"Are you sure about this?"
The green girl rolled her eyes. "Would you like me to write down all my reasons for you?"
Peric flapped his wings and snapped his beak but didn't say anything. Elphaba finished folding her letter and reached for an envelope.
"I'm sure, Peric. Honestly, I think I knew what I would decide all along. I just needed to make sure it was the right decision."
"And is it?"
Her eyes darkened. "As far as I can tell, yes. But I suppose there's no way of knowing until it's too late." She sealed the envelope and held it out for the Bird. He cocked his head to the side, peering at her.
"Are you sure you don't want me to wait until you tell them? If something happens…"
"Nothing's going to happen," she said confidently. "Besides, you heard Dr. Dillamond. The sooner we get this to him, the better. And it's been almost a week since I got his response. We've wasted enough time as it is."
Peric took the letter and shook his head. "You know, maybe this decision is a good thing. Unelected officials aren't allowed to conduct illegal research."
Elphaba grinned. "You said it yourself, Peric. A lot could happen here at the Colwen Grounds, and the Wizard would never know about it."
"That's what we're counting on." He unfolded his wings and hopped to the windowsill. "Good luck, Fae."
"You too. And don't worry. I'll tell you all about it when you get back," she said, rolling her eyes once more. She leaned against the window as he took off and watched him as he grew smaller and smaller, fading into the early evening sky. She stayed there long after he had disappeared, putting off the moment when she would have to shrug away from the wall and face the rest of the household.
Might as well get this over with, she thought to herself eventually. Leaving the window open, she turned away and headed to Nessa's room.
"Come in," the youngest Thropp called when Elphaba knocked lightly on the door. Nessarose was sitting near her bed, head bowed over the old prayer book in her lap.
"Am I interrupting?" Elphaba asked quietly.
Nessa marked her spot and shut the book. "Not really. What is it?"
"Is the Eminent Thropp busy at the moment?"
She shook her head. "I don't believe so. Elphaba, what's going on?"
Instead of answering, she crossed the room and gripped the back of Nessa's chair. The sisters stayed silent as Elphaba made her way through the castle. Out of the corner of her vision she could see Nessa tilting her head to glance up at her, but she ignored it. Elphaba hesitated only for a moment outside the Eminent's office before raising her hand to knock.
"Enter."
Elphaba opened the door and pushed Nessarose inside. "May we interrupt?"
Peerless Thropp, the Eminent, her grandfather—gazed steadily at her, pushing aside a small stack of papers. "You may. Is this something your father should be here for?"
Elphaba closed the door behind her. "Our father is a minister. He has no part in political proceedings."
Nessa shifted in her chair as if to turn around, but then stopped herself. Once again, Elphaba ignored her.
The Eminent nodded. "Very well."
Nessa wheeled herself around and backed up against a wall so she could see both of them. The Eminent gestured at Elphaba to continue. Despite the confidence in her decision, Elphaba felt her stomach flip.
"I want to renounce my status as Third Thropp Descending." She heard Nessa let out a breath, and the Eminent raised an eyebrow. She went on, "My inheritance of the title Eminent Thropp will fall to Nessarose, and she will be the next ruler of Munchkinland…Unnamed God willing."
She wasn't sure where that last bit had come from, but one look at Nessa—her eyes shining, her fingers trembling over her mouth—told her that it was the right thing to say.
Her grandfather reached into a drawer and pulled out a few papers. "You are willing to commit that to writing?" he asked.
Elphaba nodded. "Yes."
"You are willing to sign the documents that will release you from your title?"
"Yes."
"You understand that, by doing this, you become just another member of the Thropp family, still expected to uphold the responsibilities of a governing family while remaining under the authority of the Eminent?"
A chill ran down Elphaba's back. "Yes."
He slid a paper across the desk. "Your signature at the bottom, please."
She read and signed all the papers, then took the blank sheet he handed her and wrote her formal statement:
I, Elphaba Thropp, do hereby renounce my status as Third Thropp Descending, giving my inheritance of the title and position Eminent Thropp to Nessarose Thropp, making her the next in line to rule Munchkinland.
"It is official," the Eminent said when she handed him the paper. "These documents are legal and binding. This issue is now and forever resolved." His gaze and tone softened. "I assume you will tell your father yourself?"
