AN: Yes, guys, they're getting there! ^^
Sorry Steph, I'm not going to post the entire story as a Christmas present, haha.
Rebeccaseal, your review made me laugh. Are you Galinda's sister? :P
7.
When Fiyero walked into the library the next day, he found his father, his grandfather, and Elphaba all there. The latter was curled up in an armchair, sniffling every now and then and with a blanket tightly wrapped around her. The two men were sitting on the couch beside Elphaba's chair and the three of them were discussing something.
Kevon looked up when Fiyero entered and smiled at his grandson. "Your future wife is a smart girl, Yero," he said with a tinge of pride in his voice. "She has a lot of great ideas for the Vinkus."
"She does," Humberto admitted a little reluctantly. This was the first time he had had a proper conversation with Elphaba and he was surprised at how intelligent and fiery she was in her responses, at the good ideas she had, and even at the diplomatic way she handled her arguments. She had a gift for telling other people they were completely wrong without rubbing them the wrong way. She was friendly and polite, and the king felt a little ashamed for having judged her so harshly before. Maybe his father had been right. He should talk to Danna, too, and have her get to know Elphaba better. He was sure she'd like the girl as well.
"We'll leave you now, though," King Humberto added, smiling at the young witch. "I have some matters to attend to, anyway. You rest – a servant will bring up some tea with lemon and honey for you soon."
"Thank you," Elphaba said gratefully, and Humberto and Kevon rose to their feet and left the library.
Fiyero sat down on her other side. "Are you sick?"
"I have a cold," she confirmed, sighing. Her voice was hoarse and he could tell that her nose was blocked.
"I guess even the hot springs weren't enough, then," he said sympathetically. "Sorry."
"What are you sorry for? It's not like it's your fault." She wiped her nose with her sleeve. "At least you tried your best – if you hadn't helped me yesterday, I might have ended up with pneumonia after all."
He shrugged. "Still. Do you want me to get you anything? Or can I do anything to help?"
"That's really sweet of you," she said softly, "but I'm fine."
He nodded. "Okay."
They sat in silence for a while.
"So…" Elphaba broke it after a while. "What do you like to do?"
He stared at her. "Huh?"
She laughed softly, then coughed. "I was just thinking that… that you were right, the other day," she said, blushing a little. "And so was your grandfather. I never really gave you a fair chance, and I was just thinking… well, maybe this would be easier if we'd get to know one another better and maybe even get along."
Fiyero nodded slowly. "Yeah. Okay." He held out his hand. "Truce? And not one that you will break the moment I make a bad joke about hot springs," he added, only half-joking.
She chuckled softly. "Truce," she agreed, shaking his hand.
He shuddered. "Oz, woman, that hand is freezing." He took her hand between his own and started to rub it. "So what do you like to do?"
"I asked you first."
He rolled his eyes. "Fair enough. I don't suppose "partying" would be a valid answer for you, would it?"
"No," she said. "Neither would "drinking" or "fooling around with girls". Besides… do you really enjoy doing those things? In all honesty?"
She felt his grip on her hand tighten and she squeezed back. "You don't have to tell me," she said. "But if you do, I promise I would never use it against you. I can be mean if I want to, but I'd never sink that low."
He sighed and then slowly shook his head. "No," he admitted. "I don't really enjoy all those parties all that much. It's just an easy way to escape my responsibilities and that stupid little voice in my head."
She nodded in understanding. "So what do you like to do?"
"Drawing," he said immediately, his face lighting up. "I've been doing it ever since I was a little boy and I still love it."
"Really?" she asked, clearly intrigued. "What do you draw?"
He shrugged. "All kinds of things," he said, resuming his rubbing of both her hands, which were still cold – they always were. "The sun setting over the Thousand Year Grasslands. The view on the gardens from my bedroom window. My sister. My grandfather. My sister and my grandfather having tea in the gardens I can see from my bedroom window."
She laughed, then sneezed. "Sorry. Can I see them?"
"I'll show you later," he promised. "It's your turn now."
She pulled back one hand to indicate the book on the side table next to her chair. "Reading. Obviously."
"Horseback riding," he said.
She smiled. "Me, too. Your sister took me a few times," she said. "I never really rode all that much back in Munchkinland – Father wouldn't let me – but I do like it. I also love music, though I can't play anything myself."
