Every Story is a Love Story

Promises Kept

It had been four years since Fiyero had left Elphaba. Tam was growing up fast, and Elphaba couldn't be happier. Her daughter's hair was a very dark blond, no doubt, but it was still brown enough that she could call it so. Despite being an almost exact facsimile of her mother, by some strange coincidence, Tam seemed to have inherited Glinda's bubbly spirit and perkiness. Elphaba found herself filling in the void in her life by bonding with her daughter. When her daughter was around, Elphaba could not bear to let her loneliness take over. Tam was her world now, and she wouldn't have it any other way.

Crisanta had moved out, back to the village. She had done it of her own free will, of course, but it had still hurt. But Elphaba would sometimes go to the village to see her(with her daughter in tow, of course), and she enjoyed having someone to bond with. She found herself forgetting about Fiyero as time went on. But there was one person she still pined for.

She wished Glinda could be there with her. Even if just to see how much Tam resembled her, even if she wasn't biologically related to Glinda in any way. She knew Glinda would find it amusing.

But, most of all, she wanted real company. Glinda had given her that years ago, and somehow, Elphaba only ever felt really comfortable around her. She hadn't wanted Fiyero to run off with her, for she knew it would have made Glinda unhappy. And Oz knows, she was already unhappy enough.

Despite being polar opposites, she had been closer to Glinda than to anyone else. They had somehow clicked, and that had made Elphaba realise that it was always supposed to be the two of them.

Which was why she regretted letting Glinda stay back when she herself joined the fight against the Wizard. She regretted taunting her on the cornfield the day Nessa was killed. She regretted the fact that she had listened to Fiyero and not gone back to tell Glinda that she was still alive.

She watched as her daughter played about with the children in the Animal village. She felt as though she was in a comfortable space whenever she went there. They all knew the story of what had happened with her and Fiyero, and they all reckoned she had done the right thing. They didn't judge her for being a single mother. They respected her more than Fiyero ever had, and among them, she felt a real sense of compassion and understanding.

"Momsie! Over here!"

Elphaba was jolted from her thoughts as she saw her five-year-old daughter run towards her. She called our, "Yes sweetie, I'm right here!"

Tam flopped into her lap and said, with a dramatic sigh, "Oh, Momsie, I'm so tired!"

Just like Glinda, Elphaba thought to herself. But she smiled and said, "So, what do you want me to do?"

"I don't know."

"Hmm...how about we have some ice-cream before we go home?"

"Yes, please!"

It was at those times that Elphaba was grateful that she actually had a job. Sure, it wasn't much- just a teaching gig at the village school- but it was better than nothing. Atleast it had given her some insight into how a child's mind worked, and it was helping her with her daughter. Because, honestly, Tam was a hyperactive little chatterbox who just couldn't sit still. Elphaba obviously loved her to bits. As they came out of the ice-cream parlour, Tam kept on chattering non-stop about her Animal friends, school and whatever else she could think of. Elphaba was more determined than ever- she would never let her daughter feel the absence of a father in her life. It was gruelling to fill both roles, but, truth be told, she enjoyed those challenges.
~*💚*~
It was a dark, stormy night. Rain cloaked the world in thick sheets. No one would dare to be outside in such weather. Most people would remain sheltered in their home, by their warm hearths.