Chapter 13
The two days' journey passed quickly enough after the intense discussion early on. Elphaba slept for much of the remaining journey. Fiyero watched over her quietly, hoping she would have no recurrence of the nightmares that interrupted her sleep every few days since their last journey to the city. Thankfully, her rest was peaceful, and when he woke her as they neared Glinda's house, her face was immediately lit with a smile.
"Look, you can already see that house from here," she laughed. "I swear I have never seen anything so pink! I wonder if she expects Travion to live there after the wedding?"
Fiyero made no reply, only laughed to himself. Moments later, the self-driven carriage drew to a stop directly in front of the house. It had barely halted as Elphaba began to climb out, eager to be out in the sunshine and to chase the stiffness from her legs. Fiyero joined her on the sidewalk, and they stood looking at the unusual house a moment or two more before approaching the stairs that led to the front door. Once they had mounted them, Fiyero lifted his hand to knock, but the door was flung open before he could.
"I heard the carriage arrive, I knew it must be you! Come in," Glinda greeted them. They knew she must have been very anxious for them to arrive, because she typically let the maid answer the door.
"The seamstresses aren't even here yet, but Papa, Travion and I have been waiting for you," She went on. "The cook has even kept some breakfast warm, in case you arrived early enough. Are you hungry?"
"Famished," Fiyero admitted. "We were in such a hurry to get going we didn't pack much food to take along," he explained, looking around the entry and into the nearby dining room. "Where's your father?"
Glinda didn't even have time to reply, but Fiyero nonetheless received his answer. Riordan emerged from the kitchen, carrying two breakfast plates to the dining table. He glanced over at Elphaba and Fiyero, a bright, genuine smile lighting his features.
"I thought I heard you two out here. Come eat, before it gets cold. How was the journey?"
As they each took their seats, Fiyero replied that their trip had gone well, but they were glad to arrive. "It's good to see you again, sir. Glinda told us you'd be here. I'm sorry your wife is ill."
He ignored Fiyero's comment about his wife's health, but they both knew from the blush that filled his cheeks that the case of flu was a charade. Riordan scoffed lightly, then said, "Sir? No one calls me sir, not even my Glinda. There's really no reason to be so formal. My name is Riordan, remember? Most people just call me Dan, but whichever you prefer is fine."
Elphaba had not said a word since their arrival, not even to offer a hello to Travion. Glinda could sense her friend's nervousness, and so she took the seat nearest Elphaba and leaned over to whisper in her ear.
"You don't have to be afraid of Papa. He's sweet, and completely harmless. Nothing like Mama. He's been so anxious for you to get here. Talk to him... I promise he won't yell like Mother."
At first, Elphaba remained reluctant to take her friend's advice, but as the meal progressed, she slowly opened up. Before long, Elphaba and Riordan were engaged in a one-on-one conversation. No one else at the table minded this, and Glinda was very pleased, since this was exactly what she had been hoping for.
"Your wife only pretended to be sick, so she could avoid us," Elphaba was saying, though she felt uncomfortable saying something that might anger Glinda's father. "I guess I shouldn't feel so disappointed that she doesn't want to be around us. But what will the wedding day be like? I don't want it to be ruined."
"It won't be," Riordan said confidently. "I've already told my wife that I expect her to be civil when we return here, and if she can't be, she will have to go home early. That has more to do with why she's not here today. She doesn't like it when I put my foot down. Before I left, all I told her was she could either stay home and pout, or come with me. She chose to stay. So don't feel bad."
"I'll try," Elphaba said with a small smile. "Glinda is very lucky to have such a nice person as you for a father. I grew up with only my father, but we were never close, and he passed away some time ago. My mother died when I was small, so that's why none of my family has come here."
"I'm sorry," Riordan replied sympathetically. "Were you planning to walk down the aisle alone, then? I don't mean to be nosy, I just..."
"I understand," Elphaba assured. "There has been so much else to do, I hadn't even thought about that part. Since I have no surviving relatives, I guess I'll have to walk down the aisle by myself." Elphaba felt strange telling this lie and hiding the fact that her real father was still alive, despite the fact that she normally refused to acknowledge the man. She supposed this was because Riordan was so open and honest. Hiding anything from him seemed like an insult.
