The Eminent Thropp didn't join his family for breakfast the next morning, having a breakfast meeting with his ministers instead. The family casually chatted over eggs and coffee as they discussed their plans for the day.

Nessa reminded Naoleine of her promise to take her town, which she didn't need to be reminded of in the first place, but the elder heir smiled and said they would go as soon as they finished eating.

Before they parted, a footman came in and told Melena that the Eminent Thropp was summoning her to his office. Melena didn't look happy, but followed the footman out.

"What's he gonna tell Mama?" Shell asked his grandfather.

"I don't know, son," Roman said.

Elphaba heard something in his tone that made her not fully believe him. She decided that she was going to take a stroll through the gardens with one of her new books. Nanny was accompanying Nessa to town, making her unavailable to watch Shell, so the young boy decided that he was going to join his eldest sister on her walk. Though she wanted to be alone, Elphaba didn't want to deny time with her brother, so she let him tag along.

Shell was quiet during their walk, but once he realized Elphaba was just walking around with no destination in mind, he began trying to distract her.

"Shell, you're distracting me," Elphaba grumbled, shielding away from her brother's poking fingers.

"You haven't looked up from that book once, and you haven't run into anything or trip. How do you do that?"

She smirked, still not looking up from her book as she stepped over a crack. "I guess I must be special."

Shell pulled her arm down, walking on his tiptoes as he tried to read her book. "What could be so interesting?"

"Molecular compounds and elements."

"Huh?"

"Science."

"Oh." He picked up a rock. "Is that like rocks? Rocks are cool. You should read about rocks."

"I've never really had an interest in geology, but –"

"What makes this rock shiny?" He held a rock up to her face, and Elphaba involuntary flinched.

"I don't know. Um… probably some type of erosive mineral naturally found in the earth."

He looked at her, confused, then looked back at the rock. "Oh. Is that why some rocks are shiny, and some stay dirty?"

"I think you've got the right idea."

Shell beamed. His sister's compliments were rare, and he worked hard to earn them. "Why are you still reading and learning? You already finished school."

"Learning doesn't stop when you finish school."

"Yes, it does."

"If you stop learning, then you could miss out on learning how to do something you think is… cool." Her thoughts shifted to Shiz, but she knew better than to tell her secret dream to her blabbermouth brother.

"I guess that makes sense." He noticed that she had closed her book and he now had her undivided attention. "Let's go down to the creek."

She didn't want to leave the immediate grounds. "How about we go to the pond instead?"

"That's okay."

The two switched directions, their progress only slowed due to Shell wanting to stop and examine every interesting rock he found. By the time they got to the pond, Shell had amassed a collection of smooth rocks to use for stone skimming.

"I don't know how to skip stones," Elphaba admitted.

"I know. That's why you're gonna learn." He picked up a stone and wiped it on his shirt before expertly tossing it across the water, making three skips before it plopped beneath the surface. "Now you try it."

Elphaba took a stone and threw it, making nothing but a soft splash and ripple as it disappeared under the water.

"No. Like this." He took another stone, getting five skips this time.

Elphaba took another turn, and was met with the same result as her first.

"No, Fabala."

"Shell, I'm throwing it just like you."

"No, you're not. Here, do it like this." He took a stone and properly placed it in her hand. He turned her so her body was at an angle from the pond. "Don't throw it up so high." He pulled her arm out and angled it parallel to the pond. "Now throw it."

She did, getting one skip.

"Yay, Fabala!" Shell smiled, clapping and handing her another stone.

She had another minor success. "That's why learning can't stop just because you finished school."

The two alternated turns until they ran out of rocks. They settled on the edge, Elphaba going back to her book and Shell resting his head in her lap, occasionally glancing up at the book.

"I wanna swim," he said spontaneously, pushing himself up and taking off his vest.

"Shell… what…" Elphaba looked up as he unbuttoned his shirt. "Shell, you're not wearing swim trunks."

He crumbled his shirt, threw it on the ground, and slipped out of his pants. "I don't need swim trunks."

"Yes, you do!"

Now clad in only his underwear, the young boy ignored his sister as he cannonballed into the cold water. Elphaba couldn't move away quickly enough to avoid getting splashed, but hid her book behind her back to save it. "Sheltergod!"

The young boy's head broke the surface and he laughed. "That feels good."

"Shell, come out this instant!"

"But I'm hot."

"Shell, I won't tell you again."

The boy groaned, but climbed out, wiping his face with his shirt. He redressed, but since he had nothing to dry himself with, his clothes were now soaked through.

"I'm gonna be in so much trouble," Elphaba moaned, already picturing her mother's face when they returned home.

"You could just use your magic."

She whipped around towards him. "What?"

"Use your magic to dry me off."

