Chapter 7: Fun Things We Could Do
'A glooming peace this morning with it brings.
The sun for sorrow will not show his head.
Go hence to have more talk of these sad things.
Some shall be pardoned, and some punishèd.
For never was a story of more woe
Than this of Juliet and her Romeo.'¹
Well that was awful.
Elphaba slammed her book shut and placed it next to her nightstand. She'd return it to the library some other day.
Oz, that story had been infuriating in every aspect. Come to think of it, she couldn't think of a single character she'd liked, not even the main couple; a 13 year old child and what she can only assume a 16 or so year old boy, both incredibly naive and rash to see the bigger picture of their dilemma while their parents are no better. Whoever advertised this novel as a romance was a filthy liar. Elphaba could appreciate what she supposed was the commentary of the dangers and consequences of a feudal society, but if she was honest with herself, she'd like to unread what she'd just read. The only real silver lining was the death of both protagonists in the end; isn't that sad? Sweet Lurline, who published this?
On a whim, she stole a glance at the clock whilst she stretched her arms. It was nearly time for her to meet the king at the western parlor.
She had to admit that, as much as it had initially pained her, not doing any work had done her good. It was the first time she'd woken up from sleep feeling truly well rested and refreshed. She finally began reading all the books that had thus far only been decorations in her shelves. She quite enjoyed them, well, most of them. Three out of four she'd finished were enjoyable.
The green girl got up and discarded the sleeping gown she'd changed into for a simple cotton dress, one she could don on herself without having to disrupt her lady-in-waiting, who was spending the day with her mother and father.
She grew slightly annoyed when she realized she'd have to tighten the waist with one of the many makeshift belts Mina had gotten for her. Adding a few more pounds to her body was harder than she thought it would be, as was eating itself. Hunger caused her physical pain, but so did the sensation of food filling her belly. Elphaba was convinced her body was working against her, but all she could do was keep pushing bit by bit and hope it would improve with time.
Once she was presentable, Elphaba exited her chambers and began the lengthy walk to the western parlor. She was getting used to Kaimo Ko, she realized as she passed the corridors. She knew the layout fairly well, could name where many doors led to, even some of the stories behind certain displays. She could name most of the staff as well, something she surprised herself on when she could return each of their greetings with their name as they passed her.
Elphaba came up to the glass doors, which were pulled wide open. Slowly stepping through the entryway, the green girl scanned the spacious room and quickly spotted the king. He was seated at a small, round table near the window, his leg bouncing rapidly. He looked towards her and stood from his chair.
"Hello," he cleared his throat after the hoarse greeting.
"Good evening," she walked awkwardly about the room.
"Please," he gestured to the empty chair across from him. Elphaba walked over to it, but not before he pulled it out for her. They locked eyes for a split second before she sat down. He returned to his own seat and rubbed his hands in his lap.
Elphaba bit the inside of her cheek. What now?
"Do you feel well?"
"Hm?"
"Did you rest, I mean" he elaborated.
"Oh yes. And you?"
"I did."
She nodded.
"How…how did you spend your time?"
"Reading."
"Oh."
Should she return the question? "A-and you?"
"Sleeping."
She let out a small, yet genuine chuckle. He smiled tentatively at her, but it did nothing to change the atmosphere in the room, as they settled into another silent still point. It wasn't uncomfortable to be in the king's company; she could admit that he'd made a positive impression on her, and Elphaba had no trouble talking to him - when it came to duty related matters at least. But that was not the purpose of this little gathering of theirs. It unfortunately left Elphaba in a hard spot. She didn't have the confidence to ask him any personal questions and frankly, she wasn't entitled to his personal life; neither was he hers.
Did they truly have anything to talk about? Hadn't she told herself to make the effort for the sake of the country? That was evidently easier said than done.
The arrival of dinner was a saving grace. The dishes were unlike anything Elphaba had ever seen before; she was still limiting the foods she ate as she could only stomach so much. These foods were different than what she was used to, but by Oz she had to admit that they smelled heavenly.
