Chapter Three: Dresses

When she started to wake up, Elphaba half expected that she had passed out somewhere in the Great Gillikin Forest and everything that happened was simply a dream. Her eyes opened and proved her wrong.

She took another look around the room, determined to find something different from the night before, trying to prove that she was still in the dream. Nothing was out of place from how she remembered it.

With that, she allowed herself to accept what had happened. Soon after her exploration, there was a knock on the door. She walked up and opened it, seeing Fiyero holding a tray.

“What makes the Captain of the Gale Force bring me breakfast? Aren’t there other servants?”

He shifted his head to avoid her gaze. “I asked the same thing when I was told to do this. The Wizard doesn’t trust anyone not in the higher rings with the information. And don’t worry, Glinda will be the one to get you dresses.”

Elphaba laughed. “As long as she listens to my requests, I’m fine with it. I know breakfast duty isn’t something you’re happy about doing…”

He shook his head. “I wanted to talk to you. It gives me an excuse.”

“Why thank you, Captain.” She took the tray out of his hands and set it on a coffee table surrounded by a few chairs. “You seem to not be as upset about my choice. Did the Wizard order you to like me?”

He shook his head again. “So how was your sleep, Elphie?”

“It was fine. The best sleep I had in a long time. Perhaps because I wasn’t on hard, uneven ground.” She laughed again, then turned to the food. “Come later, after I’m done eating, Captain.”

“The Wizard won’t let me. And even if he would, I told you before, I wanted to talk.”

“And so we have,” she said before returning to her meal. She ignored him as she ate, glad to have a steady meal.

“Captain,” She said about half way through.

He looked up, having drifted away on the foot of her bed staring roughly in her direction. He looked expectant of something for her to say. “Yes, Elphie?”

“I wanted to know if I can have some juice and jam instead of milk and butter. I also would like the cook to know I do not eat eggs.”

At first the look faltered, yet the words seemed to please him. “I thought you joined willingly. Why do you still have the fascination with helping Animals?”

“Because I figured it would be easier to work from here where people do not fear me, than where I was before.”

He smiled brightly and hugged her. “You’re still my Elphie!”

“It’s nice I still have some traits you identified with me, but please, I would prefer some juice and jam, and have these eggs removed.”

He pulled away uncertainly from the hug. “Y-yes, of course Elphie. Right away.” He kissed her on the cheek lightly and removed what she requested.

She was quite tempted to lock the door after the Captain’s strange display of affection. How he acted today against how he acted yesterday were two very different displays. Yesterday he was upset at her surrendering. She expected it, though. Today, he was acting as if she still was at Shiz, not yet going to see the Wizard. He embraced her, and kissed her. It was quite confusing to her. Why was he actually happy to see her. When she admitted to her choice of not using animal byproducts, his smile was his old dancing-through-life smile, instead of a malicious smile that he might use as blackmail. They weren’t even close at Shiz.

Maybe he loves me as much as I love him. She thought. She shook her head, refusing to believe he could be in love with her. After all, he agreed to marry Glinda. How in love with Elphaba could he be if he said yes to Glinda?

“I’m back,” She heard after she was done arranging her thoughts. “And please hurry. The Wizard didn’t expect you to be picky, so Glinda’s coming soon.”

Fiyero walked towards her almost as if he was waltzing, as he gave her some cinnamon rolls, jam, and apple juice.

Elphaba looked at her food. “Thank you Captain.” She felt like she was back at Shiz, trying desperately to try and hide her crush on him. He was so confusing, even still. It didn’t hurt that he still looked the same as he did before, only dressed as Captain of the Gale Force instead of Prince of the West. Why was he being friendly to her?

“Are you alright, Elphie?”

“I’m just fine, Captain. You don’t need to worry over me.”

Fiyero nodded and looked away as she finished her food.

“Captain, I have finished my breakfast. Thank you for trying to pretend to like me.”

He smiled when he took the plates. “I wasn’t pretending.” He kissed her on the cheek lightly and left.

Elphaba had little rest after he left. Only moments later, Glinda managed to run in and hug her.

“Elphie!” Glinda said happily. “I knew you couldn’t have ever become Wicked. That’s the one thing I couldn’t believe-ery that Morrible said. If only because I was there when she said you were all evil and must be stopped. I was really worried you know, Elphie. I think that’s why Fiyero joined the guard, to make sure I was happy. You two never really had a chance to talk to each other beyond whatever day he was speaking of.”

Elphaba smiled as Glinda continued her giddy ramble about her life for the past few years. Glinda had barely changed. Her hair was more curled than before, and kept a bit shorter, perhaps because of the tight curls. She dressed far more elegantly than Elphaba had ever seen her at Shiz.

“Oh yeah,” Glinda said with a giggle. “I’m supposed to get you dresses. Now, I need your measurements, Elphie.”

