AN: I deliberately skimmed over the wedding a little, because I've written so many Fiyeraba weddings already and I really didn't feel like having Fiyero cry once again as Elphaba comes down the aisle, followed by elaborate vows that I have to make sure are not too much like any other vows I've already written... :P I'm glad you all liked Fiyero's reaction to the wedding night, though.

14.

"I'll miss you," said Nessarose as she hugged her older sister, clinging to her tightly for a moment. "It will be so strange at home without you."

"I know, Nessie. I'll miss you, too." Elphaba gave her one last, extra long and extra tight, hug before kissing her sister's cheek and letting go. "But you'll be okay."

"I know." Nessa smiled. "And I'm happy to know that at least I'll be leaving you with a husband who loves you now. I was so worried in the beginning that you'd be unhappy with him and that you would spend the rest of your days married to a man who constantly made remarks about your skin."

Elphaba laughed. "I was, too, a little," she confessed, "but it worked out in the end." She squeezed Nessa's hand. "Bye, Nessie. Write to me as soon as you get home."

"We'll write a lot," Nessa promised and then allowed Fiyero to turn her chair around and push it to the carriage, leaving Elphaba to stand eye to eye with her father.

"Elphaba," said Frexspar with a small nod.

She nodded back. "Father."

"I trust you will be a good wife," he said. "Behave."

"I will."

"Try not to make a spectacle of yourself, and please try to let other people talk every once in a while, too."

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "I will, Father, don't worry. I'll try my best."

His mind seemed far away for a moment and he said softly, "I know you will." He took a deep breath. "I think... I think you will make a good queen."

He met her utterly surprised, wide-eyed gaze for a moment before looking away. He hesitated; then he stepped forward and very briefly, very awkwardly, hugged his eldest daughter.

"Good luck," he said. Then he turned around and stepped into the carriage.

As it pulled up and started driving away, Fiyero approached his wife, his brow furrowing in concern when he saw the shocked look on her face. "Fae?"

She looked at him, dazed. "He... did you see that?"

"Your father?" He nodded. "I saw him hug you. Why?"

"He's never done that, Yero," she whispered. "I can't remember him ever hugging me in all my life. I don't think he ever has."

"What?" Now it was Fiyero's turn to be stunned. "Are you serious?"

"He said... he said I would make a good queen." She swallowed, then shook her head. "That's the nicest thing he's ever said to me."

Fiyero wasn't sure whether he should be excited for Elphaba's sake, or absolutely furious with Frex. What did she mean, the nicest thing he'd ever said to her? He never hugged her? Fiyero's own father was not the kindest or warmest man in the world, but even he had often hugged his son, especially as a child. Even the king of the Vinkus, a regal and important man who was always busy with one thing or another, made time to be around his family and make them feel loved; so why didn't Frexspar?

Upon seeing the look on his wife's face, however, Fiyero decided not to ask. Not yet, anyway.

"When will Galinda and Boq be leaving?" he asked.

"In a few days." Elphaba turned to face him. "Then it will just be you and me. And your family," she added as an afterthought, making him chuckle.

"What do you want to do?" he asked as they headed back inside. "We could read again together, or go out horseback riding... maybe we could –"

"Elphaba?"

Fiyero cut himself off mid-sentence and the couple looked at Queen Danna, who had stepped into the hallway. She gave her son a small smile before focusing on the young witch instead.

"Could I talk to you for a moment?" she asked.

Elphaba was mystified as to why the queen would want to speak with her, but she nodded. She tried to think of something she'd done wrong – had she offended the royal family somehow? Was there something going on? She had no idea, and judging by the look on Fiyero's face, he didn't know, either.

"I'll meet you in the library," he said, kissing her cheek and giving her an encouraging smile. She nodded and followed Danna to the parlour, where the queen gestured for her to sit down.

"Would you like some tea?" Danna asked as a maid came in to pour them some. "Or would you prefer coffee, perhaps?"

