AN: Well it's been a little while (*coughlastupdate12-28-07) but here at last is chapter 2 :)
Dear Mother and Kerrin,
It has been two months since my last letter to you. Frex and I are once again residing in the Governor's Residence of Munchkinland. Thankfully his mother has returned to Gillikin for 'the season' (this is a colloquial reference to the summer activities of the Gillikinese nobility).
I have not yet told her or Frex that the problem that concerned her in my last letter is no longer a problem. I am happy to tell you that you will soon be 'Grandmother Liana' and I think that I will name my daughter after Kerrin's mother.
I have a small concern, it relates to the peculiar attitudes of these Northerners…but I will not speak of it in writing in case there are those curious enough to read this letter as it makes its way to you.
I will write again to let you know that my daughter is born, or that she has joined the Ancestors.
Until then, my deepest love to you both,
Melena.
Melena sighed softly as she sealed the letter, it was unlikely her last one had even reached her family yet but writing down even a hint of her concerns made her feel better.
If only people up here weren't so peculiar about children and who their fathers are.
Melena knew with absolute certainty that not only was she pregnant but Frex was not the child's father.
Ah well, she decided with a shrug. I shall have seven months to think about it.
Frex was thrilled, two months later, when she told him the news though he immediately became far too over protective and refused to let her do anything he considered strenuous despite the fact she was a qualified midwife and quite capable of taking care of herself. It seemed to Melena that the only reason they didn't argue more during her pregnancy was that the family doctor, whom she despised, had warned Frex that she mustn't be allowed to become 'overexcited' – Melena spent most of the next three months in her garden.
When Melena was about seven months pregnant Frex's mother came to stay and 'help take care of things'. Between Frex and his mother Melena reluctantly gave in and agreed to stay inside until after the baby was born. Needless to say her mother-in-law's ideas about 'appropriate activities for pregnant women' soon drove her to the point where she claimed to be indisposed and remained in the room adjoining the nursery all day.
One day she happened to venture downstairs, in search of a book one of the maids had put back, and overhear her husband speaking to his mother.
"What do you think of this one?" she heard the dowager Lady Thropp ask. "Good references, good enough breeding, and she'll be ready just before?"
"I'm not sure we want a Munchkinlander," disagreed Frex. "I'd prefer Gillikinese if we can find one, or at least not entirely Munchkin."
"Good point, you want someone who'll be able to carry the child around for some time, what about the second one on the list?"
"I don't like the sound of the last comment in her ref…Melena, what are you doing down here?"
"One of the maids moved the book I was reading, I came to find it," explained Melena.
"You shouldn't be going up and down stairs in your condition!" protested the dowager. "My grandchild is due to be born in a matter of weeks!"
"Why didn't you send a maid to find your book, Melena?" asked Frex wearily.
"I needed to stretch my legs. What were the two of you discussing when I came in?"
"Eavesdropping is a very unladylike habit," sniffed Lady Thropp.
"It's hardly eavesdropping, Madame, when you are sitting directly in front of the only door leading into this room."
"You might at least wear shoes so people can hear you coming, girl."
"Well I would," countered Melena. "But my feet have been so swollen the last few weeks that none of them fit and, as you so kindly pointed out, I have such large feet that it was already practically impossible to find shoes that fit in the first place!"
"We were discussing wet nurses," interjected Frex, concerned that one or both of them might become too overexcited if the 'conversation' continued.
"Wet nurses?" repeated Melena in puzzlement, she tried to recall if she'd ever heard the term before.
Lady Thropp just rolled her eyes at her daughter-in-law's ignorance so Frex took it upon himself to, quite haltingly, explain the term to his wife.
"Someone to feed the baby for you, once it is born."
"Why in Oz would I need someone else to feed my baby for me?" wondered Melena. "I'm hardly going to die in childbirth, dear one, and if I did there's sure to be someone in the town who could look after the baby until you found someone."
