AN: I'm glad you all like this story :).
Humole, you don't have to be worried about angst and drama :P. There won't be much, and it won't last long.
Rebeccaseal: I know it's pretty white, but since it's all very official and she's about to become a royal, I think they'd make her wear white.
PerlogAnnwyl: No, she doesn't - this is Shiz-era, so before Defying Gravity, so she has never flown on a broomstick.
9.
"What do you think you're doing?" Elphaba asked her reflection in the mirror. "You're not falling in love with him, are you?" She made a face at herself. "He's not going to love you back, Elphaba. You're friends now, but you're still green. Face it – you're being ridiculous." She sighed, realising she was talking to her own mirror image. "In more than one way, apparently," she muttered under her breath as she moved away from the mirror and sank down onto her bed.
She tried to deny it, but she knew it was true. She'd spent a lot of time with Fiyero; his parents were too busy and he didn't know Galinda and Nessarose all that well, so Elphaba, Cyara, and his grandfather were the only ones keeping him company while he had to stay in bed. By now, Elphaba and Fiyero had read the entire book about the Vinkus together and had moved on to an adventure story – a compromise between Elphaba's preference for classic literature and Fiyero's liking of horror stories.
She liked being friends with him. She was happy they got along now, she truly was. But why couldn't she just settle for that? Why did she have to feel all these things she really did not want to feel? She knew it wasn't that strange to be in love with the man you were supposed to marry, but this was different. She was different, and that was the entire problem. Because regardless of whether they were to be married or not and regardless of their friendship, Fiyero would never, ever, fall in love with her. Girls like her did not get men like Fiyero. In fact, girls like her did not get any men at all.
She looked up when there was a soft knock on the door, only to find Kevon standing there, smiling kindly. "Hello, Elphaba. Mind if I come in?"
She shook her head and he entered the room, settling himself in a chair opposite Elphaba's bed.
"So," he began, "how are things going between you and Fiyero?"
She tried not to let her discomfort show. "We're good," she said, nodding slowly. "I mean… we're friends. It's going much better than in the beginning."
Kevon laughed. "I'd say." He cocked his head a little to the side. "I'm asking you this because your wedding date is approaching, Elphaba, and the press are eager to see some of you two. Everyone is waiting for you and Fiyero to appear in public together, especially since they have seen so very little of you since you arrived."
Elphaba nodded. She'd been outside a couple of times now, but she had never gone far and the people in the small villages surrounding Adurin Iir did not seem to have informed the press about their spotting the future crown princess.
"Your wedding is on the first day of the new year," Kevon continued, "and that same day, you will be officially introduced to the Vinkun people… but we were thinking maybe it would be a good idea to have you and Fiyero appear at the Vinkun king and queen's annual Lurlinemas ball."
The mere word "ball" was enough to make Elphaba wary, but she nodded again, realising balls would be a part of her life once she'd be the Vinkun princess. "Of course."
"The feast will be hosted in the Great Hall, as always," said Kevon. "There will be food and champagne, Lurlinemas decorations everywhere, music, and speeches…"
She blanched visibly at that last word. "Please don't say you want me and Fiyero to speak to all those people," she almost begged the old king. She didn't really have a problem with speaking in public, but to address an entire throne room filled with Vinkun government officials, lords, ladies, and other people in high positions… she felt terrified at the mere idea.
"No, no, don't worry," Kevon reassured her, and she let out a breath. "We just want you to make an appearance, that's all. The two of you, together. Mingle with the guests, talk to the people, let them get to know you a bit better. That's all."
"Okay." She nodded confidently. "I can do that."
Kevon smiled. "Good." He rose to his feet. "Galinda has already offered to take you shopping for the occasion," he said, making Elphaba groan. "Why don't you all go? Cyara always enjoys a shopping trip, and I'm sure Nessarose wouldn't mind joining; and if you take a carriage and don't stay away for too long, Fiyero can make it, too."
Elphaba understood that this shopping trip, as well, was meant to let the people see more of her and Fiyero as a couple; and she agreed.
Kevon patted her hand and left, and Elphaba stayed on her bed for a while longer, lost in thought, before rising to her feet and leaving the room. She intended to find Galinda and talk some things over with her… or perhaps Nessa would be a better choice, she mused. At least Nessarose could keep her mouth shut… but Galinda's advice would most likely be more valuable.
Weighing both options against one another, she only noticed Fiyero when she nearly bumped into him. She grabbed his arm to keep him from toppling over and he grinned sheepishly at her.
