The day seemed to go on forever and the sun was close to dropping behind the mountains before Kiamo Ko finally loomed before them.
“I did not realise that Kiamo Ko was such an imposing structure,” remarked Elphaba as her grandfather helped her out of the coach.
“It was built by central Ozians and won from them by the current King some years ago,” explained her grandfather. “Now it is the autumn and winter lodgings of the King’s family and those he invites.”
Elphaba nodded thoughtfully and stayed silent as he led her inside, where they were greeted by the King’s chamberlain and led to another room.
“The Eminent Thropp and the Thropp Third Descending of Munchkinland,” announced the man, who looked very uncomfortable in his role as an announcer. Elphaba wondered exactly how long he had been in the position and suspected it was not long after the marriage arrangements were finalised.
Elphaba wasn’t exactly sure what she expected the Arjiki King to look like but what she saw was a man, dark-skinned and black-haired, his skin decorated with blue diamonds tattooed on his upper arms and wrists – like bracelets and armbands imprinted on his skin. He was simply dressed in an open waistcoat like garment of a neutral beige shade and trousers of the same. He looked very out of place in the room, which was furnished as any office seen in the lands east of the Vinkus.
“Your Majesty,” her Grandfather greeted him, making the half bow of an equal greeting an equal.
“Your Eminence,” replied the King, standing up and responding with the same.
“My granddaughter.”
Elphaba took that as her cue and, not knowing how to curtsey, bowed deeply to the King and cursed the awkwardness of her clothing (not to mention herself). The King inclined his head in a brief nod and examined her silently, in a manner that she found very uncomfortable. It was more, it seemed to her, than the usual reaction to her colour, he seemed to be silently cataloguing all of her visible flaws and (perhaps) weighing them against the value of an alliance with the Eminent Thropp.
“I have the formal agreement here, ready to be signed,” he announced, turning back to the desk without further comment. “One copy for each of us. You can tell her the main points.”
The Eminent Thropp winced unnoticeably and risked a glance at his granddaughter. To his surprise her face was impassive however she did step out in front of him and approach the desk.
“I am quite capable of reading it for myself, thank you. Your Majesty,” she informed him in a bland inoffensive tone. She was privately pleased to see that he was obviously surprised by that.
“Very well then.”
He handed copies to both of them, along with a quill pen and inkpot.
“It is as we discussed, Your Eminence.”
“Your Eminence neglected to mention that my being adopted into the Arjiki tribe was one of the conditions of this arrangement of yours,” remarked Elphaba, just after her grandfather signed his name.
“A minor detail,” replied the Eminence, shrugging off her remark. “You were made aware of the key points.”
“You will have seen, however,” pointed out the King. “That the adoption is optional.”
“I have no objection to the condition itself, Your Majesty, in fact I am very flattered to have the offer made to me. I was simply pointing out His Eminence’s negligence in not sharing with me all conditions of the agreement before bringing me here.”
“You did not seem receptive to a discussion of the finer points of the politics involved,” snapped the Eminence. “Unless you have any further questions please sign your name.”
“I apologise, I did not realise there was a time limit. Or are you just concerned that I am going to change my mind, even at this late date in the proceedings? If you believe nothing else, your Eminence, I would that you are aware of the fact that I do respect you enough that I would have told you before we arrived if I had no intention of going through with this marriage you have arranged for me.”
While he was still deciding on how to answer that statement in front of the foreign king she plucked the pen out of his hand and scrawled her name (just legibly enough for the legality of the thing) on both copies of the marriage agreement.
“I hope you will tell my sister that it is this agreement that keeps me from coming to visit her,” said Elphaba, in the tone of a formal request, as she handed one copy of the contract to her grandfather and the other to her soon-to-be father-in-law. One of the conditions of the agreement was that she must stay in the Vinkus until after her first child was born and, it seemed to her, that could be a very long time depending on her future husband reacted when he saw her.
“Naturally,” agreed the Eminence. “If you wish I will carry a letter home to her for you, and to your father if you like though it may take some time to catch up with him.”
“Tell Frexspar Thropp that you’ve married me off to a heathen?” replied Elphaba, perversely amused. “I will leave that to you, Your Eminence, I have no wish to cause him such distress.”
“As you wish, I will tell him. Is there any other business, Your Majesty?”