"You're the Governor's wife!" snapped Lady Thropp, infuriated by yet another example of the girl's ignorance of proper society. "You can't be wasting your time nursing a child! Why I never nursed a single one of my children myself, as if I would even think of it in my position, and they all turned out just fine!"
"You are not seriously suggesting that I abandon our child to the arms of a stranger just so I can attend parties and dinners are you?" said Melena, ignoring her mother-in-law so she could look directly at her husband.
"Melena…"
"You are!" she gasped, not sure if she was more horrified by the fact he was considering it or that he hadn't discussed it with her. "How dare you do this without even speaking to me about it!"
"It's what all noble Gillikinese families do!" he protested, trying to make her understand.
"Well I'm not Gillikinese and I won't let anyone take my baby away, not even you!"
"No one wants to take the baby away," said Frex reasonably. "Just to help you look after it."
"As far as I am concerned," stated Melena firmly. "Being a real mother is a commitment to look after your child all of the time and if that means I miss a few dinners with people who don't care about my opinions anyway well then I will! But I will not let anyone else take such an important part of being a mother away from me and so help me, Frex Thropp, if you even try I will leave and I will take the child with me!"
"There's no need to unduly distress yourself," said Lady Thropp in what she thought was a comforting tone. "These decisions can always be made after the child is born."
"There is no decision to be made, I…oh!"
"Melena? What's wrong?"
Frex leapt to his feet as Melena turned pale and clutched her stomach.
"The baby's coming!" gasped Melena.
"Now?" said Frex. "But it's not due yet!"
"Try telling her that!" suggested Melena sarcastically as she took a deep breath between contractions. "Don't panic, it's only just started, there's plenty of time. Help me upstairs."
"Upstairs?" repeated Frex. "But you're having a baby!"
"Not for a few hours yet, dearest," promised Melena. "And all of the baby things are in the nursery it will be much easier to take me up there than bring it all down here later."
Helplessly Frex looked to his mother in a silent appeal for advice and the older woman promptly took over.
"Frex go and send for the midwife while I help your wife upstairs."
"Are you sure it will be…"
"I have had seven children, young man, and I can assure you that none of them took less than five or six hours to arrive so your firstborn is not likely to make its appearance on the stairs!"
Mollified Frex hurried away, calling for servants, while Lady Thropp took Melena's arm and helped her up the stairs to her bedroom next to the nursery.
Once she was sure that Melena was in no danger of giving birth immediately Lady Thropp went back downstairs to check on her son. As soon as her mother-in-law was gone Melena got up from the bed, knowing there was no need for her to be there yet, and walked slowly around the room while counting the time between her contractions.
"You can't come in here, sir!" she heard a woman protesting followed by Frex insisting that he 'certainly could!' and pushing his way into the room.
"Melena, should you be standing up?" he exclaimed as soon as he got into the room.
"I'm fine, Frex," she assured him. "Women have babies every day you know!"
"This is Mistress Erlan," Frex introduced the woman who followed him into the room. "The midwife."
"How do you do, Mistress Erlan?" said Melena politely, too focused on what she was doing to bother protesting the need for another midwife to be in the room.
"Fine, thank you, Lady Thropp. How are you feeling?"
"I think my husband was a little hasty in calling you, Mistress, the contractions are still a quarter hour apart and it's been such an easy pregnancy I doubt your assistance will be required."
"Is that so?" replied the midwife noncommittally. "I was under the impression that this was your first child."
"The first I've given birth to, certainly," agreed Melena. "But I've delivered, and assisted in the delivery of, several dozen babies. My mother is a midwife and she trained me in her craft."
"Oh I see, your mother-in-law didn't mention that when she arranged for me to attend you."
"No I don't suppose she…" Melena paused to wait for a contraction to pass. "Did but now you know so no harm done. Frex, will you please stop hovering?"
"No need for you to be here yet, sir," added the midwife. "The child is at least six or seven hours away at the moment and I'm sure you have important business to attend to?"
"Well I…there are those letters I do need to respond to…but you will send someone to fetch me as soon as it is time?"
"Of course we will," Melena assured him. "But there's no point sitting around up here yet."
