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It’s hard to believe that this woman who could take on an entire army singlehandedly without so much as a moment’s hesitation – and would probably stand a better-than-fair chance of winning – is the same woman who still blushes when he tells her that he loves her, her freckles almost disappearing beneath the flush that darkens her cheeks.
This woman who had all of Oz paralyzed with fear without even trying, or actually doing anyone any harm, is the same woman who reaches for him instinctively in the middle of the night when her dreams turn into nightmares, and who can’t settle back to sleep until she is securely curled up in his arms.
This woman who could spark a wildfire, summon a wind to fan it into an inferno or a storm to put it out, drain an ocean, or raze a mountain to dust and rubble with little more than a gesture of her hand is the same woman who looks at him like he’s speaking another language when he tries to make her understand her own incalculable worth and what she means to him.
This woman who is an unstoppable force of nature in human form is the same woman who looks at him as though he is both her shelter from the storms of life and the moon and stars that bring light and beauty to the skies of even her darkest nights.
This woman who told him to ‘get stuffed’ when he offered her a ride after he and Feldspur had nearly trampled her is the same woman who now makes a point every day to make sure he knows how happy she is that he’s there with her.
This woman who once knocked him completely for a loop by seeing through his carefully-constructed mask as though it was as transparent as glass has become the one person in the world from whom he never has to hide anything about what he’s thinking or feeling, the one person with whom he can always be freely and fully himself.
This woman who has had her trust betrayed and broken by every person she’s ever believed in or depended on, or should have been able to, has somehow still found enough courage and hope within herself to let him past all her defenses and give him the chance to prove that he’s not like the rest of them, that he is worthy of the faith she’s placed in him.
The more he gets to know her, the more he comes to appreciate just how many facets there are that form the full picture of who she is, many of which he’s sure he still has yet to discover – a thought that delights him to no end. And if he’s seeing through different eyes now, as he said to her on their first night together, it’s only helped him realize how all of these seemingly contradictory pieces complement each other to create the complex, intriguing woman that is Elphaba. A woman that he can’t wait to spend the rest of his life learning and loving.
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It’s hard to believe that this man who once prided himself on not taking anything in life too seriously is the same man who treats her like both the most important responsibility and the most priceless gift he’s ever been entrusted with, and who shows her every day in a hundred ways, both large and small, how serious he is about caring for her the way he insists she deserves.
This man who used to flirt as naturally and unconsciously as he breathed, who could have had anyone he pleased with his easy charm, his good nature, and his good looks, is the same man who looked at all of those ‘anyones,’ chose her instead, and has continued to choose her every day since, intentionally and joyfully, with gratitude and without hesitation.
This man who had a respected position and a charmed life with the most beautiful and beloved woman in Oz is the same man who has cheerfully embraced the simple, anonymous life the two of them have built together, the same man who persists in telling her every day that she herself is beautiful. (One of these days, she might even start to believe him.)
This man who gave up everything for her, who paid a price for his choice that still makes her sick with guilt to think of even now, after she’s found a way to put right what she was forced to do to save him, is the same man who somehow, unfathomably, considers all he’s lost to be worth the sacrifice, because she is everything to him, and all he could ever need.
This man who considered it his duty to enlighten their fellow students about the benefits of ‘dancing through life’ without a care is the same man who will, without warning, pull her away from whatever she’s doing and sweep her into his arms, even as she laughs in half-hearted protest, to dance with him to music that only he can hear.
This man who she would have sworn once upon a time had never willingly opened a book in his life is the same man who now takes her book gently out of her hands when he sees that her eyes are growing tired from reading by candlelight or she’s beginning to doze off, finds the place where she left off, and reads aloud to her until she’s finally fallen asleep, tucked up against his side with her head pillowed on his shoulder.
This man who has always taken her breath away from the first moment she met him has become the one person in the world with whom she feels like she can breathe, who makes her feel safe enough and free enough to slow down, relax, and just be, with no expectations or pressure.
She wouldn’t have believed it was possible for a person to change so much from who he’d been when she first knew him, or for him to change so much about her own life, for that matter. However much he credits her for the changes in him, she knows he’s changed her for the better, too. She’s learning to look at things another way – to try to see herself the way he sees her, to believe that, yes, it really is possible for her to be this happy. And although she may never fully understand how one person could cause such a complete shift in her entire worldview, she will forever be grateful to him for being willing and able see her through different eyes.