"Some coffee would be nice, thank you," said Elphaba politely. Her heart was hammering in her chest. What if Danna had asked her in here because she and Humberto had decided that she wasn't good for their son after all, and they wanted an annulment of the marriage? What if they somehow knew that she and Fiyero had not yet consummated their marriage? Would they be angry? She didn't know what to expect and it drove her crazy.

"There's no need for you to look so frightened, Elphaba," the queen said with another small smile. "I'm not going to eat you."

The green girl could not help but chuckle. "I know. I was just wondering why you asked me in here," she replied truthfully.

Danna nodded, but she waited for the maid to leave before speaking. "Elphaba..." She took a deep breath and folded her hands in her lap before meeting her daughter-in-law's gaze. "I owe you an apology for the way I treated you when you first came here."

Elphaba was baffled. That was the last thing she had expected.

"I was not being fair," Danna continued. "None of us were – Humberto, the staff, Fiyero... me. We judged you because of the colour of your skin. Humberto's father has talked to us about this a lot. He was the one to encourage us to get to know you better, and I think it is only fair of me to apologise to you now for everything I said and the way I acted around you in the beginning. I am sorry, and my husband is, too."

"I... thank you," Elphaba said, not knowing what to say. Hardly anyone had ever apologised to her for judging her because of her skin. Her skin was the first thing people noticed about her and the first thing they hated her for, and she had gotten used to that over the years. Galinda had apologised after they became friends and Fiyero had, too, once he had gotten to know her; but it still surprised her every time that there were actually people out there who regretted what they had said and done to her.

Danna smiled again – a more genuine smile this time. "I know Fiyero has grown to love you, Elphaba, and I think we can grow to love you, too. You are a part of our family now. I know all this has not exactly gone the way any of us would have wanted it to, but I am happy you and Fiyero appreciate one another's company now... I think you love him, too, don't you?"

"I do," said Elphaba quietly and Danna nodded.

"That's good. You know... I didn't love Humberto, either, when we got married," she told the green girl, who was surprised at that.

"Really?"

"It was an arranged marriage, just like yours." She smiled wistfully. "I am originally from Ix – the youngest daughter of the king and queen. I have three brothers and a sister who are older than me and my parents were not sure of what to do with me, until Kevon and his late wife offered them to take me as Humberto's wife. They agreed and we were married two months later."

She stirred her tea, clearly lost in thought for a moment, as Elphaba cradled her cup of coffee.

"I hated it at first," the queen said, "but after a while, I realised it was not so bad here. Humberto's parents were nice and Humberto himself was, too. He was courteous and kind, and he tried to make me feel as comfortable as possible. Eventually, as time passed, I learnt how to love him and I have loved him until this very day." She reached out to pat Elphaba's knee. "I know we have not been very welcoming towards you, my dear, but I do hope you will forgive us and allow us to get to know you better from now on," she said solemnly. "And I am truly grateful to you for changing my son the way you did."

Elphaba blinked. "But... I didn't do anything, Your Majesty," she said.

"Danna," the queen corrected her. "And yes, you did. Can't you see it?" She shook her head. "I suppose not. You didn't know him before you came here... not really. You only caught a glimpse of the old Fiyero." She looked into Elphaba's eyes. "Before he fell in love with you, Elphaba, Humberto and I honestly thought that the Vinkus would plummet to its doom the moment Fiyero would take the throne," she said bluntly. "We even tried to arrange for Cyara to become the queen instead, but the council disapproved. We feared that Fiyero would keep up his behaviour – that he would never find himself a wife, instead having every girl in the Vinkus for a single night, possibly even impregnating some of them in the process, and hosting expensive parties. We were distraught. You changed all that. He's settling down. He's calmer now, more settled, and kinder... he's going back to the way he was when he was younger – the young boy we thought we might never see again – thanks to you."

Elphaba blushed and Danna delicately sipped her tea, laughing softly at Elphaba's face.

