Raincheck

Galinda closed her eyes as the soothing scent of her lemon tea filled the room. It was an excellent tea, but there was nothing very special about it. What made it special was that her parents would make it for her when she was under the weather. It was something they had always done for her, and for each other, so the scent and mild flavor of the tea had become synonymous with comfort and care. Having Elphaba prepare a cup for her and settle it gently into her hands before sitting on the bed to feel the blonde’s forehead made Galinda unexpectedly emotional. 

Unfortunately, the prickle of tears in her eyes sent an unbearable tingle down her nose. She quickly pushed the teacup back into Elphaba’s hand, anticipating the oncoming sneeze. 

“Bless you!” Elphaba exclaimed as Galinda’s head bobbed forward with yet another half-stifled sneeze. The blonde sniffled delicately, fumbling for a handkerchief on her nightstand and lightly pinching her nose. Her eyes fluttered once more, and she held the cloth to her face for a few more seconds before sighing and settling back, the sneeze leaving her. 

“Thank you, Elphie,” she sighed heavily. “I’m sorry about all of this.” Galinda waved weakly at herself and hung her head slightly. Oz, stop it. She felt tears begin to prickle at her eyes again as she felt an intense wave of what felt like guilt crash into her chest. 

“You’re…sorry?” Elphaba was confused. She reached out to brush a lock of hair behind Galinda’s ear before touching her chin, lifting it so she could look at the other girl directly. The blonde looked exhausted. “What are you apologizing for?”

Galinda felt herself blush and quickly tried to get a handle on the embarrassment she suddenly felt at the attention. “Nothing, I just,” she sighed again, sniffling against the persisting tickle in her nose, bringing her handkerchief under her nose for a brief touch. “I really didn’t think I would get sick. Uplands do have very strong constitutions, I wasn’t exaggerating,” she replied, offering Elphaba a weak smile. 

Elphaba nodded and carefully gave Galinda her tea back. “Sure. But you shouldn’t feel like you need to apologize for getting sick, my sweet.” She tilted her head to catch Galinda’s eyes once more. “Okay?”

“Okay,” Galinda whispered with another shaky smile. Elphaba didn’t quite understand what was going on in Galinda’s head at the moment. The younger girl seemed sad, or disappointed in herself—like she’d done something wrong. Elphaba didn’t have much more time to think about it before a violent shiver suddenly ran through Galinda’s body. 

“Oh!” Galinda softly exclaimed, goosebumps spreading across her arms and legs. This sent Elphaba into action. She quickly stood and moved toward Galinda’s wardrobe to pull out more comfortable loungewear for her to slip into. But, as she reached for the handle, she was caught abruptly off guard by a series of harsh coughs, leaving her momentarily breathless. Oz. 

The sound of rustling blankets and fabric behind her told her Galinda had gotten up quickly. “Elphie! Are you alright?” The blonde was soon by her side, teacup forgotten on the nightstand, hands gently running up and down her back and across her collarbone. Elphaba closed her eyes while taking slow breaths, relishing the feeling of Galinda’s soothing hand on her chest. 

“Yes, sorry. That came out of nowhere,” she admitted, shaking her head to shake off the sudden spike in heart rate her coughing fit had caused. She quickly pecked Galinda on her forehead, where her eyebrows had come together in her signature worried frown. “Let me get you something warm to wear.”

Galinda waved her off. “Let me do it, Elphie. I know exactly what I want to snuggle up in.” She winked at Elphaba and shooed her back to the bed while she turned to dig through her wardrobe. It ended up taking Galinda a few minutes longer than expected to find what she was looking for. As soon as she was bent over with her head stuck inside her wardrobe, she felt the pressure in her head quadruple, sending a sharp, shooting pain between her temples once more. Lurline. Italmost turned her stomach. 