“None that concern your granddaughter, I will have her escorted to a room and dinner brought to her. Tomorrow the Queen will send some of her women to prepare you for the ceremony. It will be performed in Arjiki but you aren’t required to say anything, having already given your agreement in writing.”
Elphaba nodded, having no other way to answer the statement. The king rang a bell and gave the person who arrived some instructions in Arjiki then told Elphaba to go with him.
“Goodnight granddaughter.”
“Grandfather, Your Majesty.”
The two men waited until she was out of the room and the door closed behind her before continuing in conversation.
“I shall presume that you do not disapprove, Your Majesty, since you gave us the paperwork to sign?”
“Given the political alternatives, she’ll do,” replied the king. “Though she is certainly no prize in appearance or personality.”
“Do you think your son will object at the ceremony?”
“It’s too late for that, the contract is signed, and the ceremony is a mere formality. My son will do his duty.”
“As will my granddaughter.”
“Excellent. We will have dinner with my son, I have told him that it would be impolite to ask you questions about your granddaughter but I thought you might like to meet him.”
“An honour,” murmured the Eminence, he could not have cared less but agreed for the sake of politeness.
Elphaba woke the next morning confused at first to find herself in a real bed, surrounded by stone walls. With a rather sudden jolt she remembered exactly where she was and why she was there.
Why did I agree to this!sShe wondered furiously, forgetting all of the reasons she’d thought of in her sheer anxiety at what she was actually expected to go through with today. Unable to stay in bed a moment longer she climbed out and walked to the window. It faced west, other the lands of the Arjiki and the other tribes who inhabited the Thousand Year Grasslands, and it was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen. Low mountains ending in an endless sea of green tinged brown.
I’ll be living out there!
The sudden realisation drowned out her doubts, for the moment, all she could think of was that the Grasslands looked like the epitome of freedom – regardless of the fact she would be trapped in an unwanted marriage.
“Please, Miss Elphaba, won’t you come away from the window?”
The maid’s interruption distracted Elphaba from her reverie, until that moment she hadn’t realised she was leaning on the sill of the open window.
“I couldn’t possibly leave this view just now!” argued Elphaba. “Come and look, it’s indescribable.”
“I’m sorry, Miss, but it looks like a lot of dead grass to me and that’s all,” said the girl apologetically. “Please, Miss, do you know if I’m supposed to be getting a dress ready for you or something like that.”
“I don’t think so, the Eminence said it was all arranged and there’s obviously no wedding dress in here so I think we will just have to wait until the Queen’s ladies arrive.”
“Very well, Miss, should I unpack your clothes do you think?”
“I don’t think so,” replied Elphaba. “These obviously aren’t the Prince’s chambers and presumably my things will be moved there some time today. Just sit down or something won’t you? Your hovering is annoying me and I don’t know what you are so nervous about, you will be going home in a few days.”
“Sorry, Miss,” whispered the maid, perching on a chair that did not look like it was intended for a servant – she was sure her mistress did not intend for her to sit on the uncarpeted stone floor, however irritated her command to stop ‘hovering’ had been.
After that Elphaba’s viewing of her future husband’s kingdom was uninterrupted until the Queen’s Ladies, accompanied by the Queen herself, arrived and unlocked the door. The unlocking was enough warning for the maid to jump to her feet and tap Elphaba’s shoulder so the green girl was standing when they entered. Despite never having met the woman it was obviously that she was the Queen and Elphaba, ignoring the shocked chatter of the other women when they saw her, bowed to the Queen while her maid (who did know how) curtseyed as low as she could before standing as unobtrusively behind Elphaba as she could.
“Greetings, Your Majesty,” said Elphaba, recalling that as she was the lower ranked female it was up to her to speak first.
“To you who will be my daughter, greetings also,” replied the Queen in halting Ozian; she clearly had not had as much practice in it as her husband. “I bring to you my servants who will prepare you for the ceremony of K’halhedarada, marriage as said in your tongue.”
“I am grateful for your thoughtfulness, my own servant being untrained in your customs. I apologise that I cannot speak to you in your own tongue, to my regret I had no time to prepare for the honour of becoming the wife of your son.”
“If you practice, you will learn soon enough,” replied the Queen, speaking less formally and with a hint of a smile. “So it was for me when I came from my tribe to join with the King. If you truly wish to learn I will arrange a tutor to work with you after the isolation.”
