AN:
Oh, wow... I was pretty sure last time that there were 2 chapters left. The truth is that NOW there are two chapters left lol Sorry about that (^_^;) This is my final change though. I suck at writing short stories it would seem (this was supposed to be just 5 chapters, guys! FTW?! On the bright side, that means that the story will be 10 chapters in total... kinda a nice, round number. 8 and 7 would have been good, too, but somehow 9 would have been weird... or that's what I think anyway xD
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Jessica:
Oh, that's good to know! Thanks for reading and for your short message. It makes me really happy to hear that!
Guest:
Oh yay! Glad you're still sticking around! :D
Thanks once again for your lovely comments. I feel tickled pink! So, so kind of you! A bit confusion in the end of the last chapter is alright, I was intentionally trying to be vague. I really don't know how everyone will like this chapter and the next, because potentially they turned out a bit weird (next more so than this one, I suppose) But anyway...
On a different note: If I may be so self-important... if you generally like my writing, I might particularly recommend my story "The Princess of Oz" (if you haven't already read it) - one of my better works, I'd say, and it might help you bridge the time between updates ;)
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Okay, that's it for now... happy reading everyone! *coughs*
xxx MLE :3
Unforeseen Consequences
"Aelphaba? Are you still awake?"
Lying on their bed of hay and leaves, wrapped in her love's arms, Galynda still couldn't sleep. Her perfectly still body didn't betray her unease, however, in her head, the cogs of her mind simply wouldn't stop turning. She was comfortable so close to Aelphaba, and life was perfect despite the sour grapes and the sparse accommodation they shared. They loved each other, and somehow, that seemed to be all they needed. Yet as soon as things around her grew calm and quiet and her mind wasn't otherwise occupied, a strange feeling overcame her – a feeling that something wasn't quite right. It wasn't Aelphaba or their relationship; it was something much greater, something all-encompassing and pervasive. Eventually, she knew, these silent nights would drive her insane.
She wiggled a little to loosen Aelphaba's embrace just enough so she could turn around and face her. When she tilted her head upwards to catch a glimpse of the supposedly sleeping beauty beside her, she realised that the pale woman was still wide-awake. She blinked.
"You are not sleeping? Why didn't you answer me then?"
A placid smile on her lips, Aelphaba brushed a strand of golden hair out of Galynda's face and tucked it behind her ear.
"I noticed you're having a hard time falling asleep at night, but if I indulge you and reply, it will only keep you awake for longer."
"Oh, you mean thing," the blonde protested, and lightly thumped her fist against Aelphaba's arm. "How do you know I wouldn't rather stay up all night than lonely brood over something that isn't even there."
"I apologise. But we both know what lack of sleep does to you, my heart. And I don't think I'd fare much better in the long run."
Aelphaba paused, her intense eyes studying the petite woman in her arms. After she had concluded her examination, she carefully shuffled closer to place a few tender butterfly kisses on her forehead, nose and lips.
"Will you tell me then what it is that keeps you awake till the wee hours of the morning?"
"I don't know," Galynda replied, dejectedly shrugging her shoulder. "It's something, but I have no idea what this something is."
"How odd…"
"It's infuriating!"
Huffing in frustration, the blonde curled up and against Aelphaba's chest. The other woman chuckled, amused, and gently stroked her cheek.
"So grumpy, my love. Do you think another goodnight kiss might make things better?"
"Mhmm… I don't know," Galynda purred, looking up to Aelphaba again.
Aelphaba cupped her jaw to gently adjust her position and captured her soft, warm lips with her cool ones.
"Is it working?" she asked huskily and smirked.
The shorter woman cocked her head thoughtfully.
"Maybe. Let's try again and see."
Laughing, Aelphaba once again leaned forward and-
"Glyn? Hey, Galynda! Are you all right?"
Galynda's awakening wasn't nearly as gentle and cosy as her dream had been, but rather rude and abrupt. Her lids fluttered open, but were quickly squeezed shut again when the early afternoon sun blinded her still sensitive eyes.