The blonde was prone to headaches in general, but particularly when ill, often needing to lay down for hours on end with a cold compress over her eyes, all noise and light blocked out as much as possible. In addition to it being miserably painful, coping with it made her deeply uncomfortable. She felt helpless, lying in bed, unable to open her eyes. Any sneeze or cough only further contributing to the pounding pain in her skull. One of her parents would typically stay with her in her room until she recovered, rather than a member of the household staff, because it made her feel safer to have them close. “We’re here, darling. You rest...” were the sweet, comforting words that would lull her to sleep.  

But this was her first time being ill while away from home. Momsie and Popsicle weren’t here to dote on her, and Elphie surely wasn’t in any condition to.

Galinda finally found the lounge set she was looking for and breathed a sigh of relief, straightening up and out of the wardrobe. She had to quickly reach for the side of it to steady herself as her head swam, but the woozy feeling passed, and she turned to begin making her way to the bathroom to change. “Be back in a clock-tick,” she said, giving Elphaba a small smile as she passed the bed where the other girl sat with their breakfast tray, waiting for Galinda to return so they could eat. 

Once inside the bathroom and behind a closed door, Galinda felt her resolve crumble. Frustrated tears came quickly, and she turned on the cold water tap in the sink to prepare to splash her face once she’d calmed down. She could do this. She didn’t need to be babied. And most importantly, Elphaba needed her. The blonde nearly tore off the clothes she was wearing, tossing them into the laundry hamper and quickly pulling on the soft, warm sleep set she planned to spend the day in. She quickly pulled her hair down and began a braid to have something neat and tidy to sleep in. After washing her face and removing evidence of her breakdown, Galinda left the bathroom to rejoin Elphaba.

“Are these pickled vegetables?” Elphaba asked when she heard Galinda approaching the bed. She inspected the many smaller bowls on the tray accompanying their rice and broth. There was also a bowl of brightly colored puréed fruit that she had already tasted and fell in love with. 

“I believe so,” Galinda said, softly clearing her throat as she moved to sit in the middle of the bed. She reached for her tea and took a long sip. “Nessa said she saw someone take two of those soft eggs”—Galinda pointed to a covered bowl—“Along with the pickled vegetables, and they put it all on top of the rice and ate it together like that…” she shrugged. “It’s something they eat in The Vinkus, so Fiyero was particularly excited to see it.” 

After the surprisingly satisfying meal—that Galinda made sure to eat all of, despite her headache turning her stomach every so often—the two settled back into bed. Elphaba had picked up a book while Galinda slid down to recline further against the pillows. Her eyes were closed, her brow slightly furrowed, and a hand rested by her left temple, occasionally coming up to slide across her forehead and massage away any aches. 

“How is your chest feeling, Elphie?” Galinda asked quietly, turning her head slightly toward the other girl and opening one eye to assess her further. 

Elphaba thought about it. “A little tight, but no heaviness or rattling like yesterday.” She smiled down at Galinda, taking in her tired expression. “I might try that steam room again in a bit.”

Galinda smiled fully hearing this. “I think that’s a wonderful idea! I can get that going for you whenever you’d like.” The blonde looked taken aback by Elphaba raising a brow and barking out a laugh. “What?”

“Or…” Elphaba trailed off, giving Galinda a moment to try and figure out what was happening before continuing. “…I can get it going. And you can stay right here and rest.” She leaned over until she was face to face with Galinda, eyes darting down to her lips briefly before meeting the blonde’s suddenly sparkling eyes. She moved closer, a hair breath from kissing the other girl…before quickly kissing her on the cheek instead. 

Galinda smiled as she felt Elphaba’s cool lips press a kiss to her cheek, feeling butterflies explode in her stomach. “That was mean, you tease,” Galinda said, voice stuffy and fond. 

Elphaba pulled back and brushed the back of her hand against Galinda’s flushed cheek before she continued speaking. “Besides, you should probably stay out of there anyway, Sneezy. I’m not sure you can handle even a hint of eucalyptus until you fully recover.” Galinda rolled her eyes at that and huffed out a laugh—muttering “who are you calling Sneezy”—before suddenly freezing, shutting her eyes tightly, a quiet gasp escaping as she brought a trembling hand to cover her eyes. 

