Just cheese and fluffle. What more could you want? :) And never fear, there will be no interruptions this time. For once, all will go smoothly. Thank you for all of the lovely reviews! And cheers muchos to whoever got me to the 100. I greatly appreciate it!
By the way, my pretties, sorry for the rubbish-y vows. I'm not the sentimental type, so I'm afraid I just mashed together a few different versions that I have heard instead of writing my own.
And yes, it would be a bit obvious if she went home with blue diamonds on her skin, but who says that they'll be in a noticeable place? [not meant to sound as dirty as it did] That may be my point. I don't know. We shall see.
The alter of the chapel was lit by a few candles, and the Minister stood beside it in a simple white robe. He looked askance at Elphaba, swathed to the chin in black, and Fiyero, who's face was barely illuminated by the faint candlelight. He mentally shrugged off his confusion and welcomed the young pair with open arms.
"Welcome, my children!" He noticed that the young woman hung back a little. Her companion squeezed her hand reassuringly and murmured something in her ear, and she stepped forward.
"Hello, sir," the voice of a young man said confidently, taking his place in front of the alter. The girl stood beside him, keeping her face down.
"I promise to love and honour you my whole life, you and no other. I promise I will be yours to have and to hold from this point onward, as long as we both may live," Elphaba smiled, repeating the Minister's words with the passionate fervency that had made Fiyero fall in love with her in the first place. He could see her eyes dancing under the wide brim of her hat, and felt the pace of his heart speed up with surprising alacrity. She slid the simple silver band onto the ring finger of his left hand, and he caught her wide smile in the shadows.
"And now you, my son," the Minister said softly, handing a slimmer silver ring to Fiyero. The young man grinned widely as he recited the short vow, pouring as much emotion as he could into the words.
"I promise to love and honour you my whole life, you and no other. I promise I will be yours to have and to hold from this point onward, as long as we both may live."
Fiyero realised that he would not be able to get the ring on Elphaba's hand if it remained gloved, so he eased off the black silk garment and slipped the it onto her elegant finger. Beside them, the Minister jumped in surprise when the young woman's verdant skin came into view, and he stared at her slim, youthful hand in disbelief. After gaping unattractively for a moment or two, a soft cough from Fiyero brought him back to his senses.
"Do forgive me!" he muttered. "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss your bride," he said quickly, anxious to get to bed. Lack of sleep had of course tricked his mind; the girl's skin could not be green. When she tilted her face up to receive a kiss from her new husband, the dim light illuminated her again, and this time the hue was unmistakable. The Minister shook his head, confused. He congratulated them then bid them goodnight, watching with a raised eyebrow and they hurried from the little chapel. 'Strange,' he thought.
Elphaba and Fiyero lingered just few minutes away from the chapel, unsure of their next move. Elphaba had removed her hat and gloves, and Fiyero took his hood down, and they stood in the moonlight, thinking. Neither of them spoke, and Fiyero held her bright hand in his, stroking her palm soothingly with his thumb.
"So…" the young woman said quietly, a strange, unfamiliar nervousness appearing in her tummy.
"My family have a house a few miles from here. It's never in use, so we can spend the night there, and you can get back to Colwen Grounds at first light." Fiyero explained, his neat white teeth chattering with the cold. Elphaba nodded slowly, and allowed herself to be led off into the night.
They reached the house much sooner than Elphaba had expected to, and a shudder of apprehension rippled down her spine. Fiyero felt the slight shiver, and once they were inside, he turned to look at her.
"What's wrong, Fae?" he asked gently, stroking a runaway strand of her raven hair behind her ear. Elphaba laughed self consciously, casting her dark eyes to the floor.
"It's just…" she murmured, mentally cursing herself for having such awkward timing.
"What? What is it?"
"I'm not scared, if that's what you think!" the young woman muttered staunchly. Fiyero simply looked down at her, his brow creased in endearing confusion. "It's just, the last time I…Rilt, he…Oz, I'm green, Yero. And you have no idea how green I am! It's not just confined to my face and my hands. I am completely emerald. Everywhere. I don't want you to be repulsed when you see it. I don't think I could bear for you to react the way that Rilt did," she admitted, gazing up at him with a desperation that almost tore his heart in two.
"I'm not going to be repulsed! I promise," he replied sincerely, but Elphaba shook her head.
"You can't know that, not until you see it. I won't blame you if you run away into the night screaming."
"Trust me when I say that is not the kind of screaming that I intend on doing tonight, just the same as I don't intend on being the only one doing it," her new husband replied cheekily, trying to lighten the mood. Elphaba rolled her eyes and sighed worriedly, running an anxious hand through her hair.
"Don't worry, love!" he amended quickly, snaking his arms around her waist and pressing a light kiss to her jaw.
Elphaba kissed him fiercely then pulled away, her eyes dancing with a whole spectrum of emotions. Fiyero, though surprisingly deep himself, always wondered how one person could be so passionate about so many different things at the one time and not explode. Elphaba's eyes were not just the window to her soul; she felt enough for ten thousand others. Slowly, silently, she reached behind her and fumbled with the buttons of her dress.
Terrified that this would be the last time she would see Fiyero [she fully expected him to bolt as soon as he saw the smooth green planes of her body], Elphaba's fingers shook so badly she could not get the last few difficult buttons undone. Her companion stepped to her back and undid them for her, sliding the heavy black material from her slender shoulders. It seemed to linger warily at the tops of her arms, so as to just reveal her emerald back: a little at a time. 'Gently does it,' she thought. She tensed, expecting to hear the door slam any moment.
Fiyero, on the other hand, had no thoughts about running away from her. His bright eyes marvelled at the smooth skin before him, and he immediately reached out, running the tip of his finger down the length of her spine. Elphaba shivered.
Wordlessly, he pushed her dress entirely away from her body, allowing himself to take in the amazing lushness of her colouring. She was thinner than he had thought, but there were suggestions of femininity around her softly curved hips and well defined waist. He treaded carefully around to her face again, letting his large hands linger temptingly on her shoulders.
Her dark eyes were fearful when they connected with his own. She trembled under his touch, and almost blushed as his alert eyes roved the front of her body. Though she wasn't exactly innocent, she had never recalled being this naked in front of anyone while still being in full control of all her faculties. This was new, and Fiyero's intense expression made her fearful.
"Well?" she croaked, her voice lost somewhere in the depths of her throat.
Fiyero's handsome face broke into an enchanting smile. The young man swallowed his new nerves, and whispered, "Elphaba…You're absolutely beautiful." The conviction in his words set Elphaba at her ease.
"This seems a little unfair, doesn't it?" she grinned devilishly.
"What's a little unfair?"
"The fact that you still have so many clothes on," the young woman giggled. "I want to see those pretty diamonds again,"
"Oh you do, do you?"
Fiyero needed no further encouragement.
Guh. Well, now that that's settled...
kthnxbailolz :D