Author's Note: There should only be three more chapters to this story after this one. I hope you have been enjoying it. There have been very few reviews lately, so sometimes it's difficult to tell. So if more of you could take a minute to leave a review I'd really appreciate it. Thanks.
Chapter 16
As usual, Elphaba awoke first the next morning. She wanted to remain in bed and wait for Fiyero to awaken before venturing downstairs, but soon decided that quiet time in one of the downstairs rooms may be just what she needed. It wouldn't be long before the florist and other guests arrived. Elphaba found herself hoping that Glinda's father was also an early riser, so they might have a few minutes to talk alone.
After Elphaba had made her way downstairs and looked around a bit, she found no one else was awake yet, except for the household staff. The kitchen was already alive with noise, which meant breakfast would be ready sooner rather than later. Elphaba retreated to the sitting room that she preferred to all the other rooms in the house. When she entered it, she found the fireplace already ablaze, and saw Riordan seated on the couch. He turned when he heard the door close behind him.
"Good morning," he said with a smile. "I thought you might come looking for me, so as soon as I got up I came in here and waited for you."
Rather than feeling put off or bothered by this, Elphaba found herself feeling glad. She smiled slightly. "Actually, I was hoping I'd see you before everyone got up and the company starts arriving, so we could have a few minutes to ourselves."
Elphaba walked into the room and sat down on the couch beside Riordan. Without any prompting from him, she went on. "I wanted to tell you that I'd like to accept your offer to walk me down the aisle. I was very touched that you'd ask to do something like that for me. There was no real reason that I didn't accept on the spot. I just..."
"You've never really had a father before," Riordan said, and he knew he had hit on the reason from the startled look on Elphaba's face. "I'm sorry to be so abrupt," he went on. "It's just that, from the few things Glinda told me, and your reaction when I asked you, it wasn't very difficult to guess. I'm flattered that you've accepted my offer. There is something else I'd like to ask you, if you wouldn't mind."
Elphaba felt sudden apprehension creep in, but told Riordan to go ahead and ask his question. "I told you that you're welcome to think of me as your father for today. I'd like to know if you'd be comfoartable thinking of me as your father from now on." He rushed on, afraid Elphaba would refuse before he had a chance to fully explain.
"I know I've sprung this on you without warning. It only entered my mind this morning as I was sitting here waiting for you. I am very fond of you, Elphaba, and it's very plain how important you are to my daughter. I haven't discussed this with Glinda yet, but she's already said to me that there have been many times she has thought of you as her sister. So I thought the perfect solution was to ask you this. It won't be anything legal, of course, but still..."
Riordan was stumbling over what he wanted to say, and his thoughts blew away like dry leaves. He sat patiently, waiting to see what Elphaba would say. For her part, Elphaba was overwhelmed. Riordan's suggestion was the last thing she had been expecting, quite literally. As he had pointed out, she had never had a father in the true sense of the word, and had never expected to find anyone to fill that void at this point in her life. But now, with the possibility solidly before her, Elphaba found herself wanting to accept without question. But then, a single thought dampened her enthusiasm.
"I'd love to let you act as my father," Elphaba said earnestly, which brought a look of relief to Riordan's face. "But I think you should talk it over with Glinda first, before I definitely accept. I won't do it if she will resent it. And what about your wife?"
"I'll talk this over with Glinda as soon as she is up. As far as Symana is concerned, her opinion makes no difference to me. This will be between us. She doesn't like you. That isn't likely to change, and she can go right on feeling however she wants. But it will not change how I feel. I'm sorry to give you something else to think about on a day like this, but I was afraid there might be no other time to ask, because my wife has already said she'd like to leave first thing tomorrow morning."
"I understand, and it's fine," Elphaba said with a bright smile. "Thank you so much for asking me. Even if Glinda won't allow it, at least I will know how you feel. It will be a strange thing for me though... having a father figure that actually loves me..."
Riordan could see that Elphaba felt like crying, and so he abruptly changed the subject, talking about the impending wedding until they heard others up and about. When they emerged, they found the dining table set for breakfast, though the serving dishes were not yet in evidence. Riordan heard his daughter's voice in her upstairs room, and waited a short time before going up to say good morning. He left Elphaba with a promise that he would discuss his plans with his daughter at his first opportunity.
Elphaba returned upstairs as well, and found Fiyero awake and ready to go down to breakfast. He looked at her worriedly when she walked in. "When I woke up, you were already up. I thought maybe you were feeling sick or something... I was about to come look for you."
"I'm sorry. I was just downstairs, talking to Riordan. I accepted his offer to walk me down the aisle. Then he said that... He'd like me to think of him as my father, from now on."
Fiyero was clearly startled, but happy. "What did you say?"
"He actually hasn't mentioned it to Glinda yet, so I said we should wait and see how she feels. But I wanted to say yes right there. I was afraid I'd start crying..."
Fiyero smiled and stood from the bed. "It's nice to see you so happy," he said softly. "And considering that today is our wedding day, it's just the beginning. Come on, let's go get some breakfast, before all those other people get here to interrupt it."
