AN:

All right, my dearies... Here is chapter 14 for you! That means there 6 more chapters to go after that! Which also means, we should really start making some progress here! So let's see how this goes...

*O*O*O*O*

Guest:

Thanks for reading and reviewing! :D

Here's the next instalment for you, I hope you (and everyone else) will be satisfied with the further development in the Gelphie department ;)

*O*O*O*O*

Gooddie, gooddie...

Not much else to say actually, so

Happy reading everyone! :3

Chapter Fourteen: Chain of Events

On the morning of Prince Fiyero's birthday, the entire castle was in full excitement. Glinda was trying to make her way from the breakfast room back to her quarters without bumping into anyone, however, that seemed sheer impossible. As soon as she stepped out of the door, she already had to evade one of the kitchen hands that had almost lost footing while balancing a tray with a giant bowl of trifle.

When she finally reached her room and closed the door behind her, she couldn't help but release a long, relieved sigh. Chuckling and shaking her head, she crossed the room and disappeared into her bedroom, where she picked a new dress from the wardrobe. She was about to meet Elphaba again and the Emerald Princess had promised her another secret escape away from the stronghold – for the first time since their excursion to the carnival, which had famously ended in a bit of a disaster. Only on her way out, she spotted the large, but otherwise rather inconspicuous box on the coffee table in front of her settee.

She curiously, yet somewhat apprehensively shuffled closer. Tentatively, she reached out to prod it, before finally lifting the lid. The content was an indistinguishable heap of delicate, semi-transparent fabric. It was light blue, matching the colours of her eyes, and in between the folds of silk, she discovered sequins and rhinestones, glittering and glistening in the still hesitant morning light filtering thought the window. She could not resist the urge to touch. Her hand moved of its own volition, as if attracted by a powerful magnet. Then she lifted the entire thing out of its case.

It was a dress, a ball gown, and the only word that came to Glinda's mind was 'magnificent.' The top of the bodice was trimmed with white lace; the cute puffy sleeves were attached low on the sides, so they would accent the wearer's shoulders. The skirt - well, the skirt was an entirely different level of marvellous. It was constructed of layers upon layers of individual pieces, which looked like… like petals. Truly a unique design! And to top it all, it was over and over embellished with crystals and beads – more of them than she could have ever guessed by simply looking at the gown in its folded and packaged state.

For the briefest moment, she held the delicate piece of clothing against her body, but as soon as she caught sight of her own reflection in the window of the corner cabinet, she thrust it away from herself and hastily chucked it back into the box.

Was this some sort of trap? Was this costly present nothing but bait to draw her out? Even if there was no ill will behind this all, she couldn't possibly wear this dress to the ball and attract everyone's attention! And conversely; how could she have the audacity and insult her hosts by not accepting such a generous present?

She rang the bell to call her maid, and the young woman appeared almost immediately.

"Please –" The blonde motioned into the direction of the blue pile of fabric on the coffee table without even looking. "- just… hang this… somewhere. And do be careful, it is quite precious."

Then she hurried out of the door, leaving the maid to her work.

"Elphie!"

Dog-earing her page, the green woman looked up to see Glinda, fairly upset, rushing towards the big maple tree underneath which she was sitting. She made to stand, but before she could do so, the petite blonde had already collapsed beside her and flung herself against her chest.

"You seem distressed," she remarked flatly.

"Your mother sent me a dress," Glinda cried, as though that would explain everything.

Remaining unfazed and feigning indignation rather poorly, Elphaba replied, "No! How could she?"

The smaller girl lightly thumped her tiny fist against her sternum and whimpered.

"Don't laugh at me, Elphie!"

Elphaba gently pushed her friend away a little so she could see her eyes. When she noticed the first tears pricking in the corners, she handed her a handkerchief.

"Then tell me properly. What's wrong?"

"The dress," Glinda hiccupped, "it's amazing. It's beautiful. And I couldn't possibly wear it."

Finally, the Emerald Princess caught on to her line of thought.

