AN:
All right, 2 things:
1) This is early because the next few days will be really busy, so I thought it would be good to get this out of the way first. I guess most of you won't really complain lol
2) My head is a mess, so this might be a bit messy, too! I'm averaging 4hrs of sleep per night right now, so yeah... Feel free to point out typos as you find them... other stuff I should probably revise later if necessary...
*O*O*O*O*O*
Guest:
Thanks for reading and reviewing! Stuff like this makes me happy on terribly busy days! :3
*O*O*O*O*O*
So yeah...
Happy reading! :D
Chapter Sixteen: The Tempests of Late Summer
When Galinda called upon the King, Queen and Prince, one after the other, the exchange of apologies was mutual. Baxiana and Marillot both expressed their disappointment over their son's brash behaviour, as did Fiyero himself, more or less genuinely. They all agreed to sweep the matter under the carpet, and to continue as though nothing had ever happened. To prove that he bore no hard feelings towards her, Fiyero took her out for dinner and dancing in the nearby town that night. The Queen even made a special concession, allowing the young couple to leave the castle unchaperoned for once – which was only half true, of course, for instead of Avaric and Galinda's handmaiden, she had sent a number of guards after them, dressed inconspicuously, and under orders to keep their distance as long as there was no urgent reason to interfere.
As the evening progressed, it became obvious that they would, once again, not make it back to Kiamo Ko before lock down. Galinda sighed and took a sip of her wine. If she was lucky, the library passage way would still be open. If not, she would have to wait until morning to see Elphaba. Fortunately, now that the emerald Princess was no longer bound to confinement, they could spend all day together after that. She would only have to find a reason to keep Fiyero at bay for a little while.
Keeping this positive outlook in mind, she did her best to enjoy the evening. Admittedly, dancing with the Prince no longer made her feel as delighted and carefree as it once had. The perhaps exaggerated fear of being kissed again was consistently nagging at the back of her head, so incredibly difficult to ignore. She would get used to this, she told herself; used to the awkward anticipation, as well as to the actual act. He had kissed her and he might do it again – so what of it? It wasn't like any of his kisses could possibly ever compare to Elphaba's. And she wasn't betraying anyone either by letting it happen. All she did was playing her role as society prescribed it. Elphaba knew that, didn't she? She wouldn't blame her, be angry or jealous. Surely she wouldn't.
But there was no kiss. Not on the lips. Not that night. Not even after Fiyero had walked her to her quarters. There only was a soft 'Good night', a respectful bow and a gallant hand-kiss. He waited for her to close the door, then he left. Glinda was rather glad and smiled to herself as she crossed the room to ring the silver bell that would summon her maid.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," a sharp voice coming from the direction of the sofa warned her.
The blonde's head snapped up, eyes wide in surprise.
"Oh, Elphie, how lovely of you to come here!"
She quickly rushed towards the Vinkun Princess to steal a sweet kiss from her lips. Elphaba gently grasped her hands and pulled her next to her on the settee.
"You haven't read any more of my letters, have you?" Glinda giggled.
Before she replied, Elphaba made sure to give her a long, questioning look, one eyebrow quirked exaggeratedly.
"Are there even more secrets to be discovered? If so, perhaps it would be a good idea to spill the beans before I find out at a less convenient point of time."
"No more secrets," Glinda promised, shaking her head. "Only little things that would be more exciting for you to discover on your own."
"Fair enough," Elphaba replied, pressing her lips to the shorter woman's cheek.
"You look tired, my sweet. It appears the outing with my brother left you rather exhausted."
"Just so you know, he didn't kiss me tonight," Glinda suddenly blurted out, feeling incredibly stupid the moment the words had left her mouth. What in Oz had made her say this?
Cocking her head, Elphaba regarded her with that mysterious expression of hers, which Glinda could never entirely figure out. All she could discern from the odd twinkle in her eyes was… amusement?
"You know I wouldn't blame you for anything he does to you, right?" the raven-haired woman finally said, rising to her feet and returning the book she had been reading to the shelf. "I'm not even sure if I could blame him if he were to repeat that silly stunt from the other night."