"Well... How would you feel if I walked both you and Glinda down the aisle? I have already asked her opinion about it, and she promised me she has no problem with it. You're free to decline of course, but I'd like to do this for you. You are a very good influence on my daughter, and it's easy to see how happy you are to be her friend. Since the two of you are so close, there are times I feel like you're my daughter, too."
Elphaba blushed deeply. Though she was happily surprised by Riordan's request, she didn't feel ready to reply. Riordan saw her hesitation and frowned.
"I've caught you off guard... I'm sorry. It's just that Glinda was telling me a few things about your growing up, and after the way my wife has treated you I was hoping I could do something kind, unlike the things she's said and done."
"I understand why you asked me," Elphaba assured quickly. "I want to say yes, but I'll feel so strange... I know you said Glinda won't mind. But you're her father, not mine. I've never had anyone say they felt like they were my father when they really weren't. Even my biological father didn't want me, so I'm just not used to this. I like you very much, and I have to admit I've felt a little jealous of Glinda since I met you, knowing she has such a gentle person for a father. I always wished my father could have been like that."
"Well, for the wedding day at least, you're perfectly welcome to think of me as your father. If that will make things easier. I won't say anymore about it for now. Please don't think I'm trying to force you to accept. There is time until the wedding. Think it over, and let me know what you've decided when we are all back here again."
Elphaba smiled and promised him she would do just that, then stood from the table as the noisy group of seamstresses was admitted to the house. Riordan made a hasty exit, seeming uncomfortable with the idea of intruding on the preparations. Glinda took care of greeting the guests and getting them settled into their workspace. Among the things they brought in, Elphaba was easily able to spot her deep purple velvet dress, fully put together and ready for trying on. It was draped carefully over a chair, and was covered in plastic. Nonetheless, Elphaba approached it, running her hand over the plastic rather than daring to reach inside and touch the material.
"That's really mine," she whispered very softly. Out of the corner of her eye, Elphaba saw one of the dressmakers smile, and remembered her as one of the two that had helped out after the initial disaster. "It's so beautiful... And it's really mine."
Within a half hour, all of the wedding clothes were brought in, taken out of their protective coverings and were ready for trying on. Travion still seemed reluctant to be forced into his new suit, but when he emerged wearing the snow-white garment, everyone including himself was quite impressed by it. He was relieved to find it needed no altering, which released him from any further hassles over his wedding attire.
Fiyero went next, followed by Glinda. Their clothes were likewise very flattering. Fiyero's grey suit nicely contrasted with his eyes. Though everyone was still surprised Glinda had not chosen to wear pink, the yellow frilly dress she had selected was as feminine and delicate as anything Glinda usually wore. She was very pleased with it, and especially liked the bright yellow shoes that matched it perfectly.
At last, it was Elphaba's turn to try on her gown. She was noticeably nervous as she left the room to change, one of the workers accompanying her in case of problems. It was several minutes until she emerged, now swathed in deep purple velvet. The dress was floor-length, much longer than the style Glinda had chosen for her gown. The sleeves were not cuffed, but instead blossomed outward from the elbow down, so that the fabric actually swayed when Elphaba walked.
She stood silently, looking at herself in the full-length mirror that had been set up in the cozy living room. Imagining herself as she really looked rather than cloaked by her disguise, Elphaba suddenly felt overwhelmed. All thoughts of how happy her wedding day would be, and how much she loved Fiyero, flew away from her. Instead, she thought that it must be a dream that she was standing there wearing something so beautiful. That someone had taken hours upon hours, stitching it by hand, all for her. She suddenly turned and fled the room, going all the way up the staircase to the room she and Fiyero shared. Watching her retreat, everyone was left in a state of great surprise. After a moment, Glinda approached Fiyero and asked him if he would rather follow Elphaba alone, or have her come with him.
"I think this is up to me, but thank you for the offer. I hope we'll be back soon... It depends on Elphaba."
"I know," Glinda whispered sympathetically. "Don't worry about all these people. Take care of her, and when she is ready, we will finish this. I can go ask Papa can help keep these people entertained. Go on, see what you can do."
