So, here is the first proper chapter. NOTE: Fiyero won't be in it 'til the next one, or possibly the one after. But don't worry. He'll get here.
Thanks to DEgreeniFYgravity for reviewing 1.
Elphaba heaved a dejected sigh and slumped down into a chair, holding one hand out towards the light. Her harlequin green skin took on an almost blue tinge in the harsh midday sun, and her chocolate eyes narrowed hatefully as she took it in.
An unnatural colour.
A snort of derision escaped her every time that adjective was used to describe her. Green; the very colour of nature itself, considered unnatural. Her parents and siblings had grown to look past it, and see the passion and beauty she possessed underneath. But her Aunt, the Eminent Thropp, would never look past it. She had condemned the girl to a life in an unhappy marriage just because of her own prejudice.
Elphaba hated her for it.
Rilt Upland of the Arduennas was small and frail, with milky blue eyes and thinning silver hair. He shook Elphaba's hand, his grasp weak.
"Very nice to meet you, my dear." he croaked, leaning a little closer to her, peering at her with his better eye. Her stomach heaved as he licked his lips hungrily, a less than savoury expression on his sagging face.
"You too," she shuddered, wriggling her thin fingers out of his grip and retreating a few steps. The girl behind him gazed sympathetically at her with wide green eyes, the corners of her perfect pink lips turned down slightly in distaste.
"Why don't you go for your afternoon nap, Grandpoppy?" the girl encouraged, turning him by the elbow in the direction of the stairs. He shuffled off on the arm of the Butler, his breathing ragged.
Elphaba smiled thankfully at her, noting that she too was about seventeen. Elphaba herself was relatively small [although not as small as a farm Munchkin] but this girl surpassed her easily, barely reaching the taller girl's phosphorescent shoulder.
"Galinda Upland," the girl said smilingly, with a subtle toss of her golden curls. "Sorry about him, by the way. He's a bit difficult to deal with sometimes." she added, her tone heavy with disapproval.
"Welcome, Galinda. I'm Elphaba,"
"I'm sure we'll be great friends!"
"I hope so…" Elphaba smiled shyly, gazing at her heavy army boots. It was unusual for anyone to be so polite, nay, friendly, on first meeting her. Normally there was at least five minutes of awkward silence while they took in her 'interesting' pigmentation. Galinda Upland, however, seemed to be above such things, and Elphaba didn't know how to react.
"You're very green, aren't you?" Galinda mused after a few minutes of polite small talk. Elphaba's eyebrows shot up, practically past her hairline.
"Excuse me?" she cried, one hand flying to her throat in offence. The blonde girl's features contorted, horrified.
"Oh, no! I didn't mean in a bad way! I just meant-"
"I know what you meant, Miss Galinda. I've had to put up with your sort all my life, I'm used to it!" Elphaba spat, whirling around and striding away. The smaller girl looked helplessly after her, her arms hanging limply by her sides.
"Well, that went well!" she muttered, plopping defeatedly into a chair by the fire.
Melena entered the library quietly, spying her eldest daughter curled up on the other side of the room. She was secreted at the foot of one of the massive bookshelves, her knees clutched defensively to her chest. The black silk of her hair hung like a curtain over her face; a barrier behind which she could hide from the world.
"Fabala?"
Elphaba's head snapped up, her ochre eyes distant. At the sight of her Mother, her stiff posture relaxed slightly, and her lips twitched into a reluctant smile when Melena sank down next to her. She snaked a long arm around her daughter's emerald shoulders.
"Tell Mama," she soothed, resting her fiery head against the raven one.
"Why is Aunt Eissa making me do this?" Elphaba whispered, huddling against the motherly side. Melena hesitated, and her sharp daughter immediately caught on. "It's because of my skin, isn't it? She doesn't think I would ever be able to marry without her help, because everyone thinks it's so horrible. They're right, too." The girl gulped and let her nails claw down the tender flesh of her arms, leaving nasty red scratch marks.
"Stop it, Elphaba!" Melena commanded, turning around and grasping the offending hands within her own.
"But it's the truth!"
"Your aunt is simply an old witch who cannot see past the end of her nose, and I don't want you to pay any attention to her!"
"She hates everything about me, mother. She hates my skin, she hates that I have some kind of magic in my veins, she even hates that I prefer books to parties. It's hard to ignore her constant scolding."
"Well, we can just hold on to the hope that this old cretin pops his clogs some time in the very near future. Then you can go out and fall in love and get married to someone you want. In the meantime, we'll make do with what we've got." Melena smiled, heartened by Elphaba's amused snort at her first sentence.
"Thank you, mother." she whispered as her mother stood.
"That's what I'm here for, my sweet. Now, come, it's time for dinner."
Shell and Nessarose, Elphaba's younger siblings, surreptitiously flicked peas at one another from opposing sides of the table, making the older girl roll her eyes.
"Can't you behave for once, Nessa?" she muttered to the girl of fifteen to her right. Her sister ignored her and flicked viciously at another pea, hitting their brother square between the eyes. He sat, stunned, with his eyes crossed, trying to see the point of impact. The green girl sighed and returned to her food.
She resolved was never to have children. They were too much work, and never paid her any heed.
Miss Galinda was seated to her immediate left, and she kept trying to catch her eye. Elphaba kept her eyes away from her, instead choosing to indulge in some silly conversation with her father, Frex. As her Aunt commanded the attention of the table, Galinda used her cunningly sharp elbows as an offensive weapon, digging one into Elphaba's side. A kind of strangled exclamation escaped the back of Elphaba's throat, and she finally turned to face the blonde.
"I'm sorry!" Galinda hissed, trying to keep her voice down. Elphaba wrinkled her nose, and the girl continued. "You misunderstood what I was trying to say. I like the colour of your skin! I think it's unusual, yes, but it's pretty. And if you don't stop jumping down people's throats like that, you're not going to get on very well in life." Elphaba snorted unattractively, but bit her lip. She knew the blonde was right.
"Pretty isn't exactly a word I'd use to describe it. But...I'm sorry too. I'm just…sensitive about it. I usually have to defend myself, I didn't realise…"
"Well, yes. Apology accepted. Now…Let's be friends!" As Galinda said this, her voice rose dramatically in pitch, a beaming smile decorating her perfect face. Elphaba arched one immaculate eyebrow, but let a reluctant smile creep onto her face.
A friend.
A friend that wasn't a sibling or a parent. An actual friend. It was new, and it felt nice.
Across the table, Rilt fell asleep with his face in the mashed potato.
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