Chapter 10: I'm Sinking, Our Fingers Entwined
If there was one thing Elphaba despised - absolutely loathed - it was having her time wasted. Unfortunately, it was becoming a common occurrence in her day to day.
There were meetings specifically to discuss when to schedule a meeting…to have a meeting…about having a meeting…to actually touch on a particular topic. Those were dreadful and a bore, and yet every once in a while something of importance would be briefly discussed. So even if Elphaba's presence wasn't technically mandatory at the majority of these…'meetings', the slight chance of her missing anything major was enough to plant her in a chair, no matter how torturous it became.
Even events like the one she currently found herself at, Elphaba had a peculiar feeling that it was more of an opportunity for the nobility to indulge themselves in all the alcohol they could get their hands on; she doubted there was any real merit to the awards that were to be handed out later in the evening. What a way to start the new year.
She regretted separating herself from Fiyero; when they stood side by side, she could always depend on him to be the one to pay attention to whomever was speaking to them. Elphaba never felt particularly guilty about tuning out of a conversation, especially one so meaningless and trivial. But she was in a dilemma now.
"Do you think he has a chance?"
The woman, a wealthy and influential widow - Elphaba remembered that much - had finally finished babbling. Unfortunately for the young queen, she hadn't listened to a word she'd said and now had no context, much less an answer to the question she'd just been asked.
"I…it…" what in Oz could she say without giving herself away?
"I believe it would be impossible for Her Majesty to give an unbiased response, Lady Drower."
Thank Lurline.
"My apologies, My King. Believe me I meant no ill at all. I merely would like to hear your queen's own thoughts on the matter, especially since she no doubt has been witness to every nominee's charitable actions."
Oh, now Elphaba was sure she knew what Lady Drower had been talking about. This award ceremony was meant to recognize humanitarian acts towards society, outstanding contributions to the community. There were different categories from what she understood; for barons, counts, dukes, and kings. Wait - 'Do you think he has a chance?', 'unbiased'...Fiyero was nominated? He hadn't told her that.
When the king turned to Elphaba, he caught himself under a questioning gaze. His face reddened, knowing full well he would be questioned.
Lady Dower's eyebrows shot up to her forehead and she chuckled at the exchange. "Well, I believe it's best for me to get some food in my system. It was a pleasure talking to you, Your Majesty," she said to the green girl and quickly parted ways with the monarchs.
"You neglected to tell me your name was in the pile of nominees," Elphaba said once they were alone.
"There's no real merit to any of these awards."
"That may be true, but it's still a sort of recognition nonetheless."
"I'll give you that."
"What earned you the nomination?"
He shook his head. "I don't think I earned it at all."
She frowned. "Why?"
"I know for a fact my name was added due to the efforts made in the past month to alleviate Kvon's poverty crisis."
"Alright," she nodded. True to the promise she'd made when she'd left Kvon, Elphaba had returned, this time with the king, to begin the plans they had for their economy and homeless shelters; the first stop of their first tour together. They'd stayed there through the new year and for the better part of January. This award ceremony they'd received an invitation to only a week ago, was a small detour between their travels from Kvon to Thursk.
Everything had gone extremely well, smoother than Elphaba could've anticipated. Baron Unathi was all too eager to implement the new seafood market as well as begin the budget for the upgrade of the current homeless shelters as well as the creation of new ones. There were still deals to be made and contracts to sign, but they'd had to move on and Baron Unathi assured them that he would accomplish as much as he could and send word back to them. Fiyero also trusted Baron Unathi in his responsibilities, so Elphaba felt infinitely more comfortable in receiving updates through letters.
"Those efforts are all your doing."
Elphaba chuckled softly. "As much as I appreciate that, your statement is wrong. We've both worked hard to begin this turn-around for Kvon."
"But had it not been for you, I never would've known this crisis was even happening."
"The only thing I did there was alert you sooner rather than later. You care for your people, I'm sure you would've found out."
"Maybe so, but nonetheless; you did most of the work when it came to developing a plan."
"If my memory serves me right, we did that together."
"Elphaba - "
"Fiyero," why were they even discussing this? "If you really want to dissect this then may I remind you that there were many ideas of mine that had to be scrapped or modified because there were possible consequences I hadn't taken into consideration? And you were the one who suggested the domestic seafood distribution. I was there with you but you led this. No matter the validity of these 'awards'," they both laughed, knowing full well the only thing anyone was looking forward to tonight was the alcohol. "Any kind of recognition you get is well earned," besides, he was handling so much for years before she arrived.