Hearing that, the blonde almost gaped at her in shock.
"Your lips are simply too tempting," Elphaba declared matter-of-factly, turned back around, and leaned down to kiss her. "See? Even I can't resist."
Glinda blushed at that.
"So you wouldn't be jealous?"
"That's not what I said."
Taking the blonde's small hands in her own, the Vinkun helped her up from the settee and led her to the bedroom.
"But you wouldn't be angry?"
"Not with you," Elphaba assured Glinda, spinning her around so she could set to work, quickly loosening the laces at the back of her dress. "And I doubt that the other party involved would give a damn how I feel about the way he decides to try and woo his sweetheart."
The blonde was barely able to discern her words anymore as her rushing blood began to pulse in her ears. Elphaba had never helped her undress before. It was such a simple thing, a duty performed by her maid on a daily basis, but now that she was doing it; it felt so much more intimate. They had seen each other in their nightgowns before. Several times. It wasn't her state of undress that made her heart beat so fast, it was the undressing itself, and perhaps the question of where this would eventually lead them. Inadvertently, she took a big gulp of air as the pressure around her chest and midsection fell away. Elphaba must have removed her corset she realised, and the thought made the freshly drawn breath hitch in the shorter woman's throat.
It ended there, however. With the accursed corset, the emerald Princess' hands had disappeared as well. Glinda turned her head to look over her shoulder and watched Elphaba sorting out her discarded clothes. She wasn't sure whether she felt disappointed or relieved, perhaps still too unprepared to really take this further.
"I'll go outside so you can change into your nightdress," Elphaba informed her, and with a casual wave of her hand, she was gone.
Glinda's gaze remained fixed on the bedroom door for a clock-tick or two before she caught herself staring and unenthusiastically began to remove her chemise.
All clean and dressed in a fresh nightgown, she tiptoed to the door to open it, then hopped into her bed and snuggled into the comfortable pillows. It wasn't long until Elphaba returned and, after extinguishing the light, slipped under the cover beside her.
The following morning, Galinda was torn form her lovely dreams by the maid's urgent knocking on her door. She shot up in pure panic, her wide eyes immediately darting towards the other side of the bed.
Elphaba wasn't there. Had she been dreaming again? Honestly, feeling so blissfully light-headed at least half of the time that she spent with her Elphie, Glinda sometimes found it hard to tell.
Confused, she slowly scrambled out of bed, brushing back unruly golden curls. On the bedside table she found a note.
"Good morning, sleepyhead," it read in Elphaba's bold, cursive hand.
Smiling, Glinda opened the drawer to hide the brief message before answering the door.
The next couple of days were an exciting time for Glinda, so full of covert gestures, furtive looks and stolen moments of secret affections. They were surprisingly skilled at this, and neither Fiyero, nor Avaric ever became suspicious. Their most daring do was an impromptu necking session on the balcony of the fireplace room, while Fiyero and Avaric were sitting in front of the fire, engaged in a heated debate over whether or not the rest of Oz should adopt the ancient Vinkun custom of polygynous-polyandrous mating practices.
One of those evenings, the King and Queen had something special in store for the occupants of the castle and a handful of invited guests. A troupe of travelling thespians had come to town to perform for those who had enough coin to spare and pay for such superfluous pastimes, and in no time at all, Kiamo Ko's ballroom was transformed into a theatre, with several rows of seats and a grand stage. Everyone dressed very nicely, just the way they would if they were to see an opera in one of the numerous playhouses of the Emerald City.
Galinda and Fiyero were among the last of the audience to enter the redecorated ballroom, but of course, for the Prince and his lovely company, there would always be seats available, and even in the front row. The lights dimmed the moment they sat down, giving Galinda barely enough time to shrug off her opera cape.
The small group of musicians that were providing for the accompaniment positioned their instruments, eyes fixed on the conductor, and began to play some sort of overture. About halfway through this prelude, another spectator made their way through the long aisle between the two sections of chairs, and quietly took a seat next to the blonde. Without turning her head, she studied to newcomer out of the corners of her eyes. Black, long-sleeved and high-collared dress, hands gloved and face veiled. Grinning to herself, she moved her right hand to reach for her neighbour's, which quickly grasped hers in return.
