Chapter 11: No Place Like Home

Fiyero was excited to return to Kiamo Ko. His friend Watio was a stable boy, and he hadn't spoken to him since the war began. He missed having him to talk to. Fae talked to him, of course, but he couldn't exactly talk to her about her, about the way he felt. She got severely uncomfortable about those things.

While Fae was settling into her room and being shown around the castle, Fiyero headed down to the stables. Watio greeted him. "How was the war? I am glad to see you aren't injured – at least not too badly," the stable boy eyed the bandage on Fiyero's arm.

"It's fine. And the war was very eventful, but I don't mean the fighting."

"He didn't?" Watio was well aware that Fiyero's father had been attempting to get him a bed slave. The two had discussed it on numerous occasions.

"He did."

"Did you?"

Fiyero nodded. "I didn't have much of a choice..." He began explaining what had happened to him (and to Fae) in the past weeks.

"She sounds a little rude, if you don't mind my saying so. Why do you let her get away with it?" Watio asked when Fiyero finished his story.

"She's not rude, just a little standoffish. And I can't blame her, with what she's gone through. And I like her." Fiyero felt defensive.

Watio raised his eyebrows. "Interesting."

"What?"
"You seem rather attached to this girl for her to be just a bed slave, Fiyero."

"She's different."

"Sounds like it. Do you have anything for me?" When they were young, Fiyero had taught is friend to read. Since then, he'd been sneaking him books from the library which stable boys were forbidden to enter.

Fiyero handed Watio a book. "What do I do about this girl?"

"Nothing, except just do her. She's a bed slave. You're just sappy because she's the first one you've had. It'll change when you have more."

"I don't want others," Fiyero said quickly.

"I need to meet this girl. Bring me to her."

"I can't. You know you're not supposed to be on that side of the castle. Her bedroom is going to be close to mine."

"Then bring her hear. Bed slaves have more freedom."

"And what do I tell her?" Fiyero demanded. "That I was talking about her and now you want to meet her? That won't freak her out a little?"

"She has to come if you tell her."

Fiyero sighed, but returned with Fae and hour later. She looked confused. "Why did you drag me to the stables?" She asked him. "I do not want to go horseback riding. To be honest, I'm a little sore, thank you very much."

Watio came out from one of the stalls at that moment. "Well, that was more than I wanted to know."

Fae blushed. "I apologize. I'm not used to other people being around."

"Fae, this is Watio. He's my friend. We grew up together." Since he had no siblings, his father had said that Watio, a servant's son, could play with him when they were young so that he got some human interaction.

"And I've heard plenty about you," Watio grinned.

Fiyero glared at his friend and turned to Fae. "I was just telling him about the war and you came up." He moved closer to Fae, keeping himself between his friend and his lover.

"I'm sure," she said, looking at her feet. "I still don't understand why I'm here."

"When I mentioned you, he wanted to meet you."

"What am I, your girlfriend?" Fae rolled her eyes. "I'm just a slave, Fiyero."

"Exactly," Watio chimed in.

"But you've spent almost every moment with me for the past few weeks. It's a little different than it would have been if this had started here at Kiamo Ko. You took care of me when I was injured."

She sighed. "I suppose that makes sense."

"So, what do you think of our beautiful country?" Watio joked.

Fae just glared at him.

"She doesn't have much of a sense of humor." He told Fiyero.

"Well, let's see, once I crossed the Vinkun border, my family was killed and I was given to the Prince as a sex slave. How do you think I like it, you ass?" Fae walked out of the stables.

Fiyero stayed for a moment. "Nice going. I was hoping you two could get along!"

"I'm sorry. I don't know what I'm supposed to say to her. 'How do you like Fiyero, because he has a thing for you?'" Watio said.

"If I can get her back down here again some time, you are going to think of something, something nice!" Fiyero left, too. He jogged up to Elphaba's room, where she sat on her bed, staring emptily at the wall. "I'm sorry. He's a little awkward. We were basically alone growing up. Neither one of us is that good with other people our age."

"No, I'm sorry. I really should keep myself in check. A bed slave shouldn't walk out without being dismissed. And he wasn't that rude."

He sat down on the bed beside her and the mattress springs creaked. His mattress was so much softer than hers. "I was hoping the two of you would be friends."

"I could use a friend, but I'm not sure that's my first choice."

"I apologize for him. He didn't mean to be like that."

"It's not a big deal." She sat and seemed to think for a moment. "How are things going to work now that we're here?"

"Well, you have your own room now. I'm sure you're happy about that."

"I am. I need my space."

"And I respect that. But you are welcome to sleep in my room should you decide you are more comfortable there. Once my arm is finished healing, I will have to spend some time training. When I turned sixteen, I was done getting tutored, but I still spend some time in the library. So I won't be bothering you all day."

"I can't go to the library, can I?"

"I can't say for sure. I can bring you books, if it would help."

"I'd like that. Fiyero, what happens when I get old? I wouldn't be much use as a sex slave then, would I?"

"Most women go to the kitchens after, or to clean or to the stables." But Fiyero didn't want her to go anywhere. Sweet Oz, Watio was right, Fae did have an unnatural hold on him.

"And if I get pregnant?"

"I honestly don't know." He hadn't thought about that.

"It's never happened before?" She seemed shocked.

"Maybe. I've never paid any attention. I'm sure it was kept quiet."

"Babies are hard to keep quiet, Fiyero."

"I wasn't paying attention."

She seemed uneasy about this, though he could not understand why.

"You're not pregnant, are you?"

"No!" Fae laughed. "But a girl worries about these things. I'd rather that not happen for quite some time. I'm trying to keep track, but it's not easy."

"Why don't I show you my room? You'll probably spend plenty of time there." He figured he should change the subject and led her out of the room.

She followed him down the hall. "Not half as much time as you'd probably like," she teased.

"We'll see." His room was much larger than hers, with much more furniture. He had more than just a bed (which, unlike hers, was king size), a bedside table (he had two), a dresser and a closet. Fiyero's room had a couch, chairs, a table and several bookshelves.

Fae gravitated to the bookshelves immediately.

"And that," he told her, "is why I think you'll spend more time in here than you thought."