Days passed, and Elphaba continued to get used to her new life. She continued taking care of her tattoos, with Fiyero's help, but was doing more on her own. Her arms felt much better, and were healing nicely, according to the Baboynias and Baxiana.

The entire castle was preparing for her and Fiyero's big move. Amalie had asked her to compile a list of things she wanted to take to her new home, but since she didn't come with much, nor acquired much since arriving, she didn't have much she wanted to take. The only things on her list were a few books, which didn't impress Sissalíne and Tsie.

Currently, she was in the library. She hadn't forgotten her idea to research magic in the Vinkus, and spent the past hour scouring the castle library for anything she could on the ancient practice. She managed to find a few books that were easy enough to understand and poured over them.

According to the books, magic wasn't as prevalent in the Vinkus as it used to be. The ancient practice had died out, but its reverence for it didn't. The belief was that magic was hereditary, which confused Elphaba more. No one in her family possessed magic, and as far as she knew, none of her ancestors did, either. But then again, knowing Munchkinland's views on magic, it could've been scratched from the records, to avoid problems down the line. And it looked like she was "down the line".

The other explanation was that someone could be cursed with magic. That made Elphaba stop. If anything, her green skin was the "curse", but could it be related to her magic? She always said that it probably wasn't, but maybe it could be.

Was this a punishment for the sins of a past relative? Could this be a side-effect of the secret medicine her mother may or may not have taken while pregnant with her? Was she cursed by a magical apothecary? Was this how someone was taking revenge on the Thropp family for a long-forgotten feud?

She slammed the book shut and pushed it away. No. That wasn't possible. Besides, this was a book on Vinkun magic, not Munchkin. For all she knew, it could be completely different. Yes, that was it. It was different. She wasn't cursed, nor a punishment. Just… different.

She returned the books to their proper place and was about to leave when she felt something calling to her. It was weird, feeling a calling rather than hearing it. Figuring she had nothing to lose, she followed the beckoning to the last stack of shelves in the far part of the library. There, on an eye-level shelf, was a thick, glowing book.

"What in Oz…" she muttered, gingerly taking the brown, leather-bound book from the shelf.

It pulsated in her hands, almost as if it was breathing. The glowing died down a bit and Elphaba could've sworn the book was telling her to open it. She obeyed, against her better judgment, knowing that she probably shouldn't trust a seemingly magical book.

While she still had a long way to go in Vinkun reading comprehension, she could tell that it wasn't written in Vinkun. It obviously wasn't Munchkin, and she didn't recognize any Ozian words. She was about to close the book when the letters magically rearranged themselves.

They didn't form words she recognized, but somehow, she could understand some of it. She flipped the pages and was met with diagrams, small pictures, drawings, and notes in fancy calligraphy.

"Tay ah evuanva ehfa aen erha," she sounded out slowly, then screamed when she felt something whiz past her. She ducked, covering her head with her hands. She looked up to see multiple books flying over her head, the bindings flapping like birds' wings. Her eyes widened as the books circled over her head, before unceremoniously flopping to the ground around her. A few hit her face and she groaned, rubbing her forehead and fixing her headscarf.

It was some type of magic codex, and she could only read bits and pieces, but she got the gist of almost most of it. She continued studying the book, silently this time. This could be the key, or at least, part of it, to discovering more about her magic, its origin, and most importantly, controlling it.

After almost two hours of staring at the words, slowly making sense of them, her vision started swimming, and she decided to call it a day. She closed the book, and returned it to its proper place on the shelf. She couldn't smuggle it out of the library yet, and planned to come back later as she cleaned up the books still on the floor.

"I've received a letter," Fiyero said after breakfast, slipping his hand into Elphaba's as they left breakfast with the family. "From my friend, Nzer. He and his wife, Defi, just had a baby. We're invited to the naming ceremony."

"That's nice. When?"

"Tomorrow evening. The baby was born three days ago, and the naming ceremony must take place within the first five days to bless the child with good health and fortune."

"Did she have a boy or girl?"

"That's also part of the ceremony. We'll find out when we get there."

"I can't wait to meet them."

"You already did. Nzer was in the forest that night. He was wearing a turban. You'll also officially meet Kel and Gyles. Kel lent you his cloak."

"He wasn't very pleased with that," Elphaba chuckled.

He also laughed. "No, he wasn't. And Gyles is Defi's younger brother."

"Were they at the wedding?"