Most enjoyed the piece in quiet, as it befitted such a noble and sophisticated audience. Though there was one lady, who regularly disrupted the rapt silence with her hysteric laughter. Everyone else generously ignored her since it would be even more interruptive if someone were to raise their voice to chastise her. The chance for her peers to give their frustration vent finally arrived with the half-hour long intermission.
By the time the lights turned on again. Galinda realised with a hint of surprise that the chair to her right had already been vacated.
"Shall we stretch our legs a bit?" Fiyero asked standing up and offering her his arm.
"Sure," she replied, her eyes scanning the ballroom for the figure in black.
They had barely taken five steps out in the hall, when Galinda caught sight of her reflection in one of the numerous golden mirrors. She stopped dead in hear track, emitting a small gasp. Her lipstick had smudged just a little, most likely because she had not been able to refrain from covering her mouth in horror when Yarunio, the male lead, had stabbed his lover.
Fiyero looked at her in concern, not seeing what was amiss.
"Are you all right, Lin?"
"It's nothing," she hastened to say, and aptly opened her fan with an elegant flick of her wrist, hiding the devastating blemish. "But I think I ought to use this break to freshen up. Could you please accompany me to the powder room?"
Relieved, albeit a tad confused, he did as she had requested. When she disappeared behind the door to the ladies' room, he took position by the window, left to wonder about the complicated ways of women.
By the time the petite woman re-emerged, however, he was gone. She blinked a few times in puzzlement, looking up and down the hall for a sign of him. The only familiar faces she spotted were the Duke, who she did her best to elude as he passed, and Avaric. Although she was in no mood for the young Margreave's antics, she still walked up to him, hoping that her effort would at least be rewarded.
"Fiyero? I don't think I have seen him. But I saw the green bean heading in the direction of the gardens earlier, in case that interests you."
Galinda huffed, frustrated.
"Would you be so kind and walk with me then?" she asked out of pure necessity.
A wide smirk appeared on his lips, and most gallantly, he offered his arm. He was rather disappointed, when she sent him off as soon as she was out of everyone else's sight. However, being one of the few who knew who she truly was, he did not dare to argue.
It was pitch-black outside, and she could barely recognise her own hand before her face. Finding Elphaba would surely prove difficult, if not impossible.
Or so she thought.
She had barely begun searching, when loud voices attracted her attention. She followed them, until she found Fiyero and his sister, arguing again.
"Is it because of Galinda?" Fiyero demanded, having his sister pinned against the stonewall. "Are you trying to prove something, or what are all those silly capers about?"
"Is it really so terrible that, once in a lifetime, I'm actually trying to enjoy myself?" she retorted sharply.
Shaking his head, he loosened his grip on her shoulder.
"Fae, I don't want to make your life miserable, but if you continue acting out of line like this, father certainly will."
"Out of line?" she snarled and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "So doing what every other normal person is doing is 'out of line'?"
"You are not like normal people! And you used to know that. Listen, I am glad you are getting along with Galinda, but if you keep allowing her to put those ridiculous ideas in your head-"
"She is the only friend I've ever had. Don't you dare take that away from me!"
He looked away then, exactly in the blonde's direction. Luckily, he didn't spot her, however. There was a weakly guttering torch but a few feet away from them, illuminating the Prince's hard features, but casting an obscure shadow over Elphaba's green face. Part of her wanted to step out of her hiding spot behind the oleander hedge and intervene, but she knew better than that. Elphaba was a strong, wilful woman, and Fiyero was her brother. For years, it had been up to them alone to negotiate their relationship, and there was no reason, why they would suddenly be in desperate need of a mediator.
"Remember all those years?" Fiyero said then after a considerable time of sullen silence. "I've always been more than just a brother to you. I'll forever be your friend, your protector when I can, and even your father figure when you need me to. I used to be all you ever needed. But that has changed, hasn't it?"
He turned to face her again, taking a step towards her, but she recoiled before he could even reach her.
