(A/N: Surplus reviews. Thanks! I got my quarter grades, all A's for amasian, chyeah. My friends parents pay them to get good grades, my mom looks at my grades and is like 'Hm...94 percent, we need to get that up.' her criticism is always annoyingly veiled like 'A 93 percent? That's an A minus.' or 'oohh...just barely made an A didn't you?' hmmm...Anyway, that's my rant, enjoy the chapter!)


"This place is wonderful!" Linny exclaimed, delightedly, devouring yet another stick of cotton candy, "Can we come every weekend Father?"

"Won't you get sick of it sweetheart?" Fiyero held Linny's hand tightly in his own as they walked through the busy streets of the Vinkun market.

"Never." she swore solemnly.

"You'll get sick if you keep eating that stuff." Miles chided his sister.

"Will not!"

"I'm afraid he's right, poppet." Avaric said, "Perhaps this had better be your last."

"You're not my father." Linny stuck her tongue out at him. Fiyero chuckled.

"I'm still big and you're still little." Avaric told her, "Isn't that all that matter?" Linny stuck her tongue out again and pouted, turning away from him. Avaric laughed, "Am I to be ignored now?" he asked, "If there's one thing to drive me batty, it's a beautiful girl not even willing to look at me." Linny only turnequid around to stick her tongue back out.

"Now stop that!" Nor scolded her younger sister, "Do you want to be a proper lady someday or don't you?"

"Miss Elphaba, a beautiful girl yourself, you'll still speak to me I hope." Avaric turned to Elphaba. She blushed at his attentions. Fiyero flashed a warning glance at Avaric.

"It's very hard not to speak to you." Elphaba chuckled.

"And why is that, my dear?" Avaric put all of his charm into his smile.

"You always have something to say."

"I believe what she's trying to say is that you talk entirely too much, Avaric." Fiyero sent a glinting smile at Elphaba.

"Well you can never have too much of a good thing, as I always say." Avaric said.

"I must commend you Avaric on your skill." Fiyero began, "It seems you never fail to transform insult into shameless self-directed compliments every time."

"Thank you, Fiyero. I too find myself an unreasonably talented man."

"They ought to put a cap on that 'talent'." Fiyero's response was dry.

"One would think." was Avaric's retort. A gathering crowd attracted the royal family's attentions and they followed the people. Elphaba tagged along, holding Liir's hand as he tried to jump high enough to see over the tops of the crowd's heads.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"It looks like some sort of show."

"A puppet show?"

"I don't see a puppet stage…" Elphaba and Liir caught up to the King and the others at the front of the crowd. A man stood before the small crowd, costumed brightly. A small lion club was in front of him, balancing a ball on his head. With prompting from his master, the cub performed a variety of tricks, much to the delight of the audience. The show continued smoothly, until the cub slipped on its paw, ruining a trick. Suddenly, the man kicked the cub roughly.

"Stop!" Elphaba cried, taking a step forward. The man looked up at her, anger flashed in his eyes briefly before he stood straighter. He held a hand out, meaning for her to step back.

"Miss, I assure you, he is not hurt." his voice was smooth and meant to sound reassuring. It only brought chills to Elphaba's spine. The man continued, "Here, let him try the trick again." he nudged the cub more gently with the toe of his boot.

"No, this is wrong-" Elphaba shook her head, refusing to retreat. The man glared at her before turning away, appealing to the crowd instead, who cheered for another trick. Elphaba took another step forward.

"Let it be." Elphaba turned at the firm voice behind her. The King's eyes were fixed on her sternly.

"No, I can't just-" she began to protest, appalled by his disregard.

"Let it be Miss Thropp." his voice held no room for argument.

"Come children, how about some ice cream." Avaric quickly ushered the children away from the lion cub. Fiyero gave Elphaba a final warning look before turning to follow them.


"Father, may I have another coin?" Linny tugged on her father's pant leg.

"Whatever for?"

"More cotton candy."

"No."

"But-"

"Here." Fiyero smiled as she greedily snatched the coin from his hand and she ran faster than he'd ever seen her for the man selling the cotton candy. It was unhealthy, that child's obsession with cotton candy. The last time she'd been given the luxury and rarity of cotton candy, she had been in post-cotton-candy depression for a week.

"Do you think I spoil her too much?" Fiyero asked Avaric.

"Perhaps, but there's nothing wrong with that." Fiyero kept a firm eye on his children, making sure not to lose them in the bustling market. Nor and Miles were a few stalls ahead, looking at a vendor's dazzling, though Fiyero highly suspected fake, diamond jewelry. Linny was over making the cotton candy man a fortune and Liir was enthralled in bouncing a tiny ball down the market street, chasing after it every time it went farther than he had initially intended. Physics would not be a strong subject for him.

