"Mama?" Elphaba said timidly, pushing open the door. She had been out until dusk, gathering the best and prettiest flowers. Upon arriving home, she'd found it empty – in fact, almost deathly silent. Father's door was closed, which meant she was forbidden to enter. Nanny was gone. And where was her new sister?
"Elphaba? Is that you?" Her mother's soft voice rose from the bed.
"Oh, Mama!" Elphaba rushed over in relief. "I came home and no one was around, and I brought you flowers …".
"That's lovely, dear," Melena gave a small smile. "Now, why don't you climb into bed with me?"
Surprised, but no less delighted, Elphaba set the flowers down in a small bottle carefully and clambered into the warm bed.
"My girl …" Melena whispered, stroking Elphaba's hair. It alarmed Elphaba, the way her mother sounded so tired and weak. Craning her head, she looked at her mother, who was staring at the ceiling, seeming to be in someplace far away.
"My girl." Melena repeated, turning her head to look at Elphaba. Her eyes held a complex mixture of seriousness, sadness and regret. "Never trust a man until you've learned his true intentions, do you understand?"
"Yes, Mama," Elphaba replied obediently. "But why…"
"And promise … Promise you'll look after your sister." Melena's voice broke, and Elphaba reached out her hands to clumsily wipe away her mother's tears.
"Mama, don't cry…" Elphaba said softly, not really understanding why her mother was crying in the first place. "It's going to be okay."
"Yes…" Melena took a steadying breath. "Everything will be … Okay." She shifted, wincing as she turned on her side. "Now, Nanny will be back soon with your sister. Shall we take a little nap first?"
She began humming a soft tune, and Elphaba closed her eyes.
Elphaba stirred as a sudden cold draught wafted through the room.
"Mama, I think Nanny's back," she said sleepily, sitting up. The window outside was pitch black. Why did Nanny come home so late?
When her mother didn't answer, she turned around and shook her shoulder. "Mama …" Elphaba repeated louder. "Mama, Nanny's back!"
Melena's hand fell limply to her side, and Elphaba felt the first stirrings of fear. Maybe Mama was too tired…
"Mama! Wake up! MAMA!"
She was shouting now, although Father had always told her to keep quiet. Hurried footsteps sounded outside the door, and Nanny burst in.
"What's the matter, lass? Why are – Melena. Melena, don't scare us! Melena!"
The door banged open again, and Frexspar rushed in with his eyes bloodshot. "Why is everyone yelling like this?" He demanded, before noticing Nanny weeping. "Nanny, what on earth … No." He choked. "No!"
Suddenly, he noticed Elphaba still sitting on the bed and staring in shock. Grabbing her by the shoulders, he hauled her off the bed and growled, "What did you do again?"
"I – I didn't …"
"You were the last person to see your mother alive! WHAT DID YOU DO? WHY DIDN'T YOU CALL FOR HELP?" Frexspar roared, spitting into Elphaba's face.
"Stop it, Frexspar!" Nanny snapped, wiping her eyes furiously. "Elphaba, lass, let's leave your Father alone –"
"Mama's … Dead?" Elphaba said slowly. But it can't be… It was just a little nap…
"Yes, and it's no thanks to you that your sister's barely alive either!" Frexspar yelled, before his face crumpled in grief and he turned away. "Oh, Melena, forgive me…"
Nanny scooped an unresponsive Elphaba into her arms before half-running out of the room and into the kitchen. In this familiar environment, Nanny seemed to calm down, and gently set Elphaba into a chair.
"Now look here, lass," Nanny said slowly as she kneeled in front of Elphaba, pausing to wipe her eyes again. "Don't listen to what your father says. My mother and her mother and so on have served your mother's family for a very long time. Our contract passes down through the female line, and since your mother's gone… It has now passed to you. You can end this contract if you wish, but I promised your grandmother that I'll take care of your mother, and since I failed…" Nanny sighed. "I will take care of her children; you and your sister."
Elphaba nodded woodenly. The only words registering in her mind was contract, mother's gone, and sister.
She swallowed. "Where's my sister?"
Nanny exhaled again. "Elphaba, when your sister was born… Well, it was not easy for your Mama." She rubbed her red eyes and took out her handkerchief to blow her nose. "Your sister came too soon, and her legs got tangled up as your mother tried to push her out in time. I had just returned from the village doctor when I found…" Nanny paused again and inhaled, her large nostrils quivering slightly. Standing, she took Elphaba's hand and led her into a small room off the kitchen.