Elphaba was surprised to see Mina walk into the room with a steaming bowl in her hands. "Didn't I give you the day off?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," the teen answered with a smile and set down the bowl in front of her mistress. "But my mother and father went into town to visit my brother and I preferred to stay back," she bounced in her place.
Elphaba glanced behind her lady-in-waiting for only a second and yet it was enough for her to spot the apparent reason she'd chosen to stay behind. A young man, whom Elphaba recognized was Ezra, hovered by the entrance to the parlor, no doubt waiting for Mina to be done with her tasks. The young queen pursed her lips to prevent a smirk from crossing her face and simply thanked Mina, as well as the other members of the staff who had brought their food, before they took their leave.
As she stirred her bowl, Elphaba noticed the lack of utensils apart from the spoon in her hand. "Should I call for them?"
"No need," the king shook his head. "These are meant to be eaten by hand."
Elphaba shot him an incredulous look. "How?" There were many bowls with stew-like liquid, though what truly confused her was the potato that rested at the center of the entire dish. Was that really meant to be eaten by hand? It was bigger than a hand for Oz's sake.
The king raised the plate with the yellowish…lump? And set aside the rest of the food. "It simply comes apart," as he spoke, he seamlessly pulled at one end of the foreign food item, creating a smaller piece that fit between his fingers.
"What is it, exactly?" it didn't have a particular smell, though if Elphaba concentrated, there was an incredibly light hint of starchiness to its scent.
"Fufu."
Had she heard that correctly?" "Foofoo?"
"Fufu. More emphasis on the consonants and very short vowels."
"Fufu."
"That's right. It's, in its most simplest terms, a sticky dough."
"What is it made of?"
"Well, depending on where you purchase it from, it may be made out of different ingredients such as boiled cassava, plantains, and cocoyam; this one however is made exclusively out of fermented cassava."
Elphaba nodded; she knew the ingredients, they were used extensively in Munchkinland, though she'd never heard of boiling them all together nor having fermented cassava by itself in such a way. "How does it achieve this shape and consistency?"
"It's merely a matter of mixing and pounding all the ingredients. The thickness can be adjusted to personal preference. And it is typically eaten with a soup or with many. These are made of vegetables, beef, and fish," he gestured for her to try it and pull apart her own portion.
The green girl broke off a small piece and held it in her hands. It was softer than she'd thought it would be, quite malleable. The king then dipped the piece of fufu into the soup and put the entire thing in his mouth. Elphaba pursed her lips and tentatively copied his actions. Her stomach gurgled as she brought the food to her lips. It was incredibly succulent; the soup was made out of such tender beef and the juicy broth blended beautifully into the dough. She'd never had anything like it before and her body immediately paid the price of the novelty; it sat like a stone at the pit of her stomach.
"You didn't seem to particularly enjoy that," he smiled curiously.
Elphaba covered her mouth, chewing the last bits of the fufu before speaking. "On the contrary, it's delicious. I've…" that was something personal, something that would surely lead down a trail Elphaba did not want to take.
He looked at her intently, silently encouraging her to continue. Only, Elphaba didn't want to, and after a small silence, he seemed to sense it. He treaded carefully. "Are you having some difficulty with Vinkun food? It can be quite an adjustment."
Elphaba wanted to laugh mirthlessly, but she remained quiet.
"What are you used to eating?"
Not much. She cleared her throat, having finally finished chewing the food. "Little…variety. I'm…a rather picky eater," it wasn't a lie, just not the entire truth.
"So what are you used to then?"
He wasn't going to let it go, was he? "Soups," she went with. "Mostly broth and with not many actual solids," oh dear Oz, it sounded horrible when said out loud, like the diet of a babe! "Small…" There was no going back, was there? Elphaba rolled her eyes, unpreoccupied that he would notice her obvious annoyance. "Pieces of fruit. Some vegetables."
He appeared slightly worried and Elphaba raised her hand before he could lecture her or pry for anything she wasn't willing to share.
"I know. Believe me, I know," her tone was stern. "But I'm managing with what we have here."
"You can take control of the inventory if you wish."
"Excuse me?"
"There's a weekly list the staff follows as to what food they'll order in for the upcoming week. You can add or scratch any foods you'd like to meet your dietary needs. I know it can get quite tiring having the same meals over and over again."