"This is the third time today," Millifen noted with concern. "I'm worried about you. People don't simply fall asleep in the middle of the day."
"My grandmother used to sleep all of the day," Galynda retorted as she stifled a yawn.
"Your grandmother – may Lurline watch over her soul - was in her late eighties."
Galynda allowed her friend to help her up from the settee and straightened out her skirt once she stood more or less securely on her somewhat tingly legs.
"Did you wake me up simply because this is an unorthodox time for a nap?" she grumbled. "How do you know that I don't actually need some extra rest? After all that I've been through…"
Millifen huffed mildly and crossed her arms.
"That was a while ago now. In my opinion, you recovered just well. Oh, and believe me, I had better plans than disturbing your little catnap, however, as it happens, your intended decided to pay us an unannounced visit. He sent word about ten minutes ago and your lord father instructed me to get you dressed and presentable immediately."
In Galynda's sleepy head the words were spinning and dancing around in no apparent order, so it took her a while to discern their meaning. She lifted a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose and made a face.
"Sorry, who did you say is coming?"
"Master Mullince has sent his calling card," her lady in waiting reiterated, and Galynda's tiredness fell off her immediately, revealing a appalled kind of shock written all over her lovely features. Millifen gave her a more patronising than comforting pat on the shoulder and began to shoo her into her bedroom where she would get dressed.
"Your father suggested you wear the gown he presented you with on the day of your engagement," she informed her as she flitted through the room, from drawer to drawer, chest to chest, and wardrobe to wardrobe, to collect the necessary items of clothing.
"Mill?" Galynda tried to abate her zeal – to no prevail. Millifen dumped stockings, corset and undergarments on the bed and carefully draped the mint green dress over a chair.
"That should be all," she murmured slightly out of breath while surveying the assemblage. "I trust you can change your undergarments yourself. I'll quickly hurry to my room to find something more suitable as well, then I'll come back to assist you with the corset and the gown."
Galynda nodded and was glad when her friend was finally gone, for she still needed a moment or two to collect her thoughts. She sat down on her bed and stared out of the window on the opposite wall. It always took her some time to recover whenever she had dreamt of Aelphaba and the life they could have had in their secret cave behind the waterfall. They were so real, those dreams, and so realistic that, as long as she was still asleep, she could never tell that she was merely indulging in make-believe, despite the fact that she really should know better. Only after opening her eyes and finding herself between her silky sheets, or on her soft couch, she would realise that she was indeed back home, and Aelphaba thousand of miles away. She blamed the potion she had taken for the intensity of her dreams and was of two minds about whether this particular side effect was rather undesirable, or in truth a welcome one. Her fantasies were so sweet, yet the awakening was always far crueller.
The door banged open, and dressed in a pretty, yellow gown with a broad ribbon tied around her waist, Millifen came whirling back into the room. With one quick look at her lady's attire, she realised that not much un- and redressing had occurred during her brief absence, and shaking her head and tsking, she began to tug and pull on Galynda's morning dress. Once all layers were removed, she found Galynda's small clothes and chemise among the other pieces on the bed and held them out towards her, giving her a prodding nod.
Next up was the corset. Galynda used to wear one on a daily basis as part of her sophisticated wardrobe, yet ever since her return from Munchkinland, she opted more oft than not to forgo the impractical cage of cloth and whalebone. She once had been reasonably comfortable wearing her corset, but now that her body knew the freedom of entirely unveiled nakedness, it seemed to revolt and protest whenever it was squeezed and moulded into the shape fashion dictated to be the roper one. Somehow, the procedure was quickly becoming more torturous every time it was performed, Galynda found, and hissed in pain as her friend tightened the laces around her midsection.
Millifen exhaled deeply when the task was completed and examined the result of her handiwork. Galynda saw her frowning and briefly biting her lip, however, before she could ask what was wrong, a series of petticoats and the voluminous skirt of her gown were already being pulled over her head, followed buy the bodice. A few final cords were tied and a couple more adjustments were made, and Galynda was good to go. Her lady in waiting nodded mutely and just as silently walked her to the parlour where the young master would be already waiting for her.