"Me, neither." Fiyero grinned. "Mum and Dad tried to teach me when I was younger, but the royal musical instruments and I never really became friends."
She laughed.
They continued to discuss their likes and dislikes, and Fiyero told her a little more about life in the Vinkus, while she told him about her experiences in Munchkinland and at Shiz.
"So…" he said a little awkwardly after a while, slowly lowering their joint hands and letting go of hers. "Don't get mad, but I'm kind of… curious about something… and I don't mean to be rude, I honestly don't, but…"
"But you want to know why I'm green," Elphaba finished for him and he flushed.
"Well… yeah." He winced in anticipation. "Don't kill me."
She chuckled, then sneezed again. "Ugh. Sorry." She wiped her nose with her sleeve and sniffled. "I don't know why I'm green," she answered his question. "I was born this way."
Fiyero nodded slowly. "Okay."
A servant entered the room carrying a tray. Elphaba gratefully accepted a cup of tea with lemon and honey from the man and Fiyero took the other mug, which was filled with coffee.
"Can I ask you something else?" he asked as he watched Elphaba sip her tea without touching his own drink.
She didn't even look up at him. "Of course. If I don't feel like answering, I won't answer; but you're always free to ask."
He chuckled. "Fair enough." He was quiet for a moment, gathering his courage before throwing it out. "Have people really always avoided you because of your skin?"
She went very still, her cup still cradled in her hands and her eyes trained on it. "Who told you that?"
"I…" He hesitated, then decided to tell the truth. "I eavesdropped on you and Galinda and Nessa," he muttered, "that day when Galinda had just arrived."
She slowly raised her gaze to meet his. "Is that why you suddenly started being nice to me?" she asked, her voice low. "Because you felt sorry for me?"
"No," he said firmly. "Not because I felt sorry for you. Because I realised the way I'd been treating you wasn't right."
She sighed and took another sip of tea, considering her answer for a moment. "Yes," she said finally. "Nearly everyone I've ever met reacted to me the same way you did. They either gape at me or scream. Most people are repulsed by my skin; some people make fun of me because of it."
He bit his lip. "I'm really sorry," he said. "I should have known better than to treat you the way I did. I wasn't raised that way and it wasn't right."
"It's alright, Fiyero." She shrugged. "I'm used to it."
"I won't do it again," he promised. "Ever."
That earned him a small smile from her. "Thanks."
He grinned at her and stretched out on the couch. "You know?"
"What?"
"You're not nearly as bad as I first thought you were."
She tossed a cushion at him, laughing. "Right back at you, Mr Prince."
They grew closer after that. Fiyero started joining her in the library more often and when she was taking a walk with Cyara, Nessa, or Galinda, he often came along as well. She sometimes read parts of her favourite books aloud for him and he showed her his drawings, which she sincerely thought were very good.
"Elphie!" Galinda came running into the music room, where Cyara was playing something simple on the piano for Elphaba. They both looked up when the blonde rushed in.
Galinda positively beamed. "Elphie," she almost sang, "your wedding dress is here!"
Cyara's face lit up and Elphaba's fell. "Oh, joy."
"Don't spoil it," Galinda said sternly. "Come on, Elphie, please? I want to see what you look like in it!"
Elphaba sighed and rose to her feet. "Alright, fine. If only because you're never going to let it go until I try the damned thing on."
Cyara looked at the two older girls curiously as they walked through the hallways of Adurin Iir. "How did the two of you ever become friends?"
"Oh, that's easy," Galinda said cheerfully. "We hated one another. I gave Elphie the most hideodeous hat you'll ever see in your life and convinced her that it was fashionable and she should wear it to the party that night."
"So I wore the hat to the party," Elphaba took over, "and everyone laughed at me. I was too stubborn and too proud to leave, so instead I faced them all and started dancing by myself."
Galinda burst into giggles at the memory. "I definishly hope your dancing at your wedding will be better, Elphie."
Elphaba rolled her eyes.
"I felt ashamed of myself for doing that to her," Galinda continued the story, looking at the Vinkun princess, "so I joined Elphie on the dance floor, and then everyone else did, too; and then we were friends."
Cyara shook her head. "That's… interesting."
Elphaba laughed. "That's one way to put it."