"Since when am I not enough anymore?"
Choking out a mirthless laugh, she let her hands slide down, wrapping around her midsection in a comforting and protective manner.
"Who is it you are jealous of? Her? Or me? Maybe both, because your spoilt, petty self can't bear the mere idea of not being the centre of everyone's attention!"
Copying her, he tossed out a roaring laughter of his own.
"Jealous? Me? Sweet sister, just looks at you! You know what, maybe you're not meant to have any friends. Believe me, even Galinda will have had enough of you soon, and then there will only be me again. Besides, it would be for the better; Galinda needs more suitable peers to surround herself with, especially if she is to become the Vinkun queen one day.
Through the open door, the melodious ring of a small bell announced the end of the intermission. Giving Fiyero a wide berth, Elphaba strode past him, positively fuming. As she passed the flickering torch, the light revealed the glistening of tears in the corners of her eyes.
"You really have no clue, brother, but that's all well with me. You better head back inside. What kind of gentleman are you, leaving your lady behind like that?"
Elphaba herself, however, did not return to the ballroom. With urgent steps, she hurried down the gravel walkway, brushing past Glinda without even noticing her behind the bush. The Gillikinese waited for Fiyero to make his way back to the door, which he did, albeit at an infuriatingly slow pace. As soon as she was convinced that he was gone, she whirled around to pursue the emerald Princess.
They reached the gates, which were manned, of course. Yet a small purse tossed at the most senior guardsman allowed Elphaba to exit unchallenged. Glinda bit her lip as she hurried after her, her heart jumping up her throat.
"I'm with her," she squeaked when she sprinted past the soldiers, praying they would not come after her.
They didn't, and slowing down as soon as she was out of sight, she did her best to catch her breath. There was not much time to rest though, for with her long legs, it took Elphaba significantly less effort than Glinda to gain ground as swiftly as she did, which meant, that the shorter blonde still needed to hurry if she intended to catch up to her.
The night was pitch black as there were no streetlights to illuminate her path. It was the lanterns attached to the sides of their carriages that usually would help late travellers' horses to find their way. The realisation that this blind chase might have been a terribly imprudent, and potentially dangerous idea came a little late. As far as she had come already, making the long walk back all by herself frightened her more than anything.
Detecting all sorts of spooky voices and noises in the darkness surrounding her, Glinda was tremendously grateful, when she finally caught a glimpse of a lanky, tall figure that simply had to be Elphaba. Too breathless to call out to her, she let her heavy, clumsy footsteps herald her approach. Elphaba turned to see who it was that was following her and her eyes widened when she recognised the petite woman's familiar outline.
"What are you doing here?" she almost scowled, catching the gasping Gillikinese in her arms.
"I overheard your argument with Fiyero," Glinda panted.
"How ill mannered of you," came the dry reply.
"I was worried, so I followed you."
Elphaba shook her head. Making sure Glinda stood securely on her own feet, she straightened her up and carefully, yet firmly pushed her away.
"Worrying about me is fairly unnecessary. You better head back, because I really don't want to be followed."
With that she reeled around, continuing on her way.
Glinda couldn't believe it. After all the exertion of racing after her, she had certainly hoped to be treated with a bit more appreciation.
"Elphie, don't be silly, it's just me! I'll come with you and that's the end of this discussion!"
"If one of us is being silly, it's you, you little idiot! How long will it take for them to notice your absence? The minute they find out that you're gone, they will send an entire army after us!"
"Where are you going anyway?"
"Anywhere, somewhere, nowhere, I don't know. Just away. Let's see if anyone cares."
"Well, I most certainly care!" Glinda huffed, taking the time to stop and stem her hands on her hips. Her effort was wasted, however, as Elphaba didn't even think of turning around. All this ignored expression of her indignation achieved, was creating an even larger gap between her and the stubborn green woman, which she then had to close with yet another sprint.
"Why are you doing this, Elphie?" she tried again. "You know this will get you in a lot of trouble, and this time it's not even my fault!"