When Galynda entered the room, her father and their guest rose from their comfortable stuffed chairs. Master Mullince bowed deep to greet her and kissed her hand. The twinkling look in his eyes when he rose again had her breath caught in her throat.
"What an extraordinary pleasure to meet you again, my lady," he said excitedly, his face beaming like that of a little child's on Lurlinemas. "I know, this feeling might be one-sided, but I need to make a confession: from the moment I saw you, I was overwhelmed by your charm, grace and beauty."
Galynda offered him a fleeting smile as she felt the blood rush to her cheeks - out of embarrassment rather than from the flattery. The young man licked his lips nervously, yet plowed on with persistence.
"I deeply regret not having been able to express my admiration earlier and having been such poor company the last time we saw each other. But I hope that you will graciously overlook this lapse of wit. It was your very presence that had robbed me of any sensible thought and left me speechless."
After this most fulsome declaration of veneration, it was her turn to say something. She uneasily looked up to her father, who seemed immensely pleased. Her eyes wandered towards Millifen, but her face was void any expression. Her stomach dropped slightly at the thought of how strained the relationship between her and her supposedly best friend had suddenly become over the past week or two; worst of all, she had no idea what might have caused this. Yet she quickly brushed these thoughts aside as this was neither the time, nor the place. She returned her attention to her future husband and feigned fluster to cover up her absentmindedness, blushing some more and coyly averting her gaze.
"You are too kind, Master Mullince. I didn't think that gentlemen these days were still given to such generous compliments. May I ask you a question?"
He nodded. "Anything, my lady."
"While I'm thrilled to see you again so soon, I cannot help wonder what brings you here two months before our scheduled wedding."
From her right hand side, she registered a disapproving noise, made by her father, but she ignored it. In her mind, she was still moving well within the boundaries of propriety and the young man before her didn't seem to recognise the disdain behind her question either.
"Well, as it happened, I came across a stunningly beautiful wedding gown when I last visited the dressmaker. I asked him to lend it to me, so I could bring it to you for a fitting and to see if it is to your liking."
Her eyes grew wide.
"You came all the way so I could try on a dress?" she gasped in unabashed astonishment, earning herself another harrumph from the Margreave.
"Well," Mullince cleared his throat sheepishly, "yes… to be frank, it partially served as an excuse to see you again."
Silence span between the pair and just when it threatened to become unbearable, Mullince broke out of his stupor and hurried to retrieve the large box he had placed on the coffee table.
"H-here," he stammered slightly as he presented her with the wrapped wedding gown. "Perhaps you could try it on and let me know what you think?"
Galynda nodded wordlessly.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her father beckoning the head maid closer, before ordering Millifen to accompany her to her quarters. The head maid rushed past them as they left the parlour, and by the time that they reached Galynda's apartment, a whole group of women was already busy setting up a semicircle of mirrors and a small wooden platform.
"Thank you, that would be all," Millifen declared in a harsh tone of voice. The maids looked up at her in obvious confusion.
"But my lady, his lordship ordered us to help the lady Galynda to get dressed."
"And I tell you that your help is not required. The lady is not feeling particularly well and having so many of you buzz around her will only aggravate her condition. I am confident that I will be able to handle this task by myself."
The women exchanged worried looks, but one by one, they bowed their heads and quietly slipped out of the room.
Galynda was thankful for her friend's intervention, yet was left just as confused as the servants.
"Why did you do this?" she asked tentatively as Millifen took the box from her and began to unpack its content.
"Quick, remove your clothes," was the only reply she received. "We shouldn't let your guest wait forever."
Pursing her lips, Galynda still did as she was told and began to carefully pull on the laces at the back of her dress. Millifen helped her with the final pieces and the corset once she had had a look at the wedding gown, which came with a different, softer kind of corsage to accommodate its unusual design. Galynda decided that she liked this lighter model, which only gently shaped her natural curves into the desired shape.
