Chapter Text
Elphaba turned around in her apartment, before looking into her bag, and made sure that she had indeed packed all she needed for the day. She decided that nothing had been missed, and moved to the door, locking it behind her before heading out into the City.
The warming air of the Spring season arriving, greeted her the moment she made it outside. She noted the sun was actually shining today, despite what had felt like an eternity of rainy days recently. She had spent most of them inside, reading; in between the times that she worked at the café nearby, Green Roots Roast.
When she first begun working there, the rest of the staff had found it ironic to now have someone on staff, who was actually green, but soon the novelty wore off, as did most things revolving around green within the Emerald City. She definitely didn’t get along with everyone at work, but she did make a couple friends within a few of the girls that she usually shared shifts with.
She had been lost in her thoughts by the time she had found her feet moving on their accord, going about her usual Saturday plans. One thing Elphaba knew, even from an early age, was she thrived on routine, and predictability. She spent her Saturdays the same way, every week since moving to the City. Her stroll to the park took her by the café, and she would almost always find one of the girls, waiting at the window, to wave to her; even though they’d see her tomorrow for her half day shift.
As predicted, Elphaba looked up from the book she was reading as she walked, and smiled. She found Bronwyn, waving, serving at a table that was situated near the window. She turned and said something within, and then Cordelia and Henley appeared beside her, waving too.
She shook her head, smiling as she gave a final wave, as she turned to her attention back to her book. She never thought that she’d find more friends after the friend group at Shiz, especially ones as persistent as Glinda, but here she was. Bronwyn was definitely the quietest of the group, with Cordelia and Henley being much more enthusiastic. But also, if she described Bronwyn as quiet, then Elphaba herself was a recluse. As much as they could be a bit much at times, she knew all three of the girls meant well. She knew they’d ask her about her day tomorrow, and she would tell them the same thing she did every time they asked, “If something else happened, besides the usual things, you know you’d be amongst the firsts to know.”.
Some days, they reminded her of Glinda a bit too much, and she’d smile sadly to herself, thinking of the blonde. They were still friends, but since graduation, Glinda had returned to the Gillikin, and Elphaba had returned to Munchkinland, before she moved to the City, putting distance between them. They wrote as often as they could, but the visits were few and far between.
.
Elphaba finally reached Poppy Park, as she called it, a small but quiet gardens and greenspace near the café. It had some of the most beautiful poppy gardens that she had ever seen, and she adored it. It was her small piece of peace and quiet within the hustle and bustle of the city and sometimes suffocating feeling of it all. She had found it not even a week into moving to the City, and self-claimed it as her little spot of peace, from every Saturday on. She’d pack a small lunch, as well as a book or two, and she’d just spend hours alone, letting the world move around her.
.
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Fiyero stepped out into the pathway, and stretched widely. He didn’t understand how his father held himself with grace, during those kinds of meetings. Sure, they were necessary, but they were also long; longer than any Shiz lecture he had priorly sat through. Fiyero had thought for a moment, sitting in the seat beside Magnus, that maybe these chairs were punishment for something. That’s at least the protest that his body was currently giving him from it. He heard the bell toll in the City Square, and he looked over and noted the time. The meeting had been just under four hours long, one of the longest yet, and he knew he didn’t just want to go to the quarters they had while in the City, and just sit around more.
He had just finished his stretch, as he felt Magnus’ hand, settle onto his shoulder, and he smiled to him, “Thank you, Fiyero.”
Fiyero raised an eyebrow, confused, and Magnus chuckled as he continued, “Thank you for sitting through that meeting. They’re not usually that long, but since I’ll be held up within the Vinkus for the next part of the year, they wanted to discuss more than usual.”
Fiyero nodded, “Of course. I won’t say I didn’t get bored,” Magnus chuckled, and Fiyero smiled, “But, I do understand why they’re necessary.”
They stood there for a moment longer, and Fiyero thought back to just after graduation. He had begun to take royal duties a lot more seriously since then, or at least as seriously as Fiyero could. He knew that it would begin to fall all solely on him one day, which terrified him, but he also realized long ago, that being royal was not something he could get out of. So, the least he could do for his parents’ sake, was that he tried to embrace it more. Magnus nudged him, out of his thoughts, “Are you coming back with me, or are you thinking about exploring the City a bit more? Remember, we are only here for a more days.”
Fiyero nodded, and decided to do some exploring, “I think I will walk around for a bit, and see what I can find; see what trouble I can get myself into.” He stretched his back out again while smirking, and Magnus had to chuckle at the dramatics of his son. Some things just didn’t change. He nodded to Fiyero, before taking the carriage back to their lodgings, and Fiyero turned his face up to the sunshine, relishing in the warm feeling it gave. And off his feet began to take him.
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Fiyero didn’t even have a plan for this exploration, he just walked where the wind seemed to take him. He had stuck fairly close to the Town Square for quite a while, before he realized that he had actually begun to miss the quiet of the Vinkus. The mountains just didn’t have the same hustle and bustle that City had, it had a peaceful and tranquil feeling to it. He decided to go over to a booth that he spotted that said “Information” above it, and he smiled as he greeted the attendant inside, “Do you supply maps?”
“Yes, Your Highness, we do,” they slid a map out the slit in the window to Fiyero, and he grasped it in his hand, thanking them, and went to turn away when he paused. He turned back to them, “I am actually looking for something specific. Somewhere that someone can find some peace and quiet?” he finished, sheepishly.