Fiyero dashed upstairs quickly but quietly, somehow sensing that startling Elphaba right now would be a bad idea. Most of the doors to the rooms on the second floor were shut. Fiyero checked each one even though he suspected which room she had escaped to. When Fiyero opened the door to their own room, Elphaba was standing with her back to him, looking out the window. He shut the door so softly the latch barely clicked, and still she had heard him enter.
"I don't deserve to wear anything this gorgeous," Elphaba said, as if she had only been waiting for someone to arrive so she could share the burden of her thoughts. "When all we were doing was talking about it, I kept thinking, 'it won't possibly be as pretty as it sounds like it will.' But today, seeing it, and now putting it on... It can't be for me. I must be imagining it."
As Elphaba spoke, Fiyero had slowly walked nearer to her. Now, he reached out, tenderly grasped her by the shoulders, and turned her to face him. Though she was still shrouded by disguise, as he gazed at her, he pictured her as she really looked.
"You aren't imagining anything, Ivy," he said, sounding like he wanted to cry at hearing how unworthy she felt. "You chose this dress yourself. It's yours now, and you look more stunning than even I could have imagined. And that's saying a lot. You are going to marry me wearing this, and you will be the most beautiful, deserving bride there ever was. I know all of this has been overwhelming, but you've been doing great. You've earned the right to have a peaceful, happy wedding day. If I have to remind you of that every day from now until the ceremony, I will. Just tell me one thing, and after this we won't ever mention how many times you've run away from those people down there."
His voice now held a touch of laughter, which helped Elphaba relax as well, a tiny smile playing at the corners of her mouth. "Tell you what?" She sounded a bit cautious, somewhat afraid of where he was leading. Fiyero wasted no time in asking his question.
"Did you run away because you looked as beautiful to yourself as I've been saying you are? That even as you imagined yourself with your green skin and dark hair, you still thought you looked gorgeous?"
Elphaba looked stunned that he had read her thoughts so accurately. He continued to suprise her with how in tune he seemed to be. She appreciated it more with each passing day. She was overcome by her feelings again, and so only trusted herself to nod in reply.
A bright smile lit up Fiyero's face, traveling all the way to his eyes. "I knew if I kept trying, one day you would understand. I'm so glad, Ivy. Will you come back downstairs now? Everyone was worried about you, and we still have things to get done today. The trips to the florist, and the bakery... I think Glinda is actually keeping a list for us down there."
Elphaba groaned slightly. "Please, don't remind me. All this socializing is exhausting. I don't know how Glinda can stand it all the time!"
They walked out of the guest bedroom toward the staircase as Fiyero laughed in reply. "She loves to be the center of things, just like always. I'm still surprised she is willing to share such a special day with us." His tone turned more serious as he went on. "She must really love us a lot, in spite of everything we've put her through. I'm happy for that... I know how much she means to you especially. I count myself lucky she doesn't want to spit on me like that mother of hers wanted to do the last time we were here."
Elphaba sighed, taking Fiyero's hand as they reached the bottom of the staircase. "Don't mention her, please," she said gently. "I feel so happy right now. I want to hold onto it for just a little while, before something comes along to spoil it."
Fiyero made no reply, but his face filled with a determination that clearly meant he never intended to let Elphaba suffer any great unhappiness again, at least not when he could help it. He shook off his feeling and smiled as they rejoined everyone in the living room. Glinda looked greatly relieved to see them looking so joyful, as did her father. Elphaba did not excuse herself immediately to go change back into her everyday clothes. That was the final proof Fiyero needed that the gown made his bride to be feel just as special and gorgeous as she deserved to.
By late afternoon, the seamstresses had gone, taking the clothes away with them. There were no alterations that needed to be made now, but the wedding was still two months away, and they were prepared for any last minute changes that might need to be made. After they had all gone, Elphaba and Fiyero set out for the florist's and the bakery. Not wanting to leave them completely without advice, Glinda went along, leaving Travion and her father at the house.