The dress itself was fairly different to those she had seen in Gillikin - some sort of modern city chic, she supposed. It had one long, semi-transparent sleeve, richly decorated with rhinestones and embroidery. The other arm and shoulder were left bare, and the back was cut daringly low. Her peers and relatives would be scandalised to see her in a provocative outfit such as this if the weeding were to be held in her hometown; however, since she would be wed in the capital, she assumed that it would be in her best interest to accept local taste rather than sticking with antiquated traditions.
She let her eyes wander further down, to the more conventional skirt. It was everything she would have expected in a wedding gown and more: several layers of light, feathery tulle and chiffon, flowing all the way to the floor. It reflected the same opulent pattern of rhinestones and embroidery that adorned the sleeve, and Galynda couldn't help but be amazed at how much money her husband to be was ready to invest in her clothing alone. If his family was this wealthy, it was no wonder that her father was so keen on this union.
Millifen continued fluffing up the dress and adjusting the bodice several more times, seemingly growing frustrated. Galynda cast her a questioning look, which naturally, didn't garner her any response. Trying to see for herself what had her lady in waiting so dissatisfied, she studied her likeness in the mirror more carefully. Everything seemed just fine, until a slight bulge around her midsection made her brows furrow in concern. Millifen caught her gaze in the mirror and abandoned her efforts to conceal the small imperfection. Still maintaining eye contact, she stepped aside and heaved a heavy sigh. Galynda's hands flew up to her stomach in an attempt to cover it, as she suddenly felt embarrassed.
"It's gorgeous, don't you think?" she murmured quietly. "I only need to shed a few pounds."
Millifen's face briefly betrayed her disbelief, then – with a twitch – re-established its impassive façade.
"Galynda, you have barely eaten over the past two months," she replied sternly.
The hands lightly pressed against Galynda's abdomen clenched, but she said no more. She exchanged the wedding gown for the dress she had worn before, and delivered the box back to Master Mullince.
"How do you like it?" he asked enthusiastically.
His hands brushed against hers as he received the package and she smiled uncomfortably.
"It's… very pretty," she almost whispered and the young man's face fell. Clearly, he had expected a different answer.
The following day, Galynda woke when the sun had already risen high up in the sky. She was grateful for the extra sleep – she couldn't quite explain why, but Lurline knew she had needed it! On the other hand, she immediately realised that something wasn't right. Her father was a man of principles. Two of his most valued doctrines rules were punctuality and a rigid timetable. Even as young as four years old, she had been expected to adhere to an exact dining, study and sleep schedule. Sleeping in had never before been an option, except when he was away traveling for business purposes and such.
She slipped out of bed and carefully tiptoed to her bedroom door. When she opened it, she found Millifen perched on the settee, reading a book.
"Good morning," she murmured, belatedly realising that it was a little silly to use this phrase when it was clearly past noon.
The other woman looked up from her book and snapped it shut without even marking the page.
"Your father is awaiting you in his audience chamber."
Galynda froze. Yes, something was definitely off. She nodded curtly and retreated into her room to get dressed.
Millifen walked her to the audience chamber, but stopped by the door, motioning with her head for Galynda to continue on by herself. The Margreave, however, had other plans and called for the lady in waiting to step forward. Millifen seemed uncomfortable, yet didn't dare argue with her lord.
"Step closer, my daughter," the Margreave growled gruffly and a small shiver ran down Galynda's spine as she did so.
"Galynda." His voice had softened a little in the face of his child's apparent distress. Rubbing his bearded chin thoughtfully, he considered his daughter, tilting his head from left to right.
"Yes, Father."
"You are my blood and I love you dearly, so I don't intend to make this a spectacle."
Cautiously, Galynda looked around, her eyes jumping from one person to the next. There were servants standing by and waiting for their orders, two of the Margreave's advisors and a few other figures who clearly needn't be present if her father had intended to keep this a private conversation. She nearly rolled her eyes at that, but caught herself. If she really was in trouble, she better be careful.