“Isolation, Your Majesty?”
The Queen sighed softly, an almost irritated sound that made Elphaba think she had annoyed her until the older woman spoke again.
“I see my husband has been as helpful as his father was when I was married. It is the custom of the Arjiki that a man and his K’halhe, his wife, spend the first week of their pairing alone together. In the Grasslands they go off on their own but as we are currently more or less confined to the castle until spring I have arranged for the servants to bring you meals but for there to be no other contact with the other inhabitants of the castle. I have ensured this by having my son’s belongings removed to a suite of rooms, I think comparable to a house in your country but without a kitchen, that are little used and quite far removed from the daily goings on of those who live here. Now if you have no more questions I will leave my Ladies to prepare you for the ceremony.”
“No more questions for the moment,” replied Elphaba, who could think of at least a dozen questions.
The Queen nodded and spoke rapidly in Arjiki to the huddle of women who had stood silently behind her while she spoke to her almost daughter-in-law. Chattering amongst themselves and pausing every so often to look at Elphaba as if her appearance was going to change, they led her down a lot of stairs.
“Oh, no!” exclaimed Elphaba, when she saw what was in the room they were taking her into she refused to move – much to the obvious distress of the women, who clearly did not speak Ozian but understood the tone of her voice at least. Elphaba, cursing her Grandfather for a closemouthed idiot, shoved her way through the women behind her and leaned against the wall opposite the bathing room and its deep pool of water.
The women, as Elphaba had guessed, did not speak Ozian and could only assume that she had changed her mind about marrying their Prince. Chattering anxiously among themselves they decided to give up on getting the girl into the bath and some of them hurried upstairs to find the Queen while the rest stayed to make sure the girl wouldn’t leave the hallway.
Elphaba kept her face expressionless as the frowning Queen approached her, she was in a bad mood now and didn’t care to make the pretence of following protocol. The Queen, mindful of her own experience as a bride, was sympathetic to what the women had told her the girl’s problem was.
“The Ladies tell me that you have refused to go into this room.”
“It’s not what you think,” replied Elphaba, despite the fact the woman had been making a statement rather than asking a question. She was fairly sure what the woman thought.
“I think that you are scared of marrying my son, is this not so?”
“Well I would be lying if I replied ‘no’ to that,” agreed Elphaba. “But that is not why I don’t want to go in there. It seems there are some things that my grandfather did not explain to your husband over the course of their correspondence.”
“Ah,” agreed the Queen, despite the fact she did not see the point yet. “It is ever that way with men, to tell each other only what they think is necessary and then tell their womenfolk even less.”
“I am not sure how best to explain this so I will keep to the simplest explanation. The touch of water, even so much as a raindrop, burns my skin like fire would.”
“I have never heard of such a thing,” exclaimed the Queen, clearly believing her but shocked. “I understand now why you do not wish to go in there but why would your grandfather not tell my husband of this? Surely he knows that time must be spent upon the plains in spring, where there is often rain?”
“It seems he thought it would be enough to tell your husband that I am difficult and that my skin is… well as you can surely see.”
“Oh,” the Queen made a soft noise of embarrassment. “Is it not usual to have skin of different colours in the land of Munchkins? I know so little about the world beyond the Vinkus it did not occur to me that it was as strange to them as to us.”
“I am the only one,” confirmed Elphaba. “It is my understanding that my grandfather gave your husband a choice between myself, unattractive and flawed as I am, and my sister who was born crippled. It would appear that I am the lesser of two evils but if my grandfather has not told your husband of this flaw, and you believe it may be a problem in the spring and summer seasons, then I think you should certainly tell him about before the ceremony in case he wishes to change his mind.”
“Wise words for one so young,” mused the Queen. “In the place you come from how do you keep yourself clean if not by bathing in water?”
“With oil, I have some in my room, if you would explain to the ladies…”
“This is what our older folk, whose skin is fragile, do. I will explain to them that your skin is like that of an elder and must have no water on it.”
With an imperious wave of her hand the Queen summoned one of the women to her and rattled off a fast explanation in Arjiki, which made all of the women perceptibly relax.
“There now, they will take you back to your room and help you bathe then get ready for the ceremony.”
