think that it would be best to get too involved with her," Alyena said. "We aren't judging her, Yero, but –"
"And to have a green queen," Navon interrupted, shaking his head slowly. "What would the people say?"
"You are judging her," Fiyero frowned. "You think that just because she's green and sick means that she won't be a good ruler."
"Yero, we're just thinking practically," Navon said.
"But Fae makes me happy! She's the most kind, caring, selfless girl I know!"
"And we want you to be happy, Yero," Alyena said. "And we're not saying that Elphaba isn't all of those things. We love you and we want you to be happy more than anything. But we also have the future of a country to think about."
"And then there's also the need for an heir," Navon said. Alyena gave her husband a look, but he continued. "Will she still be able to produce an heir, despite her… illness?"
Fiyero bit his lip, angry tears welling in his eyes. "You don't even know her!" he shouted angrily, getting up and storming out of the room.
"Yero!" his grandparents called after him, but the prince ignored them and disappeared from sight.
The very upset prince went back to his room and slammed the door behind him. The tears finally made their way down his cheek, but he didn't even bother to wipe them away as he collapsed onto his bed. A few moments later, a knock came at his door. "Go away!"
"Yero?"
Fiyero got up, recognizing the soft voice. He wiped his eyes, took a deep breath, and opened the door, coming face to face with Elphaba. She looked tired, and Fiyero realized that he must have woken her up when he slammed his door. "Fae…"
"Yero, what's wrong?" the green girl asked, worry filling her eyes when she saw her boyfriend's tearstained face.
"Nothing."
"Something's wrong, Fiyero. You're crying."
Fiyero looked into his girlfriend's concerned eyes and sighed. Elphaba wrapped her arms around him and walked him to his bed, helping him sit down and then sitting down next to him. She snuggled against him and waited for him to tell her what was wrong.
"I had a conversation with my grandparents," the prince finally said. "And –"
"And they don't like me," Elphaba finished for him.
Fiyero looked down at the green girl. "What? No, Fae, that's not what I was going to say."
"Of course it wasn't. But it's okay, Yero. I'm used to it."
"It's not okay and the fact that you're used to it doesn't make it any better."
"I saw their faces when you introduced me. They're not exactly thrillified with your choice of a girlfriend."
Fiyero really couldn't come up with an excuse if Elphaba saw their initial reactions. "Their opinions of you will change for the better, Fae, I promise. I love you and they love me, so it will all work out."
Elphaba was about to retort, when she realized what Fiyero had just said. "What did you just say?"
"Their opinions of you will change for the better?" Fiyero repeated, confused.
"No, after that."
"I promise?"
"After that."
Fiyero realized what Elphaba meant and blinked. "Uh… I love you?" He had figured that he could start saying it now on a regular basis, since they had gotten back together for a while. "I've said it before."
"I know. I guess I'm just… still not used to it."
In all honesty, when Fiyero had first started saying that he loved her, she would either brushed it off or simply not register it. Some of the mean things Nessa had said to her were still floating around in her mind, and as hard as she was trying to ignore it, she couldn't. At first, she had rarely said it back, but the prince completely understood. They were still taking it slow, and he knew what Nessa had done affected her deeply. She knew Fiyero loved her and she loved him, and she wanted to say it back as much as he said it to her, and it frustrated her to not know why she couldn't. Now, she was getting better and said it more often, which made the prince happy to no end. The green girl's mind slowly flashed back to the very first time Fiyero had said that he loved her, shortly after they had gotten back together.
"I've… kind of knew that I was in love with you for a while, but I didn't want to say anything because I thought we were still taking it slow. Back when I got that letter, I thought it was because I didn't tell you that I loved you, and that's why you were having doubts."
Elphaba was still staring at him. She didn't know what to say, or if she should say anything at all. The prince held his breath, but slowly released the air in slow puffs when he saw a smile slowly work its way onto Elphaba's face. "I… was falling in love with you, too," she admitted softly.
The prince released the rest of the air in a loud, relieved sigh. "That's a relief. I thought I would be moving too fast and then our whole relationship would be ruined… again… and then you would leave and I would never see you again and –"
Elphaba cut him off with a kiss. "Do you ever let anyone else talk?" she chuckled against his lips.
"Mmm, I'll never talk again if you keep doing that," Fiyero hummed.
Elphaba rolled her eyes and gently pushed away to look up at him. "Somehow, I doubt that."
"I love you, Fae," Fiyero repeated. Oz, it felt good to finally be able to say that to his girlfriend.
"I… love you, too, Yero," Elphaba smiled.
The green girl smiled softly at the memory, but quickly sobered. "But Yero, please listen to me. I don't want to come in between you and your grandparents. Especially since it's your grandmother's birthday."
"They will give you a chance, Fae. Please. I want the people I love to be able to get along. They'll love you if you give them the chance. Trust me."
Elphaba didn't seem sure about all of this, but when she saw the optimistic look on Fiyero's face, she gave in and agreed. Her heart wasn't fully on board with all of this trusting, but she supposed she could give it a chance… for Fiyero.
The prince look positively gleeful when Elphaba decided to give it a chance. He just hoped that his grandparents would do the same.
