A/N: I started this fic over a year ago, but it has undergone countless revisions, and is still not entirely finished. Still, I think I definitely have enough to keep posting for a long time, long enough for me to finish it. I am content with the beginning half, and hope you like it, too!

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Prologue

The sky was growing darker. Thunder boomed menacingly, and forks of lightning streaked among the gargantuan black clouds. Below, the grass was thrust from side to side in the fierce gale. Though normally a lush green, today the ground looked gray, bleak in light of the foul weather overhead. A few trees dotted the landscape here and there, but the Vinkus was not known for its shrubbery. This was, after all, the Grasslands.

The only living things visible now weren't even on the ground; they were up in the air, flying just below the cloud line. And they weren't even birds, or Birds. They were humans. At least, they had once been human. Maybe, in a way, they still were. One of them, however, if seen up close, was certainly a scarecrow, and the other had unmistakable green skin, setting them apart from normal Homo sapiens. Whatever their species, they were flying on a common cleaning object: a broomstick.

The sky was growing darker…

Chapter One: Back to Kiamo Ko

"Elphaba! Are you sure this is the right way?" The scarecrow called in desperation above the whipping wind, "The rain is coming!"

The green-skinned witch didn't answer at first, concentrating on steering her broom through the gale. "Of course I know this is the right way! Kiamo Ko was my home for a short time, after all. Don't worry, dearest! I know my way around."

The other did worry, however. He worried that the storm would sweep them out of the sky. He worried that they were lost. And most of all, he worried that his love had lost it, especially since the laugh she let forth sounded much more like a cackle.

Fiyero Tiggular had changed a lot since his school days. Back then, he'd believed school didn't matter, that nothing mattered but knowing nothing mattered, and that dancing through life was the best way to get through. He'd been kicked out of what, five…six schools? And always accepted to more because he was a Winkie Prince, a figure with a title, and a fairly important one to the society of Oz. Then came Shiz University, and with it, Elphaba. Still nothing mattered, until he'd helped her rescue a lion cub one day during class. The memory of the day Dr. Dillamond was taken away was still fresh in his mind. It had been when he'd realized that Elphaba could see right through his smiles and attitude to his heart, where he kept his secrets. She unlocked those, and then Fiyero's outer image melted to reveal his other side. He and Elphaba had run away together twice, and now it was, hopefully, for good. Though he still missed Glinda Upland, as a friend. Elphaba's personality couldn't have been more different then Glinda's, and sometimes it was overly easy to miss the optimistic, perky young woman he'd been engaged to, if not by his own choice. He wondered if Elphaba ever thought about Glinda.

Elphaba Thropp certainly did think about Glinda a lot, more so than Fiyero. They had been best friends at school, and even afterwards. Elphaba guessed that if she'd gone along with the Wizard, Glinda would still be a close friend. Though admittedly complete opposites, inner and outer, they had early on come to an understanding that despite their differences they could still be friends. Then had come the day when the two had been forced to choose between going with popular opinion or against it. Glinda had chosen one; Elphaba, the other. And so the falling out began. It had been a couple of years before they saw each other again, both changed because of their decisions. According to the laws of society, they were now public enemies. But they weren't, not truly. Not ever. Lastly had come the final confrontation, when Elphaba and Glinda made their teary farewells, as an amend to past sins. If all went according to Elphaba's plan, they would never see each other again.

Elphaba, now commonly known as the Wicked Witch of the West, had changed, too. She had once been a shy, youthful, innocent Munchkinlander, shunned because of her physical differences and her inability to interact with fellow students. Her passion for Animal rights had given her the burst she needed to emerge from that shell, and stand up to the Wizard, of all people! Bravely, she had left it all behind and accepted the reputation others gave her as true. No, not bravely. Elphaba had been terrified! She still was, but she was now surer of her actions. This had come from the grief over her sister, Nessarose's death, combined with Fiyero's near miss, prevented only because of Elphaba's transition into the true Witch. Elphaba truly loved Fiyero, and now that they were both fugitives, it seemed that maybe that love could blossom. For now, the most important objective on her list was to reach their destination safely.

"Elphie, it's getting-too-windy!" Fiyero gasped as the wind momentarily stole his ability for speech. "Face it, we're lost!"

"No, I see it!" Elphaba gasped excitedly, pointing with her free hand. "Look, right there!"

Fiyero could see it now, dark and looming high overhead. Kiamo Ko. His second home, though he's never actually lived there. The last time he had set foot inside the castle was two weeks ago, when he had been part of a small group on a mission to melt Elphaba herself. Of course, that was all planned, and shortly after he had rescued Elphaba from the trapdoor where she had hidden. They had immediately left the castle, and for the last two weeks had been flying around aimlessly, to 'put them off our trail', as Elphaba put it. Now they were returning.

Fiyero loosened his grip momentarily, but at that moment, a gust of wind knocked them violently, almost pushing Fiyero clear off his perch.

"Ahhh! Elphaba, be careful! I almost fell!"

"It's not like you can get hurt anyways," she huffed, "And watch yourself; your innards are poking me in the back."

Fiyero was stung by the sharp remarks, and retaliated. "And your hair is flying in my face! Is it a habit of Wicked Witches to make sure they wear their hair as annoyingly loose as possible?"

Elphaba merely laughed again, and warned, "Hold on tight; we're going down!" She began to descend, letting out a laugh that was definitely a cackle. Fiyero held on so tight, his knuckles turned white. He shut his eyes and felt Elphaba's hair whip him in the face, but he was too terrified to push it out of the way. Despite the fact that he no longer really had a stomach, he felt it drop.

Suddenly, the crescendo of wind ceased abruptly. Cautiously, Fiyero opened his eyes. They had stopped, hovering about three feet off the ground, in front of the courtyard doors.