"My child, I know that we briefly talked about this before, but I need to ask you again to be certain; when these outlaws captured you, did they ever do anything to harm you? Perhaps not just in a purely physical way?"
The heart in her chest was pounding and blood rushed to her head. Galynda had hoped to leave all this behind her, yet her father had chosen to revisit this disturbing chapter of her still young life. She wondered what had suddenly rekindled his interest in the matter. She took a shuddering breath and swallowed hard before answering.
"They were as gentle as could possibly be expected. Once I had surrendered to my fate, they treated me well enough. For a captive."
"And they never demanded that you perform any acts meant to be between husband and wife?"
Galynda's eyes widened in shock. All colour and warmth immediately drained from her face, and a sudden chill shook her violently. She turned to find reassurance from her friend, but Millifen's gaze was trained to the ground.
"N-no, Father," she replied in a shaky, thin voice. "They… Their plan was to sell me. To a savage king, they said. I-it would have been against their interest to spoil their merchandise."
She felt faint and nauseous. She wanted to grip her friend's hand for support, but not even a small finger was extended in her direction. Instead, she held onto her own hands, digging her nails in the delicate flesh to keep herself from fidgeting too much.
The Margreave worked his jaw and nodded slowly.
"And you are absolutely positive?"
"Yes. Father." By now, Galynda's voice came out as nothing more than a squeak. "I… am rather well educated concerning my duties as my future husband's wife. I am aware of what they entail, and I can assure you, that I was never asked or forced to participate in any adulterous practices by my capturers."
Galynda fought to keep herself together and to choose her words wisely. She needed to dissipate her father's doubts, but she didn't intend to lie. There were still a few things she would very much prefer to keep secret, however.
"Then let me ask another question – and bear in mind that you are still my child, and that if you answer me truthfully, I shall not be too hard on you."
Her stomach dropped like a stone. She had hoped that this interrogation would be over once she had convinced her father that no harm had come to her; yet obviously, this wasn't the case.
"Once you escaped the outlaws, did you ever find yourself in the company of any other men? Men you might have felt grateful or obligated towards?"
"Father," Galynda choked out in despair and close to tears, "What are you implying?"
"Fine!" the margreave roared and pushed himself out of his big chair.
Galynda shrunk back. She would have fled, but there was nowhere for her to go with all those people around her and the doors firmly closed shut.
"We might as well get this over and done with," her father spat and took a step forward to shorten the growing distance between him and her daughter. "How did it happen?"
"I don't know what you mean!" cried Galynda in reply, surprising herself as her small, timid voice grew in volume to reflect her frustration and hurt.
"Young lady, I am shocked that you take your own father for such a fool! This is the height of disrespect. Your lady in waiting-" he pointed his finger right at Millifen "-comes to me with word that you are with child and you come before me, acting as though you were the personification of innocence."
The entire room was silent then – not that anyone had dared to speak before, but now not the slightest noise was to be heard. No one dared to move, turn their head, or even breathe. In the absolute absence of any sound, the room around Galynda appeared to expand infinitively. She herself felt weak and small and fading, while everything and everyone around her seemed to quickly overtower her. The world began to spin and faces sped past her field of vision: stern, judgemental faces, some marked with disappointment, others with disgust.
"So? What is your defence?"
At her father's booming voice, the spinning stopped and she regained her focus. The faces turned back into impassive masks and the proportions of the room, as well as the people in it returned to normal. She found her mouth opening and closing several times as she struggled for an answer, but not a single word spilled from her lips. At a complete loss, she turned once more to Millifen. As stunned and shaken as she was, she was in no capacity to be angry at this point. Instead, she silently pleaded for help when her eyes found her friend's.
"Galynda!"
Her father once again demanded her attention. His entire head was flushed in anger. She could even see the blood pulse through the veins at his temples. His jaw was so tightly set that one might be worried his teeth could break. Galynda was no longer afraid of him and even her resentment slowly waned. She wasn't quite sure anymore what she felt, beside that terrible exhaustion.
