AN: I think this chapter and the next need to be rated "M", but because the majority of this fic is not, I'm not changing the rating, thank you. I know, awkward... Sad at the end... don't worry.

Chapter Nine: The Wedding Night, Part One - Public

By the ceremony, Elphaba had come to her senses. But she refused to back out. It was the morning of her wedding and she would prove to everyone, to Nessa, to Fiyero's parents, that she and Fiyero would live happily and faithfully. Perhaps it was only pride that was keeping her going, but she would go through with it. Whatever it was, she stood shaking and staring helplessly into Fiyero's eyes as the Vinkun priest read some scripture in a language she was unfamiliar with.

Fiyero didn't like the look in her eyes. She was still unsure. He would never forgive his mother for putting those terrible ideas into Elphaba's head. That may be what his father had done to his mother, but it wasn't going to be how he acted towards Elphaba. No, he would cherish Elphaba and love her truly and honorably. If he'd really wanted the traditional royal Vinkun marriage for only children and sex, he'd have gone ahead and married Sarima. But he'd wanted to marry Elphaba, and that's what he was doing. Lovingly, he took both of her hands in his and kissed them, smiling reassuringly at her and whispering, "I love you."

She couldn't smile back. Of course, she had to admit, it was sweet and wonderful how kind he was being, but her smile faltered. For Oz's sake, she was wearing white. Elphaba never wore white. But this had been one part of Vinkun tradition she wasn't going to protest. There were many other cultural rituals that were much, much worse. So, she'd stand for the white gown, no matter how horrifying she was sure it must look on her. Fiyero didn't seem to think it looked bad. No, from the way he was looking at her, he thought just the opposite. Squeezing her eyes shut for a minute, she begged whatever god or gods out there that he wouldn't hurt her too much when they coupled for the first time.

Glinda was crying in the audience. It was quite obvious. Fiyero was beginning to get irritated with the sniffling and his legs were starting to hurt. Why was this damned ceremony so long and why did he have to stand for all of it? He tried hard not to tap his foot impatiently. No wonder they'd started the wedding early! He'd thought everything would end much too early, since there wouldn't even be a party, but now he wasn't sure. It had already begun to get dark and they'd eaten (it was part of the traditional ceremony). At this point, he just wanted to get it all over with.

It was Fiyero's turn to say, "I do". Elphaba looked up at him nervously. How could he be so confident and proud as he said it? When her turn came, she was afraid nothing would come out of her mouth. But it did. "I do," she said softly. And then he kissed her and the crowd (which was pretty much the entire Arjiki tribe) cheered. For a moment, she was comforted. Then she remembered what was to come next and she began to tremble again.

Several of Fiyero's female relatives, including his mother, pulled her aside and they brought her upstairs to her room. She could hear Fiyero and several of his male relatives, including his father, right in the next room. The women gathered around her and helped her change into a strapless silk nightdress that barely went to the tops of her thighs and had nothing whatsoever beneath it. Elphaba had to wonder why they were even bothering to put anything on her when she was sure he'd just take it off.

Fiyero was quiet as he changed himself into a plushy pair of shorts. His father and uncles were drinking champagne and had placed a bottle and two glasses on the bedside table for the couple. He'd had to stop his father from slipping an aphrodisiac into Elphaba's drink during the ceremony and he hoped there wasn't anything on that tray that he didn't know about. Elphaba must be ready to fall apart by now, he imagined. Well, he hoped it wouldn't be much longer until they brought her into the room.

"Hey, last night, son, you forgot to close the door. You and your girl were having quite the argument." His father winked at him.

Fiyero wasn't sure what his father had seen. "She was just a little unsure about everything."

Fiyero's father made a hand gesture.

Fiyero grimaced.

Elphaba stood nervously in her room, knowing in a moment she'd have to venture into the next room. Beside her, Fiyero's youngest aunt (who was, oddly, only two years his elder) rubbed one of her shoulders comfortingly. "Don't worry. You need to relax. It won't be as bad if you relax."

Well, at least someone here was understanding. Elphaba tried to forget that to her other side, Fiyero's mother stood staunchly.

Unfortunately, the woman wouldn't allow her to forget. "Now, several things. This is the one and only time you are ever allowed to enter his room without him calling for you. Otherwise, he'll come in here or a servant will tell you to go into his room. And when you get into bed with him, you cannot simply just lie there. Everything he ever does to make you feel good, whatever it may be, he's doing it because he wants it in return; and he expects to get it. No matter how it hurts, you'd better participate, too. It'll be over with faster if you do, anyway."

Elphaba's only comfort was noticing that Fiyero's aunt rolled her eyes at this.

When the time came to knock on the door, both sides of the door went silent.

The door opened and Fiyero watched Elphaba walk into the room. He noted that her face was blank. Why did she always have to rid herself of emotion at times like this? Well, not that he could blame her for this one. Elphaba looked incredible, too. When she got close enough to him, they took hands and Fiyero said so only she could hear, "What are you wearing?"

"I think the longer list would be what I'm not wearing," she replied coolly.

Fiyero laughed.

She bit her lip. Every time he smiled that way it made her weak, made her want to do anything to keep that smile on his face. "Shall we get this over with?"

