Elphaba awoke to find a few glowing embers in the fireplace and the room chillier than before. Her cheeks and feet were frozen. What surprised her, however, was that a heavy, wool blanket had been placed over her. She sat up with a slight wince. She didn't like to sleep in her corset, but she had been too cold to even take it off last night.
Hugging the blanket around herself, she brought her things over to the sleeping space and pulled the rope keeping the curtain back. It dropped, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Elphaba fell into a sneezing fit that sent her glasses clattering to the floor. She sniffled and coughed.
What a mess.
Just because she had nowhere else to go, didn't mean she had to wallow in self-pity and act like a damsel in distress. Sure it'd be nice to cry and have someone come and save her, but she needed to think realistically for her situation.
Elphaba took a deep breath and undressed. She went over to the basin, amazed to find hot water in the pitcher.
"Guess you truly are enchanted, aren't you?" she asked the empty air.
There was a groan in response. Elphaba washed her face and hands, then brushed her hair and wrangled it into a tight bun. She put on her regular underclothes, then her favorite dress. It was dark purple and simple with a long skirt and buttons up the back, the sleeves also had buttons to the elbows so she could roll them up. She left them at her wrists for the moment.
She replaced her glasses and steeled her nerves before heading down to breakfast. Thankfully, no scarecrow in sight. Her place from yesterday was set and there was a tureen filled with porridge, a toast rack, and a pot of tea.
Elphaba ate her breakfast fairly quickly and thanked the castle.
"Where would I find cleaning supplies?" she asked.
A sconce outside the hall lit up. Elphaba stepped out. One by one the flames burst to life and extinguished in a trail down a corridor. She followed it down to a closet and inside were brooms, mops, dustpans, scrub brushes, rags, rug beaters, canvas bags, and buckets. Loading the largest bucket with supplies and tucking the broom and mop under her arm, she carried it all up to her room. That was a chore in and of itself.
Elphaba looked around trying to decide what to do first. Logic stood to dust those rafters and remove the cobwebs. Start from the top, work her way down. If only she could reach.
"Is there a ladder in this place?" she asked.
Castle gave her another trail. On the way, she found a linen closet that held surprisingly pristine aprons and clean cloths she could use to cover her mouth.
Getting the ladder up the spiral staircase to her room was a feat in and of itself. The longer she carried it the heavier it seemed to get. Once that was set up, she put on an apron and covered her mouth, nose, and hair.
Thankfully, the ladder was in a triangle shape. Elphaba set it up, grabbed her broom, and climbed as far up it as she could go. Good thing she was tall herself. Even balancing on the ladder like she was, she could barely scrape the slanted ceiling and rafters.
"EE!"
Elphaba gasped and dropped her broom in favor of grabbing onto the ladder. She glared down at Chistery who clapped his hands gleefully.
"Very funny," she said. "Suppose I would've fallen?"
Chistery grinned and scampered up the ladder, rattling it further. He tugged on her skirt.
"Ee! EE!"
"I'm in the middle of cleaning," she said and sneezed. "Tell you what, if you help me get these rafters clean, I'll take a break and go with you."
Chistery hopped down and handed her the broom she dropped before grabbing a feather duster. He flew up to the section she couldn't reach and started copying her. It wasn't perfect, but good enough.
When she was happy with the state of the rafters, she cleaned her glasses and untied her skirts.
"Okay, what do you want to do?" she asked.
Chistery grabbed her hand and brought her down to the kitchens where a simple lunch was packed in a basket. He grabbed it, then led her back up and down the winding halls of the castle before finally stopping at massive double doors.
Elphaba pushed them open and gasped.
Oh, wow!
The biggest library she had ever seen greeted her. There were two levels with bookcases that stretched four stories high and domed painted ceilings hidden under years of dust and grime. Even left neglected, it was beautiful. Elphaba covered her mouth and laughed. So many books! She'd never seen so many in all her life.
She followed Chistery to the opposite end. Beyond a set of doors was a workspace of sorts. There was a massive desk littered with papers, maps on the walls, a strange looking clock, and instruments that she had once seen pictures of describing an astronomer's laboratory.
Elphaba lightly touched a model that depicted the heavens, then looked into a side room. It was round and empty save for the largest telescope she had ever seen in her life. It was so massive it had a chair for the viewer.
"Ee!" Chistery tugged on her skirt.
She followed him through another set of doors to a smaller yet somehow… softer looking section. There was a rocking chair, a full-sized reading chair, and a reading chair fit for a child. A quick study of the titles revealed that this was the children's section. The three windows let in plenty of light, though the design of the carpet had faded with time.
"Guess I know where I'm cleaning next," she said.
Chistery grabbed a book off the shelf and pressed it into her hands before hopping into the child-sized chair.
"I see," she said and sat down in the larger chair. "Hm… Adventures in Underland."
She opened it to the beginning and cleared her throat.
