Author's Note: So, I love just taking these two a putting them in different situations and seeing what comes of it. I promise this doesn't mean I'm not updating my other stories (I'm still working on my revision of "Forced Love," as well as continuing, "A New Philosophy." I'm also working on a complete rewrite of "From Elphaba to Fae: The Lost Years," but I refuse to post that until it's finished and I'm satisfied. Anyway, here's the latest story. I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter One: A Crazy Idea

"Do they arrange marriages for everyone in the Vinkus?" Crope asked Fiyero.

He shook his head. "Just royalty. Lucky me." Fiyero rolled his eyes. "Marriage out there, of course, is different. So is just about everything else." He didn't want to go into exactly how different – how many times he'd walked in on his father with their cook, how it was clear to him that his mother knew and she simply stayed silent. That wasn't the sort of thing you tell a new group of friends, and it wasn't something he was proud of.

"That's an antiquated tradition, isn't it?" Elphaba commented.

"I suppose it is." He eyed the green girl uncertainly. Of all of the new people he'd met since he'd begun school at Shiz, he found her to be the most interesting and intriguing, and not just because of her exotic skin. Fiyero had never seen anyone so outspoken and opinionated.

"Do you want to go through with it? Do you have to?" Pfanee asked.

He shook his head. "I'd much rather marry for love, but I don't have the luxury of the time for that. I'm expected to be engaged by next year."

"How sad," Boq remarked.

"Stop prodding the poor boy," Avaric snipped. "I, for one, would like to live in the now." He stuck his nose into the air and slid an arm around Shen-Shen, who giggled and shifted closer to him.

Fiyero looked around the table, noticing the way Crope brushed his leg against Tibbet, the way Boq looked at Glinda, the way Pfanee stared off into the distance, thinking about that boy back home she always spoke of. Even Nessa eyed Boq with hopeless longing. The only person with clear eyes at the table was Elphaba. He smiled at the people around him, thinking how it was only fitting he'd found the strangest group of students on campus. "Yes. I have a year before I have to worry about any of that."

As the sky got dark and the group walked back, they split off into pairs, traveling in a line down the small streets back towards the dormitories. He ended up walking beside Elphaba. "Tell me more about your life in the Vinkus," she requested. "I've been to Munchkinland, Quadling Country and Gillikin, but I've heard so little about the Vinkus."

"I might sound biased, but I think it's one of the most beautiful places in Oz. Some would call it barren and uncivilized, but there's so much nature, so much color."

"Many people aren't fond of color." Elphaba said wryly.

"Well, I am. I would assume you are, too." He motioned at her skin.

Her cheeks darkened in a way that made him catch his breath. "I am. Not for that reason. I think our world could use a little more color. Otherwise things get boring."

Fiyero found himself drawn to her eyes; the moonlight made them more crimson then brown and they were lit with a passion most people lacked. "I doubt you ever let yourself get bored. Is this what you do for fun around here?"

"I do a lot of reading on my own, actually. I only come out when Glinda or Nessa insist. I enjoy a good debate, but I only get that on occasion when we're in this group. Most of the time everyone just gossips, and I don't stand for gossip."

"I enjoyed having you with us. I know Avaric might not want to hear differing opinions, but I'm always open to them." Since arriving at Shiz only several weeks ago, he'd realized there was much he didn't know about the world he lived in and he thirsted for knowledge of all of it. His curiosity was endless.

She gave a small smile at that, the corners of her mouth twitching slightly. "It's nice to know someone keeps an open mind. These days that's difficult to find. I suppose it's because you've been here such a short time that you've yet to be corrupted."

"Corrupted?" He raised his eyebrows.

"Things aren't always what they seem, Master Fiyero." Her tone was dark, but she shook her head. "You'll learn. You don't need to be brooding about things now. Have you been getting on well in classes?"

"Outside of life sciences, yes. I do believe Professor Nikidik has it out for me, though."

She cackled. "I noticed that. He's angry that you interrupted his demonstration and made him look like the imbecile he is. That's not your fault. He shouldn't have been playing with a fire he couldn't contain." Her voice softened and she clasped her hands in front of her. "I felt so bad for you that day. It was a bit of a harsh welcome. You looked so afraid."

"I had spent days wondering what to expect on my first day of classes, but that certainly wasn't something I considered."

"I can't imagine that it was. He doesn't belong in the classroom. You could've been killed. Any one of us could have."

"I see you don't like the man any more than I do."

"I don't. I miss Doctor Dillamond."

"Who?"

"He was our life sciences professor before and I actually learned things from him."

"What happened? Did he quit?"

She paused, as though wondering how to respond, looking at the ground in front of her as she answered. "A lab accident."

"How horrible."

"Yes, very." Elphaba sighed. "He was a Goat, you know. But that never stopped him." She looked at Fiyero again. "Do you miss home?"

"At times. I've never been outside of the Vinkus. I know that when I finish Shiz, I will need to travel to the City and here, actually, for trade and business purposes. My father does, but he never took me with him." He suspected there were reasons for that, too – that his father enjoyed privacy while in the City, a certain type of privacy. Bringing his son along would definitely make such things difficult.

"I've never been to the City, either. I hope to go at some point."

They had reached the dormitories then and the boys and girls split off into separate groups, the girls headed towards Crage and the boys towards Three Queens. Fiyero nodded at his new friend. "It was nice to talk to you. Perhaps you'll come out again next time?"

"Maybe."

He watched her walk away for a moment before Boq grabbed him and the five boys clamored towards their rooms. "I do hope tomorrow's lecture isn't too boring," the Munchkin boy muttered.

He was talking about their economics class. "I'm certain it will be, though."

"I know. And I so hate numbers. They all jumble together inside my head. As long as we don't have a surprise quiz tomorrow, though, I think I'll survive."

Fiyero merely shrugged, not knowing how to respond, his mind elsewhere. He was thinking about his impending marriage. Since he was about six years old, he'd known he was to marry Sarima, but as he'd gotten older he'd begun to further understand what that meant. And he'd never had time to fall in love or find another bride, and where was he to look? He'd been at Kiamo Ko for most of his life. Now here he was, finally out in the world.

Of course, a year wouldn't give him enough time to find someone and get engaged. But what if he didn't, exactly? What if he found someone willing to go along with his story and pretend to be engaged until he was allowed to take the throne and make his own decision? He didn't have to actually marry until after he took his father's seat, so it could work. It would have to be convincing, and he'd have to find the right girl. Why would any girl even bother to go along with it, though? He'd have to think of something to benefit her. He had some money. Not a lot, but more than the majority of students here.

It was a ridiculous idea. He couldn't lie to his parents, could he? His father had always been distant from him, but his mother knew him well. She'd know. And even if she didn't, it wouldn't feel right to lie to her like that. Still, he couldn't get the thought out of his mind.