Chapter Twenty-One: Stay Safe

The Gale Force met them on the third day. They could see the Wizard's armies in the distance as they approached. Upon first warning of the impending attack, Fiyero tried to send her to the back ranks. "You can do what you need from back there."

"No," she insisted. "This is my fight, Fiyero. I will stay on the front lines."

"They have guns, and swords…"

"I have the book." She wouldn't back down. "This is my decision. You know that."

He sighed and took her hand – something he hadn't done in front of anyone before. "Promise me you'll be safe."

Safe enough for both of us, she thought. The reason she was doing this was to protect him more than anything else. His children needed a father, and she would make certain they still had one when they were rescued. "I promise," she lied.

He drew her to him and kissed her hard. "I love you."

She heard the murmurs of his people, but smiled into his eyes. "I love you, too, Fiyero." Elphaba wasn't certain she'd ever have the chance to say it again.

As soon as they were close enough, she was setting fires under their feet. The looks of surprise among both the Arjiki people and the Gale Force delighted her. But the Wizard's army had sorcerers of their own, and her fires were dealt with and only actually stopped a few soldiers in all. Beside her, Fiyero drew his sword. It occurred to her that she'd never seen him fight before.

She chanted another spell that lifted the dry sands below their feet and blew the small grains into the faces the troops of guards. That wasn't so easy for the sorcerers to deal with and clearly slowed the men down. At that point, Fiyero and his men attacked. She listened to the clash of metal as swords rang out and the sound of bullets firing. And she watched Fiyero.

He acted as though he were no different from any of the other men fighting. He didn't expect to be protected or to hide. She admired that, but it worried her. Elphaba almost wished he'd be selfish and keep himself safe. Instead she cast a shielding spell on him, though she wasn't certain he knew. She was glad for that, though. If he knew, he might insist she cast it on everyone, and it was only to be cast on one person. Any attempts to cast the spell on anyone else would nullify the effects of the spell on him.

She wasn't able to do much else that day, and the fighting went on until it got dark and both armies retreated a bit and made camp. The firearms began malfunctioning after Elphaba began the sandstorm, their barrels clogged with grains of sand. The only real fighting was sword-on-sword, which Elphaba was no good at. It scared her, at times, because she could barely see Fiyero through the dirt and sand in the wind.

When the fighting wound down, one of Fiyero's generals came up to her immediately. "Those spells were phenomenal. Where has King Fiyero been hiding you?"

In his bed, she thought to herself. "We didn't want the Gale Force to know we had any kind of power. We discovered this book in the palace."

Another of the soldiers came up to her. "Are there any concealment spells?"

Elphaba nodded.

Fiyero walked up to them, then, sliding an arm around Elphaba's waist. "What's going on?"

"King Fiyero," his generals bowed, "I was thinking we could use her. She could sneak into their camp…"

"That's far too dangerous."

"Hear him out, Fiyero." Elphaba carefully detached herself from him, then turned to the other men. "What was your idea?"

"The fire. Their tents are side-by-side. If you set fire to one of their tents in the middle of their camp, they'd all burn and they wouldn't even know what hit them."

"In the middle of their camp? She'd get herself killed." Fiyero glared at her.

"It's actually a really good idea." Elphaba insisted.

"Absolutely not."

She looked at Fiyero's men again. "Would you give us a moment?" Elphaba took Fiyero's hand and drew him away. "What is wrong with you?"

"I'm not putting you in harm's way."

"It's not your decision."

"Last time I checked, I was the king and these were my people."

"And this is my life!"

"And I love you, damn it! I won't lose you, too."

"Yero, please. I have to do this." She grabbed his arm. "I love you, too, but this is what needs to be done. If we get rid of most of their forces tonight, there won't be much between you and the children. They'll be divided between Munchkinland and the City. You'll actually have a chance."

He buried his face in his hands for a moment, his face twisted with anguish. When he looked up, he nodded at her slowly. "Come back to me."

"I will try." She took his hand and looked into his eyes. "I do love you. You need to trust me on this."

He kissed her. "I wish I could."

"I'm honestly surprised you didn't think of this before they did."