"Alyse was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do…"
It was certainly for children, but Elphaba couldn't believe she had never read it before. Of course, Frex had been very strict about what books they were allowed to read. Elphaba had just gotten very good at hiding what was forbidden under the Unionist household.
"Chistery! Don't you want story time?"
Scarecrow entered the room and froze upon seeing Elphaba with the book in her lap. Chistery smacked her leg.
"That's not very nice," Elphaba scolded gently. "Say 'please.'"
"Ee! EE!"
"Please."
"Ease!"
Thunder boomed, sending her heart into her throat, and rain pattered against the windows.
Elphaba glanced at the door to see Scarecrow had left. She sighed softly and returned to the story. When she finished, Chistery hopped up and opened the picnic basket.
"I should get back to cleaning now," she said regretfully after they ate.
Frankly, she could have spent the rest of her life in this library. So much knowledge right there. She wouldn't have to hide it.
Elphaba returned to her tower, Chistery on her heels. He seemed bored with her choice in activity until she started smacking the curtains to get the dust out. He snatched the beater out of her hand and started hitting them wildly.
"We're going to need to have a conversation about your manners," she said. "Though, considering who your master is, I think I can give you some leeway."
Chistery hung upside down from the curtain rod and sneezed.
By dinner time, Elphaba had managed to dust and sweep her room as well as take note of what she would need to replace.
"Sit! Sit!" said Chistery.
Elphaba looked at him tiredly. It was tempting to skip dinner, but she also knew she'd do better if she ate well.
Scarecrow didn't join her this time, but she was fine with that. The meal was simpler than the previous night. She wondered how the castle acquired the ingredients in the first place, much less cooked and served them. Perhaps the same way hot water appeared in the pitcher and the fire lit in the fireplace?
The crushing weight of loneliness struck her again. True, she had often felt its sting, but before she had always been able to seek out her sister.
"Thank you for dinner," she said softly and returned upstairs.
What she wouldn't give to see her sister.
As she walked up to her tower, she could hear voices drift down. One she recognized well.
Nessa?
"Nessa?!" Elphaba called and ran the last flight.
She threw her door open and looked around. The room was empty, the heavy curtains were only disturbed by the wind. In the flickering firelight, she could see the crystal ball glowing with red fog.
Approaching it cautiously, the voices sharpened as did the image. Her sister appeared, prettily dressed in her dinner attire. She was beaming and laughing.
"Nessie!" Elphaba breathed and knelt down, touching the crystal.
"Now, forgive me, Frexspar," said the plummy voice of Mrs. Boffin. "You know how rumors can be, innuendo and outuendo, it really is better to get the truth from the source. Has Miss Elphaba really gone and gotten married? My Hiltrude saw her in a beautiful carriage and wearing a wedding gown."
"Yes, it's true," said Frex. "She's in the Vinkus now, bride to a lord with his own castle."
"A castle? Why, I would have thought you'd leap at the chance of marrying sweet Nessarose off to such a gentleman!"
"Well, he's certainly no gentleman," said Frex, sounding smug. "Actually, he's a monster. A rich one, but a monster nonetheless."
"Oh, my!"
"It all worked out for the best," said Frex. "With it gone, Nessarose can finally have the social life she deserves, and I daresay she'll have her pick of suitors."
Nessarose blushed. "Father!"
"Yes," Mr. Tunnelly agreed. "Nessarose is such a beautiful young woman, but all the eligible men in town were terrified of Elphaba. Nobody wants a spinster sister around in the best of times, I can't imagine having to put up with one who was as peculiar as Elphaba."
"A really funny girl even beyond the green," Mrs. Tunnelly chimed.
"Will you be attending the festival, Miss Nessarose?" Mrs. Boffin asked.
"Oh, yes," said Nessarose. "For the first time in my life I'm going to enjoy myself."
"There will be plenty of time for parties and festivals now," said Frex.
Were they really that ashamed of her? Frex could have just left her at home, couldn't he? Let Nessa have the experiences she wanted? No, in the end Elphaba would always be known. Hovering close by, threatening to make an appearance. The shame had been too much for them to show their faces too often in public. No doubt they would move to a new town where her reputation wasn't known.
Elphaba grabbed the square of fabric off the floor and covered the crystal. She pressed her forehead to it and squeezed her eyes shut.
If he hated her so much, why not get rid of her the second her mother wasn't around?
"If you think I'm sending money, you can forget it," she hissed and rose to her feet.
She readied for bed and returned to the spot by the fireplace, burrowing under the blanket. She wrapped it tightly around herself, pretending it was a hug.
"It's okay," she whispered. "It's okay."
~o0o~
It took her a couple days to clean her tower, but by the end she was satisfied. All she had left to do was swap out the bedding and make sure no bugs were left behind, which meant she needed to go out to the garden for some herbs and, if necessary, do some washing of the linens and get a clean (if possible) mattress from one of the other bedrooms.
