"I've put in a solid day of travel with you," Fiyero said that night as they lay on opposite sides of a fire he'd built, bundled in their makeshift beds. "I feel as though I deserve something of a more personal nature."
"You do, do you," came the wry response from the other side of the flames. "Aren't you presumptuous."
"I'm not, I'm just hopeful."
"Brainlessly optimistic is more like it," Elphaba murmured. "Alright. If you ask a suitable question, I will consider answering it."
Fiyero hadn't really expected her to consent. A day with Elphaba had almost worked to undo the years of getting his way. "Alright," he said. "Do you have any siblings?"
Silence radiated from Elphaba's side of their camp. "A sister," she said after awhile. "Nessarose. She's younger, and beautiful." Elphaba paused. "Our mother was beautiful, too."
"Well, so are - Wait. Was?"
Elphaba mentally smacked herself in the head. "Yes, before she got old," she tried to joke.
"That's not what you meant."
"How do you know?"
Fiyero inwardly groaned. She was mad again. Figuring he couldn't do much more damage at this point, he replied, "You sounded sad about it." Why do I put so much thought into this girl?
"She died when Nessa was born," Elphaba admitted.
"I'm sorry," Fiyero offered.
After a beat, Elphaba answered him. "Thank you."
They didn't speak again for a long while. Eventually, feeling like he might be able to sleep soon, Fiyero mumbled, "G'night, Phae," quietly into the dimness.
Mostly asleep, Elphaba muttered, "Night," back at him, and they slept.
Fiyero had never really camped out under the stars before. When he and his tribe had gone on long hunting trips, they'd brought heavy canvas tents along with them for the royalty, and Fiyero, being royal, had quite happily enjoyed that luxury. Even as a boy, camping out had been near his house, and usually in a makeshift fort or under the cover of trees. But that night, exposed to the elements, in the middle of nowhere, he gazed at the stars overhead and found peace in the practice. He also found himself wishing he could watch Elphaba watch the stars, but he couldn't see her through the fire, and, as said fire grew dimmer, he lost the light by which to view her, anyway. By the time it had burnt out, it was pitch black and they were both asleep, anyway.
The next morning, Elphaba woke to the chill, and huddled under her blanket, watching the stars fade into the increasingly bright pinks and blues of dawn. Fiyero, too, woke early, and, shivering a little, turned to gaze at Elphaba across the collection of rocks and ash that separated them. He watched her staring upward and smiled at the dreamy quality of her facial expression. "Morning," he said, warmly.
She glanced at him, her face now expressionless, and he cursed himself for interrupting her peaceful bliss. "Good morning."
"It's chilly out," he commented, pulling his blanket tightly up to his chin. "Are you warm enough?"
Elphaba nodded mutely, trying not to shiver. Fiyero sat up and studied her. "No you're not," he argued, and stood, pulling on his jacket, then picking up his blanket and walking to her. He gently draped it over her, looking at her as if to ask, 'Did you really think you could fool me?' Elphaba frowned a little, but felt instantly warmer, so she didn't argue. She also noticed that his blanket smelled like him, though she'd never really noticed him having a smell before. He sat down near her feet and pulled a chunk of bread out of his bag, ripped it in half, and held a piece out to her. Her hand snaked out from under her blankets and took the offering.
"Thank you," she said, just before he held a canteen of water out to her. She propped herself up on an elbow a little, and drank. "Did you sleep well?"
"After I got over the intense beauty of the night sky, yes, I did," he replied, his mouth full of bread. Elphaba found herself amused at such a thoughtful response being given by a mouth currently mangling a chunk of food. He was still a manly man, even at his most soulful. "You?"
"Yes, thank you," she answered. "We should probably get moving," she suggested a moment later.
Fiyero nodded and stood, then offered a hand to help her up. She looked at it as if she'd never seen one before, then, looked into his eyes. He smiled at her and nodded in the direction of his outstretched hand.
Despite her better judgement, Elphaba placed her hand in his. It was strong, but smooth, and a little cold in the early morning air. Her hand was warmer, and he liked the feel of it in his. He pulled her out of bed in one swift, effortless motion, but kept his hand clasped around hers, even as she stood mere inches from him, clearly able to balance on her own. Too stunned at the heady feeling of being near to him to speak, Elphaba simply stayed lost in his eyes, which was alright by Fiyero. Only when she shivered again did he release his hold on her, bending to scoop a blanket up and wrap it around her.
He smiled down at her. "You're all wrapped up, like a present," he pointed out. He paused. "Best gift I ever got." Elphaba flushed furiously, and bowed her head, but didn't pull away. Her cheeks had the slightest pink tinge, which Fiyero found adorable on her green skin. "Come on, gift from the unnamed gods," Fiyero said, displaying a knowledge of Munchkinland Unionism that surprised even him. "Let's get moving." He made a mental note to someday find out why a green person still blushed pink.
Their second day was much like the first, with Elphaba saying very little and Fiyero feeling grouchy about it. It wasn't that he didn't try to coax information out of her. "What's your favorite colour? What's your sister's name? What's your favorite book? Do you like school? When's your birthday? What do you think of my shirt?" ...
The only question she answered was the question about his shirt, and her answer was: "It's nice."
"Elphaba!"
"Phae," she reminded him.
"Tell me about yourself!"
"What don't you tell me about yourself?"
Fiyero paused. I'm a Prince from the Vinkus. You're my intended bride. My favorite colour is blue. "Because I already know about me," he said, shrugging. Elphaba smirked. "What's your favorite colour?"
Elphaba rolled her eyes. "Blue," she said, finally.
Fiyero grinned. "See, that wasn't so hard, was it?"
"It was excruciating," Elphaba informed him. "What's your favorite colour?"
"I'm quite partial to blue, myself," he breezed. Green is starting to grow on me, though. Green is a pretty great colour, actually. Grass is green, trees are green, plants - well, lots of nature is green. I like nature. Emeralds are green... Absinthe is green... YOU'RE green...
"Look, there," Elphaba said, pulling him out of his thoughts. She was pointing in the distance, and he followed her gaze.
The Emerald City is green... "Wow, we're getting close," Fiyero said. He was both excited and nervous. Once they reached the Emerald City, would they part ways?
"Let's keep moving," Elphaba said, her voice eager.
Fiyero, seeing her excited, had to comply. They acquired lunch in a small community, and continued walking. Later, they came across a small city, which surprised them. They knew they must be close to the emerald epicentre, as they observed the cobblestone streets and horsedrawn carriages.
"Tonight, we're sleeping indoors," Fiyero announced. "We're exhausted, and we deserve it."
"But -"
"And I won't hear talk of money. I have money, so it doesn't matter. Don't argue with me. You're very clever, and very stubborn, but you won't win."
"And why not?"
"Because I will pick you up and carry you there if I have to," Fiyero said, raising an eyebrow at her and cocking his head to the side.
They found a boarding house quickly.
