She was a fugitive. Wanted all through Oz. She had been on the run for the past three years. Fighting for the Animals and hiding from the Gale Force had become part of her daily routine. And so, despite not having a very clear plan when she left Nessarose, she never would have imagined lying here in the forest in the arms of the Gale Force's captain.
But he was the one who came with her this time. Willingly.
"You really have misplaced your mind," she sighed, smiling as she snuggled back into Fiyero's embrace.
"What makes you say that?" he asked.
Elphaba sat up and turned around to face him. "You came with me," she said. "You have a beautiful, perfect blonde fiancée who the whole of Oz adores and you left her to be with me. Why would you do that?"
"Because I love you," he stated simply.
'How is that possible?' she thought to herself. She had putrescent green skin and long, foreign-looking black hair. Even her eyes were a muddy, unattractive brown, she'd always thought. And yet Fiyero Tiggular, the prince of the Winkies had chosen her of all people.
"Elphaba," Fiyero's voice brought her back to reality. "Are you okay?"
"Don't say anything, Fiyero, please," she stammered breathlessly.
"Why not?" he asked.
"Because I'm afraid that if we keep talking I'm going to wake up."
"Elphaba, I assure you this is no dream," he stated, leaning in and cupping her face in his hands.
When he kissed her, Elphaba felt like she was going to explode like a cracker at Lurlinemas. Never in her life had she been exposed to this kind of passion and, quite honestly, she never thought she would be. Her whole life she been 'the artichoke' or 'the bean', something – never a someone – that people never wanted to be associated with.
When he pulled away and stared into eyes, she held on to his hands so tight it was a wonder her knuckles didn't pop out of the skin. She placed light, but hungry kisses on his hand, as though still trying to prove to herself this wasn't merely a figment of her imagination.
"You're wonderful Elphaba," he told her, sliding his hands down her arms.
"Oh, don't be ridiculous, Fiyero," she said, turning away. "You're just saying that."
"No, I'm not," he said. "Elphaba, you're amazing and don't let anybody tell you differently. Do you honestly think I would've left Glinda and my engagement party behind if I didn't truly believe that?"
He stared straight into her eyes again and she was lost. So this was what Glinda and all her giggling girl friends had made such a big deal over back at Shiz. This is what normal girls felt like, thinking about boys and lip gloss and make-up; not having to worry about whether their sister was okay or what to do so they didn't upset their father.
Just fleetingly, she felt like one of those girls, too.
"I love you too, Fiyero," she sighed. "Yero my hero."
He lifted her up off her knees and wound his arms around her waist. "Why did we waste all that time?" Fiyero asked absently. "I've had feelings for you from the day we saved the Lion cub. I should have jumped on that train with you all those years ago. Instead, all I gave you were a lousy bunch of flowers."
"None of that matters anymore," she protested. "We're together now. And besides, I loved the flowers."
She knew the moment couldn't last. It was a moment too perfect to belong in her life and sooner or later, something would happen and all these bittersweet new emotions she was discovering would be shattered. In the life of a Witch, there is no "after", in the "ever after". Dreams didn't come true for girls like her.
But just for this moment, she wanted to pretend that they did. She threw back her head; her arms outstretched, singing with joy. A small voice in her head told her this wasn't right; that it wasn't fair to Glinda – but she banished the voice from her mind. After all, he had chosen to go with her out of his own free will. So, for now, it would just be her and Fiyero.
She had been gazing up at the moon, silver and full, half-hidden by the forest trees, when Fiyero leant in for another kiss. Automatically, she drew away from him.
"What is it?" he asked her.
Someone finally wanted her, and Elphaba wasn't going to let this opportunity go by. The Wizard had been right when he said she was tired of being the strong one. Lying here in the forest with Fiyero, Elphaba felt more human than she ever had. She had once said to Fiyero that her life would be so much easier if she didn't care as much as she did. And tonight, she was forgetting about everything except the here and now.
"It's just, for the first time," she said, creeping towards him, she claimed his lips, feeling him lift her up off her knees as they continued kissing. "I feel...wicked."
For the first time in her life, the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba Thropp, felt more than wanted. She felt loved.
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