By the time Shell was old enough to pay attention, understand, and remember his interactions with the world around him, Elphaba had a steady control over her magic. She never used it, and no one talked about it, so as long as she didn't have any random outbursts, no one would know. She thought Shell had no memory of her magic, and this was the first time he ever mentioned it.

"How do you know about my magic?"

Shell shrugged. "Dunno. Rumors. Grandmother and Grandfather talking. Great-grandfather asking questions. Stuff like that. So you'll do it?"

She frowned. "Shell, have you ever seen me use my magic?"

"Well… no."

"Because I don't like using it. It's dangerous and everything's better now that I don't. I won't break my streak now." She would just have to accept whatever punishment the adults decided to give her.

"But I'm cold now."

"Because you decided to swim without the proper gear."

Shell grumbled all the way back to the house. When they returned, Frex, Melena, and Partra were sitting on the patio.

"Shell, why are you soaking wet?" Frex asked as he stood.

"He jumped into the pond," Elphaba answered for him.

"With your clothes on?"

"No, I took them off, but I didn't have a towel," Shell said, swatting Elphaba's hand away as he tried to march inside.

"No, young man. You cannot go into the house dripping wet."

"Fabala refuses to use her magic."

"Emphasis on the refused," Elphaba insisted when three pairs of eyes locked on her in shock.

"Melena, go get a towel, please," Partra said, her eyes never leaving Elphaba.

Melena stood, gave her daughter an unreadable glance, and disappeared into the house. She returned with a clean towel and fresh clothes. "Dry off and change in the shed," she commanded her son, pushing the clothes into his arms.

"Yes, Mother," Shell said, disappearing around the corner.

She turned to Elphaba. "You weren't watching him?"

Elphaba sighed. "I was, but –"

"If you were watching him, he shouldn't have been able to get undressed and jump into the pond."

"I didn't give him permission to do it, Mother." Elphaba had expected her mother to snap at her, but that didn't mean she had to be okay with it.

"Elphaba, you really must be more attentive. Your face is always buried so deep in a book that you rarely notice what's going on around you. Shell could've gotten hurt."

"Shell is fine!" She felt her anger rising and was losing the battle at calming down.

"Don't you take that tone with me. Go to your room and don't come out until I say so."

Elphaba's cheeks filled with air as she hurried inside.

"Melena, Shell is a young, rambunctious boy," Frex said, taking her hand.

She pulled her hand away. "And Elphaba is an aloof girl. If she's going to –"

"Melena." He pulled her closer and made her look at him. "There's no use getting work up. What's done is done, and there's nothing we can do about it."

Melena knew her husband wasn't just talking about this incident, and deflated. "You're right."

"You should tell her –"

"I can't tell her until after the wedding. His Eminence made that very clear."

"He knows she won't react well to the news."

Melena sighed. "I can't handle all this. I'm going to get a drink and lie down."

Frex watched his wife go, knowing all these politics were getting to her. He hated how crazy her family drove her. It was a cycle they were all trapped in, with no escape.

Elphaba angrily paced around her room, muttering words she couldn't say at full volume. She wished she could say she couldn't believe her mother's behavior, but sadly, she could. It was no secret that Shell was her favorite, which meant he couldn't be at fault for his own actions. Nessa was their father's favorite, which meant Elphaba was on her own. Nobody's favorite, not even Nanny's.

She thought she would get at least a tiny bit of credit for not using her magic. She had controlled that and her temper, which wasn't an easy feat, especially when it came to her mother. She sat on her bed, rubbing her head. She knew that staying mad wouldn't solve anything, and figured she could blame most of her mother's current attitude on the stress of being at Colwen Grounds, along with a strong drink.

She calmed herself enough to want to grab a book. She tried to read, but couldn't sit still enough to concentrate. She got up and paced again. She wasn't still angry, but needed to get rid of the excess adrenaline in her system.

A knock on the door pulled her from her adrenaline-relieving pacing and she answered it. "Oh… Ati."

Sophelia smiled at her niece. "Come with me, Fabala."

"I… can't. Apparently, I'm confined to this room until Mother –"

"It's okay. Come with me." She took her hand and led her down the hall to Nessa's room, which was filled with giggling voices. "We need a third opinion."

"On what?"

"This." She pushed the door open.

Nessa was sitting in front of the vanity, staring from her reflection to the array of ahais in front of her to the ones in Naoleine's hands. She surveyed the different colors and styles, but looked up when she heard footsteps entering the room.

"What's all this?" Elphaba asked, her gaze wandering over all the fabrics.

"I want… to practice covering my hair," Nessa said, sounding uncharacteristically nervous. "I'm turning seventeen in two months. It's almost time."

Elphaba smiled sweetly, the tension visibly leaving her body. She knew how important this tradition was to her sister, but still didn't know why she was called. "That's good, Nessie. But why do you need me?"

"I wanted you here. To help me decide what fabrics I want and how to style it."