"Let them lock me up again, it's not like it makes much of a difference. Whether the doors are closed or open, in their cage of rules and prohibitions I'll always be a captive. I might as well run as long and as far as I can and enjoy the measure of freedom I'm able to breathe before they catch up to me at last and deliver me to my fate of imprisonment."
Finally drawing level with Elphaba, Glinda clutched her hand.
"You haven't thought of me at all, have you?"
Exhaling irascibly, the emerald Princess yanked her hand free.
"I'm sure my brother will appreciate the opportunity not having to share you for a while. And if you ask him nicely enough, he'll surely find you a confidante more worthy of your delightful company than me. It seems to be a popular opinion with my family that the two of us shouldn't be friends."
"Well, thank goodness then, that we are no longer friends, right?" Glinda almost shouted, taking a leap and resolutely planting herself in front of Elphaba.
The taller woman regarded her with a hint of confusion, then made to brush past her. But Glinda took hold of her arm, holding on tightly, despite struggling to match her long strides.
"You are quite pesky for someone who isn't even my friend anymore," Elphaba pressed out between slightly laboured breaths.
"And you… aren't… listening… to me," the petite blonde gasped.
"Everyone says we shouldn't be friends, you said we aren't friends any longer. Clear message. Don't worry about me; I'll be fine, now just let go off my arm before I see myself constrained to hurt you."
"Elphie!"
Digging her heels into the ground, the petite Gillikinese did everything in her might to make the taller and much stronger woman halt in her rampage. Summoning all her strength, she was able to pull her around after all, but lost her own footing. Elphaba, despite herself, caught her and held her close.
"T-thank you," Glinda murmured under her breath and tucked a loose curl behind her good ear.
"All right, I'm listening, but be quick about it. I have to find somewhere to disappear to before your rescue squad gets here, Your Royal Ozian Highness"
Glinda sucked in a sharp breath and tried to ignore her.
"Elphie, what I meant when I said that we are no longer friends, is that we are more than that now."
She waited for a clock-tick, but there was no answer.
"You… you're not going to deny this, are you?"
Watching Elphaba, her face still averted, hidden somewhere behind a curtain of straight, ink-black hair, Glinda found her heart aching as though it was being squeezed by an ice-cold hand. Her throat suddenly felt raspy and dry, and her stomach flipped up side down, almost spilling its content.
"Sweet Oz, Elphie," she sniffled as the first tears began to roll down her cheeks, "w-we kissed, we t-touch… touched, we held each other…"
"Well, maybe we shouldn't have," replied a weak, disembodied voice that only faintly resembled Elphaba's.
With an involuntary hiccup, Glinda swallowed her tears.
"You don't mean that."
It wasn't a question or a plea; it was a statement of conviction. When a hesitant, cold hand reached out to stroke her cheek, she grasped it firmly, the ghost of a smile playing at the corners of her mouth.
The emerald Princess' hand suddenly twitched in discomfort. Startled, Glinda looked up and felt a raindrop falling on her nose.
"By Lurline! I thought the Vinkus was supposed to be hot and dry," she complained.
"It's the end of the summer," Elphaba explained, pulling the hood that had fallen off her head back on. "By the time fall arrives, it will rain and storm every single day until the long months of drought return."
"We should turn back. You mustn't get wet."
"It's hardly a light drizzle. The cape will keep me dry enough until we reach the town."
As soon as she had said this, lightning tore through the darkness, immediately followed by cracking thunder. Glinda squeaked in alarm, desperately clinging to Elphaba. Then the clouds gave in, divesting themselves of their heavy cargo in merciless torrents.
Forced to conquer her panic as quickly as possible, Glinda began to work the clasp of her heavy, navy blue opera cloak with trembling fingers. Once it had come off, she whirled around to throw it over Elphaba.
"Well, looks like we are fresh out of alternative options," she stammered with chattering teeth. "Back home it is!"
Glinda liked to believe that she had a certain hold on Elphaba, that, eventually, she would have been able to change the wayward, green thing's mind on her own merit. The sudden downpour had definitely helped moving things along at a more satisfactory rather though, for which she wasn't ungrateful. Be all this as it may, the most important point was that they were back at the castle, back in the Vinkun Princess' ridiculously tiny room.