"You'd…you'd allow me to do that?"
"You're the mistress of Kiamo Ko," he said, as if it was so glaringly obvious. And…Elphaba supposed it was. It seemed there were certain aspects of her new title she was still growing used to. "You can do as you wish," and the king went back to eating.
The young queen was left dumbfounded. That had been it; end of discussion. He hadn't pried, hadn't asked for details as to why she was akin to particular foods or why she had trouble branching out, he'd just…left it at her words, at what she'd been willing to say. He certainly must have questions as to why she was eating like a damn baby bird, and yet…Elphaba thanked her lucky stars.
"Thank you," she whispered, and feeling a small rush of boldness, pulled herself another piece of fufu, if a bit smaller than the one she'd just eaten. Surprisingly, this one went down easier, and the feeling of it filling her stomach was rather pleasant than dreadful, but Elphaba reminded herself to take it slowly. "You um…you know a lot about food? Beyond…the basics?"
"I do. I…I actually very much enjoy cooking."
That was incredibly surprising. "You do?" she wouldn't have dubbed him as the cooking kind.
"Yes," he smiled. "I used to cook almost the entirety of my meals for the day before I ascended the throne. Naturally I don't have the time for it anymore."
"I understand."
"And yourself?"
"I can cook what I eat."
He nodded. "I could teach you a few dishes if you'd like. There are many ways to enhance flavors of simple broths with the right ingredients. I think you'd like that."
"Um…sure. If our schedules ever permit it."
"Who…and you can forgo answering if you wish, may I ask who taught you to cook growing up?"
"The staff at the governor's mansion," she answered robotically, though it had been mostly from observation and little actual application. They were always willing to let her sit in and watch, at times they even explained what they were doing as they were doing it. The very few times she'd actually managed to try out a few recipes herself had been in the late hours of the night when the entire mansion rested. It limited her as to what she was willing to prepare, not willing to risk using so many ingredients that people would notice their absence nor making a ruckus as to wake someone. Despite the loom of possible trouble, she had relatively enjoyed cooking. She could make good use of an oven, a fire, a stove. She…oh dear Oz. A memory was coming to her, a bit hazy and yet there was no doubt of who it was that was standing next to her, cradling her little green hands as she stirred a wooden spoon in a large pot of soon-to-be pastry. Her stepmother. "and…I suppose my stepmother," Elphaba whispered, feeling so taken aback.
Out of the corner of her eyes, she could read on the king's face that he was incredibly curious about her last statement. If she was honest, so was Elphaba herself.
"I…I remember times when…I'd be standing next to her as she guided me. She had such a particular craving for sweets when she was expecting my sister. She used to pretend to not see me sneak a taste whenever I couldn't help myself. She….she liked my hair," her stepmother always made sure her hair was done nicely, made sure it never got into food as they prepared it together.
For years Elphaba had thought she had little to no memories of her stepmother. She'd left them so soon after she'd married Frex, tragically losing her life during childbirth. Had…had she loved Elphaba? Had Elphaba loved her as well? Had she been the mother she'd been missing up until that point in her life? A dark cloud now tormented the green girl; why couldn't she remember more? She wanted to, desperately, but she just…couldn't seem to. Oz, she didn't even know her name! What had been her name?
Elphaba shook her head, embarrassed upon realizing she'd gone quiet. "My apologies. I…I haven't thought about her in such a long time."
"I understand," he whispered.
"You do?"
He nodded solemnly. "I have very few memories of my own mother. I know we spent time together, there are times where I can even recall laughing with her, but no matter how hard I try…"
"You just can't seem to conjure up anything."
"That's right."
Elphaba never would've guessed that they'd have something so intimate in common. She'd known her predecessor had had an untimely death, but she'd never really thought about the effect it had on her son, who now looked so heartbroken at the mere thought of her.
"I never knew mine," Elphaba said, though she had no clue what had compelled her to say it. "My mother died giving birth to me…and my stepmother suffered the same fate within the year she came into my life. I was five years old."
"As was I when I lost mine."