"Thank you," the green girl said, not really knowing what else to say. "I don't think I really did anything, though – Fiyero did that all by himself."

"Perhaps," Danna acknowledged. "But I do believe you were the reason for it."

Lost for words, Elphaba drank her coffee, mulling over what the queen had just told her. She wasn't sure if Fiyero had really changed all that much because of her; but when she thought back to the way he was in the beginning, she figured that if he had been like that for years already, she could understand why his parents had been desperate. And who knew? Maybe it really was due to her that he had changed.

"I'd love to have another talk with you soon," said Danna as she placed her tea cup back onto the tray. "I want to get to know you better. Right now, however, I'm afraid I have a meeting to attend, and I'm sure Fiyero will be wondering what's keeping you."

Elphaba chuckled. "Probably. He's not very patient."

"He's not," Danna agreed with a laugh. "That is a trait he got from his father. You go to him now," she urged her daughter-in-law.

Elphaba nodded and rose to her feet. "Thank you," she said.

Danna waved her away. "There's nothing to thank me for, dear. We're the ones who should be thanking you."

When Elphaba entered the library a few minutes later, she was still bewildered by the entire conversation. Fiyero was sprawled on the couch on his stomach, talking to his grandfather; but he shot up when he saw her.

"I was wondering where you were," he said. He looked a little worried. "What did Mum want from you? She didn't say anything mean, did she? Because I know she can be a little cold and judgemental sometimes, and you already told me how she has been treating you because of your skin –"

"Relax, Yero," Elphaba cut him off, sitting down on the couch next to him. He took her hand and she looked at him. "She..." She shook her head in disbelief. "She apologised to me."

Fiyero's face expressed the way she felt. "Really?"

Kevon smiled. "That was about time, to be honest," he said. "And only fair of her. I'm glad she did, Elphaba."

"She told me that you talked to her and her husband," Elphaba said softly. "Thank you."

Kevon shook his head. "They should not have judged you in the first place."

"What did Mum say?" Fiyero wanted to know and she told him, also mentioning how Danna had thanked her for changing Fiyero the way she had.

The prince grimaced. "Yeah..." He tucked her into his side and nuzzled her hair. "I'm really glad you did, you know. Change me."

She looked up at him, her dark brown eyes doe-like. "You are?" She scrunched up her nose. "I did? I didn't do anything."

"You made me fall in love with you," Fiyero corrected her. "You did a lot, Fae. Yes, of course you changed me; and yes, of course I'm happy about that." He kissed her temple. "As long as you still let me throw the occasional party, of course."

She rolled her eyes. "Typical."

He grinned. "Hey, you can't expect me to turn around completely within weeks, you know."

"Touché."

Kevon watched them with a smile on his face. "I'm happy you two are doing so well together," he said.

"So am I," Elphaba said truthfully, and Fiyero nodded.

They spent the rest of the afternoon reading together, with Fiyero leaning against the arm of the couch and Elphaba sitting between his legs, against his chest.

"Galinda has forgiven you, by the way," Elphaba said after a while, twisting her neck to be able to look at her husband. "She thought it was incredibly sweet and thoughtful of you, what you did on our wedding night, and she admitted that maybe she was wrong about you."

He chuckled. "Thank Oz. I was afraid she'd kill me in my sleep."

Elphaba grinned. "She might have." She sighed. "I'll miss her once she and Boq are gone, though even now, she's hardly around anymore," she muttered. "She's too busy shopping with Cyara, because "Vinkun fashion is just so splendiferous, Elphie! It's all so sophisticated and so retro, but still so fashionable!". I feel sorry for Boq. It can't be easy, being Galinda's boyfriend."

Fiyero laughed. "I second that."

"Although," she mused, "it's probably not easy being my boyfriend, either."

Fiyero shrugged. "I wouldn't know." He wrapped his arms around her and pressed a kiss to her temple. "But I know it's very easy being your husband."

She turned around and kissed him hard, and he happily kissed her back.

Who will be reviewer nr 200? :)