The attendant nodded knowingly, and pointed to the map within his hands, and Fiyero slipped it back to them, “Most people like to go to these gardens,” they started, circling a starred spot on Fiyero’s map, “But, personally, I find them too tourist filled.”
They smiled, “If you want to live more like a local,” they moved their pen a bit more to the West side of the City, and made a circle in, what looked just like a greenspace indicator on the map, to Fiyero, “This is the place to go to. It’s actually the Ozma Grand Gardens, but locals like to just call it Poppy Park, as it has some of the most beautiful poppy garden arrangements that’ll ever find in Oz.” they finished, before quickly adding, “Your Highness.”
But Fiyero just swatted a hand at the name, and smiled kindly back to them, “Thank you. You may have just saved my sanity on this trip.”
He had begun to walk away, when they called out, “Oh! There’s also a café on the way called Green Roots Roast, it’s marked on your map!”
Fiyero held up a thumbs up as he walked away, and shouted back, “Thank you!”
He looked down at the map, making sure he started to head in the correct direction when he took in the names. There were so many things that were named with the words green or emerald in their name, including that nearby café and it only ever made him think of her.
And now that the very gardens he was running off to for a moment to himself, supposedly had the most magnificent poppy gardens in Oz. Just another reminder of her. He shook his head to try to shake her from his thoughts, but he knew it was fruitless. She had been on his mind quite a bit since graduation, but he hadn’t been brave enough yet to write to her. As much as he had wanted to, she was probably doing well with her life since they all graduated, she had everything lined up and ready, who was he to mess that up for her?
He sighed; just when he had finally begun to try to not think of her, the City had brought it all rushing back. He thought back to a memory, and foolishly, it made him smile. He didn’t even know if she would have even remembered the pact they had made the night before graduation, but he did. He shook his head; it was foolish to think for a moment that the pact would ever be anything more than words they said. He hadn’t been able to convince her then, how did he think he could now, if somehow, he did have the chance to see her again. He looked up from his map, and he took in the post to the side of him. It had small signs hanging of it, and the one that pointed directly in the direction he faced, read Ozma Grand Gardens, and his feet began to take him closer to his destination.
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He had quickly taken in a breath, when he noticed the poppy gardens, as he approached the front gates. They were perched open, open for anyone of the general public to come in and see. He could see there was some other flowers in a couple other gardens amongst them; some tulips, some lilacs, and some sunflowers. But the poppies, by far, dominated the gardens as a whole.
Again, he thought of her, she would love to see these many poppies in one place. She had loved the field near Shiz that they had often visited, but this garden, it had at least double the number of poppies.
He strolled around them for a moment, taking in all the aromas of the flowers, mixing, and he smiled. The attendant had been right, not many people seemed to be there. It was definitely more of a local’s spot; the little secret within the City.
He noted the greenspace of the area as well. There were a couple of people enjoying a picnic to the side, and it reminded him of the times that he had done that with Nessa, Boq, Glinda, and Elphaba. He stood in front of one of the farther poppy gardens from the gate, and seemed to tune out the world around him, reliving memories of the past.
He shook it from his head again, deciding to take one more lap around the gardens, before he would return back to his father, to find out what the next day would entail; hopefully less than today.
He stopped at a grouping of poppies, and looked around, would anyone really miss it, if he picked one poppy? There had to be thousands within these gardens, so how could they miss one singular poppy. He didn’t want to take it just for the fun of it, he wanted to take it to preserve, to remember these gardens; to remember the symbol they were of good memories. He snuck a peek around again, trying to make sure no one was going to come and grab his hand and smack it like he was a five-year-old in trouble.
.
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Elphaba had just finished the final chapter of her book, moving her bookmark to the front cover, ready to use for the next book, and moved to place it in her bag, when she noted someone in front of the gardens near her. There was another garden between them with tall sunflowers that partially blocked her view, but between the leaves and tall stalks, she could see them looking around suspiciously. She narrowed her eyes; great, another tourist who was going to try to pick a flower to take home. It bothered Elphaba whenever she saw this, because while most thought of it innocently; if everyone did that, with how many people pass through the City, weekly or even daily, the gardens would become bare.
She watched for a moment longer, and noted they leaned forward ready to pick one of the poppies, when she decided to speak up, “What makes you believe you’re so special that you can pick a flower from a garden; that I doubt you have any claim on?”
She noted the man startled at the sudden voice, and he looked around for a moment, trying to place where the voice had come from.
It was only as he turned that her breath caught in her chest, and a hand came up to her mouth, to keep her from opening it again.
He was doing well in his own life. She didn’t need to show up and ruin it. She waited a moment, not moving a muscle and watched him between the leaves.
He kept looking around, “Where are you? I know I heard a voice.”
She waited, not saying another word. She noted that he began to walk closer to the sunflowers, and she braced herself. There was going to have so many emotions brought up, and there was going to be so many questions. Maybe he’d decide to give up on the mysterious voice who chided him; but knowing him, she somehow doubted that.
.
He noted the sunflowers behind him, and he smirked, walking closer. They’d provide the perfect coverage for someone from the main pathway, but still be able to view those that walked by. He triumphantly, but gently, grasped the sunflower stalks and pulled them back, “Aha!’ he cheered, smiling, before his face instantly changed.
There she was, curled up on the bench looking to him with doe-like eyes, and she was biting at her lip, one of her worst habits. His eyes widened the longer he looked, like he was somehow he was being tricked that she was just a mirage of his imagination, “Fae?” he finally choked out.
She looked back into those blue eyes; ones she hadn’t seen in a year, “Hi, Fiyero.”