"Yes, but not the reception, or the feast the day before. They've been my friends my whole life, and they prefer the more intimate gatherings rather than the big, royal ones. Did you have any close friends in Munchkinland?"

"Just my younger sister and brother, mostly my brother. I wasn't the 'having friends' type. I was close with my cousin, Naoleine."

"The Thropp Third Descending?"

Elphaba nodded. "I went to school, but Nessa stayed home with private tutors. Our mother wanted to keep Shell home, but let him attend school, only because he and Nessa fought like enemy soldiers. They still do." She cleaned her glasses on her sleeve before returning them to her face. "I preferred my books to social interactions. I had a little hidey-hole back home that I'd escape to every chance I got. No one ever knew about it."

"There are spots like that here, and I'm sure there'll be some in our new home."

"Are you suggesting we make a plan to explore our new home specifically for hiding spaces?"

He gave her a wide grin. "Yeah. Doesn't that sound like fun?"

Elphaba had to laugh. "Yes. I say we do it."

The following evening, Elphaba and Fiyero were on their way to Nzer and Defi's estate for the naming ceremony. Elphaba wore a patterned, dark blue wrap dress and matching headwrap. She was still getting used to the fabric's different feeling on her head. She had to get used to embracing Vinkun culture, and smiling while doing it.

Fiyero held their present, freshly pressed oil, in his lap as the carriage trudged down the dirt road. "You look beautiful," he smiled.

"Thank you." She knew he was trying to help her feel less self-conscious about her new wardrobe, and she had to admit, it was working. "Are we almost there?"

"We should be there in a few minutes."

Elphaba saw the large tents before she saw the actual house. The carriage stopped, and their driver jumped down to open the door. Fiyero stepped down first, then assisted Elphaba. Lanterns lit the path up to the main tent. Smaller tents surrounded it, sheltering small tables and chairs. There was an air of excitement, but also of familial calmness.

"Ah, Prince Fiyero!" a woman gushed as she ran over, bowed, then pulled Fiyero into a tight hug.

"Ah… hello, Auntie," Fiyero choked out, fighting to keep smiling. He managed to free one arm, balancing the oil between their hug, and lightly patted her back.

"Ah, Prinzinne," she smiled as she released Fiyero, ignoring him gasping for air as she went to Elphaba.

Elphaba prepared for a similar hug, but instead, she was met with a bow and a respectful hand squeeze. She hid her surprise with a polite smile, grateful that the woman turned and went back to the main tent.

"That's Gyles's mother, Euela," Fiyero supplied once he caught his breath.

"She's your aunt?"

He laughed softly. "No. We're not related. 'Auntie' and 'Uncle' can also be endearment titles for adult family friends or parents of a close friend. It's not just reserved for blood family."

"Oh." She could appreciate this part of Vinkun culture, even if she couldn't personally relate to it.

"Come." He took her hand, led her to the tent with the table of presents, and dropped off their gift before going around and continuing introductions.

She officially met Kel, Nzer, and Gyles, who were very impressed with her Arjiki. She enjoyed the food, music, and dancing, and an hour after they arrived, it was time for the ceremony to start.

Defi's mother welcomed everyone and thanked them for coming to celebrate the successful birth. Defi stepped up next to her mother, cradling her swaddled newborn in her arms. She looked tired, but smiled at everyone as she rocked the baby in her arms. Nzer joined her to announce the baby's gender and name.

"Our daughter, Lylyth Milal Louhk," Nzer announced proudly.

The crowd cheered, applauded, and swarmed to congratulate the couple. The noise startled the baby, and she started wailing, but calmed once she was in her grandmother's arms.

The rest of the night was filled with more socializing, dancing, food, games, and sharing parenting stories with the new parents. While Elphaba didn't understand every single word, she was still improving and was able to catch most of what was being said, which gave her a boost of pride.

"This is Moi-Moi. It's a boiled bean pudding made with honey beans, onions, fresh red peppers, spices, eggs, and fish," Fiyero explained, scooping a small mound onto his plate.

"Spices?" Elphaba asked, remembering the soup incident at the Ritjana feast.

"Don't worry, it's not spicy."

Elphaba spooned a small amount onto her plate and took a small bite. It was soft, fluffy, and not spicy. "It's good."

"And protein-rich… and there's a reason it's the only 'healthy' food here."

