The prince gestured toward the large doors they'd entered through, and Elphaba's hand on Nessa's back supported her direction change. She noticed him clandestinely studying them, and she barked, "What?"

"Nothing. Just…" He hesitated, eyes flicking toward Nessa. "Nothing." But his gaze found her hand again.

Elphaba narrowed her eyes. Before she could start, Nessa turned to their host. "You have a beautiful home." A scripted response, perhaps, but more words than Nessa had been able to string together in his presence all night.

The prince smiled. "Thank you, Miss Nessarose." She blushed as he leaned into them to whisper, "Wait until you see the best rooms."

With the formal part of their introductions over, the prince's relaxed charm eased any awkwardness away. He led them through room after room filled with opulence and beauty. As they took in the décor, he absorbed their reactions, and soon his smile became infectious.

"What a lovely garden!" Nessa breathed in the scent of a huge flowering lily. "And to think that all this can grow in a desert." She flushed an even pinker shade than natural for her. "I mean…"

Prince Fiyero smiled indulgently. "I agree. It is quite remarkable, more so for the climate it grows in." He flashed Elphaba a conspiratorial grin. "Though I am certain your country is equally remarkable, if not more so, I am relieved we do not disappoint."

"Have you been?"

"I'm afraid not. If I had known such beautiful girls were there, I would certainly have arranged to visit sooner."

Elphaba frowned. "So you spend much time chasing women, then?"

Nessa paled, but he laughed. "I see you think highly of me already. Not to fear, Miss Elphaba. My intentions are most thoroughly honorable."

"That's an indirect answer."

"True, my apologies." He met her eyes confidently. "No, Miss Elphaba, I do not." She searched his gaze for any duplicity, but he seemed earnest enough. "I suppose I'm old-fashioned in that regard."

She gave a curt nod. Nessa deserved that loyalty at the very least.

He led them forward, weaving through a courtyard of bronzed statues. "Tell me about your home. From what I've heard, I imagine it's quite lush and fertile."

Elphaba shot him a look at his wording. "It's alright."

"It must be lovely - a sea of green vegetation tamed into productive farmlands."

"It's more yellow than green, really," Nessa supplied. "The main crops are wheat and corn. Though the corn does grow green. It's only yellow out of the stalk." She snapped her teeth shut to stop rambling, embarrassed, but the prince seemed unfazed.

"Is that so?" He squinted thoughtfully. "I can't quite picture it. Perhaps we can arrange a trip some time, if you don't mind returning the hospitality."

"Why would we?" Elphaba bristled.

"Splendid." The prince opened the iron doors at the edge of the courtyard. "I'll look forward to it."

"Where are we now?" Nessa asked as they entered a broad marble hallway.

"This is the formal section of the castle for banquets and balls and the like. That fountain is my mother's favorite." He indicated a large babbling pool adorned with a pair of lovers spraying water in the shape of a heart. "Not very subtle, but romantic I suppose."

"It's so pretty," Nessa said. She leaned so close that Elphaba had to press a warning hand on her sister's side lest the girl fall in. She stepped back and nodded toward the large double doors. "And through there?"

Prince Fiyero cleared his throat. "That's the, um, throne room. Where we're to be…" Nessa's eyes widened as he trailed off.

An anxious silence fell.

He cleared his throat, and without touching the doors, he turned away. "Shall we?"

Each step brought an easier mood until they reached a bright, comfortable room. "Ah, here we are." He winked at them and spun a dial to float music through the air. "The ballroom is through there," he gestured toward a set of elaborate glass doors. Dimly she could see hints of a polished dance floor and crystal chandeliers beyond. "But I much prefer the salon. Fewer people to collide with."

Nessa tucked her head lower and gazed through her lashes at him. "Do you dance, then?"

He chuckled. "Quite often, I'm afraid. It's a requirement, given my duties, although, I probably enjoy it far more than I should."

"Moderation is essential in all aspects of our lives." Elphaba could barely resist rolling her eyes at Nessa's predictably penitent response.

Fiyero's lip quirked at the corner, and he replied, "But isn't that application immoderate in its own nature? Or is it meant to be applied in moderation, also?"

"Extreme moderation, of course. What other kind is there?" Elphaba cackled, but her sister's face clouded. "Oh, Nessa, you needn't take it so personal. He's teasing."

"I'm sorry. I meant no offense." Prince Fiyero's look of contrition was only spoiled by his suppressed laughter each time his eyes met Elphaba's. "You're getting me in trouble," he accused with a smile, and she responded with an unladylike tongue stuck from her mouth.

"Faba!" Nessa hissed even as the prince burst into laughter.

"What challenge can I have to that? You have bested me again Miss Elphaba."

"Again? What do you mean?"

He blushed, gaze flicking toward Nessa. "Dinner." She furrowed her brow. "Our awkward arrival, all my fault I must confess."