"Because it would draw everyone's attention to you."

Her conclusion was confirmed by a small, timid nod, before the blonde once more thrust herself into her arms, snuggling as close as her pretty, yet not altogether practical outfit would allow.

"She's trying to blow my cover, Elphie! She is going to expose me in front of all those people!"

Elphaba held her friend with a patience she had never known she was capable of, a comforting hand rubbing up and down her back as it shuddered with every panicked breath the petite girl took. Some time went by, and Glinda, still snivelling, detached herself from Elphaba to look up.

"I'm sorry. Did I – I mean, my tears; did they hurt you?"

"I would have let you know," the raven-haired woman replied calmly, watching Glinda chewing on her lower lip.

She then reached out with her hand to tuck a lose lock of golden hair behind her ear. Glinda - already biting her lip a little harder in anticipation, and prepared to flinch - released a relieved breath, when green fingers brushed her left, her good ear.

"You know, my sweet, that's what having secrets does for you: you're clearly getting paranoid."

Glinda quickly pushed her anxieties over the deformed ear away (would it really matter if her Elphie knew?), to deal with those associated with that Oz-damned, glorious ball gown.

"But last time… people recognised me, I just know it! Most only stared at me, probably still undecided whether they should trust their eyes, but it was highly troubling nonetheless.

"And those past few days, whenever I was reminded of the festivities to come, it almost literally made me sick. But now… Well, now, the dread that fills me is so great that I feel I'd rather die than go to that ridiculous ball!"

Smiling softly, Elphaba shook her head.

"You're being rather silly," was all she said, and Glinda cast her a hurt glare.

"Not because these people are worrying you," she clarified, "but because you entirely misjudged my mother's shrewdness."

"Oh. I'm sorry. I did not intend to insult your mother," Glinda all but huffed.

"That's not what I meant. What I'm trying to say is, that you should never underestimate a mother's desperate desire to see her progeny succeed."

Deflated, Glinda let herself slump against the stem of the old tree.

"I don't understand."

"Can you think of a single reason, why she would want to ruin my brother's chances to marry the future ruler of all of Oz?"

That made sense of course, but then why the dress?

"Believe me, the gown is nothing more than it appears to be - a luxurious gift to impress a most distinguished guest. I would not worry in your place. I'm sure arrangements have been made, and surely the guestlist has been altered to accommodate your special needs."

Glinda could not help but worry nonetheless, however, perhaps not quite as much anymore.

"Now what about our walk? Is that still on?" Elphaba asked, cocking her head.

"Of course!" Glinda replied, finally finding the spirit to muster a smile.

So the Vinkun scrambled to her feet. She held out her hand and pulled the blonde up. Worried she might have contracted the one or the other grass stain, Glinda brushed her skirt out vigorously, causing Elphaba to roll her eyes as she waited.

"My Lady! My Lady Galinda!"

Startled, Galinda whirled around. It was her handmaiden, holding a small envelope in her hand.

The young woman was nearly out of breath when she reached the two ladies, and Galinda found herself terribly aggravated by her overzealous hurry. She knew this kind of envelope. It was one of the kind that would take her away from her Elphie and force her to sacrifice her precious time for someone else, unquestionably less important in all respects. She did her best not to growl as she accepted the calling card, but could not refrain from uttering at least an annoyed gasp.

When she read the name on the card, her eyebrows almost disappeared into her hairline, and a slight feeling of trepidation overcame her.

Elphaba craned her neck, trying to see who the dreaded caller could possibly be.

"It's my uncle," Galinda told her, still a little stunned.

"He is waiting for you in your parlour," the maid reconfirmed, eagerly, and Galinda wished she could have yelled at her to simply get lost, together with that stupid calling card, and preferably, the Duke as well.

Yet, a clock-tick later already, she quietly cursed her new, irascible tendencies. Despite all the good influences Elphaba had on her, there were certain traits she ought to be thankful if they did not rub off on her. Taking a deliberate breath to expel her unduly hatred for the poor servant girl, Galinda turned towards her friend.