He's quiet after she's done speaking, and he seemed almost embarrassed. He never seemed to fully realize just how much work he truly did for his country, how much of his time and energy went into fulfilling everything he'd vowed to do. Still, Elphaba had to admit, it felt…nice, to know that he respected and appreciated her efforts as well.
"Your name should be written with mine," he finally said.
The green girl scoffed with a simultaneous shake of her head. "No thank you," the last thing she needed or wanted was more people flocking around her. She'd come to this event merely as his company and she hasn't had a moment alone. Elphaba understood it, she fully understood that she was a public figure; it didn't mean it'd gotten any more enjoyable or less tiresome.
Speaking of, Elphaba quickly put a smile on her face when a gentleman, another king, in fact, approached the two of them and began a conversation about the upcoming horse racing tournament. This, oddly enough, was a discussion she actually found herself engaging in. Elphaba recalled much of what the king had told her about horse racing and how Vinkuns took it very seriously and she learned even more about the sport listening to Fiyero explain it to someone who also wasn't as familiar with it.
Elphaba excused herself to use the washroom and instead of rejoining the king, she opted to sit at their reserved table. It would be good to get off her feet. She quickly realized it'd been the wrong decision.
Not five minutes into what she'd been hoping would be a moment of peace, a young duchess sat in the chair across from her, quickly introducing herself - Ilone? - before beginning what felt like a tirade of questions.
"Where were you born again?"
"Munchkinland."
"Ah! That's right, I remember reading about it in the Ozian Daily News!" she chirped. "Do you miss it?"
"Um…" she really didn't want to talk about that. "A bit. And where are you from again, madam?"
This she was good at, so long as Elphaba could steer the interest away from herself and let others talk about their own lives, she could manage being at these kinds of events. The problem was that the upper class worked like birds; when one seemed to stumble upon something interesting, more followed.
"When did you and your husband actually meet?"
Elphaba jumped at the new voice that had ringed from behind her. Another woman - she'd met her earlier tonight but couldn't remember her name for the life of her - had pulled up a chair next to the young queen and begun her own interrogation.
"Pardon?"
"Oh yes, we've all been wondering that," yet another voice said.
Who's we? She never got the chance to answer that; Elphaba didn't get the chance to say much of anything. Soon enough there were six women, all relatively young wives of other attendees wanting to talk to her and yet all they really did was talk over each other. Somewhere along the way, they breezed through topics like Lurlinemas, coffee, cats, soaps, religions, and other things she could hardly remember because the conversation moved on so quickly. She was completely engulfed by six Galinda's; the only difference being none of them sensed her discomfort. At all.
Her attention would be pulled in one direction only for her opinion to be asked in another, hands would suddenly touch her hair or her shoulders, and Ephaba could swear the chairs on either side of her were getting closer and closer by the minute. The voices were constant and rising in volume and it wasn't like she could say anything or get up and walk away; she wouldn't be that disrespectful. But her head began to hurt and her breaths quickened. Sweet Oz, she didn't want to be here.
Elphaba dug her fingernails into her palm and rested it on her bouncing leg.
"What about you, Your Majesty?" she somehow made out in the midst of all the chaos. "Does the relationship between your mother and husband exist at all?"
"No."
"Do they not get along? That's how it is in my case," someone said. "The two of them can't seem to go five minutes without a row, not even with children in the room."
"They've never met."
"Oh?" Everyone exchanged glances, obviously wanting further details, but there were things she wasn't willing to go into depth in.
"My mother's dead."
The table went quiet for the first time in a long while and Elphaba was glad for it, even if she had made the women uncomfortable.
"I'm so sorry."
"How did it happen?"
"How old were you, Your Majesty?"
"Did your father ever remarry?"
"Do you miss her?"
"Good evening, ladies."
Elphaba felt a hand working to unclench her fist.
Chairs scratched the floor and small choruses of 'Your Majesty' followed. The green girl kept her tongue between her teeth, focusing on breathing steadily. Finally the voices had lowered in volume.
"What have I interrupted?"
"Oh, nothing at all, Sir."
"We've merely been having a lovely chat with your wife!"
"In fact we'd just just begun talking about her, well really all our mothers."
She could hear the wide smiles with which every woman was speaking. She wouldn't be surprised if their cheeks hurt as a result.
"Mm. May I steal your spot, Miss Roquirie? I'll bring over a chair for you, of course."