"You're beautiful," he told her, not answering her question. "I mean it. You are. I'm not just flattering you or I'd just buy chocolates. Please, believe me," he kissed her cheek, "you are absolutely beautiful."

She concentrated hard on trying to forget the eyes of everyone else in the room. Elphaba tilted her face up and kissed him warmly. When he pushed her, hinting, toward the bed, she let herself move with him. Before she lied back, he unzipped the nightgown (if it deserved to be called such a thing). It fell to her waist.

Fiyero feasted his eyes on her torso. He reached and touched her breasts softly, caressing them, teasing the tips with his thumbs. After catching her lips with his, he pulled back and brought his mouth to her breasts, sucking tauntingly lightly. She wriggled beneath him and he stopped, pulling the gown all of the way down and throwing it to the floor.

She looked up at him with wide eyes. The sweet, pleasured look she'd had a moment ago was gone almost completely and was replaced with fear. Her eyes closed.

"No," he whispered fiercely, "don't do that. Please, I want us to be looking at one another's eyes. I don't want you to just squint your eyes tight and endure. It'll be all right. I love you, Elphaba, remember that." Fiyero stroked her cheek with his hand and lowered the other to his shorts, fiddling to remove them quickly. For a moment, Elphaba seemed to relax as he kissed her.

Suddenly, she shot up in the bed and leapt off of it, naked and bare and hardly caring in the least. "Oh my gods that thing is huge there is no way…" She cut herself off as she quickly came to the realization that there were other people in the room, staring at her intently.

Fiyero sighed and, naked as well, got off the bed and pulled her close to him. "Elphaba, what are you suggesting we do?"

She fumbled with her words. "Just because we're married doesn't mean we have to do this right away. I mean, we can wait."

Fiyero struggled to keep her as calm as he could. "Elphaba, they're not going away until we do this," he reminded her in a low voice. "I don't think we want them following us around for Oz only knows how long."

Elphaba swallowed hard. "Oh, damn it."

He picked her up and carried her bridal style back to the bed and climbed over her. "Elphaba… Fae…" He murmured.

She cocked her head. "What did you call me?"

"Fae. I don't know, it just kind of sounded nice."

"It did, didn't it? I like it."

"Okay, then, Fae, are you ready?"

"Do I have much of a choice?" She countered.

Fiyero lowered his eyes and made to move away from her. "Yes. If you really don't want to do this…"

Elphaba gazed at all of the people around the room and grabbed for Fiyero. "No, that's all right. I'm ready."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded faintly and spread her legs.

He took one of her hands and intertwined their fingers, kissing her neck and shoulders helpfully as he slowly pushed in. After a moment, he stopped.

One single tear had formed towards the corner of her eye, but she would not let it fall, not in front of his mother. She could not let the woman be proven right. But it hurt like hell. "Okay, all the way in, at least?"

Fiyero shook his head.

"Almost?"

"Not even halfway in, Fae."

Elphaba looked like she was going to let that tear fall after all.

Fiyero decided it was out the door with slowness, and quickly moved all of the way in. He felt Elphaba grip his hand tighter. "There we go. Tell me when the pain starts to die down," he mumbled into her ear. "I won't move until it does."

She tried to stop herself from being so tense as he kissed her ears and her nose and everything he could find. Over time, the pain felt like it could be ending, possibly. But she wasn't sure.

Fiyero looked around the room and saw his father mouthing for him to "start pumping". He bit the insides of his cheeks and gave him a defiant look before turning his eyes back to Elphaba.

It felt like ten minutes had gone by, but now she was sure the pain had subsided some. She whispered to him, "It's going away a little."

"Is it okay if I move or would you rather me wait a bit?"

She could see how badly he wanted to move, how hard it was for him to stay still. "I think I can handle it if you moved."

He kissed her deeply again and gingerly pulled out almost all of the way. All at once he moved inside of her again.

Elphaba's mouth opened slightly against his. She'd been waiting for the pain to be just as bad when he did it again, but it felt nice. The throbbing that had been the pain was quickly disappearing. Curiously, she lifted her hips to his the next time he thrust. Her body shuddered in the pleasure that had begun to mount.

He couldn't read her; she'd tossed her head back. But she was returning his movements. Yet, how could he know it was not just something she'd been told to do? Fiyero yearned to move faster, and gradually he did, until it felt like forever and a day had gone by and she was finally looking at him again.

Just before he released, she felt something strong rock her body with ecstasy, but she dared not cry out. She was disturbingly aware of those around them. Instead, the single tear in her eye dripped down her cheek.

He let go. Fiyero couldn't help back anymore. But as the tear slipped down her cheek he kissed it and whispered, "I'm sorry."

The men in the room clapped when it was over; the women were silent. Quickly Elphaba was ushered into the bathroom off of her room and Fiyero into the one off of his room. After a moment, she heard a distinctly loud cheering sound. She turned to Fiyero's aunt, who had pulled out a bottle of oil and pointed at the tub she was to bathe in. "What was that?"

"They just hung the sheets out the window. Supposedly, the more blood there is, the more 'manly' the man is, because that implies something about certain parts, and there was, well, quite a bit of blood."

Elphaba flushed and got into the tub. She shivered as the women cleansed her and put her in a new, chaster looking nightgown. Then they sent her back into her room and left. She was alone.