"I'll be off then, I'm afraid. But maybe this appointment will be over quickly, so if I can, I will come and see you again before the ball. Will you be in your room?"

Elphaba shook her head.

"No, you'll find me right here, unless the weather takes a dramatic shift for the worse and decides to trouble me with an unwanted shower. After all, you assured me that a little sunlight and fresh air could hardly make me any greener."

"Good," the blonde grinned. "And if I don't make it on time, I'll visit you sometime later that evening, up in the gallery."

"I don't think that would be such a clever idea. All eyes will be on you, remember?"

"I'll find a way," Glinda smirked, then planted a quick peck on the Vinkun Princess' green cheek and hurried towards the castle without daring to look back.

She ripped the door open and briskly stepped into her apartment, only to involuntarily freeze as soon as she caught sight of the man sitting comfortably on her couch. Although his presence was not at all unexpected, she still found herself ill prepared for some reason. As soon as he noticed her, he made to rise, but she signalled him to remain seated.

Jumbled and distorted fragments of Elphie's speculations about the Duke echoed in her head. The man on the red settee looked every bit the nice uncle she had asked him to pretended to be, and not at all like the backstabbing sycophant the emerald Princess seemed to know him as. Yet she had all reason to be wary. Ever since she had learnt how the Wizard had violated her trust, her confidence in her own ability to judge people had diminished greatly. No longer able to rely on her inner compass, Elphaba was her only point of reference. She trusted her completely – that was all she knew, rational justifications and explanations be damned.

With a start, she realised how her thoughts had been running riot, and she quickly brushed them aside. Chin raised high, shoulders pulled back, and her angelic smile firmly in place, she was finally ready to properly meet the Duke.

"Galinda, my child, it has been far too long," he greeted her enthusiastically, fleetingly kissing the top of her head as she sat down next to him. Taking her delicate hands in his larger ones, he beamed at her. "Now tell me, how have you been?"

"Very well," Galinda replied. "I very much enjoy it here."

"So we have noticed - your, um, parents and I. It seems nearly impossible to convince you to come back home."

The blonde blushed slightly at that.

"But it appears your task here is completed, is it not? I hear the Prince is officially courting you?"

"Well, that is true. The Queen proposed this match."

"And he worships the ground you walk on, I'm sure."

She removed her hand from his to take off her gloves and fiddle with them, affecting uneasiness.

"You see, the thing is; we are so busy acting the way we are expected to, that we barely discuss our feeling for each other. Frankly speaking, I'm really quite uncertain about what he thinks of me, other than that I'm pretty and pleasant enough to spend the evening with."

Of course, that was a bit of a fib – she knew very well how much he adored her.

The Duke laughed.

"Well, that is easy enough to find out! I shall talk to him and fish for some information without him even noticing. But what about the King? If the Queen arranged this courtship, he surely cannot be opposed."

"I suppose you are right," Galinda conceded, then paused for a clock-tick. "I haven't spoken to him in weeks, though. As it appears to me, he still isn't too fond of me."

Watching him out of the corners of her eyes, she could clearly recognise the Duke's displeasure about her obvious reluctance to call her mission a success and pack her bags. He anxiously shifted his weight, licked his lips and wiggled his nose, yet he did not complain.

"Very well then," he decided at last, "I shall sojourn for a short while, enjoy the final leg of the beautiful Vinkun summer, and observe. But you surely do know, that we will have to return to the Emerald City eventually."

The young lady sighed.

"Yes. Of course."

Putting on the extravagant ball gown took Galinda and her maid longer than anticipated. It had seemed simple enough at first, but determining the optimal number of petticoats soon proved to be a lengthy and tricky process. There was a lot of dressing and undressing involved – quite a task when there are a corset and such ridiculous amounts of ruffled material to be dealt with. The way the intricate petals of the skirt were falling changed with each and every layer added or removed, and when Galinda was already long beyond the point of caring, her maid was still adamant to find the magical formula which would make the entire costume not only look beautiful, but absolutely and stunningly perfect. The desired result was finally achieved after about two hours, with the help of exactly nine of the fullest organdie petticoats and one simpler, only moderately layered chiffon half-slip.