A servant knocked on the door to tell the prince that dinner was ready. "Are you hungry?" Fiyero asked, looking down at Elphaba.
"Not especially, but you can go," Elphaba said, feeling tired again.
"Would you like something to be brought up?"
Elphaba shook her head as Fiyero got up and helped her up as well. "I'm still pretty tired from the trip. I don't know why, though."
"Go back and rest. I'm sorry I woke you," Fiyero said, kissing her forehead.
"It's okay. I'm glad we got to talk," the green girl smiled.
Fiyero walked her back to her room before going down to the dining hall, where his parents and grandparents were waiting for him.
"Where's Elphaba?" Amalie asked as Fiyero sat down.
"She's still taking a nap."
"Isn't she hungry?" Raal asked.
The prince shook his head. "I asked her if she wanted something brought up, and she said no."
"She'll probably be hungry later," Amalie said.
"We can send something up anyway, just in case," Raal said.
Fiyero glanced over at his grandparents. Navon was too busy eating, while Alyena was glancing at her grandson. The two made eye contact for a moment, and seemed to have a mental conversation. Finally, Alyena turned away and went back to her food. Fiyero did the same, hoping that somehow, someway, his grandmother had gotten his message.
After dinner, Fiyero immediately went to go check on Elphaba with a plate of food in his hands. When he knocked on the door, he got a soft, "Come in", and opened the door. He saw Elphaba sitting up on her bed, reading a book. The green girl looked up and smiled at the sight of the prince. "Hi, Yero." She took off her reading glasses and motioned for him to come in. "You're finished eating?"
"Yes."
Elphaba saw the plate of food in his hands and rolled her eyes. "You couldn't resist, could you?"
"Well, you're hungry."
"Am not."
Fiyero raised his eyebrow in a very Elphaba-like manner and waved the food under her nose. Elphaba inhaled the rich smells of the dinner plate and sighed. "Well, I wasn't until you waved food under my nose."
"And you would have waited hours until morning to eat," he said as he set the plate down on the desk and helped Elphaba to her feet.
Elphaba didn't protest as she sat down and ate the food. Fiyero pulled up a chair behind the green girl and busied himself with undoing her braid and running his fingers through her long, silky, raven hair.
"What are you doing?" Elphaba asked after taking a sip of water.
"Eat," was the only thing the prince said as he pointed to her food.
"You're redoing my braid."
"Okay."
Once Elphaba was finished, Fiyero redid her braid.
"When did you learn how to do hair?" Elphaba asked, clearly amused.
"I had a little… crush when I was little. The girl said that if I wanted to be her boyfriend, I had to learn how to braid her hair. So I did."
"You lady's man," Elphaba teased.
The prince blushed. "Laugh all you want."
"I'm kidding, Yero," Elphaba smiled, turning around and kissing the prince's nose.
"I know. But someone's gonna have to do your hair."
"I can do my own hair, Yero."
The prince simply hummed, took her plate, and disappeared out the door. When he came back, he found that Elphaba was sitting on the edge of her bed, buried in her book again. Knowing that he wasn't going to get her to budge anymore for the night, he simply settled for snuggling against her side. Once she fell asleep against his shoulder, he gently removed her reading glasses from her face and tucked her under the covers. "Fresh dreams, Fae," he whispered, kissing her forehead.
Elphaba wiggled her nose, a gesture Fiyero found extremely adorable, and tiptoed out of the room, closing the door behind him.
The next morning, Fiyero and Elphaba walked down to the breakfast table together. The king, queen, elder prince, and princess were already seated. Elphaba curtsied to the monarchs before Fiyero pulled out her chair for her. She blushed and thanked the prince before sitting down, stiffing slightly when Fiyero pushed her seat in. He whispered something into her ear and she relaxed a bit, smiling slightly at her boyfriend as he sat next to her.
Once everyone was finished eating, Raal and Amalie excused themselves to go to a meeting.
"Elphaba," Alyena began. "We would like to speak to you, if that's alright."
"Oh. Of course, Your Majesties," Elphaba said, trying to hide her surprise as she quickly glanced at Fiyero.
The monarchs nodded and stood, and Elphaba and Fiyero followed suit. They both followed the royal couple out when Navon stopped them.
"No, Fiyero," he said. "We just want to speak to Elphaba."
The look on Fiyero's face could have melted chalk. "Oh. I… um…"
"It's okay, Yero," Elphaba whispered, giving him a reassuring smile.
The prince clearly didn't want to leave Elphaba alone with his grandparents, but he knew he didn't have a choice, so he simply nodded, kissed her cheek, and watched as the woman he loved went off to be interrogated by his grandparents.
The king and queen led Elphaba to Navon's private library. "Please, have a seat, Elphaba," Alyena said, gesturing to one of the chairs surrounding a small, round table.
Elphaba wordlessly sat down and watched as the monarchs took the two seats across from her. Both of them seemed guarded and uncomfortable, which quickly rubbed off on the green girl. She sat up straight, though her gaze was on her lap, for she already knew what they were going to tell her. That she wasn't fit to associate with their grandson, and that they wanted her green self gone from their home.