"Of course! And please no mind, Your Majesty. I've been sitting for far too long anyways."
Elphaba saw him take the seat next to her out of the corner of her eye and, slowly, the women took their seats once again. Once more, although much more tentatively, one of them asked the young queen if she missed her mother. And for some reason, anger began to brew in her chest. It came out incredibly stiff, but Elphaba managed to will herself to say, "I'd rather not talk about my mother."
"Oh. Understandable," the only redhead nodded.
"Then may we ask about your father, my lady? I'm sure that with the loss you both - "
"I'd also rather not talk about my father. If you don't mind," she tagged borderline bitterly.
This time, the group of women actually seemed rather offended that Elphaba refused to talk about either of her parents.
"Well, ma'am, surely you understand - "
"Lady Grixan," the king interrupted. "Her Majesty understands that others are naturally curious about her life. But surely you understand that she has deemed certain topics of conversation off limits?"
"O-oh," the chastised woman reddened in embarrassment. "It's - I meant no offense - "
"Of course not," a heavier weight was placed on her leg, enough that Elphaba stopped bouncing it. When she moved her fingers, she felt fingers in between each of hers. He'd entwined their hands. She gripped him a little tighter and she took a deep breath. "But I ask that you realize that the Queen is a very private and reserved person. It's nothing to do with anyone. And I ask that you please respect the boundaries she's set."
"Absolutely. My sincerest apologies, Your Majesty. I - I truly meant no disrespect."
Elphaba swallowed the small bubble of frustration and anger that she felt and simply let it be; it was over with. "It's alright. Thank you."
The mood had dramatically changed and coincidentally, all the women had something else to do that called them away from the table. Fiyero didn't say anything once they were left alone. His grip on her hand loosened, a silent question to Elphaba as to if she wanted him to let go. Her response was to cover their joint hands with her free one. It was easier to clear her head with him here, and the slow mapping of his hands; his knuckles, bones, nails, even the slightly drier spots on his skin; were a welcomed distraction.
Now all Elphaba could do was laugh at herself. "Sweet Oz. I'm sorry."
"What for?"
"Making a scene."
He laughed as well. "You did no such thing."
"I just…"
"It's alright," he tried to reassure.
"I'm tired."
"Do you want to leave?"
Yes. Oh how she desperately wanted to just leave and lie down in the hotel bed…maybe snag and nibble on some of the sweets she could spot at the other end of the room. Would anyone even miss them? But it wasn't like Elphaba could blend in with the crowd; everyone would see her leave and gossip would spread like the plague. She could tolerate it a bit longer.
"No. I'm alright. I am. I may need a drink to get through the rest of the evening," she admitted.
The king chuckled. "If I'm honest, I could use one too," he moved to stand and Elphaba again felt his fingers letting go of her hand.
In a moment of selfishness, she readjusted her grip and stood with him. He doesn't question it; he simply walks to the beverages with her in tow. She didn't want to be left alone - well, she did, but she didn't want to let go. In a room full of inquisitive and prying people, he was a safe place. He'd shown time and time again he would assist her in whatever and whenever she needed. The night was far from over, more attendees seemed to pour in by the hour, and Elphaba was a novelty to almost everyone. He made the headaches dimmer, made it easier to breathe and focus; Fiyero grounded her.
"Anything in particular that you'd like?"
Elphaba scanned the contents of the table. Her mind immediately craved something strong, but the last thing she needed was a loose tongue. She wanted to untighten the knot, not undo it completely. "I think this will do," she grabbed one of the many glasses that rested near a bottle of a red wine infused with chocolate. She wasn't sure where it'd been imported from, but tonight she wasn't exactly in the mood to check; and unless she liked it, she doubted she would even care.
She took a sip as he selected a drink of his own. She grunted and placed a hand to her stomach. "Would you like to just take mine?"
He frowned, taking the glass out of her hand. "Is the taste…?"
"It's better than I thought, really. It just…" Elphaba placed a cool hand to her already warm cheek. "It won't sit well with me if I take another sip," which was a pity. She'd actually enjoyed the flavor, but perhaps something in it was too overpowering for her stomach. She was still getting used to a wider variety of solids and liquids after all. "I'll just drink cider tonight."
"Perhaps you need some food? Are you at all hungry?"
"Maybe?" though nothing looked particularly appeti - were those banana tarts? She wondered if they were as good as the ones Mina and Val had made for Lurlinemas. Elphaba strode over to the table with the little, delicate tarts, pulling a chuckling king by the hand.