Lila had gracefully declined the invitation to join the family on their outing, claiming she needed a nap. But Fiyero knew she simply just didn't want to go to the marketplace. It was, after all, quite different from the luxury department store. After the lion cub incident, Fiyero couldn't say he blamed her. As Fiyero continued walking, he noticed a grimy man on the street, beckoning his daughter over to look at his wares.

"Nor!" Fiyero called protectively, "Come away from there." he told her. Nor turned around to her father. The vendor looked up at the King startled.

"Many apologies, Your Majesty." he mumbled before fleeing down the street. Fiyero said nothing as the man disappeared and he quickly checked with his daughter to make sure she was alright. Avaric noticed Fiyero's stress and he suggested they stop for a meal away from the crowds where the children were easily lost. Fiyero agreed and they gathered the children together and headed for an outdoor café which lay just to the right of the busy market street.

"Wait! Where is Miss Elphaba?" Miles asked as the family was leaving the market. Fiyero froze and he spun around, hoping that she had been standing behind him, but she was not there. He rushed back onto the busy market street and craned his neck, trying to catch sight of her. He didn't see her anywhere. Fiyero cursed under his breath.

"Do you see her?" Avaric appeared behind Fiyero, looking too for the lost tutor. Fiyero shook his head distractedly, his eyes scanning the same crowds again and again without luck. Avaric let out a curse, "She couldn't have gone far."

"I never should have let her out of my sight." Fiyero muttered, his hands fisting at his sides as a panic grew within him, "Knowing her, I can't even begin to imagine the kind of trouble she could be in!"

"Where was the last you saw her?"

"At that lion show." Fiyero muttered. With realization, he cursed, "Oz she didn't-"

"I'm sure she's fine." even Avaric could not keep the worry from his voice.

"Why can she never listen to me when I tell her not to get involved?" Fiyero hissed, his voice strangled with frustration and panic.


Elphaba followed the Tiggulars away from the show reluctantly. She could not get the poor cub out of her head. Even being an animal, she could feel his misery; see it in his brown eyes. The King was right to pull her away, she would only have caused trouble. What did she expect to happen though, her against a full grown man and a crowd of entertained people on his side? But still, she could not stop thinking about those sad brown eyes, holding gallons, glasses, volumes, oceans of misery.

By the time Elphaba had returned to where the lion cub had been she saw the crowds dispersing, the man tying a thick rope around the cub's neck, the other end of the rope secured to the wall of the building behind him. Elphaba waited until he was busy speaking to a customer before approaching the cub.

"Hi there." she whispered, reaching out a hand to pet him. The cub arched its back with pleasure, purring loudly as she petted him very gently, its tail flicked behind him happily. She gently began working at the rope around its neck.

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Elphaba was startled by the voice and she looked up, the large man looming over her. She stood shakily, the cub stayed close to her, his tail brushing against her ankles. The man kicked the cub, sending the lion flying into the wall. Elphaba cried out in shock.

"Stop!" she made to move towards the cub, but the man pushed her back roughly.

"Well, what have we here?" he asked, stroking his mustache as he recognized her, "If it isn't the pretty little lady from earlier."

"You have to let that cub go." Elphaba ignored his statement, "It's wrong what you're doing-"

"You should think more before you act, Miss. Before you know it, you might find yourself with a rope 'round that pretty little neck of yours too." he ran his hand down her face. Rage boiled inside of her and she slapped him across the face without thinking. The wind was knocked out of her in a flash as his retaliation slammed her into the wall. His sweaty hands circled her wristed, immobilizing her arms.

"Now listen, unless you're planning on taking that cub's place, he ain't going nowhere. And I can guarantee that the tricks you'llbe doing won't be nothing like the lion's." The look in his eye was more than suggestive. Elphaba kneed him angrily in his stomach. He doubled over releasing her and she delivered a swift kick to his shin, pitching him into the ground.

With little time to spare, she moved towards the cub, her hands shaking as she tried to untie the rope around his neck. She heard the man she'd gutted in the stomach recovering and she frantically tugged at the twine.

"You little-" by the time the man had gotten his bearings and turned around, Elphaba had untied the rope, the cub already running away, easily disappearing amongst the throngs of people.

Elphaba smiled as she watched the cub run. But her victory was short lived as she was yanked up by her arm and slammed back into the wall. Her eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat. The man had one hand pressed to his stomach where she'd kneed him. She hoped she'd left a bruise.

