In his two decades of life thus far, Fiyero Tiggular had seen many things.
Because of his royal lineage as an Arjiki Prince, his early years had been filled with many things that most would not even fathom of seeing until decades later. By the time he had reached the tender age of twelve, he had traveled further around Oz than most people thrice his age. Early immersion into the diverse culture of the land made him knowledgeable in many areas, though that knowledge was most often times hidden behind a façade of arrogance and indifference. By the time he arrived at Shiz, he had seen more in his twenty years than most ever dream of seeing in a lifetime.
There was, however, another side to the story
Though he had seen many great things, Fiyero also seen his share of unpleasant events as well. Along with the wealth and privilege of his bloodline came the ever-present threat of revolt. The Vinkus tribe, from which he hailed, was known for it's infamous reputation of fighting. While most were no more than small scuffles between neighboring tribes, there had been a few instances in the history of his people in which a revolt would break loose and the crown would be overthrown. While his family had never felt particularly endangered, they had never completely taken their security for granted either.
Ironically, however, it was not the threat of danger that bothered him the most. The events that had taken place in his first weeks at Shiz had stirred his stomach more than the threat of revolt ever had. That had always only lingered in the back of his mind, but the actions of late, especially the termination of Dr. Dillamond, played on his mind like nothing he had ever experienced.
Yes, it would seem safe to assume that he had seen more than his share of the unusual and dramatic in his time.
Yet even Fiyero hadn't seen anything as what stood before him at this particular moment.
The place was not unusual. He stood in a simple dress shop not far from the university. Though it was not a place he frequented often, his presence there was not a surprise. He had more than once accompanied Glinda there on one of her many shopping whims and patiently stood and offered his opinion on the sea of dresses she would emerge with from the back. He would indulge her until she was satisfied( many times he was greatly rewarded for his efforts) and then escort her back to the dorm, carrying her latest purchase over one arm and claiming her hand with the other. It had become a routine of sorts for them.
This time, though, was different. This time, a third guest had accompanied them.
His girlfriend's roommate-and very unlikely friend- had made the trip with them. It was her, not Glinda who currently stood in front of the full-length mirror. She was clad in pale pink gown that hugged her slender frame in all the right places and was staring into the mirror with a horrified expression.
Only two words came from her lips. "Absolutely not!"
"But Elphie!" Glinda moved closer to inspect her friend. "It fits you like a dream. What could possible be wrong with it?"
Elphaba turned the glare to her friend. "I don't know. Perhaps the fact that I resemble a rather-obnoxious looking birthday cake?"
Fiyero snorted then, earning him a glare from both ladies. He quickly averted his eyes and focused on the display from bridal magazines near the register.
Glinda was trying to be reasonable. "People love cake…."
"Glinda!" The green girl stepped down from the stool and began to head back toward the dressing rooms. "You're not helping!"
Seeing her friend was upset, the blonde offered "Maybe it does clash a bit."
"A bit?" Elphaba turned then, causing the skirt to twirl about her calves. Fiyero felt his breath catch then, an action that took him by surprise. He turned his attention back to the girls just in time to hear Elphaba say. "Glinda, look at me! What in Oz possessed you to choose this dress for me to try on."
Her shrug was innocent. "Pink is universal. It looks good on everyone."
"Remember who you're with, Glinda. I clash with everything, remember?" A saleswoman walked by and Elphaba stopped her. "Excuse me, but do you have anything in black?"
Before the poor woman could respond, Glinda inserted herself between the two. "Oh no, you don't, Elphie. You are not going to the Winter Festival in black. It's all you every wear and quite frankly it's downright depressing sometimes. You need some color!"
The green girl glared down at the shorter girl. "What else do you want me to do, Glinda. We've been here for almost three hours. I don't even know why I agreed to go to this blasted dance! You remember what happened at OzDust! And even if for some reason I did want to go." She sighed as she brought here eyes to the mirror. "Everything I try on is horrible. I look like a calamity in everything."
Glinda said nothing, only grabbed her friend's hand and dragged her back into the dressing room. Fiyero could hear her protests from the waiting area as his girlfriend tried her best to finagle her green friend into a dress that would suit her tastes. The bickering continued for several more moments before Glinda squeal of excitement penetrated his ears and the bubbly blonde appeared in front of him.
"Fiyero! We found it! We finally found it! Wait until you see-" She stopped only when she realized Elphaba had failed to emerge. "Elphie! Come out here now!"
The muffled "No!" was all he heard.
"Excuse me for a moment." Fiyero watched in mild amusement as Glinda stormed back into the dressing room and reappeared a few moments roughly pulling her protesting friend back to the mirror.
The moment he saw her, his heart began to race and somehow he forgot to breathe. Sweet Oz…
The poor girl looked as if she had been put through the ringer a time or two. Her ebony hair that had been in a sensible braid when they had arrived was now mussed, no doubt Glinda's rapid attempt at styling, but hung down her back in long waves. Her eyes held fatigue, a sure sign that hard-core shopping was not something she was used to. Her dress was a deep shade of violet, complementing her unique skin color and hugging her frame in all of the right places.
Glinda's smile was smug. "See there? Now was that so difficult?"
"You look lovely, Elphaba" Fiyero added.
Elphaba turned her gaze to the mirror and shrugged. "I will admit it's better than the others, but I still look like a disaster."
Ah, but a very beautiful disaster Fiyero thought to himself.
"Oh, Elphie stop it!" Glinda seized Elphaba's hand in one of hers and Fiyero's in the other. "You look fabulous. No thanks to me of course." She laughed. "Come on! We only have a few hours before the Winter Festival. There is so much left to do yet! We have to do your hair and makeup. Oh and of course you'll need shoes to go with your dress. Lucky for you, I have the perfect pair back at the dorm!"
As Glinda continued to ramble on about all of the other "necessities" of preparing for her dance, Fiyero shot Elphaba a sympathetic smile, which she returned with one of her own. They both knew Glinda was only doing what she felt was best. They also knew that they would never forget what happened on this unseeingly eventful day.
And they never did.
Even years later, after the Emerald City. After Elphaba's surprise return. After the destruction of the Wicked Witch of the West. Even after Fiyero and Elphaba made their escape from Oz with their best friend in the would believing them dead.
Even on a cold winter night when they lay snuggled together under a blanket, they remembered.
"Do you recall that day in the dress shop when Glinda was bound and determined to find you a proper dress for the Winter Festival? He would ask as he pushed a stray curl from to face.
A small smile would grace her lips. "How could I forget? Nothing I tried on looked right." She shook her head. "I don't even remember how she talked me into going."
He laughed. "I know you weren't happy with her. But she finally convinced you to buy something."
"Yes, but at the Festival, Boq had just a bit to much to drink and ended up emptying the contents of his stomach all over me." She shrugged. "I didn't care much for it anyway. I only bought it to please Glinda."
He pulled her closer. "I can still see your face as you looked in the mirror. I've never seen such distain in all of my life."
Elphaba groaned and buried her head in his shoulder. "I couldn't help it! Everything I tried on was wrong! I was a complete and utter disaster."
Fiyero pulled her back to face him. "Oh, but you were such a beautiful disaster, my love." He pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. "My beautiful, beautiful disaster."