Her clothes still soaking wet, Glinda clumsily busied herself with the fire, giving Elphaba enough personal space to change into something dry before her delicate skin would take too much damage. Hearing her hiss and quietly moan in discomfort, she concentrated even harder on the task at hand, trying not to turn around. Glinda was not quite certain whether they were at that stage already, where Elphaba, strangely shy when it came to her greenness, would be comfortable enough with Glinda seeing her body in all its verdigris glory. In the end, however, those stifled noises of agony became too overwhelming for the blonde, and even though Elphaba had not yet relented and asked for any assistance, she knew that there was no way around it.
She tossed away the steel and flint – still not having produced a decent spark to ignite the fire – to cross the room and lend Elphaba a helping hand. Immediately, she noticed the blisters that had formed on the insides of her hands in result of her futile attempts to pull off the drenched clothes. Glinda thought of scolding her for her unduly pride, but then found it easier to blame herself for encouraging it by not turning around earlier.
"Stand straight, arms stretched out sideways," she ordered in her most authoritarian tone of voice. Maybe, if she left the stubborn woman no room for argument, she would comply. At least initially.
Her plan worked out well enough. Not even a word of protest came from Elphaba's lips as Glinda yanked and tugged on her clothes, first removing the heavy cloak, then the light cape. Peeling away layer after layer, Glinda grew more and more concerned. She had hoped that the first two had absorbed most, if not all of the rain, yet even the heavy fabric of the black dress underneath was thoroughly drenched. She began working the cords at the back, briefly wondering whether Elphaba felt at least vaguely the way she had felt the other night, when it had been the raven-haired woman helping her to undress. The distressed sucking in of air reminded her of the pain that must be dominating Elphaba's thoughts at that moment, and she quickly discarded her silly thoughts.
The Vinkun wore no corset underneath her dress, which made sense, as there was not much to her that could be moulded into any other shape than her prominent skeletal frame. That left Glinda with one final layer to take care of. The white cotton chemise was not quite as wet as she had feared, but still damp. It would have to come off.
"Thank you," Elphaba said quietly through gritted teeth. "I'll handle it from here. You must be dripping as well. Maybe you should go back to your quarters and change as well."
Glinda hated to admit it, but Elphaba was right. One more glance at the green, bleb-covered palms, however, made her reconsider.
"If you don't mind, I'll simply borrow one of your dresses for now."
Her reply was met with an arched eyebrow and a semi-amused, but definitely more confused expression.
"I'd rather stay until most of the guests are gone. We don't want anyone wondering why I look like a drowned rat, do we?"
This (to Glinda rather unimportant) secondary reason resonated better with Elphaba than an offer for further assistance probably would have. Nodding mutely, she gathered two vials of oil, a cloth and a towel. Although no more words were spoken, there was a mutual understanding and both women faced opposite directions to go about their business. Glinda shrugged off her wet clothes, struggling a bit as she was faced with the almost impossible exercise of removing her own corset, while Elphaba, damp chemise finally cast aside, devoted herself to nursing her lesions and welts.
"Are you dressed?" Glinda asked uncertainly once she herself was finished, assuming that her fight with the ozdamned corset had taken up enough time to match the duration Elphaba would probably need for her wound treatment.
No reply came from the other side of the room, but Glinda could hear the Vinkun shift on her creaking bed. Concerned, she dared a careful look over her shoulder. Elphaba still sat with her back towards her, staring at her lap. The vials of oil and used rags were lying on the floor. Pivoting her shoulders around by just a few degrees, Glinda caught another glimpse of her and couldn't help but gasp. An angry rash was covering the taller woman's back.
"Oh, Elphie!" she cried, and swiftly whirled around. Her worries for Elphaba's health had quite quickly overwritten those about her modesty. "D-does it hurt very badly?"
Elphaba tilted her head a notch, but didn't quite turn to look at her.
"The oil helps," she mumbled.
