Chapter 21. She Loves
Rifiuto: Non Miniera
Thanks to Elphaba1Fan and Akasharouge for reviewing 20.
Question: Are they going to realize it was the same spell cast that had sent Elphaba into the future?
Answer: Yes, they will realize it was the same spell, but it will just take time....
Fiyero scooped Elphaba into his arms.
"Uncle Yero? Why don't you and Aunt Fabla stay here tonight? I bet Madame Penta wouldn't mind if you all stayed the night." Anakin said, as the adults prepared to leave. Fiyero shook his head.
"Thanks Anakin, but I think it's better if I took Elphaba back to our hotel room. We'll head back and let her get some sleep. She needs rest. She's worn out, and she needs to build up her strength. But how about we meet in the library tomorrow around ten? Okay?" The others nodded.
"Night Uncle Yero." Anakin said, giving him a hug without waking Elphaba. Makinla also wished him good night, and the other adults, including Liir and Candle, and watched as they left Crage Hall.
Liir soon pushed the door to his parents' hotel room open, and let his father pass into the room, his mother in his father's arms.
He and Candle stood and watched as Fiyero laid Elphaba gently on the bed, before removing her dress, boots, and bra, and pulling on her nightgown. Then, he tucked her under the blankets and kissed her forehead before going to the others.
"Come on. I want to talk to you." He said, leading them into the living room of their suite. He took a seat in the armchair, as Liir and Candle settled on the sofa.
"Janseta, would you bring some tea, please?" Fiyero asked, as the maid left and soon brought everything back, setting it down on the table. As she turned to go, Fiyero stopped her. "Janseta, please, stay, you're as much a member of this family as we are. You love Elphaba as much as we do."
Janseta nodded, and accepted the tea Fiyero offered her, slowly sitting in the opposite armchair.
"I was….taken from my home as a baby, and grew up learning the ways of the hired help under your father, Your Highness. At two, not long after you and Her Majesty married, and a year before the young prince here was born, your mother…….gave me to Her Majesty as a 'gift'…….and I grew up along Master Liir and Miss Fae. They're the siblings I never knew. And you and Her Majesty have treated me like a daughter."
Fiyero nodded, sipping his tea. Janseta was only around twenty-three or so. She was a few years younger than Elphaba and Fiyero, around the same age as Liir and Fae.
"Elphaba loves you dearly. She thinks of you as one of her own. And so do I."
Janseta nodded.
"Her Majesty taught me the proper ways of being a lady, taught me to sew and speak, and taught me the proper way to hold a fan. She taught me to read and write, and to dance."
Fiyero nodded.
"Elphaba is….very kind, very loving. She cares deeply for people. She has a heart. An amazing, beautiful heart."
"She always made sure we had enough to eat, went to bed on time. Did well with our classes; always said I love you." Liir said, watching his father's reaction.
Fiyero nodded.
"That's Elphaba. She certainly loves you and Fae, so very much."
"Her Majesty is…..kind and gentle." Janseta said. They all sipped their tea silently.
"Fiyero…." The King's head snapped up, at the soft mumur of his wife's voice.
"Dad? What is it?" Liir asked, watching as his father set his cup down and got up, excusing himself silently.
"Your Majesty?" Candle asked, following Liir's gaze. His father moved to the door, and went into the hall, stopping in the doorway of the bedroom.
Elphaba lay in bed, the blanket wrapped and rumpled around her body. She lay on her back, her long wavy raven hair billowing out around her head on the pillow. Her arms were up, one with her wrist near her lips, the other resting on her stomach. Her eyes were closed, her breathing even.
Her chest rose and lowered gently.
Every so often, her lips would part, and she'd breathe his name. Fiyero leaned against the doorjam, watching his wife. It was nights like these, when he loved to watch her sleep.
When she was so exhausted she couldn't walk, that she had to be carried to bed, Fiyero would scoop her up, and, cradling her in his arms, take her upstairs, into their room, and then undress her and cover her with the blankets. Then, he'd undress and lay next to her, holding her close, listening to her breathing. Just the feel of her body next to his calmed him.
He loved the feel of her in his arms, the feel of her body, her weight, in his arms.
And at night, he'd hold her close, his body pressed to hers, feeling her warmth. Subconsiously, he'd run his hand down her side, feeling the curve of her hip, her body. His fingers would slide down her side, gently gracing the beautiful cut of her thigh, the graceful slope of her buttocks.
She was his wife, his best friend.
His lover.
His queen.
His soul mate.
His Elphaba.
She was his and he was hers.
They belonged to each other and no one else.
Their bodies fit perfectly together. When they made love, Fiyero knew exactly what to do to bring her to her breaking point. He was tender and gentle, thorough. He satisfied Elphaba's needs more than could ever have been thought possible.
This girl, this woman, who seemed incaple of showing love, showed it whenever she was near her husband, the man who held her heart.
She had been a girl when they married. And she'd turned into a woman by the time they took the throne.