"And don't let her fool you. She may look and even sound kind, but she's a conniving, poisonous woman. Once she earns your trust, she uses anything you've told her against you to get what she wants. Stay away from her."
"And I thought Galinda was the gossiper," Ephaba looked at Fiyero with mild shock. She'd had no idea he knew so much about the nobility's private lives. He hadn't stricken her as that kind of person. It was highly amusing.
"Someone had to teach her."
Elphaba rolled her eyes.
"In all seriousness, there are people here with bad intentions at heart. The way they present themselves, it's an alter ego."
"Is that always a bad thing?"
"No, but like I said, there are some people that seek to take advantage of others. One must always be careful."
"Understood."
"Another example; do you see that gentleman over there?"
"Which one?" there were many of them in the little hurdle he'd gestured.
"The one with graying hair, brown coat."
"I see."
"His wealth stems completely from dowries and any additional money the bride's family sends over. The man has been married six times."
"Six?" and she'd thought the three marriages one of her former maids had were scandalous. "How in Oz did he ever manage that?"
"His wives have all been foreigners and therefore don't know his past very well. All of them have also had some sort of terminal illness. He lies to the family saying that they're in need of money for medications, hospital stays, and things like that when in truth the poor woman had passed away months before."
"That's atrocious, and cruel; how has he gotten away with that for so long? Surely, even if the families aren't from here, they must've heard something by now?"
"Now that I'm not exactly sure. Perhaps he seeks out families that keep mostly to themselves."
"And everyone here knows about this?"
"Even the children of the attendees."
"How has he not been ostracized then?"
"The real reason is money. So long as he takes care of the wealth he's robbed, he still has some sort of power and appeals to people no matter how he came to it."
"Ah, the ever so wonderful open secret."
"Known but never spoken about."
"You wouldn't believe how many of those there were in the governor's mansion," Elphaba took a sip of her pear cider; she was managing this much better than the wine, it was her third glass
"Would you be willing to tell me?"
She glanced at him, a smile threatening to take over her. "You enjoy drama don't you?"
"I have only one sister who was always on top of knowing every little detail about her friends' lives. And there were only so many things I could do to entertain myself," the king defended.
"I guess I understand that. I'm more well versed in geography than I would be were Nessarose not my only sister and company."
He smiled although there was a hint of sadness to it. It was an open secret of their own, how they both knew their childhoods were far from perfect and even...unspeakable at times. But neither of them ever went beyond what the other was willing to share. It was never awkward, however. This was their own way of learning more about the other, subtly alluding to their pasts without giving away specifics.
"Alright. If I had to pick one that truly made me question everything I thought I knew, it had to be when the farm girl - she collected eggs and milk from the animals everyday - learned that her sister was in fact her mother."
The king froze, he even stopped chewing. "Pardon?" there was no mistaking the absolute shock in his voice.
"Not even I know the full story, but you know how it goes."
"I most certainly do not."
"You've never heard of an adolescent pregnancy out of wedlock?"
"Well yes, but out of the countless tales to hide it, I've never heard of lying about the parentage."
"Really? It was a common occurrence in Munchkinland, I'd just never been so close to it before."
"I take it the young girl was traumatized?"
"Nothing short of it. She was the embodiment of misery for months, she just didn't know how to go on with that new knowledge."
"And the father?"
Elphaba almost jumped out of her chair. "You will never guess."
"Will you allow me a hint?"
"Related by marriage."
"I am so grateful you said that quickly," Elphaba smirked, knowing full well it must've frightened him for a second to have heard the word 'related'. He took a moment to think about it. "A step-brother?"
"Somehow that would've been less disturbing."
"Oh please don't tell me it was the step-father?"
"Alright, I won't," she replied cheekily.
Fiyero caught on immediately to what she'd meant. "Dear Oz. That's…"
"Disgusting?"
"In more ways than one, yes."
"Agreed, especially considering the man had raised her since she was a babe."
He shuddered and Elphaba bursted out laughing. He'd practically shaken her arm along with his body from the discomfort the little tale had caused.
"I admit I don't think anyone here can beat that with their family drama."
"Really? What about that family?" Elphaba eyed a table of seven over her glass. Sat around the circle were what seemed to be a mother, father, and five children, the youngest a boy who looked to be at least fifteen years old. They were all smiles and yet, "The second girl to the left of the father. There's no way she's his, is there?" She had the mother's eyes and mouth, but she was the only one in the circle with blonde hair in a mix of brown and black, not to mention she was infinitely lighter in skin color than any of her 'siblings'. The green girl then softly scolded herself; it was possible she could've been adopted, or a child from a previous marriage, but…
"She's the only one that's his."