Breakfast passed in a rush. Glinda and her father were both late coming to the table, and Elphaba was sure this meant they had discussed her father's wishes. She couldn't tell how Glinda felt about it, however, and decided to put it in the back of her mind until later. Cole and his parents ate heartily, but Symana seemed tired and grouchy, picking at her food. It was a bit of a relief when they could all get up from the table again and go their separate ways.
Even as the breakfast dishes were being cleared, the many visitors that were due that day began to arrive. Travion's parents came first, dressed in their best and bearing gifts for each of the couples. They went to freshen up after their journey, and before they returned downstairs, both the florist and the dressmakers arrived. The clothes were inspected carefully before the person who delivered them was allowed to leave. The florist lingered longer, as Fiyero and Elphaba needed time to pick out the perfect roses for their exchange during the ceremony. The other wedding flowers were brought in as well, Glinda's yellow ones and Elphaba's purple ones. There were also matching ones for the grooms' buttonholes, as well as more simple carnations for the rest of the gentlemen. Since Elphaba's flowers were wound around a headpiece rather than being in a bouquet, this had to be tried on to be sure it would hold perfectly before the florist took her leave. The flowers, especially the roses, were placed somewhere cool and well out of the way of the steady flow of visitors.
By the time the cakes were delivered in early afternoon, Elphaba began to feel overwhelmed by all the fussing and noise. She retreated to the bedroom suite to change clothes, though it was a bit early. She went into the bathroom and locked the door before taking out the large bottle of oil. Once some of that had been applied, Elphaba put her undergarments on, then returned to the bedroom. She was still adjusting her hated wig when she looked up and found Glinda waiting for her.
"Can I help?" Glinda asked, even before Elphaba had a chance to speak.
"Yes, make it so I don't have to wear this stupid thing!" Elphaba said, gesturing to the wig that was so unlike the color of her own hair. "At least you are going to be married looking like yourself!"
Glinda ignored Elphaba's bad temper and went on calmly. "I wish you could too, Elphie. I just thought you might like some help getting into the dress. I saw you come up here a while ago, and I thought it might be nice for us to have a few minutes to ourselves. Has all the activity gotten to be too much for you? I thought having the wedding here with only a few guests might help, but..."
"It's fine, Glinda. Living out in the middle of nowhere all these months, I've gotten used to hardly ever seeing anyone. It will be so strange at first, when we move to the city. But it will be nice to be able to see you and Travion more often."
"And my father too," Glinda said with a smile. Elphaba looked up, plainly startled. Glinda laughed gently when she saw her friend's expression. "You really thought I'd object to his request, didn't you?" Elphaba only nodded in reply. "Elphie, he's loved me very well all my life, he's got more than enough love to share with you, too. I knew how happy it would make you, there was no way I'd refuse. Now come on, let's get you ready. This will be the fun part for me... After this I have to put myself in my mother's hands and let her fuss endlessly!"
Elphaba groaned and told Glinda she felt sorry for her. Then they both turned their attention to getting Elphaba herself ready for the ceremony. Once she was fully dressed, Elphaba studied herself in the mirror amd announced herself satisfied. Her shoes had the advantage of being comfortable enough to wear for an extended period. Just as Elphaba was slipping into them, Fiyero knocked and was allowed to enter. He stopped short when he saw Elphaba was already in her gown.
"Gorgeous," was all he said before kissing her gently on the lips and disappearing into the bathroom to shower. Glinda left for her dreaded time with her mother. Elphaba sat on the bed, listening for sounds from the lower level. She heard very little, and guessed everyone else was also in their rooms changing clothes, save for Travion's parents, who had arrived dressed for the occasion. For just a moment, Elphaba walked out of the bedroom to stand at the top of the staircase. From there, she could hear the cook shouting. Elphaba guessed he had begun to prepare the wedding dinner, and one of the maids had gotten in his way or interrupted him. Though he was a man of high temper, his meals were exceptional, and Elphaba had no worries about their dinner being anything but delicious.
By the time the two couples returned downstairs, Riordan had welcomed the man who was to preside over the ceremony. They were sitting making conversation when the others joined them. It was only then that Elphaba began to feel nervous. She took comfort when she looked at Fiyero and realized he felt the same. Her greatest worry was that she would forget the words to her vows, which didn't follow any set tradition since she had written them herself. She knew Fiyero had done likewise, but they had not shared their contents with each other. They wanted them to be like a gift to each other at the ceremony itself.
In a short time, everyone was assembled down in the living room making the final preparations before the ceremony could begin. The household staff had set up chairs for the guests in such a way as to make it clear where Elphaba and Glinda would walk down the aisle. There was no formal runner since such a thing would seem out of place. The flowers were fetched from their place of safekeeping, after which Fiyero helped his bride get her headpiece comfortably in place. Then the marriage licenses were signed, since it had been necessary to wait for the civil servant to arrive before that could be done. The guests then took their seats, and it was time to begin.
Glinda and her father walked down the aisle first. He was beaming with pride, and Glinda looked not the least bit nervous, a fact Elphaba envied. Once Glinda had joined hands with Travion at the front of the room, Riordan returned discreetly to his starting point to walk Elphaba down the aisle as well. Though Symana didn't quite contain her scowl, Riordan looked no less proud this time around, for he already thought of Elphaba as a second daughter.