“I’d much prefer to bathe myself,” replied Elphaba, keeping her dignity enough to allow only the slightest hint of pleading.
“It is the Arjiki tradition that a woman be attended by women at this time. I do understand your feelings,” she added sympathetically. “Among the Yunamata, my people, a woman is a girl until she is wed and before her ceremony of joining is tended to only by her mother, or her closest woman relative if she has no mother. When I came here to wed the king I was tended by his mother’s ladies, who did make most disparaging remarks. My ladies are also Arjiki but I will warn them most firmly that there is to be no gossip about the prince’s bride if they wish to continue spending their springs and summers in the castle as I do, it is the most I can do.”
“I am grateful that you will do so much for me when we are so recently acquainted.”
“I will return after I have spoken to my husband,” replied the Queen with a smile that showed Elphaba her thanks were appreciated. With a few sharp words to the ladies the Queen disappeared down the stairs and Elphaba allowed the women to take her back to the room she had slept in.
“Back so soon, my lady?” asked her maid, who had been nervously sitting in the room with nothing to do.
“My half senile fool of a grandfather neglected to mention to these people that I have a… problem with water. They tried to take me to a bathing room; fortunately the Queen was present and able to translate. Some of them are missing so I assume they have gone to fetch the oils they use on their elderly people here. I would much appreciate it if you would at least sit with your back to me while they do this since I prefer to be on display to least number of people possible.”
“You’re mean them lot are going to watch you bathe, my lady?” exclaimed the maid.
“As I understand it,” replied Elphaba tiredly. “They intend for me to stand in the middle of the room while they do the work.”
“Heathens!” protested the maid.
“So it would seem,” agreed Elphaba, amused by the fact the girl seemed to be more firmly on her side now despite the fact she’d obviously found the journey as her maid very trying.
“Well of course I can be one less person gawking at you,” agreed the girl, turning her stool to face the widow as she continued speaking. “Just fancy that not letting a girl wash herself up on her wedding day!”
“I believe they have some similar custom in Gillikin, wherein a group of ladies who are to be married on the same day will bathe and prepare themselves together.”
“Begging your pardon, my lady, but at least in that case you wouldn’t be the only one with her clothes off.”
At that point the women who had vanished in another direction reappeared, carrying bundles of things and locking the door behind them, and the whole group converged on around Elphaba. Chattering to each other in Arjiki they seemed puzzled by the fastenings of her nightgown to the point where she took pity on them and undid the thing herself so they could take it off and away.
Unintentionally Elphaba tensed up, waiting for laughter or derisive comments, as the eight women examined her nude body – presumably for visible flaws they might need to report to someone. To her surprise there were no comments at all and the women became quite matter of fact as they pinned her hair up then quite gently cleaned her skin all over while she, much to her disgust at herself, blushed furiously and tried to avoid meeting their eyes.
Once her skin was dry they led her closer to the bed and pointed to a pile of black fabric then one of them picked up what looked like a very abbreviated version of the undergarments she wore at her grandfather’s home and handed them to her.
“Oh so you at least expect me to start dressing myself,” she murmured. “I suppose that’s something.”
The next item was a long black petticoat, very simple compared to the ones at home, that was fastened by a drawstring. This was followed by a short sleeved garment all in one piece and as she pulled it on Elphaba realised that the midriff baring top was of the same style as the Arjiki women were wearing, except their garments were of the same neutral beige colour the King had been wearing. Now that she thought about it the Queen had been wearing black with gold trim on the neckline of the top, nearly identical to this one except cut to fit individual figures. No doubt she could find someone to explain the significance to her later.
“You may turn around now, I think they are almost done.”
Surprised by the almost happy tone of her lady’s voice the maid did so and gasped slightly as she realised the wedding dress arranged by the Arjiki King was the costume of the natives.
“Oh, my lady, what will your grandfather think?” gasped the maid.
“More than he can politely say, I would imagine,” replied Elphaba, highly amused by the necessity of her grandfather having to be polite about his granddaughter revealing so much of her unsightly skin to a large group of people. “Now hush so I can pay attention to what they do with those several feet of black fabric, in case they expect to continue dressing as they do. I have the impression from the Queen that the Arjiki expect their foreign wives to behave as Arjiki women do.”
“You don’t sound entirely unhappy about that, my lady.”