Elphaba met Nessa's eyes, but there was too much there to tell what she was thinking. "Yes."
"Very well," their grandfather said. "I will see you two at dinner. And Elphaba?"
Nessa hesitated, then wheeled herself toward the door and out of the room. The Eminent waited for her to leave before looking up at Elphaba. Something close to a smile pulled faintly at his lips.
"For what it's worth, I believe you've made the right choice. Nessarose will do well."
"I didn't just do it for Nessa," Elphaba said. "I didn't do it to please my father, or so that Munchkinland would have the best ruler. I didn't even do it so I could be free of the title. I did it for all those reasons, and many more."
"I know," her grandfather said. "That's why I believe you made the right choice." Elphaba's eyes widened, but he simply went back to his papers, clearly dismissing her.
Nessa was waiting down the hall, pushing her chair back and forth. "Why did you do it?" she asked as Elphaba approached.
The green girl raised an eyebrow. "Really? You spend nearly three weeks pressuring me to do this, then you question my decision?"
The younger girl bit her cheek and looked away. "I just…" Her eyes darted up to meet Elphaba's. "Thank you, Fabala."
She didn't quite know what to say, so she just waved her hand. "Don't thank me yet, Nessa. You're the one that has to learn how to be a politician now."
Her sister shifted in her chair. "Yes, well, that's part of the reason we moved here in the first place."
Elphaba shrugged. "I figured that. Now, do you know where Father is? I have some news to give him."
"On the northeastern balcony, probably," she answered. "He likes to pray there. But Elphaba…" Nessa reached out and grabbed her arm before she could start walking away. For a second, she looked like she was gathering her courage. But then her hand fell to her lap and all she said was a mumbled, "Good luck."
Elphaba nodded and squeezed her shoulder as she passed.
She made her way to the northeastern balcony and, sure enough, her father was standing outside, leaning against the rail. His shoulders were hunched and his head was bowed, but his hands hung loosely out in the air instead of being folded neatly together. Elphaba hesitated a moment, hovering just inside the doors that separated them. Her hand trembled as she reached for the ornate handle and gently swung it open.
A rush of cold air hit her, immediately tugging chunks of hair out of her braid. She closed the door behind her and took a few steps forward. If Frexspar noticed her presence, he gave no indication. She spoke to his back, raising her voice to be heard over the wind.
"I made my decision." No reaction. "Nessarose and I went in just now, and I signed all the papers. The position is hers."
Her father shifted, angling his shoulders toward her and turning his head so that he was almost, but not quite, facing her. "So you've finally stopped this foolishness."
Elphaba stepped up to the rail and leaned against it, keeping a good five or six feet between them. "The only foolish thing would be to make this decision without giving it any thought. I had my reasons for hesitating, and both Nessa and the Eminent respect them. Why can't you?"
He stayed silent, turning away from her to look out across the grounds again. Elphaba gripped the freezing metal beneath her hands until her knuckles turned white. Then she let go and faced her father.
"There's another reason I came out here."
"Oh? And what might that be?"
"You haven't won, Father. I may have made the choice you wanted, but that doesn't mean I'm clueless. I know you, and I know every plan you've ever had that involves me was made to harm me."
"I am only trying to do what's best for Nessarose," Frex replied evenly.
"So am I," Elphaba said. "And I'm not going to abandon her, especially now that she has to take on the Eminency." Her voice dropped, low and lined with a warning. "You have ulterior motives. Nessa may not admit it or even realize it, but I know better. I don't know what you're up to, but don't think that this decision means you can get away with it."
He didn't offer a response. He didn't even look up to see the glare she was giving him, and after a long silence she turned on her heel and left the balcony.
"I am only trying to do what's best for Nessarose," he said again, reaching into his coat. He pulled out an old, faded photo and looked down at it. He was facing the camera, his hand resting on the shoulder of a ten-year-old Nessa. On Nessa's other side knelt Elphaba. The green girl had scowled at the camera all day, but the photographer had managed to sneak a shot of her gazing warmly at her sister.
Frex gripped the photo and in one quick, violent motion, Elphaba's side of the picture was gone. He crumpled it up and tossed it over the edge of the balcony, not even bothering to watch it flutter down to the mud and slush two stories below. With a smile, he folded up the part with him and Nessa and tucked it back into his pocket.