"Wait," Galinda said suddenly. "Where is Fiyero?"
"Out horseback riding," said Elphaba. "I would have joined him, but everyone insisted I stay inside to make sure my cold is better before the wedding. Why?"
"Because I don't want him to see you in your dress," Galinda explained. "It's bad luck. And, you know, I kind of don't want to see Fiyero at all." She sniffed.
"He's really not that bad, Glin," Elphaba tried, but the blonde would not be convinced.
"He's annoying and arrogant," she declared, "and he is disrespectful."
"Because he said he didn't care about the flowers or the colour scheme of the wedding?" Elphaba asked drily.
"Yes!" Galinda exclaimed. "It's balmsephy!"
"Blasphemy," Cyara corrected her, but Galinda ignored her. She pushed open a door and motioned for the other girls to come inside.
When Elphaba saw the dress, she stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes wide. "Please tell me I am not going to have to wear that."
"You are," Mr Layi, the wedding planner, said as he emerged from behind a screen in the back of the room.
"Yes!" Galinda squealed. "Isn't it amazing?"
"No," Elphaba said in all honesty.
The dress was huge and poofy. The bodice was strapless, with gold beading woven in patterns all over it; from the waist down, it looked like the dress had exploded in layers and layers of tulle, with a two-metre train. There was a veil with it that had the same golden patterns as the bodice of the dress and fell down to the floor.
"It's gorgeous," Cyara whispered in awe.
"It is," Elphaba agreed. "On that mannequin. It would be gorgeous on you or Galinda, too… but who in Oz ever thought this would look good on me?!"
"I did," Galinda said, slightly offended. "And so did Mr Layi."
Elphaba sighed. "Glin, it's way too white to look good with my skin and you know how much I hate tulle, trains, and poofy skirts… not to mention golden beading and the fact that the thing does not have straps. What if it falls down halfway through the ceremony and the whole Vinkus can see my breasts?"
Cyara and Galinda both giggled and the latter waved her friend away. "Oh, Elphie, don't worry! It will stay put," she assured the green girl. "Here, you just go and try it on."
Mr Layi seemed to be as excited as the girls as Elphaba disappeared behind the screen and changed into the dress. Queen Danna came to have a look as well and when Elphaba stepped out from behind the screen to find four pairs of eyes on her, she felt decidedly uncomfortable.
"Wow," Cyara breathed and Galinda nodded, her smile nearly splitting her face in two.
"Perfect," Mr Layi declared. "What do you think, Your Majesty?"
Danna looked at the young woman standing before her in a wedding dress, lost for words.
"I… you look lovely, Elphaba," she said finally, finding, to her surprise, that she meant it.
Elphaba smiled shyly and looked down. "Thank you."
For the first time, it struck the queen that this girl was not nearly as tough as she looked.
"Are you sure I don't look ridiculous?" she asked the others worriedly and they all shook their heads in unison.
Elphaba sighed. "Well, then. I guess this will be my wedding dress."
Just then, King Humberto poked his head around the door. "Have any of you seen Fiyero?" When he laid eyes on Elphaba, his jaw dropped. "Sweet Oz, Elphaba," he said, coming into the room. He studied her intently and shook his head. "You truly look like a princess."
Before she could think of a reply, Cyara asked, "Why are you looking for Fiyero, Dad?"
"It's just that he hasn't returned yet," Humberto said, looking at his youngest daughter, "and it's already getting dark outside."
Alarmed, Cyara looked up.
"He's always home before dark when horseback riding," she said. "Always."
Humberto nodded worriedly. "I know."
"What if something happened to him?"
The king sighed. "I sent out some guards to look for him," he said, "but they've had no luck so far."
Danna placed a hand on her husband's arm.
"It wouldn't be the first time he's lost track of time," she said. "Or maybe he went into one of the towns to attend a party."
"He hasn't been to a party in weeks," Cyara pointed out to her mother.
Danna sighed. "I know." She squeezed Humberto's shoulder and looked at her daughter and their guests. "Let's give it another while," she said. "If he is not back soon, we will send out more search parties."
They all nodded, but Elphaba had a bad feeling about this; and judging by the looks on the others' faces, she was not the only one.
AND THEN THE DRAMA KICKED IN.
Favourite lines? :)