"I swear," she began slowly, yet loud and clearly, "that I never lay with any man. I-"
"A lie! How else would you explain your condition?"
"I-I… I don't-, I mean…" And just like this, her temporary confidence had evaporated again. Her heart beat so fast it could barely keep up a steady rhythm, resulting in her breaths to come out in short gasps. Attempts at trying to calm her breathing remained futile, yet they gave her some time to articulate a cohesive sentence. "I don't know," she exclaimed, shaking her head. "Before you brought it to my attention, I wasn't even aware of the possibility!"
"How could you not be aware of something like this?"
Gathering the last shreds of her remaining pride, she lifted her chin and looked up. He would never believe her, for he had already formed his own opinion about this matter. She saw it in his blank, steel grey eyes. But if the situation was so hopeless, trying at least couldn't hurt her.
"Because I haven't done anything that would have such… such consequences. Y-you must be wrong, father! Your conclusion is absolutely implausible!"
"Galynda listen, if this wasn't true, we would know soon enough. Do you honestly think that your lady in waiting would be lying about this?"
Barely turning her head this time, Galynda caught another Glimpse of Millifen. She didn't know. And she didn't know why her best friend would betray her like this, going to her father, behind her back.
"I've heard enough," the Margreave snorted as he returned to his seat. "Lady Millifen, please escort my daughter to her private rooms. I will send a physician to have a look at her. She is not leave until I say otherwise."
Galynda moved before her friend had a chance to take her arm. She passed through the corridors at a quick pace, followed by a slightly breathless Millifen. Once in her apartment, she disappeared in her bedroom and locked the door. Millifen knocked and called several times, but after a little while she gave up and took up residence on the settee.
The physician her father had sent later established that she was indeed carrying a child. Furthermore, he confirmed the loss of her innocence. The latter was hardly a surprise to Galynda; the former, however, took a long time to sink in. She sat on her bed, arms wrapped around her abdomen, tears slowly running down her cheek. Millifen had been present during the procedure and now she was quietly waiting in the corner by the window.
"Why did you do this to me?" Galynda asked softly after over two hours.
Millifen pushed herself off the wall and stepped closer, yet not too close.
"There is no hiding something like this. Your father would have found out eventually."
"The least you could have done was to talk to me first."
"I thought you knew. I mean…. You had to know, how could you not? You haven't bled at the very least since your return, you're constantly on edge, always tired, and your abdomen is growing despite the fact that you barely eat."
Millifen shook her head, but sat beside Galynda on the bed, her back turned towards her.
"You know what happened," Galynda whispered and rested her hand on Millifen's. "There was no man. It is as I said: I never lay with a man. Ever. There was only her. This isn't possible."
Millifen retracted her hand, only to grasp her friend's tenderly.
"And you expect me to simply believe an absurd story like this? I'm an orphan I was raised by your nurse and your mother. If I get in trouble because of this, I have no place to go. I had to tell your father about what I saw."
Angrily, Galynda shook off her hand and stood, her arms crossed.
"How do I know you didn't just make this up?" Millifen insisted. "How do I know that the real 'Aelphaba' isn't some fellow called 'Aelpharic'? Or that he-she exists at all?"
Then an idea occurred to her, and she quickly got off the bed, headed for the door.
"I know… I know what I'll do, Glyn," she said, turning around briefly on her way out. "Don't worry. I'll fix this. If you were telling the truth, I'm sure there is evidence that will sway your father's mind."
Yet Galynda remained stubborn, her stare fixated on a small fly sitting on the wall. She highly doubted that there was anything now that could salvage her situation, and no amount of effort on her friend's behalf would ever make up for the betrayal she had been subjected to. She was a little worried though as to what kind of plan Millifen's mind had cooked up. By the time that she had finally decided to hesitantly face her, however, her lady in waiting was already long gone.