"You're going to pay for that." he growled at her. Elphaba glanced at his fist, descending towards her face. She ducked and his fist rammed full force into the wall. He howled in pain and Elphaba took the initiative to slip out of his grasp. She tried to run but was yanked back by her wrist. She cried out in shock and pain, feeling as though her arm had been pulled out of the socket. He pulled her to him and she felt a sharp sting as her face was knocked to her shoulder by his backhand. Her head rang and she closed her eyes. While she struggled through the dizzying ring of her head he grabbed the coarse rope he'd used on the cub and sliced it across her wrist. She cried out in pain as the rope burned her skin and she tried in vain to twist her wrist out of his grasp.

"You let the cub go?" he hissed, "Fine. You can replace him." he tied the splintering rope around her wrist roughly, tearing her skin even more and she shouted for him to stop. He only pulled the rope tighter. Her free hand connected with his face again, her nails digging into the skin this time. He tugged on the rope tied to her wrist, the rope pulling her to the ground, her knees hitting the pavement hard. She felt another painful burn from the rope as he pulled it.

"Stop! Please!" he ignored her as he pulled his hand back to strike her again. He stopped short however when he heard shouting.

"What the HELL do you think you're doing?" Elphaba did not have time to find the King's face before she was shoved roughly behind the man, her back hitting the wall hard, knocking the wind out of her again, oxygen and speech flying from her. The man froze as the King stormed up to them.

"Y-you're Highness!" he stammered.

"Let her go immediately! Or I will strike you down where you stand and don't think for a moment that I won't!" his voice held more rage, more authority, more threat and more volume than Elphaba had ever heard.

"She belong to you?" the man asked Fiyero. The man yanked on the rope and she was jerked forward roughly in front of him. The man offered Fiyero the rope, as though trading a slave. Fiyero's eyes flashed and he knocked the rope away before delivering a swift punch to the man's face. There was a loud a crack and the man grabbed at his nose in pain, yelping loudly. Fiyero grabbed him by his collar.

"Harm her one more time and I'll make you unrecognizable from the face down." Fiyero growled. Without warning he delivered a powerful blow to the man's stomach before knocking him out effectively as his elbow connected sharply with the man's temple. Blood poured from his broken nose as he fell unconscious before Elphaba. She stared down at the man in shock. She looked at the King, who looked absolutely murderous, his breath labored as he too stared down at the man. From the look in his eye, Elphaba thought that he might begin kicking the man where he lay.

Fiyero glanced at Miss Elphaba. He knew that when he found her, she'd be in trouble, but he never counted upon a degree of trouble this high. When he'd rounded to corner, he'd seen a man tying a rope around her wrist after hitting her. Fiyero had never felt such a rage course through him before. His eyes flicked to her wrist now, the skin red and torn around the rope. He took a tentative step towards her. But as soon as he did, she tore the rope from her wrist and bolted, as though remembering something.

"Miss Thropp where in Oz do you think you're going?" Fiyero shouted at her furiously. He let out a frustrated steam of breath before running after her. He figured he'd catch up to her in a matter of seconds, but he had not accounted for a: her unexpected speed and b: her thinness which allowed her to weave through the crowds much easier than him.

By the time he caught up with her, he had run out of the market street into the beginnings of the Vinkun forest. He found Elphaba kneeling in front of a rather prickly bush.

"What are you doing now?" Fiyero shouted at her as he stormed up to her. She stood and spun around to face him, fire in her eyes.

"So you're mad at me now? Because I went back to save the cub which you refused to help?"

"I didn't refuse to do anything!"

"Turning a blind eye is the same thing, Master Tiggular." the venom in her voice was like a punch in the gut and he suddenly felt like some sort of monster.

"Perhaps you ought to learn how to do the same."

"You're saying I should learn how to ignore the cruelty inflicted upon others around me?" her wild stare accused him of wickedness, "That I should just...walk away the next time I see someone else being hit? A child?"

"He's a cub." Fiyero corrected her offhandedly.

"The differentiation shouldn't matter, Master Tiggular!" Fiyero could hear the tears welling in her eyes as her throat constricted. She stared at him incredibly in disbelief, "How can you think something as—as minor and extraneous as his species matters? He is a living creature, he can feel pain just like any human being can!"

"I didn't say he couldn't!"

"So you're saying his pain doesn't matter?"

"You're putting words into my mouth. Of course his pain matters!" Fiyero spluttered, flustered, avoiding her accusing eyes.