"As long as you're sure," he agreed. "I'll send one of the maids up in case you need anything."
"It's always best to get the men out of the room while the woman is trying to get the job done," quoted Melena with a smile. "That's what my mother always says. Of course back home she can make them go and do something useful outside."
"I make most of mine go and fetch water to boil," confided the midwife. "But one can hardly tell the Governor to boil water, I'm sure!"
"Don't worry, he'll soon be so caught up in his paperwork that he'll hardly remember his wife is having a baby upstairs," Melena assured her, speaking from past experience in other circumstances.
Nine hours later the contractions weren't any closer together so Melena and the midwife began to discuss the possibility that this was what they called a false labour even though, as Melena remarked, it felt like the real thing.
"She's not due for another three weeks," remarked Melena. "Maybe it was just this morning's…excitement that prompted this little practice run."
"'She'?" repeated the midwife. "Most mothers-to-be think of their unborn children as male."
"Not where I'm from," contradicted Melena. "And I'm not just thinking of my baby as female, I know she is."
"Of course you do," agreed the midwife in a conciliatory tone. "Now what do you think, shall we stay up and see if anything happens or will you go to bed and see if that calms baby down?"
"Her name is Elphaba," Melena corrected her. "And I think I'll try to sleep for awhile since she can't make up her mind whether she wants to join us today or not."
"Elphaba, is that a Quadling name?"
"No, it's my mother's husband's mother's name," explained Melena as she got into bed. "The Gillikinese form of the Arjiki Aelphaba. If you ring for my maid she'll find you somewhere to rest, it may be best if you stay until the morning, just in case this baby decides that tonight's the night after all."
Sure enough Melena woke up only a few hours later when the contractions, which had almost stopped by the time she fell asleep, suddenly increased in frequency. Calmly she rang the bell that would summon her maid, sparing only a moment's thought for the fact the girl would be sleeping, and sent her to wake up the midwife who sent her on to wake up the Governor.
"Melena!"
Frex rushed over to the bed as soon as he entered the room and saw his wife half sitting and propped up by her pillows.
"Good evening, Frex," she said with a smile. "I believe we're really having a baby this time."
"I heard you scream, are you all right?"
"I'll be fine," she promised him. "It's just a bit painful and…"
She stopped speaking for the duration of another contraction and the midwife started bustling around laying towels around her.
"Nearly time," she said reassuringly. "Start pushing harder with the contractions now."
"I'm familiar with the process," snapped Melena irritably. Frex tried to be helpful by holding her hand, an action he regretted almost immediately as she – in the time honoured tradition of women in labour – just about crushed his fingers in her hand during her next contraction.
"I see the head," exclaimed the midwife, coaxing Melena along. "Just a little longer and you'll be able to see your baby."
Melena must have blacked out for just a moment because the next thing she heard was the midwife's scream.
"What is it? What's wrong?"
"It's atrocious!" exclaimed the midwife.
"It's obscene!" shouted Frex.
"What's wrong?" repeated Melena loudly, trying to pull herself up so she could see the baby. "Where's my baby?"
"Take it away!" demanded Frex, running out of the room to go and find the one woman in Oz he trusted now.
"Give her to me!" demanded Melena before the midwife had taken two steps towards the door to the nursery. Helplessly the midwife looked from the bed to the door then reluctantly handed over the still unwashed child to its mother and bolting out of the room.
Eight months later:
The first eight months after Elphaba's birth had been very trying for Frex and Melena had done absolutely nothing to help, she didn't even seem to care that people had heard about the baby and were gossiping about it all over the country! He'd found a decent couple in Far Appleton willing to adopt the baby, despite her deformity, and Melena had refused to even listen to him when he suggested it be sent away.
Now his mother had come to stay and he hope that between the pair of them they would be able to talk some sense into Melena and make her realise that as his wife she had more important things to do than play nursemaid to a defective child. He shuddered involuntarily as he recalled one of the few times he had gone into the nursery, even though she'd only been six months old at the time the child had looked at him in such a knowing fashion that he quite forgot what he was saying and left the room very quickly.