Elphaba chuckled and took another bite. It was early morning when the party began to die down and the guests started to depart. Elphaba leaned against Fiyero in the carriage and almost fell asleep.

"Did you have fun?" Fiyero asked, gently pulling her closer.

"Yeah."

He noted the tinge of sadness in her voice. "What's wrong?"

"I miss my family." She sat up and stretched. "Yes, our relationship was strained, but being around everyone tonight and surrounded by so much love… I don't know. Our family events were outwardly lively, but felt lifeless. They were never this much fun, but tonight made me wish they were."

He took her hand. "I understand."

She looked up at him, his soft, brown eyes staring back into hers. His lips parted slightly, and he looked like he was about to say something, but before he could, she kissed him. A bump in the road pushed them closer together, but neither pulled away. Their hands found their way around each other and Elphaba almost ended up sitting on Fiyero's lap.

When they eventually pulled away, they were both smiling, slightly breathless, and fighting to keep their balance in the moving carriage.

"Elphaba," Fiyero whispered.

"Fiyero," she whispered back, biting her lower lip. She could've sworn she heard a low growl deep in his throat and she chuckled. She kissed him again, knowing they were going to make use of their shared suite that night.

For two weeks, after discovering the magic text, Elphaba made it part of her daily routine to sneak into the attic with the book and get to work decoding it, As she studied, she could feel her magic getting more powerful, but balanced with her increased ability to control it. She learned how to call on her magic when she needed it, and keep it under control when she got extremely emotional.

The more she learned, the more she wanted to study, and she found herself becoming slightly obsessed. A few times, she went over her scheduled study time, and had to lie about her whereabouts when questioned.

When she wasn't secretly studying magic, eating, or sleeping, she was working with Fiyero. She continued to spend most of her time with him. Despite their differences, they were making great progress continuing to find common ground. Currently, they were working together in his office. Fiyero sat at his desk, while Elphaba worked at the side table.

"What happened?" Fiyero asked, noticing Elphaba furiously scribbling something out at the bottom of a paper.

"… Nothing." She crumbled the paper and tossed it in the bin.

Fiyero fished it out and uncrumpled it. Even under the markings, he could still make out Elphaba's signature. "Oh."

"I just made a mistake."

"You signed it 'Elphaba Thropp'. A simple strike-through would've been fine."

"It's an official document."

"It's the menu for our first week in the manor. Hardly a government matter."

She sighed. "I'll rewrite the menu."

"No need. If you approve of the menu, just write an approval note. It's shorter and sweeter."

"I'll get used to it."

"At least your initials stay the same."

Elphaba thought for a moment. He was right; she retained her initials. "I'm so used to signing my name exactly like that. I've been signing my name exactly like that since I was learning how to write. I don't know how to sign my name any other way. I could teach my hand how to write 'Tigulaar' in that font, but that will probably take a while."

Before Fiyero could retort, the door flew open with a squealed "Uncle Yero!". The two jumped and looked up, seeing Nor march into the office, looking none-too-happy.

"Illianora," Fiyero frowned as he stood. "You know you're not allowed to just barge in here without knocking."

"It's not true!" Nor cried, and Fiyero figured she hadn't heard a word he'd just said.

"What's not true?"

"You're not moving away next week!"

He softened and glanced at Elphaba before coming around and sitting on his desk. He pulled Nor into his arms and sat her on his lap. "It's true. I am moving."

"Where?"

"Apline Dur."

"That's far away. Why?"

"Because Auntie Elphaba and I have to move out and start our own family. It's just around half a day's journey."

Nor glanced at Elphaba. "Why?"

"Because that's what families do."

"I'm your family! You can't leave me!"

"We're not leaving the Vinkus. Remember when you lived in Kiamo Ko?"

"… Yeah."

"That was your home before you moved here. Auntie Elphaba and I must move to our new home."

"Then you'll move back here later?"

"That's… not our plan."

Nor pouted, wrapping her arms around her uncle's neck. "You'll come back to visit."

It wasn't a question. "Yes."

"And I get to visit you."

Also not a question. "Yes."

"Good. Okay." She calmed and wiggled out of Fiyero's arms. She went over to Elphaba, pulling herself into her lap and resting her head on her shoulder. "I still like you, Auntie Elphaba, even though you must take my Uncle Yero away."

"Thank you, Nor," Elphaba smiled, hugging the little girl.

Nor squirmed down and skipped out. The couple exchanged a look and laughed as Fiyero got up and closed the door.