"What's the matter, Elphaba?" Navon asked.
The green girl recoiled slightly, and Navon belatedly realized how gruff he sounded. Alyena gave her husband an 'I will handle this' look before turning back to Elphaba.
"You are not in trouble, Elphaba."
The green girl looked up slightly, but still didn't speak. She honestly didn't know what she was supposed to say, or what she should say. Oz, she wished Fiyero was here with her.
"We just wanted to talk to you, to… get to know you."
Well, that was unexpected. The green girl met the monarchs' gazes and relaxed slightly, but she still felt like an apprehended thief. "What would you like to know?"
Navon opened his mouth, but Alyena beat him to it. "Whatever you would like to tell us."
It was very clear that the green girl would much rather answer questions instead of having to start a conversation, so Alyena prompted her by asking her what she liked to do in her free time.
"I like to read," the green girl said, shyly and cautiously. "I draw a bit, but I'm not very good. But I mostly study."
"What are you majoring in at Shiz?"
"Political science and history, and I'm minoring in literature."
Alyena nodded and moved on. "What about your family?"
"What about them?"
"Tell us about them."
"Well, my father is the Governor of Munchkinland and I have a younger sister, Nessarose."
"What about your mother?" Navon asked, this time not sounding as gruff.
"She died when I was two, giving birth to my sister."
"Oh. I'm so sorry," Alyena said, sounding genuinely sorry.
"It's alright. I barely remember her."
"Do you play any sports?" Navon asked, trying to drive the conversation to a topic he wanted to discuss.
Elphaba knew exactly what he was doing, but answered the question anyway. "No, I'm not very athletic."
"Elphaba, forgive us for prying, but we would like to know more about your illness," Alyena said gently.
"Fiyero said it was some type of lung illness?" Navon questioned.
Elphaba took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes. It's a condition where my lungs are scarred, and the doctors don't know why. There's no cure and nothing can stop the scarring, but I have medications that slow the process."
"How long have you been…" Alyena asked, but stopped short.
Elphaba knew exactly what the queen was asking. "Since I was four."
"And how old are you now?"
"Eighteen."
"And when will you turn nineteen?"
"Next month, on May fifteenth."
"Is it very bad right now? Your illness, I mean."
"Not really. As long as I take the medications, I'm fine."
"And does your… verdigris have anything to do with your illness?" Navon asked.
Elphaba stiffened slightly. "No. At least, I don't think so. I was born green."
Navon nodded. "And it is… contagious?"
"Navon!" Alyena hissed.
"It's alright," Elphaba said, though her voice clearly betrayed her. She could feel her airways slowly starting to close. She tried to calm down, since the last thing she wanted to do was have an attack in front of Fiyero's grandparents. "No, it's not contagious."
The three of them sat in a very uncomfortable silence, Navon and Alyena trying to process the new information, while Elphaba tried to control her breathing and not pass out.
"Thank you for indulging us, Elphaba," Alyena said as she and Navon stood up.
Elphaba nodded and rose as well, still trying to breathe slowly.
The monarchs went to the door and opened it, and practically jumped back when Fiyero's fell through the doorway, right in front of them.
"Yero, were you eavesdropping?" Alyena asked, staring down at her grandson sprawled on the floor.
"No," the prince said, rising to his full height. "I was just… waiting for Fae."
"With your ear pressed against the door?" Navon sighed. "Fiyero, the room is soundproof for a reason."
"I know," Fiyero said. He would have to try something different next time. He looked up and saw a look he had become all too familiar with Elphaba. "I… I just have to show Fae something," he said as he gently took Elphaba's arm. "Right now. Bye!" He hurriedly helped her down the hall. "Do you need your inhaler?" he asked when they were out of earshot.
Elphaba could only nod.
"Do you think you can make it up the stairs, or do you want me to bring it down here?"
Elphaba looked at the stairs and shook her head. Fiyero nodded and began to help her to the parlor, but Elphaba clung to him. "Please don't leave me," she begged in a hoarse whisper.
Fiyero nodded and, thinking quickly, lifted Elphaba into his arms and carried her up the stairs. They went to her room, where Fiyero immediately saw the inhaler on the nightstand. He sat Elphaba down on the bed and handed it to her. The green girl moved her arm in a weak up and down motion. The prince got the message and shook the device before handing it to Elphaba. Taking it and pressing the button, the green girl dispensed the medicine into her mouth. A few clock-ticks passed before Elphaba began to breathe normally again.
"Thank you, Yero," she whispered once she found her voice again.
"What happened in there, Fae?" Fiyero asked, stroking Elphaba's hair away from her face.
"Nothing, Yero. They were just asking me questions." Elphaba didn't want to worry the prince, especially when it might come in between him and his family.
The prince didn't look like he believed her for a moment, but let the subject drop, not wanting to make it worse.
"I'm fine now, Yero. I promise," Elphaba said, gently pulling Fiyero into a soft kiss.
Fiyero quickly complied, secretly hoping that everything had gone fine with his grandparents and that he was just being paranoid.
Well, would you look at this? #NiaDoesHaveSomeChill. You're welcome!