“And you may pass that observation on to my grandfather if he questions you for I do find that I am not ‘entirely unhappy’ about the idea of living with, and as one of, these people.”
“I’ve always thought you were an odd one,” opined the maid, watching with unintentional curiosity as the foreign women took the length of fabric, tucked one in the petticoat and pinned it in place, then wrapped the entire thing around once at which point they folded it into a skirt like arrangement then draped the remainder of the fabric over Elphaba’s left shoulder pinning it in place against the petticoat at the back.
To the surprise of both the maid and the bride to be, who was pushed in front of the full-length mirror before she could say a word, the Arjiki style quite suited her. It didn’t make her look pretty by any means or soften the sharp angles of her face but somehow the colour of her skin looked less wrong in the foreign clothes. Though Elphaba supposed that it made her look even stranger to the Arjiki women, to see her dressed up as one of them.
With no change of expression the women pushed her into the chair in front of the dressing table so they could brush and braid her hair in a surprisingly simple style that, she noticed now, they all wore. Once they were done the one who seemed to be in charge made an imperious gesture at the maid, who looked helplessly at Elphaba.
“I believe she’s finished dressing me in their style and would like you to put my mother’s veil on for them,” guessed Elphaba. “And if that’s not what she meant, well it’s what I want you to do now anyway.”
“Yes, my lady,” agreed the maid, reverently removing the veil from the bag it has been packed in. it was a light, misty, piece of lacework designed to be held in place by two silver combs, which the maid slid expertly into Elphaba’s hair. “You’d think it would look odd, wouldn’t you? With the silver and gold, black and white, and the fact it’s clothes from two different places but somehow it suits you.”
“Thank you,” replied Elphaba genuinely. A knock on the door sent the Arjiki women into a flurry as their leader called out something in a challenging tone then relaxed as the reply came back and opened the door to admit the Queen.
As before Elphaba’s maid curtseyed and Elphaba stood up then bowed to her future mother-in-law.
“I have spoken to my husband, the King, in the presence of the Eminent Thropp,” she informed Elphaba. “Your grandfather apologised for the fact he did not consider your ‘other disabilities’ when corresponding with my husband and offered to break the marriage contract with no blame on either side. My husband has decreed that it is of little concern, it will be for your husband to decide if he wishes to find a way for you to join him in the grasslands or simply have you stay here.”
“Thank you, I am glad this was cleared up before the ceremony took place.”
“My ladies have done well, I must say, you look much better now that you are wearing something like proper clothes.”
“Well thank you, I think. I was under the impression that I must look even stranger to you now that I am dressed as everyone else here is.”
“Not at all. Arjiki women come in many types, though you will be the first and only of yours I believe. If we stare it is more because you are the first woman from the east or north of Oz that we have ever seen. Those few traders who come this way do not tend to bring their womenfolk with them and our women have never left the grasslands. Now, it is time for the rest of us to leave. Your grandfather will be here shortly, to escort you, as is your custom. As is our custom the people will be lining the courtyard that you will walk through. My husband, our son, and the one who will perform the ceremony, along with the tribe’s elders who will witness, will be waiting for you in a room at the other end. They will stare at you but I will tell you something an Arjiki woman would know, they are only doing it to see how you will react. I can see that you have much pride in yourself. Hold your head high and let them see it, especially because you are not of the Vinkus they expect you to act meek – they will not be unhappy if you disappoint them in this.”
“What a curious difference in attitude towards the way women ‘should’ behave,” mused Elphaba, covering her nervousness with the comparison.
“I would very much like to discuss those differences, perhaps after your week of isolation as it will be my duty to teach you what you need to know about being an Arjiki woman.”
“I think I will like that very much. Before you leave, could I ask you to make arrangements for my servant to have a place to sleep until my grandfather is ready to leave?”
“Of course, she can help my ladies take your things to the room you will staying in then she may stay in this room until the Eminence is ready to depart.”
“Thank you.”
“I will see you after the ceremony. There will be a feast in honour of your marriage.”
The Eminence arrived shortly after the Queen left and although he didn’t comment on her dress the expression on his face was enough to make Elphaba smile to herself at his obvious disapproval.
“Are you ready?” he asked brusquely.
“As ready as I will ever be,” replied Elphaba.
Her grandfather nodded and took her arm to lead her downstairs to the room where her soon to be husband waited for her.