The golden curls, on the other hand, were pinned up in a more speedy fashion and adorned with a small, silver tiara. Remembering a necklace she had once received from the ambassador of Ev, but never worn before, Galinda rummaged through her jewellery box. She found the silver rivière with the blue sapphires, and no sooner had the handmaiden fastened the clasp than a knock on the door heralded the arrival of a visitor.

The maid hurried to open the door, and the moment she had done so, lowered her head and curtsied deeply. Galinda, who had risked a curious glance out of her bedroom door, stiffened as she recognised the unexpected caller.

"Your Majesty," she said softly as she stepped into the parlour, then also curtsied, only not quite as low as her maid.

"Oh, please don't, my child," the Queen crooned, quickly crossing the room to take the younger woman's hands in hers and gently raise her up.

Galinda nodded in her handmaiden's direction, signalling for her to rise as well and resume her work.

The Queen placed her hands firmly on both of the blonde's shoulders, taking half a step back to be in a better position to inspect her.

"This gown really suits you rather nicely," she smiled. "I simply knew it would."

Galinda blushed and slightly dipped her head.

"I apologise for my terrible manners. I haven't thanked you yet for this most generous gift."

"Pish posh," the Queen replied, waving dismissively.

The tall brunette cupped her cheek with her hand and lightly let her thumb run over the smooth, powdered skin. Galinda briefly met her eyes, but soon averted her own again under the intensity of the Queen's gaze. Although they were not nearly as mesmerizing as her daughter's, Baxiana's eyes still reminded the blonde too much of Elphaba, and the thought of the emerald Princess touching her, and looking at her like this made her insides flutter in an odd way she could not discern.

"Aren't you a dainty, little thing?" the Queen chuckled. "A textbook example of Gillikinese stock, with your pale complexion, soft features and starlit eyes. You may think us exotic, my dear, but the truth is that here in the Vinkus, you are the exotic beauty."

Galinda's cheeks flushed even darker, and she was certain that the Queen must have felt the heat radiating off her skin. With an amused smirk, Baxiana removed her hand from the blonde's face to rest it on her upper arm instead. She leaned in to kiss Galinda's forehead as a gesture of approval, then turned and left without saying another word.

Bemused, Galinda slowly returned to her room to put on the last few finishing touches. She better not leave here without a dash of perfume, varnished nails and soft pink balm on her lips. She looked up and let her unfocused gaze wander over her own reflection in the huge mirror the maid had brought in earlier.

She looked beautiful beyond words. That was by no means a biased opinion, but an incontrovertible fact. There was no need to be overly humble and to deny this truth, and Galinda had never been one to subscribe to such false modesty anyway. She could imagine herself entering the anteroom, where everyone was waiting to be lined up, her arm linked with Fiyero's. Then they would descent the stairs into the ballroom, and then they would dance. Forget the Prince whose birthday they were celebrating – as amazingly breath-taking as she knew she looked, all the other guests would have eyes only for her. Given her circumstances, it was highly questionable whether that was even remotely desirable, but it nevertheless was gratifying at some level to be aware of the effect she could have on people. Remembering Elphaba's reassuring words, she only hoped that the Vinkun Princess would be right.

Still, a sudden bout of panic overcame her.

She averted her gaze, inhaled deeply, then she tried to look again. She was fine for now. Another deep breath followed, and she proceeded studying her appearance.

Yes. Her appearance was most definitely perfect, flawless, awe-inspiring, and all those other things. But there was something missing. She pursed her lips and frowned. Sarima had looked so much more regal, she finally decided, so much more the queen everyone had believed she was destined to become. Had it been the cloth of gold or her air of arrogance? Galinda had neither and suddenly felt like a little child, far too innocent and immature to be the Prince's lady at this grand ball, let alone the Queen of Oz in but a few months' time!