She pulled out a thin wand. When Elphaba pulled back, she reassured her. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to change it; I can’t do that Elphie. But I can figure out your size and get you several dresses that should fit you and then alter them quickly when you try them on.”

Glinda waved her wand and various lengths appeared, measuring her quickly. The lengths then headed to Glinda and merged together to form a sheet of paper.

“Okay Elphie!” Glinda said jovially. “I’m finished. I’m off to a store to find some good dresses for you.”

“Glinda, wait,” Elphaba said.

Glinda turned around and looked at her. “Yes Elphie?”

Elphaba hugged her friend and smiled gently. “Thanks for not changing, Glinda.”

Glinda smiled and left.

Elphaba was glad that everything seemed to be going smoothly. She had a few moments to herself before another person entered.

“My how you’ve changed, my child,” She heard the new person say. It was another she knew, although she wasn’t as glad to be near Morrible as she was with Fiyero or Glinda.

“Why hello there, Madame Morrible,” Elphaba said, managing a polite smile.

“To be quite honest, I didn’t expect you to have actually lived this long as the Witch.”

Elphaba met her eye. “I’m quite good at surviving, Madame. I had done it for nearly twenty years before I met you, so I could manage it for a few more after. Are you here because you think me a prisoner?”

Morrible chuckled lightly. “My dear Elphaba, there is nothing I can do to you. The Wizard, while he requests you to stay in this room unless instructed otherwise, thinks of you as a guest. A most honored guest.”

“So why are you here?”

“Because, Elphaba, you may regret this decision to join his side later, once you’re in too deep to run away. To take on your old moniker of the Witch. No, it’s not a question of might.” She paused a moment. “You will regret your decision. Goodbye, Miss Elphaba.”

Morrible left Elphaba alone in her room again.

Elphaba paced during the time it took for Glinda to return. She had nothing better to do. It was a secret of the wizard and only those he considered the must trusting that she changed sides, and was still here. To some extent, her taunt at Morrible was right. She was a prisoner until the Wizard could explain away her change in a way that glorified himself and the rest of the court. No, she was a prisoner until the ball where he released her of her old title.

It was then when Glinda ran in with packages. “Oh Elphie! I so wish you could have came with me. It was so much fun. I got you several nice dresses. Oh, and matching shoes!” She threw one of the boxes at Elphaba. “Here, put this on. I think it’s the one I like.”

Elphaba smiled and opened the box revealing a navy blue ballgown.

“I so wish you wouldn’t just wear black. I got you some dark colored dresses because they’ll look nice on you as well.”

Elphaba shrugged and pulled her old dress off.

“Elphie!”

Elphaba glared. “What is it?”

“Don’t change in front of me, find someplace else to dress yourself.”

Elphaba laughed at Glinda’s shriek. “Sorry, I haven’t been around people in…” She paused for a moment, pretending to count the years. “A long time. However long ago it was when you and Fiyero were only an item for a few weeks.”

Glinda laughed at that as she ushered her friend to the restroom. “Well, get changing.”

Elphaba nodded and tried on the dress. Glinda handed her a box that had some simple high-heeled shoes made of the same fabric with a simple silver buckle at the top of the shoe. She put them on.

“Oh Elphie,” Glinda said, helping finish the dress. “It looks amazing on you. I knew it! It brings out your best assets and hides the…” She took a look at Elphaba’s chest. “Ones you lack. Now, I need to get this to the proper fit.” She pulled out her wand again. Elphaba flinched briefly, causing Glinda to laugh. “Honestly Elphaba, I won’t kill you.”

She waved the wand with a couple of words and the areas that Glinda believed didn’t fit right were fixed. The skirt shortened a touch, and the straps over Elphaba’s shoulders tightened to the point they didn’t try to slide down her arm, but not tighter.

Elphaba went through the cycle five more times, each with a different dress. All were different colors. In the end, she had dresses in dark blue, brown, crimson, maroon, burnt orange, and, most interestingly, a deep grey.

“I’ll get you more as you need them, Elphie,” Glinda said. “But I hope by that time I can take you shopping.” Glinda squealed. “I certainly hope that you’re ennobled by the time Fiyero and I get married. You’ll be my maid of honor, Elphie.”

Elphaba smiled. “I didn’t get to say Congratulations to you, Glinda,” She said calmly. “I never thought Fiyero would agree to be tied down, how did you get him to propose?”

It wasn’t the right question to ask. Glinda looked away. “I’ll see you again when the Wizard sends me to you then, Elphie. Until then, farewell.” Glinda curtseyed politely before taking her leave.

Maybe Morrible was right. Maybe she was better off with her own title. But she couldn’t know for sure yet. She had to get deeper into the system. Just as Morrible predicted.