“Your head?” Elphaba asked urgently, worried, reaching for the younger girl without knowing where to touch. Since being escorted back to their room by Fiyero and Nessa, Galinda had been plagued with a terrible recurring headache. Elphaba knew the girl would get headaches occasionally when working on essays in poor light or after too late a night at the Ozdust, resulting in little sleep, but this was notably worse. The blonde quickly lost color in her cheeks and gulped hard against what seemed to be mild queasiness. 

“Yes,” Galinda whispered, voice wavering as if she were near tears. “I think—maybe— I’ll try to sleep a bit i-if that’s alright, Elphie.”

“If that’s alri…of course it’s alright, Galinda.” Elphaba found herself confused again at Galinda’s behavior. She kissed the younger girl’s forehead, pleased to note that her fever seemed milder than earlier, and whispered “Sleep now” with her lips still pressed against her skin. Before pulling away fully, Elphaba tucked her nose into golden hair near the blonde’s left ear, nuzzling sweetly in an unusually excessive display of affection. “I love you, my sweet.”  

Galinda’s breath caught in her chest at Elphie’s rarely spoken “I love you,” and sweet behavior, letting the warm feelings it brought on wash over her, sending her off into a fitful nap. 

~~~

Elphaba sighed as she lowered herself deeper into the bathtub. Since her fever had broken and she was feeling significantly better despite the persisting cough, she figured now was a good time to bathe while benefiting from the steam. The eucalyptus made her eyes water a tiny bit, but the intensity of the scent and cooling sensation it brought while she sat in the tub rather than simply in the room was invigorating. 

After taking a washcloth to her body, she relaxed in the tub for a long while and let her mind wander to the sweet blonde napping on the other side of the door. It didn’t take long for Galinda to drift off, but she did not appear to be resting peacefully. She was clearly still suffering a headache despite being asleep, and she was constantly sniffling. Elphaba had gently taken her handkerchief from her hand to dab at her nose for her, unintentionally setting off a series of hitching breaths that thankfully did not wake the poor girl. Galinda rubbed her nose roughly and tucked the lower half of her face beneath their newly crafted blanket. So cute. 

When the water had cooled, and Elphaba could take a long, deep breath without feeling the catch in her chest that had been present the last couple of days, she rose from the tub and got dressed. As she entered the bedroom, tying her froat closed, she looked up to find Galinda out of bed and standing near their tea station with her hands hovering in front of her face. 

“Hh’hh…mm’pshiii! …mm’psHii!” She let out two half-stifled sneezes into her handkerchief and, unfortunately, began lightly coughing immediately. Elphaba shook her head as she went over to her to guide her back to bed. 

“Come on,” she said softly, trying to turn Galinda around to walk back to her bed. Galinda was a step away from the bed before she snapped forward with another sneeze. “Hh’hhPSHiiew!”

“Bless you!” Elphaba offered, trying not to laugh—again—at the squeaky, high-pitched sneezes. Elphaba gently pushed Galinda down onto the bed. “What were you doing up?”

Galinda shrugged a shoulder. “I was trying to get tea started… so we could sit together on the balcony for a little while,” she said, voice hoarse from having woken up recently. She looked up at Elphaba standing beside her, the girl running emerald fingers lightly along the blonde’s hairline. “Then I got…” she waved both hands in frustration. “Sneezy.” 

Elphaba smiled at that, continuing to play with her hair a bit. "Are you sure you want to sit out there, sweetness? You seem so tired," Elphaba worried, taking in the blonde's downturned eyes and slack face. 

"But…you love it out there," Galinda pinched her nose with the handkerchief and blinked up at her slowly, her headache making itself known and pressing against the back of her eyes once more. "And I just took a nap…"

"Well, I love it in here too," Elphaba quipped back. Galinda nodded, careful of her head, eyes practically drooping. Elphaba studied her face and wasn't sure the blonde was completely lucid. She looks like she could fall asleep sitting just sitting there. "I'm still feeling a little worn out. Will you lay with me?" Back to this game, I suppose. 

"Oh, yes—of course, Elphie… I'm—"the blonde trailed off, eyes fluttering shut and a hand coming up to wave in front of her face, encouraging the oncoming sneeze to bloom. She moved her fingers beneath her nose, forgetting about the handkerchief in her other hand, and pressed two fingers to the sensitive underside of her nose. She bobbed forward, stifling the sneeze completely. 

Elphaba bent down so she was at eye level with her. "Stop doing that," she scolded. She quickly kissed the tip of her nose, startling a squeak out of the blonde. "Now let's get—what's that word you like to use?" Elphaba teased, booping her on the nose. 

Galinda smiled, blushing at the attention her poor nose was receiving. "Cozy." 

“Right. Let’s get cozy.”