"Obviously not to you, or you wouldn't have dismissed it." Elphaba crossed her arms as Fiyero stared down at the ground, "What if it was one of your children?" her eyes gazed intently at him, trying to make him understand her actions, "What if—what if that man was beating Liir—or Linny? Would you just—turn a blind eye?"

"You will not bring my children into this!" he yelled at her angrily, finally being able to look her in the eye.

"You wouldn't." she didn't flinch at his outburst, "You'd kill the man in an instant if he even touched your children. You couldn't even speak out for the lion cub. How could you just walk away like that?"

"I will not continue this conversation." Fiyero turned away from her finitely and firmly.

"Of course not." Elphaba scoffed, "Obviously this isn't an argument you can win." she shook her head, "I respected you, Master Tiggular." her voice was thick with disappointment. The past tense of her words was not lost on Fiyero. Fiyero's hands fisted as he spun on her.

"What was I supposed to do?" he shouted. Her accusations and disappointment weighed on him heavily and unfairly.

"What did I do?"

"And look where it got you!" he motioned to the torn skin on her wrist and the bruise on her face.

"The cub is free now! Anything I suffered could not even be compared to inflictions to the cub. It was a small price to pay for another's freedom!" she exclaimed, exasperated, throwing her arms in the air, "I would've done it again too! Haven't you ever sacrificed anything for someone else?"

"Of course I have!"

"You're the King of the Vinkus; you could have easily stopped that man back there."

"I did!"

Elphaba shook her head, "Not for the cub."

"So I stopped him for you instead, is that a crime?"

"I only wish it had been for the cub." she shook her head sadly.

"And what's so wrong with doing something for you?" he asked her, his eyes boring intently into hers. She didn't look away, but Fiyero knew she wouldn't answer either. A soft whine turned her attention to the bush and it was only then that Fiyero realized the thorny bush held the lion cub in its tangles. Hair swirling around her as she turned, she hurried back to the bush, dropping to her knees in front of the cub. She tried to gently move some of the thorny twine.

"Shh...Don't worry, I'll get you out of here." she cooed softly to the lion. Fiyero stared at a tree in front of him as she tended to the cub. His breath was labored from shouting and he gradually calmed down. He glanced back at her and watched her struggle with the thorns. His anger disappeared as he sighed resignedly before joining her.

"Let me help." he said softly, kneeling down next to her. She slapped his hand away. He sighed, but did not get angry, "Miss Thropp," he waited until she met his gaze, "Let me help." he said again. Her eyes were glassy from unshed tears and she finally just nodded, moving to the side as he moved to help release the cub. They worked together silently, snapping branch by branch to create an opening for the cub. Fiyero heard her sniffle beside him and a wave of guilt rippled through him. He cleared his throat reluctantly.

"I would like to offer my apologies," he said, "I didn't mean for…well that is, I never meant—well I…I'm sorry." he finally just said.

"It's just…" she started, before changing her mind, "—never mind."

"I assure you I shall keep your words in confidence." Fiyero offered a reassuring smile.

"It's trivial." she threw out.

"Anything that can bring tears to your eyes is not trivial I assure you." Fiyero looked her in the eye firmly. She embarrassedly wiped at her eyes, not realizing he had noticed that she had almost cried.

"It really is nothing."

"I shall ask until you resign." he couldn't help his mischievous smirk .She sighed with annoyance before beginning her story.

"When I was six a group of students were picking on me at school. The leader of the group kicked me to see if I bruised a different color than the other students because I was green. It was in broad daylight and many people, adults even just walked by the scene, no one tried to help me. I was a child, but because I was a green child, people thought my pain didn't matter like the other children's did." Elphaba took a shaky breath before turning to Fiyero, "I had to help this cub. Just because he is an animal and not a little boy doesn't mean his pain is any less important. His difference shouldn't matter. Cruelty is cruelty, no matter who it is inflicted upon, Master Tiggular." Fiyero looked away from her eyes, which once again dwindled down his existence into a pathetic excuse for a man.

"You're right." he swallowed. They continued working silently.

When finally, the last branch was snapped, the cub sprang from the bush, startling Fiyero and Elphaba. Fiyero lost his balance which was placed on his knees. He fell into Elphaba, who held her hands out to brace herself. The cub ran for deeper parts of the woods. He stopped, looking back at the two of them and his eyes softened before disappearing into the deep woods.

"Thanks for helping." Elphaba murmured to Fiyero. He nodded his head in acknowledgment. Suddenly he noticed the thorn embedded in her hand, blood slowly seeping from the wound.

"Your hand." he said, wondering how she hadn't realized.