Her hands flew up to cover her eyes and she took a shuddering breath as her chest, already terribly constricted by the corset, suddenly began to tighten even further. What was this, this insecurity? Maybe her Elphie was right; all this secretiveness was not only making her paranoid, it was choking her, making her vulnerable to self-doubt and fear.

But it would all end soon. Ironically, no matter how terrible she felt in this very moment, the notion that she would have to return to the Emerald City within a matter of days or a few weeks at most, terrified her more than anything else.

The maid came flying towards her, pure horror written all over her face.

"You will ruin your make-up!" she exclaimed panicked as she pried the blonde's hands away form her face.

Deep inside, Galinda laughed mirthlessly. Oh, what a fine disaster that would be! Such a blissful little woman, she thought enviously, with not a worry in the world, but her mistress' make-up. Galinda could remember being like this, too. What had changed? Well, somehow everything had changed.

There. Another knock on the door interrupted her contemplations. The handmaiden hurried to dye her lady's lips in a delicate pink, then grabbed the bottle of perfume and enshrouded her in a mist of rosewater and essence of violet. At the second knock, she cast an unnerved glance at Galinda's hands. Those nails would have to remain au natural. A third knock sounded, and the young woman let her lady's hand be and hurried to answer the door. Galinda could have sworn she had heard her cursing softly under her breath.

Fiyero himself had come to pick Galinda up. He stepped into the parlour, and as the petite blonde left her bedroom to meet him, he froze on the spot, his mouth wide open.

Galinda giggled at the silly picture of the handsome Prince, gaping in such an utterly ungainly fashion. In this brief moment, she almost loved him, because he helped her push away all her dismal thoughts to make room for lighter ones. She had a role to play that night, and she intended to play it well.

She approached the Prince and curtsied gracefully. He cleared his throat, his eyes still unfocused.

"Um… shall we?" he asked in a hoarse voice, and laughing, she accepted the arm he offered.

The first portion of the evening was everything she had hoped it to be. There had been many shocked faces when Fiyero had first led her into the anteroom where the couple took their position as the lead. Obviously, the news about their courtship had not reached every last crevice of the country yet, for which she was almost thankful. After descending the wide marble stairs, the pair watched all those who followed after them, greeting every single guest with courteous nods. Having overcome the initial surprise, each Lord and each Lady replied to Galinda's gesture with wide smiles and deep bows (except for Avaric who wouldn't refrain from casting the couple a goofy grin and wiggling his eyebrows). All guests were immediately taken with her, despite the fact that no one seemed to recognise her. Every now and then, Galinda looked up to the gallery above the ballroom. She couldn't see Elphaba, but was convinced that the Vinkun Princess was looking down, watching them. Watching out for her in a way.

Then the dancing began. As usual, the Prince was the first to lead his lady to the dance floor. For a short while, they had the endless space of the ballroom all to themselves as everyone stood gathered around them, gushing about the beautiful pair. They were so perfect together, that not a single soul even dared to ask when, why, or how the unknown Gillikinese girl had replaced the noble Vinkun lady they were accustomed to seeing dancing with the Prince.

About half-way through the number, the other gentlemen asked their partners to dance, and the attention everyone had been paying Galinda and Fiyero dissipated somewhat, much to the blonde's relieve. She met the Duke's gaze as they passed him, whirling and twirling. He seemed satisfied, almost relieved at what he saw.

The evening blended into the night, and Galinda began to grow tired from the endless cycle of dancing and conversing. She had still not had a chance to visit Elphaba, and once more found herself a little frustrated about it. She had hoped that there would be a natural break at some point, that would allow her to leave without attracting too much attention, but when such an opportunity refused to arise, she decided that it would not matter if she were to turn the one or other head.