Elphaba pursed her lips and began to sip her broth. That was…surprisingly heavy, and she had no doubt he felt the same way. She'd just told him about her mother, her stepmother, the trivial fact that Nessarose was in fact her half sister; and he'd confessed to the hardship of the loss and memory of his own mother. It was an unexpected turn in their conversation, yet it hadn't been dreadful at all. The silence was comfortable, oddly enough. A much needed rest from the serious, painful topic they'd just touched on.
It didn't even look like she'd touched her bowl by the time Elphaba felt herself getting full. She still consumed more food in this one meal than she did in her typical day; she'd count that as a personal victory. She pushed her bowl aside and focused on her cold glass of water.
"I hear you caused quite a stir on your impromptu tour," the king suddenly said.
"What?" a 'stir'? She'd behaved adequately and had been perfectly respectable with everyone she'd interacted with. Had she made an error somewhere along the way?
"Not in a negative way, the complete opposite in fact."
"How so?"
"You dressed in a relatively common manner, the people loved it; it felt like they could relate to you. Not to mention that anyone and everyone who spoke to you had nothing but praise to say about you; how you're kind, considerate, and intelligent for someone so young."
Elphaba felt her cheeks unwittingly reddening, not being used to hearing such praise; she didn't think she'd ever grow used to it.
"Well…thank you."
"Speaking of which, I've been meaning to ask, how old are you?"
She chuckled internally; it was crazy to think how they were married and yet they didn't know some of the most basic information about one another. "I'm 20."
He froze entirely.
"Surprised?"
"Very," he admitted. "I…I thought you would be mere months younger than myself, not three years."
Now it was her turn to be dumbfounded. "You're 23?" He certainly looked it, though Elphaba had thought it was due to good genetics, not him actually being as young as he was.
"Yes."
"Huh…we've…both had to grow up a bit quickly, haven't we?"
"We have," he looked at her intently, so much so that Elphaba had to turn away, her heart pounding under her chest. "How is Nessarose?"
She let out a breath, thankful for the change in the subject. "She's doing very well," Elphaba couldn't help but smile. "Last time I saw her she told me she was seeking employment at a nearby food stand, mostly for selfish reasons; she loves the idea of the delicious meals it would provide for her, but she also needs to be out of the house. And she gets on extremely well with Val, her companion."
"Val…she's your lady-in-waiting's sister, isn't she?"
"Yes."
"I'm glad to hear she's doing well. The next time she's here, please tell me. I would very much like to see her in person again."
"I will," Elphaba promised. "And your sister?" She knew little about the Vinkun princess, who mostly kept herself under the radar, but the green girl knew she would meet Galinda sooner or later.
"She's - "
"Your Majesties," a gentleman cut him off. "So sorry to interrupt, but a letter has arrived for each of you, both from Her Royal Highness, Princess Galinda."
"Speak of the devil," the king said.
Oh, that was unexpected.
The older man handed each of them a pink envelope and unless Elphaba was hallucinating, she could swear it was scented. A quick sniff of the letter confirmed that it in fact was. Well, that certainly said something about the princess' personality.
"I guess we're about to find out how she is."
"Seems like it," Elphaba carefully opened the envelope and pulled out the lighter pink paper inside it. It was completely filled to the brim with the princess' elegant handwriting.
'Dearest Elphaba,
Well to start, is it alright if I call you Elphie? You seem like an Elphie to me, granted I've never seen you before, but after hearing nothing but good things from you, I couldn't help but refer to you as Elphie every time I thought of you :)
I will begin by saying that I am so sorry to have not been in attendance at yours and my brother's wedding; I was incredibly occupied with my first big project at Shiz University which required me to travel out of Oz. I'm a design major by the way! More specifically, clothing design. Fifi (that's my pet name for Fiyero understood and said you would too. Nevertheless, I still offer my sincerest apologies and offer you my sincerest, belated congratulations!
Words cannot express how elated I am to meet you; I will be coming home for Lurlinemas in (if you receive this letter by the expected delivery date) less than a month from now. I love my brother dearly and we have a bond I would never wish to replace, but I would be lying if I said I never longed for a sister, someone who could relate and understand certain things that come with being a woman. I feel truly blessed to have gained not one but two sisters with your union to my brother. I selfishly hope that you share my enthusiasm.