"Sorry."
She shook her head. "My fault." She eyed him up and down. "You're walking?"
"Just a little," he admitted. "The doctor said I could try to walk up and down the hallway for a bit, and I'd do anything to get out of my bedroom at this point, so… yeah."
She frowned. "Fiyero, your bedroom is on the other side of the castle."
Another sheepish grin. "So maybe I walked a bit farther than the doctor said I could."
"Your mother will kill you." She rolled her eyes. "If you damage something," she warned him, "and you permanently injure your knee…"
"I won't." He took another careful step. When he wobbled, her hand instinctively shot out to steady him.
"I'm okay," he protested, but he didn't shrug her off as she kept a firm hold of his arm, supporting him as he hobbled through the hallway. When he stumbled, she kept him upright.
"You should sit down."
He seemed about to protest, but she glared at him and he deflated. "Yeah…"
She led him over to one of the sitting rooms, helping him inside and down onto a couch. She made a face. "Why is it icy cold in here as well?" she demanded.
He chuckled. "Get used to it. Every room is cold in the winter," he said. "The stones the castle was built with are just generally cold. The servants keep fires going in most of the rooms, but you just picked one of the sitting rooms we hardly ever use."
She sighed and set to making another fire, finding blankets in a corner and tossing one at Fiyero. "Here. You're going to have to deal with the cold – I'm not dragging you all through the castle in search of a warm room."
He laughed again. "That's fine, Fae."
She helped him prop a cushion underneath his knee and sat down next to him, allowing him to lean against her and ignoring the warm feeling that spread through her.
"I talked to your grandfather," she said. "About the Lurlinemas ball your parents are hosting, and the shopping trip before that."
Fiyero heaved a deep sigh. "I suspected they'd do something like that." He eyed her in interest. "Though I'd love to see you in a pretty dress."
She looked down and then back at him, slightly offended. "What's wrong with the way I dress?"
He shrugged. "Nothing. If you, you know, like black."
She scowled at him. "There is nothing wrong with black."
"I didn't say there was anything wrong with it. I just said I'd like to see you in some other colour once." He pursed his lips in thought. "Maybe red…?"
She snorted. "I'd look like a Lurlinemas tree!"
"Very dark red."
"Still." She huffed and crossed her arms. "Nothing goes with green, Fiyero. I clash with everything. Literally everything. Don't bother trying."
He sighed. "I get that picking colours to wear would certainly be easier with normal skin," he agreed. "But I bet you didn't look hard enough to find something. Galinda could probably come up with a few colours that go with green."
"What's that supposed to mean?" she bristled.
He looked at her as if she were crazy. "What? Nothing. I just said that –"
"You're saying you hate my skin," she stated angrily.
"What?" His eyes widened. "Oh, no, you're not doing this again. I thought we'd been over this, Elphaba! Don't read into every word I say! Not everything coming out of my mouth is meant to insult you!"
She pulled away from him with a huff. He sighed and rubbed his forehead.
"You are extremely tiring, did you know that?"
"I'm a commotion," she sneered. "Don't you think I know everything you think about me? I know I'm ugly, and annoying, and that I talk too much. I know I care too much about everything, but I can't help it. It's just the way I am and if you can't accept that, then find yourself another wife."
"You forgot "overdramatic"," he pointed out to her dryly, and she gaped at him.
He rolled his eyes. "Relax, Fae, I'm teasing you. Oz." He tried to take her hand, but she scooted away from him, then rose to her feet.
"You know what?" she spat. "See that you get back to your room by yourself." She stomped out of the room.
Fiyero could not figure out his fiancée and it was driving him crazy.
He'd just had another run-in with her in the hallway and all she'd done was sniff and turn away from him. Now, they were in a carriage that would take them to one of the bigger towns around for their Lurlinemas shopping trip; and he couldn't help but wonder what the people would think if they saw the way Elphaba was looking at their prince right now. They certainly wouldn't get the impression that their future princess and their crown prince were sweetly in love, that was for sure.
He liked her – he did. And he wanted to get to know her better. But she was so prickly – every time he opened his mouth, she was insulted, and most of the times he didn't even know what he'd said or done wrong. He'd talked to Nessarose a few days ago, who had told him that Elphaba's life had not been easy.
"She's been teased a lot about her skin," Nessa said. "She's always been excluded from everything… people almost never see past her skin. You can't blame her for that being a sensitive subject for her, Fiyero."
He'd asked her to tell him more, but she'd refused, saying that he'd have to ask Elphaba about that and that it was not Nessa's place to tell him.