However, just the moment she had gathered enough courage to make her exit, the ringing of a golden bell heralded an announcement. The King and the Queen rose from their seats on the dais, and Baxiana began to speak.

In her speech, she thanked the numerous honourable guests for traveling from near and far to honour the Prince on his birthday, and all those sort of things. She then moved on to a few diplomatic matters, artfully woven into lightly amusing anecdotes and witticisms. After that, everyone seemed to expect some sort of formal introduction of the Prince's mysterious dance partner, which – thankfully - never came. Instead, the Queen concluded with a cheerful prompt to resume the dancing.

Of course, the guests knew what was really expected of them at this point, and began to line up. Galinda was quite unaware of all this and tried to slip away, but Fiyero carefully grasped her wrist, beckoning her to stay. A tad confused, she remained standing next to him as the first congratulant stepped closer, conveyed his best wishes, and presented the Prince with a present. This process went on for quite a while, and all Galinda had to do was to stand by Fiyero's side and smile – a terrible waste of precious time in her eyes.

Once the last well-wisher was dismissed, Fiyero breathed his relieve. With a wide grin, he held out his hand.

"Shall we dance?"

Galinda would certainly have preferred to simply walk off, but felt the eyes of two hundred-odd people watching her. So she smiled demurely, and lightly placed her hand in his.

After dancing in silence for a few minutes, the Prince suddenly chuckled to himself, a cheeky smirk emerging on his handsome face.

"What is it?" Galinda asked, giggling despite herself.

"Nothing," he replied innocently and looked away, still grinning.

But Galinda wouldn't be Galinda without that awful compulsion to satisfy her curiosity, and her curiosity had most certainly been piqued by his conspicuous behaviour.

"Please, Fiyero," she laughed and rolled her eyes. "Don't be such a child and come out with it already!"

"I was just wondering; what present did you get me?"

The blonde almost missed a step then.

"I… well…"

Fiyero's eyes widened.

"What? Are you telling me you have forgotten to bring a gift to my birthday party? My Lady, your tactlessness wounds me."

"I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to-" Galinda sputtered, but Fiyero laughed and gave her a whirl.

"It's all right, no need to be so flustered," he tried to calm her. "I already know how you could make up for this negligence."

"Then tell me how, or I must feel terribly ashamed of myself."

"Well, I suppose a kiss would suffice."

"W-what-"

He stopped moving then, and pulled her to a halt as well.

She saw the flicker of excitement flash in his eyes and that was the last thing she knew before he swiftly leaned down to cover her mouth with his. Shocked into immobility, she did not wince or complain. The sensation was nothing like what she had imagined. It felt alien and unwelcome, despite all his gentleness. This was not at all how she had expected her first kiss to happen, and she felt somehow disillusioned.

Ever so slowly, the Prince detached himself from her soft, rosy lips, still smiling at her and tenderly caressing her cheek with his right hand. They simply stood there, in the middle of the dance floor, looking into each other's eyes – he with a dreamy, blissful gaze, she with a mixture of disbelief and disorientation. He didn't seem to notice her disquiet.

Some people could be heard to gasp, but most of the bystanders immediately began to cheer and clap for the bold, young couple. It wasn't usually acceptable for an unmarried woman to kiss or be kissed in public, but for the Crown Prince of the Vinkus, certain exceptions could be made, especially on his twentieth birthday.

Swallowing hard, she stood her ground – at least until everyone else had turned away to continue their dancing or talking or whatever it was that had occupied their minds before this little, unexpected incident. Fiyero was still smiling down at her, oblivious as ever. She forced her lips to curl upwards in what she hoped was a shy smile.

"I-I…" Looking away, Galinda briefly allowed her smile to falter. "Please excuse me, I… I think I need to step outside for a moment."

With that she turned around and walked away with measured steps. Her legs wanted to run, but her dignity won this battle. She reached the small side door that had saved her once before, and as soon as she was out of everyone's sight, she flew up the stairs towards the gallery.

"Elphie?"