Going with the easier task first, Elphaba went out into the gardens after finding a basket and garden scissors. There was a chill in the air that made her shiver.
The gardens really were beautiful though. Once her room was in order, she would explore them.
The herb garden was close to the kitchens as she suspected.
"Hey, Green Girl, what do you think you're doing?"
She turned to face the scarecrow. He had put a patched burlap sack over his head with a cut out mouth and eyes and painted on eyebrows and a nose.
"I need herbs to repel insects from my room," she said. "Or do I need your permission to clip them for my sachets?"
"Considering a lot of people like to waltz in here thinking they're entitled to my garden? Yeah!"
She huffed.
"May I clip some herbs for my room?"
"No."
"I need to get the bugs out!"
"You should keep them, they're like your cousins, aren't they?" he sneered. "I mean, you're pretty close to a beetle yourself."
Elphaba swung the basket, knocking his head clean off his shoulders.
"Hey! What'd you do that for?!"
She snorted in disbelief.
"You're just like everyone else!" she spat. "You bully and are cruel, and yet when you finally receive some pushback you act the victim!"
She kicked his head for good measure and sent it rolling away from her, his grunts and shouts trailing away. His body swung at her, knocking her glasses askew. Elphaba shoved it to the ground and returned to picking her herbs.
She wasn't going to let the words from a talking pumpkin hurt her! Not a bit! He was the monster here, not her!
Elphaba scrubbed her cheek, finding a sticky streak of blood. He must've cut her. Shaking her head, she clipped the herbs she needed for her sachets and went into the kitchen hoping to find muslin sacks or cheese cloths.
The kitchen was quite the mess too, so she added it to her ever-growing list. The library was tempting, but if she was going to be eating meals here, she wanted to know that there wouldn't be dust in them.
Sighing through her nose, she carried the sachets up to her room. On the top step, her foot caught on her skirt. She grabbed the closest thing for a purchase, which happened to be the nearby torch bracket.
To her shock, it gave and the stone steps flattened beneath her feet, turning it into a slide. She screamed as she slid all the way back down the staircase and shot out into the corridor.
Propping herself up, she stared open-mouthed. How was that even possible?
More importantly, how was she going to get back up?
Working her jaw, she got to her feet and waited about a minute to see if it would turn back on its own.
No dice.
She grabbed the torch bracket at the bottom and pulled. There was a mechanical clicking and each step righted itself.
"Yay!" she cheered, then made a face. "What are you, a child?"
She trudged back up the stairs, minding not to trip again and placed her sachets equidistant in the round room, then turned to her bed. She worked the mattress out, wishing she had put on a mask as a cloud of dust billowed out of it upon contact with the floor. She dusted, then cleaned the inside before hanging the sachets.
"Green girl!"
"Pumpkinhead," she greeted coolly.
"You should show proper respect!" he spat. "This is still my castle and you are a guest!"
"Seems to me like you need a lesson in how guests are meant to be treated," she retorted. "How about I toss your head out the window next? Or stick it up a tree?"
He took a step back and she felt a surge of gleeful wickedness.
"I bet if I was some beautiful, big-bosomed, blonde bimbo you'd be treating me like a princess!"
"Well, you'd certainly be a better sight for sore eyes! You're even skinner than me, it's a wonder nobody stuck you up in a field!
"Ugh!" She hurled a scrub brush at his head. "Get out of my room!"
"It's my castle! I can go wherever I wish!"
"Out!" She stomped over and pushed him as far as the doorway. "Get out!"
He leaned close. She wrinkled her nose at the dirt and pumpkin smell.
"Make me," he challenged.
She glanced at the torch bracket, then grinned wickedly. She yanked it down and shoved him. She felt immense satisfaction as he slid backwards and out of sight.
Elphaba cackled and lugged the mattress over to the slide. She hopped on it and rode it all the way down, crashing into Scarecrow at the bottom. The mattress skidded further down the hall and came to a stop. She stood and dusted herself off.
"Women!" Scarecrow huffed and stalked away.
"Hey, Scarecrow, any place I can toss this?" she asked, kicking the mattress.
He glanced back at her, then kept walking without a response.
Elphaba sighed and hoisted it onto its side so she could drag it along. She dumped it in the trash heap outside intending to burn it later and went inside in search of a suitable mattress. She made note of the order in which she should clean based on how bad some of them looked. Kitchen was next (including the pantry, larder, and buttery), then the library, the dining room should be after that. There was the undercroft, the attic, the ballroom. There was a dovecote in the garden, she should fix it up for the crows.
She went through the apartments and came across the solar. She opened the door, then realized that this must be the Scarecrow's living quarters. She just gave him hell for going into her room, she didn't want to get into all that again.
Closing the door, she turned around and continued her search for a mattress elsewhere. She thought she heard a door open behind her, but didn't look back.