Elphaba's eyes adjusted to the dim light and she saw a small cradle in the middle of the room, where small snuffling sounds could be heard. Nanny carried her up so she could take a better look at the little creature, whose face was calm and peaceful in sleep.
"She won't be able to walk," Nanny said quietly. "But she won't feel any more pain from her wee legs anymore, poor lass."
"She's so pretty," Elphaba whispered. The baby's skin was a fair, normal colour (unlike hers) and she had their father's light brown hair. "Did Mama name her?"
"Nessarose." Nanny smiled, letting Elphaba touch her sister's cheek. "Your father helped her with that."
"… Did Father help with my name, too?" Elphaba asked as Nanny put her back on the ground.
"No, he didn't." Nanny replied simply. "Come, lass… It's time you went to bed."
Elphaba crept into her mother's room. She had lain awake for hours, unable to close her eyes. The last time she closed them, her mother went away forever. What would happen if she closed them a second time?
It was very dark inside the room, save for a lone candle burning on the bedside table. For one fleeting moment, Elphaba thought that the past few hours was all a nightmare, and that her mother would sit up in the bed and laugh at how ridiculous they all were.
"Mama." She whispered, trying her best not to be overheard. If Father found her … "Mama, I'm sorry. I tried. I tried to wake you up."
Tears burned in her eyes, but she wiped them away. Suddenly, a glint of dark green under her mother's pillow caught her eyes, flickering in the candlelight. Reaching under the soft cotton, Elphaba tugged out a small bottle and turned it over in her hands. It was tiny, really. Just slightly bigger than Nanny's medicine bottles. The dark emerald was cool to the touch, and almost the same colour as her own skin. Her brows furrowed in confusion. Why would Mama keep a bottle like this under her pillow?
Nevertheless, she tucked it into her pyjama pocket. It was probably the only thing of Mama's that Father would let her keep, anyway. Elphaba had a funny feeling Father didn't know about this green bottle too.
She took her Mama's hand from its crossed position on her chest, and gave an involuntary gasp at how cold, how alien it had become. Suddenly, her mother's last few sentences came back to her.
"Never trust a man until you've learned his true intentions, do you understand?… And promise me you'll take care of your sister."
"I promise, Mama." Elphaba said, backing away slowly. She cautiously opened the door to check that no one was outside, before easing out of the room with a lingering glance behind.
Far away, in the spacious estate of the Royal Vinkun family, a butler and his wife were preparing for bed.
"Say, Mara, did you hear about the Governor of Munchkinland's wife?"
"Died in childbirth a few months ago, didn't she?"
"Ay, that's the one. Seems like the whole family's moving out the Marshlands and back to the official residence."
"Hmph, and a high time they did, too. All that damp air won't be good for the new baby, and I daresay the Governor wouldn't want anything to do with the place his wife died." (pause) "Was it her first?"
"Well ..." (the butler scratched his head) "I heard that she had another girl a few years back, but there was something odd about that birth. Took place a few months after the Prince, but it was hardly publicized. Not even a notice in the papers."
"What a family. They seem to have their hands full! … Mine will soon be, too; helping Her Majesty to find a governess for that brat of a prince – And he's only a mere four years old!"
"Relax, Mara, he'll grow out of it."
"Haven't you seen the way the King and Queen spoil him?"
"Their first healthy, living son after so many years, Mara. Surely you can't fault them for that."
"… I suppose so. But that boy will grow up to be a rascal and nothing more if it doesn't stop. What do we say then?"
"Time will tell, Mary. Time will tell. Now, blow out the candle. It's been a long day."
A/N: I've always felt that Melena was a character just portrayed like a sl*t in the musical and given a quick death mentioned only in passing. Her character was so much more convoluted in the book. She was trapped in an unhappy marriage with a dutiful but emotionally neglecting husband, then made a bad decision and was left pregnant by a man whose name she probably couldn't remember. However, she did love Elphaba (in the book) and I've embellished a little more on that. I also felt that she knew Frexspar cared more about the second baby's skin than her own safety.
Nanny is an entirely bookverse character, but I've softened her up a bit and added a "contract" (taking creative license here) between her family and Melena's family. Think of it as a product of the famine which lead to Animal resentment (as mentioned in the musical). Also, Elphaba's 4 years old here, and she was born in March (always seemed like a March baby to me).
Please R&R! A shoutout go to xMegxGiryx who was the first to review and favourite :) Next chapter would be more lighthearted, I promise ... After all, we do want it to be "simply thrillifying". (Hint!)
Update: I've updated a bit of a mention of Fiyero. Couldn't find anywhere to place it, so I put it here instead.