Elphaba looked from her aunt to her cousin, then back to her sister. "Okay. I'll help."

Nessa gave her sister a grateful smile. Elphaba stepped behind her wheelchair and finger-combed through her sister's thick, dark brown hair.

"Do you want to wear it like how I wear mine?" Elphaba asked.

"No," was Nessa's immediate answer.

"Good start," Sophelia chuckled.

For the next thirty minutes, the four women tried various fabrics and draping styles, trying to find the perfect combination that would suit Nessa. Naoleine and Sophelia were visibly having the best time fussing over Nessa, while Elphaba remained a calm presence, offering suggestions when she felt she had an idea her sister might like. When Nessa still wasn't content with any of the suggested styles, she began to get frustrated and said she didn't want to try anymore.

"What about this one?" Naoleine asked, holding up a lime green satin ahai.

"No!" Nessa frowned, pushing the headscarves off the vanity and crossing her arms over her chest.

"Perhaps we could get you a wimple like Nanny," Elphaba teased.

"Shut up, Elphaba!"

"Okay, Nessie," she said calmly. She nodded to her aunt and cousin, silently asking for a few minutes alone with her sister.

The two nodded back and left, closing the door behind them.

Elphaba knelt next to her sister. She could tell she was overtired from going into town that morning and with all the fussing, even though she knew she loved it. She knew how to talk to her when she got like this, and knew what a delicate matter this was. "How about you take a quick nap, and then we can –"

"I don't require a nap, Elphaba. I'm not a child."

"Then what's wrong?"

Nessa slowly uncrossed her arms. "What if I don't like veiling?"

"Then you won't have to. It's a choice."

"But it's tradition. And Thropps are obligated to follow and uphold traditions."

"Yes. And you love tradition."

"But I might not like this."

"If you still want to go through with this, then we'll find something you like," she promised, kissing her forehead. She noticed a baby pink fabric sticking out from the bottom of the ahai pile and turned back to her sister. "Close your eyes."

"What?"

"Close your eyes."

Nessa looked skeptical, but closed her eyes. She felt Elphaba place another fabric on her head and tried to pull away when she felt hairpins, but Elphaba pulled her back.

"Keep your eyes closed," Elphaba said, seeing Nessa's face scrunch in the mirror.

"Whatever you're doing, hurry up."

"No need to hurry. I'm finished. You may open your eyes now."

Nessa opened her eyes and gasped. Her sister had loosely draped a lace, baby pink ahai over her head and looped it so the fabric rested against her chest and shoulders. It was securely pinned to the top of her head, keeping it in place, with the front of her hair still visible.

"I like this," she whispered, lightly touching the scarf.

"I knew you would. Shall I call Ati and Naoleine back in to see?"

The younger Thropp nodded and Elphaba opened the door. The two hadn't ventured further than the corner, and quickly came back, happy to see the younger girl in bright spirits again.

"An infinity loop. Very nice," Sophelia smiled. "I don't know why we didn't try this style first. It suits your face shape, Nessie."

Nessa played with the fabric, getting used to feeling it against her skin. "I like the lace. It's nice for the warmer months."

"And you can switch to a warmer fabric when it gets colder."

"You can have this one," Naoleine said, grabbing a few more lace ahais. "And these. I have plenty, and don't particularly like lace."

"Thank you, Naoleine," Nessa smiled, taking the lace with a grin. She examined the fabrics as Sophelia and Naoleine excused themselves to look over the final wedding preparations.

Elphaba got to work picking up the headscarves and neatly folding them onto the bed. She was glad Nessa was happy, and that they got through the ordeal in one piece.

"I'm glad this worked out," Nessa said like she didn't just almost have a meltdown.

"Me, too, Nessie. I'm glad you're happy with your decision."

Nessa looked at her sister and beckoned her over. Elphaba quickly obliged and knelt next to her, and was surprised when Nessa pulled her into a tight hug.

"Thank you, Fabala," she whispered, nuzzling her cheek against her sister's shoulder.

The green girl was caught off-guard by this sudden display of affection. She could count on both hands the number of times Nessa initiated a hug. She let her guard down and returned the hug, blinking back tears when Nessa squeezed her tighter.

Deciding she had given her sister enough affection, Nessa pulled away. "You're emotional," she said, giving her an odd look.

Elphaba chuckled softly and wiped her eyes. "I just… you're growing up."

"Of course I am. But I don't understand why that's making you cry."

"I… never mind."

Nessa's lips twitched and she decided to take a nap. Elphaba helped her into the bed and left once she fell asleep. As annoying and mood-swingy as Nessa was, Elphaba loved her with all her heart. And for that small moment, it felt good to have that love returned.

I have reference photos, and I'll post them on my Tumblr chapter links post, and then another master post of all the reference photos for Part 1 once it's finished. If you read on AO3, all pics will be posted at the end of the corresponding chapters.