Elphaba coughed, nearly spilling her drink all over herself. "You're pulling my leg."
He pursed his lips. "I wish I was. It's actually quite funny when you think about it."
"And pitiful. Does he know?"
"If he does, he's never given any indication of it. Nevertheless, I've never seen him treat any of the children as anything other than equal to each other."
Hm. "Well then, at least he seems like a good man, though that doesn't make it any less sad. Why does the wife…"
"That I don't know. He's the one with the fortune. I'll have to eavesdrop more in order to answer those questions."
"No, don't do that," she playfully scolded. "I'm sure one of the women here will tell me eventually whether I ask or not."
"Do tell me if you find out."
"Don't worry, Galinda, I will - hey!" Elphaba whined as he whisked the last of her candied orange slices off her fork and into his mouth as revenge for her jab. "You owe me," she almost shoved her plate into his chest, nothing short of demanding compensation after his stunt.
"As you wish, Your Majesty."
"And don't call me that," it felt incredibly absurd to hear the title from him with no one else around.
A loud ring silenced all the chatter in an instant. "Ladies and gentlemen, I ask that everyone please find their way to their seats; the ceremony will commence in less than two minutes."
Finally! The sooner these 'awards' were handed out, the sooner it would be deemed 'appropriate' to leave. Two hours of forced socializing and Elphaba would bet all her newfound fortune that the supposed main event would last less than half an hour. Sweet Oz, she knew the nobility had their way of doing things, but creating an event solely for the purpose of eating and drinking under the guise of charitable recognition? That was something. Not to mention most of the people seemed to be the kind to get intoxicated day after day; why not just stay home?
"Unfortunately, all the oranges were gone but I think you may enjoy this," Fiyero placed a plate of white balls in front of her.
"What is it?" Elphaba poked at them with the smallest fork she had. They'd looked firm, but were surprisingly squishy. She'd thought they'd been an ice cream of sorts, but that thought was quickly dissuaded once she realized the dark spots on them were in fact herbs, not candy or cookies. She didn't know if she was disappointed or not.
"They're different kinds of cheeses."
"Oh?" cheese? They certainly didn't look like any cheese she'd ever seen.
"They may not taste like anything else you've had before, but I've seen you expand on your palette considerably over the last month. I do think you'll like them."
"Alright," there was no strong smell emanating from the plate and no other obvious distinction between the white balls even though the king had said they were all different. Elphaba would have to rely on taste alone. And sweet Oz he was right - the cheese was incredibly fresh and soft, a stark contrast to the usually sharp flavor and rigid texture she was accustomed to. That first one was incredibly delicious, as was the next one. The only downside was that they came in a small bunch of five.
"Now, without further ado, let's present the first award of the evening; for outstanding contributions to orphanages…"
"You've got to be joking," Elphaba couldn't stop herself from voicing.
The king stifled a laugh next to her. "They're quite specific when it comes to these 'awards'."
"And you attend this every year?"
"I try not to in fact."
Then why - oh. "Then am I correct in assuming the reason you did this year is because - "
"We got married? Yes."
Elphaba swallowed the groan bubbling in her chest. It was too quiet and they were too close to another table. Yet another they'd had to come to solely for the fact of having people meet her. Well, the first year is certainly the hardest, though not because of anything due to the two of them. She would be glad once the novelty wore off, then their time would be spent with more important and worthwhile affairs.
"His Majesty, Fiyero Tigulaar!"
"What?" Both of them turned their attention to the stage and Elphaba was blinded by a bright light. Cheers and applause erupted around them and Fiyero stood without a word, immediately making his way to the front of the room. What in Oz had just happened?
She watched as he was handed a glass figurine and Elphaba began to clap confusedly. Alright then, she could piece together that he'd apparently just been given an award, though he was now shaking his head as the presenter not so subtly coaxed him towards the podium. It seemed the king wanted nothing more than to simply sit back down while everyone else wanted to have him give a speech. Were she anyone else, Elphaba might find it entertaining, but she understood him; how she would hate to be in his position right now.
His eyes scanned the room and with a deep breath, Fiyero stood at his full posture. In a split second he'd gone from a bashful young man on the stage to commanding it and everyone else in the room like the king he was. It was admirable.