"What?" Before she could react the King had rushed to her side, grabbing her injured hand carefully in his own, examining it. His eyes were trained solely on the wound, his face pale. Elphaba stared at him aghast. He should not be holding her hand; whether it was for medical attention or otherwise…it was…well it would be utterly frowned upon. Realizing this, she tried to pull her hand away. He startled her by holding it firm in his grasp.

"Now let go!" she exclaimed, pulling her hand harder. He ignored her, tugging her hand back. She pulled again. He growled in frustration.

"Stop all that." he ordered angrily, "I need to see how bad the damage is."

"I'm fine." she huffed, but she relented and kept still.

"I must have pushed your hand onto the thorn," he murmured, "I apologize."

"It's fine." Elphaba watched in alarm as he tore the sleeve of his shirt without hesitation before beginning to wrap her hand in the white cloth.

"Now what do you think you're doing?" she exclaimed, alarmed.

"I have to stop the bleeding." his eyebrow rose at her distress.

"But your shirt-"

He rolled his eyes, "I have plenty." Elphaba decided not to badger him anymore. He heart was pounding unnaturally and inexplicably fast in her chest. She wondered why. She'd stopped running a while ago, and she hadn't exerted herself enough physically to match the rate at which her heart was beating now. But she realized that lately this mysterious incline in heart rate was happening more and more often…

She looked up at the King, wondering if he could hear that heartbeat that might as well have been screaming in her ears. Instead, she noticed a thin line of blood on his cheek. She wondered how he hadn't noticed. The cub must have scratched him.

"You're bleeding." he didn't seem to hear her as he carefully continued wrapping her hand.

It wasn't until she heard his sharp intake of breath as his blue eyes met hers when his head snapped up that she realized she had reached out to wipe the blood away. His hands froze and Elphaba was on fire with mortification as she realized what she'd done. Here she was, throwing a fuss at the impropriety of him holding her hand when she had dared to reach out and touch his face! Her shock immobilized her and she couldn't even move her propriety-offending hand from his cheek.

For his part, Fiyero was just as shocked as her. For a moment, all he could do was stare at her, his bright blue eyes dulling to a dark blue as the intensity in his eyes made Elphaba squirm. She looked away and as she finally regained mobility and function of her limbs, she moved to pull her hand back. She was startled again as the King's hands enclosed around her hand firmly, preventing an escape. She looked up and found his burning eyes still trained intensely on her. She struggled for words.

"You were—uh…you were bleeding." she said again, her throat dry. He said nothing as he didn't seem to hear her, and his eyes still refused to release her. She swallowed uneasily, "He must have scratched you." the King blinked suddenly, falling out of shock he too fumbled for words.

"Ah yes!" he exclaimed uneasily. He dropped her hand, "Or uh…maybe he scratched me." he felt like hitting himself in the head and he added, in an attempt to prove the existence of his brains, "or something." he did not succeed. Elphaba looked down, not even hearing his words and she wiped his blood from her thumb on the grass.

"How is your hand?" Fiyero asked abruptly.

Elphaba looked down at her hand, the soft material from his shirt wrapped carefully across her palm, "It's fine. Thank you." he nodded as a silence settled between them. The silence was interrupted as Elphaba spoke up, "Um…I'd like to apologize for being so harsh towards you, I-"

"No, no," he protested, interrupted her, "I don't want you apologizing for anything. I only want your acceptance of my sincerest apologies and gratitude for correcting me today. I'm glad you did something Miss Thropp…many people could learn from you, myself included." she blushed uneasily at his compliment and he could not help the soft smile that passed his features.

"Um…thanks." she murmured awkwardly. Fiyero laughed.

"If I compliment you more often will it improve your compliment accepting skills?" he asked.

"Not likely." she smiled, standing up. Fiyero followed suit.

"I shall have to let Master Avaric in on the mission." he chuckled, "He is quite skilled at coming up with creative compliments, he'll flatter you to death."

"You will tell him no such thing!" Elphaba ordered sternly. Fiyero only clicked his tongue knowingly as he set off, back for the market where Avaric and the children were. Elphaba followed after him, "I mean it!" she declared, "I'm in no mood to be bombarded with silly and obscure compliments!"

"Fine then," Fiyero shrugged, "We can hold fire until tomorrow."

"No need, for I shan't be in the mood tomorrow either."

"Well when will you be in the mood?"

"Never."

"Then I'll have to start today. Miss Elphaba has anyone told you how lovely your ears look in the sunlight?"

"Don't you dare."


(A/N: So pretty long for me in my opinion. BTW - for Bones watchers, I fell asleep during the last episode, someone want to tell me how it ended?)