The florist was extremely accommodating, so Elphaba's decision there was swift and simple. The delicate royal purple blooms she chose were so striking that Fiyero said he would like to wear one pinned to his jacket. Also, rather than carrying them as a bouquet, Elphaba found she wanted to wear the blossoms in her hair. Therefore, the florist suggested having them wound around some sort of headdress. After having Elphaba's gown described to her, the woman also said that having long strands of ribbon trailing from the headdress would be entirely appropriate. By way of contrast, she suggested silver ribbon, which Elphaba eagerly agreed with. Elphaba and Fiyero had decided to have a ring-less ceremony. Instead, as a symbol of their union, they would exchange two red roses. These would not be selected until the morning of the ceremony when the florist arrived at the house. Glinda had already chosen her flowers, so she was told her bouquet and other flowers would be ready right on time. The trio left the little shop highly satisfied with the results of their brief visit.
Though the visit with the baker lasted longer and involved a greater number of choices, the results were equally satisfying to both Elphaba and Fiyero. Considering the small scale of the wedding itself, their cake was somewhat smaller than the average. Glinda assured them that hers was likewise, even pointing out a picture of a cake much like hers that the baker had in a book of past creations. Drawing their inspiration from the clothes they would be wearing, Elphaba and Fiyero were definite about wanting their cake done in shades of purple and silvery-grey. Though they worried at first that this was beyond the scope of the baker, the man's face lit up at the detailed nature of their request, promising them that he would greatly enjoy the challenge. Since Glinda's choice of a wedding cake had already been made, all of their planned errands for the day were accomplished. Elphaba and Fiyero traveled back to Glinda's house with her via one of her carriages, feeling very satisfied but quite worn out.
Not long after everyone's arrival back to the house, a light dinner was served. Glinda's father as well as Travion were still present, and so everyone dined together. They all made conversation as they ate, so by the time the dinner dishes were cleared, darkness had fallen outside. Elphaba and Fiyero were relieved that the next day was not going to be as busy or stressful as the present one had been. Their plans were to go apply for their marriage license, then spend part of the afternoon discussing the menu for the wedding feast with Glinda's own chef. Upon hearing there was a double wedding that would be taking place in the household, the kindhearted man had insisted on preparing the entire meal himself.
When the conversation lagged at the completion of dinner, Riordan disappeared into the library to catch up on some reading, while each of the couples present went to separate rooms to share some private time. Elphaba and Fiyero went into a small sitting room that was made even cozier by the presence of a fireplace that was fully ablaze when they walked in. As they sat on the soft, large couch, they heard Glinda's laughter echoing from another room. This made both of them smile. Elphaba spoke up first.
"Glinda must be in her glory you know, planning all these wedding-related things. Probably in ten years or so she'll talk us into renewing our vows just so she can do it all again. It's so exhausting, and I haven't even had to do a lot of the work!"
"But you're happy, aren't you?" Fiyero inquired, sounding suddenly doubtful of her true feelings. "If you're sorry we agreed to this, we can't really back out now. It's too late for that, and you know Glinda would feel to blame somehow."
"I don't regret anything, we've wanted to be married for months already. I wasn't prepared for the stress that goes along with making the plans, that's all," Elphaba assured him. "And we aren't even officially engaged. I know it isn't custom to wear any outward symbol of engagement, and I don't need one. I just wish we had been able to make some kind of formal announcement. Because of our circumstances, we can't do that. It seems very sad."
"It does," Fiyero agreed with a slight nod of his head. "But Ivy, we're already pledged to each other in our own way. That's all that matters. Besides, I had an "engagement party" last time, remember? I like things better this way. Just us and our friends, planning our wedding. I think it's perfect, I wouldn't want it any other way."
"Me either, except... There are times I've wished Nessa could be here, helping us make the plans. I know our relationship had changed a lot before she... Well, I'd like to think that if she were still alive, we could have mended things, and she could be here too. I've wanted to ask Glinda about the shoes all day, but there never seemed to be a good time." Elphaba sighed, fixing her eyes on the dancing flames in the fireplace.
"I asked Glinda about them earlier," he stated simply, awaiting her reaction. Elphaba turned back to face him, an eager but only slightly hopeful expression in her eyes.