The young queen leaned back in her seat, surprised yet intrigued, when he began to speak. He spoke in a different language. Even more surprising, she could understand fragments of what he said, a few words per sentence as she was unfamiliar with the grammatical structure of the language, but enough to infer and piece together what he was saying. This language was a very ancient Vinkun dialect, its name lost to history and speakers few and far, nearly dead. And yet here he was. The words rolled off his tongue as if it was second nature, which it seemed was very much the case.
Receive…honor…tonight…recognition. Express…gratitude…hope…humble. Betterment…thank you.
Applause echoed about the room, albeit a confused and slow one. It was obvious no one had understood a word the Vinkun king had said, but nonetheless followed what was customary as he took his leave and returned to his table.
Once he was seated next to her, Elphaba decided to test herself. In a low voice, she mustered the limited vocabulary in her memory. "Have you…grown…learn to talk…this chamber?" That last word was definitely wrong, but she couldn't remember the correct word for 'language'. At least she knew they were similar enough for him to understand what she'd meant to say.
Fiyero gaped at her, sense and reason abandoning him for a few seconds. The last thing he'd ever expected was to have heard an already rare language coming from a foreigner. Broken and in a strong Munchkin accent, but comprehensible; he'd no doubt understood what she'd just asked.
The green girl looked at him expectantly. Would his shock ever wear off? Or perhaps she'd overestimated herself and had spoken complete gibberish or worse: spoken a vulgarity and or insult.
Before she could run with that thought however, he answered her. She gathered: two years…father…sister too…you. It was phrased as a question.
"Grim…grim…book."
"Grimmerie?"
Elphaba nodded. She'd completely forgotten how to say the name of a book that focused on developing a new language. It'd been a hidden treasure in the bookshelves of the governor's mansion as it contained the dialects of foreign countries, not just Munchkinland. And what else was a young adolescent to do to pass the time? It'd been a sad day when she realized out of all the volumes that had been removed to restock, that Grimmerie had been one of them. But it seemed she had good retention having not seen or properly practised the language for five, almost six years.
"Extraordinary," he said.
Though it could've also meant 'impressive'. Either way, Elphaba smiled softly. "Thank you."
"May I ask…" Elphaba broke the comfortable silence. It'd been another hour before they'd been able to take their leave from the event. It would be incredibly rude to depart without even saying goodbye and thanking the host - a host that, frustratingly, was nowhere to be found after all the awards had been handed out.
Both of them were exhausted, were she anyone else, Elphaba would throw caution to the wind and simply sleep on their way back to the motel. But she could keep herself awake a little while longer. Normally she wouldn't resort to her own thoughts for company, but lately there was so much to think about that didn't cause any sadness or worry or anxiousness. Once they arrived in Thursk, she would visit the capital's hospital and the newly renewed horse racing arena while the king met with Baron Kru to discuss any cause of concerns if there were any. Then they would switch and Elphaba would meet with the baron to be updated on the construction of the schools; if there was enough time, she would visit the sites again.
Speaking of the horse races, Elphaba would attend her first horse race the day after; the season was officially underway. She would need a reminder of how exactly the rankings worked, but she was sure she would be able to get the hang of them. If not, Fiyero probably wouldn't mind explaining things to her once or twice…many times more.
It was the thought of the king that brought her to her current question.
"Go ahead," he assured.
"Why marry?"
He sat back in an instant.
"I just mean," Elphaba hurried to explain. She hadn't meant to offend him. "You're young, I doubt there was any pressure from your advisors to settle down so soon. Not to mention that you've done an excellent job in taking care of the Vinkus on your own. Why take a bride?"
Even from across the carriage, she could see how tightly he was biting his lower lip. He was struggling to give her answer, though she wasn't sure why. Was it too intrusive of a question? Why would it be? Their marriage had been a typical political union, she was merely curious why he chose to do this so young rather than wait until he was closer to thirty or over, when noblemen typically chose to marry.
"Well, first, "I thank you for your compliment. It means so much," she gave a small nod before he continued"And you're right, not my advisors nor the public pressured me to marry so young, younger than hundreds of kings before me anyways. But…" he seemed to be searching for the right wording. "I personally felt that I would need someone by my side sooner rather than later. The Vinkus is growing at an incredibly rapid rate as you know all too well. I didn't need another advisor nor a subordinate; I needed a partner and an equal. Marriage seemed like a good option for that, to have someone that could help as well as take on a load of their own. My advisors were the ones who found you. They told me of the education as well as the wit you so obviously possessed. They spoke with you at a ceremony, a change in command of sorts."