After the presider said a few words about each of the couples, it was time for the vows. The roses were handed to Elphaba and Fiyero at this point, since they were to say their vows first. Fiyero went first, as he and Elphaba had agreed upon. She hoped his words would make her less shy of speaking up in front of others.
"There is nothing in my life that has made me happier than to be standing here, knowing we are finally getting married," Fiyero began. "I remember very well what it was like when we first met, how afraid you were to admit how you felt about me. When you finally did, I knew we were meant to be together. No one I've ever known has made me happier than you have, Ivy. I love you so much, and when you return that love, it fills me with a joy I can't even describe to you. I pledge to spend the rest of my life making you happy, sharing my life with you, and loving you as my wife and confidante. I can't wait until we are able to move here to the city. Then we will make our home in a place that is just as beautiful as you are."
Fiyero fell silent, and Elphaba kept her inward worry from showing on her face. She knew exactly what the deeper meaning of his last words was, and wondered if anyone else would realize it. Glancing quickly at the guests, the only obvious reaction was a sly smile that crossed Colverus' face. Fiyero was watching Elphaba, a small smile playing on his lips. When she hesitated a few seconds longer, Fiyero reached out, took one of her hands and squeezed it lightly. That gave her the courage to begin.
"I never thought we'd really be here. We had thought about getting married for so many months, and when Glinda asked us to share this day with her, I almost thought I was imagining it at first. I'm so grateful for how much you love me, Fiyero. You put up so well with my shyness and fits of temper. Those things alone put you well on the way to earning my love and devotion in return. Then add to that your gentleness, caring and loyalty, and that is everything I could ever ask for in the person I chose to marry. I spent most of my life thinking no one could possibly want to marry me... Even in my most perfect dream I couldn't have imagined someone as amazing as you. It's lucky for me that you aren't a dream. I promise to share the rest of my life with you, Fiyero. You have all of my love, trust and loyalty."
There was a moment of quiet as Elphaba and Fiyero exchanged the roses they each held. There were no further words from the officiant, only a pause as the couple completed the silent part of their vows. Then, it was time for Travion and Glinda to each say their own vows. As before, the groom went first. Considering that Travion was the shy one of the pair, he had asked Glinda prior to the ceremony if she would speak first; She had refused, saying it was only proper that he go first just as Fiyero was going to do.
"Glinda, from the day I met you, I've felt like a different person. I was always so quiet and shy, yet from that first day you came to visit me at my shop, I felt very comfortable talking to you. I was able to laugh so easily, and I couldn't wait to see you again. Then when I came to see you in the city the first time, I realized how many burdens you were carrying. Grief, and the leadership of the city... When you poured your heart out to me that day months ago, I knew I loved you. That I wanted to take care of you, and make you happy again. You'd brought such light into my life, and I wanted to do the same for you. I see it in your eyes that I make you as happy as you make me. I promise I will always stand by you, especially during the times you are struggling with decisions about things I may not even understand. I never expected to have someone as incredible as you be a part of my life, Sunshine. I hope I will always be worthy of all the love you have shown me."
There was only a brief pause before Glinda began to speak. She was beaming with joy, and felt no nervousness over what she was about to say except to worry that her words may come across as less heartfelt than the things she had already heard. For she was not used to being overly demonstrative with her feelings of affection. She knew this was not a time to hold back; there was no other time than this that would be entirely appropriate for putting everything out in the open, for everyone to hear.
"I feel so fortunate that I found you, Travion. It was at my mother's insistence that we even met each other, and that first day I was almost dreading meeting you. But you had a way of making me forget all the troubles that were on my mind. I felt that such a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Whenever I spend time with you, it makes me happy in a way I'd never experienced before. You make me feel so capable, like I'm not just some stupid, shallow person. Since I met you, I have grown up a lot, and learned how to put other people's needs and feelings before mine. You've shown me how to do that, because you are so kind and compassionate, always trying to do your best for anyone you meet. Your sense of compassion helped lift me out of one of the most miserable times of my life. I don't know that I can ever express how much I love you for doing that for me. You have earned my love just by being who you are. I will spend the rest of my life showing you how much I adore you, and how thankful I am that you came into my life."
At the conclusion of the vows, the officiant gave a final brief speech that was more a formality than anything else. Everyone present knew that the vows just spoken meant much more than any words from a virtual stranger who was simply doing his job. Soon after this, the few guests were milling about the living room and adjoining parlor. There were at least a couple of hours until dinner would be served, and though Travion was most anxious to get out of his tuxedo, his plans were dashed when Colverus' father announced that he had brought along a camera to take pictures of the two couples. Photography had been a hobby of his for years, and Cole assured his friends that they wouldn't be disappointed by his father's work. Therefore, the next half hour was passed in picture taking. Glinda and Travion went first, since Fiyero and Elphaba shied away when it was suggested that they be first in line. When their inevitable turn came, Elphaba shook her head vigorously.