Melena wasn't in the nursery, a fact that didn't disturb him greatly, she often went outside in the afternoon to sit in the sun – one of the few concessions he'd managed to wring from her was that she would use the walled 'family garden' where no outsiders and very few of the servants would see the child though he half suspected that she wasn't doing it for his benefit but so the child wouldn't hear the people talking about it.
Frowning and irritable now because Melena had not been in the garden he had his major-domo question all of the servants who lived in the house, which only confirmed that none of them had seen her since yesterday afternoon at the latest.
"She's probably just sulking because you asked me to come here," suggested his mother dismissively, when he joined her for dinner without having located his wife.
After dinner he had meetings and paperwork to take care of and so he didn't give anymore thought to where Melena could have gone until the next morning when his secretary, a young gentleman who lived in town and came to the manner every morning, handed him the day's correspondence, which contained an unmarked envelope.
"Why is this in here?" demanded Frex, his secretary normally went through his correspondence and removed the unimportant items.
"I'm sorry, sir, I must have missed it."
"Never mind, I'll see to it, thank you."
Afterwards Frex was very glad that the younger man had left before he opened the letter. His mother found him, some time later when he missed lunch, still siting in the position his secretary had left him in.
"Frex, your secretary tells me you won't let him in, whatever is the matter?"
Silently Frex handed her the letter that had been contained in the unmarked envelope and indicated that she should read it.
Frex,
By the time you read this I will be halfway to Quadling Country. I am taking my daughter home, to raise her with the help of my own mother. Attached to this letter I give you a formal statement of my agreement to the dissolution of our marriage.
I am sorry you could not accept her and that our love could not survive this trial. Please know that I do not blame you and I will always think fondly of our earliest days together. I hope you will find someone who can be the wife you need and give you the children you want.
My love always,
Melena.
"Well there'll be a scandal, of course," said his mother after she read the letter several times. "But all in all I think it's for the best."
"I can't help but wonder how it went so wrong," said Frex, despite the obvious lack of maternal sympathy. "Everything was so right when we were first together, I couldn't imagine not spending my life with her, but then Father and… the child. That letter makes it very clear that she was unhappy with our marriage over a year ago and while I knew there were things that upset her I didn't think it was as bad as that!"
"She was an impulsive girl," remarked his mother, shocking herself that she was about to say something almost nice about her former daughter-in-law. "It was probably just a spur of the moment rebellion that ended with an unexpected result."
"'Unexpected result'?" repeated Frex. "That is something of an understatement…but then you saw it when it was born so you know that."
"Is there anything at all I can do to help?"
"No…just tell the servants to leave me be until I ask for them. I need some time alone to adjust to this. We can come up with a suitable story later for now, if anyone bothers to ask, tell them that Melena took the baby to visit her family in Quadling country."
"As you wish."
Frex sat quietly for awhile after his mother left then picked up a fresh piece of paper to compose a letter in response to Melena's. He didn't have to, of course, but he felt that he should do something to properly close this chapter of his life and he knew that the sooner he sent it the sooner it would catch up with her.
Melena,
I've been staring at this piece of paper for hours now and I still hardly know what to write. All I can say is that I have loved you, I do love you, but I know you were right when you said you could not stay if our love was not stronger than that which tested it. I will marry again, my mother will insist upon it, but I will never feel for anyone as I felt for you in those days when it seemed as though we had discovered love.
I see now that I never should have persuaded you to marry me but that is all in the past and while I will always remember it I wish you well for the future. I hope there will be someone who loves you without feeling the need to change who you are. I will always be your friend, Melena Hadar, and if you ever have need of a friend I hope you will call on me.
Yours,
Frex.
One week later; the border of Munchkinland and Quadling Country:
"Names?" asked the lone guard at the southern border of Munchkinland in the monotone of one repeating an endlessly dull routine.
"Melena Hadar and Elphaba Hadar."
"Reason for entering Quadling Country?"
"I'm going home."