~~~

Before

~~~

“Thank you, gentleman!” Highmuster bellowed, waving the household staff out of his chambers, thanking them profusely for promptly bringing his travel chests to his guest chamber. “Dulcibear! A word, if you would? I’m unfamiliar with how these windows open and I do so enjoy air.” 

Dulcibear waited for the last member of staff to exit the Highmuster’s chambers before she closed the main chamber door and finally let her shoulders relax. She turned and began walking the length of the main room to the first large window. “Do you actually want the windows opened, Highmuster?” He nodded, smiling kindly. Dulcibear bowed her head and continued moving through the room, opening windows as she went. 

“I didn’t expect you to come so soon after the First Minister returned to Munchkinland.” She said after opening the last window. “He said he simply planned to share our suspicions with you. A contingency plan, he called it.”

Highmuster sighed, removing his top hat and walking over to the small secretary near the bay window, setting the hat down on top. “As soon as Darlan shared your concerns, I knew I needed to act quickly.” He sat in the window seat, inviting the Bear to sit beside him. 

“The Emerald City court has been concerned about Her Excellency’s well-being for some time. His Eminence has made every excuse you can imagine as to why she has not yet been brought to court to be formally introduced.” Highmuster paused and reached for Dulcibear, reaching up to place a hand on her shoulder. “I have been asked by my peers not to leave Colwen Grounds until I have—to put it bluntly, my dear—proof of life. I am to stay until I have spoken with His Eminence’s heir.”

Dulcibear considered his words and nodded, looking outside to gauge where the sun sat in the sky. They had approximately three hours until dinner, and she knew the Governor would be locked in his study with the First Minister until at least ten minutes after dinner was scheduled to start. She turned to the nobleman, studying his kind face, deciding he had honest eyes and that trusting him would ultimately do no more harm than was currently going on in the Governor's mansion. 

"Would you like to see her now?" Dulcibear watched the man's face shift from surprise to curiosity. "She is not actually ill, my lord." Highmuster Arduenna nodded slowly, smiling as he studied the newly fixed resolve on the Bear's face. 

As they left Highmuster's guest chambers and moved down the grand hall, Dulcibear felt her pulse quicken. They weren't at risk of running into any staff member at this time of day, but if they did, Dulcibear was having trouble thinking of an excuse to explain their walking to or from Elphaba's private chambers. 

"Dulcibear?" The Bear looked up upon hearing her name. Highmuster Arduenna appeared deep in thought as they moved down the hall, mulling something over as they approached Elphaba's door.

"Yes, my lord?"

"Would you say it's safe to assume the Governor has kept Elphaba from public view because she is green?" He stumbled momentarily. "She is green, correct? I didn't mishear that?" 

"Yes, she is. And yes, that is most certainly the reason." Dulcibear swallowed hard, her feelings about this still raw, reflecting on the early days following Elphaba's birth. "He is…disgusted by her. He says so, often."

"Utterly horrendible. And ridiculous," Highmuster scoffed. "She is his child. And! There are Munchkinlander’s who are orange. Completely orange! Winkie’s who are more blue than they are not! Green is not that out of the realm of possibility."

Dulcibear chuckled softly. "Your attitude is refreshing. Most do not seem to consider that." 

When they had arrived at Elphaba's chamber doors, the two looked to each other to quickly check-in. Highmuster nodded, and Dulcibear knocked twice before opening the door. 

