Glinda drifted in and out of consciousness for a long span of time before she came around for good. When she did her memory of the last few blurry hours consisted of darkness, a warm bed, and having something soft and honey-tasting spooned into her mouth. The taste of that mysterious dish lingered on the blonde's tongue as her eyes fluttered open. "What happened?" she mumbled.
"You flew into a blizzard, you little idiot."
Glinda smiled as she managed to focus on the worried, green face looming over her. "Elphie."
Elphaba's lips twitched into a brief grin before agitation took over her features. "What were you thinking?" she demanded. "You could've died." Glinda tensed as dark thoughts filled her groggy head.
"I had to leave the Palace," she murmured. "Morrible…Chistery…" The blonde shuddered delicately. "I had to leave."
Instead of pushing for answers Elphaba just nodded in understanding and moved from her perch on the edge of the bed to slide beneath the covers. Glinda eagerly latched onto her roommate's waist. "You could've gone somewhere else; back to Shiz or home to Frottica," the green girl pointed out. "Coming here was…foolish."
"I wanted to find you," Glinda explained, face burrowed into her friend's chest. "I should've gone with you the first time you suggested it." Elphaba sighed and stroked the blonde's hair.
"Your lips were blue, Glin; I was almost too late." The witch sounded deeply shaken. "Promise me you won't ever be that stupid again."
"I promise," Glinda chuckled against Elphaba's dress. The fabric smelled sweet, almost syrupy. "Why do you smell like honey?"
"There are some wild bee hives in the castle garden. I've been gathering honey; all the other food I managed to get my hands on is pretty bland."
"Don't they sting you?"
"No. They're very friendly bees."
"Oh." For a moment the companionable silence was broken only by logs crackling in the fireplace. "What time is it?" Glinda wondered offhandedly.
"Almost dawn." Her forehead creased.
"How did I get here so quickly?"
"The storm must've carried you."
"Like a tornado?"
"No," Elphaba chortled. "Not like a tornado at all."
"Don't laugh at me, Elphie," Glinda chided. "We can't all be as smart as you." The blonde felt her friend shake with mirth.
"I would never laugh at you, my sweet." The green girl paused, thinking. "How did you know where I was anyway?"
"Fiyero," Glinda replied drowsily. She was still exhausted from her flight. "He left a few days ago to look for you."
"Look for me? Why?"
"Because he loves you, silly," the blonde slurred. Elphaba drew in a sharp breath.
"What?"
"He loves you," Glinda repeated. "We all love you; me and Boq and Fiyero. We weren't just gonna let you disappear."
"Oh." Elphaba said something else then, something along the lines of 'thank you', but the blonde witch was too far gone to hear.
/
Fiyero had always felt comfortable in the forest. His childhood memories were seasoned with days spent in the woods stalking deer or picking Vinkun blackberries. Even untamed forests, like the one he traveled through now, had never made the Winkie uneasy. However as Fiyero rode past trees that had never seen a human before, astride a bay stallion named Bhookus, he felt decidedly uncomfortable.
It wasn't because the prince was wondering why he would travel across Oz to help a girl he hardly knew, though that certainly should've been troubling. No, Fiyero was on edge because someone was watching him. He couldn't quite put his finger on how he knew, but he did. For awhile the Winkie ignored it, thinking his watcher would reveal itself in time, but soon he grew tired of the anonymous gaze burning into his back.
"Hello?" Fiyero shouted, reining Bhookus to a halt. The only response was a couple of squirrels chattering angrily in the treetops, wondering if this strange, noisy intruder was dangerous. Fiyero huffed in irritation. He was certain his instincts weren't mistaken; someone was watching. "I know you're out there," the Winkie hollered. "Show yourself!"
For a moment there was absolute stillness. To an untrained ear such a lack of sound would indicate that the Winkie was alone. However Fiyero knew that nature would never consent to holding its tongue so utterly…unless something menacing was nearby.
Click.
Fiyero heard the gun cock just in time to duck. There was a resounding shot and something grazed his shoulder. Bhookus whinnied in terror and bolted forward without being prompted. Fiyero crouched low in the saddle as his steed galloped deeper into the wood. A second bullet whistled over the prince's head. He uttered a colorful Vinkun curse and spurred his steed faster.
"Come on Bhookus," Fiyero muttered. "Now's not the time to go soft on me." Behind him there were no sounds of pursuit, but the Winkie didn't allow his horse to slow even a featherlength. Eventually the pair of fleeing travelers reached a river cutting straight through the forest. Bhookus was wheezing and his neck was flecked with sweat, but the beast didn't hesitate to throw himself into the water.
Violent, icy liquid surged around Fiyero's torso as he clung to the saddle, desperately hoping that whoever was following wouldn't take this opportunity to fire another shot.
"Sweet Oz, he's in the river," someone behind him cawed in aggravation.
"So what? Shoot him."
"I can't now. What if I hit the horse?"
"It's not like it's a Horse, Kali."
"Well it's a beautiful animal."
"We can't let him escape."
"I know that."
By now Bhookus's thrashing hooves had almost reached the far shore, and Fiyero was beginning to think that he might make it out of there alive. As his horse struggled up the bank the prince looked backwards and saw that there was no one watching from the other side of the river. Confused, Fiyero turned to face forward again.
Click.
There was a pistol pointed at his head.
Yay! Another cliffie…
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