Motherhood had humbled her, and marriage had ensnared her, but both had done little to break her wild, independent spirit.
She defied her husband at every turn, allowed her children to do as they pleased- within reason. And as Queen, she ruled fairly, always asking her husband's advice, always acting with his opinion on her mind. She was fair, loving, respected, by her subjects.
Those who had feared her for her skin at first, soon came to love her for her spirit and heart.
She was outspoken, opinionated, stubborn, spirited. She had no problem telling Ozma that a certain rule was disjointed, or letting Glinda know that the world didn't revolve around her.
She was also quiet, tender, gentle, loving.
Only her family and her closest friends saw the side the court rarely saw.
They saw her insane moments, listened to her ramblings, and heard her opinions. They saw the small smiles she shared only with the immediate members of her family, noticed her spending time in the kitchens, helping the cooks fix dinner, helped the children perfect whatever skills they needed. They came across her reading in the library, stumbled on her wandering the gardens, passed her on her way to the villiage cafes.
The servants and subjects, family and friends, watched, with silent, longing envy, as the king would pull her into his arms, kiss her deeply, pressing his body into hers. They noticed with admiration in their eyes as he carried her to bed after a day of working herself to sleep, silently observed as he took care of her, nursing her back to health when she was sick, or comforting her when she was upset.
The king and queen lived a lifelong love affiar.
Now, Fiyero watched his wife sleep, heard her gentle breathing, saw her snuggle further into the pillows. Her body was at peace and her mind at rest.
"Your Highness?" Fiyero turned, to see Janseta behind him, head lowered. He reached out and gently raised her chin. "Does Her Majesty require anything?"
He shook his head, glancing back at his wife, who still slept peacefully among the pillows and blankets, oblivious to the world around her.
"No. Just rest." He replied, closing the door and leading her back to the living room. Liir and Candle remained on the sofa.
"Is she alreight?" Liir asked.
"She's fine. Still sleeping. She was…..just…. talking in her sleep, is all."
"Talking in her sleep? I didn't think Mom talked in her sleep."
"You'd be surprised at what she does when she's asleep; it's like her mind never stops running. When her body's relaxed and her mind's at peace, it's astounding she's able to do half of what she does." Fiyero replied.
"I don't think I want to know."
His father chuckled.
"Nothing bad. Muttereings, spell castings. She woke up one morning, not long after we'd gotten married, and found she'd…..turned me into a scarecrow. Apparently, she'd been chanting a spell as she slept the night before, and thought she'd killed me. The next morning, she'd turned me back. The reverse spell had been cast the night before."
Liir chuckled.
"That sounds like mom. I remember I woke up one morning, and my skin was blue. I guess she'd cast a spell to change skin color, and instead of changing her own, changed mine."
Fiyero nodded.
"She…….mutters nonsense in her sleep. Whispers stories in her sleep. Casts spells and sings in her sleep. She……breathes names while she sleeps." He thought a moment. "She…..kisses in her sleep."
"Kisses? Seriously? Her Majesty kisses while she sleeps?" Candle asked, amazed. Fiyero nodded.
"I woke up one night, to find her lips pressed against mine, her fingers in my hair. I didn't mind, it was just shocking. Wakng up in the middle of the night to find your wife kissing you while she slept."
"Does she sleep walk?"
"No. She never leaves the bed. She just talks. Talks and sings, and laughs. And kisses and casts spells and……whispers. And loves."
The group stayed silent, before Liir asked,
"Mom. Is she…..does she…..is she clingy? When she sleeps."
Fiyero shook his head.
"No. She snuggles, but she doesn't cling. Burrows, as close as she can, and then stills."
Finally, Fiyero turned to the others.
"I suggest you all get to bed, and get some rest."
"Yes, Your Majesty." They said, standing and bowing or curtsying as Fiyero stood. He hugged each of them before slipping into his and Elphaba's bedroom. Ten minutes later, Candle, Liir, and Janseta stood in the doorway, watching silently through the crack in the door, as Fiyero slipped under the covers beside his wife, and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her gently to him.
"I love you Fae." He whispered, gently kissing her lips. Elphaba rolled onto her side, and the three watched, as she snuggled into him, not before leaning up and planting a soft, loving kiss on her husband's lips, never opening her eyes. Then, she snuggled down, into his arms, burrowing into his chest, her breathing returning to even.
His left hand began to stroke her hair, as his right gently ran the dip of her side, resting on the curve of her shapely thigh. He pulled her close, and snuggled down with her, whispering softly to her, until his breathing became even, matching hers.
He pulled her closer, his body pressing into hers, fitting perfectly, their hips sliding into place, their legs entwining gracefully under the blankets. Their fingers laced, and their palms pressed together, matching exactly.
As the three slowly closed the door, they heard one word, escape her lips. All stopped and paused at the word that flew on the breath of the Queen of the Vinkus.
"Fiyero."