"Miss Elphaba? Are you awake, child?"

They entered the young girl’s chamber and closed the door behind them. Highmuster Arduenna stayed back to maintain a respectable distance, mindful that he was a stranger entering a young girl’s private room. 

“Dulcibear?” A young, delighted voice rang out—bringing a smile to Highmuster’s face as he thought of his own daughter. The sound of running through the chamber reached the man’s ears, and suddenly, he had a beautiful little girl with vibrant emerald skin, circular glasses, and the sweetest little gap-toothed smile before him.

“Hello, love. I have someone here to see you.” Elphaba shyly peered around Dulcibear’s large frame to look at Highmuster Arduenna. “He is visiting your father and wanted to say hello.” 

It was fascinating to watch the young girl size him up. She began from the top, noting his golden hair, flamboyant mustache, and bespoke suit. “Hello…my lord?” She ventured an educated guess after taking him in entirely. 

Highmuster nodded, offering a kind smile. “Hello, little one. I understand you don’t much care for your own honorific—I don’t care for mine either—so how about we go with something a little less formal for us both?” This seemed to both relax her and stress her out simultaneously. His daughter—and his wife, quite frankly, were similar—they appreciated the lack of formality anytime it was offered while also missing the structure that rules and overly formal airs like that typically provided. 

“What do I call you then?” She asked softly, glancing up at Dulcibear, who chuffed, gesturing back to him. 

“Well,” he started, taking a few steps closer before bending down to take a knee before her. “My daughter is about your age, and her friends call me PopPop. Do you want to know why?” He smiled as her eyes sparkled with curiosity. She nodded shyly. 

He grinned and lifted his right hand, holding his palm up for a moment before rubbing his fingers together in a circular motion. He suddenly snapped with those same fingers and opened his hand to unleash three crystal-clear bubbles—so clear they almost looked like glass, the edges tinged with pale blues and pinks. He closed his hand, and the bubbles disappeared with two loud pops! 

Dulcibear appeared to be quite startled, while Elphaba was delighted. “How did you do that?”

Highmuster chuckled. “A bit of sorcery, my dear. My mother was a sorceress—but my family magic is matrilineal, so the most I can perform is this.” He produced another set of bubbles that disappeared with a notable pop! pop! “My wife is a sorceress, and we expect our daughter to come into her magic when she is grown.” He winked at Elphaba. “I imagine she’ll be far more powerful than I and be capable of producing something more impressive than my silly bubbles.”

He straightened his back slightly but remained kneeling, wanting to stay on Elphaba’s level. 

“I understand I won’t see you at dinner this evening, Miss Elphaba, but I would like to spend some time with you before I return home. I work with your great-grandfather. I’m sure he would love to hear how you are doing.” He hesitated, glancing up at Dulcibear.  “Maybe tomorrow, Miss Dulcibear and First Minister Darlan can escort us on a walk, and we can all enjoy a picnic in your beautiful poppy fields?”

She looked to Dulcibear, who again nodded encouragingly. “Uncle Darlan is here?” Elphaba asked excitedly.

The Bear made a pleased noise, confirming. “Yes, Miss Elphaba, he is here and very much looking forward to spending time with you and…” she looked to the Highmuster. “…PopPop.” 

“But…I don’t know that Father will allow it,” Elphaba said, hesitantly. 

Highmuster Arduenna maintained a polite smile. “He will, little one. He will.”