Frex didn’t teach Elphaba how to read until he taught Nessa how to read (Nessa had just turned five years old and Elphaba was six years old, almost seven). She learned to read more quickly than Nessa did and read anything she could get her hands on. Reading became her passion. She used fiction as an escape and the amount of nonfiction she read resulted in her being incredibly booksmart. When she was younger, she read whenever she wasn’t responsible for caring for Nessa and she still reads whenever she has the time.
I'm sorry, motherThe animals, the animalsSeems that I have been held in some dreaming stateOoh, let me in or I'll get physical with youThere's a humming in the restless summer airOkay this is sensational. SEND ME A •3• AND I WILL PUT MY PLAYLIST ON SHUFFLE, WRITE DOWN THE FIRST LINE OF FIVE SONGS AND GIVE IT TO YOU AS A POEM
Fiyero returned to their bedroom with a tray in his hands and the intent to surprise Elphaba with breakfast. He hadn’t prepared much, since his ability to cook was nonexistent and the variety in the food they had access to was limited, but he did the best he could with what he had.
He froze in the doorway when he found Elphaba awake and sitting on the edge of the bed instead of asleep and under the covers like he had anticipated. She was hunched over with her hands by her hips and her ankles crossed. She was staring at the wall and she looked unhappy.
She could see Fiyero in the corner of her eye. “You can put that down,” she told him, “I don’t want it.” Slowly, he bent down and placed the the tray on the floor. His feelings weren’t hurt, at this point he could only be concerned for Elphaba.
"Fae, what’s-"
"I’m pregnant, Fiyero," she interrupted him. She didn’t turn to look at him. He said nothing. They had never planned on having a baby but he could easily imagine himself as a father. He wanted to be overjoyed at the news, and he would have been had she been even the least bit excited. Instead, she was angry and he was confused.
"I’m not meant to be a mother," Elphaba said, breaking the silence and turning towards him. Fiyero walked toward the bed and sat next to her.
"You know that for sure?" he asked her although he already knew what she was going to say.
"I do. My own mother died when I was young and I was raised by a father that cursed my existence." She pursed her lips for a moment and then continued to speak. "You know this already. I shouldn’t have to explain myself."
Fiyero sighed and they both sat in silence once again.
"What do you remember about your mother?" he asked her after what felt like an eternity.
"Not a thing," Elphaba said. "Although, I do remember Father telling Nessa every now and then how much he wished she was still alive and that she would have been a wonderful mother. He must have had something to base that on even if I can’t bring myself to remember anything about her."
"Do you think you might have inherited any of that from her?" Fiyero asked, "Being a good mother, I mean. Even if she couldn’t raise you, do you think you could have inherited her maternal instinct?"
"No, I don’t."
"I suppose we’ll just have to wait and find out then. Come here." He gently wrapped his arms around her and she didn’t protest. As upset as she was, the warmth of his embrace was comforting.
"Yero?" Elphaba murmured, her voice laced with both confusion and concern. She placed a hand on his shoulder in the attempt to comfort him and subsequently pulled it away when he flinched at her touch.
"Please," Fiyero begged. His voice was soft. He sounded like he was in pain. "Please, let me go, I don’t know where she went.”
Elphaba’s eyes widened as his words triggered memories of Fiyero’s capture by the Gale Force and their obvious intentions to torture him.
"Fiyero. Look at me, it’s alright." This time, Elphaba took hold of his arm which, against any of her intentions, caused him to cry out in pain.
"I only wanted her to be safe!" he screamed.
"Fiyero!" she yelled. She took his face in both of her hands and turned it towards her own. In that moment, Fiyero came to but he still was not looking directly at Elphaba. He was breathing quickly and his eyes were wide with panic.
"Look at me - just breathe, okay?" Elphaba said. His eyes met hers and his shoulders dropped in relief, and his breathing slowed as he relaxed. He said nothing, but he kissed her forehead and wrapped her in his arms.
