Chapter Text
Fiyero
Elphaba’s anxiety about the letter reaching her family was, unfortunately, justified when her family arrived at Kiamo Ko two days before the wedding. Frex didn’t say anything, but Fiyero knew from the way Frex looked at Elphaba. He knew. Fiyero swallowed hard and resolved to make certain Elphaba was not alone with her father at all. That conversation was not happening without him present.
Both families sat down to dinner, which was a very tense affair. Nessa smiled and was kind and tried to chat with Fiyero’s parents, but Frex just frowned sternly the whole time. Shell was his usual self, and was mostly preoccupied with asking Fiyero questions about absolutely everything. He was the most excited of either of their families about the fact that they were all going to be family.
“Elphaba is a sweet girl,” Fiyero’s mother tried.
“She is,” Nessa agreed, beaming at her sister. “She worked very hard to get me my surgery. She saved my life. I don’t know if she told you.”
“We, um, were aware,” Fiyero’s father muttered.
Elphaba seemed focused on her food, but mentioned quietly, “Nessa, it was a year ago, now. You’ve thanked me and raved about it enough.”
“Nessarose,” Fiyero said carefully, “your sister is very humble and modest and does not like to brag about what she did.”
Elphaba’s hand squeezed his beneath the table. Frex cleared his throat and Fiyero’s father coughed.
“Well, the Unnamed God would approve. Humility is a godly quality.” Nessa said, ignorant to the way everyone else was acting.
It was only after dinner that Frex tried to pull Elphaba aside. He glared at Fiyero when Fiyero followed. “This doesn’t concern you.”
“On the contrary, I believe it does.” Fiyero insisted.
“Fiyero, it’s fine. I can handle this.” Elphaba told him.
“So can I.” He folded his arms across his chest. “And I have no intention of letting this discussion happen without me.”
Elphaba sighed, but didn’t argue. Instead, she looked at her father. “You know. How much do you know, exactly?”
“That you worked in a house of sin. That is all I know. I didn’t want to believe it, but how else could you have paid for your sister’s surgery? You were evasive about it. Is that how you really met him?” Frex gestured to Fiyero.
“We really did meet at school.”
“But he was also a customer?”
They were standing in the hallway. Elphaba looked around uneasily and said, “Father, this isn’t the place for this conversation. Please, come sit in Fiyero’s study?”
The man nodded and Fiyero led the way. As they walked he said, “I’m going to ask you not to judge until you know the whole story.”
“I know everything I need to, and everything the Unnamed God will need to to judge her. She will go to hell.”
Elphaba groaned. “I won’t be going anywhere.”
Fiyero shut the door behind them. “Let me explain.”
“No,” Elphaba put a hand on his shoulder. “You’ve done enough explaining, Yero. This one is mine.” She turned to her father. “You were right. I sold myself for Nessa’s surgery. Does she know?”
“No.”
“Good. I’d rather that she didn’t.” Elphaba took a deep breath. “It was just once, actually. You insisting on my purity made me worth quite a bit of money, I guess. Fiyero bought me to save me from anyone else who would. He tried to let me walk away with the money. I wouldn’t. I don’t like taking charity. So I did what I was paid for. It was a week. That’s all.”
“A week of sin.” Her father snapped.
“Call it what you will. I fell in love with Fiyero, and he fell in love with me and despite my trying to ignore it, he protected me and took care of me. This ‘sin,’ as you call it, is mine. Not his. He didn’t suggest it, and he would’ve given me the money without it. It was my decision.”
“But he enjoyed it - the sex out of wedlock, I’m sure.”
“And so did I. We still do. I’m not ashamed of that, and I won’t let you shame me for that. I’m marrying him. His parents know what I’ve done. They don’t approve, either, by the way. For ‘godless’ people, as you refer to them, they do have morals. But they understand that we are in love and that is not going to change.”
“You need to come back to Munchkinland. I understand you have been dragged into sin so far that you believe this is love, but that is not what this is. It is pure lust, and you must ask forgiveness. There is a mauntery that might take you in.”
“I am an adult and I am not going anywhere. I will be staying here, with my husband. Because I’m marrying him. You don’t have to stay for the wedding. That is up to you.”
“In fact, if you’re going to cause a problem at the wedding, I’d rather you not be there.” Fiyero added. “She’s gone through and dealt with more than she should have to. Honestly, so have I.”
Frex pursed his lips and shut his eyes for a moment, one hand at his temple. “You have brought shame onto this family.”
“How? You’re the one that’s ashamed of what I’ve done. I’m not. And no one else knows. So there’s not a lot of shame to go around, actually.” Elphaba folded her arms across her chest. “But he’s right. I’d rather you not be here if you’re going to cause a problem. And what would you tell Nessa? I doubt you want her to know what I did any more than I want her to know.”
He was surprised Elphaba had been brave enough to say that - her biggest concern, in all of this, was that Nessa might find out. And she had just made a pretty big bluff.
Her father shook his head. “I don’t want to do that to your poor sister. Think of how guilty she’d feel - all for your sin.”
“I actually agree with you on that, Father.”
Frex wore a scowl to their wedding, but he was there. Nessa cried. Nanny dutifully wiped Nessa’s tears away. Glinda, if possible, cried harder than Nessa. But what mattered the most to Fiyero was that Elphaba was happy, and she was.