Fiyero sighed. "I did, actually. I'd thought of it before we even started fighting, but I didn't want to consider it. I knew that if I even mentioned the idea to you, you'd do it without question. I wasn't sure I wanted that."

"Well, it's too late now. Your men are too smart for you to get away with that."

He squeezed her hand. "I noticed."

With that, she headed back towards the other men. "I'm in."

"Well, we can't do it now. Everyone is still awake, probably eating or strategizing. It needs to be in the dead of night. It'll probably be a few hours." Fiyero said softly. "We should all rest. Are the lookouts in place?"

The men nodded.

"Go to your tents, then. I want you up when she goes over there and ready to defend her should anything happen." But both of them knew by the time anyone got to her, she'd be dead. As the other men walked away, Fiyero touched her cheek. "You're coming to my tent. Now."

"You've got plans for me?" She tried to be playful, but the air between them was far too tense for it to actually sound that way.

"I might tie you up," he muttered, "and then not let you go."

"I've told you before I know how to get out of that." She wrapped her arms around his neck. "But you're welcome to try."

He put a hand on her hip and guided her to his tent. "I intend to," he said into her ear. "I'm going to take full advantage of the few hours before you head over there."

"Shouldn't I get some rest?" She raised her eyebrows at him.

He dragged her into the tent. "You can get rest when it's over." As soon as the flap was closed behind them, he pressed his lips against hers, licking along her open mouth and dipping his tongue inside. "I want you naked. Now." He told her as he unbuttoned his own shirt.

"Now you're talking like a ruler," she laughed, reaching behind her and unfastening her dress. "So commanding."

"And you better obey." He threatened as he finished undressing.

She knew what this was. He was telling her what to do now because he knew he couldn't control what she was about to do. So she let him. "I will do whatever you wish," she murmured, laying back on the blanket and spreading her legs.

"Not so fast." He grabbed something she couldn't see and she him bind her wrists. "There's nothing to tie you to, so I'll just have to keep your wrists tied together."

"As you like it," she replied, holding her wrists above her head. She could feel herself dripping and ready for him already, as though her impending mission only excited her more.

He kissed her mouth again and then began kissing lower. As he teased her breasts, she writhed beneath him. One of his hands pushed her into the ground. "Are you struggling?"

"Do you want me to?" She shot back.

"No. I want you to enjoy it, not try to get away."

"Oh, I do enjoy it." She tossed her head back as his tongue trailed along her ribs.

"I can smell how ready you are for me. I just have to have a little taste." And then she felt his tongue between her legs, running slowly along her mound. "Sweet Oz, you taste good."

She pressed her hips up and towards him. "I'm glad you feel that way."

He pushed a single finger all the way into her. "I'm going to make you come so hard, Fae."

"I want to. Please." Her eyes closed as she felt his hand move, his lips still sucking at her folds. "Oh, Fiyero, yes."

His other hand shoved her legs down and he nibbled slowly at the sweet bundle of nerves between her legs, pressing his finger deeper as she cried out. It occurred to her that most of the men could probably hear them, but she'd stopped caring. "That's right, come."

Her legs trembled and her lips quivered as she screamed. "Yero!"

He drew back and thrust himself into her. "And that's just the first of many."

"Gods, please just fuck me hard, Yero."

His arms wrapped around her legs as he began moving. "I'm going to. You like feeling that cock in you, spreading you open?"

"Yes, yes, Fiyero, please."

Fiyero began pounding into her, sweat dripping from his forehead to hers. "I'm going to make you so sore."

"And I won't regret it at all." She lifted her hips towards him more. "Tear me apart, Yero. Harder. Don't stop."

"Fuck, Fae, you are incredible." He bit into her neck. "I need you. I love you, Fae."

"I know, Yero," she murmured. "I love you, too… oh, sweet Oz, like that!"

He drove into her over and over again as she found herself reaching her peak again, her hands forming fists and her toes flexing as she moaned in climax. He growled against her skin as he dove deeper, drawing out her pleasure.

He was true to his word, making her cry out so many times she thought she'd lost her voice. They both were drained when it was over. He fell quickly into sleep and she turned over and dressed again, trying not to disturb him. She didn't want him trying to stop her. She'd made up her mind.