Disclaimer: I don't own Wicked.
Eira ran up to the lady in black after ballet again. She liked her-the woman always spoke to her and was polite enough, and as a bonus, she had no idea who Eira really was, and that's what she loved. The seven year old was beginning to realize that Rhea was the only person who treated her like everyone else. She didn't want this woman bowing down at her, or expect more of her, like other adults. "My mommy came back the other day! She says that she made a mistake and that where we live is her only home." She had almost slipped up and said the palace, but she had corrected herself before it had come out of her mouth.
"I'm very happy for you," the woman said to her. "So, I take it she's staying for good?"
"That's what she says! But I feel kinda bad because she had to leave her fiancé behind. I asked her why, but she says it isn't important. I want my mommy to be happy and be married like the rest of the mommys."
"I'm sure she's very happy to be home with you," the woman replied.
"She is," Eira agreed. "Sorry I have to leave so soon, but my mommy's picking me up from ballet today! And she's taking me to dinner, just me and her!"
"Well, have fun with your mother, my princess."
"My princess?" Eira questioned. "I like it."
"I'm glad. Now, go run along," the woman said. Eira nodded and ran off.
Eira sat in a booth across from her mother. She was so happy to be there that she couldn't think of a thing to say or even talk about. Instead, she just admired her mother scanning the menu with her eyes. Oh, how Eira wanted those brown eyes! They seemed so smart. "Mommy, can you tell me about daddy?" Well, that was unexpected, even for the seven year old. She didn't know why she even asked that. Deep down did she really want to know? Probably.
"His name was Calix. He was adopted, so to speak, by your grandfather, Fiyero. He had dark skin, a bit darker than yours. He was from the Vinkus, after all. His eyes were the same shade of blue as yours. He was intelligent, very nice, and I think he would have been the perfect father," Ellie explained after ordering their meals.
"You told me that before. I mean, tell me how he died."
"Eira, there are some things that are best left untold."
"I deserve to know," Eira crossed her arms and refused to eat another bite.
"How about this, when we go home, I'll show you pictures I drew of him. Would you like that?" Reluctantly, Eira nodded her head and began to poke at her food.
When they got home, Eira followed Ellie up to her room. There, she watched her mother open up her file cabinet, and she pulled out a folder that said Calix across it. Ellie opened it up and pulled the girl up onto her lap. Ellie opened it and for the first time, Eira saw who her father was, and she understood why her mother loved him. He was incredibly handsome. "This is your father."
"I wish I could meet him," Eira said as she stared at the picture. Ellie's eyes filled with tears, but she refused to let them fall.
"I wish you could have met him, too. He would have been the perfect father," Ellie said to her.
"Mommy, how did daddy die?" There was that question again. Ellie wondered if she should tell her. The girl was only seven years old, but she'd understand. It was a brutal killing, but Eira deserved to know about her father. After all, he'd probably want her to know about him.
"You've heard of the Ixian Invasion, correct?" Ellie began.
"Yeah. You saved everyone," Eira said and looked up at her mother.
"One night when we were saving people from the other camps, when I say we, I mean me, your father, your Uncle Liir, and Aunt Nor. I had been captured and the Ixian Army showed me that they had captured your father, too. I had been forced to look into his eyes. He told me he loved me, and then right before my eyes, the Ixians slit his throat," Ellie explained. "It was a deep cut and he died before he hit the ground."
"He was killed?" Eira questioned and looked back at the picture, not wanting to see her strong mother crying. Mothers weren't supposed to cry, were they? Certainly mothers couldn't cry, could they? Although she had witnessed her grandmother crying late at night, but Glinda never knew she was being spied on by the girl. Perhaps mothers did cry, and maybe they needed to be comforted. Eira put the drawing aside and turned around on her mother's lap. She wondered what she could do to help her. Obviously, she couldn't tell her everything would be okay because it wasn't a nightmare. Instead, she just simply hugged her, something Glinda had done many times when Eira had been upset about her mother's absence. Without any further words, Ellie hugged her daughter back tightly.
After an intense ballet practice, Eira said goodbye to Rhea, probably her only friend nowadays because the other girls still ignored her. Since she didn't have many friends anymore, she actually discovered she wasn't an average student in school. Instead, she was getting check pluses instead of merely checks or the ever so famous check minuses. She had been proud to show her grandmother and her mother the giant C on her paper which meant everything was correct. She wished the second grade had letter grades because then she'd know exactly where she stood.
Eira sprinted over to the lady dressed in black and began talking about how she found out about her father. She simply said he was killed during the Ixian Invasion, though. She still didn't want to give herself away. "He tried to help people. He was a hero," she decided.
"He would have been a great father, my princess," the woman decided and reached out to put a hand on the girl's shoulder. However, her shawl slightly slipped, revealing green bony fingers. Eira saw them and gasped. The woman pulled away quickly and hid her hand.
"You're green," Eira stated. She had never heard of a green woman before. No wonder she wore all black. The woman went to walk away, but Eira stopped her. "Hey, it's okay. I don't care what color your skin is as long as you aren't sick, and I don't think you're sick," she assured her.
"You must promise me you will not tell a living soul about my skin color," the woman said in a serious tone.
"Of course I won't. I never tell my friend's secrets. Besides, my skin's different, too. It's lighter than Vinkan skin, but darker than the rest of Oz. See? We aren't so different," Eira said.
"You're right, I'm sorry, my princess."
"You don't have to be." Seeing that the woman no longer wanted to discuss her skin tone, Eira changed the subject. "Since I learned about my father, I want to learn more about my family's history. I don't know a lot, and when I ask, I get no answers. It took me two whole years of asking to find out about my father."
"Maybe you should try finding some answers on your own, then. I know you're young, but you're a smart kid. Don't underestimate yourself. Perhaps at home there are some things that can help you," the green woman suggested.
"You're right," Eira said. "It's time I become independent. I spelled that word right on my spelling test a few days ago, you know," she stated proudly.
"Very good. Head back to your mother, my princess." And that she did. She went up to her mother, grasped her hand, and hoped that a time would come where she could sneak into her mother's room. There was something about that file cabinet that screamed answers.