Unable to avert her gaze, Glinda took in the huge amounts of verdigris the Princess usually was so careful to keep hidden. She was absolutely certain that it would be a stunning sight, if it weren't for those awful wounds. Being allowed to inspect Elphaba's skin so thoroughly, she soon noticed that the largest area of her back was not glistening the way the rest of her body did. This was also the area that seemed effected worse than everywhere else – as far as she could tell, that was.
On the spur of the pain she felt at this shocking sight, she grabbed one of the oil bottles and the worn cloth. Without knowing what she was actually doing, she poured some of the golden liquid on the rag and began dapping it on the injured skin.
Elphaba flinched, straightening her spine, and remained ramrod stiff sitting on her bed. Her breathing became shallower in her agitated state.
"W-what are you doing?"
"You can't reach your back by yourself, it would seem. I know you didn't ask for it, but I'll help you anyway. Now don't complain and hold still."
For a fraction of a clock-tick Elphaba turned her head to look at her.
"Could you… could you use the brown oil first, please?" she asked weakly after apparently giving the matter some thought. "It… helps better with the healing process."
Glinda picked up the other vial and compared them. The darker one's label read 'burn soother'.
"Oh," she said sheepishly, and uncorked the correct bottle.
"You…" Elphaba began, then drifted off.
"You have to tell me if I'm doing anything wrong Elphie, I've never done this before."
"No, you're not doing anything wrong."
Glinda raised her eyebrows.
"But?"
There was no immediate answer, and waiting, Glinda suspended the movement of her hand. Just in case.
"You could use your hands," Elphaba finally said. "It's, um, more efficient."
Feeling the heat rise in her cheeks, the Gillikinese bit her lip. She wasn't overly concerned with efficiency, since she really wouldn't mind continuing this treatment for hours to come, but the very tips of her fingers began to tinkle in excitement. Her heart thumping in her chest, she poured the oil directly into the palm of her hand, then rubbed both hands together to warm it a little. The raven-haired woman still winced at her touch, despite having given her consent.
In defiance of the rash and the sores, Elphaba's skin was tantalisingly soft. Glinda wondered whether it was all solely due to the oil. Perhaps, she should try and copy Elphaba's beauty regime.
Her hands delicately glided up and down Elphaba's back. The sensation of feeling every single muscle and bone beneath her fingertips enthralled her as much as it concerned her. Her love seriously needed to take better care of her body. Using only one finger, she let it wander down the midline of her back, counting every single vertebra. Although shivering at the feeling, Elphaba did not tell her to stop. Eventually snapping out of her dizzy admiration for her love's anatomy, Glinda quickly finished off in consideration of Elphaba's apparent unease.
"What is the towel for?"
Elphaba's body twitched a little, and when she turned to look at the petite blonde, she was still blinking, indicating that she, too, had briefly been carried away by the intimacy of the setting. That knowledge alone made an entire swarm of butterflies break free in Glinda's stomach and she regretted ending this so soon. But now there was no going back, unfortunately.
"It's for… removing the excess oil."
"Ah, I see."
She took the tattered old thing, but hesitated. The towel was by no means soft, and she didn't want to hurt Elphaba.
"Go on, I'm getting cold," Elphaba urged. "Since your fire-stoking skills appear to be sort of lacking."
She had almost missed it, but there was something in the taller woman's voice that told her that she was smiling. Smiling herself, Glinda lightly pressed the towel against her oily skin. Elphaba's words rang true. In the meantime, tiny goose bumps had appeared all over her skin. The rash, to Glinda's great astonishment, already looked much better though. And there was something else. Underneath fading burns, a violet pattern began to emerge, starting on her right shoulder and snaking its way down her back towards her left hip, where it disappeared somewhere on her front.
"What's this?" Glinda asked, fascinated.
Without thinking, she brought her hand up to trace the gently curved line.
"Fiyero insisted I have them," the emerald Princess replied, her voice subdued.
Confused at first, the shorter woman quickly caught on. The markings were a little faint, but it was obvious to her now that they were tattoos, diamond shaped tattoos. They looked just like those Fiyero and his parents sported, only coloured differently.