Galinda would not tell him anything at all, still claiming that he was a rude idiot and that she wanted nothing to do with him.
"Fae?" he asked, hoping against hope that she would at least talk to him.
She didn't acknowledge that he had spoken.
He sighed. "Elphaba, we're going to have to put on slightly happier faces once we arrive," he pointed out. "Or do you want the entire Vinkus to think that we hate one another?"
"She has good reason to hate you," Galinda told him venomously, but Elphaba placed a hand on her friend's arm.
"Leave it," she said. She looked at the prince and nodded. "I'll pretend to like you. For the press."
"Gee, thanks," he said sarcastically. He sighed again. "Fae… I thought we were friends."
She sighed, too. "We are. I guess."
Cyara rolled her eyes. "This is going really well, isn't it?" she mumbled to Nessa, who shook her head wearily in agreement.
"Just talk to me," Fiyero almost begged the green girl, and she hesitated, then shook her head.
"Not here," she said. "Later."
He accepted that and they passed the rest of the carriage ride in silence.
The moment they arrived, Galinda hopped out of the carriage and dragged Elphaba over to the first dress shop they saw, Cyara following close behind. By the time Fiyero and Nessarose caught up with them, Elphaba was already in one of the fitting rooms, while Galinda and Cyara chattered excitedly as they pulled out dresses and stacked them in their arms.
"Poor Fabala," Nessa said sympathetically. "She hates shopping. And judging by the dresses Galinda and Cyara are carrying, she's going to hate all of those, too."
Fiyero warily eyed aforementioned dresses. "What, you mean Elphaba doesn't like bright colours, frills, sequins, and tulle?" he asked sarcastically. "I never would have guessed."
Nessa giggled and Fiyero grinned at her. They settled themselves comfortably across from the dressing room Elphaba was in, ready to watch and judge the dresses.
Three hours, five stores, forty-three dresses, and just as many rejections later, Galinda and Cyara were growing desperate.
"Just get me something black!" Elphaba ordered them, looking more exhausted than Fiyero had ever seen her. "I don't look good in anything else, anyway!"
Suddenly, Fiyero caught sight of a dress and his eyes lit up. "Fae?" He quickly retrieved the dress and showed it to Galinda and Cyara. "How about this one?"
"Fiyero," Elphaba said the moment she laid eyes on the piece of clothing. "That dress is silver."
He nodded. "What's your point?"
"It's tight," she argued, eyeing the dress up and down.
"Just try it on," he told her. "The silver looks nice with your skin, and with your figure, you can handle the tight fit. Come on, Fae!"
"Please try it on, Elphaba?" Cyara asked pleadingly. "I think it will look beautiful on you!"
Elphaba sighed and grumbled, but complied, grabbing the dress and disappearing into the dressing room again.
The moment she came out, Nessarose, Galinda, Fiyero, and Cyara all gasped in unison.
"I'm going to buy you that dress," Fiyero declared, and the others nodded.
"Just this once," said Galinda, "I'm going to agree with Mr Prince. Elphie, you look so beautiful!"
Elphaba couldn't help but scoff. "Of course I do." She turned to inspect herself in the mirror.
The dress was a dark silver colour, the bodice hugging her body down to her hips, from where the skirt gently flowed down to the floor. The sleeves reached her elbows and were partly see-through; the entire bodice was decorated with silver gemstones and though the see-through part of the cleavage dipped a little too low for Elphaba's taste, she had to admit that she did not look too terrible in it and that the tight fit looked... pretty. Sort of.
"You can always wear a silver wrap with it, in case you get cold or are too uncomfortable with showing so much skin," Nessa offered, knowing her sister, and Galinda nodded.
"I have a silver wrap back at the castle," she said, which surprised no-one. "Elphie, please – just look at yourself. You look..."
"Gorgeous," Fiyero said softly, and the green girl whipped around to stare at him.
He shrugged helplessly. "Sorry, but it's true." Green or not green, she really did look gorgeous.
Elphaba herself just tried to hide her blush and the way her heart started fluttering at that statement and turned back to the mirror, critically regarding herself. She supposed she didn't look too bad.
"Fine," she sighed, giving in. "I'll take it."
Galinda squealed and Cyara's eyes were shining. "Everyone will look at you at the ball," she said, which almost made Elphaba reconsider, if it weren't for the stunned look still on Fiyero's face.
"You look like a princess," Nessa said softly, earning herself a smile from her sister.
The dress is on my blog.