Hello everyone! Thanks for all the great reviews! Please keep reviewing; it keeps me writing! Here's another installment for you! c: Enjoy!
Seven and a half chimes passed by all too quickly and Glinda clutched Elphaba's hands for support.
"What if he doesn't think I'm pretty? What if he hates me?" Glinda had been fretting like this for over an hour and Elphaba had had enough.
"Glinda, you need to stop worrying about this. Just be you and you'll be fine." Elphaba glanced over her friend. The blonde's eyeliner was finally complete and she had (after almost an hour of Elphaba crawling on her knees) found the silver comb.
"But what if he doesn't like the real me?" Glinda pouted, her bottom lip quivering.
Elphaba rolled her eyes in annoyance and opened the door. "I have to make sure that your dinner was prepared correctly." She turned a sharp corner and left Glinda to her own devices.
The blonde took her own sweet time in primping herself and took even more time to walk to the western staircase. She barely had enough time to stand in between her parents before a servant (belonging to the Tigelaar family, Glinda noticed) shuffled in nervously.
Coughing a bit into his hand and clearing his throat, the servant began. "Announcing Prince Fiyero Tigelaar of the Arjiki tribe and his parents, King Marillot and Queen Baxiana." The servant spoke in a loud, clear tone that resonated through the grand hall.
Marillot and Baxiana came first and Glinda had to admire their appearance. Marillot was in his late fifties, but Baxiana seemed a great deal younger than him. A ten year difference, Glinda guessed. Her parents were about the same age. But the couple were extravagantly dressed and walked with the air of unquestionable importance.
Both sets of parents shook hands and greeted each other, while Glinda just smiled and looked pretty. The procedure wasn't new to her. But what was new to her was the exotic handsomeness of Prince Fiyero. The man was stunning with his shoulder-length brown hair and his sharp gray eyes. But what really caught her eyes was the pattern of glistening blue diamonds that decorated his muscular body. At this time, she realized that she was staring and she fluttered her fan in front of her face to hide her embarrassment.
Fiyero took a feeble step forward and kissed her delicate hand. "Miss Glinda, what a pleasure to be meeting you at last." His accent and his overwhelming natural scent made her swoon.
"Let's get to dinner before it turns to ice," suggested Etai Upland, leading them all to the dining hall.
"I need to use the, uh, facilities, if you'll excuse me." Fiyero bowed quickly before beginning his quest for the bathroom. He had looked over his shoulder to see if he had passed if when he head-on collided with a shadowed figure.
"Watch where you're going!" snapped Elphaba, rolling up her sleeves with a snort of disgust.
"I'm very sorry, ma'am." Fiyero apologized, trying to get a glimpse of who he had run into.
Elphaba glared at him for a moment until something in her brain clicked and she backed up. "Oh, Prince Fiyero! My Oz, forgive me. I had no idea!" Elphaba was absolutely terrified. Would he tell Etai? Even though she would never admit it, she couldn't live down another whipping.
"No, no. Listen, it's fine. Can you just direct me to the washroom?" Fiyero asked.
Elphaba pointed in the general direction and scampered off. Fiyero watched in confusion as she disappeared. Who was she and why did she show such respect for him?
When dinner was over, he requested to see the manor, hoping to see the strange green girl again. Glinda, believing that he only asked so that they could have time alone, happily agreed to show him around.
"And this is the best view in the house. The stars are gorgeous at this time of night." Glinda leaned over the edge, her forearms resting on the stone ledge. Fiyero joined her, his strong arm wrapping around her waist. He wasn't sure if he actually felt anything towards her or if he was just doing what his mother told him to do, but he was glad when she didn't inch away.
"I see something gorgeous and it is most certainly not the stars." Fiyero turned her around so that she was facing.
Glinda's cheeks turned a cherry red and she let out a nervous giggle. Her fan came up in embarrassment and she looked down.
Fiyero laughed and took her fan, letting it drop onto the cement. "That was endearing. You should giggle more often." He told her, brushing a golden curl behind her ear. They both leaned in for an innocent and simple kiss when the door opened.
"Ma'am, would you like- oh, am I interrupting something?" Elphaba carried an exquisite silver platter and shifted her weight on her feet awkwardly.
"Tea would be delightful right about now. Fiyero, dearest?" Glinda took the tray from Elphaba and poured tea for them both.
Elphaba turned to retreat when Fiyero spoke up. "You! You're the one I ran into earlier!"
Elphaba was quick to deny this. "No, sir. You must have mistaken me for someone else." She told him, the platter underneath her arm. Before he could say another word, she was gone.
"What was that about?" Glinda questioned, linking their fingers and gazing into his deep gray eyes.
"Earlier, when I went looking for the washroom, I ran into her. I literally ran into her. I don't know why she'd deny it." Fiyero explained, bringing the back of her small hand to his lips.
"She doesn't want you to bother her," Glinda answered him.
"Bother her? I didn't mean to, really." Fiyero seemed confused and Glinda pursed her lips.
"Listen, Fiyero. Elphaba's a confusing woman and she's had a rough life. She just wants to be left alone." The blonde told him. "And if you don't mind, I'll be retiring to my bedchambers for the night. I feel a headache coming on."
Fiyero gave her a goodnight kiss on the cheek and retreated to his own chambers. As he lay in bed, he couldn't sleep. Fiyero just stared at the ceiling, thoughts of Elphaba running through his mind. Who was this strange woman and why did she seem to hate him so?