They had? "Wh - do you happen to remember the when?"
"Around the beginning of spring."
"Spring," the green girl searched her memories for a possible change of command she may have attended around March or April. She'd only attended two formal events between those months: a wedding and an inauguration. She was almost certain he was talking about the latter event. She hadn't spoken a word at the wedding, and she wouldn't have at the inauguration either…if it hadn't been for two gentlemen who had approached her.
First time visitors, they had called themselves. By the ring she'd been wearing at the time, they'd identified her as part of the Thropp family; they hadn't been the first people to have been floored when she'd introduced herself as the Governor's daughter. 'There's a second one, too', she remembered thinking.
Elphaba had looked over her shoulder for Frex the entire time they'd talked to her; he'd told her not to make a scene nor speak to anyone, but they'd engaged her in very interesting topics of conversation, mostly political. It was the first time she'd been able to voice her opinions to someone other than Nessarose or the occasional maid. Even if they'd disagreed on certain views, both men had been respectful and she'd been in turn as well. They'd left her with wide smiles on their faces and a particular glint in their eye.
And now she thought she knew why. Had they been…scouting? "It wasn't a change in command. It was an inauguration; the president of a…famous brand of corn."
"Grains?"
"Yes."
"Ah, then yes. Two of my advisors reported that they'd spoken to you, and I was very impressed by what they told me about you."
"So then…did Frex know about it as well?" had he pretended then to not see her talking to anybody at the inauguration? "When did he reach out to you?"
His expression soured. "Reach out to me?"
"It…" Elphaba took a moment to fully process what Fiyero had revealed to her. He'd been the one who wanted to marry, he'd been the one to effectively search for an ideal candidate, and he'd heard about her. She chuckled dryly, but why should she be surprised that Frex had fed her lies. "My father said that he'd arranged our union. That he'd written to you and somehow convinced you to have me. Though I'm seeing now that his version is the furthest from the truth?"
His stare hardened and, as if he couldn't bear to look at her any longer, he turned to the window. By the soft, blue light that fell on him, the young queen could tell that the king was angry. "The only thing the governor ever did was give me his blessing when I asked for your hand through a letter…and I was told you accepted of your own free will."
Elphaba looked down at her hands. Her nails were the longest they'd ever been. "Not really."
"I gathered that, Elphaba."
"Careful," she warned. She'd picked up on this little habit of his; his tendency to misplace his anger. He'd done it to Galinda a few times when she'd been visiting, who simply shook it off, having dealt with it all her life. Elphaba, who had known him all but three months, was much less tolerant.
"I apologize," he said, albeit through his teeth.
The silence lingered for more than a few miles. She had half a mind to simply change topics and put the previous conversation to rest, but something about it was gnawing at her. "I don't resent it. Or regret it," without moving her head, Elphaba glanced up. She had his full attention. "If…if you'd asked me the same question three months ago, I would've said otherwise, but…I'm thankful…for everything this has brought me."
"'Thankful'."
"My sister is the happiest she's ever been," Nessa's happiness alone was enough for Elphaba. "She's healthy and glowing and thriving. What more could I ask for?" the unspoken 'and you?' was palpable, so Elphaba took a deep breath and allowed herself to be honest and open. "And I am too. You said it yourself, I'm a very private person; I struggle at times to tell even Nessarose a lot of things, including how I'm feeling, but…I'm also the happiest I've ever been. I'm sure you know our childhoods were…far from ideal."
He laughed humorlessly. "I had an inkling at the reception."
Elphaba nodded. "I'm thankful for how my life has turned out and what this union has done for me. I may not tell people the entire truth, but I don't lie; you know that."
Fiyero gave no response nor any indication that he'd even listened to what she'd said.
"I'm different," incredibly so, she recognized. Her guard was at its lowest and quicker than she could've ever anticipated. She'd been so comfortable and talkative with him all evening. "Believe me, I'm grateful for our marriage."
"Alright," Fiyero whispered. "I'm glad."
"And you?"
"Me?"
"Surely you were slightly disappointed at what little I had to offer. No land or alliances, merely a mediocre dowry and an equally mediocre governor whom I cut ties with not 48 hours into the union."
"I'll be honest and say those wouldn't have hurt, but like I said, I was more interested in someone assisting me with matters at home, foreign matters weren't my priority when finding a partner.