I hope I'm not being presumptuous to tell you a bit about myself in this letter (but when I arrive at Kiamo Ko I do want to hear all about you if you're willing; this will just save us some time :) I am 18 years old, turning 19 in February. I've grown up loving everything and anything to do with clothes; sketching, sewing, recycling; many of my gowns are my mothers (may Lurline rest her soul). Something people may be surprised to hear about me is that I am quite skillful with a sword; Fifi would indulge me in duels when we were children and as I grew, I began to take it incredibly seriously. I should challenge him to another one with you as an audience when I get back. I enjoy singing, though it's mostly for a private, familial audience (do you sing? I would love to perform a duet with you if you're amenable to it). I also love to indulge in chocolate macarons whenever I can (have you had them yet? You know what, I'll make sure to bring some for you and your sister).
Well, that's a little about me, and truly, I am so excited to meet you soon. I hope you're doing well after what no doubt must've been a hectic, sudden adjustment for you. I commend you for taking on this new role that has been thrust upon you; like I've said, I've heard nothing but acclaim and admiration for what you've done so far. The Vinkus truly seems to love you, and I know I will too.
I wish you happy days, and I will see you very soon.
Best regards, your new sister - Galinda.'
The princess ended her letter with a heart just below her name.
"She's coming home soon," the king said.
"Yes," Elphaba nodded, feeling honestly quite touched at such kind words from a woman she'd yet to meet.
"I think the two of you will get along quite well."
"Really?" the green girl asked incredulously. She would not deny that Galinda seemed like a lovely person, but she portrayed a light, bubbly aura in her letter, something Elphaba felt would clash with her own sharp, dry temperament. If anything, she had a feeling they would actually loathe each other.
He chuckled, seemingly understanding where her doubts stemmed from. "Opposites attract."
"Or repel."
"We'll see."
"I…I'm actually unsure if she and Nessarose would get along."
"Why do you say that?"
"Just from her letter, I feel like Galinda and Nessarose share some common attributes. Does your sister happen to light up a room whenever she steps into it?"
He smiled fondly. "She does."
"I feel the same way about mine. Part of me thinks their lively personalities would create a good bond between them, but at the same time…"
"The two of them together may be a lot for even themselves."
She laughed softly. "Percisely."
"We'll find out soon enough then."
Elphaba hummed then stiffened. Her stomach gurgled and she had the awful sensation that everything she'd just consumed would regurgitate at any moment. She slowly reached for her glass of water, allowing the coolness to spread from her fingertips up her body. Mindlessly staring at the table in front of her, Elphaba brought the glass to her lips and sipped the smallest amount of water possible, knowing from past experience that large amounts would only cause more pain and at times the very thing she was actively trying to avoid.
"Are you alright? You've lost color."
"I very much doubt that."
He laughed, hard enough that he required a deep intake of breath afterwards. Elphaba merely arched a brow once he breathed in. "I apologize. Has anyone ever told you you have a delightful sense of humor?"
Hmm, had Nessarose? "No," now that she thought about it, Nessa never did laugh at her own pokes towards her appearance. She opted for rolling her eyes or even kicking her shin instead.
"Well you do."
"Thank you?" the horrible gurgling sensation lessened and Elphaba felt infinitely better.
"Do you enjoy chess?"
"Umm…chess?"
He nodded.
"I'm afraid I don't even know how it's played, but Nessarose does, and apparently she's quite skilled."
"Really? I think I would like to challenge her the next time she visits."
"She would very much accept."
"Would you like to learn how to play?"
Elphaba stared at him. "Now?"
"Why not?" he shrugged. "The night is still young and we've nothing else to do. Unless you'd rather spend the rest of the night on your own?"
It was a tempting offer, one that even yesterday Elphaba would've accepted without a second thought. Tonight however, something compelled her to choose differently. "I guess learning to play chess wouldn't hurt."
The king stilled for a second, then stood. Elphaba followed after quickly condensing the leftover food and stacking the empty plates.