Elphaba flicked her wrist, and the old torches in the attic immediately lit. She made a note in the book, revising the previous translation. Wisps of hair had freed themselves from her bun, and she brushed them behind her ear. She had decoded the book's title, 'The Grimmerie', and she was halfway through translating it. It was very fragmented, but better than nothing. It was still a mystery to her how she could understand it, but the more she worked, the more she learned.

She had no idea how long she'd been in the attic, but she was too deep to just stop. Her unwavering concentration proved fruitful, as she simultaneously had a broom magically sweeping the floor, a large sponge scrubbing the wall, and old blankets in the corner folding themselves.

She had just gotten to the part of the book that looked like recipes for various potions, including diagrams and pictures of numerous flowers and marginalia of potion bottles. The broom accidentally bumped into her and moved around her, as if it could see where it was going.

One more spell. She would do one more before going back downstairs to finish packing. She flipped back a few pages to a fully translated spell, recited it, and felt her feet lift from the floor. She held onto the edge of the table, then slowly uncurled her fingers, one by one.

The first time she tried this spell, she shot into the air with such a loud scream that she was surprised no one heard her. This time, she controlled her emotions, which in turn, controlled her magic. She floated higher and higher until she reached the roof. She stopped right before the top of her head skimmed the old wood. She floated around for a bit before lowering back to the ground.

The broom was still sweeping, now fanning the dust particles around the room. Elphaba started coughing and opened the window.

The first week of October brought the first bit of fall chills with it. She shivered and was about to close it, but also wanted to keep airing out the attic. She looked at the old fireplace. She had discovered early on that she was horrible at conjuring, but flipped to the proper spell and recited it. The wood immediately appeared in the fireplace, and she magically started a small fire.

She stoked it with a poker, watching as it slowly grew and heated the nearby area. She waved her right hand over the fire, and the orange flames slowly turned bright red. Another wave, and it turned purple. Delighted with her newly discovered trick, she experimented with what else she could do. With each hand gesture, the fire changed colors, from yellow, to blue, to green, to white, to –

"Magic!"

She whirled around with a scream, causing the fire to violently sputter out embers for a second, but quickly returned to a calm crackling. Her eyes widened as three pairs of young eyes stared back at her.

Irji, Manek, and Nor's wide eyes floated from her to the fire, which had returned to its normal, orange hue.

"What are you three doing up here?" Elphaba hissed.

"You were flying!" Manek panicked. "We saw you flying!"

"And the fire! You were changing the colors! You have magic!" Nor exclaimed.

"You're a witch!" Irji yelled.

"Witches aren't real!" Manek argued.

"Then you explain the magic, genius!" Irji countered, and Manek closed his mouth.

Elphaba bit her lip. How could she have been so stupid? She couldn't believe she thought she could do this without eventually getting caught.

"That broom is moving!" Nor gasped, pointing at the still-sweeping broom.

Elphaba's hand twitched and the broom clattered lifelessly to the floor, much to the children's shock. Manek looked over at the Grimmerie, lying open on the table, swiped it, and ran out of the attic, shouting for his mother.

"Manek, give that back!" Elphaba called after him as the two other children ran after their brother, screaming for their mother and the other adults. "Stop!"

Her body froze. Her magic stopped her instead of the children. She felt her panic rise, and did not attempt to calm herself. The window slammed shut and the fire grew, turning bright red. Right before she felt herself going over the edge, she employed the breathing exercises she learned from the books, and felt herself calm. Her limbs unfroze and she stumbled forward, gathering herself before rushing out of the attic.

By the time she got downstairs, guards were waiting to escort her to the throne room. She was terrified, but didn't resist, knowing it would make the situation worse. The doors opened and, once she entered, slammed behind her.

Baxiana, Marilott, Amalie, Raal, and Sarima were all there, staring at her with various, negative expressions. The children were also there, hiding behind their mother, and Manek was still holding the Grimmerie. Fiyero wasn't there, and she didn't know how she felt about that.

"Elphaba," the Chieftain began in a stern voice, his icy gaze locked on her. "Explain yourself."

starspangledpumpkin drew a beautiful illustration of Elphaba and Fiyero's first meeting in the forest from Chapter 6. She posted it on her Tumblr (artsspangledpumpkin), and the link is in my profile.

Also, a reminder that voting for the Greg Awards closes on Saturday, December 30, 2023, at Noon EST.