Here is a new chapter for you all! I just want to stop and thank all of my readers for responding so enthusiastically to this story! Thank you so much! Just keep reviewing and enjoy the new chapter! c:
Fiyero trudged down the hallway, feeling like he accomplished nothing. It was clear that Carole wasn't telling the truth. Well, maybe some of that was true, but he couldn't help but feel as if Elphaba's story was so much more…. Complicated.
A war then began to wage in his mind. Maybe that was all that Elphaba had to hide. But then again, it couldn't be. What about her broken arm? Most people would say that it was probably an accident, perhaps she had fallen from a fence or the like. But Fiyero had his suspicions and he was determined to prove them right.
The following morning, Fiyero decided to journey to the library in hopes that he would find more about Elphaba. He kept his head down while he was walking and he crashed right into his father, who had unexpectedly turned the corner.
"Fiyero! Oz, son, watch where you're going!" Marillot snapped, looking down at him with his arms crossed in disdain.
"Sorry, father. I was just lost in thought, I suppose." Fiyero apologized, looking up.
Marillot scoffed. "Well that's a first." When Fiyero's expression changed from apologetic to hurt, the older man laughed. "Fiyero, you need to learn to take a joke. You're too serious."
Fiyero forced himself to laugh and he took a step back. "Father, is there anything you wanted to tell me or can I go?" He inquired, desperately wanting to continue his quest.
"Ah yes, your mother and I are joining the Uplands for lunch so you have the castle alone for a bit. Son, please try not to get lost." His father begged playfully, placing his hand on his son's shoulder.
Fiyero laughed and just stayed in place until his father disappeared down the hallway. He couldn't believe it! He had an hour or two to himself. Perfect snooping time. Now that everyone's gone, maybe the library isn't the best place to look after all, He thought, taking a sudden turn to enter into Carole's private parlor.
Everything was in order, as he expected, so he figured that this would be easy enough. But of course, it wasn't. He searched for nearly an hour, digging through file cabinets and looking through book shelves for any clue that could lead him in the right direction. Just as he was about to give up, he found a manila folder sitting on the top of the book shelf. It was covered in dust and Fiyero supposed that it hadn't been opened, let alone touched, in years. He blew off the cover and slowly opened it. Inside were old newspaper clippings, photos, and letters.
Sitting down on the hardwood floor, the prince picked up a random newspaper article and read the headline: FREX AND MELENA THROPP DIE IN TRAGIC FIRE. He quickly skimmed through the article and found that the house had burned down, cremating the bodies as well. The daughter was reported missing a few days before the accident. Fiyero spread out all the articles and every single one of them had to do with the Thropps. He found out that Frex Thropp, Elphaba's father, was the Governor of Munchkinland and that he rarely let Elphaba go out in public. In one of the articles (the one that reported Elphaba missing), a neighbor said that he never saw Elphaba outside. The only times when anyone really saw her was when Frex took her to the hospital, and the man whisked her into the carriage so fast that people only got a glimpse of her. These hospital trips were frequent. They went four or five times a week. The trio (Elphaba, Frex, and his wife, Melena) visited Elphaba's younger sister, Nessarose. The small girl died from polio when Elphaba was five. Nessarose was only two.
Fiyero sat back to process all this new information. It was all very interesting, yes, but it didn't say much about Elphaba. Who was this mysterious nanny? The question plagued Fiyero's mind because, according to the article, Elphaba was kidnapped. Carole claimed that she didn't know why Elphaba was given to her care, but it didn't make any sense. Surely Carole had read the newspaper article about the girl's disappearance. There was proof of that right in front of him! If Carole knew that Elphaba had been kidnapped, why didn't she turn her into the police so that the girl could be given to a relative or at least, foster parents? Why keep the child and condemn her to life as a servant? None of this information matched up. But there was one thing that he was certain of. Carole was hiding something big. Something that nobody here knew.
Fiyero made to collect the file and stand up when a picture fluttered to the floor. Bending down, he grabbed it then straightened up. It was a rather old picture of two women, about Elphaba and Glinda's age, who were hugging each other. On the back, in cursive, a small title was written: Melena Thropp and Carole Upland, Shiz University. He folded the picture carefully, stuck it in his pocket, and returned the file to its place on the bookshelf. This was a lot of information to take in and he needed thinking food.