"Alright, I think I've got them down: King, Queen, Bishops, Knights, Rooks, and Pawns," Elphaba pointed to the respective pieces.
"Yes. You've got them."
"And - I need to double check - the Rook moves like this?" Elphaba moved the chess piece up two squares and left one. "And it's in any direction; up, down, side, side; so long as it's two then one?"
"One minute error," he demonstrated with his own Rook. "It's three then one, but everything else was correct."
"Ah."
The king truly had the patience of a saint. Elphaba had lost count of all the questions she'd asked him regarding the rules of the game as well as the way each chess piece was allowed to move. Finally, after much repetition, she was semi-confident that she could play a match - with no expectations of winning at all.
"One last rule: white pieces move first. You may start us off," he said.
Elphaba eyed all her pieces before she settled on moving a pawn up one square. In no time she found herself fully immersed in the game, analyzing her moves as well as anticipating his and thinking ahead to her next one. But her immersion proved futile as he managed to have her in checkmate within minutes.
"Could we go again?" she asked.
"Certainly," he said, a hint of surprise in his voice.
They quickly reset the board and Elphaba began the second round, which ended no differently from the first one. She chuckled to herself; that had been over embarrassingly quickly. She hoped the next one would result in a different outcome.
Well, that hope turned out to be in vain. Elphaba refused to be this horrendous at chess. "Do not let me win," she warned.
He smirked. "Wouldn't dream of it."
This time, it took longer for him to get her into checkmate, which was a step forward. The next few rounds, she took notice of certain patterns he made with his pieces; the sort of fort he built around his King and what pieces he chose to sacrifice (she made a note to not readily take those anymore, they were part of his strategy) or preserve.
He placed his Rook in front of her Knight and Elphaba sat up straight. She couldn't believe it. Had he truly just made that awful mistake? She stole a glance at him, his gaze was glued to the board, and moved her knight. "Checkmate," she said in disbelief.
His eyes widened in shock and he leaned over the board. He couldn't seem to believe it himself either, but there it was. His King was trapped; any move he made would get him eaten by her Knight, Pawn, or Bishop.
"Sweet Oz, I can't believe I did that."
"Neither can I," Elphaba couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her. She'd won! Oh this would certainly surprise Nessarose the next time she visited. Elphaba was actually looking forward to playing a match with her younger sister.
"Well played."
"You as well. Does Galinda know how to play chess?"
"She does, though she doesn't particularly enjoy it. She's more of a card player."
"'Card'?"
"One moment," the king stood and Elphaba busied herself with resetting the chess board while he searched for something. When he sat back down, he held a black box in his hands. He opened it and pulled out a large pile of what seemed like rectangular, plastic pieces stacked on top of one another. "Galinda immensely enjoys playing card games. Have you played with these before?"
She took a moment before answering, finding herself a bit impressed at how he began to shuffle them as though it was second nature. "Um, no; never."
"Well then, would you like to learn some?"
The green girl nodded.
"Let's begin with a rather easy one: 21."
"21…what?"
"That's the name of the game; simply 21. It refers to the number of points a player tries to reach without exceeding it," he expertly laid out cards in a numerical order, though they were of a variety of shapes. There were only two colors she spotted: black and red. The last few cards however, were letters; a J, Q, and K. "We'll disregard the shapes for this game, they're meaningless. The numerical value of the cards is the same as the number of points they allot. The aces - or the number ones - can count as one or eleven points. Whichever works best in your favor. These," he gestured to the cards with letters, "are all worth ten points."
"Each?"
"Yes. Now," he gathered up all the cards and shuffled them once more for good measure. All players start with two cards," he laid out two cards in front of her then himself. "Now, you've got an ace and a three. Like I said, you can count that as a one or an eleven, giving you a possible four or fourteen. And I've got a two and a five for a total of seven. I will simply ask you whether you'd like a 'hit' - another card - or if you'd like to cease and settle for the sum you've acquired."
"That's it?" It sounded simple enough.
"Normally this is played as a gamble with each player paying a base fee to play then raising their bets every round according to how they perceive their chances of winning the pot, but we'll forgo that for the sake of learning."