"And your parents allowed this?" Glinda enquired curiously, still busy examining the beautiful and actually unreasonably alluring pattern.
Elphaba laughed now, becoming more and more comfortable around Glinda.
"Lurline forbid they ever find out! Goodness knows what kind of treatment they will devise to get rid of them!"
Eyes widening in horror, Glinda stared at her.
"No need to worry your pretty blonde head over this, my sweet. They are far too disinterested to ever notice."
"Fiyero wanted to make a statement with those," Glinda ventured a guess. "Like showing that you are part of the family?"
Elphaba sighed.
"Something like that."
Then the petite Gillikinese suddenly broke out in tears, hastily distancing herself form Elphaba, lest she cause her even more burns.
"I'm so sorry, Elphie. All those years, the two of you were so close, and now I made such a mess of everything! It's all my fault…"
After swiftly snatching the thin blanket off her bed and wrapping it around her body for protection rather than cover, Elphaba folded her arms around Glinda's shaking form.
"Shhht, my sweet, quiet. There is no need to cry."
She took an edge of the rough fabric and used it to wipe a pale cheek, then planted a tender kiss on the dry spot.
"We are brother and sister. If everything our parents have done so far could not separate us, you will certainly not be the one achieving such a feat, inadvertently or otherwise. But siblings fight. That's normal."
Sniffling, Glinda looked up into Elphaba's beautiful, brown eyes. Her love's words certainly had a calming effect, but she only wished the expression she was wearing were more convincing.
The door flew open with a bang.
"Thank Oz you're-"
The Prince's voice broke off, and all he could manage was a horrified stare.
Glinda's head snapped up and turned in alarm. She recognised Fiyero's hopeless attempts to make sense of the scene he had unwittingly stumbled into, and prayed that this calamity would end well for them. Especially for Elphaba. For a second, it looked like he was about to say something, but his mouth closed again before even releasing a single sound. Shaking his head in disbelief, he took a faltering step backwards. One more shake of his head, and he turned on his heels, staggering back down the stairs he had just climbed.
She shifted to look at Elphaba now, the viridian woman's mien unreadable.
"I'll be right back," Elphaba told her in an unnervingly calm voice and scrambled out of her bed, the blanket still precariously draped around her modest chest.
Glinda stared after her, her stomach in knots. She simply couldn't take the anguish of staying behind and waiting for the outcome. She waited a clock-tick or two, because she knew that Elphaba would send her straight back otherwise. Then she made to follow them.
"I'm not going to explain myself," she heard Elphaba's voice echo off the wall before she could even see her. "Think what you will, just…"
A moment of silence gave her a chance to catch up with them. The raven-haired woman noticed her as she descended another couple of stairs. She didn't reprimand her or shoo her away, but the look in her eyes firmly fixed Glinda to the spot she was currently standing on.
"I know you love Galinda, and I know you… well, at least you used to care about me, too. Promise you won't tell anyone about what you saw, or what you think you saw. Not to our parents, definitely not to Avaric. To no one."
Wild confusion, conflicting morals, battling principles all flashed over his face, yet the Prince remained infuriatingly quiet.
This time it was Elphaba who claimed the upper hand for once. It was a bizarre scenario from a looking-glass world, Glinda thought, although she couldn't be certain that the power relationship between the two siblings wasn't actually much more of an equilibrium than she had previously supposed. Shoving her brother against the wall and pinning him down, she narrowed her eyes and growled dangerously.
"Promise, or I'll have to rip your tongue out."
Loosened by the Princess' careless actions, the blanket slipped down to her hips. If Elphaba had noticed, she didn't care.
Fiyero cast a quick look in Galinda's direction, likewise seemingly ignorant.
"I promise," he breathed then after Elphaba had given him another rough push.
"Good," his sister barked before turning around and towards the stairs. "And thank you, for being so kind and walking Lady Galinda back to her quarters."
Glinda looked at her, startled. As Elphaba passed her, she discretely squeezed her hand, then gave her the slightest nudge in Fiyero's direction.
"Good night," she said in a strange, distant kind of voice and disappeared upstairs.