"Alright. One more thing? Did…had you been made aware that I was…"
"Green?" he finished.
"Yes."
"I was."
"And that didn't…"
"Physical appearances are unimportant when it comes to ruling a kingdom."
"You asked for my hand based solely on what I said to your advisors?"
"Is that so hard to believe?"
Interesting question. Perhaps it wasn't; she could hardly remember exactly what she'd said when conversing with the gentlemen. But she knew she'd left quite the impression, and apparently it had been sufficient enough to have caught the attention of a Vinkun king. He had said he'd been looking for someone to rule, to effectively assist him in managing his growing country and share his load. He hadn't cared what she may have looked like, only if she could be a queen, and evidently, he'd had faith in her without ever seeing her, let alone talking to her directly. 'I knew you would be a great queen'; he'd said those words to her a few months ago. "No, I suppose not."
"You underestimate yourself," he muttered, though he'd meant no offense by it.
"Just like you at times."
He smiled softly. "We'll work on it together?"
"Alright then."
Muffled cheers turned their attention to the window of the carriage and Elphaba emitted a sound of a groan mixed with a laugh. There was a crowd gathered at the entrance of the hotel they were staying at, evidently waiting for them. "Is this normal?"
The king rubbed his aching eyes and looked out the window with dread. "Not really."
Then she spotted something that only amplified her dread. "Is that a photographer?"
"Sweet Oz, it is."
Elphaba turned to Fiyero with eyes glued open, effectively hoping he had at the very least some wise words to share with her before the carriage came to a stop and they would have to step out. Anything to make it even the least bit bearable. But to her surprise, he said, "Run for it?"
"Are you serious?"
"Extremely."
She glanced out the window, then back to him.
"I'm not up for it tonight; it's been a long day, it's late, and we have an early morning tomorrow if we are to arrive in Thursk on time for all our affairs."
The green girl took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. She only hoped she wouldn't trip over her own feet in the rocky concrete walkway.
"Ready?" he asked while simultaneously holding out his hand.
"As I'll ever be, I guess," with a rising stack of nerves, Elphaba dropped her hand atop of his.
Within seconds, their fingers interlocked, his grip tightened so much so that it almost hurt, the carriage door was thrown open, and she was pulled - hauled - through the crowd. Elphaba held on to Fiyero for dear life and kept her head down as he dispersed the crowd and prevented the hot flashes of the camera from capturing their faces. She practically jumped out of her skin when she felt a hand tug at her skirt, though by the grace of Oz, the king's hold on her was strong and his speed fast enough that whatever or whomever that had been, they never got the chance to get a proper grip.
The king whirled her in front of him and effectively pushed her inside the hotel, slamming the door shut behind him.
"Did that really just happen?"
"Apparently so," he was out of breath, but despite the incredible chaos that had transpired, he couldn't help but laugh. "We may have to increase security from here on out."
"Why…?"
He shook his head; even he was unsure as to why a large crowd had gone out of their way for only a small glimpse of them. "There may be many different reasons though I have an inkling that it's mostly because of you."
"Me? I've done nothing."
"You're wrong. You've done so much, more than you realize; the people certainly do," the cheers could still be heard behind the closed doors.
It felt incredibly unreal, to know that Vinkuns actually seemed to…like her. But she'd known that. Elphaba knew that she'd made a good impression on the people on her impromptu solo tour; everyone had told her so and she'd seen it for herself. She'd never seen anything quite like this, however. Nothing so drastic as to her garments being pulled. Studying her skirt, and still in slight disbelief, Elphaba said, "I agree on increasing security," no doubt it was the first of many of these kinds of occurrences.
"Are you ok?"
"I felt a tug on my dress, but it was gone as soon as it came."
"Well, there doesn't seem to be any physical damage," he said, analyzing the bottom of her skirt along with her.
"No, there isn't," her eyelids began to drop of their own accord.
"We should get to bed."
Elphaba nodded and began her walk to the grand staircase. At least their rooms were only on the second floor. Each step might've felt like a mountain to climb had Fiyero not been by her side. They'd remained hand in hand. Fingers entwined and a hand on his bicep, she mustered up enough energy to take each step and say a small goodnight before they departed to their respective rooms.
Lyric Inspo:
And in a blink of a crinkling eye
I'm sinkin', our fingers entwined
Cheeks pink in the twinkling lights
Tell me 'bout the first time you saw me
- 'So High School', TTPD, Taylor Swift.