"Fine by me," she agreed; she hadn't the slightest clue what most of that sentence had meant.
"Hit or cease?"
"The goal is to try and get as close as possible to 21 without exceeding it?"
"Correct."
She nodded and looked at her cards. "I think I'll hit."
The king placed a card face down next to the two she already had. "I'll also hit," he placed one down in front of him. "Now we turn them over."
Elphaba turned her new card around. It was a J.
"See this is where deciding the ace's value in your favor comes into play," he explained. "Take it as an eleven and it puts you at 24, an automatic loss; take it as a one and it puts you at fourteen."
"I see. I'll obviously count it as one."
"Good choice," he deadpanned. She just barely suppressed the urge to roll her eyes at him. With his new card he was at twelve.
Elphaba decided to go for another hit and her new card placed her at twenty points. "I'll cease now."
The king turned his fourth card, giving him a total of seventeen. He weighed his options and eventually decided to cease as well, giving Elphaba the victory.
"Really? That's it?"
"That's it," he confirmed. "Were we betting, and with a few more players, you would've won quite the pot."
Elphaba leaned back in her chair. "We could use the chess pieces," she suggested.
"Hm. We could."
After gathering the chess pieces, the two of them quickly assigned values to each of them. The king slowly went over the rules of betting, making sure to explain when, how, and how much was played during the game. Once Elphaba understood the new information, they played a few more rounds. Her luck varied, but at least it wasn't completely atrocious as it had been with chess.
"What's another card game?"
"Poker, though that one is more complex."
The young queen shrugged as if to say 'And?'. The king chuckled and began to lay out different piles of cards.
"Let's begin by identifying the different hands you can strive for."
He'd been right, it was much more complex, but it wasn't too difficult. The hands were relatively easy combinations, it was simply a matter of remembering all of them and their value. Once they'd gone over them enough, he gathered all the cards and after a quick shuffle, passed out five to each of them.
Elphaba flipped them over and made a quick note of possible combinations she nearly had. She heard a stifled laugh and looked up at the king, who had a smile on his face. "You're not supposed to let anyone know what you have."
"Oh dear Oz," she nearly face palmed herself, but she couldn't help but laugh. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," he replaced her cards. "I forgot to mention that detail."
Once that minor confusion was cleared, he walked her through a round step by step. Just this once, all cards were on full display in order for him to thoroughly explain the community cards, the two hand cards, how an exchange worked, how placing bets worked, and the final showdown. Elphaba asked to be walked through another round and by the end of it, she was certain she could go through a round without him guiding her through it, though she could by no means play with such high stakes. Thank goodness they would not be betting any real money.
For this game, Elphaba found she simply had terrible luck. No matter what hand she chose to strive for, another always seemed to be more in her favor. When she would change her mind however, nothing played as she would've liked, leaving her with a hand that was not even remotely close to the possible combinations.
"How did you do that?" the king asked, amusingly puzzled at the cards she'd revealed.
"I don't know. It seems I am terribly unlucky at cards. Remind me to never play this in a real setting."
He laughed. "Let's try again, maybe your luck will change."
Elphaba shrugged, but nonetheless made no protest when he began to deal the cards again. This round ran much more effortlessly. Elphaba was quicker in making her decisions and, despite the entire point of the game being to strategize, she didn't think about it too much; she made a decision and stuck by it.
"I've been meaning to ask, and forgive me if this seems out of the blue, are you partial to writing?"
A…rather odd question. "Writing?" Elphaba exchanged a card.
"Mhm. That night before our Privy Council meeting, you wrote down many details in a quick manner with excellent calligraphy. I assumed it was something you did often."
"It's not something I…do often, just once in a while to pass time," she copied down her favorite excerpts of novels, things she needed to commit to memory, and at times her own thoughts - the latter of which she had a tendency to burn immediately after. "I guess I never really thought about it as a particularly extraordinary skill."
"It's very impressive."
"Do you write?"
"No," he said in between a light chuckle. "It cramps my hand very easily."
"Wouldn't you just switch hands then?"