She quickly covered her mouth with her hands as she remembered that she mustn't shout like this.

"Elphie?" she repeated, this time with her voice barely above a whisper.

The green Princess was nowhere to be seen, and Glinda began to fear that she might not even be here at all.

"Elphieeee?"

She had crossed about half of the long gallery, when a slender, willowy figure detached itself from one of the pillars.

"H-he kissed me!" Glinda cried softly, before she had even reached her friend.

Elphaba opened her arms for the upset girl, but Glinda immediately felt that something felt strange. Even at her most indifferent, Elphaba's embrace had always felt somehow… warmer.

Although a little thrown, she still nuzzled closer, once more reiterating what had transpired.

"I know, I saw," Elphaba supplied rather stiff and unhelpful.

"My first kiss, Elphie," the blonde then sniffled. "That was my first kiss."

"Aren't you lucky."

The Vinkun girl's sarcastic remark unnerved her.

"Elphie, don't you hear a word I say?"

Exhaling forcefully, Elphaba looked away. After a clock-tick or two, she answered, "I heard you quite well. He kissed you and it was your first kiss. However, I can't see what you're so-"

Only then realisation seemed to dawn on her.

"You… didn't want him to…"

"Of course I didn't! I already told you, I don't love him. And for him to kiss me like… like that… and in front of such an audience… and oh, Elphie, it was my very first kiss! This is just not how it was supposed to happen!"

Elphaba softened then, and began to lightly stroke her arm.

"I'm sorry. I-I wouldn't have thought… Because that's what you came here for, wasn't it? And, well… What… w-what would you have me do? Take it back?"

She choked out a quiet laugh, but Glinda entirely missed the slightly facetious undertone and gazed up to the raven-haired woman with huge, questioning eyes.

"Take it back? W-what do you mean?"

"What?"

Elphaba looked almost frightened in her own confusion, which was bizarrely fascinating for Glinda to watch. It was so not like her. Neither was the way she was tripping over her words as she rambled on.

"No! I mean… I didn't mean that-"

Heaving an exasperated sigh, the emerald Princess locked her gaze with Glinda's.

"I don't think I… for Oz's sake, I-"

She bit her lower lip. Hard. In her deep, brown eyes, the specs of mica were almost glowing, reflecting the intensity of the turmoil within her. It was intriguing, Glinda thought, how Elphaba's exterior was so strangely quiet when her soul appeared to be screaming at the world.

And then it happened.

Suddenly, the taller woman dipped down her head to urgently press her dark green lips against Glinda's pale pink ones. The blonde's eyes widened briefly, then her lids fluttered close as all the tension and pain left her body. This felt so different, so momentous, so right, that she was no longer worried about Fiyero being the first to ever lay his lips upon hers, for this was her first real kiss.

The kiss was surprisingly daring, going so much further and beyond anything Glinda had ever dreamed of. Her legs began to feel weak, and then became altogether useless. Elphaba caught her, but she, too, was struggling to keep herself together, so the two girls slowly sank to the floor, holding on to each other.

After what had felt like an eternity, but still far too short for Glinda's liking, their lips separated. Elphaba shuffled back a few inches, panting and gasping for air. Her eyes stared in wild, unfocused panic and her chest was heaving as comprehension of what had just occurred washed over her. In an attempt to reassure her, the Gillikinese reached out for her hand, but she flinched and scrambled further away from her. Her own hand now flew up to cover her mouth.

Among a gibberish of frantically muttered words, a shaky "I-I'm so sorry," was all Glinda could understand before the emerald Princess staggered to her feet and fled.

Too perplexed and still too weak to follow, the blonde stayed behind, staring with forlorn eyes at the archway Elphaba had disappeared through.

AN:

YESSSSS! Their first kiss! After 14 long chapters! XD I hope it was somewhat adequate…

Don't be so worried by the end… I'm sure it's no spoiler if I tell you that all will be okay sooner or later :P

Also: yes, it's the bubble dress ;) (or a version of it)