Elphaba's face hardened. How could he bring that up in front of Nessa?

He cleared his throat at the ferocity of her reaction. "I will move quicker to seat you in the future though, so you needn't take matters in your own hands. Never let it be said that I'm an incompetent host."

He relaxed slightly at the save, but Elphaba's expression remained stony. Nessa giggled. "Oh, you'll have to excuse Elphaba. She's determinedly self-sufficient. To the point of stubbornness. The only help she believes in is herself. And her books, I suppose."

"So you read, then?"

Her nod was glacial.

"Who do you prefer?"

She stared at him. He shifted, unnerved by her sudden hostility.

"Shall we continue?" He directed them through another labyrinth of fountains and statues and priceless artwork, indicating room after room, though Elphaba had long stopped listening. His charm had lulled her into a false security once. She'd be damned if he'd manage it again.

Nessa, oblivious to the sudden tension, giggled amicably at Fiyero's comical descriptions. She seemed unaware his smile had tightened, his eyes seeking Elphaba's expression with each comment.

"I don't know if we've missed sunset, but the view from this balcony is always spectacular." The prince led them onto a cozy portico perched between the turrets of the castle.

The broad night sky took Elphaba's breath away even as Nessa gasped, "Is it really so late?"

Not a speck of sunlight remained, only the twinkling stars and the brilliance of the near-full moon. Dark cliffs caressed the smooth, clear sky, and from their vantage point, she felt as if she could leap from those cliffs to grasp a handful of stars as real and tangible as the sand blown in misty waves by the billowing wind.

She shivered, surprised by the chill that had conquered the enormity of the desert heat, and he stepped closer. "I should have mentioned – the climate is quite fickle with its heat. Burning days make for freezing nights, surprisingly enough."

He slipped off his jacket and set it carefully on Nessa's shoulders. She whispered her thanks and trailed along the railing to investigate the view. The prince moved to Elphaba. "If you'd like I can get one for you, too…"

She shook her head and leaned forward into the stone holding her from the arresting presence of the sky, and he rested his shoulder against her such that the chill of the wall combined with the warmth of his arm.

Her lightheaded reaction she chalked up to inadequate oxygen in the face of such a breathtaking sky.

"It's so…" she whispered, but she could find no word to follow. Beautiful fell drastically short.

"I know," he whispered back, and she felt such an ethereal connection uniting her, him, all mankind and the omnipresence of the sky.

She shivered again, and he moved closer, his hand tentatively set on the small of her back. The chaste position communicated only a gentlemanly desire to keep her warm, but she flinched nonetheless.

He swallowed. "You shouldn't lean on the stone so late. It only keeps the warmth of the sun for an hour or so."

She nodded, but didn't move. They watched the stars tickle the mountains in silence for a long timeless moment. A cooler breeze blew, and instinctively Elphaba scooted against the prince's warm side before she could consider the propriety of such contact. His hand left her back to rub her opposite arm. "Cold?" he breathed, misting the air.

She didn't answer, caught in the trance of moon and night.

"Do you want that jacket now?"

She shook her head.

He fingered the thin fabric of Nessa's wrap on her arm. "That shawl is pretty, but not too practical. It can't be keeping you warm." He stepped behind her and set both hands gently on her arms. "I'd be a terrible host if I let you freeze to death."

She smirked. "I doubt I'll freeze from a little night air."

"You'd be surprised." She didn't quite believe him, but his warmth wrapped around her was comfortable and welcoming, making her accept its practicality. "Any warmer?"

"Mmm."

"Good," his voice low, but she heard a smile in it. "I'm glad I'm finally of some use to you, then."

She chuckled softly and rested her head back against his shoulder.

Nessa yawned and turned toward them. Elphaba guiltily slid away from the prince, surprised at her behavior with Fiyero (her sister's fiancé, she corrected firmly, and a stranger no less) however innocent her intentions.

She strode to her sister's side. "Tired?"

Nessa nodded, and Fiyero held the door for the girls to file back in. "Sorry to keep you so late," he said as he guided them back toward familiar ground. "Perhaps we can continue tomorrow?"

"Please," Nessa beamed up at him coquettishly. "With such a large castle, I'm certain I won't remember how to find anything."

"Not to worry." He tweaked her nose playfully. "We won't let you get lost."

They fell into a comfortable quiet punctuated only with Nessa's discrete yawns until they reached the girls' quarters.

"Ladies." Fiyero bowed charmingly. "Thank you for the pleasure of your company. Until tomorrow."

He kissed Elphaba's hand goodnight and winked at Nessa with a roguish smile that had her giggling. Then he turned on his heel and vanished around the corner.

Nessa leaned her head on her sister's shoulder. "Fabala, can you believe it? I'm marrying a real prince charming."