"I can't write with my left hand; can you?"
By his stunned tone, Elphaba summarized it was yet another thing that wasn't common, though she didn't think there was anything impressive about being ambidextrous herself. It was simply something she had always been able to do. The green girl nodded.
"Again, very impressive."
Elphaba merely hummed in thanks. She was getting quite a lot of compliments today from someone other than Nessarose. It was…weird; different, and her face warmed with each one.
"Funnily enough, I do enjoy playing the piano," he added.
"Really?"
"Yes, and you?"
"I play some, though painstakingly slowly. I am nowhere near the likes of even being proficient at it."
"There's no judgment in doing something one enjoys no matter the skill level."
"Well if I'm honest, I don't particularly enjoy it," Elphaba, satisfied with her hand, signaled that she was ready to reveal her cards. "It was more something that was thrust on me."
"I understand," the king also prepared to reveal his hand.
The cards were turned; Elphaba revealed a flush while he revealed a straight hand.
"There is no winner is there?"
"It's a draw," he confirmed. "We split the pot," he teased as he divided the chess pieces between them. "Do you think you'd be up for another round?"
"Are you challenging me?" she disliked the over so slight condescending tone in his voice, as if he viewed her as an easy opponent. She was actually a tad offended.
He raised his hands up. "It was only a question."
"I very much take offense to your tone of voice. I accept the challenge."
He shook his head, smiling down at the deck he was currently shuffling. "I meant no offense."
"Mhm."
As they progressed, Elphaba grew more and more confident that she would turn out victorious. The cards seemed to be in her favor and by glancing at the king's face, he seemed uncharacteristically worried. She felt a smugness take over her; he was struggling.
So when the time came to reveal their hands, the green girl was utterly flabbergasted. The king held a royal flush, a slap in the face to her full house.
"Ah - " she gasped indignantly. "You - you deliberately deceived me didn't you?"
"It's all part of the game, my lady."
Oh how she wanted to wipe that grin off his face, but Elphaba simply waved her hand in the air, reluctantly accepting her dreadful defeat, and crossed her arms. "Enjoy your victory now, I'll get better with practice," she shoved the cards over to him.
"Does this mean you'd like to do this again sometime?"
"Why not?" she shrugged, and he smiled at her.
The loud chime of the clock made Elphaba jump in her chair. It was eleven o'clock at night; nearly midnight. Sweet Oz, had they really spent over five hours together? She stretched in her chair, letting her head hang over the backrest.
"As much as I'm enjoying myself, we should get to bed," the king said. "It's back to work in the morning."
She very nearly groaned, but settled for a hard sigh. It may sound silly, but for a while there, she'd completely forgotten that she was a queen. And she still had to wash up before she could even lay down; she'd intentionally skipped her routine last time in favor of sleeping as soon as she'd touched her bed.
"Shall we?"
"Yes," Elphaba stood from her chair and followed him out of the parlor.
"If it will give you some peace of mind, there shouldn't be too much on our schedule for tomorrow."
"No?"
"No. We created a very good outline for assisting Kvon since we stayed up all night. The members of the court and council will now look over it while we can attend to other matters. There are many bills sitting on my desk that need to be reviewed. We can split those if that's alright with you?"
"Yes, I can do that," Elphaba nodded.
"Excellent. I leave you here then. Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Fiyero."
Elphaba, already half asleep and inside her chambers, missed the startled expression on the king's face, which slowly morphed into a smile as he retired to his own bedroom.
Lyric Inspo:
Dark jeans and your Nikes, look at you
Oh damn, never seen that color blue
Just think of the fun things we could do
'Cause I like you
- 'Delicate', Reputation, Taylor Swift.
¹William Shakespeare. Romeo and Juliet. Barbara Mowat, Paul Werstine, Michael Poston, Rebecca Niles, eds (Washington, DC: Folger Shakespeare Library, n.d.), accessed Nov. 12, 2024.
(Although I thought it was so obvious by the excerpt, pfff)
And fufu is a nigerian food that I researched for this little bit, feel free to correct me if I got anything wrong :) I also have no idea how to play poker so I based everything off a tutorial online.